Emperor Qing's unintentional joke always made those who listened to it with care less smile.

Princess Tianqi's birthday banquet lasted until late at night, until Empress Xu suggested that it was time to take a break. Only then did Emperor Qing end it and let everyone leave the palace.

Suddenly, the palace was even more lively than when a banquet was halfway through.

Jiang Qingqing, nestling comfortably in Xiao Linting's arms, had fallen asleep long ago accompanied by this magical noise.

Xiao Linting was just about to ask the senior palace maid beside the princess to take the child away. He looked down at the child in his arms and found that she had been nestled in his arms for a long time, with her chubby face pressed against his chest. She was slightly squeezed and deformed, but it did not affect her innocent sleeping posture.

Xin Juan came back in a hurry halfway. She looked at Prince Xiao with anxiety in her heart, waiting for his order at any moment. She was ready to take the princess back to the palace immediately.

Sure enough, she saw the prince raise his hand.

"Your Highness, please let me take the princess back." Xin Juan stepped forward and was about to extend her hand.

Xiao Linting half-hugged Jiang Qingqing and turned to the side, avoiding Xin Juan.

"It is inevitable that His Highness will wake up during the handover, so I will just take the opportunity to send the princess back to the palace." Xiao Linting hugged her short legs and held Jiang Qingqing's whole little ball horizontally in his arms.

Xiao Linting himself is only a teenager of fifteen or sixteen years old. Although Jiang Qingqing will be five years old after today, he is also quite tall.

Xin Juan looked at the young prince holding the chubby little princess. She was not worried that the princess would feel uncomfortable. She was more worried that the prince would not be able to hold her halfway.

If Jiang Qingqing heard Xin Juan's idea, she would probably be so angry that she would jump to her feet.

Xiao Linting sent Jiang Qingqing back to Huaning Palace. Under the guidance of Xin Juan, they returned to the bedroom in the backyard of Huaning Palace. Unexpectedly, the scene was too loud and woke up Jiang Chen who had left halfway to sleep.

Jiang Chen stood at the door in a daze, thinking that it was his sister who came back.

Unexpectedly, when he stood at the door of the room with sleepy eyes, he saw a young man with a straight back. The princess was holding a sleeping child and looking straight ahead, completely unaware of him, the third prince who showed up halfway.

Jiang Chen: “…” Damn it, he must have been confused in his sleep just now. How could he dream about the emperor’s uncle?

Just when he was a little more sober and was about to go to his sister's palace to find out what was going on, he stepped into the bedroom. Before he could even see how the naked man lay down, Jiang Chen suddenly felt a gust of wind in front of him.

Then he was kicked out.

Xiao Linting corrected this in a deep voice, "What did I teach you normally? You can't enter and leave a woman's boudoir at will."

Xiao Linting stood at the door of the bedroom, looking at the third prince standing outside the door with a shocked expression.

When Jiang Chen saw clearly who was standing at the door, he couldn't help but shudder.

Probably because he had just woken up, he was a little bolder. He pointed at his uncle and said, "But uncle, you brought someone in. I..." I am Jiang Qingqing's biological brother, right? Why can't I go in?

Xiao Linting turned his head to glance at the palace servants who were busy helping the little princess change clothes. He frowned and walked out of the room, closed the door completely, grabbed Jiang Chen's collar and threw him to the door of his room.

Xiao Linting looked down at the confused Third Prince, frowned, and seriously corrected his concept, "Your Highness is still young, but you must understand the difference between men and women anyway."

"Your Highness, please go to bed early. Tomorrow you will be taking the Imperial Academy's minor examination. Please be prepared."

After saying this, Xiao Linting calmly patted the wrinkles on his body that were wrinkled by Jiang Qingqing, turned around and walked out of Huaning Palace gracefully.

Only Jiang Chen, who was completely awake, was left standing at the door with resentment in his eyes.

Damn it, he had finally managed to feel sleepy, but after being reminded so lightly by the Emperor's uncle, he couldn't fall asleep at all!!!

The room next door was bright all night long, and Jiang Qingqing slept soundly in her room, without any dreams until dawn.

When she woke up the next day, she saw Xin Juan standing beside her bed with a sad face. Jiang Qingqing shrank back in shock.

"Xin Juan, why are you standing at the head of my bed so early in the morning? Are you guarding my soul?"

Jiang Qingqing, who was suddenly awakened by the fright, asked helplessly.

Xin Juan knelt on the edge of the bed, trying to be at eye level with the little princess. She said softly, "Your Highness, I witnessed the prince secretly executing a palace maid yesterday. Do you think the prince will secretly execute me as well? Will I still be able to serve you as best as I can tomorrow?"

Because of this matter, Xin Juan even couldn't sleep for a whole night.

She was very distressed. She had not yet served His Highness enough and had not yet watched Him grow up. She could not be executed without any reason.

Jiang Qingqing was a little dazed in her sleep. She blinked for a while before she realized what Xin Juan said.

It seemed that something like this happened yesterday. From what she heard at that time, the palace maid seemed to want to sell herself to the emperor's uncle. If she heard correctly, this palace maid was the maid beside Concubine De of Jingren Palace.

Isn't it good to serve in Jingren Palace? Why do you have to climb up the high branch of the emperor's uncle?

Could it be... that this is what Concubine De meant?

Yesterday, the incident happened suddenly, and Xiao Linting took Jiang Qingqing away with just a few words. Jiang Qingqing also wanted to please this steady thigh, so she did not think deeply about the secret behind this incident.

Now that Xin Juan mentioned this, Jiang Qingqing began to pay attention to the less active Jingren Palace.

While she was perfunctorily comforting Xin Juan, she yawned and got out of bed.

"Xin Juan, don't worry. I diverted the emperor's uncle's attention yesterday, so he definitely has no time to care about you. Besides, you are my senior maid. If you disappear from my side without a word, my father will also seek justice for you. Don't worry."

Xin Juan was not comforted. While changing the clothes for His Highness, she carefully sought a positive response, "Your Highness will protect me, right? Among all those in Huaning Palace, I am the one who understands His Highness's heart the best, right?"

Jiang Qingqing yawned frequently. Seeing that she was almost done with, she waved her hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, you are safe."

After saying that, she left Xin Juan behind and walked out of the room.

The bright sunlight outside fell on the ground, casting shadows on the eaves. As Jiang Qingqing stepped into the sunlight, the bright light illuminated Jiang Qingqing's slightly thoughtful face.

In this huge palace, she couldn't say that 100% of everyone was extremely nice to her. People's hearts were complicated, and often even the most intimate palace maids around her might not be sincere.

Abundant sunshine fell on Jiang Qingqing, and the warm temperature swept away the surging waves in Jiang Qingqing's heart.

Her eyes fell on the tall and calm young man standing at the gate of the courtyard.

The little girl's originally indifferent mood finally warmed up a little.

Who cares? As long as you hold on to her, no one dares to offend her!