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Just as they were speaking, Liang Xinzhi approached, "Your Highness, Your Highness, the Emperor summons you both inside."
"Alright." He Yu responded to Liang Xinzhi, then turned to bid farewell to the ministers before leading Xiao Yao into the Nurturing Heart Palace.
Since they arrived at the entrance of the Nurturing Heart Palace, Xiao Yao felt a bit nervous. Now that the Emperor had summoned them, she was even more anxious, closely following behind He Yu, her head slightly bowed, and her eyes dared not wander.
"Your servant pays respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor!" Xiao Yao followed He Yu in properly greeting Qidi with great reverence.
"Rise, my beloved ministers." Qidi immediately instructed them to stand.
He Yu stood up and helped Xiao Yao up as well. Qidi looked at the couple who seemed quite affectionate and smiled with satisfaction, "When you begged me for this decree back then, you must have put in a lot of effort. Now that your wish has been fulfilled, are you satisfied?"
"Naturally," He Yu replied with a grin, appearing quite at ease in front of Qidi. "After all, I must thank Your Majesty for your support! Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to embrace my beloved as I wished."
Qidi laughed and scolded him lightly, "You have a sweet tongue."
Xiao Yao stood quietly beside them like a backdrop; after all, accompanying He Yu to express gratitude was primarily his affair.
With the current Sovereign's consort position vacant and no women present, Xiao Yao naturally didn't have to deal with much and only needed to stand there obediently.
Since they were there to express gratitude, it didn't take long for the conversation between the sovereign and his ministers. After chatting for a bit, He Yu took Xiao Yao's leave.
As they walked out of the palace, He Yu asked, "Do you want to explore other parts of the palace?"
"Forget it." Xiao Yao frowned slightly. "Isn't there nothing much to see in the palace? Since there's nothing, let's just go back."
"Better than nothing!"
"Forget it," Xiao Yao said, unfazed. Perhaps it was because this place resembled the Forbidden City of her past life too much, and Xiao Yao wasn't particularly interested in it. "It's not my home, so what's there to see?"
Hearing this, He Yu couldn't help but laugh, wrapping his arms around Xiao Yao. "That's right! Since it's not our home, there's nothing to look at! Come on, let's go home!"
"Hey! Let go of me! Can't you walk properly?!"
"Hehe, the road out of the palace is long, so I'll carry you."
"No need... Hey, hey... you're stepping on my skirt..."
Amid their playful banter, the two of them exited the palace.
Eastern Palace.
Yang Yunqing sat in the study. "They must have left the palace by now."
"Yes," Zhou Zhiquan replied respectfully, slightly bowing. "Xuanping Wang and the princess didn't meet for long—about less than an hour—and they have already left the palace."
"Sigh..." Yang Yunqing stood up and walked to the window, looking into the distance. "It must be hard for Hong Ming to have done this."
Zhou Zhiquan remained silent, standing obediently in place.
"Hong Ming" is Xuanping Wang's courtesy name. In truth, Zhou Zhiquan admired Xuanping Wang for his actions. To reduce Sovereign's suspicions about him, he simply sought out Sovereign and married the daughter of a powerless merchant. Even though the princess's brother has now entered Hanlin Academy, in this complicated capital city where powerful families dominate, what could a young man without power or influence achieve?
Even with Xuanping Wang backing him up, what difference would it make?
Who in this palace does not see clearly? On the surface, Qidi favors this prince, but it is merely to gain a reputation for nurturing virtuous talents. In reality, how much real power has been given to the prince? Otherwise, he should have already taken up a position in the Six Ministries; how could he just attend court at fixed times and then be done with it?
It is unclear whether this prince is truly clever and understands the current Sovereign's thoughts or if he has been spoiled by the emperor. He does not want any of the noble ladies from the capital and has genuinely married this girl. It seems he has perfectly played into the emperor's hands, and naturally, the emperor is happy to oblige and do him a favor.
Zhou Zhiquan's mind was racing, but his gaze remained on Yang Yunqing. As a Servant, he had to constantly observe his master's various needs.
Yang Yunqing looked at the scenery outside; year after year, there was no difference. Suddenly, he thought of something and spoke up, "By the way, I seem to remember that Father Emperor wants to build a new garden?"
"Yes," Zhou Zhiquan quickly gathered his thoughts and replied, "This matter has already been sent to the Ministry of Works to handle; it probably won't be that quick."
"That's true," Yang Yunqing nodded. The emperor's decision to build a garden was just a light remark, but actually managing it was not that easy. Yang Yunqing pondered this while maintaining an expressionless face.
He Yu and Xiao Yao returned to the royal residence. After busying themselves for a while, Xiao Yao finally felt she could truly sit down and rest after entering the Xuanping Prince's Mansion.
After lunch, Xiao Yao lay on the couch to rest while He Yu read a book. Seeing her like this, he pulled Xiao Yao into his arms. "This is more comfortable."
