Chapter 33: Will there be a next time? The next morning,
The next morning, at dawn, Song Youning woke up from his dream. He couldn't help but let out a soft hiss when he moved, as if all the bones in his body were being torn apart and reassembled.
My waist was extremely sore and weak, and I felt pain all over my body, with no desire to sleep at all.
All the events of last night suddenly came to mind along with the aches in my body, and the tips of my ears suddenly started burning.
Li Funing looked thin and weak, but she never expected that he was so strong. When he held her lower back with one hand, she couldn't even struggle at all. How could she look like the gentleman she usually is?
Her provocation seemed to have only tied her up in her own web, leaving her with sore all over, and Li Funing himself had long since disappeared.
"Your Highness is awake?"
Chuntao put away her toiletries, then came over to lift the purple gauze curtain and tied it up slowly. She accidentally saw the kiss mark on her neck and the erotic scene of her half-exposed collarbone, and a blush appeared on her face.
No wonder His Highness didn't want her to serve him last night and even ordered the entire Youning Palace not to be disturbed. It seems he must be doing something important with Lord Li...
Song Youning touched his neck awkwardly, looked around, and changed the subject seriously: "Where is Li Funing? Where did he go so early in the morning?", pretending to be dumbfounded.
Chun Tao was dressing her. "Lord Li went to the Yangxin Palace to see His Majesty at dawn. He said he had something to discuss with His Majesty. Before he left, he specifically instructed me not to disturb His Majesty's rest."
Chun Tao changed her clothes gently, her fingertips accidentally brushing against the bruises on her waist. Song Youning gasped and trembled violently. This boy looked frail, but he was quite strong...
"Your Highness, please forgive me!" Chuntao hurriedly let go and stood there at a loss as to what to do.
Song Youning sighed lightly and waved her hand, "Forget it, I'll do it myself!" Her fingertips brushed across the swollen bruises, and she turned out the folded corner of her clothes inch by inch, moving slowly for fear of touching the bruises.
Suddenly, he paused, as if remembering something, and turned to ask Chuntao, "You just said that Lord Li went to the Yangxin Palace at dawn?"
"Yeah? What's wrong with Your Highness? Why are you so panicked?" Chuntao looked at her in confusion with her round almond eyes.
She twisted the corner of her clothes, thinking to herself: Could it be that Lord Li left in a hurry this morning and didn't have time to pay his respects to His Highness, causing His Highness to be unhappy? But then she thought, the princess has always been kind and would not get angry over such a trivial matter.
Song Youning quickly put on the clothes in her hands, not caring about the pain in her wound, and hurriedly tied the belt around her waist. She was dignified and elegant just now, but now she looked a little panicked, "Hurry, help me wash up, I want to go to the Yangxin Palace..."
"Madam..." Chuntao was confused. Just as she was about to ask, she was grabbed by her and pulled to the dressing table.
"Chun Tao, hurry up! Comb your hair simply, I'm in a hurry to go out..." Then she picked up the rouge on the table and applied it on her cheeks, not caring whether it looked good or not. She just wanted to catch Li Funing, that troublesome bastard.
In less than a moment, the master and servant had finished packing and rushed to the Yangxin Palace, exhausted. The sky was also overcast and blue at this time, as if the palace was half awake. There were not many people on the road, only the palace maids who were sweeping the floor in the morning.
When a group of pedestrians were rushing to the Yangxin Palace, Chuntao found an opportunity to talk to Song Youning, "Your Highness, why are you so anxious to go to the Yangxin Palace?"
According to Song Youning's daily habit, he would sleep until the sun was three o'clock in the morning. Today, not only did he wake up at noon, he also hurried to the Yangxin Palace.
Song Youning's cheeks suddenly felt hot, and her fingertips unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt.
She didn't know how to explain to Chuntao. She couldn't explain to Chuntao that she rushed to the Yangxin Palace to warn Li Funing not to talk about what happened yesterday.
Li Funing went to pay his respects to his father, the Emperor, according to the time. However, it would take at least half an hour to get from the Prime Minister's Residence to the Palace, and he entered the Palace at dawn... Calculating the time...
Even a fool could guess that he stayed in the palace last night, and that Li Funing left his palace early this morning...
In this way, not to mention other people in the palace, at least his father would be able to guess that Li Funing stayed in her bedroom last night.
The more Song Youning thought about it, the more panicked he became. He didn't even notice his fingertips pinching into his palm. Li Funing, the hypocritical man, would definitely take this opportunity to cry miserably in front of his father!
The emperor has always favored him. She had previously complained to him about her, saying that she had abandoned him after having an affair with him. And yesterday... now that he has caught her with such evidence, who knows what ridiculous words he will say in front of the emperor.
It's not that she doesn't want to take responsibility, but she was just unable to control her emotions yesterday... She had just wanted to coax him, so she ordered everyone in the palace not to disturb him. Who would have thought... She could almost imagine Li Funing pretending to salute, with his eyebrows slightly raised, a smile on his lips, and he had to put on the attitude of a serious subject.
Right now, he might be pretending to be humble and saying something like "I discussed schoolwork with the princess all night last night, and I couldn't control my emotions..."
Song Youning pretended to be calm, curling the corners of his lips and explaining to Chuntao casually, "It's nothing serious. I just haven't had breakfast with my father for a long time. Since Lord Li is here today..."
She paused, a hint of light laughter deliberately in her voice, "I thought I'd hurry up and have breakfast with them, so I just happened to bring some cakes I brought back from Yuzhou with me so that Father can have a taste!"
"Chun Tao, hurry up, or you'll miss breakfast..."
Although she appeared calm, her heart had already flown to the Yangxin Palace. She said she was having dinner with her father, but she was just anxious to shut Li Funing up.
