The elderly Gao Daren sighed softly, “Your Highness, please remember that this is the Qing Dynasty, not our Gao Domain. Do not offend any noble people here, otherwise this old minister will not know how to explain it to Your Majesty.”
Despite his advanced age, Mr. Gao still worries about this and that, looking quite anxious. His temples seem to have gained even more white hair.
"I know what I'm doing, so I won't disturb Lord Gao's rest any longer." After hearing a couple of sentences, the prince of Gao Yu became somewhat impatient, waved his hand, and left.
He hates listening to these old fogies holding these rallies to criticize him. No wonder his father told him to be more compliant on the surface, otherwise these ministers would probably read his dirty laundry out.
As the sun began to set, the prince grew bored and returned to his room to rest early, since there were no beautiful concubines or mistresses there. Ironically, in his dream, he saw the stunningly beautiful woman he had encountered that day.
*
Cining Palace
“An’an, it’s getting late, and the palace gates are probably locked. Why don’t you stay at Cining Palace tonight?” the Empress Dowager said earnestly, not mentioning at all that if she hadn’t called An’an and said a few more words, they would probably be at the residence by now.
An Ke knew what the Empress Dowager was thinking; she probably hadn't seen An Ke for a while and wanted her to stay in the palace for a few days. An Ke smiled and agreed, then returned to her own courtyard and released a carrier pigeon to return to the Prince's residence to deliver the message.
Then they returned to the main hall and sat down to chat with the Empress Dowager and the others.
"That envoy today was really rude. He started looking us up and down with his eyes. What did he take us for?" Xinrong said indignantly.
After all, Xinrong was sitting with them at the time, and the envoy's sticky and disgusting gaze lingered on them, making them feel nauseous.
Qing'er also remembered that audacious envoy. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed immediately; she had a very bad impression of him. That envoy always exuded a sleazy aura.
“I’m afraid that person is probably not an envoy,” An Ke said with certainty, a sharp glint in his eyes.
The Empress Dowager listened to their lively conversation and found the scene quite heartwarming. Upon hearing Anke's words, she asked, "Oh, then who is this envoy, according to An'an?"
“Whenever an envoy goes on a mission, other countries will definitely learn the rules first. How can someone shout like this when they arrive on someone else’s territory?” An Ke said logically. “Secondly, I don’t know if you noticed, but after this envoy said such treasonous words, the other envoys did not immediately put all the blame on him. Instead, they tried to help him out.”
“It’s really quite unbelievable.” An Ke narrowed his eyes. “And on my way back to Cining Palace, I happened to run into him again. He was standing on the city wall. His greeting was correct, but I don’t believe the King of Gaoyu didn’t tell them that the post station was next to the harem. What reckless envoy would dare to move around so freely?”
"Now that you mention it, it makes sense. So who exactly is this envoy?" Xinrong said, suddenly realizing what Anke had said.
"I guess it's that prince from the High Domain who asked to marry the Qing princess. I heard that the prince from the High Domain is the youngest son of the High Domain King and has been pampered since birth." An Ke thought of the information Xingxing had given her last night.
"If you are a prince from a high region, why don't you openly reveal your identity?" Qing'er was a little confused. Why would a prince lower himself to be an envoy here? Could he have some ulterior motive?
An Ke, as expected of someone who shares a deep connection with Qing'er, could tell what the other was thinking with just a glance. An Ke smiled and said, "I guess he's here first to see if the Qing princess meets his standards?" When An Ke said this, the cold light in her eyes was almost tangible.
"How dare a mere small country act like this? We've already given them face by marrying our princess to them." Xinrong clenched her fists tightly, her face flushed red.
"Fine, as long as they don't cause trouble, we'll let them leave safely. Besides, it's already an honor for our Qing princess to marry them, so why would they complain?" An Ke said coldly.
In the end, the Empress Dowager changed the subject, and after chatting for a while, everyone returned to their rooms, their spirits dampened.
*
Prince Rui's Mansion
The princess was pacing back and forth in the dining hall, her eyes gazing anxiously outside, as if waiting for someone to appear.
The prince had just received a carrier pigeon and learned that An'an would be staying at the palace tonight, so he hurriedly came to inform the princess. He happened to see the princess looking on with eager anticipation.
