Chapter 12: The Imperial Uncle - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 12: The Imperial Uncle

"Unless the Feng family holds something that threatens the Ninth Prince or the Duke of Wei, they wouldn't go to such lengths to frame them!" Feng Jinyao's eyes were filled with coldness as she thought about this. It was necessary to find out what that thing was first, so she could take the initiative and set a trap for the Wen family.

Lost in her thoughts, Feng Jinyao was suddenly shaken by a strong force, snapping her out of it.

"Ah Yao, what's wrong with you? You seem distracted."

"Nothing, perhaps I didn't sleep well last night. Cousin, do you want to go to the Qinxian Courtyard first?"

"Yes, several sisters from the Duke of Zhengguo's family are also here. Let's take them there first."

Feng Jinyao nodded, and after leaving a servant to guide Wei Lanxuan and her group, she took the other ladies to the Qinxian Courtyard.

Between the Shou'an Courtyard and the Qinxian Courtyard was a connected waterside pavilion.

In the summer, it would be quite refreshing here, but unfortunately, in the winter, it was freezing.

As they arrived near the waterside courtyard, they chatted and laughed without paying much attention.

Instead, Feng Jinyao inadvertently looked towards the courtyard and unexpectedly saw the Imperial Uncle, Xiao Tingyi. Even from a distance of more than ten steps, his presence was unmistakable.

As the youngest son of the late Emperor and the current Emperor's seventeenth brother, he was truly a young talent with remarkable grace and charm.

"Ah Yao, what are you looking at?"

Bai Siruo and Xu Mingyue had walked a few steps ahead and noticed Feng Jinyao hadn't followed, so they turned back out of curiosity and saw her standing still.

From Bai Siruo's angle, blocked by a fake mountain, she hadn't seen Xiao Tingyi.

Approaching a few steps closer and seeing him, the smile that was originally on Bai Siruo's lips stiffened.

In the instant their eyes met, Bai Siruo felt a sense of astonishment.

She had never expected to encounter the Imperial Uncle here!

Was she mistaken?

It was said that the granddaughter of the Bai family's Foreign Minister had not yet come of age, so how could she exude such a daunting aura?

Although she appeared to be a noble and virtuous daughter, the hidden hostility emanating from her couldn't escape Xiao Tingyi's notice.

Xiao Tingyi's face was somewhat pale due to the cold winter weather, but his eyes were unexpectedly calm, like a tranquil pool of water, seemingly clear and transparent on the surface, yet devoid of any emotions.

For some reason, Feng Jinyao felt a sense of crisis as if someone knew her secret. Feeling apprehensive, she lowered her head meekly and called him "Your Highness" along with Bai Siruo.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Your Highness. I need to take the ladies from the Duke of Zhengguo's family to the front. We won't disturb Your Highness's enjoyment here."

After speaking, she quickly bowed and hurriedly left with Bai Siruo.

Walking briskly while lowering her voice, she whispered to Feng Jinyao, "My dear sister, you're truly bold. Even daring to stare at him. Do you know how tragic the fate of the last person who stared at him was?"

Despite the cold weather, Bai Siruo had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. Xu Mingyue, who was walking quickly beside her, didn't look well either but she didn't seem as tense as Bai Siruo.

Feng Jinyao frowned. In her previous life, she had very few impressions of this mysterious and unpredictable Imperial Uncle.

"Is he the Imperial Uncle? I've never seen him before."

Bai Siruo seemed amused by Feng Jinyao's fearless demeanor.

"He's not a ferocious beast. Why are you so afraid of him?"

"You don't know. The seventeenth Imperial Uncle was the late Emperor's favorite son many years ago. If it weren't for the current Emperor being much older than him, when the late Emperor passed away and he hadn't fully matured, I'm afraid we wouldn't even know who's sitting on the throne right now."

After saying this, Bai Siruo glanced around cautiously. These were secrets of the royal family that shouldn't be revealed to outsiders.

However, seeing Feng Jinyao's bewildered expression, Bai Siruo feared that if she accidentally offended this powerful figure, their future days would be difficult. Hence, she reminded her.

Lowering her voice again, she whispered to Feng Jinyao, "The situation in the court is complex and chaotic. The Ninth Prince, whom His Majesty favors the most and the eldest Imperial Prince born to the Empress have been competing against each other for years. It is said that both sides have extended an olive branch to the seventeenth Imperial Uncle, hoping to obtain the military power of the Southwest. Unfortunately, after all these years, we've never heard of him favoring anyone in particular. So, his thoughts run deep, and it's not something you and I can fathom, understand?"

Feng Jinyao nodded solemnly. "Thank you for the reminder. I understand. I'll avoid him in the future."

She had no intention of provoking such a person, as she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Putting aside her thoughts, Feng Jinyao composed herself and followed Bai Siruo to the banquet area.

The waterside pavilion was quiet, with no one within thirty steps disturbing their conversation.

The charcoal fire burned brightly, warming up the surroundings.

Xiao Tingyi's attendant, Yang Zhao, stood quietly behind him, not uttering a word. Xiao Tingyi, on the other hand, seemed somewhat curious as he sat there.

*Cough cough*, there were two more coughs.

This cough was left over from ten years ago on the battlefield. If it weren't for the precious medicinal herbs sustaining him, he might have met Yama long ago.

In the winter, the cough was a bit more severe, and there was a faint trace of blood on the handkerchief. If anyone saw it they would probably sigh at the irony of fate, wasting such a good appearance and demeanor.

Today, Xiao Tingyi hadn't intended to join in the festivities, but due to repeated invitations from Minister Xu and Bai Xiang, he reluctantly agreed to come.

However, he didn't have the energy to socialize with the young masters in the front yard, so he took his attendants and hid in this waterside pavilion.

Never did he expect to unexpectedly encounter her here!

Was he mistaken?

It was said that the Bai family's granddaughter, the Foreign Minister's granddaughter, had not yet come of age, so how could such a young girl exude such a terrifying aura?

Although she appeared to be a noble and virtuous daughter, the faint hostility emanating from her couldn't escape Xiao Tingyi's sensitive perception.

As he looked at her, a faint flush appeared on Xiao Tingyi's pale face and a slight smile emerged at the corner of his mouth, as if he had found something interesting to watch.

In the Qinxian Courtyard, Bai Siruo had already made preparations when she brought the group of ladies.

"Sisters-in-law and sisters, today is my grandmother's birthday. My aunt specially prepared some clever little gadgets as tokens of appreciation, but these gifts cannot be taken casually. You need to guess the riddles correctly to receive them."

After speaking, she signaled to the maid behind her, who immediately brought over four colored bracelets: white, red, yellow, and purple.

Everyone looked puzzled. It was not strange to guess riddles but what did these four colored bracelets mean?

"Sister Siruo, what are these bracelets for?" one curious person asked and the others also looked at Bai Siruo.

She was not shy and explained openly, "Just to guess riddles. It seems a bit dull, but since there is still some time before the banquet starts, why not have some fun? You can form teams with friends and relatives, choose four groups to compete and see which group of sisters can come out on top with each color bracelet. Not only can you get these small gifts, but there are also more powerful rewards waiting for you later." After speaking, she gestured for a maid to bring over a beautifully embroidered box.

Hahaha, after much anticipation, the male lead finally makes his appearance....

📌 To Read The Latest Updates Click 👇👇

▶▶Rebirth of the Noble Daughter  

Next Chapter ▶▶