After Feng Manshu finished speaking, the First Lady beside her immediately chimed in, "That's right. The spiritual fox must be in this room. Gentlemen guards, you must search carefully."
Hearing the commotion, Feng Yunshu quickly realized what was going on.
Feng Yunshu put on her outer robe and walked up to the guards who were about to start searching. "What are you doing?"
"Breaking into a private house in broad daylight. Is this how the people from the government handle things?"
The leading guard looked at Feng Yunshu with an ashen face and a sour expression. "You're the eldest young lady of the Feng Mansion, Princess Helan, Feng Yunshu, right?"
Feng Yunshu nodded. "That's correct. May I ask what brings you all barging in here in such a hurry?"
"Princess Helan, we're here by the Emperor's order to investigate the disappearance of the spiritual fox. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince provided a clue yesterday. The second young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion said that she saw the princess holding the spiritual fox with her own eyes. The Emperor has ordered us to take the princess and the spiritual fox back to the palace for personal interrogation."
"The spiritual fox?"
Feng Yunshu looked at them with a puzzled expression and then shrugged innocently. "No. I've never seen any spiritual fox."
"You're lying!" Feng Manshu stepped forward impatiently to refute and then called Dongqu, the maid beside the First Lady.
"Dongqu, tell them if you saw her holding the spiritual fox on the long street?"
The maid Dongqu stepped forward, looked at Feng Yunshu, and then quickly nodded. "That's right. This servant saw it with her own eyes. There was a distinct red mark on the white fox's forehead. This servant saw it clearly!"
Just then, the guards who had come saw Xiaoling lying on the couch beside them. They strode forward and reached out to grab Xiaoling.
Xiaoling was originally lying on her stomach. Seeing these people come forward and act so rudely, Xiaoling suddenly turned her head and bit hard on this person's palm. The guard let out a few pained howls, and Xiaoling quickly scurried into Feng Yunshu's arms.
The bitten guard was furious. He turned around and reached out to grab Xiaoling. Feng Yunshu protected Xiaoling in her arms and looked coldly at the guard in front of her.
"My little Xiaoling is most afraid of strangers. This gentleman clearly disturbed her rest. Are you still going to pick on a cat?"
Everyone's gazes soon fell on Xiaoling in Feng Yunshu's arms. At this moment, Xiaoling's form was not that of a fox but a real cat.
The people looked at Xiaoling in surprise. Although Xiaoling had changed her appearance, the flame on her forehead was a special mark that Xiaoling was born with. No matter how she transformed under any circumstances, it couldn't be erased. So everyone quickly noticed this mark.
"Feng Yunshu, stop pretending here. The one in your arms is clearly that spiritual fox, not some cat!"
Feng Yunshu looked coldly at Feng Manshu. "Second sister, it's okay that your mind isn't working well, but now your eyes are starting to fail you too? Have you never seen a cat or are you just getting senile? Can't you tell whether the one in my arms is a cat or a fox?"
"Feng Yunshu, you—"
Just as Feng Manshu was about to say something, the First Lady stepped in to interrupt her. The First Lady looked at Feng Yunshu and Xiaoling in her arms with a cold expression and slowly said,
"I've long heard that the spiritual fox has spiritual power. Maybe it can change its appearance. Moreover, the mark on its forehead is exactly the same as the spiritual fox the Emperor is looking for. How could there be such a coincidence in this world?"
"My mother is right, Gentlemen guards. You don't know that my elder sister has always been temperamental, cunning, and full of strange tricks. You don't need to waste your breath on her. Just take her to the Emperor for interrogation. The truth will surely come to light."
The armed guards were here on a mission. Coupled with the suspicious animal in Feng Yunshu's arms, the leading guard then said,
"Princess Helan, we're here to conduct an investigation as our duty requires. Please come with us to the palace. If the princess refuses to cooperate, don't blame us for using force to take the princess and this cat away."
Feng Yunshu glanced at the First Lady and Feng Manshu. Their arrogant and smug faces were exactly the same. It seemed that they were determined to get her...
Xiaoling's identity was originally very sensitive. Every time they went out, Feng Yunshu would always cover the mark on Xiaoling's forehead, but she was always afraid of accidentally exposing it. She didn't expect that day to come so soon.
But then Feng Yunshu thought that this might also be a great opportunity. Since you all are looking for trouble, then this immortal maiden might as well play with you. It's just the right time to take this opportunity to dispel others' coveting of Xiaoling.
Thinking of this, Feng Yunshu looked at the leading guard and slowly said, "Since you gentlemen are doing your duty, I don't want to make things difficult for you. I'll go to the palace with you to explain to the Emperor."
The guard was a bit surprised. He probably didn't expect Feng Yunshu to agree so quickly.
Just as the guard was about to take Feng Yunshu away, Feng Yunshu suddenly looked at the First Lady and Feng Manshu and proposed, "Since you're both so sure that I stole the spiritual fox, why don't you come with us to the palace and testify against me in front of the Emperor? In this way, the Emperor will be more likely to believe you, right?"
Facing Feng Yunshu's proposal, the mother - daughter pair's first reaction was suspicion. They suspected that Feng Yunshu was up to some new tricks.
But they also thought that they really had to go and testify in person. They must make the Emperor believe that it was Feng Yunshu who stole the spiritual fox. In this way, Feng Yunshu would be disgraced and severely punished by the Emperor.
After some consideration, the First Lady and Feng Manshu actually proposed to go to the palace with the guards to testify.
On the way there, Feng Manshu arrogantly threatened Feng Yunshu, "Feng Yunshu, just wait. When we get to the Emperor, let's see how you can wriggle out of this!"
"Once the Emperor pronounces his sentence, our Feng family will never give you a proper burial!"
Facing Feng Manshu's threats, Feng Yunshu just found it funny. Her skills were not even half as good as those of her former fellow disciples when it came to insulting people.
"Manshu, it's not the end yet. We don't know who will win. Don't be too happy too soon. It'll really hurt when your face gets slapped."
In the main hall of the imperial palace.
Feng Yunshu originally thought this matter only concerned her. But when she walked to the palace gate and looked up, she saw several guards roughly dragging Helan Yanting in.
Feng Yunshu's heart skipped a beat. Why was he also brought here?
Before she could think further, the guards dragged Helan Yanting to the front of the hall and actually kicked him in an attempt to force him to kneel.
Seeing this, Feng Yunshu was instantly furious. Her spiritual power leaked out faintly, and a cold wind blew around her.
The guards on both sides and the First Lady, Feng Manshu, and others who followed were deeply surprised by this sudden gust of wind. The weather had been windless all the way. Why did the wind suddenly blow?
"Master, don't be angry. Be careful not to let your spiritual power leak out! This is the imperial palace. Master must be more cautious. Leave those people to Xiaoling."
Xiaoling immediately stopped Feng Yunshu from taking action. Then she released her spiritual power. Immediately afterwards, the guard who was just about to kick Helan suddenly trembled all over. His legs went weak, and he fell forward with a thud. He foamed at the mouth...
"What's going on?"
For a moment, everyone in the main hall, including the Emperor, was shocked by this scene.