Chapter 84 084 The Little Orange Lamp
After Lu Yuanyuan escaped death from the bear's jaws, neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince scolded her, but they both declared that she would not be allowed to leave the palace without permission, effectively placing her under house arrest. The lifting of the ban was undetermined.
However, even if they didn't restrict her movements, Lu Yuanyuan no longer had the energy to go out and have fun.
After being frightened by a bear in the forest and soaking in the icy stream for so long, Lu Yuanyuan fell seriously ill after returning to the palace.
She sensed that something about her body was different after this serious illness, like a flower wounded by frost, irresistibly heading towards decay.
The emperor was extremely worried, furious, and anxious, and ordered the imperial physicians to cure her. However, no matter how many acupuncture needles were used or how many rare tonics were prepared, they could only slightly slow down the rate at which the body's vitality was being eroded.
The original owner was born at the end of the year, and now, there are still more than four months until her next birthday.
Lu Yuanyuan had a clear premonition that this body wouldn't live past her next birthday. This also matched the historical record of Princess Manjushri's early death.
Fortunately, although she had to stay in the palace every day, she was in charge of everything in her territory. Without any rules or regulations to govern her, she lived a relatively comfortable life.
During her convalescence, whenever she had the energy, Lu Yuanyuan would get up and study at her desk. In two months, she had thoroughly mastered the theoretical knowledge of puppetry. Unfortunately, she lacked practical materials, so all her memorization was merely theoretical. She couldn't wait to go back and put it into practice.
The arrow wound on the little monster's leg had long since healed.
Since Lu Yuanyuan cannot leave the palace, the plan to release the animal has been temporarily shelved, and it can only stay by her side.
For the past two months, the little monster has been staying in the inner palace of her residence. Taking the bear attack as a turning point, Lu Yuanyuan kept her word and had the palace servants put the cage away in the storeroom. However, this was, after all, the imperial palace, and some restrictions couldn't be left unchecked. The demon-suppressing circle given to her by the Imperial Advisor came in handy.
She and the little monster didn't communicate verbally, nor did they have the intimate relationship of a master and pet. They simply lived together peacefully under the same roof, keeping to themselves.
As the days went by, the little monster seemed to have accepted the arrangement of staying by her side and no longer showed any signs of wanting to escape.
Over time, the palace servants got used to the princess's ugly pet.
.
Before you know it, the Mid-Autumn Festival is here.
In previous years, the emperor would take his concubines and children to Mount Tian to admire the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. But this year, Lu Yuanyuan's poor health was an open secret. To accommodate her, the moon-viewing banquet was specially moved to the palace.
As soon as the news spread, everyone couldn't help but mutter: Princess Manjushri hasn't appeared in public for so long, yet her favor seems undiminished. Perhaps all the princesses combined don't have as much influence as she does.
On the night of the moon-viewing banquet, the moon was bright and the breeze was gentle.
Lu Yuanyuan had a poor appetite and ate very little at the banquet. While enjoying the song and dance performances, her gaze passed over the dozen or so dancers in the hall and inadvertently noticed that Yue Hong, sitting next to Consort Xie in the next hall, had been secretly observing her.
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then understood. She winked at him, put down her cup, and made an excuse that she was tired and wanted to go back to rest.
The emperor did not force her, and nodded: "Then you should go back and rest early."
Lu Yuanyuan returned to her palace. At this hour, the little monster was still awake, sitting on a blanket in the inner hall with his chin resting on his knees and a book open in front of him.
Upon hearing footsteps, it looked over warily. Seeing it was her, it calmed down and closed the book.
Lu Yuanyuan raised an eyebrow.
For the first two weeks after being released from its cage, the little monster was very cautious, spending most of its time observing her expressions to decide how many steps to take and what to do.
Later, after confirming that she wouldn't go back on her word and lock it back in its cage, the little monster seemed to grow a little bolder. It began to explore the palace, subtly observing and testing her limits.
Conversely, it seemed to not want Lu Yuanyuan to see through it, including its daily routine and hobbies.
Until one day, Lu Yuanyuan caught it secretly reading a book. When their eyes met, Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then turned away without paying much attention and said nothing.
Sensing her permissive attitude, the little monster finally stopped hiding his hobby.
I watched it again today.
It really loves reading.
Although it probably doesn't know how to read.
Lu Yuanyuan did not interfere. She neither taught it nor stopped it.
To be honest, she was genuinely curious whether this little monster, with his intelligence and ability to imitate, could achieve anything in his academic studies.
Two palace maids came forward: "Your Highness, we will assist you in changing your clothes."
"No need for now, please take these off for me." Lu Yuanyuan nodded helplessly at the jingling hairpins in her hair. Attending a palace banquet is such a hassle. She wanted to just wash her face and go, but that was against etiquette. In any case, she couldn't skip the dressing process.
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