Gan Qiongying dismissed Li Hua and turned to head towards Danxi Palace.
But before she could take a few steps, she suddenly heard running sounds behind her, and then she was hugged tightly from behind.
Because of a leg injury, Li Hua has never tried to run, even though she wears special shoes and has a fixed strap.
He was so fooled by Gan Qiongying's few words that he almost lost his mind. He had followed the maid for quite a distance before Li Hua finally realized that every word Gan Qiongying said that night was wrong, and that she was in a completely strange state.
Li Hua stood deep within the dim light, watching Gan Qiongying walk towards the brightly lit Danxi Palace. Suddenly, he had a very bad feeling, as if the bright light was a ferocious beast with its mouth wide open, and as long as Gan Qiongying went there, she would be devoured by the beast.
Li Hua was extremely flustered. He thought of how the emperor had openly defied the empress dowager in the main hall earlier that day, and the silent banquet in which all the officials in the hall were trembling with fear.
Anyone in Nanzhao with even a slight understanding of power would know that the emperor was a puppet in the hands of the empress dowager, and the consequences of such open resistance would be unimaginable.
The emperor was so important to Princess Duanrong that she neglected her sleep and meals. If she stayed in the palace, Li Hua dared not even think about what she would experience tonight.
Combined with Gan Qiongying's unusual behavior just now, Li Hua suddenly realized that Gan Qiongying was trying to get rid of him.
Something is bound to happen in the palace tonight!
Therefore, Li Hua turned around and ran back without regard for anything else. Gan Qiongying stepped into that patch of light, which Li Hua saw as the gaping maw of a ferocious beast, and he hugged her tightly and dragged her back to the place they had just been.
“Come back with me,” Li Hua said. “I don’t want to go back to the princess’s residence alone. Let’s go back together.”
Li Hua stared closely at Gan Qiongying's face and indeed saw a momentary stiffness in her expression.
However, Gan Qiongying adjusted very quickly, soon putting on a smile again. She tapped Li Hua's shoulder and said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Don't be so clingy, okay? I just wanted to spend some time with His Majesty..."
“Then I will stay in the palace and wait for you. The palace is so big, there must be a place for me to stay.”
Gan Qiongying's lips twitched slightly, but she still said, "Stop making a fuss, okay? You're so busy every day. People from the Chamber of Commerce come and go. How can things work without you? Making money is also very important. The Princess's Mansion has huge expenses, and it all depends on you."
"Husband," Gan Qiongying wished she could bring out all the tenderness and coquettishness she had ever possessed in her life, "when you go back, you still need to help me take care of the Princess's residence. If you stay in this palace, you will distract me. When you are here, I will always want to go to you. How can I talk to the Emperor properly?"
"Good girl," Gan Qiongying pinched Li Hua's cheek, "I'll definitely be back in a day or two at most."
However, this time Li Hua was not fooled. Although Li Hua was still quite inexperienced in matters of the heart, he was easily charmed by Gan Qiongying's few words.
However, he was never confused in other areas. Once he was out of that dazed state, no matter what tricks Gan Qiongying used, she could no longer fool Li Hua.
"Is something happening in the palace..." Li Hua began, but Gan Qiongying immediately changed the subject.
"I already told you, I just wanted to spend some time with His Majesty, how could you..."
Gan Qiongying wanted to pretend to get angry with Li Hua and then take the opportunity to drive him away, but when she looked up and met Li Hua's focused and worried gaze, she couldn't bring herself to get angry no matter what.
The two of them have hardly ever argued since they moved in together. Sometimes Lihua would throw a tantrum, but when she did, she never spoke harshly or angrily.
They never argue.
Gan Qiongying's voice faltered for a moment, instantly exposing her previous disguise.
Li Hua's expression indeed turned serious. He grabbed Gan Qiongying's arms, looked around, and then, seeing that the two maids who had followed him back were still keeping watch for the two of them, Li Hua lowered his voice and leaned closer to Gan Qiongying to ask, "What exactly happened? Was it His Majesty's disobedience to the Empress Dowager in the main hall today?"
"Then if you stay in the palace, wouldn't that give the Empress Dowager even more leverage to control His Majesty?"
Li Hua tried to analyze the matter calmly, but human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Li Hua and the emperor had no emotional foundation, so naturally she considered everything from Gan Qiongying's perspective and tried to persuade Gan Qiongying to leave the palace.
Gan Qiongying looked at Li Hua, and after a moment she sighed deeply.
“I can’t leave my brother here alone.” Gan Qiongying said to Li Hua, “No matter what happens, no matter how the Empress Dowager tries to deal with Gan Lin, as his elder sister, I can leave him once, but how can I do it a second time?”
"This is a complicated matter, and I can't explain it to you in just a few words." Moreover, this is not a good place to talk. Gan Qiongying said to Li Hua with a solemn expression, "Listen to me, you should know what position Gan Lin holds in the palace. You guessed right, I am the handle that the Empress Dowager uses to threaten Gan Lin. I can't get out of here anymore, and even if I go back to hide in the princess's residence, it won't help."
"But in their eyes, you are nothing more than a lowly merchant. They have never taken you seriously. You should leave the palace as soon as possible. This matter has nothing to do with you, nor should it involve you."
"Don't leave the princess's residence when you get back. Don't be afraid if you find someone following you. As long as you stay in the residence, you will be safe."
Gan Qiongying reached out and touched Li Hua's face, then smiled and said, "What I told you was all true. Wait for me to come back; I also have some things I want to tell you."
As she spoke, she tried to push Li Hua away, saying that they had already been delayed for a while, and what if the Empress Dowager summoned Gan Lin at this time?
But Li Hua stubbornly refused to leave, looking down at Gan Qiongying and asking, "They have never taken me seriously, thinking I am a lowly merchant. What about you?"
"You were in such a hurry to send me out of the palace, did you never really care about me?"
What am I to you?
Li Hua grabbed Gan Qiongying's shoulders, knowing that now was definitely not a good time to ask Gan Qiongying's wishes, but he felt that if he didn't ask today, he might never have the chance to ask again.
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