Liu Qing had no idea what had happened. She only felt that Xiao Jian was staring a hole through Meng Dan. She coughed heavily and said, "Then...then let's go down and let him rest." Liu Qing was so nervous that she almost stammered and couldn't even speak properly.

Xiao Jian didn't want to see such a fool and brute at the moment, so he nodded and strode out, deciding to avoid the trouble.

Liu Qing sighed, walked over and covered him with the blanket. "It's a good thing I'm here, otherwise you'd be like a salted fish, just thrown onto the bed." As she spoke, Liu Qing also went out.

After all, Huibinlou still has business; it can't rely on Liu Hong to keep busy all by herself.

*

Back at Shufangzhai, Ziwei tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She put on her outer robe and sat down on the swing outside. Gazing at the round moon in the sky, Ziwei's thoughts drifted off again.

She still wore a worried expression, perhaps because after seeing the ending of Meng Dan and Han Xiang today, she was also worried about the ending of her and Fu Er Kang.

Xiao Yanzi working as a palace maid in Shufangzhai is no different from her working as a princess in Shufangzhai. Xiao Yanzi doesn't live with Mingyue and Caixia; she is still alone in a room.

At this moment, Xiao Yanzi was already fast asleep, engrossed in her dream, completely unaware of Ziwei's troubles.

*

The next day

After finishing breakfast as usual, Anke took Qing'er to Ruyi Pavilion. Ever since Qing'er had hot chocolate last time, she had been thinking about it.

Upon hearing that Anke was coming to Ruyi Pavilion today, Qing'er hurried to meet Anke.

It just so happens that Yongqi is also there, sparring with Benjamin using a rapier, while Hong, Lv, and Lan watch from the side.

"What a coincidence, Fifth Brother, you're here today too." An Ke said in a very familiar manner, looking left and right, but he didn't see Teacher Lang.

Upon hearing the princess's voice, Honglvlan ran forward to pay their respects. "This servant greets the princess, may the princess live a thousand years! We also greet Princess Qing, may the princess live a thousand years!"

“Get up,” Anke raised her hand, and Hong, Lv, and Lan stood up accordingly.

Seeing Anke looking around anxiously, Benjamin kindly answered her questions. "Master is not at Ruyi Pavilion today; he went to paint a portrait of Ninth Princess."

"Oh, I see." Anke nodded knowingly.

"An'an, what brings you to Ruyi Pavilion today?" Yongqi took off his protective mask, his forehead covered in beads of sweat, but he still asked Anke with a bright smile.

"It's nothing, I was just a little bored in the palace, so I was just wandering around." An Ke waved her hand, indicating that they didn't need to pay attention to her and could continue their fencing match.

But with Anke here, how could they concentrate on their sword fight? Yongqi simply handed his rapier to a nearby eunuch, then smiled and went into the main hall to change his clothes.

Benjamin nodded in agreement. Seeing that their two masters had left, Red, Green and Blue hurriedly brought out hot chocolate and snacks to entertain the princess and the young lady.

When Anke saw the hot chocolate, he knew Qing'er was embarrassed, so he took Qing'er's hand and sat her down in the chair.

Then Anke stopped trying to hide it, picked up the hot chocolate, and slowly took a bite. She felt her whole body warm up after that one bite.

Although it's not yet winter, the weather is gradually getting colder. The mornings are especially biting, but An Ke still maintains her daily habit of practicing martial arts every morning. However, when she goes out, An Ke always wears extra layers, or simply drapes a thick cloak over her shoulders.

"I never expected that this dark, herbal-looking stuff could taste so good." Qing'er sighed. She had wanted to say this before, but before she could, An'an was summoned away by the Emperor.

Although Anke knew it was called chocolate and knew where it came from, she couldn't say it out loud. "Yes, I heard it's from the hometown of the painter Ban. I hope that in the future we can drink hot chocolate whenever we want."

"An'an, you're quite greedy." After washing up and changing his clothes, Yongqi walked out looking refreshed, pointing at Anke with a smile and teasing her.

"Well, what can I do? The hot chocolate here at Banhuashi is just so delicious!" Anke smiled, holding the hot chocolate in her hands, looking very satisfied, like a lazy kitten basking in the sun. After all, Anke is a total chocolate lover.

