The so-called "they" are actually "them," referring to the young girls who frequently play with Murong Ru. How could Murong Yi, the dignified ruler of a nation, possibly be fooled by two little girls? However, today is the auspicious day for his beloved little Princess Mingxi, and he doesn’t want to spoil her mood with these troublesome matters, especially since she’s worried about potential conflicts among the sisters upon their return. Therefore, he chooses to turn a blind eye with discretion.

Murong Xue is not surprised by Murong Yi’s handling method. She only caught seven or eight out of ten words just now, but the general idea was obvious enough to guess. Seeing Murong Ru’s appearance of admitting fault verbally yet remaining defiant visibly, she gained a deeper understanding of her.

Murong Yi doesn’t pursue the matter further, and Murong Xue does not know that he spares them for her sake. She merely assumes it is because of his usual indulgence and pampering, leading to unbridled behavior. Little does she know, Murong Yi has always left Murong Ru and Consort Hua’s three sons unattended — a policy of benign neglect that harbors no intention of nurturing them. Yet sometimes indulgence and spoiling are easily confused, and this is how he’s managed to survive safely over the years. Otherwise, Consort Hua’s faction would have acted against him long ago.

There’s both advantage and disadvantage to it. Many situations cannot be explained to Murong Xue by Murong Yi, so he allows her to misunderstand.

Consort Hua accompanied the entourage and naturally saw her daughter’s behavior. On one hand, she is angry at her daughter’s lack of progress, and on the other hand, she has no choice but to raise her sophisticated, charming smile.

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, look at what a scene this has caused. It’s all Ruru’s fault; she’s gotten too into character and made a fool of herself here, even wrongly accused of disrespect towards her elder and insulting her legitimate sister. Whether or not it’s an act, she must apologize to both Princess Consort Shu and Sister Wei," she said.

Adorned in striking beauty, under the guidance of a meaningful glance, Consort Hua forced her stubborn and competitive eldest daughter to compromise. Under her watchful eye, Murong Ru obediently approached Lady Shu, respectfully performing the junior’s bow, then turned to bow towards Murong Wei.

Murong Ru’s adaptability finally made Murong Yi’s expression lighten. As he mentally sighed in relief, he reluctantly stood up, looking at Lady Shu, who maintained a calm demeanor throughout. Even when Murong Ru apologized and paid respects to her, she merely uttered a faint "hmm" without much expression.

What Consort Hua detests most is Lady Shu’s emotionless expression, and she hates that the Emperor, without waiting for her, directly pulls the recently returned Sixth Prince and Sixth Princess aside, leaving her no position at all. Now, that Shu, what right does she have to walk ahead of her?

Despite having a thousand flames of anger within her, she has to suppress them. After all, it was her daughter who was in the wrong first, though she understands well that Murong Wei dug the pit first, Murong Ru jumped in later, and she deserves this neglect.

At this moment, Murong Wei simply sat there quietly. She clearly saw and perceived Consort Hua’s angry gaze, yet she couldn’t afford to care about that right now. Offending them would certainly make life difficult for her and her mother, but not offending them wouldn’t necessarily improve things either.

Since neither end leads to personal gain, she might as well choose the former.

The coldness in Murong Wei’s eyes and her indifferent manner of handling things slightly astonished Hua Xiyan.

Everyone knows that Lady Shu and the Fifth Princess have long lived a life of hardship in the imperial palace. Even though Lady Shu holds the concubine position now, within Consort Hua’s all-powerful harem, with just an order, dealing with them would be all too easy.

So at this point, facing Consort Hua’s malicious gaze, how the Fifth Princess can remain so composed truly surprises her.

By comparison, she, Hua Xiyan, with her concubine birth, should be considered the only exception among the aristocratic families in the Beijing Circle.

As a concubine’s daughter, she’s fortunate to have a father who dotes on her, a mother who loves her, and brothers who protect her. How lucky is she?

Therefore, she has always disliked the bullying or oppression of the weak, and the reason she spoke up today was simply because she couldn’t stand it any longer.

Since she has made this stand, she doesn’t worry about not being able to withstand whatever the Bai Family might attempt against the Hua Family. Firstly, the Hua Family is still an object of Bai Family’s alliance, only that they haven’t taken sides yet, maintaining neutrality. Secondly, with the Emperor’s most cherished Empress Lan’s son and daughter returned, how could Consort Hua even have time to mind someone insignificant like her?