"Don't wait any longer, An'an will be staying at Cining Palace tonight and won't be coming back." The prince strode into the dining hall, sat down in his seat, and began preparing dinner.
"Why isn't she coming back? Did something happen to her in the palace?" the princess asked with a worried expression. She had been planning to talk to An'an about some things tonight, but she hadn't expected her to not return.
"Alright, you don't need to worry here anymore. It was the Empress Dowager who left her in the palace. What could possibly happen in the palace? You're just worrying too much. Look at your husband more. An'an is back, and you only have eyes for An'an." Seeing the princess's anxious appearance, the prince couldn't bear it and pulled her to sit down.
The prince spoke earnestly, but the princess was clearly lost in thought, her mind elsewhere. Hearing the prince's jealous tone, the princess suddenly realized that she had rarely slept in the same bed with the prince since An'an returned to the manor.
"Your Highness's words are quite sarcastic. You must have been quite jealous tonight. How could you be jealous of An'an?" the princess said teasingly.
"Isn't that because ever since An'an came back, you've acted as if I'm no longer a living person in your eyes?" The prince pinched the soft flesh of the princess's hand, as if he was dissatisfied with the fact that he had been living like a widow these past few days.
"Since An'an isn't coming back, Your Highness will have to do me the honor of finishing all the dishes I've prepared." The princess knew she had neglected the prince these past few days, and now that An'an wasn't returning, all the food on the table would be a waste. It was better to coax him and get him to eat it all.
"Alright, since it was made by the Princess, then I must eat it all." The silly prince didn't even realize what was going on, while the Princess watched quietly from the side, smiling gently.
*
The next morning
Yesterday, An Ke had arranged to have an archery competition with Yongqiertai and the others at the training ground today. An Ke got dressed early in the morning and headed to the training ground.
When Xinrong and Qing'er heard about this, they insisted on coming along. The Empress Dowager thought it would be fun for the younger generation to be together, so she didn't stop them and let them go.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they came out, they encountered an unlucky person, none other than the protagonist of their conversation last night—that disgusting prince.
The prince of the High Domain had originally planned to come out for a stroll in the morning to clear his mind. This place was different from their High Domain, and he wanted to appreciate the scenery here properly, since he wouldn't have such an opportunity to come again in the future.
Unexpectedly, he encountered the beauty he had been longing for again, and saw two beauties with different styles beside him. Thinking that he had seen these two in the princess's room last night, he figured that the person who called herself "this palace" must also be a princess.
Upon hearing this, Prince Gao Yu was overjoyed and didn't know what to do with himself, so he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.
Qing'er and Xinrong recited the rules and waved at him, but the prince was like a fly that couldn't be chased away, constantly talking to himself. He didn't care at all whether anyone was talking to him or not, and just kept talking to himself.
"If the envoy has nothing else to attend to, he should return to the post station as soon as possible," An Ke said coldly, then pulled Xinrong and Qing'er away.
The prince of the high realm was left alone, bewildered in the cold wind.
"Wonderful, wonderful indeed! This is the first time someone has dared to show me such disrespect." The Prince of Gaoyu's eyes gleamed, and without a second thought, he immediately took off after him.
"It's a good thing An'an is here. That prince's gaze was really unsettling." Xinrong shuddered, as if the prince's presence was giving her goosebumps.
"Indeed, that prince's eyes always had a sizing-up feel to them, which was really disgusting," Qing'er said, frowning. Qing'er rarely used such words to describe someone, probably because the prince had been scrutinizing her so much lately.
To prevent one person from affecting their mood, Anke patted their hands to comfort them, "We're almost at the training ground, Fifth Sister-in-law, tell me, who do you think will win today?"
"It's not decided yet, Princess, why are you talking about it here in the palace?" Xinrong said somewhat embarrassedly, covering her face with a handkerchief.
"Alright, An'an, stop teasing Xinrong. Let's hurry over. Yongqi and Ertai are probably getting impatient." Qing'er smiled and stopped the two who were bickering.
*
training ground
Ertai was looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of that beautiful figure who haunted his dreams.
Yongqi, standing behind Jichu, pointed at Ertai and sighed, "Look at Ertai, as soon as he heard An'an was coming, he ran straight to greet her. What a pathetic guy."
