After a while, the carriage entered the palace gate. Yuan Mingdao was a child, and under Fu Zhiyu's protection, the guards at the palace gate did not dare to question him, so he entered without any surprise.
However, the emperor soon found out about this, which was normal. The emperor had been staying in the Liuli Palace during this period, and Fu Zhiyu happened to come back at that time, which was almost like a face-to-face meeting.
"Why did you go out of the palace and bring a child back?" Emperor Qing Yuan was not angry. He waved his hand and called Yuan Mingdao over. He looked at his palm inconspicuously, then smiled and said, "Why did Xiaojiu bring him back? Is there anything special about him?"
Fu Zhiyu was not nervous either, he knew in his heart that it would be impossible for Yuan Mingdao to be brought in without passing the emperor's test. The emperor often came to the Liuli Palace, and he couldn't hide anything with the addition of a child. He didn't want to hide it, he just had to take the open path.
But Yuan Mingdao was indeed too small and thin, and there was no sign of martial arts training on his body. He had discussed with the child in the carriage before that there was no need to worry, just act a little timidly, like a normal child who had never seen the world, and the rest would be left to him.
"I met it on the street and felt sorry for it, so I brought it back." Fu Zhiyu gave a simple reason. "Is it not okay? I wanted to keep it for fun, but the palace is not built yet, so I brought it back to the palace."
Emperor Qing Yuan liked his simple-minded and straightforward attitude, so he nodded immediately and let Yuan Mingdao stay.
But Fu Zhiyu knew from the look in his eyes that he was thinking wrongly, but he did not intend to explain. The crown prince and the third prince had grown up, and there were some concubines brought back to the palace. This was not the first case for him, so it was not a big deal.
After the emperor had seen through it, things went more smoothly. That night, Fu Zhiyu set up a smaller bed for Yuan Mingdao not far from his own bed. Anyway, he was small in stature, so this bed was just right for him.
"I don't need to ask a martial arts master to teach me martial arts this time," Yuan Mingdao said, "I can practice on my own. These things are buried in my bones, but my body can't keep up now. I will be able to recall them after practicing for a while."
Fu Zhiyu nodded and said yes, and added: "The crescent-shaped scimitar you used in your previous life should still be in the ancient country of the Western Regions, and has not yet spread here. Don't worry, I will find it for you, but you can't take it with you in the palace. You can take it with you when we go to the palace."
"Okay!" Yuan Mingdao sat on his small bed. He estimated the distance between himself and his master's bed, and felt even happier. "I'm not in a hurry. Now that I'm in the palace, no one should come to touch me."
Fu Zhiyu patted his head and comforted him, "Go to sleep. Don't be afraid. I will protect you for the rest of my life."
"Master," Yuan Mingdao grabbed a corner of his clothes, his eyes soft, "In these two lives, the luckiest thing for Mingdao is meeting you."
Fu Zhiyu wanted to say that it was his luck to meet Ming Dao, but before he could say this, he changed his words to: "... I'm sorry."
Yuan Mingdao shook his head hurriedly and said, "I did all this voluntarily in my previous life! You can't blame the master!"
"I became the emperor, but I failed to protect you. It's my fault that I spent so much time on people who were not worthy, but never really cared about people who were worthy," Fu Zhiyu said seriously, "I'm sorry, Mingdao, I won't do this again in the future."
Yuan Mingdao didn't know what to answer. While he was saying that it was not like that and that his master had always been very good to him, he couldn't help but shed tears.
"Why are you so fond of crying?" Fu Zhiyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and wiped his tears with his sleeve, "Little crybaby."
Yuan Mingdao denied it while sobbing and explaining, "I... just couldn't help it. Too many things happened today, and I'm still a child, with a child's body. This is instinct, I just couldn't help it..."
"Yes, our Mingdao is still a child." Fu Zhiyu looked doting, "Then don't think too much now, just play carefree like a child."
"Um!"
