When Huo Xiaolong arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, Lan Tingche had already scolded several nannies so badly that they were sitting on the ground wiping away tears.
"Lord of the Southwest, how about this?"
"I'm too old to embroider properly, so let's stop here for today."
"No, that won't do. I haven't embroidered a single pattern that will please the Prince yet. You know, most of the clothes the Prince wears when he enters the palace are made by me. I haven't embroidered this garment yet. You have to teach me today."
The old woman sitting on the ground, threading a needle, didn't know how to answer. What respectable family has a grown man sitting on the bed embroidering every day?
"Brother Tingche?"
The girl in the python robe walked in and carefully examined the man in front of her.
She was terrified that someone like Rong Momo would bully Lan Tingche.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Why did you go to the palace without telling me?" Long'er asked.
"The Empress Dowager wants to teach me some rules of being a princess, so I can't refuse. There's no need to bother you with these matters of the inner quarters."
The man was laughing happily, and Huo Xiaolong felt relieved. Only Cen Ang was surrounded by his aunts and couldn't leave.
“Aunt Cen, you must come with me to the Imperial Kitchen today. It’s spotless there now, and the rewards and punishments are clearly defined.”
"Why go to the Imperial Kitchen? Aunt Cen, do you still remember me? Back when I was in the Imperial Ink Room, I accidentally broke a cup of ink. You were the one who pleaded for me. Today you have to come to my place, and I'll paint a picture for you."
Cen Ang just wanted to have a private talk with the Empress Dowager, but he was entangled by a group of palace maids and eunuchs. Moreover, these people were all of high rank in the palace, and the noise was giving the women a headache.
The woman saw her daughter pulling Tingche out of the Empress Dowager's palace. Just as she was about to tell them to take her away as well, she saw Long'er stride towards the Imperial Study.
Well, so he's gone to complain again.
If I were the emperor, I'd get a headache just looking at you.
"Your Majesty, you promised me before that you wouldn't interfere in my household affairs, so why did you summon Tingche to the palace again today? If I hadn't arrived quickly, what if my fiancée had been defiled?"
"You should know that with my temperament, finding a suitable one is as difficult as climbing to heaven."
Seeing Huo Xiaolong's self-righteous attitude, the Emperor really wanted to stand up and argue with her.
You know you have a bad temper?
You should take a good look at your shameful thing. Besides its pretty face, it has no other redeeming qualities.
"The Empress Dowager is getting old and is willing to worry about the younger generation. Prince Zhenbei, don't be angry. Here's what I'll do: I'll reward you with a year's salary, plus some cloth. Go back and appease Tingche. We're all family, aren't we?"
Huo Xiaolong pouted, "No, I'm not happy."
"Then what else do you want? Tell me yourself."
The main problem is that you can't force her. Unlike Xiao Lanyi, she doesn't have a family background or foundation. Having known her for so long, the Emperor thinks that Huo Xiaolong acts more out of passion than anything else.
In other words, she's a mad dog; if you provoke her, she'll bite you.
Who cares?
The incident a couple of days ago where someone killed someone in front of the Empress Dowager is a good example.
Imperial power—when she wants to respect you, it is imperial power; when she doesn't want to respect you, it's less than dog poop on the street.
"Your Majesty, I request three years' worth of military pay for the Zhenbei Army."
Three years?
"Prince Zhenbei, what do you take the national treasury for? Is it your Zhenbei army's granary?"
The emperor put down the official document in his hand, picked up a memorial at random, and threw it over.
Huo Xiaolong didn't move his hand in a salute, but tilted his head and dodged the official document.
To put it arrogantly, no one in her life has ever dared to throw things at Huo Xiaolong like that. There have been others before, but they all died.
The girl's imposing eyes stared directly at Yuwen Xuanhong, and the emperor immediately snapped back to his senses.
Now is not the time to break ties with the Prince of Zhenbei. The grasslands have just been conquered, and she needs to stabilize the border.
In fact, Huo Xiaolong's style of doing things has always been very straightforward. From the moment she arrived in the capital, she used her actions to tell the Emperor that if he had the ability to kill her, he should either not bother her.
This was the third time, and the last chance she gave Yuwen Xuanhong.
"There's a saying among the common people: you don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. Prince Zhenbei, the national treasury really doesn't have that much. How about this, I'll approve this year's and next year's military pay for you this time, what do you say?"
The young woman withdrew her earlier oppressive aura, bowed deeply to Yuwen Xuanhong, and replied with a smile.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I will bring you some delicious food when I go to court in a few days."
"No need for fancy food. You should take Tingche home and rest. He was frightened today."
Outside the Imperial Study, Lan Tingche paced back and forth, listening to the sounds inside. Cen Ang also got rid of the palace maids and eunuchs and came to wait for his daughter.
"Let's go, Mom, Tingche, let's go home."
“Yes,” Cen Ang replied.
Once, this place was her home. After meeting the Crown Princess, she felt that she had a place to belong in the world. Now, the sky is still this place, and the surroundings are still the same old blue bricks and white tiles. But now, her daughter's call to come home is a sound that truly makes her feel like she has a place to belong.
Lan Tingche followed the two out of the palace gate, and the group cautiously recounted Xu Qiushui's rescue.
"You two know pretty much what happened back then. Mom knows the truth, but there are no witnesses or physical evidence, so the case can't be overturned."
"Brother Tingche, should we go check on him first?"
The man shook his head.
"Don't let him know that he has anything to do with us. The farther away the better. Rent a small courtyard near the Prince's mansion and hide him there."
"We'll talk to him after we get the physical evidence."
"That's fine too."
Da Ni'er was getting moldy from waiting at the Prince's mansion. She sat on the stone lion at the entrance, watching the group lead their horses away.
"Why don't you ride the horse if you have one?" the second-year student asked.
"There are a lot of people on the street."
"Weren't you riding there just now?"
"I was anxious back then!"
Long'er handed the horse to the old eunuch guarding the gate, and Da Ni'er, holding the girl's hand, quickly ran into the study. The first thing she said after turning around and closing the door was...
"Honghua has contacted me."
"Who is it? Where is it? Can we catch it?"
"I didn't know either. Just now, when I was making pancakes, someone threw me a crumpled piece of paper. Look."
There is only a time and place on it, along with a red flower.
"Then go ahead," Huo Xiaolong said.
"What if we go? Can we kill them all?"
"Honghua is... she's a traitor! She's... she's a spy, do you understand?!"
Huo Xiaolong was speechless looking at Da Nier's mind. What is an internal traitor? They are hidden in the shadows, not in the light. Do you think this is a war where you can kill them all?
"Hmm, what's up?" the second-year middle school girl asked.
"So what! You cooperate with them first, then when you meet Boss Red Flower, kill her!"
"Okay, no problem. I need to get this sorted out. I'll go back and pack now."
"Don't carry those things with you, your two brothers and the Imperial Advisor. You bring them with you every time you meet a grassland person. Are you addicted?"
Every time Da Ni'er met a grassland person, she would stuff all the spoils of war onto her body, practically telling them, "I'm incredibly powerful. If you touch me, you'll die. If I want to touch you, you'll die too."
"Okay, I'll wear one less of my brother's. Bye, oh."
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