"How can I compare to the Fifth Prince, who gets to see his beloved every day in the palace?" Ertai, with his sharp ears and eyes, immediately heard them. The two of them were cricketing behind him, and he couldn't help but say this with a hint of resentment.
"Well, who told you not to work in the palace?" Yongqi said in a very irritating way. This remark not only offended Ertai, but also implicated Ji Chu, who was standing by and hadn't yet been involved.
"Hey, Yongqi, you..." Just as Ertai was about to say something, he heard a burst of laughter and chatter coming from outside the training ground.
Upon closer listening, it became clear that not only was there the person he had been longing for, but also the two people present whose beloveds were likely to be implicated. Ertai was instantly delighted and deliberately set a trap for the two of them.
"So, Yongqi, don't you miss Princess Xinrong right now?" Ertai asked with a wicked grin, setting a trap for Yongqi.
Yongqi had just insulted Ertai's character, so he naturally wouldn't embarrass himself. He immediately said arrogantly, "Of course, Xinrong and I see each other in the palace every day, unlike you guys."
"So, since you haven't seen Qing Gege these past few days, do you miss her?" After tricking Yongqi, he also tricked his good brother.
"Of course I wanted to, otherwise I wouldn't have eagerly followed you." Ever since Ji Chu and Qing'er officially confirmed their relationship, he's been incredibly flirtatious. He really is just like the princess described—a seemingly reserved but actually quite flirtatious person.
"Oh, didn't we come at a bad time?" Anke raised an eyebrow, her schadenfreude barely concealed.
Just outside, Anke overheard Ertai trying to set a trap for them, so she immediately stopped Xinrong and Qing'er. Sure enough, she heard the silly fifth brother's words and didn't realize at all that Ertai was trying to trap him.
Yongqi was clearly flustered when he saw Xinrong. He quickly walked up to her with a smile and said, "Why did you all come together? You didn't even tell us. If we had known, we would have greeted you outside."
"Oh, didn't Fifth Prince say that he can see me every day and think General Fu is useless?" Xinrong pretended to be angry and turned to the side, no longer looking at the anxious Yongqi beside her.
Yongqi was completely at his wits' end and hurriedly begged for forgiveness, "This time it was my fault. I shouldn't have been so arrogant and made such outrageous remarks. Please forgive me this time."
Xinrong laughed out loud and moved on from what had just happened.
Upon seeing Qing'er, Ji Chu strode over, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. He pulled Qing'er directly to the chair he had just prepared, knowing full well that wherever Princess Yong'an was, Princess Qing would be too.
So when they heard that they were going to have an archery contest with Princess Yong'an today, they all came along. Heaven rewards the diligent, and he finally got his chance.
Ertai then pulled Anke to his side, held her soft, boneless hand, and told her about his longing for her all these days.
"Alright, weren't we here to have an archery competition? Why are we talking about these things?" Anke pinched his bright red ear and nudged Ertai.
This person has become increasingly shameless these past few days. Seeing her is like a dog that hasn't eaten for days suddenly seeing a bone – its eyes practically gleaming with rage. It stands incredibly close, as if afraid no one will see it.
Ertai cleared his throat, knowing he couldn't continue like this, or the princess would get angry. He immediately began to act like a serious person.
Just as they were all ready to shoot arrows and General Ji was acting as referee, someone sneaked in from the training ground.
At Ji Chu's command to begin, the three men's arrows were all fired in an orderly fashion in one direction.
Meanwhile, the prince of the High Domain, who was secretly observing from the shadows, looked at the dashing beauty on the field with a possessive expression, and even became unconsciously infatuated.
Ji Chu, who was standing nearby, had already noticed the sneaky person and was about to take him down when Ertai's arrow suddenly veered off course and shot directly towards the location of the high-ranking prince.
No one expected Ertai to reveal such a skill. Yongqi had only just discovered this suspicious person and was preparing to capture and interrogate him after the competition. Unexpectedly, Ertai took the initiative to attack the man first.
The prince of the high domain never expected that admiring a beautiful woman here would lead to an arrow attack. He quickly squatted down, but in his panic, he fell to the ground.
His fall immediately drew everyone's attention to him. The prince of the High Domain was understandably furious and embarrassed; when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Especially not in front of such a beautiful woman!
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