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墨書 Inktalez
Forbidden Area of the Palace, the palace walls are towering.
He Yu is holding Xiao Yao's hand as they walk through the vast palace, not stopping her curious gaze wandering around.
Xiao Yao looks around and realizes that the layout of this palace is actually not very different from the Forbidden City she saw in her past life. It seems this is a parallel world?
However, Xiao Yao naturally does not intend to delve into these matters. Since she has already married He Yu, her connection to the palace in this lifetime is basically nonexistent; it’s fine to come in for a visit, but living here is out of the question.
But that’s okay; perhaps she would feel more comfortable in the royal residence.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, He Yu asks, "Are you tired? If you are, I can have someone carry you."
"No need," Xiao Yao shakes her head, "I'm not tired."
"Good." He Yu holds Xiao Yao's hand, "We're almost there; just a little further."
"Mm, I'm not that delicate!" Xiao Yao nods confidently.
He Yu smiles and continues to lead Xiao Yao forward.
Not long after, a eunuch hurriedly approaches them and immediately bows upon seeing He Yu. "Servant greets Xuanping Wang."
"Get up," He Yu raises his hand slightly, "What is it?"
"Master summoned Servant; the Emperor wants both of you to go to Nurturing Heart Palace to meet him."
Upon hearing this, He Yu nods, "This prince understands. You may return; this prince and the princess will arrive shortly."
"Yes!" The eunuch responds and quickly returns to report, leaving He Yu and Xiao Yao to walk slowly behind.
He Yu holds Xiao Yao's hand, "Do you want to go see the Imperial Garden? Although it’s not as beautiful as our house in Hangzhou, it’s still decent."
"Pfft..." After hearing this, Xiao Yao laughs, "You shouldn't speak so disparagingly about the palace; if someone hears you with ill intentions, it wouldn't be good."
He Yu is unconcerned, playing with Xiao Yao's hand. "What does it matter? This place only has you and me; no one else could possibly hear. Besides, it's also the truth; no matter how much they try to imitate the graceful beauty of Jiangnan in this Imperial Garden, they can never replicate it."
"That's not necessarily true," Xiao Yao disagreed with He Yu's viewpoint. "The palace can gather the best craftsmen from all over the country. What is it that the palace cannot produce?"
"You're mistaken there," He Yu shook his finger, looking quite pleased with himself. "True craftsmen won't be found in the palace; they are hidden among the common people."
"Why is that?" Xiao Yao asked curiously.
"True craftsmen must focus on their work without distractions. Once they enter the palace, no matter where it is—even if it's just a laundry room—it becomes a place of intrigue and scheming. Everyone has their own agendas, and being entangled in such mundane affairs makes it impossible to create anything truly remarkable."
"Both the Sovereign and the Empress Dowager are knowledgeable individuals. If you want to please them, how could you do so without exceptional quality?"
"Ah..." He Yu smiled mysteriously. "That's the way of interpersonal relationships; some things are always quite subtle."
"..." Prompted by He Yu's not-so-obvious hint, Xiao Yao was initially speechless, then after a moment of thought, he seemed to understand somewhat. "Some pursue fame and success, while others seek freedom; it's just different personal pursuits, but that shouldn't be used to judge one's achievements."
He Yu smiled slightly and wrapped his arm around Xiao Yao's waist. "Alright, but you know everything is right in your eyes." With that, he leaned in for a kiss.
Xiao Yao pushed his head away. "What are you doing! This is the palace; what kind of behavior is this!"
"What kind of behavior? I never care about such things when it comes to me; I just want to make myself happy!"
"Tch," Xiao Yao shot He Yu a glare. "So you're just a rogue; I haven't seen you act so arrogant outside."
He Yu smiled calmly in response to Xiao Yao's disdain. "Be good; when it comes to arrogance, we need to be low-key. Some things are better done discreetly; that's much wiser."
"You've already been arrogant; what else is there to be low-key about? That's a contradiction!" Xiao Yao protested, then added, "Aren't we in a hurry? The Emperor is still waiting for us in the palace!"
"No worries; the Emperor is definitely meeting with ministers right now. Even if we go, we'll just be waiting around. It would be about right to go before noon," He Yu said confidently, as he knew Qidi well after all these years of being close.
"Oh, fine." Hearing this from He Yu, Xiao Yao relaxed and began to reflect on He Yu's words. "So your point is that we should maintain moral high ground?"
"I don't know if it's about moral high ground," He Yu shook his head. "But I do know that there are some things we shouldn't dirty our hands with; we can use others' strengths instead, understand?"
Use others' strengths? Xiao Yao nodded slowly, somewhat understanding yet still confused.
He Yu smiled slightly, "You don't need to understand all this; just having me is enough. You should just focus on being a good princess."
