Gan Qiongying looked closely and saw the head maid, then exclaimed with delight, "Sweetie!"

She quickly got out of bed, went to the cage, and reached out to touch the other's face: "You seem to have grown taller, and your face has thinned out a lot. You're becoming more and more beautiful!"

Sweetie is now a minor leader in charge of all matters in the Eastern Palace, serving by Li Hua's side. She is usually very composed, and all the maids obey her commands, so naturally no one dares to offend her.

Gan Qiongying's actions drew sidelong glances from the other maids nearby.

Because the sweet-faced aunt they usually discussed in private, whom they dared not get close to, actually allowed this woman in the cage to rub her face, and even laughed.

"This servant greets...Princess!" Sweetie slightly curtsied and greeted Gan Qiongying through the cage, but Gan Qiongying smiled and waved.

“I’m no longer a princess. Just call me by my name, or Consort,” Gan Qiongying said with a smile. “I was forced into marriage by your Crown Prince.”

Gan Qiongying was beaming, mainly because of what happened last night. Every morning when she thinks about it, she finds it all too coincidental.

They met by sheer coincidence, which felt like a match made in heaven!

Gan Qiongying joked about herself: "If this were made into a folk tale, it would probably take three days and three nights to finish singing it, hahaha..."

If we were to give it a title, it should be called "The Yandere Male Lead Takes the Place of His Twin Brother and Enters the Bridal Chamber with Me"!

Gan Qiongying made herself laugh, and Tianjiao's eyelids twitched, so she couldn't help but laugh too.

“Manyue misses you so much, she keeps thinking about you,” Gan Qiongying said. “She even got you a good luck charm and secretly put it in a small pouch, she wouldn’t even let me see it.”

The couple Chen Wa and Manyue have already broken up, but the couple Tianjiao and Manyue definitely can't break up!

Sweetie was indeed moved when she heard Gan Qiongying say that, but she sighed slightly and gave a bitter smile.

Princess Duanrong probably didn't know that after she left, Manyue, following the orders of Grand Princess Huian, delivered something to her mistress.

In a moment of impulsiveness, Sanjiu almost injured Manyue with a knife. Although it didn't cause a major disaster, their relationship... is probably beyond repair.

No one would tell Gan Qiongying about such things, just like when the prince consort's men had a conflict with Manyue, everyone tacitly kept it from her.

Gan Qiongying chatted happily with Tianjiao through the cage, talking about the local customs and culture of Jinchuan, how hard her journey had been, and how outrageous Lihua had been the night before.

Gan Qiongying complained, but actually had a smile on her face.

Sweet Corner spoke with her for a while, then took out a small key and said to Gan Qiongying, "The mistress said that we servants should help the princess wash and change her clothes, but the princess... the mistress won't let you leave."

Gan Qiongying saw the small, exquisite gold key and clicked her tongue in amazement, saying, "Is this also made of gold? Was it specially crafted?"

"He still won't let me out of the cage?"

“Princess…” Sweet Corner looked at Gan Qiongying, seeing how happy she was and how good her complexion was. Then, thinking about the suffering her mistress had endured recently, she couldn’t help but say, “Mistress… how could she possibly keep the princess locked up? Mistress is just afraid.”

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. Your master will understand soon."

Gan Qiongying smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not angry. Of course I know what he's like."

"Please unlock the lock, I need to use the restroom..."

After relieving herself, Gan Qiongying was helped to bathe and change clothes, and then her hair was tied up again.

As she tied up her hair, Sweetie stared at Gan Qiongying's hair in utter shock and asked, "Princess, did you...cut your hair?"

In the ancient world, hair was very important. People believed that one's body and hair were gifts from one's parents, and some punishments even involved cutting off one's hair.

Gan Qiongying's hair looked normal at first glance, but after washing it, some of the braided hair had come undone, revealing mismatched broken ends.

"It was indeed cut once. Could you help me re-weave it and join them together?"

The female lead's hair is especially important. If it weren't for a last resort, how could she possibly...? The princess is as precious and noble as jade, and it took her so long to return. Perhaps she also suffered unimaginable hardships.

Sweetie's eyes were a little red. She truly regarded Gan Qiongying as her mistress. During her time in the princess's mansion, Princess Duanrong treated all of them, the servants, exceptionally well.

Even tamarind can tell what's truly good.

With red-rimmed eyes, she braided Gan Qiongying's hair. Once the hair was completely combed, she adorned it with a head full of pearls and jade.

Gan Qiongying looked at herself in the mirror and said hesitantly, "This outfit... why do I look so much like that one from the princess's residence?"

Sweetie's tears fell: "Yes, Master has moved everything from the Princess's residence over, leaving nothing behind."

Gan Qiongying suddenly felt as if her chest was stuffed with cotton. She had been gone for so long, but it seemed that Li Hua was still trapped in the same place.

She wasn't without guilt or sadness, but she was only trying to protect herself.

"Where did he go?" Gan Qiongying asked.

Just as Sweet Corner was about to speak, a tall figure walked in through the door. Sweet Corner immediately stepped back and quietly left with a group of maids.

Li Hua changed into a dark gold robe and tied her jade crown high, looking extremely dignified and noble.

He was carrying a food box, and before he even got close, Gan Qiongying's stomach growled, and she could smell the delicious aroma.

Li Hua still had a cold expression on her face, and slammed the things onto the table with a "clatter".

He told Gan Qiongying, "Go back to your cage after you finish eating, otherwise..."

Before Li Hua could finish speaking, Gan Qiongying quickly walked to the table, not touching the food box, but instead grabbing Li Hua's arm with lightning speed.

Avoiding the spot where he was injured, Li Hua was caught off guard and took a slight step back, but did not actually dodge.

He frowned as he looked at Gan Qiongying, who slowly untied the bandages on his hands and examined the condition of his wounds.

The dressing must have been changed this morning; it was freshly bandaged. Only then did Gan Qiongying feel relieved.

Then she suddenly squatted down and touched Li Hua's leg. This time, Li Hua took several steps back to avoid Gan Qiongying and said, "You! Show some respect!"

Gan Qiongying squatted there. Although she had dressed up and made herself up, she still looked like a princess who was above all others, with beautiful eyebrows and white teeth, and a graceful and noble demeanor.

Even because her features are softer and her face has gained some weight, she looks even more elegant and beautiful than before.

Her title was Duanrong, which was completely unrelated to her previous descriptions. Now, at least her demeanor is somewhat related to those two words.

However, Gan Qiongying was squatting on the ground with her hands half-raised in the air, and she did not have a dignified appearance at all.

"What about me?"

"I just wanted to see if your leg was really healed."

Gan Qiongying even laughed as she spoke: "Besides, we're husband and wife. Even if I were to pull down your pants, it would be perfectly legal and justified!"

When Li Hua heard that Gan Qiongying was going to pull down his pants, his face turned bright red.

The air of authority he had been deliberately maintaining vanished instantly, and... moreover, he hadn't thought about this kind of thing for far too long.

During the days and nights when he couldn't find Gan Qiongying, Li Hua repeatedly examined himself, even wondering if he hadn't performed well in bed, which was why Gan Qiongying had abandoned him so resolutely.

Now that they've met, Li Hua is like a snail that has retreated back into its shell. Everything has to start all over again and he has to accept it all over again. No matter how well he pretends, he actually has no confidence at all.

Gan Qiongying acted as before, which gave Li Hua a sense of absurdity, as if she were out of place.