The palace is now safer than ever, protected by the Northern Martial Guards with impenetrable security. The answer to how someone could appear right under their noses is obvious.
Whether it was true or not, Qi Yu knew he couldn't let the other person see anything. He immediately pushed the bed back to its original position, hid the blanket underneath, and went around the screen.
On the other side, Xia Yixin was also awakened by a system notification. It was Xia Jingfeng who sent someone to check. He didn't know where he had heard the news and knew that there was a folding bed in Xia Yixin's room.
Although he trusted his daughter, he wasn't sure what was really going on.
When Xia Yixin saw Qi Yu, she quickly waved to him and rolled over into the bed as he got on.
The bed here is not like the dragon bed; it was just the right size for Qi Yu when he got on.
Just as the curtains fell, the sound of someone landing echoed from inside the room.
Xia Yixin's breath hitched; Xia Jingfeng had actually become suspicious! Good heavens!
Just as she was considering whether to confront Xia Jingfeng, she was suddenly embraced by someone. Her heart skipped a beat as she met Qi Yu's deep black eyes.
He tapped a spot on her lower back, and Xia Yixin let out a startled cry.
After a cup of tea.
The guard Xia Jingfeng sent to investigate returned, replying with a troubled expression, "My lord, the young lady and the young master... are a loving couple."
And it was very intense.
Anyway, the guard blushed after listening for a while. His young lady's voice was already melodious, but tonight it was even more alluring. The little emperor, who was usually so serious, actually said such shameless things.
Xia Jingfeng was naturally unaware of these things; he was simply slightly relieved.
The atmosphere on the other side was rather delicate.
Even with her thick skin, Xia Yixin never expected that Qi Yu, who always seemed so serious, was actually a naive and innocent guy, making her suspect that he had been reading CEO romance novels, and that each line of his was more and more flirtatious than the last.
On the other side, Qi Yu was already as red as a boiled shrimp.
Although it was done out of necessity, it was still reckless for Qi Yu.
"I had no choice just now, Miss Xia, please don't take offense." Qi Yu broke the silence and got up to go back to his side, but a small hand tugged at his clothes.
"Well, we can't always be on edge like this. How about we sleep together for now, just for sleeping?" Xia Yixin said, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
Has she ever said anything like that before?
Qi Yu's heart beat a little faster, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Alright, also, how should I address you... may I call you Wan'er?"
He paused. "Or perhaps Zitong, Madam?"
Zitong refers to the Empress.
Xia Yixin felt that the last word inexplicably stimulated her nerves, so she chose "Wan'er instead".
Anyway, it's the original owner's given name.
Qi Yu had no idea what she was thinking, but the word "Wan'er" lingered on his lips like a vine, quietly entwining himself in his heart.
The two of them were like kids who had done something naughty together, and they had a "secret that only the two of us know" feeling, which made their relationship much closer in an instant.
With the Ghost Festival approaching, the atmosphere of the festival is everywhere.
The Empress Dowager was also preparing for the palace celebration ceremony. Last year, because peace had just been restored, the people were still recuperating. Now, after more than a year, both the Han people and the masters in the palace wanted a day to express their emotions.
While Cao De was busy, he noticed that his emperor was in a good mood. Moreover, he was carrying a small porcelain bottle of osmanthus honey given to him by the empress, and would take it out to caress it from time to time, sometimes with a smile on his lips.
Moreover, Qi Yu seems to be treating the Empress exceptionally well lately. Every day when he returns to Fengqi Palace, he brings back some novel items, such as pastries from outside the palace and some special medicinal herbs. Although he had these before, Cao De had always delivered them to her, but now he is carrying them himself.
That look...
Cao De would always think of sparrows during their mating season, carrying all sorts of good things to please the females.
However, Qi Yu was happy, and Cao De was happy too. To put it bluntly, he had long regarded him as his own child.
Today, Qi Yu brought over another precious medicinal herb from below. Seeing Xia Yixin's almond-shaped eyes light up as she looked at the herb, and a smile appear on her lips, he took the opportunity to extend an invitation.
"Would you like to take a stroll outside the palace in a while?"
Sure enough, her eyes lit up even more. "Okay!"
Qi Yu had left the palace before, but this was the most meticulously prepared one. It happened to coincide with the Ghost Festival, which brought an increase in the number of merchants coming and going.
Unfortunately, an accident occurred before the two could leave the palace.
Empress Dowager Xiaode summoned Xia Yixin to her private quarters.
After more than a year of recuperation, the once slender and frail "sickly beauty" looks much better and has more energy. Unfortunately, the events of the past few days have brought back a sense of melancholy to her face.
Empress Dowager Xiaode had been imprisoned in the cold palace for many years. Although the Lin family now had Minister Lin, he was over fifty years old. The Lin family was in decline, and she had no maternal clan to support her. She was probably the most aggrieved empress dowager since the founding of the country.
Empress Dowager Xiaode actually liked Xia Yixin in her heart. Over the past year, Xia Yixin would occasionally send her some novel foods and drinks. Moreover, she knew that it was because of her that Xia Jingfeng was able to control the palace and sent some of these things.
Although Empress Dowager Xiaode was unaware that the two were not husband and wife, she could tell that Xia Yixin's gaze towards her son did not convey the feeling of "I can't live without him." On the contrary, Qi Yu was becoming more and more deeply infatuated.
She hesitated for a moment, then took Xia Yixin's hand. "Empress, I don't know who else I can trust in the palace besides the Emperor. But I can see that you are a kind child. I don't understand the affairs of the court, but there are always winners and losers in the struggle for power. I only ask one thing of you: if necessary, please protect Yu'er's life and send him away from the palace. I don't care about my own life."
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