"Oh, okay." Xiao Yao acknowledged.
Thus, the two of them strolled to the entrance of Nurturing Heart Palace, where they saw Liang Xinzhi standing at the door with a broad smile. He Yu immediately understood and whispered to Xiao Yao, "Look, the Emperor is still meeting with the ministers!"
Sure enough, as soon as He Yu finished speaking, Liang Xinzhi greeted them, "Greetings, Prince and Princess."
"Liang Eunuch, please rise." He Yu offered support and then turned to Xiao Yao, saying, "This is Grand Eunuch Liang."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao smiled at Liang Xinzhi, "Liang Eunuch."
The girl managed to remain calm; Liang Xinzhi thought to himself. However, he maintained a smiling face and said, "The Emperor is currently in a meeting; please wait a moment, Prince and Princess."
As expected, Xiao Yao immediately shot He Yu a look that said "You really know him," to which He Yu responded with a slight smile. "Liang Eunuch, could you please ask how long the Emperor has been in session?"
"About an hour or so; it should be wrapping up soon," Liang Xinzhi promptly replied.
No sooner had he finished speaking than ministers began to exit in succession. Xiao Yao seemed to recognize one of them but couldn't recall where she had seen him before.
Of course, before Xiao Yao could think too much about it, He Yu had already stepped forward to greet the ministers. He even playfully addressed the familiar-looking general with a grin, "Oh, General Sun has come to participate in the meeting too?"
General Sun? Xiao Yao suddenly remembered; this was Sun Ruoyun's father. The realization hit her instantly.
Sun Ping found himself awkwardly called out by He Yu and felt quite embarrassed. The other ministers also greeted He Yu respectfully. Seeing He Yu's ambiguous tone towards Sun Ping made the ministers realize that the prince must still hold a grudge! Given He Yu's flamboyant nature, it was unlikely he would let someone from the Sun Family off easily.
However, at that moment, Xiao Yao still did not understand He Yu's intentions. She simply stood behind him, following his lead and doing whatever he instructed.
Naturally, since He Yu was a prince and quite favored at that, his status was higher than many of the ministers present. Most of the time, Xiao Yao only needed to stand there or offer simple courtesies; no other actions were required.
Sun Ping stood awkwardly for a moment before finally stepping forward with a smile. "This official greets the Prince."
"General Sun, no need for formalities; we’ve met plenty of times before, so let's skip the greetings," He Yu said. As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted around them.
Sun Ping immediately felt as if he wanted to find a hole to bury himself in, surrounded by people watching him make a fool of himself. However, he could only force a smile and step forward to bow, saying, "I was reckless the other day and offended the princess. I hope the princess can forgive me."
With his head down, Sun Ping's face turned bright red. He Yu glanced at him a couple of times but chose to ignore him, instead wrapping his arm around Xiao Yao's waist and kissing her on the cheek without regard for anyone else present. "What about you? Do you want to forgive her? If you forgive her, then we will forgive her too."
Xiao Yao was embarrassed by He Yu's brazen behavior, her face flushed as she lowered her head and replied, "I don't quite understand the rules of the capital. If I broke any rules, that wouldn't be good. It's better for the prince to decide; I'll listen to you!"
After she spoke, the expressions of the officials present changed subtly. Sun Ping, with his head down, also turned pale and then darkened. He had thought that since he was related to the Fourth Prince, He Yu would take this relationship into account, so this matter would be settled.
However, he never expected that the prince truly disregarded anyone's face and was indeed acting with impunity due to the emperor's favor. Sun Ping's gaze darkened under his lowered head, though no one noticed. Xiao Yao could see the vein on Sun Ping's forehead and knew he was definitely not pleased.
Xiao Yao nudged He Yu, who patted her back to indicate he understood. However, He Yu did not regard someone like Sun Ping highly; he chuckled lightly and said, "That's true; you don't know enough about the rules in the capital yet. After we go back later, I'll explain them to you properly so that if someone offends you in the future, you'll know how to protect yourself!"
This remark was naturally pointed, and everyone's expressions became somewhat awkward. Someone spoke up, saying, "Your Highness is right; everyone knows how deeply the prince cares for the princess. With His Highness protecting her, how could anyone dare bully her?"
He Yu snorted with a smile, "That may not be the case. No matter someone's status or identity, there are always those who are blind to their own limitations. While I do cherish my princess dearly, she still needs to know some basic rules. It doesn't matter if others are blind; if she inadvertently offends some noble personage herself, wouldn't that be a problem for me as Xuanping Wang?"
Upon hearing this, everyone laughed awkwardly and quickly expressed that it was impossible; the princess was dignified and virtuous and would never commit any rude or offensive acts.
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