The next day, Xia Qingchen got up at daybreak. Jiang Muyu was still asleep when he suddenly woke her up.

She felt that her soul was still imprisoned in the bed, but her body was already jogging around the East Palace in the morning.

"Hey hey hey -- ha --"

After one round, Jiang Muyu was exhausted and out of breath. He looked at someone next to him and saw that he was still calm and composed.

Unable to run any further, she simply sat down on the ground, fanning her face with her hands. "I can't do it anymore. I'm too tired."

Xia Qingchen stopped in front of her and said, "You're so tired after just one round. If you were to lead troops to fight, you would collapse before you even reach the battlefront, right?"

She rolled her eyes in an indecent manner and said, "I'm a girl, why should I fight?"

"What's wrong with girls? Didn't you say before that you wanted equality between men and women?"

"Uh..." Jiang Muyu now understood what it meant to dig a hole for oneself.

Unable to win the argument with him, she simply gave in: "Okay, okay, okay, you are the Crown Prince, a top-level child of the human race, and I am a nobody, an ordinary carbon-based creature. I am inferior to you in every way. You win, I surrender."

Xia Qingchen smiled and said, "Are you giving up now?"

"I admit it." She waved her hands, "I really can't run anymore."

"Okay, I won't make it difficult for you for now. Just sit here and rest and wait for me."

"good."

Jiang Muyu watched him running away alone, and she admired him from the bottom of her heart. The East Palace was so big that one circle was at least 800 meters, and the road was not flat or straight. It was very tiring to run, and she almost tripped over the small stones on the road several times.

Xia Qingchen ran another lap, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and although his breathing was a little rapid, it was not disordered at all.

Jiang Muyu had rested enough by now, so when he saw him, he walked up to him, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Do you run like this every day?"

"Well, I've been doing morning exercises around the East Palace every day since I was five years old."

"Ah? So cruel."

Jiang Muyu recalled that when he was five years old, it seemed that the only thing he insisted on was to sit in front of the TV at a fixed time and wait for his favorite cartoon to be broadcast.

Maybe this is the difference between people.

After breakfast, Jiang Muyu saw many palace maids and eunuchs dressing Xia Qingchen in a very solemn dress. It was bright yellow, embroidered with five four-clawed dragons, nine tassels of white beads, and strung with red silk.

She asked in confusion, "Where are you going dressed so formally?"

"Go to court." Xia Qingchen glanced at her and said, "Do you think everyone is like you? You are the only one who has nothing to do."

Jiang Muyu understood that going to court was similar to going to work, so he was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise: "You are going to court at such a young age?"

"My father was not in good health. When I was six years old, I led the court officials to participate in sacrificial ceremonies. When I was seven years old, I read memorials in front of the ministers. Now I am learning to read memorials."

She was a little confused, "What the hell?"

Xia Qingchen looked at her as if she were a mentally retarded person, "You are ignorant and you won't understand even if I tell you."

Jiang Muyu understood what he said. He was saying that she was uneducated. She immediately argued, "I skipped a grade and was in the fourth grade when I was only nine years old. This level is already very impressive. I can get the Three Good Students Award every year!"

"Oh? So you are proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, can compose poetry and compose poems, and can also write annotations and translations?"

"Uh... I can't..."

"I can do all of these."

Jiang Muyu was completely numb, and pouted, "It's not like everyone is as rebellious as you!"

Xia Qingchen shook his head. "That's not the case. I learned all this from the strict instructions given by the Grand Tutor and Grand Master day after day, and from studying hard day and night. There is some element of talent in this, but the effort I put in is definitely several times more than that of an ordinary person."

Hearing him say this, Jiang Muyu suddenly felt sympathy, "So, your childhood was not happy at all."

"As the crown prince, this is my duty."

"But do you want to be the crown prince?"

Xia Qingchen was stunned for a moment, then slowly lowered her eyelashes. After a long while, she said, "Some things are beyond your control."

At this time, Maoxian walked in and said, "Your Highness, the time is almost up."

