Chapter 67: A Day Without Seeing Is Like a Year

After the new year, Yang Jingzhen just turned fourteen, and her pretty and bright face still has a bit of immaturity.

"Miss Yang, the person I was escorting just now was His Royal Highness the King of Han." Tong Lin replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

He was born in the Jinyiwei, and by chance he castrated himself to serve the prince. Until now, he is still accustomed to calling himself "humble official" instead of "slave".

"Is it really His Majesty the King of Han?" Yang Jing was truly delighted.

Because her elder sister easily took control of the six palaces, and she was young and frivolous, she actually thought that the position of Princess Han was within her grasp.

Tong Lin was well versed in human nature and saw through her thoughts at a glance. He then recalled the scene of her secretly reading a romantic novel in the study yesterday, and felt an indescribable irritation in his heart.

He said calmly, "I heard that the Queen Mother has already chosen a wife for His Royal Highness the King of Han from among the noble ladies in the capital. Miss Yang is still unmarried, so it's better for her to avoid suspicion in the palace."

Yang Jingzhen was stunned when she heard this. Is the Queen Mother already choosing a concubine for the King of Han?

But before she could come to her senses, the tall man in the dark grey Qilin costume had already walked away.

Yang Jingzhen was stunned again. Realizing the other party's hidden meaning, she couldn't help but get angry and embarrassed.

However, she was not sure whether Leader Tong had read the script in her hand clearly in the study yesterday, so she could only retreat in disappointment.

The next morning, a spacious and luxurious carriage slowly drove out of the south gate of Yuquan Palace and headed towards the imperial palace.

Yang Manyan sat in the middle of the carriage, pressed closely by two men on his left and right, his face becoming increasingly red.

She simply closed her eyes to rest, but the absurd scenes of the past two nights could not help but appear in her mind...

The carriage entered the palace through Xihua Gate and stopped for a while in front of Qianqing Gate. After the emperor got off the carriage, it continued towards the East Palace.

Chang Ying hurried over to greet him, and said with a flattering smile: "If Your Majesty does not return to the palace, I would like to go to Yuquan Palace to serve you!"

The night before, the emperor suddenly decided to leave the palace and set off on horseback with only a few guards. Chang Ying could not ride a horse, so naturally he could not accompany him on the trip.

The emperor ignored his words, waved his hand, and strode into the Southern Study without saying a word.

Although there have been no morning court sessions these days, a considerable number of memorials have accumulated.

He was an emperor with very few selfish desires, and spent most of his time since he ascended the throne handling government affairs.

He rose early and went to bed late, worked day and night, and under his rule, the entire dynasty was peaceful and prosperous.

The carriage just now arrived at the Huiyin Gate of the Eastern Palace at a snail's pace. Yang Manyan and the prince walked into the main hall of the Eastern Palace surrounded by dozens of palace servants and eunuchs.

After spending a few peaceful days, Tong Lin reported the results of recent inspections to the prince in the afternoon.

Xiao Yan's eyes gradually turned cold.

This was exactly as he had guessed; Yang Manyan's two murders were both closely related to Qingning Palace.

Qingning Palace was the residence of his biological mother, Concubine Wei Shufei.

Xiao Yan's face was extremely gloomy. He took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress the surging emotions in his heart.

After a moment's silence, he strode towards Qingning Palace.

In the main hall, Yang Manyan, wearing a rouge-colored skirt with a branch pattern, was sitting on a soft couch with her chin resting on her back, playing a game of Go made of crystal with herself.

Later, she learned that the nanmu chessboard her husband gave her on her birthday was carved by him personally. She was deeply moved, but secretly she still liked the crystal Go set more.

The emperor, who broke into the East Palace openly, happened to see this scene.

He raised the corners of his lips slightly and asked calmly, "Does Yuaner like this Go set?"

Yang Manyan's eyes widened with fear, and his heart skipped a beat, "Your Majesty, why..."

"Want to ask why I'm here?" The man put his long arms around her gently, buried his head in her neck and whispered.

The hot breath spread on his neck, and Yang Manyan felt half of his body soften, with his cheeks instantly flushed.

Since returning from Yuquan Palace, he had not seen Yang Manyan for nearly ten days. On the one hand, he was busy with government affairs, and on the other hand, the prince was on high alert.

These days he finally understood what it meant to "lose time like years when you haven't seen her for a day". Whenever he had a little free time, he couldn't help thinking about her.

When the emperor thought that she was most likely being affectionate with her son, he felt as if his heart was being fried in oil.

Chang Ying knew what he was thinking and ordered his men to keep a close eye on the situation in the East Palace.

So as soon as the prince left, he arrived at the East Palace.

"Yuan'er hasn't replied to me yet. Do you like this crystal Go set?"

The emperor picked up a few black chess pieces made of smoky quartz and played with them. This crystal Go set was also one of his favorite collections.

Yang Manyan nodded shyly and replied carefully: "This is a birthday gift from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to me."

"The prince said he gave it to you?" The man frowned and his expression changed instantly.

Yang Manyan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he said "hmm" without thinking.

The emperor's brows furrowed even more tightly, and an unprecedented feeling of annoyance and frustration surged into his heart, but he was unable to vent it.

He didn't want Yang Manyan to dislike the crystal Go set because of him, so he deliberately ordered Chang Ying to put it somewhere in the East Palace when she was not paying attention.

Now Yang Manyan has misunderstood that it was a gift from the prince. If he rashly tells her the truth, she will probably be so embarrassed that she will develop a knot in her heart and will no longer want to use this Go set.

But the more he thought about it, the more angry he became, and he became crazy with jealousy. He simply held down Yang Manyan's arm, forced her to lie down on the couch, and bent down to kiss her.