Hearing the commotion, the women turned around and saw Liu Hong smiling at them. They quickly stood up and stepped forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Liu Hong smiled and said, "My beloved concubines, you may dispense with the formalities."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the women stood up, Liu Hong looked at Song Yue with a smile and said, "I just heard my beloved concubines laughing so happily. I wonder what you were talking about?"

Song Yue blushed and replied, "Your Majesty, my sisters and I were discussing you."

"Come sit down, and tell me what you all talked about?"

As he spoke, Liu Hong stepped forward, took Song Yue's small hand, and walked towards the pavilion.

Song Yue followed obediently behind with her head down, a scene that made the other girls extremely envious.

After they were seated, Song Yue told Liu Hong everything she had said to Wang Yan and the others without holding back.

"Haha~, I never expected my charm to be so great. I have already won the Empress's heart before we have even met."

Upon hearing Song Yue's affection for him again, Liu Hong couldn't help but laugh heartily, making Song Yue blush and become shy.

Afterwards, Liu Hong took Song Yue's hand and chatted with his concubines about everyday matters. In his words, he showed great care for these girls and did not neglect any of them.

After chatting for a while, and realizing he had nothing else to do that day, Liu Hong asked with a smile, "You've been in the Yeting Palace for quite some time now, wouldn't you like to go out for a stroll?"

Song Yue hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, according to palace rules, women are not allowed to leave the palace at will."

Liu Hong waved his hand: "What rules and regulations? I decide. Just tell me if you want to go or not?"

Liu Hong did not care too much about letting his empress and concubines appear in public.

At this time, women were no longer confined to their homes; it was common for them to go out on the streets or participate in labor.

Just like the Royal Textile Factory, most of the workers there were women.

Furthermore, Liu Hong also planned to take them out for some fresh air, so they wouldn't be bored and play palace intrigue games while confined in the palace all day.

Women who are too idle are prone to getting into trouble; this is an age-old rule.

After a moment of hesitation, the girls finally nodded. Although their family education had made them quite precocious, they were still just a group of young girls and naturally longed for the outside world.

Soon, with Zhang Rang's preparations, Liu Hong and seven concubines, including Song Yue and Wang Yan, changed into casual clothes and headed out of the palace.

Of course, behind them, there were also dozens of carefully selected experts as guards.

When the news reached Chang Le Palace, Dou Miao and Lady Dong were not angry at all after learning that their son had led the concubines out of the palace without permission. Instead, they laughed happily.

In the hearts of these two fiercely protective parents, no rules matter as much as their son's happiness.

As soon as Liu Hong and his entourage stepped onto the street, they attracted the attention of countless people.

A handsome young man leading seven beautiful young women, each with their own unique charm, is a combination that is bound to attract attention.

The young people on the street, in particular, looked at Liu Hong with envy and jealousy.

Although many young people who had seen the emperor found Liu Hong familiar, they dared not think in that direction.

Soon, Liu Hong led Song Yue and the others to the most bustling Xifang Market in Luoyang City.

The market was bustling with people, and besides the shops along the street, there were countless stalls selling all kinds of goods.

With the development of commerce and the rise in the status of craftsmen.

Besides large factories and workshops, many small private workshops have also sprung up in the community.

These small workshops specialize in producing various small commodities and handmade products, such as small furniture, ornaments, decorations, toys, and so on.

The girls following behind Liu Hong were overjoyed as they watched the bustling crowds and the various goods in the market, chattering excitedly.

As Liu Hong walked, he looked around. He wasn't looking at the goods, but at the people—those who were different from the common people of the Han Dynasty.

Based on their clothing and appearance, Liu Hong could tell that some of them came from the southern barbarians, the grasslands, the Western Regions, the southwestern Tibetan areas, the northwestern Qiang areas, and others came from the Middle East further west.

These must be merchants who came here with the Han Dynasty caravan during last year's trade fair.

Of course, what caught Liu Hong's attention the most were the few short men dressed in Hanfu.

These little men were no more than four feet tall, dressed in gorgeous clothes that were obviously custom-made at a high price. However, they were extremely humble as they walked, always making way for people and bowing repeatedly when they talked to them.

Those little dwarfs looked harmless, but when Liu Hong looked at them, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Young master, what's wrong?"

Seeing Liu Hong suddenly stop, Song Yue couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing!"

Liu Hong smiled, then looked at the concubines behind him and patted his bulging money pouch: "Beauties, feel free to pick whatever you like, I'll take care of everything."

"Yes, young master."

Seeing this, the girls began to look at the goods in the market with shining eyes.

These girls all came from noble families and didn't really care about precious things.

On the contrary, the various exquisite handicrafts on the street stalls were the most attractive to them.

They would buy anything that looked good or that they hadn't seen before.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!