Chengqian Palace.

Li Qiji returned to Chengqian Palace right after the morning court session, dressed in a bright yellow imperial robe and wearing a tasseled crown.

As he walked, the beads on his forehead swayed back and forth. This crown was the one that Li Qiji disliked wearing the most, and he took it off as soon as he arrived at Chengqian Palace.

The emperor and his two companions had just arrived at Chengqian Palace and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when they heard the voice of a eunuch announcing their arrival outside.

"The Carefree Prince has arrived."

What followed was the sound of wailing and crying.

"Your Majesty..."

"Brother!!!!!"

"Your beloved Qi Shang is back."

A skinny, cute, puppy-like man rushed in from outside, shouting loudly. When Li Qiji heard this voice;

He raised his hand to rub his temples, and before he could turn around, a heavy object was placed on his leg.

Yes, that's right. Li Qishang playfully hugged Li Qiji's leg, making it impossible for him to walk.

Hua Quan and Ji Wu quickly clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Prince Xiaoyao."

Li Qishang held onto his older brother's leg with one hand and waved to them with the other.

The guard who followed Li Qishang in, Shang Yao, entered and respectfully bowed to the Emperor, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Li Qiji glanced at Shang Yao kneeling on the ground and said, "Why aren't you pulling your master away? What kind of behavior is this?"

Shang Yao knelt on the ground, glanced up at her lord who was still clinging to Li Qiji's leg, and then silently lowered her head again.

Li Qiji was speechless. He rolled his eyes and looked down at Li Qishang, who was clinging to his leg and acting coquettishly, and said, "Let go of me now."

"I won't let go!"

"Unless my royal brother gives me some more money."

Li Qiji laughed and said, "I knew it! Why would you go back to the palace before the New Year? You were waiting for me here!"

Li Qishang looked up at his brother, chuckled, and tightened his grip on his hand: "No one understands me better than my brother."

Li Qiji “.......”

"Tell me? How much do you want?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qishang became even more excited. He rubbed his little face against his older brother's leg and stretched out his slender, fair hand, waving three fingers.

Three hundred taels?

"Okay, deal!"

Upon hearing his brother mention three hundred taels, Li Qishang quickly shook his head, then rubbed his leg against his thigh and said in a coquettish tone, "It's thirty million taels."

These words shocked everyone present. Li Qiji looked down at his younger brother, who was still clinging to him, and said angrily, "No."

"Oh dear, my dear brother! People know you have one!"

"Brother..."

It's said that men acting cute is disgusting, but when Li Qishang acts cute, it's like your heart is melting. Even Hua Quan, who is standing next to him, has hearts in his eyes.

Ji Wu looked at his child like an old father, his expressions of pity were truly remarkable.

Unable to bear his younger brother constantly rubbing against his lap, Li Qiji said helplessly, "What are you doing with so much money?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qishang felt there was hope. He looked up at his elder brother with a pitiful, teary-eyed expression and cried, "I want to do some business in the capital to help replenish the national treasury and relieve some of the pressure on you."

"What kind of business requires thirty million taels?"

Li Qiji looked down at his younger brother, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

"Oh dear, I haven't decided yet, but you absolutely have to give it to me, brother! Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Li Qishang hugged his older brother even tighter, holding onto his leg tightly, and said, "Otherwise, I'll cry for you."

Li Qiji really wanted to slap his younger brother to death right now, and said helplessly, "Come and tell me when you've thought it through."

"Alright, you've just returned to the palace, go and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager!"

She misses you very much.

Li Qiji dismissed him, as he still had many memorials to review and couldn't afford to waste time with him.

"So, does that mean you, Your Majesty, agree to give me the money?"

Li Qiji gave a perfunctory "hmm," because he knew that he would eventually give it to him no matter what, so it didn't matter whether he agreed sooner or later.

"Brother, I love you so much!"

Li Qishang rubbed against his elder brother's leg again before getting up from the ground and standing in front of his elder brother, bowing very respectfully.

The two are actually only about 9-10 centimeters apart in height. Li Qiji is 189 cm tall and has the kind of eyebrows and eyes that look like stars.

The hot-blooded young man exuded an overwhelming aura of killing intent.

After all, he was already fighting on the battlefield at the age of 12, and later he even killed his own tyrannical father.

His brothers and siblings were either exiled or killed, so he always appeared cold and aloof.

Li Qishang and he are two completely different kinds of people. Li Qishang is only 180 cm tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. When he smiles, he has two small dimples on his face.

He still had the kind of fair skin that girls envied, unlike his brother who had bronze skin;

His thin, rosy lips, his high and lovely nose, and his soft jawline didn't look as resolute and decisive as his brother's.

Although they are brothers born of the same mother, they are two different types of people. The domineering CEO type may be more suitable for Li Qiji, while the sweet and adorable type is none other than Li Qishang.

"Brother, I heard you married your sister-in-law?"

Li Qishang leaned back in a chair with a nonchalant air.

His legs dangled from the armrests of the chair, swaying back and forth.

He picked up an apple from the small table and started taking a crunchy bite.

Li Qiji sat down at his desk and heard his younger brother mention the empress who was in the cold palace.

He looked up at his younger brother, then lowered his head again to continue reading the memorial in his hand.

Li Qishang waited a while but still didn't receive a reply from his brother. Just as he was about to ask again, Li Qiji's deep and melancholic voice rang out: "Hmm!"

"Whose daughter is she?"

Li Qiji stopped speaking, and Hua Quan, who was standing next to him, said with a smile, "The legitimate daughter of General Jianwei's mansion."

Li Qishang, while biting into an apple, tilted his head back as if trying to recall something, but still couldn't remember.

Somewhat listlessly, he said, "I don't know anymore. Alright, I won't bother you any longer, Your Majesty. I'm going to see Mother."

"Okay! Let's have dinner together tonight," Li Qiji said without looking up.

Li Qishang had already reached the door with his guard Shang Yao. He waved the apple in his hand and said without turning his head, "I know."

Although Li Qishang is already nineteen years old, he has not yet established his own household outside the palace to live independently, because Li Qiji only has this one younger brother;

His mother didn't want her child to be too far away from her, and Li Qishang had no desire to inherit the throne.

He's perfectly content to be a carefree prince, spending his days playing with cats and walking dogs.

Having traveled to countless mountains and rivers and seen countless famous figures, why confine oneself to a small, isolated world?

His palace was actually Chaoyang Palace, which was only about three kilometers away from the Cold Palace. This was the palace where he had always lived.

I've lived here since I was a child, and I still live here now that I'm grown up. This place is quite far from the imperial harem.

So it's the best option for him.

After all, women, especially those in the imperial harem, are bound to have many troubles.

"Shang Yao, do you think my royal brother will give me some money?"

Shang Yao followed behind Li Qishang;

Slightly embarrassed, he scratched his head and said, "My lord, I believe that since the Emperor cherishes you so much, he should grant it, right?"

This answer was truly ambiguous, prompting Li Qishang to inwardly mutter, "Damn it."

The two left Chengqian Palace and headed towards the Empress Dowager's palace.