Gao Yi merely raised his eyes slightly, bent over, and stood up.

"Consort Qu said she was feeling unwell during dinner, and now she has come to see His Majesty in person."

Tonight is the Lantern Festival; I'm sure you've prepared some surprise for His Majesty, am I right?

"Good to know!"

Despite the pain, Gao Yi managed a smile.

"Consort Qu, His Majesty will not visit anyone's palace today, but I have a way to get His Majesty to go to Yu'an Palace."

Today is the fifteenth of the lunar month. Even if it weren't the Lantern Festival, His Majesty would still be going to the Empress's palace.

A day of reunion is sure to be a good day. If His Majesty were in her palace tonight, perhaps I could conceive a prince.

"What's the solution? Tell me quickly!"

"Please come with me, Your Highness..."

Gao Yi led Qu Muyu to a side window and carefully opened it a crack.

From this vantage point, you can see right inside the Mingde Hall.

Qu Muyu stood outside the window, looking at Nangong Qing inside.

He was heartbroken, staring at the rabbit lantern in front of him, his thoughts seemingly already elsewhere.

"Consort Qu, did you see that? His Majesty celebrated the Lantern Festival in the same way last year."

That old lantern seems to have been made by a master craftsman and is one of His Majesty's most cherished possessions.

His Majesty never allows us to touch it under normal circumstances.

Qu Muyu scoffed: "Isn't that just a lantern? Every year during the Lantern Festival, there are plenty of lanterns that are much better than this on the streets. What's so special about it?"

Stupid... Gao Yi thought this woman was incredibly stupid.

"Yes, it's just an old lamp. His Majesty will take some river lanterns to release into the lake later. It seems that every year he prays for the Vice Minister of Agriculture."

"Consort Qu, you can sneak in and take the rabbit lantern while His Majesty is out enjoying the river lanterns. I assure you, His Majesty will be coming to your palace to find you soon."

Qu Muyu didn't delve into the matter of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

She knew that the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Nanning was a female official, and also the Princess Consort of Yu.

She made tremendous contributions to agriculture in Nanning and ventured alone to the Northern Liang for her husband. Now, it seems she was poisoned and her story has faded from public memory.

“Your idea is good, but what if His Majesty blames me for stealing his beloved possession?”

Gao Yi closed the window and spoke to Qu Muyu in a fawning manner.

"Consort Qu is overthinking things. When has His Majesty ever been angry with you?"

"Didn't you prepare a surprise at Yu'an Palace? All you need to do is sweet-talk His Majesty; his heart always melts."

Qu Muyu's face was delicate and pretty. His Majesty was a gentle monarch who doted on her. No matter how much she did in the harem, His Majesty never laid a hand on her.

"Very well! I will trust you this once. If I become pregnant with a prince, I will reward you handsomely."

Gao Yi quickly bowed and said, "Then I thank you again and congratulate Your Majesty on the early birth of the prince."

...

The Lantern Festival is also a festival for family reunion. According to palace rules, a family banquet is to be held in the palace.

But Nangong Qing held the family banquet at noon, and in the evening he just wanted to be alone.

“Gaoyi…”

Nangong Qing summoned Gao Yi to the Mingde Hall.

"Gao Yi, have you prepared everything I asked you to?"

"Your Majesty, the river lanterns are all prepared, awaiting Your Majesty's blessing."

"Okay, let's go to the lake!"

"yes!"

On the Lantern Festival, the outside was brightly lit, and the inner palace was much more lively.

However, Nangong Qing's thoughts were difficult to connect with theirs.

"Your Majesty, the river lanterns are all here."

Although it was a lake, Nangong Qing hoped that the ceremony would bring good fortune, and that Su Luo would wake up soon.

He took the river lanterns from Gao Yi one by one, and put them into the lake along with the notes he had written.

After everything was in place, he dismissed Gao Yi and the others, then looked at the river lanterns and murmured his wishes.

"Luo Luo, the Imperial Advisor said you have a soul-dissociation disorder. Where did you go? Will you come back?"

"Do you know that I have never forgotten the time we spent together, especially at Fu Man Lou, where you cooked and I was in charge of eating?"

We were truly happy back then. I wasn't the emperor, and you weren't the Princess Consort; we were just two merchants, merchants focused solely on making money. How wonderful!

After staring blankly for a long time, Nangong Qing sighed deeply: "Idle clouds and reflections in the pool drift by, seasons change and stars shift, how many autumns have passed?"

On the way back, Gao Yi took a thick cloak and draped it over Nangong Qing.

"Your Majesty, the night is deep and the dew is heavy. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Gao Yi followed behind Nangong Qing; His Majesty will likely have to deal with some people and matters today.

Back inside the Mingde Hall, there was a charcoal fire burning so it wasn't cold at all.

Just as Nangong Qing was about to sit down, his gaze fell on the desk. He had clearly placed the rabbit lantern that Su Luo had given him on the desk, but it was nowhere to be seen.

Nangong Qing hurriedly looked at the desk and other places where items could be placed, but there was no sign of the rabbit lantern.

He was anxious. This lantern was a gift from Su Luo, and it held extraordinary significance for him; he valued it more than anything else.

"Gaoyi...Gaoyi..."

Gao Yi jogged in and saw Nangong Qing's flustered and anxious appearance, and he knew that his plan had succeeded.

"Your Majesty, what is Your Majesty looking for?"

"Can you see my rabbit lantern? It's the same lantern I was holding tonight!"

Gao Yi froze, his head turning around in the Mingde Hall before he exclaimed in surprise.

"The rabbit lantern is missing, but Your Majesty, don't panic. Lanterns don't grow legs, so someone must have taken it."

"By the way, before I came in to deliver the river lanterns, Consort Qu came to see Your Majesty, but Your Majesty said you didn't want to see anyone from the inner palace today, so I turned her away. I wonder if she might have taken Your Majesty's rabbit lantern."

Nangong Qing's panic turned into anger. If it really was Qu Muyu who touched the lantern Su Luo gave him, then he would not let Qu Muyu off the hook.

Su Luo's lanterns are not worthy of her touching.

"Someone come here..."

"The little eunuch outside the gate of the Southern Palace called out."

"When I went to the lake earlier, did anyone come to Mingde Hall?"

The young eunuch stammered, biting his lip, "Consort Qu came by earlier and punished me by making me kneel outside the palace. She wouldn't let me get up until His Majesty returned."

Now Nangong Qing didn't need to ask anymore. Yu'an Palace was the closest to his Mingde Hall, so he turned around and ran towards Yu'an Palace.

Gao Yi, leading a group of eunuchs, chased after them, almost out of breath, but they still couldn't catch up with Nangong Qing's pace.

The gates of Yu'an Palace were tightly closed. He kicked the gate open and was greeted by a palace full of lanterns, just like the streets outside.

The market was filled with a dazzling array of goods, like a small market. The palace maids and eunuchs greeted him with smiles on their faces.

"Where is Consort Qu? Summon her to me!"

Nangong Qing's angry roar did not bring Qu Muyu, but instead brought the sound of musical instruments.

Before him, Qu Muyu slowly approached, her graceful dance captivating him with every smile and gesture.

But in this lantern dance, Qu Muyu is holding the rabbit lantern that Su Luo gave to Nangong Qing.