Watch My Authority

Simon Yu's face was already clouded with obvious anger, but Lily Evans remained perfectly calm, her emotions unreadable.

Lily Evans turned around and saw several women sitting in the side hall.

Belle cradled Connie Evans, Martin Wu and the nanny were playing with Xiao Chang'an, while Mrs. Penny and two other nannies watched over the dragon-phoenix twins.

Lily Evans lowered her eyes slightly and stood up, her attitude toward Nina Zhao surprisingly polite. "Since Magistrate Justin Zhao is unavailable, we'll come another day."

With that, Lily Evans motioned for Simon Yu to get up, and led her people to leave immediately.

This took Nina Zhao by surprise—she hadn't expected that, after being so rude and arrogant to the Queen of Qin, Lily Evans wouldn't even lose her temper.

Lily Evans and her group left in their carriage, while Nina Zhao watched them go, clicked her tongue twice, and turned to walk to the rear hall.

In the rear hall, Justin Zhao sat squarely in his chair, sipping tea and nibbling on snacks.

Nina Zhao sat herself on Justin Zhao's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said sweetly, "My lord, how do you think I did with that show of force?"

Justin Zhao burst out laughing, lecherously stroking Nina Zhao's soft cheek. "Excellent, you little minx! You really put Lily Evans in her place—she didn't even dare fart in your presence!"

"Oh, it’s not me who’s impressive—it’s you, my lord! I’m just the fox borrowing the tiger’s might, riding on your reputation to put on a show for Lily Evans. She isn’t afraid of me, she’s terrified of your authority." Nina Zhao’s words were sweeter than honey, flattering Justin Zhao until he was all smiles. He laughed, "Exactly! Lily Evans knows how to read the room—when you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head. No matter how powerful she and Prince Alexander Hayes are in the capital, here in my territory, they have to watch my mood. Hahahaha!"

On the carriage, Simon Yu looked aggrieved. "Your Majesty, that woman is just a lowly concubine. Why do you bother with her attitude?"

Lily Evans cradled Xiao Chang'an in her arms and replied calmly, "You know Nina Zhao is just a lowly concubine. If Justin Zhao hadn’t given her his backing, she wouldn’t dare be so arrogant. Since Justin Zhao is behind this, it’s clear he wanted to give us a hard time. If we push back right now, it’s not impossible… but if things really get out of hand, and Prince Alexander Hayes isn’t here, we’ve got four babies under a year old with us—who do you think would suffer most?"

Simon Yu was stumped by Lily Evans’s question. He glanced at the four little ones in the carriage and scratched his head. "Well… you’re right. With four babies, if a fight really breaks out—even if our guards are top-notch—there’s no way to avoid scaring the kids. If any of them got hurt, that would be a disaster."

"Exactly. Taking the kids out means we have to be extra careful. Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride for a moment of peace. Once the children are safe, then we’ll settle the score with that Zhao fellow." Lily Evans sighed. "I should’ve known Justin Zhao would be so brazen. If I’d realized, I’d have left the children on the boat."

Simon Yu said, "It’s not your fault. Usually, local officials grovel when their superiors show up—who knew Justin Zhao would act like a little tyrant, as if he’s king of the hill!"

Lily Evans sighed, "Looks like Nina Zhao is truly favored. We hurt her brother as soon as we arrived, so I doubt this will be resolved peacefully…"