Emperor Yongzheng raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise: "Lin Yun? She actually went out disguised as a man?"
Yinxiang laughed and said, "Yes, she drew on a mustache, and her words and actions were flawless. If the guards hadn't followed her to Yunxiang Villa, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the real and the fake."
Yongzheng remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the memorials on the table, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "She is indeed audacious."
Yinxiang said with great interest, "Fourth Brother, Miss Lin is exceptionally intelligent. Why not have her assist in promoting the fabric? With her, we can surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Yongzheng glanced at him and said calmly, "This matter will be discussed later. After all, she is a woman, and frequent public appearances may cause controversy."
Yinxiang was slightly disappointed, but he understood Yongzheng's concerns and could only reply, "Yes, Your Majesty, I have not considered this carefully."
Yongzheng stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looked at the blooming osmanthus in the courtyard, and suddenly asked, "What did you talk about when you had tea with her yesterday?"
Yinxiang answered truthfully, "Aside from the matter of cotton cloth, we didn't talk much about it."
With his back to him, Yongzheng pursed his lips, a bittersweet feeling rising in his heart.
He was the emperor, yet he was confined within the palace walls, and even speaking to her required much caution.
However, the thirteenth brother was allowed to leave the palace at will, to drink tea and discuss matters with her, and even to have a pleasant conversation...
Thinking of this, he felt as if a stone was stuck in his chest, making him feel suffocated.
After a long while, Yongzheng finally calmed down and turned around, saying, "I understand. You may leave now. You are in charge of arranging the textile factory affairs. You have full authority over all matters."
Yinxiang then noticed the coldness in his fourth brother's tone. After a moment's thought, he understood the underlying meaning and wisely bowed and took his leave: "Your subject takes his leave."
After Yinxiang left, the Imperial Study returned to silence.
Emperor Yongzheng sat back down at his desk, picked up his pen to review the memorials, but found that he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.
My mind was filled with images of Lin Yun looking dashing in men's clothing, and of her chatting and laughing with Yinxiang in the teahouse.
He put down his pen, rubbed his temples, and muttered to himself, "What's wrong with me..."
To be bothered by such a trivial matter is truly unbecoming of an emperor.
But despite being rational, that inexplicable emotion grew wildly like weeds, impossible to shake off.
After a while, he summoned Su Peisheng: "Go and find out what Miss Lin has been doing at Yunxiang Villa lately."
"Yes." Su Peisheng was about to leave.
Yongzheng waved his hand: "Forget it, don't go."
He probably knows better than she does what she did.
He picked up the memorial again and forced himself to concentrate, but the strange feeling in his heart lingered for a long time.
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