Zi'an hurried to Xiwei Palace, but heard from the palace servants that the emperor had met with Princess Danqing in the Imperial Garden.
Imperial Garden? Zi'an was really surprised. The emperor couldn't stand the wind because of his illness. Although it was spring, it was still quite cold. Why did he go to the Imperial Garden to meet his mother
Could it be that he is really well
Zi'an went to the Imperial Garden and saw the emperor's carriage near the pavilion from afar.
There was a curtain hung in the pavilion, and people were probably talking behind the curtain.
She walked over, and when Eunuch Bao saw her, he stepped forward and asked, "The princess is here?"
Zi'an smiled, "Eunuch Bao, I went to Xiwei Palace to pay my respects to the emperor. The palace servants said that the emperor came to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the flowers, so I came to take a look."
"Yes, the emperor is in the pavilion now." Eunuch Bao bowed, "Please wait a moment, Princess. I will go and report to him."
The emperor behind the curtain had heard Zi'an's voice and said in a loud voice, "Is the princess here? Come in."
When Zi'an heard this voice, he was slightly startled. When did the emperor become so full of energy? It seems that this witchcraft method of curing diseases is really effective.
Zian replied: "Yes!"
Eunuch Bao stepped forward and drew aside the curtain. Zi'an bowed and went in. He saw the emperor and Yuan Cuiyu sitting on a cushioned stone bench in the pavilion.
Xia Lin stood behind Yuan Cuiyu, while Sun Fanger stood behind the emperor.
Xia Lin was delighted when she saw Zi'an coming, "Big sister!"
Zi'an nodded slightly and stepped forward to greet him, "Zi'an greets His Majesty!"
The emperor was in a good mood, his face was very rosy, and the spots were almost invisible unless you looked closely. "You came at the right time. I was talking to Princess Danqing for a while, and we were just talking about you."
Zi'an smiled and looked up at Yuan Cuiyu. She had a faint smile on her face, but Zi'an knew her well and could tell that the smile was forced.
"What did you say about me?" Zi'an asked with a smile.
The emperor held out his hand, "Please sit down. Here is some freshly brewed snow tea from the Hu family."
Zi'an sat down and looked at the clear tea soup. "Your Majesty is in a very good mood today."
"When I saw that I was feeling better, I asked the county princess to come into the palace to talk. Actually, I haven't seen the county princess for many years." The emperor looked at Yuan Cuiyu, and his eyes seemed intriguing.
Zi'an's heart sank a little, but he still smiled and said, "The emperor is in much better health now, so it's fine to find some old friends to reminisce about the past, but be careful of the strong wind."
"It doesn't matter. With Fang'er here, my illness has improved a lot." The emperor turned around and glanced at Sun Fang'er. Sun Fang'er smiled palely, and it was also very forced.
This situation is extremely strange to watch.
Bao Gonggong poured tea for Zi'an. Zi'an took a sip and said, "This tea has a light fragrance. It tastes slightly bitter at first, but tastes sweet after going down the throat. It's good tea."
"Many of the Hu family's things are very exquisitely made. By the way, Princess, I heard that you are very familiar with the Hu family's chief manager, is that right?" asked the emperor.
Zi'an said, "I've seen him a few times, but I can't say I'm very familiar with him."
"Well, she is a remarkable woman," the emperor said thoughtfully.
Zi'an felt that whenever he showed this expression, he would feel uneasy and he didn't know what he was planning.
Xia Lin spoke up, "Sister, the emperor asked us to play in the palace for a few days."
Zi'an chuckled, "Can you live in the palace with your temper? If you are so impetuous, you will cause trouble for the emperor later."
"No, mother lives in the palace, and Linlin is here too." Xia Lin said quickly.
Before Zi'an could say anything, the emperor said, "I invite Princess Danqing to stay in the palace for a few days. First, she can keep me company and talk to relieve my boredom. Second, the princess's poetry and paintings are well-known all over the world, so the princes and princesses can learn from her. I don't ask her to become a talent, but I hope she won't be too shabby when she goes out."
