Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

Upon learning that Emperor Qingkang was going to host a banquet for Ren Fengjue and his entourage at the Jiarui Hall, and that Xia Ximo was among them, Princess Ding'an insisted on going to join in the fun.

The emperor doted on his daughter and, thinking that everyone present was young, agreed.

Upon entering, Princess Ding'an quickly spotted the other person among the seats.

However, upon seeing Xia Ximo's face clearly, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

This person was indeed not the "Xia Ximo" I had seen that day, but he looked somewhat familiar.

Princess An Ding frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly having a clue: this person had attended her birthday banquet with Ren Fengjue.

But at that time, she disguised herself as a servant!

Could it be that back then...

Princess An Ding felt increasingly choked up, no wonder there were rumors at the time that Ren Feng Jue was hiding a woman in his residence.

It turns out everything was true; I had truly been kept in the dark.

As she thought about it, the grievances and resentment in her heart turned into anger.

Xia Ximo sat there quietly, and in terms of appearance, figure, and temperament, she was indeed much better than that imposter.

She was wearing a light pink crepe robe with silver fox fur trim along the hem and cuffs, and a long, dark gold brocade skirt with delicate plum blossom embroidery on the hem.

The hair ornament on her head was a white jade phoenix hairpin with a lustrous color.

Princess Ding'an recognized it; it originally belonged to Empress Zhang. The reason it ended up on her must be because of the Lady of the Marquis…

She was so engrossed in her own fantasies and emotions that she didn't even respond when Emperor Qingkang called out to her several times.

Suddenly, a palace maid stepped forward and said, "Princess."

Princess Ding'an was brought back to her senses by a soft call, but her expression was rather unpleasant.

Seeing that her expression was off, Emperor Qingkang asked directly, "Is Ruozhen unhappy?"

Princess Ding'an snorted, ignoring who was sitting in the room, and said directly to Ren Fengjue, "Brother Feng, you're lying!"

Her voice became hoarse as she spoke, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Everyone was startled and looked at Ren Fengjue with puzzled expressions.

Only Zhao Wan understood perfectly, and a slight smile even appeared on her lips.

Ren Fengjue could certainly guess some of it, but he remained calm and asked Princess Ding'an, "Why does the princess say this?"

Princess Ding'an stood up, and relying on the emperor's backing, she said loudly, "A few months ago, rumors circulated in the capital that you were hiding a woman in your residence. Why didn't you tell me when I asked you about it?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Lang almost choked.

He found it very funny, but he held back his laughter.

Ren Fengjue recalled that Xia Ximo had only recently arrived at his residence, and the two were investigating Minister Meng's case. Naturally, he did not take this nonsense to heart.

Seeing that he remained silent, Princess Ding'an continued, "Moreover, you even brought that woman to my birthday banquet, making a fool of me right under my nose!"

Ren Fengjue was both amused and exasperated to be suddenly labeled with such a huge accusation.

Emperor Qingkang glanced at Xia Ximo and then roughly understood the situation.

He took the initiative to say, "Ruozhen, at your birthday banquet, Ren Xiaolang brought the Xia family girl here to investigate a case, not to make fun of you."

"Moreover, the two of them were already engaged, so even if those rumors were true, it would be reasonable."

Princess Ding'an was even more displeased to see that the emperor was also on their side.

"Father, why are you siding with them too? I'm angry!"

She stood up and made as if to walk out. Emperor Qingkang was both helpless and amused, and quickly had a palace maid stop her.

Ren Fengjue also explained, "I have never lied to the princess. When Miss Xia first arrived in the capital, she was alone and had no one to rely on, so she could only stay in my residence temporarily."

"My parents are already aware of this matter, and it doesn't constitute the word 'hidden' at all. Those rumors are indeed nonsense."

Princess Ding'an glanced at Xia Ximo again, still seething with anger.

She couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "You two aren't even married yet, and she's already living in your house? Doesn't she care about her reputation as a young woman at all?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qingkang was displeased and immediately rebuked him, "Ruozhen! Stop talking nonsense!"

Princess An Ding felt even more aggrieved after being scolded by her father. She bit her lower lip, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Father, did I say something wrong?"

Xia Ximo himself showed no reaction to this, and was even leisurely drinking tea, his gaze fixed on a plate of pastries in front of him.

She wondered if Tianqing knew how to make this pastry, as she had never seen it anywhere else.

Thinking this, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it up.

Zhao Wan, who was standing next to her, took in her little actions and couldn't help but quietly nudge her.

Xia Ximo glanced at her and asked, "What?"

Zhao Wan: "..."

Emperor Qingkang was initially worried that Xia Ximo would be wronged, but seeing that she looked normal, he was somewhat surprised by her composure.

But he still spoke earnestly to his daughter, saying, "Miss Xia lost both her parents at a young age, and her situation is already difficult. She's not even two years older than you. If you put yourself in her shoes, you shouldn't have said those things."

Although Princess Ding'an was spoiled, she was also a reasonable person. She knew that she was blinded by jealousy and did not want to back down, so she lowered her head and snorted.

At this moment, Zhao Wan spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, Xi Mo has always been unconcerned with formalities and will certainly not take the princess's words to heart. However, speaking of the marriage between the young marquis and Xi Mo, there is some regret."

After she said this, everyone looked at her, completely baffled as to what she was up to.

Even Ren Fengjue frowned, thinking she had other intentions.

Princess Ding'an, even more curious, quickly looked up and asked, "What do you mean by that, Sister Wan?"

Zhao Wan immediately said, "The engagement between the young marquis and Xi Mo was dissolved two months ago."

Upon hearing this, even Emperor Qingkang was surprised. He looked at Ren Fengjue, thinking that the Ren family was bullying Xia Ximo, and immediately questioned, "Ren Fengjue, what's going on here?"

When Ren Fengjue saw that the blame was being directed at him, he was truly speechless.

Princess Ding'an then seized the opportunity to say, "The reason for breaking off the engagement must be that you no longer want to get married, right?"

To everyone's surprise, Ren Fengjue shook his head and replied, "No, of course I want to marry Ximo, I dream about it all the time."

This confused the emperor, who asked in displeasure, "Then what exactly happened?"

At this moment, Xia Ximo, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up and said, "It was my request to break off the engagement, but I cannot say why."

Emperor Qingkang glanced at Xia Ximo again, roughly guessing that there must have been some conflict between them...

Before he could speak, Xia Ximo continued, "However, even without the engagement, Ren Fengjue is still mine."