At this time, Rong Zhen and others also returned to the palace and put the emperor's body into the imperial mausoleum. After more than half a month of hard work, the situation finally stabilized.

Not long after, the Queen invited Gu Yunru, Shu'er and others to gather at Qixiang Palace.

Ji Ruyan changed into a green gauze dress, showing her voluptuous figure. When she reached the vicinity of Qixiang Palace, she stopped and said, "I am not familiar with the Empress, and I have not memorized the rules of this palace. You guys go ahead. I will just walk around, take in the scenery, and enjoy the flowers."

Shu'er and Gu Yunru looked at each other. They were both aristocratic families in this city and were very familiar with the etiquette here. It was understandable that Ruyan didn't understand. They tacitly allowed him to take a walk nearby and asked Xiao Lizi to take care of her personal safety.

Walking to the back garden, Xie Yu looked at the pavilion and her eyes lit up. It seemed that Gu Yunru had not lied to her. It was a pity that she had not experienced all the world and left quietly like this. She did not want the eunuchs and palace maids to follow her, so she asked Xiao Lizi to take them somewhere else. She could walk alone here.

"Girl, you look unfamiliar."

Just then a deep and powerful male voice came over. His smile was a bit frivolous like that of a young playboy. He was wearing an elegant shirt with bamboo leaf patterns, which matched the jade hairpin on his head, making him look very noble.

Thinking that he must be some nobleman in the capital, Ji Ruyan didn't want to offend him so she bowed and walked away without paying any attention to him. However, she didn't expect that the man would stand in front of her and stretch out his arm.

"Young Master, what do you want to do?" Ji Ruyan had seen all kinds of men, but she had heard from Shu'er that the men in the palace should be avoided as much as possible.

The elegantly dressed young man had an extraordinary figure, a relatively strong body, and a smile that revealed a hint of vulgarity. He was already attracted by Ji Ruyan at the first sight, "Miss, which family are you from? Why are you dressed so lightly?!"

"Does dressing plainly mean you are inferior to others?"

Ruyan asked in confusion. It seemed that all the noblemen in the capital thought so.

There was a eunuch following beside the young master. He raised his index finger in a sissy manner and said, "How dare you! Which family's maid are you from? How dare you speak to our eldest prince like that!" When he heard the word "eldest prince", the man raised his chest proudly. It turned out to be the eldest prince Rong Yinzhi.

"I'm sorry, I don't know the eldest prince. I'm new here. If I'm impolite, please forgive me. I have other things to do, so I won't bother with you."

After saying that, she was ready to leave, but Rong Yinzhi was unhappy and blocked her way. Seeing her lingering appearance, Ruyan took a step back and said, "Prince, you are of noble status, how can you bother with a woman like me who has unknown origins?"

"A woman of unknown origin! I understand. You must be the maid summoned into the palace by the prince's uncle. Today, I heard that the queen invited Princess Zhao to Qixiang Palace for a gathering. Could it be that you followed Princess Zhao into the palace?"

Rong Yinzhi patted his head with the folding fan in his hand as if he suddenly realized something. If that was the case, it wouldn't be too much to ask Aunt Wang for a maid, but he couldn't lose his manners here!

“Brother!”

When Rong Yinzhi was teasing Ji Ruyan with full confidence, a discordant voice broke the atmosphere. A young man in dark yellow clothes was walking towards them from afar. Ruyan recognized him as the second prince Yin Li.

"Second Prince..." Ruyan saw Rong Yinli and hid behind him as if she saw a savior, while Rong Yinzhi narrowed his eyes when he saw this. Could it be that these two people had an affair? "Brother, how are you? More than half a month has passed, and you seem to have lost a lot of weight."

"Stop pretending to care about me!" Rong Yinzhi retorted bluntly. Ji Ruyan guessed that the relationship between the two brothers did not seem to be very good.

We are of the same root, so why are we so anxious to harm each other? Once the emperor fell, the true nature of the princes was revealed. Fortunately, the second prince was well-educated and did not like to argue with others. He had a broad mind and might be a candidate for the crown prince. Besides, he was born to the queen and was the legitimate son. The emperor must have intended to pass the throne to him.

"Brother, how can you say that? We are brothers after all." Rong Yinli looked at him with some hurt. Rong Yinzhi pointed at his nose and sneered, "Don't give me that. I am the eldest son and you are the legitimate son. You and I are like water and fire. My mother is Concubine Duan and your mother is the Queen. How can you and I be compared?!"

Seeing their fierce argument, Ruyan quietly pulled Yin Li's sleeve, indicating that they should not argue any more. If outsiders heard it and spread it inappropriately, it would not end well! There was a peaceful atmosphere in Qixiang Palace, but at this time, the maid beside the queen whispered a few words in her ear, and the queen's face suddenly changed.

"Has something happened to the Queen?" Gu Yunru was also frightened by the Queen's changeable expression. She was usually dignified and generous and would never make such a low-level mistake.

"It's all right, all right...Did the princess bring the maids from the mansion with her when she entered the palace?"

"Ah? You only brought two people with you and they are waiting by your side. What do you mean by this, Queen?" Gu Yunru looked at her in confusion. Usually, she went in and out alone and rarely brought anyone with her. Could it be that she was talking about Ji Ruyan? "It's okay... I just asked out of curiosity."

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Gu Yunru nodded happily, but she felt something was wrong. The Queen's expression told her so.

Rong Yinli accompanied Ji Ruyan to the Imperial Garden and said, "The Queen Mother's palace is not far from here. You wait here. If the Princess and the others come out, you can meet them."

"Thank you very much, Second Prince. If it weren't for your generous rescue today, I'm afraid Ruyan wouldn't have been able to escape so easily..."

Ji Ruyan didn't expect that the eldest prince would be so rude. She felt a little scared and thought that she would never dare to wander around the harem alone again. Although the scenery here was beautiful, there were dangers hidden everywhere.

"My eldest brother is just an impetuous person. If he encounters something unpredictable, he will be even more annoyed. You don't have to blame him. He is a straightforward person and has no bad intentions."