Cining Palace.

"Mother, your beloved Qi Shang has returned."

Before Li Qishang even reached the entrance of Cining Palace, he started shouting loudly, looking somewhat excited and elated.

Empress Dowager Xin, who was kneeling in front of the Bodhisattva chanting sutras, seemed to hear someone calling outside. She tilted her ear to listen for a moment, then smiled and said to Granny Jin standing to the side, "I'm getting old, I'm getting old. I thought I heard my youngest son had returned."

Before Granny Jin could say anything, Li Qishang pushed open the door to the quiet room.

"Mother, you are not old, and you did not mishear. It is your beloved Qi Shang who has returned."

Empress Dowager Xin quickly turned around and looked over, her eyes filled with excitement and joy. She pulled Li Qishang and was about to burn incense and kowtow to the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue.

"Quickly, quickly, burn incense and kowtow to the Bodhisattva to thank her for protecting you and ensuring your safe return."

Li Qishang chuckled and accepted the three sticks of incense that Granny Jin handed over.

"Good, good, you're finally back, you're finally back."

Empress Dowager Xin got up with Li Qishang's help, and touched her son's hands with great affection.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"

"Do you know how much your mother misses you? Why don't you write her a letter or something?"

Li Qishang helped Empress Dowager Xin to sit on the phoenix chair, then sat down on the other side himself, holding his mother's hand and saying, "Mother, don't worry, I'm safe outside!"

"You silly child, a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles. How could I not worry? How long will you stay this time?"

Li Qishang smiled and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. I'll be staying here for a longer time this time, and I might not leave again until after the New Year."

"Huh? We have to go out again? But..."

Li Qishang quickly said in a coquettish tone, "Oh, Mother, as you know, every time I go on a trip, it's not just for fun, but also to help my brother the Emperor with his investigations. So, I definitely have to go out."

"Alas, my son is all grown up, I can't control him anymore!" Empress Dowager Xin said with some sorrow.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he said, "Next year will be your coming-of-age ceremony, it seems it's time to find a princess."

"Next year, I'll have your elder brother find you a wife to temper your temper."

Upon hearing this, Li Qishang felt a terrible headache coming on and quickly moved from his side to Empress Dowager Xin's feet.

He lay on Empress Dowager Xin's lap and said in a coquettish tone, "Mother, I am still young and do not want to get married and have children."

"Your Majesty, I still have many things to settle for my elder brother, so please do not find me a wife."

"Mother, please?"

Li Qishang hugged Empress Dowager Xin's legs and shook them incessantly, as if he wanted to shake her apart, while she cried out in a very delicate voice.

Empress Dowager Xin was starting to feel the strain from his constant shaking.

With a doting gesture, she raised her hand and patted the back of Li Qishang's head, saying, "You two really are a handful for your mother!"

"The Empress Dowager wants to see my grandson while she's still young! None of you are willing to have children soon."

Li Qishang raised his head and looked at Empress Dowager Xin, saying, "Mother, you should urge my brother. Look at how many women he has in his harem."

Each one of them is as beautiful as a flower, so why can't they catch the eye of my elder brother? Mother, you should put in more effort and urge him on.

Wouldn't that fulfill your wish of having a grandson?

After hearing Li Qishang's words, Empress Dowager Xin sighed deeply and said, "You know your elder brother, don't you?"

"What kind of person is he? How could your mother possibly persuade him?"

"Alas! Indeed, I wonder what kind of sister-in-law my royal brother would like. There are three thousand beauties in the harem, yet not one of them can catch his eye."

"You naughty child!"

As if he had just thought of something, Li Qishang suddenly lifted his head from Empress Dowager Xin's lap and looked at his mother, saying, "Mother, I heard that my brother has married my sister-in-law?"

"Yeah! You naughty child, don't you know anything about what's going on outside?"

"Hehe, I was so busy having fun out there that I didn't bother to check on this. Now that I'm back, what if I run into someone I don't recognize?"

Li Qishang cautiously shrank his neck.

Empress Dowager Xin laughed and patted Li Qishang on the shoulder, saying, "What are you going to do in the future?"

"hey-hey...."

"Your elder brother married a girl from the Jianwei General's mansion, that is, Miss Guan Zhiyue from the Guan family."

"Ah! Zhiyue!" Li Qishang exclaimed, looking up at his mother in shock.