But I still have to practice martial arts and try my best to protect my master!
Yuan Mingdao clenched his fists in his heart and made up his mind silently.
News spread quickly in the palace. The next day, it was no longer a secret that Prince Zhao had brought back a very beautiful child, and it caused everyone to talk about it.
The Ninth Prince Fu Zhiyu has experienced many ups and downs in recent times, as if he has become a different person. In the past, he was a gentleman who strictly abided by etiquette. Not only did he not have concubines, he had never even stayed in the same room with a woman alone. Now, I don't know what happened. Yesterday, he actually brought in a child from outside the palace. He is good-looking, but it is a boy, and he is too young. Isn't this the act of a beast
"I think Prince Zhao has finally come to his senses. He used to be so aloof from worldly matters. Tsk tsk... But, is he going to raise a skinny horse? He's really playing around."
"But I see that Prince Zhao is really good to that child. He personally fed him porridge this morning, spoonful by spoonful, just like he was his own son. Could he really be his biological son?"
"What are you talking about! How old is King Zhao now?"
Fu Zhiyu was reborn, and he could do whatever he wanted. The rumors in the palace could not hurt him. Moreover, these rumors were good for him. He was eager to let people outside know that he was really absurd and Ming Dao was extremely favored. This would protect himself and Ming Dao.
However, he and Imperial Concubine Yun explained it more clearly. It was not what the outside world said. They just felt that the child was pitiful and helpless, and had a good potential for martial arts training, so they brought him back.
Imperial Concubine Yun was not opposed to this child. She always supported everything her son did. Besides, the palace could afford to raise the child.
She had liked Yuan Mingdao very much in her previous life. After all, Yuan Mingdao was loyal to her son, in stark contrast to Xie Ke. How could she not like him
To some extent, Imperial Concubine Yun inherited some characteristics of Madam Yuan. When she saw Yuan Mingdao's thin and weak appearance, she immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare a lot of food.
"You have to take good care of him. How come he is so thin? I don't know how much he has suffered," Imperial Noble Consort Yun recalled. "When Zhiyu was ten years old, he was half a head taller than this."
All the gossip in the palace reached Xie Ke's ears. He seemed to be in a bad mood all day and was often dazed. Once, when the emperor summoned him, it took him a while to react.
"What's wrong, Boss?" Lu Linhai couldn't help whispering to Du Yin, "Is it because of the incident at the Glazed Palace? Hey, if I were a few years younger, would King Zhao be interested in me? I can do that, too."
"... You really should stop talking," Du Yin said helplessly, "If you say one more word, even I will want to hit you."
"What did I say wrong again?" Lu Linhai said innocently, "Can't you let me tell the truth? Besides, look at the eldest brother's expression. If he is really sure that King Zhao likes girls of that age, he would want to push me back, right? But there is no point in not knowing for sure. I heard that the child is from the ancient country in the Western Regions and has green eyes, which is different from us."
Du Yin was speechless. He thought that Lu Linhai's idea was too simple, and he didn't understand what kind of character Xie Ke had. He would not push him back, but that child... his life was in danger.
He had no doubt that his boss had the ability and motive to take action in the palace.
However, he underestimated one thing. No matter how jealous Xie Ke was, he would never touch Yuan Ming Dao. That was the person protected by Fu Zhiyu, and he really didn't dare to.
If he really did that, he and Zhiyu would only drift further and further apart.
Just at this moment, Xie Ke walked out of the imperial study, and the two of them fell silent.
It may be because of the previous incident that the emperor has a deep memory of Xie Ke, or it may be because Xie Ke is indeed extremely outstanding and he is now the most favored among the imperial guards.
However, after this man entered the imperial study, he still had a dead look on his face. I don't know how to describe it. It was probably the kind of gloomy expression that one would have if his wife was stolen. No one else dared to offend him.
Lu Linhai coughed a few times guiltily, then tried to change the subject: "Boss, what does the emperor want you to do?"