"That's good. You and I are both Her Majesty the Empress's servants and have never suffered. You must not forget your roots."

She knew that Mai Dong had indeed harbored feelings for him. But having feelings was fine; he could simply change his mind.

After all, who wouldn't like His Majesty? But the Empress is good too.

Although he appears extremely powerful, he treats his subordinates very well.

One cannot live without a conscience.

The princesses were happy as the weather cooled down.

Their voices filled the entire Imperial Garden, with the loudest coming from the Sixth and Seventh Princesses.

The Fifth Princess prefers quiet, and even when she comes, she won't shout or laugh loudly.

The fourth princess didn't have the confidence to do so, but she always followed along.

There were also the girls who accompanied her in her studies, including Yan Jingxue.

Yan Nangui initially thought the child was quiet, but after living with him for a while and letting him loosen up, she discovered that he really did resemble his father.

As much trouble Yan Nanji caused as a child, this kid is just as troublesome.

However, Yan Nangui did not dislike her and did not take her father's thoughts to heart.

Although this child is mischievous, he is very smart and won't cause trouble in ways that are inappropriate.

Because the girls were too noisy, His Majesty dared not enter the Imperial Garden without asking questions.

My own daughters are fine, but there are still girls around ten years old; it wouldn't look good if they bumped into each other.

As a result, the young concubines had one less place to curry favor with the emperor.

The three who entered the palace this year are especially eager for rain.

Unfortunately, His Majesty often forgets about them, and this year has been particularly busy.

So they all had no choice but to try to please the Empress, coming every few days.

When the wild geese are busy returning south, they disappear; when they're free, they're occasionally called in.

There were times when they ran into His Majesty, but fortunately, all three of them were quite sensible and did not dare to seduce him in public.

Once again, Su Baolin was kicked out by His Majesty. She sighed, "I've been here for so long, and I've only served the Emperor once. What am I going to do? I don't ask for anything else, but... I can't be a Baolin when I come in, and still be a Baolin when I die."

"What can we do? It's just that His Majesty doesn't like us. We really can't compare to someone like the Empress." Fan Baolin, with her gentle nature, sighed.

“My sisters are absolutely right. If we behave ourselves, we’ll eventually get ahead,” Hua Lingyi said with a smile.

Both Baolin said yes.

As they were talking, they passed by Chuyun Pavilion, and the two Baolins went back.

Hua Lingyi returned to her own Jinhua Pavilion.

The maidservant serving her said softly, "Although His Majesty drove you out, in the end, Her Majesty the Empress has no intention of recommending you whatsoever."

"No, but it doesn't matter. I can wait another ten years. Can I wait? Can Her Majesty the Empress wait?" Hua Mingzhu smiled.

Ten years from now, how old will the Empress be? Will she still be able to maintain her control over His Majesty?

By then, she should have had some connections in the palace, wouldn't she be better off than she is now?

Of course, they say it will take ten years, but who knows how many years it will actually be? It might only take a year or two.

She's still young, so there's no rush.

It would be foolish to rush into giving up one's head when the Empress is at the height of her favor.

In Zhaochun Palace, Shu Chengfeng said, "The guards I found for Bao'er are almost ready. We should train them as soon as possible. Let Meng Zongying's son, Meng Tian, ​​lead the team. That boy is twenty-three this year and has been serving the Emperor for seven or eight years. He is skilled and Bao'er will not mind."

"How many sons does Meng Zongying have?" Yan Nangui asked.

Meng Zongying was formerly the chief secretary of the Crown Prince's residence and now serves as an official in the local government. He is someone His Majesty trusts.

“There are three. This is the second one. This child wasn’t good at studying, so he learned martial arts. He trained with Ding Min before, and was always Ding Min’s apprentice when he was in the manor,” Shu Chengfeng said.

"As long as Your Majesty is satisfied. Look at your daughter, she'll be gone next year. She can't wait until the year after." Yan Nangui said.

"Alright then, he's on duty today too. Yunji, go and call Meng Tian here."

Yun Ji agreed, and half an hour later, Meng Tian arrived at Zhaochun Palace.

He was wearing light armor and had a tall and straight posture. Although he was of average appearance, he was very energetic and pleasant to look at.

"Your subject Meng Tian pays his respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

"Get up and speak."

"I had Yunji tell you before that the Seventh Princess was going to study at Bailu Academy. I appointed you as the head of the guards. Are you aware of this?" Shu Chengfeng asked.

"Your Majesty, I know, I am willing, I will certainly protect the Seventh Princess's safety," Meng Tian said.

"Very well. I will give you three hundred personal guards. You are permitted to take them to Bailu Prefecture. These three hundred men are the Seventh Princess's private guards, and their only task is to protect her. No matter what happens, their only responsibility is to protect her. Of course, you know that General Yan of Bailu Prefecture is the Seventh Princess's uncle. He will also take care of and protect her. However, local troops cannot be mobilized casually. If anything happens to you, go to him. I will issue a separate decree to him."

"Yes, Your Majesty obeys." Meng Tian was a servant of the Emperor and naturally knew how much the Emperor loved the Seventh Princess, so he was not surprised by this arrangement.

“Of course, she’s still young. You can protect her, but you can’t listen to everything she says. If she’s going to act up, you have to dissuade her,” Yan Nangui said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"There's another ironclad rule: whether she returns to the capital or not requires an oral decree from His Majesty or myself. If anyone dares to forge an imperial decree, you must be able to discern the truth. Of course, I will arrange for someone to accompany her when she leaves," Yan Nangui said.

"Yes, the Empress is right." Shu Chengfeng nodded.

Indeed, this is very important.

"Your subject obeys the decree," Meng Tian replied.

"Alright, you personally select one hundred guards, and I will select the remaining two hundred from the capital's infantry battalion. However, if any of them are not qualified, they will be replaced. Go ahead. Try your best to prepare this year," Shu Chengfeng said.

Just as Meng Tian was about to take his leave, Shu Chengfeng said again, "Don't talk about this matter to anyone now. Just handle it quietly."

"Yes! Your Majesty's decree will be obeyed. I shall take my leave."

"How is it?" Shu Chengfeng asked.

"His gaze is honest and unwavering; he's a good candidate." It's good that he doesn't doubt His Majesty and the Empress's words.

Such people don't think too much when things come to a head; they just do what they're told.

"Now His Majesty is no longer trying to stop it?" Yan Nangui asked with a smile.

"You think you can stop me? I would like to stop you, but what about you? Not only are you unwilling to stop me, you're also encouraging me to," Shu Chengfeng sneered.

“Go out and see the world, it’s not like you’re never coming back. You come back every year, don’t you? You’re older now, so you don’t go out anymore. When I was little, I wanted to go out too, but unfortunately I couldn’t. She’s the princess, it’s so great that she has this opportunity,” Yan Nangui said.

Shu Chengfeng rolled his eyes at her and said nothing more.

Yan Nangui thought to himself, "He also gave me three hundred personal guards."

Nowadays, even princes cannot maintain so many personal guards.

Even the crown prince will only number two hundred, and I'm afraid the ministers will have some complaints then.

It doesn't matter, it's given away. Can it be taken back?