Zhen Huan was inevitably nervous upon receiving the reminder, even though she had been preparing for it for a long time.
But in the end, she was still just a teenage girl. And the person in front of her was no ordinary person, but the emperor who held the power of the entire country.
As the moment approached, Zhen Huan's mind became somewhat flustered. Music can reveal one's state of mind, and Zhen Huan was worried that the chubby boy would overhear something, so she put down her flute before the piece was finished.
Looking at the yellow butterflies attracted by the butterfly-attracting incense, Zhen Huan reached out her hand as if no one else was around.
A butterfly gently landed on her finger. A moment later, it took flight again, playing in the air with another one.
Seeing this, Liu Zhu deliberately reminded her, "My lady, we've been out for a while now. You're not fully recovered yet. Let me help you back."
Zhen Huan smiled faintly as she stood up and said, "It has been a while, let's go back."
As the two turned around, they saw a slightly plump middle-aged man dressed in casual clothes and wearing a melon-shaped hat. He smiled and slowly walked towards them.
It was Fatty Orange who had been hiding behind the flowers and trees, and only came out to see Zhen Huan when she was about to leave.
Upon suddenly seeing a man outside, Zhen Huan and Liu Zhu gave a slight curtsy and then retreated hastily. Zhen Huan asked,
"May I ask how I should address you?"
The moment the flute music stopped, Big Fat Orange woke up and realized that the person in front of him was not the one in his dream.
From a distance, they look about 80-90% alike, but upon closer inspection, it seems that only the eyebrows and eyes are similar to each other by about 50-60%.
But even with only a five or six-point resemblance, it's already quite remarkable for a big, chubby orange cat.
But a strange feeling lingered in Big Fatty's heart. The woman before him was clearly dressed as a concubine, yet he had absolutely no recollection of her.
And judging from her expression, she didn't seem to recognize him, the emperor. Thinking of this, the chubby orange suddenly became interested.
"Guess who I am?"
Zhen Huan asked, feigning nervousness, "You are not...the Emperor?"
Seeing that the chubby orange cat remained silent, clearly playing along, Zhen Huan continued to ask, "Or perhaps it's some prince?"
The chubby orange cat said, "Have you ever heard of Prince Guo?"
Zhen Huan felt a surge of sarcasm in her heart. Why did she have to impersonate someone else when the emperor and his concubines were talking to each other?
If it were Prince Heng or Prince Dun, that would be fine, at least the difference wouldn't be too great. Why pretend to be Prince Guo of all people?
Although she had never met Prince Guo in person, she knew that many noble ladies had secretly fallen for him.
If Prince Guo really looked like that, wouldn't all those girls be blind?
Zhen Huan said, "I have heard of it, but considering your age, you don't seem to fit the bill."
The chubby orange cat said confidently, "Mature beyond his years. People's age and appearance don't always match."
He genuinely didn't feel embarrassed at all.
Every day, Sun Miaoqing mocked him in her heart, calling him a "fat orange cat" and complaining that his body wasn't muscular but rather "streaky pork"...
In the past few months, apart from the days when he was sick, he has been quite active, and he would occasionally go to the palace training ground to practice for a while.
I feel that although I am not as good as I was ten years ago, I have at least recovered to the state I was five years ago.
In terms of appearance alone, he was not much inferior to Prince Guo.
Zhen Huan said, "Your Excellency says you are Prince Guo, so then you are Prince Guo."
"This humble servant is a member of the Zhen family and has met Your Highness."
Is she a member of the Zhen family?
Big Fatty Orange suddenly realized that it was the concubine Zhen Huan, who had a slender waist like the Empress Chun Yuan, who had been chosen for the palace selection. He had wondered how there could be a concubine in the palace who looked so much like Chun Yuan.
"Are you the Consort Wan who fell ill and recuperated as soon as she entered the palace?"
Zhen Huan asked in surprise, "How could Your Highness, as an outsider, know about such trivial matters in the inner palace?"
Big Orange added, "I overheard my sister-in-law mentioning it by chance. During the New Year's Eve palace banquet, my brother casually asked a question, and I happened to hear it."
"The palace maid beside me just said that you are not fully recovered yet, why didn't you wear more clothes when you came out?"
Zhen Huan said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Big Fat Orange said, "You were just playing 'Guan Shan Yue,' which Li Bai wrote a new poem about during the Tang Dynasty."
"The soldier on the frontier gazes at the border scenery, his face etched with longing for home. In the high tower this night, his sighs are never silent. The sound of the flute carries a sense of loneliness and melancholy, a feeling of stagnation in the depths of emotion, surely he is homesick."
"But when you played the last part, the sound of the flute seemed a bit chaotic. Why didn't you continue playing?"
Zhen Huan gripped the long flute tightly in her hand, never expecting that the person before her could understand her feelings. If they had met elsewhere, perhaps they could have been kindred spirits.
Zhen Huan said, "If the music is wrong, Zhou Yu will notice. Your Highness has exceptional hearing, even surpassing that of Zhou Gongjin."
The chubby orange cat suddenly raised its head slightly, looked at the sky beside it, and said with a nostalgic expression, "It has been many years since I have heard such beautiful flute music."
Zhen Huan had just been thinking to herself that perhaps the chubby orange cat was a kindred spirit. But now, seeing his face full of nostalgia, she felt as disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly.
It seems that Empress Chun Yuan was indeed skilled in playing various musical instruments and singing...
Sure enough, the next sentence was spoken by the chubby orange, "Since the passing of Empress Chun Yuan many years ago, the palace has never heard the sound of the flute like today."
Zhen Huan said, "Your Highness is too kind. I dare not compare myself to Empress Chun Yuan."
"It's getting late, I should return to the palace. Please make yourself at home, Your Highness."
After Zhen Huan left with Liu Zhu, once they returned to Suiyu Pavilion and closed the gates, Cui Jinxi, who was left in the palace, anxiously stepped forward and asked,
"How is it, my lord? Did it succeed today?"
Zhen Huan nodded, then whispered, "I don't know either, but it should be successful."
Cui Jinxi looked at Liu Zhu, who explained, "Just now, a middle-aged man came to the swing set."
"He was not wearing a dragon robe, and no one was with him. He even called himself Prince Guo."
"However, both Your Highness and I believe that he is the Emperor, but we don't know why he would use the name of Prince Guo."
Upon hearing the name "middle-aged man," Cui Jinxi knew it must be the emperor, and said with a smile,
"You don't understand, this is called romance, it shows that the Emperor cares about the young lady."
Zhen Huan said, "He doesn't care about me, he cares about Empress Chun Yuan. All his romantic gestures are for Empress Chun Yuan."
Cui Jinxi advised, "My lady, please forgive my bluntness, but since you have chosen this path, you must remember it."
"There's plenty of time in the future, no need to fight over this short-term issue. Once the Emperor's heart is with you, you can decide what to do."
"It is said that the living cannot compete with the dead, but the dead have been dead for so many years. People are forgetful, and the emperor is no exception."
Zhen Huan's expression turned serious as she looked at Cui Jinxi, her gaze resolute as she spoke.
“I understand. If he doesn’t want me to know he’s the emperor, then he’s not good.”
"I caught a chill in the Imperial Garden today and now I have a bit of a headache. I'll go swing in a couple of days."
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