It had been almost two months since Emperor Jingcheng returned to the palace, and he had been pondering his relationship with Azi without reaching a conclusion. He decided to go outside the palace to clear his head and, incidentally, observe the lives of ordinary people.
Consort Xian, having somehow obtained the information, secretly slipped out of the palace and waited for Emperor Jingcheng at the palace gate.
Emperor Jingcheng did not travel by carriage. Dressed in plain clothes, he came out of the palace gate and saw someone he did not expect. His face was expressionless.
Zheng He's second and third sons exchanged bewildered glances. Wasn't the Consort Xian under house arrest? They looked at the Emperor's cold expression and couldn't help but feel worried for her.
"Your Majesty, are you going on an incognito trip? May I come along? I'm a little homesick!" Consort Xian said, trying to sound casual.
Di Jingcheng looked at the woman in front of him. He really couldn't kill her now. Not to mention that her father was his teacher, she had only made some minor mistakes and didn't seem as arrogant as before. He didn't have a good excuse to kill her, but he couldn't let her find a serious fault.
"If that's the case, I grant you permission to return to the Grand Secretary's residence to visit your family. Do not follow me." Emperor Jingcheng had no interest in her, as she was not worth his attention.
After saying that, he strode away with his men. Consort Xian and Yilan stood there, clearly somewhat dejected.
"Yilan, why is he like a block of wood?"
“Your Majesty, I’ve heard that the Emperor is the kind of person who either doesn’t fall in love at all, or once he does, he’s devoted to one person for life. You see, the Emperor didn’t blame you just now, so he still has some compassion.”
"Let's hope so, let's follow them!" Consort Xian refused to believe it; she still couldn't sway him!
On the bustling streets of Beijing, although winter has arrived, the sun still shines brightly this year. People walk along the streets in clothes that are neither too thin nor too thick, and vendors set up a dazzling array of food and trinkets on both sides of the street.
A pretty girl was enjoying a delicious meal, eating roasted chestnuts in one hand and candied hawthorns in the other, her face beaming with happiness.
Behind her was a tall, handsome man carrying a lot of things. He looked at the little girl skipping and jumping in front of him with a helpless yet doting expression: "Azi, slow down!"
"Brother Yimeng, this capital city is so prosperous! Why didn't we come sooner? That way, I could have eaten all these delicious foods sooner!" the girl said, chewing on a roasted chestnut, and glancing back at Shige Yimeng.
"You! Eat slowly!" Shi Geyimeng said.
Azi was busy eating when she accidentally bumped into Consort Xian, who was also busy eating. The two fell to the ground, spilling their food everywhere.
"Azi, are you alright?" Shi Ge Yimeng quickly dropped what she was holding, helped her up, and checked the wound on her palm.
Consort Xian exclaimed "Holy crap!" and Yilan helped her up.
The two girls snapped out of their daze and politely apologized to each other.
The collision was just a minor incident, and neither party gave it much thought. Consort Xian glanced at the teahouse next door, perhaps waiting for someone.
Yimeng led Azi into the teahouse, where they sat down in the lobby on the first floor, drank some tea, and rested for a while.
Di Jingcheng came out of the private room on the second floor and saw a petite and familiar figure sitting in the lobby with her back to him. He stopped in his tracks and stared intently at her.
The man sitting next to her, chatting and laughing with her, was none other than Shi Ge Yimeng, so this petite figure was none other than A Zi, the woman he had been longing for.
The two people over there were chatting and laughing, not noticing him. Di Jingcheng closed his eyes briefly, trying to compose himself.
Zheng He'er and Zheng San curiously followed his gaze and saw that the emperor was staring at a woman.
When Consort Xian saw Emperor Jingcheng come out, she straightened her appearance and ran in with a smile: "Jingcheng, let's go back!"
She ran up to Di Jingcheng and stopped beside him, calling him affectionately. Di Jingcheng's eyes turned cold, and he glanced at her coldly: "Get lost."
After saying that, he walked straight towards Azi. He had a thousand words in his heart and had rehearsed them countless times, but before he could speak, Ranla Azi suddenly turned around and was shocked to see the person in front of her. What was Di Jingcheng doing here?
She stood up excitedly, wanting to go forward and hug him. She missed him terribly, but the occasion wasn't right, and she was also a little shy.
"What are you doing here?" Azi's tone was filled with joy and surprise, her clear eyes filled with his reflection.
Di Jingcheng's eyes were also filled with longing and deep affection: "Azi forgot, I am from the capital."
Azi nodded, awkwardly smoothing her braids. "I haven't forgotten." Then she didn't know what else to say.
Shi Ge was somewhat surprised to see the newcomer, but quickly understood. He knew that A Zi liked this man, but he needed to test him further, since the man's identity was unknown.
Di Jingcheng stepped forward and gently took her small hand. He looked at the little girl with her head down with deep affection, feeling his chest trembling violently. He couldn't let go. Now that they had met again, he would never let go again!
Amidst the astonished gazes of Consort Xian, her maids, and Zheng He'er and Zheng San, Emperor Jingcheng revealed an unprecedented tenderness on his face, looking at the woman before him with eyes full of affection, which was unbelievable.
Seeing that this wasn't the place to talk, Shi Geyi coughed a few times and said, "Brother Xie, let's find another place to talk."
Di Jingcheng nodded, took Ranla Azi's hand, and walked out of the teahouse. He spoke to her softly and gently, his happiness radiating from him. Shi Geyi and Zheng He followed behind, exchanging a few casual words.
Consort Xian was clearly heartbroken. She stood there, staring blankly at the backs of the couple, so harmonious. She felt like a clown; they clearly already had someone they liked! Ahhhh! So sad.
She didn't follow, feeling both sad and ashamed. She held Yilan's hand tightly, and it took her a while to come to her senses. She wiped away her tears and said, "Yilan, let's go back to the Grand Secretary's residence today."
“Miss…” Yilan was also very annoyed. It was all her fault for not finding out clearly and letting her mistress be happy for nothing.
"I'm fine, I miss my father and mother."
Consort Xian and Yilan did not return to the palace, but instead went back to the Grand Secretary's residence.
Here, Azi vividly recounted to Di Jingcheng her and Shi Yige's trip to the capital. They had come out simply to travel, and their journey had been quite smooth, with them enjoying many delicious foods and seeing many magnificent sights.
Seeing how happy she was, Di Jingcheng felt relieved, worried that she might suffer some injustice or harm on the way.
Azi didn't reveal her true feelings. She actually wanted to see Di Jingcheng again. After being away for more than a month, she thought she would never see him again, but she unexpectedly met him in the capital. She couldn't have been happier.
Emperor Jingcheng ordered someone to hire a carriage and brought his men to his villa on the outskirts of the capital.
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