The Phoenix Emperor walked outside the side hall, where Huang Mingge was still standing. She dared not leave, she was waiting for a result.
She didn’t know what the result would be; to be on the safe side, she had even quietly sent someone to the Inviting Phoenix Palace to ask her father to come.
If the Imperial Mother is indeed too furious, perhaps father might be able to soothe her some?
The Phoenix Emperor looked at her eighth daughter, who stood obediently, and for the first time felt that she had never truly seen through her.
Among all her children, apart from Changge, Mingge was almost the most favored: born into nobility, she could act coy, her appearance sweet and charming, and when she herself received any fine things, she would think to leave a portion for this daughter.
She had always thought of Huang Mingge as the innocent young girl in her memories, but no innocent young girl would plant a knife into her own sister’s body.
And on that day, what exactly did she and Changge talk about, that caused Changge to show such heartache and even hatred at the mention of her name?
She fell silent for a long time, which made Huang Mingge increasingly anxious. No matter how precocious or cunning she was, she was still just a fourteen-year-old girl.
She felt that Huang Changge must have spoken ill of her to the Imperial Mother. If it had been herself in such a situation, she might have wished to dismember the other person to find peace.
With some nervousness, she spoke to the Phoenix Emperor, saying, "Imperial Mother, I know, sister must be very angry with me right now, she might even wish to kill me, and it would be justified. But she is just in a fit of anger..." She suddenly found herself unable to continue, as she directly met the Phoenix Emperor’s smile that was not quite a smile.
Looking closely, there was a hint of mockery and pity within it.
A sudden realization hit her, could it be that she had guessed wrong?
The pity of the Phoenix Emperor was for her eldest daughter, Changge, who had suffered such injuries yet did not wish to harm Huang Mingge, and this one in front of her couldn’t grasp her sister’s good intentions, showed no remorse, and her words were all about exoneration.
She slowly began to speak, "Changge said that you are still young, perhaps you have been deceived by wicked people, it’d be best to find a good teacher to educate you."
Huang Mingge felt a thunderous shock in her head, thinking to herself: this is it, I’m done for.
Perhaps the Imperial Mother, out of regard for her sister, would not blame her, but her image in her mother’s eyes must have plunged to the lowest point.
A daughter who wounded her elder sister, showing no sign of remorse and even intending to clear herself, what would the Imperial Mother think of her?
In her heart, Huang Mingge felt it must be Huang Changge; she surely knew what she would do and so deliberately spoke those magnanimous words. Without knowing any better, she fell into her scheme and became despised by the Imperial Mother.
She never considered what she should do if she truly felt remorseful herself.
The Phoenix Emperor wasn’t mistaken about her; she was just such a selfish person.
"His Royal Highness the Phoenix Monarch has arrived."
Following the Palace Attendant’s voice, the splendidly robed Phoenix Monarch walked in.
The Phoenix Monarch was a man as pure and upright as bamboo. He seemed to be in quite a hurry, and upon seeing the Phoenix Emperor, didn’t have time to perform his salutations, hurriedly asking, "Your Majesty, are you going to blame Mingge?"
Upon hearing this, the Phoenix Emperor looked sideways at Huang Mingge, who was pale, with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"The Phoenix Monarch worries too much; I have just visited Changge, and she has spoken in Mingge’s defense," the Phoenix Emperor replied.
Relieved by these words, the Phoenix Monarch realized his own impropriety.
He was just about to apologize when he heard the Phoenix Emperor say, "However, Mingge is not so young anymore; I plan to select a day to establish her own residence and find a renowned teacher to properly instruct her."
Huang Mingge, disbelieving, looked at the Phoenix Emperor—was this a veiled abandonment?