Lan Ji ignored his gaze and slowly walked into the hall, her expression somewhat cold.
"Your son greets Mother."
"We pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress!"
In an instant, everyone in the hall rose to their feet and bowed in welcome.
Once the Crown Prince came to his senses, he obediently yielded his seat. "Mother, please take the seat of honor."
After Lan Ji walked over, she swept her phoenix robe aside and sat down calmly. "Enough. Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Only then did Cai Yongming, Lu Sansi, and the others gradually rise and sit back down.
"Mother, why did you come here without informing your son beforehand?"
"Your son should have personally gone to the entrance to welcome you." The Crown Prince spoke to Lan Ji with great reverence.
Lan Ji looked at him with unruffled eyes. "Rong'er, your heart is in disarray. Do you know that?"
"Do you know what the consequences would be if Patriarch Cai and the others truly acted as you instructed?"
The Crown Prince's expression was somewhat unwilling. "Mother, I know that if Chu Yun dies, Father will surely fly into a rage."
"But these repeated inexplicable setbacks have made your son feel as though some invisible force has been helping him from the shadows!"
"These days, the unease in your son's heart has grown stronger and stronger. If Chu Yun does not die, your son cannot rest easy!"
Lan Ji's gaze turned cold as she sternly said, "If he dies, will you truly be at ease?"
"Rong'er, I have taught you more than once that when playing a game against others, what matters most is not seeing through your opponent, but strengthening yourself."
"If your own heart were strong enough, how could you become so uneasy that you lost the