Fifteen minutes later, Azi finally opened her sleepy eyes, turned around and met his gaze. She blinked her big, confused eyes, her watery eyes misty, and opened her small mouth to give a delicate yawn.

She then stared blankly at the handsome man in front of her, her obedient and dazed expression was simply too cute.

Seeing that she was clearly still half asleep, Di Jingcheng secretly blamed himself for letting her sleep for so long just because he couldn't bear to wake her.

He raised his hand and gently stroked her loose, black hair: "Azi, shall we get up?"

Azi nodded blankly, but didn't make any further move. Di Jingcheng knew that her mind wasn't fully clear yet. So he gently picked her up, personally changed her clothes and washed her, and even styled her hair into a cute and playful girl's bun. Azi slowly came to her senses and looked at the Han Chinese girl's bun in the mirror with some curiosity.

Although she had worn Han Chinese clothing before, this was the first time she had styled her hair in a Han Chinese updo, and it looked quite beautiful. She couldn't help but reach out and touch it. However, the man seemed very skilled at it.

Looking at the gentle-faced man in the mirror, she asked softly, "Ah Cheng, do all men in the Central Plains comb women's hair?"

Hearing her natural way of addressing him, Di Jingcheng was overjoyed. It all seemed like destiny. In such a short time, the little girl really liked him and depended on him, and she was still so innocent.

He bent down and took her small hand. Azi stood up and looked at him with curiosity, waiting for his answer.

Di Jingcheng pulled her into his arms and said tenderly, "Azi, not all men from the Central Plains are like this. But I will only ever do this for you."

Azi nodded: "I believe you."

Di Jingcheng nodded excitedly, put his arm around her and walked out: "Didn't Azi want to go out for a walk? We can have dinner when we come back later."

When Azi heard him mention dinner, she felt a little hungry, so she suddenly stopped and said, "I'm a little hungry now."

Emperor Jingcheng was annoyed by his carelessness; Azi would definitely need some food after waking up. So he immediately ordered someone to bring her some food, all of which were delicious and easy-to-digest snacks.

Looking at the food, Azi happily popped a few pieces of pastry into her mouth and then stopped eating: "Acheng, let's take them outside to eat, and have some when we get tired of walking around."

Di Jingcheng nodded indulgently: "Alright, alright, whatever Azi says goes. So, Azi isn't hungry now?"

Azi shook her head: "I'm not that hungry. It would be more fun to eat out." With that, she took Di Jingcheng's hand and walked out.

Immediately, palace servants stepped forward to prepare snacks and fragrant tea and followed. Qinghe also quietly followed in the procession, waiting to be dispatched at any time.

Emperor Jingcheng did not order anyone to clear the way. After all, Azi was going to become empress in the near future. It would be better for him to personally lead people to let the palace staff recognize her, so that no one would offend her.

Zheng He and Zheng He'er exchanged a glance. The Consort Xian's maid was still kneeling at the entrance of the Qian Yuan Palace. Zheng San immediately rushed forward to clear a path and ordered his men to remove Yilan as quickly as possible.

Yilan, who was kneeling at the door, was already dizzy and somewhat out of her mind. Suddenly, the palace gate in front of her opened, and before she could react, two people dragged her aside and covered her mouth to prevent her from speaking.

A moment later, a woman's sweet voice and a man's doting response came from inside.

Yilan immediately understood what was going on, but she was too weak to speak because she was being forced to kneel on the ground by two eunuchs.

She struggled violently for a few moments, but to no avail, and tears streamed down her face.

Azi led the way with Di Jingcheng in hand, followed by orderly palace servants.

Strangely enough, Ranla Azi was not uncomfortable with anything in the palace. Although she hadn't had many servants before, she felt no aversion to it. Moreover, she felt that the main hall and the palace had a strange attraction for her, making her want to explore more, as if it were a kind of familiarity.

Azi was not familiar with the roads in the palace, so Zheng He Er carefully introduced the various places in the palace, with Emperor Jingcheng occasionally adding a few words.

As you walk slowly, you arrive at the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden. Although only the remnants of lotus flowers remain in the vast pond, it still possesses a poignant beauty.

Azi looked at the flowers still blooming in the Imperial Garden and didn't find it strange, but she wondered why all the trees were bare.

"Ah Cheng, why are all the trees in the palace bare along the way? We don't have many fallen leaves all year round where we are."

Di Jingcheng smiled slightly and patiently explained to her, "It's because of the climate. Azi's hometown is much warmer than the capital, and the vegetation is also different. It's evergreen and doesn't shed its leaves all year round. But the capital is much colder, and the trees also have to survive the winter."

Azi smiled and nodded: "I see. Acheng knows so much. I also think it's colder here than in the south."

Di Jingcheng dressed her in very thick clothes, but she still felt a little cold. She wondered how cold she would get in a while.

Seeing the little girl, who was already dressed in many layers and had rosy cheeks, Di Jingcheng took the fox fur coat from Qinghe and draped it over her shoulders: "Azi, hide in my arms. Let's go to the pavilion in front and sit for a while and have something to eat."

Azi nodded, nestled in his arms, and walked forward, her rosy cheeks beaming with a happy smile.

After sobering up, Consort Xian stumbled out to find Yilan, refusing to let the palace servants follow her. Fearing for her safety, the servants followed her for quite some distance, but were discovered by her and sent back, forced to watch her leave on her own.

In fact, Consort Xian knew that Yilan was probably not in any danger, after all, Yilan knew the palace much better than she did. After searching for a while, her thoughts were once again filled with loneliness.

With her head down and her hands hanging limply at her sides, she unknowingly found herself back at the spot where she had fallen into the lotus pond, the place where she first met Di Jingcheng.

She stood by the desolate lotus pond, her mood as withered as the lotus blossoms. Palace servants began to clean up the ruins in the pond by boat, and Consort Xian stood there watching.

After a while, she turned and left, wandering aimlessly in the Imperial Garden.

In the pavilion beside the rockery in the Imperial Garden, Di Jingcheng and A Zi sat chatting. The two, deeply in love, exchanged glances that revealed their affection. Just as A Zi took a small bite of the pastry in her hand, before she could pull it away, Di Jingcheng leaned in and bit the pastry off her hand in one bite.

Azi was stunned, her eyes widening slightly. Her small mouth unconsciously chewed on the pastry, then she shyly turned her head away: "What are you doing~"

Di Jingcheng absolutely adored her shy and vibrant appearance. He took her small hand, which was covered in pastry crumbs, and gently wiped it. "Azi is shy?" he asked. A deep and alluring laugh escaped his throat, tinged with teasing.

"You're talking nonsense!" Azi retorted hastily, her voice soft and sweet, her eyes sparkling with spring, her lips and cheeks rosy and captivating.

Di Jingcheng's heart stirred, and he leaned down to kiss the little girl's red lips gently, then lingered on her cheek for a long kiss.

"My baby is so soft, fragrant and sweet!"

"You're mean! I'm ignoring you!" The little girl covered her face with her hands and snuggled into his arms, which delighted the man immensely.