"Mm." Xiao Yao did not object; they were already married, so there was no need for pretense. She would rely on this man for her future. Since He Yu liked it, she rested her head on his leg and fell asleep. Yun Zhu brought over a thin blanket, which He Yu gently took and covered Xiao Yao with before continuing to read.
After their nap, He Yu asked Xiao Yao, "Do you want to stroll around the residence? Come on, you’ve never even explored the estate!"
Oh? She hadn’t thought about it before, but hearing He Yu, Xiao Yao realized it was true. She nodded and said, "Sure, let me tidy up a bit."
"Okay, I'll wait for you. Hurry up."
Since they were at home, there was no need to prepare too meticulously. She simply changed into a comfortable long dress and loosely tied her hair into a half-updo with a peach wood hairpin secured in place along with a decorative hairpiece. Her face was free of makeup; at not yet sixteen years old, her skin was flawless, her lips moist and red, her eyes bright—there was no need for any cosmetics.
Xiao Yao had no intention of putting any lead-laden items on her face, so she simply went out in her plain clothes. He Yu, who was still reading, found it quite surprising and laughed, "You're quick about it; I thought it would take at least half an hour."
"At home, of course, I do whatever is comfortable," Xiao Yao replied matter-of-factly. "If you have to worry about so much at home, life would be exhausting."
"That's true; I like your style!" He Yu kissed Xiao Yao on the lips and then took her out the door.
Once they truly started moving, Xiao Yao realized that the Xuanping Wang was astonishingly large, even bigger than what He Yu had described to her before.
The entire Xuanping Prince's Mansion was roughly divided into three courtyards: the front, middle, and back. The front courtyard and the Central Courtyard were mainly separated by a garden called Qingyayuan. The front courtyard was generally used for receiving guests and hosting banquets. The Central Courtyard was where He Yu lived daily, divided into eastern and western sections; the eastern section housed the main residence and study, while the Western Courtyard served as a training ground. The back courtyard was separated from the Central Courtyard by a garden and was also divided into eastern and western sections; the eastern section was for the head matron, while the Western Courtyard housed various Consort wives.
Listening to He Yu's introductions along the way, Xiao Yao couldn't help but gape, "It's so big..."
"Of course," He Yu said without a hint of modesty. "This used to be the Xuanping General's Residence. Originally, there were only the front courtyard and the Central Courtyard, but later the emperor ordered an expansion. After all, it's a prince's mansion; it naturally needs to be grander."
"That's true," Xiao Yao nodded. "But how long are we going to wander around? I feel like this prince's mansion is not much smaller than the palace..."
Upon hearing this, He Yu burst into laughter and playfully ruffled Xiao Yao's hair. "You really know how to boost your own prestige."
"That's just how it is," Xiao Yao said seriously as she looked at He Yu. "I'm speaking the truth. Anyway, I definitely won't finish exploring today. There should be a Kanyu Map of the mansion, right?"
When he heard the words "Kanyu Map", He Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't expect you to know about that."
"What?" Xiao Yao exclaimed with wide eyes. "Do you think I'm foolish in your eyes just because I'm your princess?"
"No, no! My princess of Xuanping Wang is certainly the smartest!" Seeing her reaction, He Yu immediately began to flatter her. "There is indeed a Kanyu Map. If you want to see it, I'll have someone bring it over shortly."
Xiao Yao nodded. At that moment, Zhao Hezhong hurried over and said, "Your Highness, Lord Zhao requests an audience with you."
He Yu nodded. "Let him wait for a moment; I will go over shortly."
"Yes."
Since there was business to attend to, they could not continue their stroll in the garden. He Yu quickly led the way to the front courtyard, while Xiao Yao, accompanied by Yun Zhu, headed toward the Central Courtyard. Suddenly, Xiao Yao remembered to ask, "Yun Zhu, should I also move to the rear courtyard? That would be more in line with the rules, right?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Zhu immediately laughed and said, "Your Highness, you are overthinking it. Early this morning, the prince mentioned wanting to renovate the entire rear courtyard for other purposes!"
"Hmm? What about the people in the rear courtyard?" Xiao Yao seemed to recall that there were other women there.
"The Western Courtyard in the rear will remain unchanged for now, but the Eastern Courtyard is set to be modified. The prince has decided that in the future, the princess will live in the Central Courtyard with him, so there is no need to move to the Eastern Courtyard," Yun Zhu explained while looking at Xiao Yao's softened expression and added helplessly, "What does the prince plan to do?"
"The prince hasn't decided yet. If the princess has any good suggestions, it wouldn't hurt to share them," Yun Zhu said enthusiastically.
"That... might not be appropriate," Xiao Yao hesitated a bit.
Yun Zhu replied, "What’s inappropriate? This Xuanping Prince's Mansion is also your Highness's residence; you can do whatever you wish."
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