"But if you have someone you like, you must tell me. I'll definitely give you a big gift, though I'll have to deliver it secretly." Cheng Yue said helplessly as he poured himself a glass of wine.
Pan Yang took a sip of the wine; it was indeed quite good. He put down his glass and said calmly, "I have someone I like."
"Who? Didn't you just say you didn't have a girl you liked?" Cheng Yue's eyes widened, then he suddenly realized something: "Homosexuality? No problem, no problem, I definitely don't mind. You won't fall for me later, will you?!"
"???" Pan Yang looked at Cheng Yue, surprised that someone was even more narcissistic than him. He then looked Cheng Yue up and down and shook his head in disdain.
Cheng Yue was speechless. It was obvious that she was looking down on him: "I was just joking. Why are you looking at me like that? But which young master have you taken a fancy to?"
"I don't know either."
"Huh? You don't know?" Cheng Yue felt that Pan Yang was being increasingly absurd, and he leaned on the table: "You don't actually know who his family is or where they live? Do you even know their names?"
"Zhou Yang."
"What did you say?"
“Zhou Yang.” Pan Yang looked at Cheng Yue, who suddenly exclaimed in surprise, with some confusion. He was just mentioning the name of one of his hidden characters.
"Hiss." Cheng Yue gasped. "You're really not kidding me?"
He looked at Fan Yang's expressionless face and continued, "As far as I know, there is only one person in the entire capital named Zhou Yang, and that is the unfavored princess in the palace."
Pan Yang paused in his action of picking up the wine glass.
"Have you forgotten? When the late emperor was in power, a minister sent his daughter into the palace, where she quickly gained favor. After becoming pregnant, she believed it was a boy and named him Shi Zhouyang. However, the child was never born, and the minister and his entire family were executed for embezzlement."
"That concubine naturally fell out of favor and was banished to the Cold Palace despite her pregnancy. It is said that she gave birth to a daughter, but she was still named Shi Zhouyang. When the princess turned ten, the late emperor remembered her and gave her a random title. The concubine died of illness not long after, leaving the princess alone in the Cold Palace. As for now, the new emperor has only recently ascended the throne and most people have forgotten about her. I'm afraid that the princess who is not favored will only be able to marry a foreign ruler."
Upon hearing this, Pan Yang put down his wine glass: "Are you sure this princess is a girl? And her name is Zhou Yang?"
Cheng Yue rolled his eyes: "Why would I lie to you? Just ask any minister, and they'll definitely tell you the same thing. By the way, what exactly are you talking about? What do you mean by liking men and saying the princess's name? Are you kidding me?"
"You figured it out." Pan Yang said bluntly. Even now, he didn't know what was going on. He would have to take a look at the Cold Palace next time he went to the palace.
After a few drinks, the two chatted for a while before parting ways.
Nothing much happened at the morning court the next day. Fan Yang deliberately slowed down, and after making sure no one was paying attention to him, he turned and headed towards the Cold Palace.
It has to be said that the Cold Palace was truly remote. In the end, Pan Yang fell silent as he looked at the Cold Palace gate, which was almost rusted. The fact that his family's hidden figure lived in such a place made him wonder. Pan Yang then chose to climb over the wall and enter.
The yard was very clean, free of weeds, and had a somewhat lived-in feel.
"Who is it?" A voice came from inside the room. It was indeed a woman's voice, but it was not weak. Instead, it sounded more like a man's voice. Just as Huan Yang hesitated whether to speak, the person had already walked out of the room.
She wore a simple dress, and her hair was only decorated with a wooden hairpin. She looked a little thin but was tall, about the same height as Fan Yang. She was very beautiful and seemed to be wearing light makeup.
001: "Zhou Yang was detected as a hidden character."
Hearing 001's voice in his mind, Pan Yang was not surprised. He took a deep breath and said, "Pan Yang."
"So it's the Prime Minister. May I ask what brings you here?" Shi Zhouyang's face showed aloofness as he maintained a safe distance from Pan Yang.
"It's nothing, just taking a stroll." Pan Yang said casually, then took out the original owner's money pouch from his sleeve and tossed it to Shi Zhouyang: "Here's some money for you. Use it to bribe some servants and buy some clothes and food."
Shi Zhouyang reflexively caught the money bag, seemingly somewhat bewildered: "Prime Minister, what is this?"
"It's nothing." Pan Yang looked calmly at Shi Zhouyang, then took out a bracelet, walked to Shi Zhouyang's side, and put the bracelet in his hand: "It's for you, you can't give it to anyone else."
“I can’t accept this.” Shi Zhouyang shook his head. “I have no connection with the Prime Minister. Why doesn’t the Prime Minister just state his purpose for helping me out of the blue?”
"The purpose is simple, it's you." Pan Yang nodded as he spoke: "Love at first sight."
Shi Zhouyang clearly didn't believe it and opened his mouth to refute it, but Pan Yang took several steps back, looking like he wouldn't listen to anything, and then climbed over the wall and left.
This scene truly shocked him. He weighed the money pouch in his hand; it contained quite a bit of money. The next second, a bodyguard appeared in the courtyard, kneeling on the ground and asking respectfully, "Should I go and investigate?"
Shi Zhouyang clutched the bracelet, feeling its coolness, which was quite comfortable. He slowly spoke, "No need. Let's see what he's up to." Anyone else who heard this would be shocked; his voice was deeper than before, clearly that of a man.
The guard said "yes" and then vanished in a flash.
Shi Zhouyang looked at the door. To be honest, in other people's eyes, he was just an unfavored princess. He really couldn't understand why this prime minister would come looking for him and say that he liked him. He didn't believe it at all.
After being released from the Cold Palace, Pan Yang left the palace immediately. He handled some official business and then simply gave up. He didn't want to be prime minister anymore; whoever wanted the position could have it.
He simply moved a chair out into the yard to sunbathe, and he was completely relaxed and carefree.
Of course, he would prefer to take Shi Zhouyang directly to the Prime Minister's residence. Well, it doesn't seem like that's impossible. Huan Yang sat up straight.
001: "..." Why does it feel like the host is up to something?
Fortunately, Huan Yang did not do anything outrageous. He simply took better care of the servants in the palace and would send things to the Cold Palace from time to time. Sometimes he would even go to the Cold Palace himself.
He didn't try to hide these things, and they spread quickly, leaving many people wondering what was going on.
Shi Zhouyang observed for several days but couldn't figure out what Huan Yang's purpose was. It was as if this person simply wanted to help him.
Shi Yan was naturally aware of these matters, but he couldn't discern Fan Yang's purpose, so he simply summoned him to the Imperial Study.
“My dear minister, I have heard rumors these past few days that the Prime Minister often goes to the Cold Palace to help Shi Zhouyang. My sister is, after all, a princess, and she will also have to contribute to the country in the future. If the Prime Minister does this, won’t people gossip?”
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