"Looks like you're doing quite well?"
"This servant, Geng Youran, greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed!"
Geng Youran was so engrossed in making pastries that she didn't hear anyone come in.
Upon seeing a strange man enter, her first reaction was to kneel down and pay her respects.
"You're quite clever; how did you know I'm the eldest prince?"
“I was fortunate enough to serve Consort Hui and saw her personally embroider a purse with a cloud, bat, and double happiness pattern, exactly the same as the one you are wearing.”
While staring at Geng Youran with a smile, Yinzhi unconsciously stroked the purse hanging at his waist.
"Little girl, you have a sharp eye. It wasn't for nothing that I went to the trouble of transferring you to my side."
"This servant dares not."
Living in this palace requires extreme caution. Geng Youran had felt that Yinzhi's tone was somewhat intimate when he spoke to her, but she couldn't recall ever having any interaction with this man.
She had to be careful in everything she did; she still wanted to leave the palace alive.
So even though she was curious, she pretended not to hear, lowered her head, backed away, and said:
"It's too smoky and noisy here, sir. Why don't you go somewhere else?"
At this moment, Yinzhi felt somewhat displeased.
I kindly arranged for her to be assigned to Yanxi Palace and even begged my mother to let her be a second-class palace maid. How come she's now pretending to know nothing about me?
Yinzhi thought Geng Youran was still worried that outsiders might be eavesdropping, so he walked up to her and whispered:
"My men are guarding outside; no one dares to come near here."
"Please spare my life, sir!"
Geng Youran knelt down with a thud, and shouted even louder.
Now she is even more certain that the original owner and the First Prince knew each other, and their relationship might be even closer than she imagined.
"You Ran, what's wrong?"
At this moment, even Yinzhi was confused. How could he, a prince, have been used by a mere woman?
Thinking of this, Yinzhi also became somewhat angry. He gritted his teeth and asked:
"Geng Youran, you'd better explain this to me."
"Before entering the palace, I accidentally fell into the water and developed a high fever that wouldn't go down. After recovering, I forgot many things. If I said anything I shouldn't have, please punish me, Your Highness, and please don't implicate my family."
After saying that, Geng Youran kowtowed three times on the ground.
Seeing Geng Youran's explanation, and seeing the blood seeping from Youran's forehead, Yinzhi felt a pang of pity.
"Alright, since that's the case, I won't blame you. Get up."
But Geng Youran remained kneeling and refused to rise.
Just as Yinzhi was about to step forward to help the person up, he heard someone calling from outside the door:
"Consort Hui has arrived!"
Then the door was pushed open.
"Your son greets his mother, may your mother be blessed."
"This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed."
"You Ran, what's going on?"
"Reporting to Mother, I rushed over from the manor this morning and didn't have time to eat anything, so I came to your small kitchen to find something to eat."
"You Ran?"
Yinzhi's words sounded like a lie, but Consort Hui didn't expose him and instead let You Ran continue.
"Your Majesty, it was this servant who was blind and did not recognize your greatness, and offended the prince. Please forgive me, Your Majesty and the prince."
Zhen Youran deliberately exposed half of her forehead, which was now not only bloodshot but also somewhat purplish, making it look even more eerie against her fair skin.
What's wrong with your head?
“That girl is so immature, my son disciplined her.”
Consort Hui then stopped asking questions.
The group returned to the main room, where Geng Youran, despite her injuries, served her two masters.
"Alright, since you're injured, go and rest. Qingzhi, have Xiao Anzi fetch a royal physician. It would be a shame for a young lady to have a scar."
"yes."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After Geng Youran and Qingzhi took their leave, Consort Hui also dismissed the other servants and left her son inside.
"Tell me, what exactly happened today?"
"Mother, didn't I just tell you?"
Having spent so many years in the palace, Consort Hui could guess most of her son's thoughts, if not all of them.
Yinzhi pretended not to see Consort Hui's suspicious look, picked up the pastries on the coffee table and started eating.
Although her son now has a wife and several children, in Consort Hui's eyes, no matter how old he is, he is still the son who used to cuddle in her arms.
"Baoqing, if you really like that girl, your mother will talk to your father on your behalf. Although she can't be a concubine, she's more than qualified to be a princess."
"Mother, I'm not here today to ask you for someone. I'm here today because I have something important to tell you."
"you say."
"I have received news that Father Emperor is considering a personal campaign. This time, I also want to go."
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui grabbed Yinzhi's ear and began to scold him.
"You think your mother has lived too long, don't you? You just make your mother live in constant fear."
Yinzhi dared not use force and could only let Consort Hui punish him.
Seeing that Consort Hui's anger had subsided slightly, he continued to comfort her.
“Mother, I have aspired since childhood to become the first Baturu of the Great Qing. Since Father Emperor intends to personally lead the expedition, I will naturally follow.”
Consort Hui stared intently into Yinzhi's eyes until he felt a chill run down his spine.
"Mother, don't look at your son like that, it's scary."
"Baoqing, tell your mother the truth, besides this matter, is there anything else you've done?"
Yinzhi scratched his head, his ears turning slightly red.
"Mother understands her son best. I would like to ask Mother to take good care of Geng Youran during this time of war. When Father and I return victorious, I will personally ask Father to grant us marriage."
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