Chapter 84 Distortion
Baozhu understood what Xie Qingran meant. She sighed and then said in a low voice, "Miss, when will this ever end?"
"What's wrong?" Xie Qingran raised an eyebrow at Baozhu and smiled gently.
Baozhu sighed helplessly, "We still have many days to go in the palace. If it's like this every day, how can we get through it?"
"We won't be in the palace for long, at most three to five days, and then we can go home."
Xie Qingran's face was full of certainty.
With the wedding just over a month away, it's natural not to linger too long in the palace, which is also against common sense.
To put it bluntly, the Empress only brought her into the palace to see what kind of person she was and whether she was a good match for Xiao Jue.
After today's incident, the Empress will naturally not keep her in the palace any longer.
Xie Qingran could understand these principles at a glance, but Baozhu was still too young to see through them.
Sure enough, Xiao Jue arrived three days later in the palace.
The Empress was somewhat surprised to see Xiao Jue come to her Kunning Palace: "You child, you have not wanted to go out since you were injured. Not to mention coming to my palace on your own initiative, even if I send someone to invite you, you will not come. What's wrong with you today?"
After entering the room, Xiao Jue looked around, clearly not at the Empress.
Thus, the Empress immediately understood that Xiao Jue was not here to see her, but to see Xie Qingran.
She suddenly burst out laughing: "What? Are you afraid I'll eat her?"
“Aunt, that’s not what I meant.”
Xiao Jue was unusually embarrassed in front of the Empress, much like he was when he was a child.
Seeing him so vibrant, the Empress even felt as if she had been transported to another world.
She smiled gently: "Someone, quickly invite Miss Xie over."
Xie Qingran has been eating and sleeping well in the Empress's palace for the past three days, and her overall spirits have improved considerably!
Upon hearing the Empress's summons, she immediately came over. Although she remained proper and respectful, her eyes betrayed her joy. When she entered and saw Xiao Jue, Xie Qingran was somewhat surprised.
Didn't he dislike going out?
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Xie Qingran bowed respectfully, instantly reverting to her former cold and aloof demeanor.
Seeing her transformation, Xiao Jue was initially worried that she might not be used to life in the palace, but he never expected her to be so free and at ease.
He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and glanced at the Empress. Even though the smile was very faint, the Empress still noticed it.
He thought it was just Xie Qingran who liked him, but he never expected that this kid also had feelings for Xie Qingran!
Thus, it can be considered a match made in heaven.
"Good child, get up quickly."
“Jue’er said she missed you, so she came to see you specially.”
The Empress smiled, looked at Xie Qingran, and told her to get up.
Xie Qingran stood up properly and looked at Xiao Jue with some surprise. It was really hard to imagine how he could say that he missed her.
"Aunt, when did I say such a thing?"
Xiao Jue was clearly also somewhat embarrassed, and looked helplessly at the Empress.
The Empress smiled faintly: "Whether you said it or not doesn't matter. What matters is whether you've thought about it?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Qingran blushed shyly and said, "Your Majesty, please don't say that."
"Oh? What, you miss Jue'er too?" The Empress looked at Xie Qingran with some curiosity.
Xie Qingran smiled slightly, lowered her head shyly, but secretly glanced at Xiao Jue.
It was clear that Xiao Jue had dressed up carefully today; he looked very smart, and even though he was wearing a mask, his aura was so captivating that it was impossible to look away.
Unfortunately, Xie Qingran had been living on the estate for many years, and in both her previous and current lives, she had never actually witnessed the true charisma of this young general. It was quite a pity.
Seeing that the two of them were shy, the Empress didn't say anything more, but just smiled faintly and said, "Let's stay for lunch together."
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The voice of Grandpa Bao came from outside, and then a figure in bright yellow walked in.
The emperor was clearly surprised to see Xiao Jue there, but he still smiled and asked, "What brings you to the palace today, lad?"
"Your Majesty, I have come to see the Empress."
Xiao Jue suppressed all his emotions and handled the matter strictly by official procedures.
After hearing this, the emperor nodded, glanced at Xie Qingran, and immediately understood everything.
He strode over to the Empress, sat down next to her, smiled, and said, "I heard you're staying for lunch? The Empress must have prepared a lot of delicious food. May I join you for a meal?"
"Your Majesty's willingness to stay for lunch is a great pleasure to me." The Empress nodded and instructed the palace maids beside her to prepare a proper lunch.
Xie Qingran felt a little nervous. This was the first time in both her past and present lives that she would be eating at the same table with the Emperor. She even started to recall in her mind what the rules were for dining with His Majesty.
Xiao Jue quickly sensed Xie Qingran's nervousness, silently moved closer to her, and gently tugged at her sleeve.
Sensing Xiao Jue's movement, Xie Qingran looked down at him with some concern: "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
No.
"I was afraid you'd be nervous."
Xiao Jue glanced at Xie Qingran indifferently, his tone equally indifferent, showing no sign of concern whatsoever.
But Xie Qingran smiled gently, a warm feeling rising in her heart.
Seeing the two getting along so well, even the emperor was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that Xie Qingran was only trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Duke of Zhenguo's family, but now he saw that the two were actually quite in love. That was good, as long as they could live a good life together, that was the best thing.
Zhaoyang Palace.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has gone to the Empress's palace and said he will not be coming for lunch."
Lu Yun looked at the Imperial Concubine with some nervousness, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.
What?
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine's expression changed, and she snorted coldly with some displeasure: "Today is not a big deal, why should I dine with the Empress?"
"I heard that it was Prince Xiao who came, so the Emperor gave the Empress some face."
"It's all for the sake of appearances."
Lu Yun gently comforted her.
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine's expression darkened even further.
"That little bitch Xie Qingran is so arrogant and domineering. She actually dared to humiliate me, yet everyone treats her like a treasure. No wonder she's the kind of girl that brat Xiao Jue likes!"
"Summon Xie Yankang! I want him to take his daughter back right now!"
The imperial concubine roared angrily, sweeping the teacup in front of her to the ground, her face contorted with rage.
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