The two examined each other. Although both of them possessed the aura of a ruler, the female Emperor was inferior to Feng Tianlan in terms of her appearance and her composure as a leader. Feng Tianlan was born with these advantages.
Upon thinking of how she would be overshadowed by this young girl from nowhere despite having being enthroned as the female emperor for many years and how Ji You tried to protect this young girl, her face immediately darkened. “Welcome back to the palace, Lady Phoenix!”
She did not show any sign of wanting to pay her respects. She most certainly did not deem her worthy and even displayed some intention to undermine her.
“Your Majesty has yet to bow to the Lady Phoenix.” Ji You did not give up. Prior to this, the Lady Phoenix was only an adornment, but now that the real Lady Phoenix had returned, Her Majesty, the Empress, should pay her respects.
Feng Tianlan sat steadily in the sedan without speaking and looked at the Empress calmly. Her expression was stern, subconsciously asserting with her domineering and noble status that she was the strong one. This made some people who were still not convinced lower their heads one by one to show their respect and reverence for her.
The Empress raised her head and stared at Feng Tianlan indignantly before turning to look at Ji You. She spoke coldly, “Prime Minister, do not forget you are just a subordinate and I am the ruler!”
How could Ji You protect another woman like this, and even wanted her to pay respects to this other woman! Did he know that she was the leader and he was her subordinate? Even if she wanted him to die, he had to oblige with gratitude!
“I, your subordinate, have not forgotten. However, I remember that there is a rule which has been passed down from our ancestors in Tianfeng Nation: when the real Lady Phoenix appears, all should listen to her and treat her as the Master.” Ji You replied calmly despite facing a strong pressure from the Empress.
What Ji You meant was that in front of Lady Phoenix, even Her Majesty was merely a subordinate. It was necessary for her to paying respect to Lady Phoenix and act according to her orders!
“Ji You!” the Empress snapped with a sullen expression. She had served in a high position for many years, even if she could not say much at this moment, she still exuded an air of power.
Ji You continued to reply calmly, “Pleading with Your Majesty to abide by the rules from the ancestors and serve the Lady Phoenix.”
The Empress hated Ji You so much that her teeth ground together. Her own subordinate was actually siding with another woman—how could she not hate him!
“Return to the palace!” The Empress raised her head to look at Feng Tianlan with disdain and spoke in an overbearing voice. She did not believe that this little girl would dare to challenge her!
Feng Tianlan gently lifted up her phoenix eyes and looked at the Empress without much emotion. “Your Majesty’s name is Feng Wu, am I right?”
“Outrageous! How can you call Her Majesty by her name?” General Zuo was zealous in protecting his master. He immediately drew his knife and berated Feng Tianlan.
Ji You looked at General Zuo coldly and questioned him sternly, “In front of the Lady Phoenix, even Her Majesty is only just a subordinate. By saying these words, where does General Zuo think the Lady Phoenix ranks?”
The two faced off against each other, neither of them willing to let the other win.
“Does Your Majesty still remember how Tianfeng Nation came about and how you came to possess the unique surname ‘Feng’?” Feng Tianlan acted as if she could not see the Empress’s sullen expression, and spoke slowly, “If you have forgotten, you can go to the Lady Phoenix Shrine to take a look.”
During the journey here, Ji You did not hold back in telling her all about the relationship between Lady Phoenix and Tianfeng Nation. Even though Tianfeng Nation was a powerful nation, it was just a force planted in the Xuantian Continent—a force that belonged to the Lady Phoenix!
In other words, it was a country created by one man for a woman!
Just like Mobai’s Bailan Alliance existed just for her, even Tianfeng Nation had a similar reason for its existence.
Feng Wu raised her head to look at Feng Tianlan, who was sitting in the sedan wearing veils embroidered with the peony flower. The fabric fluttered in the wind, allowing one to see her face vaguely, but her domineering aura was not something one could ignore.
Upon hearing Feng Tianlan’s words, Empress Feng Wu’s face turned cold with displeasure.
