Lady Changping glanced at her daughter beside her.

"You must be mistaken. What kind of place is that? How could she come down from a place like that?"

The high platform was occupied by princesses, noblewomen, and imperial concubines—all of whom were ladies of the inner court.

Qi Er Guniang also suspected that she was seeing things.

But she saw that person's face clearly as he walked past her.

She would recognize that brat's face even if it turned to ashes.

After sitting for a while, the acrobatic performances that I had previously found fascinating suddenly became completely uninteresting.

Qi Shulan played with the jade bone fan in her hand.

After enduring a few more moments, he got up to change his clothes.

Lady Changping: "This is the palace. You should behave quietly and politely, and not cause trouble for your father and brothers."

Qi Shulan nodded in agreement.

Lijingyuan was originally located next to the Imperial Garden.

Qi Shulan walked along, looking around as she went.

The person she had just seen was wearing an indigo dress embroidered with orchids, and she was only surprised by how familiar his face seemed.

They must have gone in this direction.

…

The Imperial Garden was also bustling with activity.

Today's palace banquet is open to the families of high-ranking officials and nobles; there are no restrictions on people visiting the palace.

Many young princesses and noblewomen were playing in the garden.

There were activities like chasing butterflies, playing shuttlecock, and swinging on swings.

Children are impatient to sit for long periods and prefer to go out and play.

Each young master was followed by three or four palace maids.

At first glance, it is a feast for the eyes, a riot of colors.

Although Qi Shulan was a young lady from a noble family, she was naturally no match for the princess and the county princess.

Not daring to offend the nobleman, she walked slowly along the edge of the Imperial Garden.

There is a rainbow bridge over the Jade Belt River, and a small pavilion under the bridge.

Surrounded by colorful flowers, situated by the water, and offering stunning views, it's a wonderful place to enjoy the scenery.

Qi Shulan walked towards the bridge.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared amidst the foliage.

Isn't that the benefactor who looked like Qi Su before?

Qi Shulan's eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace.

Only then did I realize that there were other people under the shade of the trees not far ahead.

The leader was wearing a golden python robe and a string of jade beads on his wrist, clearly indicating that he was a prince.

Qi Shulan stopped in her tracks, not daring to go any further.

The prince had his back to her, and the woman he stopped was the one that Lady Qi was looking for!

Upon closer inspection, Qi Shulan no longer doubted her eyes.

That face, that half-smiling expression, that's Qi Su, that little devil!

She hadn't left Ganjing yet.

I still don't know how she managed to get into the harem!

But now, she's in trouble.

…

Several eunuchs were surrounding the prince, blocking her way.

The jade beads on the prince's wrist, clad in a golden python robe, jingled as he swung them.

He arrogantly addressed the eunuch beside him:

"Ask her."

Judging from his voice, this prince is not very old.

She should have left now; she shouldn't have listened to the important person's private affairs.

But she really couldn't let go of that brat Qi Su... Qi Er Niangzi pursed her lips and stood far away under the shade of the tree.

They didn't move; instead, they continued to observe.

Then they heard the little eunuch ask from the front:

"His Highness Prince Huai is asking you, was it you who kicked the ball that hit His Highness's head just now?"

As he spoke, a young eunuch showed the offending football to everyone.

Prince Huai? That must be the seventh prince.

It is said that this prince has spent many years in the army since he came of age and has made many military achievements.

Because of his martial arts skills, he was hot-tempered and arrogant.

He has only been back in Beijing for a few months, and there have already been several reports of him getting into arguments with people and publicly beating them until their heads bleed.

Moreover, this man had a fondness for beautiful women, and seizing beautiful maids was a common occurrence for him.

…

Qi Shulan heard the woman's reply.

"No, you've mistaken me for someone else."

That voice is definitely Qi San's!

King Huai snorted coldly and looked the woman in front of him up and down.

His gaze remained unblinking.

The eunuch beside him continued, "Still trying to deny it? You were the one who smashed His Highness Prince Huai! We all saw it. Hurry up and apologize to His Highness Prince Huai!"

This King Huai was indeed as shameless and lecherous as the legends said.

This is absolutely nitpicking.

Now that you've been targeted by a vicious dog like King Huai, let's see how you get out of this mess.

Qi Su, who was blocked in the middle of the path, was holding a branch of apricot blossoms in full bloom.

Unlike the other women, she did not show any panic on her face.

There was still a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"Really? You mean, all of you saw it?" she countered.

The young eunuch holding the football said, "Isn't that right? We all saw it. Do you still want to cheat?"

Qi Su: "No, no. How about this then?"

She stepped forward, and the little eunuch only felt a blur before his eyes before the football in his hand disappeared.

The next instant, a dark shadow rose into the air amidst the whistling wind.

With a loud bang, it slammed heavily onto the head of Prince Huai, who was dressed in a golden python robe.

King Huai heard the commotion and tried to retreat, but it was too late.

The ball was incredibly fast—

He could only watch helplessly as the incredibly powerful football slammed into his head!

He took a few steps back and felt a burning sensation on his nose.

Two tubes of hot blood had already flowed down.

Qi Su withdrew her foot.

He looked at Prince Huai, who staggered back a few steps but eventually regained his balance.

He praised, "Your Highness truly lives up to your military background; you only took three steps back and regained your balance. At least you didn't fall."

Her words successfully added fuel to the fire.

King Huai pushed away the eunuch who was helping him.

He hastily wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve.

His eyes were fixed on Qi Su, revealing a ferocious look as if he wanted to devour her.

He laughed coldly.

"You are very good."

This is the first time a woman has dared to mess with him.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and took the football in his hand.

He licked his bloodied teeth.

"Now, it's my turn."

.

Qi Su has been gone for a long time and has not returned.

The Crown Princess and the Fifth Prince's sister-in-law were chatting. At first, nothing seemed amiss, but as time went on, something seemed off.

She summoned the female official beside her.

Just as he was about to send someone to look for the Princess of Qishan, a palace maid hurried over.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Prince Huai has taken a fancy to the Princess of Qishan and they are currently engaged in a magical contest in the Imperial Garden."

What? !

The Crown Princess immediately stood up.

Noticing the surprised looks around her, she composed herself and raised her hand to press down on the phoenix hairpin at her temple.

He smiled and said, "I'll excuse myself for a moment."

With a calm expression, she left the decorated platform with her personal lady-in-waiting and palace maids.

Only after descending the steps did their pace quicken.

"Where is he? Why is King Huai in the inner palace?"

Oh dear, everyone's panicked.

Prince Huai was a member of the royal family and the Empress Dowager's favorite grandson. His mother was Consort Xian.

Naturally, they were qualified to enter the palace to pay their respects.

Furthermore, the Imperial Garden is not far from the banquet venue at Qinghe Palace.

It was not unusual for King Huai to come in and take a look after paying his respects.

The Crown Princess was extremely anxious.

Today is the Emperor's birthday, and everyone in the palace knows how much the Emperor values ​​this festival.

If anyone dares to cause trouble on this day, they'll never have a good time again.