Jiang Qingqing used her sweet little mouth to coax Empress Xu into finally stopping her stern face.

By the time she returned to Huaning Palace, it was dark.

The palace was unexpectedly dark.

Jiang Qingqing asked Gan Yuan and Gan Lin to light the candles in the front hall, otherwise Jiang Chen would not be able to see the lights at night, and she was afraid that Jiang Chen would feel tired.

Where there is a home, there must be lights to wash away the tired day.

She was thinking with self-admiration that Jiang Chen was so lucky to have such a lovely and considerate sister.

The road back to the backyard was quite quiet, even pitch black.

Jiang Qingqing stepped on the flat marble and walked forward slowly.

After walking a few steps, I saw a dark and slender shadow in front of me.

She half-closed her eyes, clenched her hands into fists, and walked over carefully.

Xiao Linting climbed over the palace wall when the sun was about to set and the sunset glowed the sky.

He was about to leave Kyoto, and he was too lazy to abide by all the unnecessary rules of Kyoto, so he just let himself go on his last day.

He took the seal hidden in the main hall of the bamboo house, put it in his arms, and sneaked into the Huaning Palace by stepping on the roof.

Unexpectedly, Huaning Palace was always very quiet, and even the palace maids did not take the initiative to come and light the lamps.

He simply leaned against a wooden pillar under the corridor in the backyard of Huaning Palace, with his arms folded over his chest and half of his body leaning against the pillar, taking a lazy nap.

Hearing the sound at the door of the main hall of Huaning Palace, he guessed that Jiang Qingqing had returned.

He didn't say anything, just kept this posture waiting for the little guy to come over.

Jiang Qingqing took small steps and moved closer to Xiao Linting. She clenched her small fist and punched him without hesitation.

“Pah.”

Xiao Linting quickly blocked her fist with his hand, and Jiang Qingqing's small sandbag fist hit his palm directly.

Jiang Qingqing's heart was calm, "..."

[I'm screwed. I've met a strong opponent. If I surrender now, can I save my life? ]

Xiao Linting: ...

His ten fingers naturally held Jiang Qingqing's hand, his big hand holding the small hand, and while gently pulling, he squatted down and hugged the little guy in his arms.

[This is a flower thief! How could a child as young as me be so cruel? ? ]

The reluctance that Xiao Linting had been feeling for an hour completely dissipated in the sound of Jiang Qingqing's words.

"Your Highness, it's me."

Familiar voice, familiar fragrance.

Jiang Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief.

"Uncle? Why are you here at this time? Aren't we going to set off in a few days?"

Jiang Qingqing was a little surprised and confused for a moment.

Xiao Linting rubbed Jiang Qingqing's little head and stepped back a little.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Qingqing felt the other party's low-pressure breath and was a little confused.

[At this age, will you feel unhappy if you are separated? Wouldn't it be freer if you leave Kyoto? 】

She couldn't help but complain in her heart.

She said this in her heart, but she still asked very considerately.

"Uncle, are you worried that I won't be able to see you off in person when we leave Kyoto? Don't worry! Even if I sneak out, I will still come to see you!"

Jiang Qingqing patted his chest and looked at Xiao Linting confidently, as if to say, "Don't worry, brother. I'm here for you."

Just now, a rare tenderness arose in his heart, but at this moment, Xiao Linting calmed down.

With an expressionless face, he took out an exquisite brocade box from his arms, opened it, and placed it in Jiang Qingqing's palm.

"Last time, Your Highness was envious of other people's seals, so I found some fine jade and engraved Your Highness's name and title on them. This time, I will be away from Kyoto for four or five years at most, or a year at least. So, I am afraid I will not be able to attend Your Highness' coming-of-age ceremony."

During the Tianqi period, most girls reached the age of ten when they reached the age of marriage.

After the age of ten, they would start looking for a suitable husband. The engagement would last for three years, and in the fourth year they would start to propose marriage. The formalities during this period would last as long as a year.

By this calculation, most women in Tianqi got married when they were in their early fifteen years old.

But Jiang Qingqing, an outsider, had no idea about the rules of Tianqi.

She blinked her eyes and looked at the emperor's uncle in front of her, then looked at the seal in her hand.

It was too dark at night and she couldn't see clearly what the seal looked like.

"Giving me a coming-of-age ceremony so early, wouldn't that make me lose out?" Jiang Qingqing blurted out subconsciously.

Xiao Linting seemed to know that she would say that, but when he actually heard her say that, he was somewhat amused by her.

"They are all of age, so I will give them new ones."

【That’s more like it. 】

Jiang Qingqing happily put the seal away.

After Gan Yuan and Gan Lin lit up the hall behind them, they chatted all the way. Their voices reached Jiang Qingqing, and she subconsciously turned her head to look at the maids.

Xiao Linting moved.

"I don't know when I will see you again, Your Highness. Before leaving the capital, I left a few capable people in the capital. If you encounter any difficult problems, Your Highness can go to Prince Xiao's mansion to find Nafu, and he will help Your Highness to hand over the matter."

He spoke very quickly, and if you listened carefully, it seemed that he was trying to leave before Gan Yuan and Gan Lin arrived.

Jiang Qingqing was still confused, but she understood what the emperor's uncle said. She wanted to ask a few more questions, but he raised his hand and rubbed her head, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

She looked blankly at Xiao Linting who was leaving in a hurry, "???"

What kind of scene is this? Why doesn't she understand?

When Gan Yuan and Gan Lin walked over, they saw the little prince standing in a daze under the corridor.

"Your Highness, why are you standing under the corridor instead of going back to the house? It's cold at night, don't catch a cold."

The two men did not notice anything strange about Jiang Qingqing. They took one on each side and carried Jiang Qingqing back into the house, then lit up the warm yellow lights in the house.

Xiao Linting came alone to find Jiang Qingqing about this matter.

No one knew except Jiang Qingqing. If she hadn't seen the seal, she would have felt that Xiao Linting's coming was just an illusion.

The night was deep.

The cold wind blows in the dark nights of autumn and winter, making people reluctant to leave their warm beds.

But Jiang Qingqing was extremely curious about what was engraved on the seal.

She endured the cold, got out of bed, found the brocade box, and under the dim candlestick, flipped through the seal and looked at it carefully.

The overall shape of the seal is very small, as if it was carved specifically for her age, and it is so small that it fits in the palm of her hand.

The seal is engraved with "Dun Ming, Qing".

There are only three words, but the handwriting is sharp and has an indescribable sense of grandeur.

Why did she suddenly send the seal? Jiang Qingqing thought about it vaguely, maybe it was because she had said something in a previous class at the Imperial College?

The fact that the Emperor's uncle still remembered this incident really... surprised her.