Hearing her youngest son address Guan Zhiyue so affectionately, Empress Dowager Xin patted his shoulder, puzzled, and said, "What? You know her?"

Li Qishang immediately said, "It's more than just knowing her, we're practically very familiar with each other. I never imagined she would become my sister-in-law."

"What's wrong? You know that girl? Why haven't you mentioned her before?"

"Sigh, I guess that girl doesn't remember either. Alright, Mother, I understand. Shall I go and pay a visit to my sister-in-law?"

Empress Dowager Xin stopped Li Qishang, who was about to leave, and said, "She has been locked up in the Cold Palace by your brother. If you want to go, you should go on your brother's back."

"What?"

He heard about it on his way back to the capital. He didn't know whose daughter it was at first, and he even sighed about it to Shang Yao along the way.

His elder brother really had no mercy for women; he actually banished his newlywed sister-in-law to the cold palace without even having her consummate the marriage after a disagreement.

I was just feeling sorry for her, but I never expected it to be her!

Li Qishang bid farewell to his mother, saying he needed to return to the palace to tidy up before attending the family banquet that evening.

"Shangyao, do you know who the Emperor is marrying this time?"

Shang Yao touched her nose somewhat awkwardly, and said hesitantly, "Miss Guan."

Li Qishang said with some surprise, "You know?"

Shang Yao lowered her head and gave a faint "hmm".

Li Qishang said in an unhappy voice, somewhat sullenly, "Why do you know all this, but I don't?"

Shang Yao "......"

"Sir, I already told you at the time that you said you wouldn't interfere, so..."

Li Qishang glanced at Shang Yao with some annoyance, and angrily opened his fan with the four large characters "风流倜傥" (meaning "charming and dashing") written on it.

"Your Highness, you've gone the wrong way. This is the way back to the palace!" Shang Yao immediately called out to stop Li Qishang, who had gone the wrong way.

Li Qishang walked over arrogantly and stood in front of Shang Yao, snorting angrily, "Mind your own business, I like it."

Shang Yao was suffering. Ever since she started following this master, she had been both his father and mother, taking care of everything for him.

The two strode towards Chaoyang Palace. This time, Li Qishang deliberately took a detour towards the direction of the Cold Palace, intending to reach his own Chaoyang Palace from there.

"My lord, the Cold Palace is just ahead. Let's hurry! I've heard that all the concubines imprisoned there have gone mad."

The Cold Palace.

"Bilian, bring me the stove."

"Liu Dequan, where is the copper pot I asked you to make for me?"

"And where's my stinky tofu? Where did you move it to this time?"

The entire Cold Palace was filled with Guan Zhiyue calling out to her servants. The two, mistress and servant, standing outside the palace gate, exchanged a glance.

"Didn't you say that the concubines in the Cold Palace were all crazy? How come they are so clear-headed?"

Shang Yao looked up at the sky, somewhat bewildered. The two of them climbed onto the wall of the Cold Palace, their heads looming over the wall.

Guan Zhiyue was frying stinky tofu in the open-air kitchen of the Cold Palace. The aroma wafted into their nostrils, and Li Qishang couldn't help but cough.

"Cough cough..."

Guan Zhiyue looked up and saw Shang Yao staring at her, and Li Qishang coughing violently beside her.

"You two, come in here!"

Li Qishang and Shang Yao exchanged a glance, then pointed at each other, as if to say, "You saw us? Were you calling us?"

"Yes, it's you guys. What are you doing lurking around on the wall of my Cold Palace? Come in here."

Guan Zhiyue put one hand on her hip and held a newly carved long wooden chopstick in the other, pointing at the two of them.

The two slunk down the wall and headed towards the gate of the Cold Palace.

The door creaked open.

Shang Yao quickly clasped her hands in greeting to Guan Zhiyue and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!"

Li Qishang quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's sister-in-law."

Guan Zhiyue looked at the two of them and saw a cute and boyish-looking man;

Recalling what Bilian had told her about the carefree prince, and considering that he called her "sister-in-law," it had to be him.

"You are the Carefree King?"

Hearing Guan Zhiyue's questioning voice, Li Qishang nodded somewhat dejectedly.

"Hmm! You don't remember me?"

One sentence left Guan Zhiyue completely dumbfounded...