“If the princess likes it, then Benjamin will give her some later.” Benjamin happened to walk out and overheard Anke’s words. He was surprised and delighted that the princess liked their hometown chocolate so much.

Back then, he had kindly wanted the princesses and princes in the palace to taste it, but when they saw him carrying over the dark water, they all thought it was Chinese medicine and suddenly ran away.

Benjamin was disheartened for a long time because of this incident, until the appearance of Little Swallow broke the spell. Unexpectedly, she actually found the dark water delicious. Now, even a princess, a person of such high status, finds chocolate delicious.

"Okay, okay, then I'll accept your offer. Xingxing, later you can get more from Red, Green and Blue." An Ke smiled with satisfaction.

Xingxing, of course, knew what kind of personality her princess had, and agreed with a smile.

After finishing her hot chocolate, Anke lingered in the Ruyi Pavilion for a while, watching Benjamin paint an oil painting. Anke then picked up a charcoal pencil and drew a sketch.

When Yongqi saw Anke drawing, he joined her. After watching for a while, Yongqi's eyes widened in shock. The reason was simple: Anke's drawing was too lifelike. It turned out that Anke was drawing the scene she had just witnessed Yongqi and Benjamin sparring with rapiers.

Yongqi burst out with a "Wow!" Benjamin heard the sound and leaned over to look. What he saw was a lifelike image of himself and Yongqi.

"Amazing, unbelievable!" Benjamin was so excited he didn't know how to express his feelings, so he could only use his mother tongue to express his excitement. "Princess, your drawing is too good. If Master saw it, he would probably keep you as his apprentice."

This statement is not Benjamin praising Encore; it's just that Encore's painting is so good, and Father Lang is indeed a person who cherishes talent.

“So let’s just give this painting to Fifth Brother and hang it in Yonghe Palace, instead of keeping it in Ruyi Pavilion.” An Ke said with a grin, “After all, we can’t let the other painters take the spot, can we?”

Everyone burst into laughter after hearing Anke's words, and the Ruyi Pavilion was filled with a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

*

And so, they spent a happy morning at Ruyi Pavilion. Just as they were about to rest after lunch, Yinlingzi arrived.

Xingxing hesitated for a moment before going in to announce her arrival. Xingxing didn't want her princess to meddle in that nobleman's affairs anymore, especially since the princess was supposed to be taking a nap right now. Why did she have to come at this time?

Fortunately, Anke had only just lain down on the bed and had not yet rested.

"Princess," Xingxing called out very carefully. Xingxing also had her own selfish reasons. She didn't want to see the princess so busy every day. The princess was very happy this morning at Ruyi Pavilion.

But fate had other plans. Anke opened her eyes after hearing only one sound. "What's wrong?" she asked, then yawned. A tear or two even welled up in the corner of her eye.

Seeing her princess's state, Xingxing, though reluctant to speak, had no choice but to say, "People from Baoyue Tower have come to request an audience with the princess."

An Ke was just about to go to sleep, her mind still a little foggy, and she asked blankly, "Baoyue Tower? Hanxiang?"

"Yes, it is indeed Consort Xiang." Xingxing skillfully took out her handkerchief and gently wiped away the princess's tears. "Would the princess like to go and see her?"

Anke looked at her bed, feeling conflicted. But she also wanted to figure out what to do, so she chose to eat melon seeds instead of sleeping.

"Let's go." Anke had no choice but to resign herself to her fate and put her coat back on. She was really going all out to get some gossip.

Yinlingzi's eyes lit up when she saw Anke. During her time in the palace, she had already learned Chinese, though she still spoke it with some stumbles.

"Greetings, Princess. Your Highness invites you to Baoyue Tower for a chat." Yinlingzi kept repeating this sentence to herself as she set off from Baoyue Tower, repeating it nearly a hundred times before she finally arrived at the entrance of Cining Palace.

"Okay, let's go." Anke said listlessly, just as Xingxing and the princess telepathically signaled the arrival of the sedan chair.

Anke walked straight over. Xingxing really understood her. Thinking of this, Anke gave Xingxing a look, and Xingxing returned the look with a reassuring and comforting one.