As soon as the master and servant entered the outer corridor of the Yangxin Palace, Song Youning heard Li Funing's low voice coming from inside the palace. He was discussing the flood in Changzhou with Song Luoshu.
Her heart tightened, fearing that he would change the subject and say something he shouldn't. Without waiting for Eunuch Guo to pass on the message, she raised her hand and pushed open the palace door.
“Squeak—”
The sound in the hall suddenly stopped.
Li Funing's hand holding the pen stopped in mid-air, and the ink hung above the memorial, about to drip.
Song Luoshu's hand holding the teacup also paused, and they both turned their heads to look at Song Youning who suddenly broke in.
Behind her, Chuntao and several maids carrying cakes were caught off guard and almost collided with each other. At this moment, they were frantically trying to steady the lacquer trays in their hands. The sweet fragrance of the cakes silently filled the hall.
The air froze for a moment.
Only then did Song Youning realize that her actions were abrupt, but since things had come to this point, she could only force herself to remain calm.
He feigned composure and bowed, "I see that both Father and Lord Li are here today, so I brought some of Chuntao's newly made cakes and some specialty cakes I found in Yuzhou. I wanted to share them with Father... and Lord Li."
Li Funing's eyes moved slightly, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.
He slowly put down his pen and said gently, "Princess, you've arrived at the perfect time. I was just talking to Your Majesty about last night..."
"Li Funing!" Song Youning's heart skipped a beat and he almost blurted out.
Song Luoshu raised his eyebrows: "Hmm? Last night? How was it last night?"
Her ears burned, and she quickly came up with an idea: "...Last night, last night, I was browsing ancient books and stumbled upon a good plan for flood control. I was just about to discuss it with my father and Lord Li!"
Anyway, she couldn't hide the fact that Li Funing stayed in her palace yesterday from her father, so she might as well just admit it. It was better than hiding it all the time. Besides, there were so many eyes in the palace, and she couldn't hide where Li Funing came from no matter how hard she tried.
After hearing this, Li Funing lowered his head and chuckled, then met her gaze again.
Under Song Youning's warning glare, Youyou added, "That's right. Your Highness cares deeply about the people. Last night, I spent the whole night studying flood control strategies with you. You have put a lot of effort into solving the flood problem in Changzhou. Your Highness's concern for the country and the people is truly admirable to me!"
Song Luoshu looked them up and down, raised his eyebrows, and asked tentatively: "You two were together last night?"
Li Funing: "Start..."
"Your Majesty, yes!" Li Funing was about to speak when Song Youning interrupted him calmly.
She raised the corner of her eye and had a dignified smile on her lips.
"To be precise, I was studying the flood control in Changzhou all night long." She tilted her head slightly, her eyes swept over Li Funing, her tone was full of unquestionable meaning, and her expression seemed to say: If you say another word, I will kill you!
Song Youning quickly added, "Lord Li is so diligent and caring for the people that he even worries about state affairs at night. Your Majesty must reward him well."
She deliberately emphasized the words "work hard and love the people" and her eyes contained a warning, indicating that he should quit while he was ahead.
Seeing her aggressive look, Li Funing's eyebrows slightly raised, and the smile in his eyes deepened. However, he pretended to be humble and bowed, saying, "Princess, you are too kind. I am only doing my duty."
Song Luoshu glanced between the two of them, and with a half-smile on his face, he put down his teacup. "Oh? It seems like you two had a great conversation last night?"
"But..." the tone lingered, "were we really just discussing flood control in Changzhou and nothing else?"
Song Youning's fingertips tightened, but his expression remained calm. He gently pushed a plate of cakes in front of his father and said softly, "Of course! Lord Li has unique insights, and I have benefited a lot from them."
She paused, then added lightly, "It's just that Lord Li was so focused on government affairs that he even forgot the time. I feel a little sorry for that. By the time we finished discussing it, it was already daybreak, so we decided to just let Lord Li stay in the side hall of this palace."
"But your Majesty, don't worry. I personally asked Chuntao to clean up the side hall and even sent Lord Li over. Only then did I return to the bedroom to sleep..."
This statement was both an explanation and a direct clarification that the two of them had not done anything inappropriate last night.
Li Funing chuckled softly and continued, "I was negligent. I will pay attention to the time next time!"
"next time?"
"It seems that Lord Li is very satisfied with the princess's side palace!" Song Luoshu gave him a meaningful look. He was the one who chose it himself, so he was satisfied with living in a side palace? Could he be a little more ambitious?
Song Youning, who had been talking a lot in a very eloquent manner, just picked up the teacup beside him and took a big gulp. After hearing what Song Luoshu said, he almost choked on the tea and the tips of his ears suddenly turned red.
She hastily put down the teacup, her long eyelashes trembling as she explained, "Your Majesty, you're joking. Lord Li is a key official in the court. Temporarily staying in a side hall is already a violation of the rules. How can there be a next time? It's just..."
She paused, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rim of the cup. "It's just that... after my son's Fengya Pavilion opens, Lord Li, as the Grand Tutor, will naturally have to stay in the palace to teach."
"How about Father, please show some mercy and temporarily lift the ban on foreign officials staying overnight? After all, Lord Li has been in the palace since he was young. Why not build a palace for him to live in?"
Her voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost a whisper.
The more he spoke, the more he had no idea what nonsense he was talking about... She actually pleaded with his father on his behalf to let him stay in the palace?
She glanced at him lightly, and her gaze happened to meet Li Funing's. Their eyes met, and Song Youning quickly turned her head away and didn't look at him.
Li Funing remained silent, but looked at her with raised eyebrows and squinted eyes. One of them stared at her while the other dodged.
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