"Young Master Chu, the eldest son of the Chu family, one of the four great families of Laifeng State, began to read and write at the age of three, and could compose a poem in seven steps at the age of six."

Hua Qingcheng entered the room, carrying her zither, and continued to read Chu Kangyi's personal experience as recorded in the booklet of the Crown Princess's attendants: "Young Master Chu learned to use an abacus at the age of eight, and began managing the family's twenty branches in the capital at the age of twelve. In five years, he had expanded from the initial twenty branches to fifty, and he had founded an additional twenty branches himself."

As Hua Qingcheng spoke, she had already come to sit down across from Chu Kangyi and placed her zither on the Bailing platform. Her bright, watery eyes stared directly at Chu Kangyi, who was sitting across from her. Her face, half-smile, showed no emotion.

"Yes. What Her Royal Highness said is true. It is indeed Kangyi's experience." Chu Kangyi nodded slightly and responded generously to Hua Qingcheng's words that were neither praise nor criticism.

Seeing that the man opposite her, although he looked elegant and graceful, was serious and had a lukewarm attitude, Hua Qingcheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and said, "Young Master Chu, are you... not welcoming me?"

"Your Highness!"

Chu Kangyi sighed slightly and continued, "To be honest with Your Highness, I already have a woman in my heart. Although she is far away in Youzhou, Kangyi will not marry anyone else. This time, Kangyi entered the Eastern Palace at the arrangement of his mother and the elders of the family. He had no choice."

When Chu Kang looked at Hua Qingcheng's bright eyes, they were filled with sadness.

"Youzhou?"

"Could it be... that she is the daughter of the former Situ Guijun, my third sister whom I have never met—Nalan Qiudi?"

As far as Hua Qingcheng knew, over a month and a half prior, before she entered the palace, the former noble Situ Mingting and his son, Nalan Qiufeng, had perished in a fire at Youlan Palace. His daughter, even before that, had been conferred the title of "Prince You" by the Emperor and exiled to her fiefdom, Youzhou, where she was forbidden to enter the capital without imperial decree.

"Um."

Chu Kangyi narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded.

He and the Third Emperor's daughter, Nalan Qiudi, met when they were young and were childhood sweethearts. They had a mutual affection for each other. Chu Kangyi, who had been waiting for Nalan Qiudi to marry him, finally received the news that his beloved had been banished to Youzhou.

Chu Kangyi, who had intended to secretly go to Youzhou to look for Nalan Qiudi, was placed under strict surveillance by his mother, the head of the Chu family, and was sent to the Eastern Palace to serve as a concubine to the emperor...

"oh?"

Hua Qingcheng was slightly surprised. She originally thought that this young man from a noble family was just arrogant, but she didn't expect the reason to be like this.

"Chu Kangyi! But... you are already in the East Palace, but you are still thinking about other women in your heart. Aren't you afraid that I will not forgive you?" Hua Qingcheng stood up from her seat, supported the table with one hand, and pinched Chu Kangyi's chin with the other hand, saying with a smile.

"Your Highness~"

Chu Kangyi lowered his bright eyes slightly and smiled, as charming and intoxicating as the rising sun in the morning.

"But Kang Yi...didn't see a single trace of lust in Her Highness's eyes."

After Chu Kang gave Hua Qingcheng a charming smile, he looked up and met Hua Qingcheng's gaze, his eyes neither dodging nor evading, with a calm look.

"Just because there wasn't one just now doesn't mean there hasn't been one in the past..." Hua Qingcheng curled the corners of her lips slightly, stepped forward, and looked down at Chu Kangyi.

"Your Highness the Queen..."

Chu Kangyi, who originally thought that Hua Qingcheng had no interest in him, immediately felt a little confused and became a little uncertain about the thoughts of this princess.

"This matter...this matter should be considered as Kangyi owing Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess a favor." Chu Kangyi frowned slightly and said sternly.

"Chu Kangyi, you can't even decide whether to stay or go. I'm afraid your favor is... meaningless to me." Hua Qingcheng withdrew from Chu Kangyi and sat back in her original seat, saying indifferently.

"Kang Yi once made a promise to King You that she would not marry anyone but you. When the princess comes to power in the future, if we can be reunited, Kang Yi and King You will be grateful to Her Royal Highness the Princess." Chu Kang Yi said solemnly.

"Okay. I won't touch you. I will ask King You to repay the debt of favor for this matter myself." Hua Qingcheng raised the corners of her lips slightly and did a favor.

Although Youzhou is a bitterly cold land, the soldiers guarding its borders are formidable. If he were to take control of the Laifeng Kingdom someday, he'd inevitably need some trusted aides. Making Nalan Qiudi owe him a favor seemed... not bad at all!

"Kang Yi thanks Her Highness the Princess!"

Chu Kangyi solemnly knelt down and kowtowed to Hua Qingcheng, performing a great ceremony. Hua Qingcheng accepted it calmly.

"Your Highness the Queen..."

"Shh!"

At the end of the hour of Xu, a dark figure appeared outside Chu Kangyi's dormitory window, eavesdropping. Hua Qingcheng then made a gesture to him to keep quiet, and Chu Kangyi, who understood, nodded.

"Chu Kangyi, tonight is our wedding night, don't waste this beautiful moment!"

Hua Qingcheng dragged Chu Kangyi away and pushed him onto the bed. Chu Kangyi, terrified, could not help but scream loudly, "No, Your Highness!"

Guo Dongbing, who was hiding outside the window, couldn't help but get goose bumps all over his body when he heard this. This princess's physical strength is really great! If he could be reborn one day, he would definitely try her taste...

Hua Qingcheng used the same trick again, tickling and pinching Chu Kangyi, causing him to make sounds that sounded like crying, laughing, and begging for mercy in pain, deceiving Guo Dongbing who was eavesdropping outside.

The next morning, when Chu Kangyi wanted to bite his finger to mark the "blood" on the Yuanpa, Hua Qingcheng raised her hand to stop him.

"If your finger gets hurt, how are you going to explain it to others later?"

"But... Your Highness the Crown Princess..." Chu Kang seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"I'm here."

Anyway, I have already made the other party owe me a favor, so I don’t care if he owes me more.

Hua Qingcheng pulled up a small section of her sleeve, revealing her fair arm, and then pretended to take out a dagger from her boots (actually in the space). After it was unsheathed, she lightly scratched it, and when blood oozed out, she dripped it onto the Yuanpa.

After throwing the Yuanpa to Chu Kangyi, Hua Qingcheng then skillfully applied medicine and bandaged herself.

"Her Highness actually carries a dagger, gold wound medicine, and gauze with her?"

Chu Kangyi narrowed his eyes dangerously, and his gaze towards Hua Qingcheng couldn't help but take on a bit of depth.

"What's so strange about this? If you go outside and ask around, you'll know that I'm being hunted by assassins every few days. The dagger is for self-defense when the enemy is attacked by surprise. The gold wound medicine and gauze are for timely bandaging and treatment in case of accidental injury. They may even be my life-saving medicine at a critical moment." Hua Qingcheng lied without blushing or beating her heart.

Seeing that the other party's words were well-reasoned, Chu Kangyi nodded without any suspicion. After all, the fact that Her Highness was often hunted by assassins was no secret to those in the upper social circles of the capital.

"Alright, it's time for me to go to the Imperial College to study. You can rest for a while, and then it's time to go to Lingkun Court to pay your respects to the Crown Princess."

After putting away her things, Hua Qingcheng carried the Yaoqin out of Chu Kangyi's room, left Xicuiyuan, and then got on a carriage with Wuchen to go to the Imperial College.