Sitting on the sedan chair that was being tossed around by people, Anke was so sleepy that she started to doze off.

When they arrived at Baoyue Tower, Xingxing quickly went up and woke the princess.

An Ke felt as if she had just closed her eyes and in the blink of an eye she was at Baoyue Tower. She hadn't even slept for a while. She raised her hand to rub her eyes and gently patted her cheeks to keep herself awake.

With Xingxing's help, he slowly walked to Baoyue Tower. Hanxiang was already waiting for him there, and had prepared their tea.

Upon seeing An Ke, Han Xiang excitedly went straight to greet her. In the past few days, she had been learning palace rules and etiquette from Granny Fang, and had also learned what she should and should not do.

They also learned of Anke's status in the palace, where she was showered with affection.

"This is tea from our area. I don't know if you're used to drinking it." Hanxiang familiarly took Anke's hand, acting as if they were very close.

An Ke felt awkward at that moment and quickly pulled her hand back from Han Xiang's. "I'm not used to strangers touching me directly," An Ke said stiffly.

But this statement was indeed true; it was common knowledge in the palace, even Ziwei knew some of it. However, considering that Hanxiang had only recently entered the palace, Anke could only explain it to her properly.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Hanxiang said apologetically.

This action made An Ke a little embarrassed. "Oh, it's okay, ignorance is no excuse."

Hanxiang's guilt lessened slightly. "Then you should try it."

Under Hanxiang's watchful gaze, Anke could only pick up her teacup and take a small sip. She objectively replied, "It's alright." Their tea was neither as sweet as the milk tea at Saiya's place, nor as smooth as the hot chocolate at Benjamin's, nor as fragrant as the tea in the palace. Overall, it could only be described as "alright."

Hanxiang wasn't discouraged; she just kept glancing at Xingxing, who remained vigilant behind Anke. For a moment, Hanxiang didn't know how to begin.

An Ke noticed Han Xiang's hesitation, but she didn't make the decision for her. She needed to make the decisions herself, instead of others doing things for her and making decisions for her, so as to avoid future resentment.

"Princess, could you please have your maidservant leave? I'd like to have a few words with you from the bottom of my heart." Hanxiang cautiously made her request, knowing that if Anke disagreed, she could simply pretend Xingxing didn't exist.

Star: So? It's a world where I'm the only one who's hurt.

Xingxing glanced at Anke nervously, somewhat uneasy, after all, similar things had happened before in the past.

At that time, the princess was favored by the emperor and could move freely within the palace. She was thus used by the other concubines as a tool to attract the emperor.

Sometimes, they would even slip drugs into the princess's food, forcing the emperor to intervene. Therefore, everything the princess ate had to be rigorously inspected before she could consume it.

Now, seeing this Consort Xiang trying to send him away to speak privately with the princess, something just didn't seem right. After all, she was from the Hui ethnic group. His own princess had never been to the Hui region; what kind of relationship could she possibly have with the princess?

Anke gave Xingxing a reassuring look, and Xingxing could only pout reluctantly before pulling Jin and Yinlingzi away.

Jin and Yinlingzi: Huh? Is this related to us?

Star: I can't stay in there, so what are you all doing in there? (I can't stay in there, and nobody can either, hmph)

"Alright, now that everyone who's not involved has left, why did you call me over?" An Ke didn't believe that Han Xiang had called her over just to let her try the food from her hometown.

“Every word the princess said that day has come true.” Hanxiang said listlessly. “But Hanxiang is a little confused. The princess doesn’t even know what kind of person Mengdan is, let alone have ever met him. How does the princess know what he would say?” After saying that, Hanxiang stared intently into Anke’s eyes.

“Yes, I have never seen what this Meng Dan you speak of looks like, nor do I know what his temperament is like.” An Ke nodded in admission. Indeed, she had never seen Meng Dan before secretly following them. “But based on what your father said, I deduce that he is indeed a selfish person.”

"He made you give up wealth and status, and even your princess status, to elope with him, yet he couldn't stay for you. Isn't he a selfish person?" Anke retorted. "Besides, I heard from your father that once he's caught by him, he lies on the ground like he has no bones, only able to bark helplessly. Can such a person be someone without a bad temper?"