"Yeah." He responded, turned to look at Jiang Muyu, and said, "Stay here and wait for me to come back. Don't run around."

Jiang Muyu was rarely obedient and nodded, "I understand."

After Xia Qingchen left, she actually behaved well and didn't wander around. Because she got up too early, she took off her shoes and socks and climbed back into bed to take a nap.

"Miss Zhaozhao, Miss Zhaozhao..."

Jiang Muyu felt someone pushing her in a daze. Her eyelashes trembled and she slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw was a familiar face. She regained consciousness and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She asked in a hoarse voice, "What's wrong?"

The one who called her was a young eunuch who was in charge of sweeping the East Palace. She had forgotten his name.

The young eunuch said anxiously, "Hurry up, the Empress wants to see you."

"The Empress?" She sat up suddenly and looked at the eunuch in bewilderment. "The Empress you just mentioned is the mother of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Why does she want to see me?"

"I don't know." The eunuch helped her put on her shoes and socks while saying, "It was Aunt Peilan who came to see you personally. Miss, please be quick and don't keep Aunt waiting for too long."

She didn't know who Aunt Peilan was, but from the eunuch's tone, she must be a very powerful person. Moreover, she was sent by the Queen, so she didn't dare to delay any longer.

The young eunuch called two young palace maids in to help her wash and dress. They were very skillful and soon dressed her up and led her out of the palace.

At the bottom of the stairs opposite the palace stood a woman in light brown palace dress. She had willow-shaped eyebrows and fine eyes and looked very young, but her solemn expression gave people an unreasonable sense of oppression.

The eunuch brought Jiang Muyu to her, bowed and said, "Aunt Peilan, this is Miss Zhaozhao."

Pei Lan looked Jiang Muyu up and down, nodded, and said, "Miss, don't be nervous. The Queen heard that the Crown Prince brought a little girl back from outside the palace, so she wanted to see her in person. She has no ill intentions."

"Yes, I understand."

"Then please follow me, young lady."

So Jiang Muyu followed her out of the East Palace.

This place is quite far from the Fengyi Palace where the empress resides. She felt that she had been walking for a long time and her legs were a little sore, but when she looked at the people around her and saw that everyone had a very serious expression on their faces, she didn't dare to complain of being tired as usual.

Fortunately, we arrived after walking for another quarter of an hour.

This palace looked even more luxurious than Xia Qingchen's. As soon as she walked in, she could smell a very pleasant fragrance. She couldn't tell what it was, but she just felt very quiet and peaceful.

The palace was covered with velvet carpets, with beaded curtains and draperies hanging on both sides. The vases placed in the hall were very beautiful, and the flowers inside were also very beautiful and fresh.

Peilan said, "Young lady, please wait here for a moment."

Jiang Muyu nodded and stood still, his big eyes rolling around as he quietly looked around the place.

Perrin drew aside the right curtain and walked in.

Soon, a woman in a light blue palace silk dress came out. Her hair was past her waist, with only a white phoenix-shaped hairpin inserted diagonally, and tassels hanging down to her shoulders.

She was extremely beautiful, with an oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and a faint smile on her lips, like a hibiscus flower just blooming on a branch.

She held a snow-white cat in her arms, and gently stroked the cat's fur with her slender, white fingers. The little cat squinted in comfort.

She walked over slowly and spoke in a gentle and pleasant voice: "Are you the little girl that Chen'er brought back from outside the palace?"

Jiang Muyu didn't know how to greet him, so he just nodded and said, "Yes."

"It's really special. No wonder Chen'er likes it." She sat down at the top, released the cat in her hand, and waved to Jiang Muyu, "Come and sit over here."

Jiang Muyu walked over obediently and sat down beside her without any hesitation. He tilted his head slightly to look at her and said with a smile, "Are you the mother of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

She nodded.

"You are so beautiful. No wonder the Crown Prince is also so handsome."

The queen was amused by her words and raised her hand to touch her nose, "The little girl has such a sweet mouth and is so pretty. Not to mention Chen'er, I like her very much too."

Jiang Muyu felt that she was very kind, and the slight tension in his heart disappeared.