Spring and Autumn Pavilion.

The palace of Consort Su was brightly lit. She sat by the chaise longue, drinking cup after cup of rice wine, and refused to fall asleep.

"Your Highness..." Her personal maid said worriedly, "It's so late, you must be freezing here. Why don't you go to sleep early?"

Consort Su took another sip of the warming wine, her face showing a hint of panic and fear. She said anxiously, "How can I possibly sleep? I don't know what to do now!"

While she was in a panic, she heard footsteps outside. Consort Su was so frightened that she was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She almost jumped up and her face turned pale.

But the person who lifted the curtain and entered was Consort Liu.

When these two were in the late empress's palace, their ranks were similar, and neither of them was particularly favored. Therefore, over the years, they have maintained a good relationship.

Seeing that it was her good friend, Consort Liu, who had entered, Consort Su felt relieved and sat back down in her chair.

As soon as Consort Liu entered, she smelled the fragrance of osmanthus-infused rice wine. She asked someone to bring her a cup and poured herself a drink. She then said to Consort Su, "Sister Su, why are you so frightened?"

“Sister Liu, I truly regret it! I really, really regret it… The more I think about it, the more frightened I become! Why did I have to say those things behind that woman Xiao Yuehan's back during the day? With Lord Xiao backing her up, she naturally fears nothing, but what about me…”

"I only have the Sixth Prince as my child. I had no other hopes in this life but to raise him well. Even if I were to be buried in this deep palace for the rest of my life, it wouldn't matter." As Consort Su spoke, two lines of tears slid down her cheeks. "But now, I'm afraid it's all over..."

Consort Liu quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, comforting her and saying, "Sister Su, you're just scaring yourself. Even if the Regent is harsh in his words, he hasn't really done anything to us orphans and widows over the years, has he?"

Who knew that Consort Su would not listen to her words of comfort, but instead kept shaking her head, "How could you know? Although you went with us today, you didn't say a word, unlike me who insisted on sticking my neck out and said those unpleasant things."

"The Sixth Prince just sent a letter saying that the Emperor bestowed upon him a bowl of ginseng soup to help him stay healthy. I've inquired, and all the princes who received ginseng soup were people like me who spoke up for Xiao Yuehan today. We all know how petty the Regent is, especially when it involves the little princess and His Majesty... I'm afraid I'm finished!"

The son raised by Consort Liu did not receive the sound of being struck, but he had already heard about the incident from others, which is why he came to comfort his good sister.

Her expression remained unchanged. She gently patted Consort Su before quietly leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Prime Minister Lin will be back soon. Does Sister know about this?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Su, who had been crying uncontrollably just moments before, immediately raised her head, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, and stared at Consort Liu in astonishment: "Are you serious?"

"Of course it's true! Otherwise, why would I have rushed over to tell you, Sister Su, as soon as I heard the news? It was all to put your mind at ease, Sister Su!" Consort Liu said earnestly.

Consort Su laughed with red eyes: "If that's true, that would be wonderful! As long as Prime Minister Lin returns, he will surely not allow the Regent to act so recklessly. Even His Majesty will not be able to enjoy his current good life. At the same time, the princes will not have to worry about the Regent all the time!"

The lights flickered and swayed in the breeze.

Unlike the jubilant atmosphere surrounding Consort Su and her group, Qi Sichen, holding Lin Wanyue, was genuinely troubled.

He couldn't help but rub his head, his handsome eyebrows furrowing together as if he were enduring pain.

Lin Wanyue couldn't bear to see the beauty suffer, so she quickly reached out her soft little hand to massage Qi Sichen's head and whispered, "Godfather, do you have a headache? Should I ask my fourth brother to prescribe something for you?"

"No need, medicine is too bitter, and I never like to eat these things." Qi Sichen quickly refused Lin Wanyue's offer.

However, seeing how uncomfortable he looked, Lin Wanyue twisted her body and climbed off Qi Sichen to pour him a cup of spiritual spring water.

Qi Sichen saw Lin Wanyue, a small girl, bring him a large glass of water. Although it looked like just plain boiled water, without even a hint of tea leaves, he couldn't refuse since it was from his sweet and gentle goddaughter. So he drank it all in one go.

The sweet and refreshing taste surprised him for a moment; he never imagined that boiled water could taste so good.

Then wasn't he wasting his time drinking tea every time he did that?

Qi Sichen didn't think much about where the water came from. He simply asked someone to pour him another cup, then reached out and pulled Lin Wanyue onto his lap, saying with a smile, "Indeed, the water poured by my Wanwan tastes better than the water poured by others!"

"Of course." Lin Wanyue raised her chin without the slightest modesty, this was spiritual spring water that couldn't be obtained from anywhere else.

However, Lin Wanyue noticed that Qi Sichen seemed to have some worries hidden between his brows, so she took the initiative to ask, "Godfather, is something bothering you?"

"I'm not really unhappy, it's just that thinking about it gives me a bit of a headache," Qi Sichen sighed.

"?" Lin Wanyue stretched out her soft, round hands to massage his temples, and asked in a sweet, childlike voice, "What's that?"

Qi Sichen unconsciously brought up the matter of Prime Minister Lin, "That old prime minister has served three dynasties and can be considered the pillar of our dynasty. It's just that his personality... sigh. It is precisely because of his stubbornness that he never thought of forming cliques or engaging in private affairs that he has been able to survive three dynasties without falling from power."

Lin Wanyue didn't quite understand what was going on, so she could only say based on her own understanding, "Then isn't he a good person?"

Anyway, she sounds like a good person, and a good official too!

“My little Wanwan, judging whether a person is good or bad is not so easy. This Prime Minister Lin is certainly a good official, but he is stubborn and once he has made up his mind, it is like the articles of the law, which cannot be easily changed.”

“There are so many things going on in the palace these days. We need to catch the person behind it all and also keep an eye on Prime Minister Lin. If he comes back, I’m afraid even your godfather might not be able to keep your position as princess.” Qi Sichen’s tone was full of melancholy and worry.