He talked about how he met Chen Tianqi, a chatterbox, among the bystanders, how he took the initiative to request Xuanyuan Mingjing to become his mentor, about Xuanyuan Mingjing’s assessment of him, and even mentioned Xuanyuan Mingjing slicing the clouds in the sky in two with a sword, the Sword Qi lingering for a long time...
Phoenix listened with great interest, saying with a touched face, "That’s wonderful, I wish I had been at Bai Lu too..."
"If you really want to go, why not just have your father and Xuanyuan Mingjing arrange it?" Tang Fei said with a smile.
Phoenix shook her head and said, "I could do that, but, if my father were to do so, wouldn’t other Royal Family Members follow suit? Wouldn’t the people from the nine major families do the same? And wouldn’t that mean people like Yu Huoshui could get in without any assessment?"
"If all the children of the privileged could enter just through their connections, would White Crane Academy still be able to maintain its current aloof status? Would it still enjoy its current reputation among the common folk?"
"You’re quite thorough in your thinking," Tang Fei said with a smile.
"It’s not that I’m thorough; it’s that the Royal Family has always been vigilant, continuing such a tradition. My dad once said that no one, including himself, should interfere with the autonomy of White Crane Academy’s teaching."
"Moreover, if there’s too much interference, Xuanyuan Mingjing wouldn’t agree; he’s not an easy person to deal with. If there’s any dissatisfaction, he could directly go to the Phoenix Palace and have a chat with my dad."
"Indeed." Tang Fei nodded and said, "He likes eating grapes, and people who like grapes are smart."
Phoenix was taken aback and asked, "Where did you see that? Has there been some research on this?"
"I’ve observed it from my own master," Tang Fei said. "Master eats a lot of grapes every day, so he became a Great Grandmaster..."
"Though we haven’t interacted much, my observation and understanding of him confirm he’s indeed one of the smartest people in the world," Tang Fei continued. "Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached such a level in the Martial Arts Realm or have made White Crane Academy the top academy on the New Star."
"Indeed, my father also holds him in high esteem," Phoenix nodded. She looked at Tang Fei and said, "So, if you study and cultivate diligently under him, you will definitely get everything you want..."
Tang Fei looked at Phoenix and asked, "Do you know what I want?"
Phoenix’s face turned red instantly, her heart thumping wildly as she hurriedly looked away, avoiding Tang Fei’s gaze, and asked out loud, "What do you want?"
"I hope for favorable weather, for world peace," Tang Fei said.
Phoenix didn’t want to talk to Tang Fei anymore.
What do favorable weather and world peace have to do with you?
Even I, the Empire Princess, haven’t wished for these things; why are you so anxious?
Such a straightforward man!
At that moment, the doorbell of the room rang.
Sheng Xinhua thought it was the breakfast she ordered and hurriedly ran to open the door, only to see Chen Fenglei standing there with a smiling face.
Chen Fenglei bowed slightly to Sheng Xinhua, greeting her proactively, "Miss Sheng, good morning."
"Manager Chen, what brings you here?" Sheng Xinhua asked, puzzled.
"I came to visit the Princess and report on our work to her," Chen Fenglei said out loud.
Phoenix came out and said, "Manager Chen, please come in."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Chen Fenglei said with a deep bow to Phoenix, looking up with concern, "Your Highness, are you feeling better? Are there any discomforts?"
Chen Fenglei felt bittersweet inside.
In the past, Phoenix would call him "Grandpa Chen," and they shared quite a harmonious relationship.
Now that she was addressing him formally by his position, it seemed she was quite displeased with him...
"Much better," Phoenix said. "If Manager Chen permits, I can be discharged at any time."
"Your Highness jests. How dare I restrict Your Highness’s freedom? It’s just that the King said that you should rest here for a few more days... You wouldn’t make things difficult for us servants, would you?"
Phoenix nodded and said, "I don’t want to make things difficult for you, but don’t make things difficult for me, either..."
"Manager Chen, it’s been so long since the assassination attempt—has the culprit been found? Was I wounded in vain? Can they get away scot-free after committing such a crime?"
Chen Fenglei saw Tang Fei standing by Phoenix’s side and nodded to him, then looked at Phoenix with a guilty expression and said, "Your Highness, we’ve been searching for Ling Yunxiao’s whereabouts all this time. Our men truly have exhausted every effort and means... But Ling Yunxiao seems to have vanished into thin air; no matter how we search, we can’t find him."
"Are you serious?" Tang Fei said in surprise, looking at Phoenix. "Are there people the Royal Family can’t find? Isn’t that absurd?"
What kind of nonsense are you speaking?
(ps: For a Chapter of over six thousand words, won’t you all give a monthly vote to encourage me?)