"Princess..."

"You can leave now." Chen Ling continued walking out, saying, "I'm going to cause trouble in the palace. If you don't want to get involved, then you shouldn't stay by my side."

"Little sister!" Just when the two maids were at their wits' end, a voice came from behind them.

"elder brother!"

Chen Ling shouted and ran out to hug Chen Wei, who was rushing over.

"Waaah..." Chen Ling cried in her brother's arms, like a wronged kitten, saying, "Brother... Zhao Zhan is bullying me too much!"

Chen Wei, dressed in the official robes of the Vice Minister of Rites, had clearly rushed over from the palace. He waved his hand to send the two maids away and gently patted his sister's back.

“Ling’er has been wronged, and as your older brother, I should teach those who bullied you a lesson. But now you are the Qingling Princess of Dajing, and I have recently been promoted to Vice Minister of Rites. Our father has passed away, so we siblings must act with caution.”

Seeing that Chen Ling was still crying but still listening to him, Chen Wei continued, "Thinking about it carefully, we can't entirely blame Zhao Zhan. He would rather defy the imperial decree than come to Changsui, not because he dislikes you, but because he doesn't want to become a hostage."

Chen Ling pulled away from her brother's embrace, wiped away her tears, and said, "Does brother think I don't understand this? But I'm just unhappy, so unhappy!"

Chen Wei said, "But now even His Majesty isn't pursuing Zhao Zhan's disobedience, so you can only endure it no matter how unhappy you are. What's the use of making a scene in the palace? That will only make His Majesty dislike you, and it won't do you any good."

“Ling’er, although I will always protect you, my strength is not as great as your father’s right now. You can’t be as willful as before.”

"Hmph!" Chen Ling suddenly turned around and ran into the room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Bang!

Chen Wei walked to the door and said, "Ling'er, open the door, how about your brother talks to you for a while?"

There was no response from inside the room.

"Ling'er?"

Seeing that Chen Ling still did not respond, Chen Wei said, "I took leave to come here. All the official business has fallen on Minister Li. To avoid displeasing him, I will return to the palace first. You should rest well at home."

After saying this, Chen Wei shook his head and turned to leave.

Jing Palace.

Yuxin Palace.

Wen Hu, Lü Lu, Dian Chen, and a group of eunuchs and palace maids accompanied Yuan Xiu as they strolled in the garden.

Yuan Xiu and Wen Hu chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was harmonious. If it weren't for their respective statuses, one would think that the two were old friends.

"Wenqing, you should visit your uncle more often." When Yuan Xiu was in a good mood, his way of addressing Wen Hu changed.

Wen Hu said, "Going there will only make my uncle angry, so it's better not to go."

Yuan Xiu said, "But he is, after all, your uncle."

"His Majesty has pardoned my uncle's death sentence, allowing him to spend the rest of his life in the Cold Cell. He will not be short of food, clothing, or other necessities. Whether I visit him or not, it will be the same for him. On the contrary, if I visit him, it will only affect his mood, and if outsiders find out, it will easily attract criticism."

Wen Hu clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yuan Xiu and said, "Your Majesty's favor is so great that many people are envious of it. I must not cause trouble for Your Majesty."

Yuan Xiu nodded and said, "Wenqing's thoughts are thorough, and I am very pleased."

At this moment, Jin Hu walked over and said, "Your Majesty, someone from the Central Secretariat has come and said they want to invite Marquis Sha to come over for a meeting."

Wen Hu quickly replied, "I have no duty to participate in the central council. The King summoned me because he needs my vote."

"Then you should go quickly."

"Your Majesty, I take my leave!"

"etc!"

Yuan Xiu stopped Wen Hu and said, "Tell Prince Xin that I said I wanted to rest, but recently I've been helping your central government with a lot of administrative work, and I'm really tired. I need to rest well. Don't bother me with anything that isn't extremely important. If you're too busy, ask the Marquis of Sha County to give you some advice and we can discuss it together."

"Yes!" Wen Hu replied emphatically. The emperor's words granted him the power to participate in deliberations at the central government level.

Jin Hu waited by his side, secretly marveling at the emperor's true favor towards Wen Hu.

Wen Hu put it tactfully, saying that he had no responsibility for deliberating on matters in the Central Secretariat, so the emperor immediately granted him the authority to do so.

Although the terms 'responsibility' and 'right' are used differently, they mean the same thing.

After Wen Hu left, Jin Hu said again, "Your Majesty, Lord Wei is also outside."

Yuan Xiu frowned and said, "Let him in. This Yuxin Palace is also his home. Does he need to report to anyone just to go home?"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Jin Hu quickly withdrew, thinking to himself that Lord Wei You's favor with the emperor was truly unmatched!

A while later, Wei You came in and followed Yuan Xiu's walking pace.

"How is the situation?" Yuan Xiu asked.

Wei You said, "Her Majesty the Empress looks very well. The imperial physician said the baby's position is normal and there is nothing unusual."

Yuan Xiu said with satisfaction, "That's good. Since the Empress is alright, I just want to rest well these next few months."

Wei You said, "Your Majesty, I have designed a few more toys. Please take a look at the drawings later. If they are suitable, I will order people to make them."

Yuan Xiu said, "What you designed must be fun. No need to look at it, hurry up and have someone make it and send it over! Hahaha, you understand me best. I need to keep adding new toys to the Imperial Palace so that I can enjoy myself to the fullest!"

"yes!"

Wei You approached Yuan Xiu, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Yuan Xiu immediately noticed Wei You's expression and said, "Speak if you have something to say."

“It’s nothing serious.” Wei You bowed slightly and said, “I overheard the palace maids at Zhilin Palace talking about how Princess Qingling smashed the makeup box that the Empress had bestowed upon her.”

Yuan Xiu asked doubtfully, "Why is the princess like this?"

Wei You said, "I heard that she was unhappy with Zhao Zhan's refusal to marry her, and felt that she had been humiliated. She was even planning to come to the palace to make a scene, but Lord Chen Wei stopped her."

Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow.

Noticing Yuan Xiu's expression, Wei You quickly said, "I think Princess Qingling is only a sixteen-year-old girl. She has been spoiled since childhood, so it is normal for her to throw a tantrum."

"You don't need to defend her, that's not what I was thinking."

Yuan Xiu raised his hand to stop Wei You from speaking, and gradually narrowed his eyes, saying, "I suddenly had a thought. Since Princess Qingling wants a man so much, how about I bestow another man upon her?"

"Huh?" Wei You was a little confused.

Yuan Xiu rubbed his hands and said, "Think about it. Zhao Cheng killed Wang Yufeng and has a blood feud with Wang Yuluan for killing his brother. Wang Yucen is also getting together with Zhao Zhan, and Zhao Cheng's brother might become Wang Yucen's brother-in-law. And at this time, if Wang Yuluan marries Chen Ling, who hates Zhao Zhan, then Wang Yuluan will hate Zhao Cheng, and Wang Yuluan's wife will hate Zhao Cheng's brother..."

"Isn't this relationship complicated? Isn't it exciting?"

"In this way, the Wang family and the Zhao family will always be at odds and will never be able to unite!"

Yuan Xiu became more and more excited as he spoke, clapping his hands and saying, "It's settled then! I will bestow a marriage upon Wang Yuluan and Chen Ling!!"