Yuwen Ran knocked on the door for a long time before it opened. The one who opened the door was the palace maid who served Gu Yanyue. Seeing that it was Yuwen Ran, she quickly knelt down and saluted him, "Your Majesty, this servant pays homage to His Majesty..."

"Stand up." After seeing the maid stand up, Yu Wenran pretended to ask casually, "Is the Queen currently in this private residence?"

The maid replied truthfully, "Yes, Your Majesty. The Empress told you to think it through before coming back to see her. If you haven't thought it through, please go back!"

Yuwen Ran swung his sleeves and snorted, "Who said I came here to see her? I came here to see if the servants in this private residence have taken good care of the garden I prepared for Xiao Yuntun. If they don't, I will punish them severely."

The maid's mind was as clear as a mirror, and she had already seen through Yu Wenran, but she was very discerning and did not say it out loud. "But Your Majesty, the Empress is in that small garden right now. Do you think you should come back at another time?"

Yu Wenran was stunned at first after hearing the maid's words, and then his eyes widened. "As the ruler of a country, I don't even have the right to enter my own private residence and look at my small garden? Is the next step for the Queen to not let me enter this private residence of mine?"

The maid bowed slightly towards Yuwen Ran and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, your guess is spot on. The Empress said that if Your Majesty arrives later, you don't have to enter."

Yuwen Ran's temples throbbed, and he said to the maid, "Get out of my way. No matter what the Queen says today, I'm going to enter this private residence. If you block my way again, I'll punish you too."

The palace maid was very "tactful" and gave Yuwen Ran a place to enter the private residence. When Zheng Hai wanted to follow, he was stopped by her again.

This palace maid had been following Gu Yanyue for a long time. Even Zheng Hai did not dare to scold her easily, for fear that she would report it to Gu Yanyue, and then Gu Yanyue would report it to Yuwen Ran. In this case, he would be the one to suffer.

Zheng Hai could only look at Yuwen Ran for help. Yuwen Ran understood, tactically cleared his throat, and sternly said to the palace maid, "Why don't you quickly let in Eunuch Zheng, who serves me?"

The maid continued to speak calmly, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry I can't obey your order."

"Senior Bai said that since His Majesty has come to this private residence, he should show some sincerity and not bring any servants with him. If she can't see His Majesty's sincerity, then the Empress will not be in a hurry to return to the palace."

Yu Wenran was shocked and said, "She's not in a hurry to return to the palace. Could it be that she wants to abandon her father and daughter and live in this private house for the rest of her life?"

The palace maid laughed secretly behind Yuwen Ran's back, and even Zheng Hai couldn't help laughing silently.

Yu Wen Ran pretended that he didn't care where Gu Yanyue went for the whole day, but in fact he had been thinking about how to bring her back. Otherwise, when he heard that Gu Yanyue might never return to the palace, he might even say that Gu Yanyue was irresponsible and wanted to abandon her father and daughter.

"Your Majesty, do you want to go in or go back?" the palace maid asked Yuwen Ran "considerately".

This question is like asking Yu Wenran whether he would choose Zheng Hai, who has always been serving him, or his first wife Gu Yanyue.

Yuwen Ran could only give Zheng Hai a helpless look, and as the palace maid said that Gu Yanyue and Bai Youjin were in the small garden at the moment, he left Zheng Hai with a receding back view and happily went to find Gu Yanyue.

After Yuwen Ran left, the maid couldn't help but feel sorry for Zheng Hai. "Eunuch Zheng has had a hard time. He's already so old, and yet His Majesty has left him out. It seems like you don't mean much to His Majesty."

Zheng Hai sighed softly, "What you said is wrong, little girl. How can our position in His Majesty's heart compare to that of the Empress? If you always serve His Majesty, you will get used to it after a long time. His Majesty usually doesn't need anyone to serve him when he sees the Empress. We servants in our family always wait outside the door. It's not the first or second time, we are used to it."

Zheng Hai climbed onto the carriage. When he got off shortly afterwards, he had a small wooden stool in his hand. He placed the stool beside the gate of the private residence, sat down, and waved to the maid, "You should also return and serve the Empress soon. We will wait here until His Majesty successfully coaxes the Empress and brings her back to the palace."

The maid shook her head, walked over to Zheng Hai, and squatted down. She said, "Don't say anything, eunuch. The Queen also said that if His Majesty comes, we servants will not be allowed to disturb her and His Majesty. Therefore, those of us who serve Her Majesty have been assigned tasks by Her Majesty, and our job is to keep a close eye on you, the eunuch, and the rest of the people His Majesty has brought with you. You are not allowed to enter this private residence."

Zheng Hai was puzzled after hearing what the palace maid said: "Why did the Queen not allow us to enter?"

"Oh, she and Senior Bai wanted Your Majesty to weed the garden, so they left it untouched for a whole day. Luckily, Your Majesty came early, otherwise, after three or four days, the workload would have been much heavier."

The young palace maid shifted her body, making herself squat more comfortably. "That's why Her Majesty and Senior Bai didn't ask His Majesty to bring anyone in. If they did, it wouldn't be His Majesty doing it himself. It would be His Majesty watching you do it yourself."

Zheng Hai: ...

Should he feel a little sorry for Yu Wen Ran, who was so happy that he wanted to pick up Gu Yanyue and take her back to the palace?

The maid seemed to see through Zheng Hai's thoughts. She patted Zheng Hai on the shoulder and said, "Eunuch Zheng, you should be thankful. The Empress specifically said that if His Majesty insists on bringing people in, then they can, but not you. The Empress feels that you are too old, and it would be unkind of him to be ordered around by His Majesty to weed."

After thinking about it, Zheng Hai felt that Yuwen Ran was not so miserable, and finally he felt at ease and started chatting with the palace maid.

The palace maid actually hid some cakes inside the door, so when they were chatting happily, they could eat some cakes to satisfy their cravings.

Zheng Hai and the little palace maid lived a comfortable life, but Yuwen Ran was miserable on the other side.

It is autumn now, and the flowers are in full bloom. You can smell a faint floral fragrance from afar.

When Yu Wenran was building this private residence, he deliberately chose such a location. There is also a stream inside the house, which is very refreshing in the summer. He sometimes brings Gu Yanyue here to escape the heat!

But he never imagined that one day he would end up having to come here to weed the small garden he prepared for Little Wonton.