Zi'an said, "Your Majesty really honors my mother. Zi'an thanks the emperor on my mother's behalf. However, my mother is not from the palace after all. Living in this palace will inevitably cause criticism."
"Criticize?" The emperor turned his head to look at Zi'an, "Who dares to criticize? After the county lady and your father divorced, she became a free person. Not to mention entering the palace to teach the princesses and princes, even if she entered the palace as a concubine, no one would dare to say anything."
As soon as these words were spoken, Yuan Cuiyu and Zi'an's faces suddenly turned pale and they looked at each other.
Yuan Cuiyu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, if others heard what you said, they would misunderstand."
"Let people let misunderstandings be allowed. I think it's appropriate. This matter is settled. Zi'an, you can come to the palace more often to accompany your mother when you are free... No, mother!"
The emperor didn't know whether it was a slip of the tongue or intentional, and Zi'an broke out in a cold sweat after hearing it.
Zi'an wanted to say more, but Eunuch Lu beside the curtain shook his head slightly at her. Zi'an slowly lowered his eyes and said, "Yes."
Zi'an was annoyed. Sun Fang'er had already reminded her, but she didn't expect that the emperor would act quickly before she could make any arrangements.
After drinking tea for a while, there was nothing more to say, so the emperor said, "You two can sit down for a while. I am a little tired, so I will go back to rest first."
Zi'an and Yuan Cuiyu stood up, "Send the Emperor away!"
The emperor looked at Yuan Cuiyu and said, "County Princess, you can live in Huiqing Palace. Every day at noon, you can come to Xiwei Palace to drink tea and talk with me."
"Yes!" Yuan Cuiyu lowered her head and frowned, responding softly.
The emperor looked at her meaningfully before leaving.
When Sun Fang'er passed by Zi'an, she raised her eyes, hesitated a little, but said nothing in the end.
The emperor's carriage left, and Zi'an clenched his fists, "What on earth is he planning? Don't let him do this while Prince An is away on the expedition."
Yuan Cuiyu sat down and said in a deep voice: "Zi'an, he kept me in the palace not because he had any improper thoughts about me, but just wanted to use me to restrain Prince An. As for Linlin..."
She turned around and said to Xia Lin, "Linlin, you go first. Mother will have a few words with my elder sister."
"Okay!" Xia Lin walked out obediently.
Yuan Cuiyu held Zi'an's hand and said, "I am worried about Linlin. The emperor just asked him a lot of questions, all about the Poison Sutra. It seems that he kept Linlin in the palace so that he could develop poison or something else."
Zi'an didn't want them to be involved in these things, but it was too late now. She said, "Linlin is ignorant. I will go back to the palace of Concubine Mei and ask her to take care of you. I will leave Xiaodao with you. If anything happens, let Xiaodao leave the palace and find me immediately."
"Okay, don't worry, I will act accordingly." Yuan Cuiyu's eyes were filled with determination, "If she forces me to do something to hurt Prince An, I would rather die in glory than live in disgrace."
Zi'an was afraid of her decisiveness. "If you have anything to say, don't be impulsive. Discuss with us first, okay?"
"Well, go ahead. The situation is unclear now. Although I'm a woman, I also saw some things. You have to be careful." Yuan Cuiyu warned.
"I know." Zi'an nodded.
Before leaving the palace, Zi'an went to Yueqing Palace to find Concubine Mei.
When Concubine Mei heard that the emperor had detained Princess Danqing, she sighed helplessly, "Zi'an, the emperor once liked your mother. This time, he kept the princess in the palace. I'm afraid he had a plan... Alas!"
"That's why I'd like to ask Concubine Mei to take care of me. I can't stay in the palace all the time now, so I have to rely on you for everything." Zi'an said.
"Don't worry, I will watch over it." Concubine Mei promised.
(End of this chapter)