Her words trailed off as Nangong Luoying stopped walking.

She looked up at Zhang Yaoqin, who was standing with his back to her in the Shufei Palace, and immediately understood why Nangong Luoying had stopped.

Just as Ying'er was about to turn around and speak, she saw that Zhang Yao had already turned his head and was looking in her direction.

Ying'er: ...

She glanced up at Nangong Luoying and was slightly relieved to see that her expression remained calm.

Zhang Yaoqin thought it was Consort Shu who had returned. He was also surprised to see Nangong Luoying. He was slightly taken aback, then strode over and bowed to Nangong Luoying, saying, "Your subject greets Your Highness the Princess."

Nangong Luoying's hands, which were hanging at her sides, stiffened slightly, but she nodded without showing any sign of it: "Mm."

She paused for a moment, and seeing that Zhang Yaoqin did not intend to speak, she continued, "Since Lord Zhang and my mother have something to discuss, then I will not disturb Lord Zhang any longer."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

"Princess." Zhang Yaoqin paused immediately after calling out.

Nangong Luoying paused, turned slightly to look at Zhang Yaoqin, and asked, "Is there anything else, Lord Zhang?"

For some reason, she felt that Zhang Yaoqin's address of "Princess" was incredibly familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it.

Zhang Yaoqin didn't know what he wanted to say when he stopped her. He paused for a moment and then said stiffly, "You... have lost weight."

"Mmm." Nangong Luoying responded softly.

The hands hidden in the sleeves clenched even tighter.

She didn't understand what Zhang Yaoqin meant.

First he rejected her, and now he's taking the initiative to care about her. However, she's no longer naive enough to think that his concern means he likes her.

She composed herself and smiled gently, "Does Lord Zhang have anything else?"

Looking at her distant expression, Zhang Yaoqin felt a slight tremor in his heart. He opened his mouth but only managed to utter two words: "It's nothing."

"Well then, I won't disturb Lord Zhang any longer. Please go ahead, Lord Zhang." This time, she didn't linger and turned to leave immediately.

Zhang Yaoqin stared at her retreating figure for a long while before snapping out of her daze. She glanced at the palace maid beside her and said, "Tell Consort Shu that I have something to attend to and need to go back first. If Consort Shu has any further instructions, please come find me."

The palace maid nodded, looking at his indifferent and aloof gaze: "This servant understands."

As soon as Zhang Yaoqin left, Consort Shu came out. She frowned and looked at Ying'er beside her: "What do you think Luo Ying means by this? Does she not like Zhang Yaoqin anymore?"

Ying'er shook her head: "This servant doesn't know either."

...

After leaving Consort Shu's palace, Nangong Luoying immediately ordered someone to take her by carriage to the Crown Prince's residence. She would visit the Crown Prince's residence every now and then to check if Consort Su's weight had decreased.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Su Liangdi sitting there with a plate of pastries in front of her. Her chubby little hand touched the pastries, then quickly withdrew it, muttering something under her breath.

She chuckled softly and slowly walked over: "Su Su!"

The moment Su Liangdi turned around and saw her, she immediately raised her hand to show her sincerity: "Luo Ying! You're here! I don't think I've been sneaking any food. I've even lost weight."

As she spoke, she pinched her own cheek.

Nangong Luoying looked her up and down for a moment and nodded: "Yes, you've lost weight."

"Hehe." Su Liangdi immediately beamed with joy: "Right? I also feel like I've lost weight."