The next day at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Yongqi, who had woken up early in Yonghe Palace because he was thinking about something, was already getting dressed and washing up.
Xiao Guizi, who was on night watch, was quite surprised to see Yongqi up so early. "Fifth Prince, why are you up so early today?"
"I'll go to Shufangzhai quietly by myself. Please tell Mother on my behalf."
"Yes." Seeing Yongqi's anxious look, Xiao Guizi said nothing more.
Yongqi quietly arrived at Shufangzhai, climbed over the wall and entered. Everyone in Shufangzhai was still asleep. He quietly went to the small kitchen of Shufangzhai and started working in the small kitchen.
By dawn, Yongqi had finished preparing breakfast. After covering the food, he went to Xiaoyanzi's room.
Little did he know that his departing figure was spotted by Mingyue and Caixia, who had just woken up.
Mingyue looked in the direction Yongqi had left and murmured, "It seems the Fifth Prince came from the small kitchen..."
"Could he have come here to make breakfast for the princess?" Caixia and Mingyue quietly walked towards the small kitchen and were delighted to see the breakfast that had been prepared.
"We two are truly blessed by the princess."
"Let's go wake up those four great talents." The two then headed towards where the four great talents were sleeping.
"Little Swallow, Little Swallow..." Yongqi walked into Little Swallow's room, squatted down, knelt in front of Little Swallow, and called softly.
"Sleeping so soundly, do you think you're safe in Shufangzhai?" Logically speaking, martial artists shouldn't sleep so soundly; they should be aware of any movement around them.
Yongqi murmured to himself, but was suddenly attacked by Xiaoyanzi, "It's not even dawn yet, what are you doing in my room?"
As Xiao Yanzi spoke, her hands didn't stop moving. Yongqi retorted, saying, "Xiao Yanzi, are you trying to have a match with me?"
"You haven't answered my question yet? What are you doing here?"
"I've come to apologize to you." Yongqi's words made Xiaoyanzi stop what she was doing.
"Admit a mistake?" Little Swallow looked puzzled. "Why would you admit a mistake out of the blue?"
Yongqi stood obediently in place and said, "I shouldn't have been in such a hurry. I promised to respect your choice. Since you don't want to get married so early, then it's up to you. You can decide when to get married."
"You are much more capable than me now, and you really don't need the identity of the Fifth Prince's wife to protect you anymore."
After listening to Yongqi's words, Xiaoyanzi finally understood what he meant.
"Did your mother tell you this? Otherwise, given your personality, you wouldn't have thought of this."
Yongqi nodded, "It was Mother who reminded me, otherwise I wouldn't know anything..."
"Now that we've talked it out, let's go outside." After saying that, Xiao Yanzi walked out of the house.
"Princess, the Fifth Prince has already prepared breakfast." Mingyue said as she saw Xiaoyanzi come out of the room.
"Yongqi, are you sure you're okay coming so early?" Xia Ziwei looked at Yongqi with some concern after she got up and learned that he had come early to make breakfast for them.
“I’m already here, what’s wrong with that? Besides, I came quietly, no one noticed.”
Little Swallow laughed and said, "Never mind all that, let's go have breakfast first."
After breakfast, the group walked together toward the Imperial Study.
Yongrong looked at Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi curiously, "Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister-in-law, why did you two come together?"
They used to come together because Xiao Yanzi also lived in Yonghe Palace. Now that Xiao Yanzi lives in Shufangzhai, why are they coming together again?
"Why do you care so much about children?" Yongqi didn't say it explicitly, but Yongrong seemed to have guessed something and said no more.
After Ji Xiaolan arrived, they began today's lesson.
Two hours passed quickly. "That's enough for today. Remember to finish writing this article and hand it in to me the day after tomorrow morning. No delays allowed."
"This article is to be submitted to the Emperor for review, so you must be careful and take it seriously." After saying this, Ji Xiaolan left.
Xia Ziwei looked at Xiao Yanzi curiously, "Xiao Yanzi, do you have any ideas for today's article?"
Little Swallow sighed, "Writing an article with personal interests and national interests as the theme, the only thing that can be praised by the Emperor and Master Ji is that it focuses on national interests."
"If you want to be praised, write about the interests of the nation and its people; if you want to write from the heart, then it's up to you."
Yongqi looked at Xiaoyanzi, "Xiaoyanzi, what about you? What kind of thing do you want to write?"
Little Swallow lowered her head and sighed, "If I were always alone, I would naturally prioritize my own interests. But now, while ensuring the interests of my family and country, I will try my best not to harm my personal interests."
Princesses sent as brides or hostages sacrificed their personal interests for the benefit of the nation; Yu the Great, in his efforts to control the floods, passed his home three times without entering, all for the benefit of the nation…
"One prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer." Little Swallow, who had no home, didn't quite understand this. But after she had relatives and friends, she gradually understood what it meant.
No matter how good your personal reputation is, if anyone around you makes a mistake, it will affect your personal reputation.
To act solely on what one likes is childish; to think things through and weigh the pros and cons is the way of the adult world.
Liking something happens to be the least important of all the factors.
"Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister-in-law, Sister Ziwei, we'll be leaving now." Yongrong led Yongxing and Yongqi to retreat first. The place they went to was different from the Shufangzhai that Xiaoyanzi and the others were going back to.
After watching them leave, Yongqi escorted Xiaoyanzi and Xia Ziwei back to Shufangzhai.
When they returned to Shufangzhai, Xiao Jian's apprentice, Jiang Ying, appeared there. Xiao Yanzi was very happy, "Jiang Ying, what brings you here?"
"My brothers in the church asked me to come here, firstly to report on church affairs to you, and secondly to see how you are doing in the palace?"
Jiang Ying, who was standing in front of me, had already passed the age of marriage. She wore only a hairpin in her hair, tied her hair in a ponytail, and was dressed in black. She looked clean and neat.
"You're Jiang Ying from back then?" Yongqi asked in surprise. "You really have changed a lot as you grow up."
"I'm only fifteen years old this year. If I remember correctly, I should be the same age as Young Master Fu."
"Fifth Prince, there's no need for flattery. Let me finish this important business first."
Xiao Yanzi and Xia Ziwei led Jiang Ying to the restaurant. Xiao Yanzi sat in the main seat and looked at Jiang Ying, "Jiang Ying, let's sit down and talk while we eat."
Do you still remember Liu Yin?
Little Swallow nodded. "I vaguely remember her. What happened to her?"
“Liu Yin is a spy for the Flying Tiger Gang.” Jiang Ying’s words made Xiao Yanzi’s eyes widen.
"A spy? Could it be that my saving her back then was a setup by her?"
Jiang Ying nodded. "Back then, she was ordered to join our sect to investigate everything about the sect leader. However, the sect leader was often away from the sect, so her joining was pointless. Later, the leader of the Flying Tiger Gang ordered her to steal the sect's secrets. After she broke into the forbidden area, she accidentally triggered a mechanism. After being discovered and interrogated by the Discipline Hall, we learned her identity..."
"Investigate everything about the cult leader? What do you mean? You want to kill me?"
"The leader of the Flying Tiger Gang is fond of men... so..." Knowing that the leader of the Purple Cloud Sect was a man, and handsome and dashing, he finally had wicked thoughts.
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