Chapter 43 Providing timely help
Zhao Bailu was standing too far away to hear what the two were saying, but she saw it clearly: Xiao Xingyuan pushed Meng Yanzhi away.
"Rouge, why is His Majesty angry with you?"
"Are you... alright?"
Zhao Bailu quickly helped the person up and anxiously checked her body. She sighed helplessly after discovering that the person's palm was scratched.
"His Majesty went too far."
Meng Yanzhi originally thought that Zhao Bailu would accuse her of seducing the emperor, but she never expected that Zhao Bailu was only concerned about whether she was injured.
"Aren't you going to ask me what's going on between me and the Emperor, or why I'm hugging his neck?" Meng Yanzhi frowned as she looked at Zhao Bailu. "Don't you care at all?"
Zhao Bailu sat down on a rock nearby, seemingly unconcerned, and said calmly, "The world is so big, but there is only one emperor. Every woman's dream is to be the emperor. What's so strange about that? Besides, I can see that His Majesty treats you very differently!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Yanzhi tensed up immediately. She quietly clenched her fists and looked at Zhao Bailu: "Different?"
Zhao Bailu was also full of doubt. She pinched Meng Yanzhi's cheek and whispered, "The Emperor is usually a very approachable person. I rarely see him show any emotion. But for some reason, it seems that he gets inexplicably annoyed every time he sees you?"
Well……
Meng Yanzhi slowly loosened her clenched fists, looking at Zhao Bailu with a wry smile. She had overestimated this girl.
"Maybe it's because my appearance is infuriating," Meng Yanzhi said, looking at Zhao Bailu with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Zhao Bailu really looked at Meng Yanzhi's face very carefully, and then said very seriously, "Yanzhi, I don't think so. Look at you, you're so fair and delicate, how could you be disliked?"
"Alright, it's almost lunchtime, let's go back." Meng Yanzhi stood up, took Zhao Bailu's arm, and walked towards the Liuli Palace together.
As soon as they entered, they heard Consort Wang's laughter, and then they saw Xiao Ce and Zhao Dongzhi there.
"Brother, what brings you here?" Zhao Bailu was overjoyed to see her brother. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and began to plead, "Brother, I missed you so much! Weren't you always training soldiers in the army? How did you find time to come see me?"
Zhao Dongzhi silently withdrew her hand and said calmly, "You're overthinking it. I didn't come to see you; I came to see the Imperial Concubine."
"Brother!" Zhao Bailu was a little anxious. Who acts like this as a brother?
Meng Yanzhi bowed to Xiao Ce and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
“I’ve been so busy these past few days that I haven’t had a chance to come see you. How are you feeling? Is your head injury any better?” Xiao Ce looked at Meng Yanzhi with some concern, then took out a box of ointment: “This is the best scar removal medicine. I guarantee that it won’t leave a scar after you use it.”
"Brother Crown Prince, you're so thoughtful! This is like sending charcoal in snowy weather!" Zhao Bailu snatched the ointment and smelled it carefully. "It smells so good, Rouge! Look, it's really a rare and precious thing!"
Meng Yanzhi blushed and felt shy. She bowed to the Crown Prince again and whispered, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
"You don't need to be so polite with me. There are no outsiders here, so don't be too reserved. Sit down." Xiao Ce raised his hand and glanced at Zhao Bailu with a hint of helplessness.
Zhao Bailu is mentally challenged, but Zhao Dongzhi brought her brain back with her when she went out.
He looked at his sister's naive and clueless manner and felt a headache coming on. He said helplessly, "Lulu, come here."
"Oh!" Zhao Bailu walked over and sat obediently next to Zhao Dongzhi, looking at Meng Yanzhi with a smile, as if she liked her very much.
In fact, Zhao Bailu herself couldn't explain what was wrong with her, but she always felt good whenever she saw Meng Yanzhi.
Meng Yanzhi felt a little shy under Zhao Bailu's gaze, smiled helplessly, and asked softly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing, I just think you're beautiful, and I can never get enough of looking at you!"
"Brother Crown Prince, brother, you've come all this way, let's have a proper lunch, okay?"
"By the way, it's been so long since I've heard you play the zither, Your Highness. Please play the zither, okay?"
Zhao Bailu and Xiao Ce grew up together, so they were naturally very close. Xiao Ce also treated her like a younger sister.
Xiao Ce sighed helplessly, his voice soft with a hint of indulgence, "Fine, fine! I really can't do anything with you. Tell me, when are you going to grow up?"
What's so good about growing up?
"Getting married means even less happiness!"
Zhao Bailu snorted, clearly still resisting the idea of growing up.
Zhao Dongzhi pinched her cheek: "Don't talk nonsense!"
Soon, a palace maid brought over the guqin and placed it on the table.
Zhao Dongzhi chuckled, then looked at Consort Wang sitting above her: "Your Highness, since His Highness is in such a good mood today, I shall perform a sword dance to add to the merriment?"
"OK!"
"It has been a long time since I have seen your cooperation."
Consort Wang readily agreed, clearly indicating that she was also looking forward to it.
Soon, Xiao Ce played the zither, and Zhao Dongzhi danced with her sword; the two coordinated perfectly.
Meng Yanzhi, sitting to the side, was shocked. She couldn't understand what she had done to deserve being able to see the performances of these two people at the same time. She found it all too bizarre.
But somehow, her gaze kept falling on Zhao Dongzhi. Zhao Dongzhi was graceful, and the long sword in his hand danced with dazzling swordplay, which was incredibly beautiful.
After noticing Meng Yanzhi's gaze, Zhao Bailu immediately walked over. She covered her mouth and looked at Meng Yanzhi with a smile: "Isn't my brother great?"
"Ahem, don't talk nonsense!" Meng Yanzhi was really anxious this time, lowering her voice, afraid that Zhao Bailu would say something she shouldn't.
Zhao Bailu didn't think there was anything to be ashamed of.
"Let me tell you, my brother is the dream man of countless noble ladies in the capital. But my brother's taste is really strange. I don't know what kind of girl he likes." Zhao Bailu rested her chin on her hand and looked at her brother with a face full of curiosity.
Meng Yanzhi looked Zhao Dongzhi over carefully, smiled, and said, "General Zhao's talent and family background are indeed enviable."
"Do you like it?" Zhao Bailu looked at Meng Yanzhi with some curiosity. "If you like it, I can help you make the connection."
Meng Yanzhi shook her head repeatedly in fright: "No, no, no, I am not worthy of the General's Mansion!"
Although their voices were not loud, it was quite obvious that both the person playing the zither and the person performing the sword dance had heard them.
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