"He's Brother Phosphorus, he's my Brother Phosphorus." Xingxing said this in a very smug tone, as if she were showing off a very precious treasure.
Upon hearing this, the Empress paused slightly. She subtly sized up the boy. At the age of eleven or twelve, his temperament was more mature than that of an adult. His handsome face, still bearing a touch of childishness, was so exquisite it seemed unreal. Dressed in white, his temperament was refined and otherworldly.
Although his true identity is unknown, the group of extraordinary people with otherworldly airs surrounding him make it clear that he is no ordinary person.
Her little princess relied on him and trusted him, and the boy also took good care of the little princess. The intimacy between the two little ones was so natural that it seemed as if they had known each other for a long time.
"When did you two meet?" the Empress asked before she even realized what was happening.
"We've known each other for a very, very long time." Xingxing nodded seriously. Yes, Brother Lin said they've known each other for a long time, and she felt the same way, even though they'd only known each other for less than half a year.
The Empress had many questions in her mind, but this was not the time to ask them. She decided to eat first and then talk about it when she returned to Huayun Palace.
During this time, the Empress subtly indicated that although Zhu Lin was young, he was still a boy and it was not appropriate for him to stay in the palace for too long; it was against etiquette.
"I don't live in the palace. I'll leave after Xingxing falls asleep tonight." What he didn't say was that he would come back before Xingxing woke up tomorrow, because he wanted to stay by the little girl's side.
"After you finish eating, I will have someone escort you out of the palace."
"No need, I can walk by myself," the boy said indifferently.
Considering the skills of the men in white, the Empress ultimately did not ask him how he planned to leave the palace. She assumed that the young man could come and go freely. Thinking of this, the Empress felt somewhat uneasy. The palace's defenses were practically non-existent, and they were completely helpless against these martial arts practitioners.
It seems we need to have the Emperor find some more skilled guards, lest one day, the women of the harem die without even knowing how.
After the three finished eating, the Emperor in Kunning Palace put down his memorial, rubbed his eyes, and asked the chief eunuch if the Empress had woken up. Upon learning that the Empress had woken up and was on her way back to Huayun Palace, he put down the memorial he had not finished and prepared to go and see her.
Upon arriving at Huayun Palace, the Emperor and Empress spoke for a while. The Empress, exhausted, quickly fell asleep. After being helped to bed by the palace servants, the Emperor took Xingxing's hand, wanting to talk to her and ask how she had been doing these past two years.
However, seeing that the little girl's eyelids were drooping and she could barely keep them open, he had no choice but to give up and "serve the princess to bed." He would come and talk to the princess again when he had time tomorrow.
Zhu Lin did not follow Xingxing into her bedroom. He watched as the palace servants escorted her inside before turning to leave. He had people planted in the Empress's palace, so he didn't need to worry about Xingxing's safety.
"Young master, where are you headed? It's getting late, why don't you rest at the palace?" the emperor called out to the boy.
"No need, I'm not used to sleeping here. I'll come again tomorrow." The young man didn't hide the fact that he would be going to the palace again, lest the emperor suddenly see him tomorrow and act as if he had seen a ghost.
Watching the boy disappear into the night with a few leaps, the emperor thought, "?"
Don't the royal family have any shame? Don't the imperial guards in the palace have any dignity? They can enter and leave the palace at will without his permission. What will become of his imperial authority if word gets out?
Before Xingxing lay down to sleep, she took out two luminous pearls from the cloth bag she carried with her and placed them on the table. The emperor stood at the door watching her fall asleep, and then stared blankly at the luminous pearls on the table.
The palace once had luminous pearls for lighting, so there was no need for candles at night. Unfortunately, after only a few years on the throne, the Great Jin Dynasty was frequently struck by natural disasters, making life increasingly difficult for the people. The imperial treasury was also gradually depleted over the years of disaster relief efforts.
The national treasury is now empty, and all that remains is for the silver mines of Quanshui Prefecture to be mined. It is unknown when this natural disaster will end.
Emperor Taikang looked at the little girl on the bed again. This time, he didn't have the strange feeling he had when he looked at Ye Ling'er before. This was his little princess, the little princess who had brought him good fortune. Now she had finally returned. Could the Great Jin Dynasty once again benefit from her, so that the natural disasters would stop and the people could live a peaceful life?
He had high hopes, but after the incident with the fake princess, he became much more at peace. No matter what, the princess was still his daughter. He couldn't solve the natural disaster himself, so he couldn't rely on the princess completely. Why should she bear such a heavy burden?
A princess is just a princess, not an emperor. He is her father, and he should be protecting her, not just thinking about whether she has any use to him.
Although he was trying to build his confidence, the emperor still harbored expectations, so much so that he didn't sleep all night and stood by the window of Kunning Palace all night.
The chief eunuch came over to persuade him, but the emperor waved him away. As dawn approached, he said in a slightly trembling voice, "Zhong Fu, my princess has finally returned, my lucky princess has returned..." He didn't finish his sentence.
Zhong Fu understood the Emperor's feelings. The Great Jin Dynasty was already riddled with problems. He knew better than anyone how much effort the Emperor had put into stabilizing the situation and bringing peace to the world. But no matter how hard the Emperor tried, he could not defy fate.
"...Your Majesty should attend the morning court session." Zhong Fu swallowed back the words of advice he wanted to say. He had already said too many words of comfort, and saying them now seemed pale and meaningless. In the end, he only reminded the emperor that it was time to attend court.
"I will not hold court today. My princess has returned, and I want to spend some quality time with her." When the fake princess returned to the palace, Emperor Taikang only went to see her briefly and did not set aside a day to spend with her. Perhaps he sensed something was amiss back then.
He was afraid that the princess was really dead, and he couldn't accept that outcome, nor could the empress. That's why he didn't investigate further and simply took good care of the fake princess.
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