Emperor Qianlong hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Not yet, Your Majesty. But this little girl seems quite innocent. I don't think she's a bad person!"
Yongqi immediately echoed, "Your Majesty, regardless of Xiaoyanzi's background, I believe she will not harm me, much less the people around me!"
After Yongqi finished speaking, Xiaoyanzi added, "Your Majesty, it was Brother Yongqi who saved me outside the palace. Xiaoyanzi is a grateful person and would never harm him, much less his family! As for my origins, the Emperor said he would have someone help me find my family!"
Emperor Qianlong nodded in agreement, "Yes, Your Majesty, Xiao Yanzi is an orphan now. If we can help her find her family, that would be a good thing!"
Emperor Qianlong and Yongqi spoke highly of Xiao Yanzi, and Xiao Yanzi behaved obediently. After hesitating for a moment, the Empress Dowager nodded in agreement, "Very well, since the Emperor and Yongqi have no objections, I will not say anything more. However, I still need to have someone investigate your background!"
Little Swallow quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude, "Little Swallow thanks the Empress Dowager for her kindness, and thanks the Emperor and Brother Yongqi for taking me in!"
"Get up, all of you." Yongqi helped Xiaoyanzi up and had her stand beside him. The Empress Dowager then asked, "Emperor, have you eaten?"
Emperor Qianlong shook his head. "I was only thinking about settling things with Xiao Yanzi, so I didn't have time to eat anything."
"In that case, stay and eat before you go back." Since the Empress Dowager had spoken, Qianlong and Yongqi naturally had no choice but to obey. She then turned to the eunuch standing on her other side, "Eunuch Pu, go to the Imperial Kitchen to serve the meal."
"Yes, ma'am!" Eunuch Pu responded and left. The Empress Dowager then said, "Alright, go to the restaurant and wait."
"Yes." The Empress Dowager led the way, followed by Emperor Qianlong, then the Empress and the other concubines. Consort Yu was at the very back, anxiously watching Yongqi. She wanted to say something, but given the current situation, she couldn't say anything more. Yongqi quickly took her hand and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry, everything will be alright!"
Seeing that Xiao Yanzi was also very nervous and her hands were sweating, he grabbed her hand and looked at her, saying, "I'm here, don't be afraid!"
"I'm not afraid!" Little Swallow looked at Yongqi happily, took his hand, and went inside together.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Yongqi led Xiaoyanzi to the lowest seat in order. "Father, Xiaoyanzi has just entered the palace today, so I will sit here with her for now!"
"Whatever you say." Emperor Qianlong had no objections, and naturally, no one else dared to say anything more.
When the imperial dishes were brought to the dining room, Xiao Yanzi was dumbfounded. Yongqi served Xiao Yanzi all sorts of dishes, saying, "Xiao Yanzi, eat as much as you like!"
Seeing Yongqi taking such good care of Xiaoyanzi, everyone had different expressions, but no one dared to speak.
After a quiet dinner, the ladies-in-waiting returned to their respective palaces. Yongqi, with Xiaoyanzi in tow, followed Consort Yu back to Yonghe Palace. "Xiaoyanzi," he said, "look, after passing Jingren Palace and Chengqian Palace, we'll reach Yonghe Palace. That's where we'll be staying..."
Not long after, they returned to Yonghe Palace. Once inside, Yongqi immediately pulled Xiaoyanzi to the room next to his, saying, "Xiaoyanzi, you can stay here."
Seeing that Yongqi's gaze was fixed on Xiaoyanzi, Consort Yu felt somewhat annoyed. Mei'er and Ying'er noticed her distress and were worried, "Your Highness..."
Consort Yu sighed, "Alright, I'll go back to my room first. I'll have Yongqi come find me after he's settled that girl!"
"Yes." After Mei'er and Ying'er escorted Consort Yu back to her room, one served her inside while the other waited outside.
Yongqi had already shown Xiaoyanzi the room. "Xiaoyanzi, what do you think? Do you like this room?"
"I like it, thank you, Brother Yongqi!" Little Swallow was very happy that she could stay in the palace and have such a big room to live in.
"Um, you can just call me Yongqi." He couldn't handle being called "brother" all the time!
Little Swallow was a little worried, "Can we just call you that? Won't they be angry?"
"No, I like it when you call me by my name!" Yongqi was already used to Xiaoyanzi calling him by his name, and he just couldn't stand this Yongqi-gege anymore!
"By the way, would you like to come to the study with me to read tomorrow?"
"Okay!" Although she didn't really like reading, it was nice to see Yongqi reading!
"Alright, you should get some rest. If you need anything, just knock on my door and call me. I'm right next door!"
"Thank you!" After Yongqi went out and closed the door, he went to find Consort Yu.
"Mother." When he saw Consort Yu, he still felt a little guilty, after all, he had once again valued Xiao Yanzi more than his mother!
"Mother, I'm so sorry, I just couldn't help myself when I saw how pitiful Little Swallow looked today..."
"Alright, I know you're kind-hearted, which is why you brought her back. But you can't just bring every pitiful person you meet back, can you? Or do you have other intentions towards her? Yongqi, I'm your mother, I've been through this before. Your mouth may not be honest, but your eyes will tell the truth..."
Yongqi said with a hint of helplessness, "Since Mother has already figured it out, then I won't hide it anymore..."
"So, you really like her? But she..."
“Mother, didn’t Father say he would send someone to find out about Xiao Yanzi’s background? Putting aside what Xiao Yanzi’s family background is, how can I let her go in her current state? I’ve kept her by my side because I hope to protect her and prevent her from getting hurt again! Besides, Xiao Yanzi is really a very good girl, Mother will know that once you get to know her!”
Consort Yu sighed, "I can see that her eyes are very pure, much like mine used to be. But bringing her to the palace, is it really a good thing or a bad thing for her? Yongqi, you grew up in the palace, so you should know how dark life in the palace really is. Sometimes we have a hard time protecting ourselves, so how can we protect her who is powerless to even kill a chicken? Your mother is afraid that you will end up harming her instead of protecting her!"
"Mother, don't worry. I believe that Xiao Yanzi's appearance will change this palace! The future palace will be filled with laughter and joy, and there will be no more darkness! Mother, leave the affairs outside to your son. Your only wish is that you take good care of her. She has no mother, so you are her closest mother now. Your son hopes that you will bring her only beautiful memories!"
Consort Yu stroked Yongqi's head and sighed, "Two months ago, after you woke up, I felt that you were different from before. It was as if you had grown up overnight. Now you have your own ideas, so your mother will not say anything more. You have requirements and hopes for your mother, and your mother has them too. Your mother's only requirement is that no matter what you do, you must protect and take good care of yourself!"
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