“Bad guy! Bad guy!”
Yun Qingxue shouted at Gummu twice in a row, muttering, “You won’t let me play the game, you jerk! Jerk!”
“My ancestor, my Majesty! This isn’t playing a game—this is playing with your life!”
“Bad guy! Fenyao always played like this with me before! Why won’t you let me?” Yun Qingxue threw a childish tantrum, tightening her grip on Gummu’s handsome face.
“Elder, did you hear that? His Majesty just confirmed it—Qiandai has been inciting the Flower King to bully Sister Fenyao all along!”
“Yes, Elder! Qiandai’s intentions are unforgivable. You must stand up for us sisters!”
Liangyue and Yexiang seized the opportunity to stir trouble.
Tongyun and Lanxin exchanged a dangerous glance at Qiandai in perfect sync.
With a cold laugh, Tongyun assumed her authoritative tone. “Qiandai, you’ve done well, haven’t you? Corrupting the Flower King like this—utterly despicable!”
As she spoke, she formed a spell in her hand.
Just as she was about to strike Qiandai again, Yun Qingxue suddenly yelled at Gummu in defiance, “You’re lying! Fenyao used to pinch me like this all the time! It bled, it hurt, but after I slept, I was fine! Fenyao said it was fun—I want to play too!”
“Your Majesty, who pinched you?” Gummu’s eyes widened in shock.
“I want to play! Just like Fenyao pinched me, I want to pinch her too!” Yun Qingxue pouted, tears glistening in her eyes, then stomped her foot and ran back to Qiandai like a sulking child.
“Daida, they’re all bad! They’re all bullying me! Why can Fenyao pinch me for fun, but I can’t pinch her? Waaah—” She tugged at Qiandai’s sleeve, stomping her feet harder.
“My lady, hush now, don’t cry.” Qiandai gently wiped Yun Qingxue’s face with a handkerchief, her voice as soothing as a mother’s.
Elder Tongyun, who had been ready to attack Qiandai again, found her spell frozen at her fingertips. Yun Qingxue’s childish words were like a slap to her face.
No matter how much power she wielded in the Flower and Wood Clan, Yun Qingxue was still the rightful Flower King. Some appearances had to be maintained.
“Elder, we sisters are wronged!” Sensing the shift, Liangyue quickly defended herself through tears.
“Silence!” Gummu suddenly roared, startling Liangyue and Yexiang into trembling.
“Do you dare suggest His Majesty would falsely accuse you?” he demanded coldly.
“Lord Gummu knows the Flower King is childlike—how can a child’s words be trusted?” Liangyue retorted, regaining her composure.
“A child’s honesty is purest. If His Majesty’s words can’t be trusted, can yours?” Gummu’s mocking gaze was as sharp as ice.
“Enough!” Tongyun’s sharp command silenced both Liangyue and Gummu.
The hall fell quiet, thick with tension. Rubbing her temples, Tongyun declared, “This elder’s head aches from your bickering. This matter ends here. Qiandai, take His Majesty back to rest. The rest of you, disperse.”
“Elder, the truth hasn’t been uncovered—”
Gummu’s protest earned him a glare from Tongyun.
“This elder is in no state to continue. We’ll revisit this another time. Understood, Lord Gummu?”
“Understood. Of course.”
With a smile, Gummu bowed to Yun Qingxue. “This subordinate will escort Your Majesty back.”
Yun Qingxue retreated behind Qiandai’s sleeve, sticking her tongue out at Gummu before blowing a raspberry and rolling her eyes.
Gummu stifled a laugh.
“Daida, I’m hungry…” Yun Qingxue rubbed her stomach, tugging Qiandai’s sleeve.
“This servant will take you back for a meal.” Holding Yun Qingxue’s hand, Qiandai led her out of the Golden Phoenix Palace.
Gummu followed at a distance, amused.
*Crash!*
The moment they left, Tongyun shattered an untouched ornament against the floor.
“Fools!” she seethed, chest heaving as she surveyed the wreckage.
Liangyue and Yexiang knelt silently, heads bowed.
Gummu trailed Qiandai and Yun Qingxue to the Flower King’s Palace.
At the entrance, Qiandai turned abruptly. “Care to join us, Lord Gummu?”
“No.” He bowed. “Since Your Majesty and Lady Qiandai have returned safely, this official takes his leave.”
With that, he departed.
Qiandai watched until he vanished completely.
*Sigh—*
Yun Qingxue exhaled deeply. Playing the fool was exhausting work.
“Qiandai thanks the young mistress for saving my life.”
Once inside, Qiandai knelt the moment the doors shut.
Yun Qingxue pulled her up, feigning annoyance. “I told you—no more kneeling!”
“My lady…”
Qiandai’s eyes shimmered with tears. “If Elder Ningzi could see how you’ve grown today, she’d rest in peace…”
Yun Qingxue smiled softly, patting her shoulder in silent comfort.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, warming them in golden light.
Seizing the opportunity, Qiandai stripped Fenyao, Liangyue, and Yexiang of their cultivation. For two peaceful days, no one troubled Yun Qingxue.
But having grown up in an orphanage, she knew better than to let her guard down—especially now. The calm likely masked a brewing storm.
She couldn’t rely on playing the fool forever.
The title of Flower King brought more danger than privilege.
The elders, who held the clan’s true power, feigned respect while plotting her demise. Their hesitation stemmed only from fear of being branded usurpers. They were waiting—for a justifiable reason to kill her and seize the throne openly.
The real danger?
She wasn’t truly a fool anymore. Though she could keep pretending, secrets never stayed hidden forever…
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