Shang Yunlan was shocked.
Shang Shaoyan was also shocked: "What kind of unparalleled opponent is this?"
Shang Yunlan came to her senses and sighed, "He must really want a giant panda."
Shang Shaoyan rolled his eyes: "I really have to thank you. Now, when I go to Shuzhou, besides seeking medical treatment and winning over court officials, I also have to bring back a giant panda. You're something else."
Feeling a little guilty, Shang Yunlan quickly changed the subject: "Um, has Qiao Zhuo come to see you these past few days?"
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
It would have been better if Shang Yunlan hadn't said anything, because as soon as he did, Shang Shaoyan got angry again.
"Don't even mention it, he went back to the palace," Shang Shaoyan complained. "It's been several days already, and I'm almost ready to leave for Shu Prefecture, but he still hasn't come back."
Shang Yunlan looked at Shang Shaoyan with a hint of helplessness and comforted him, "It's alright, maybe something is holding him back."
Shang Shaoyan muttered, "I'm going to Shuzhou in five days. I don't know if he'll be able to see me off."
Shang Yunlan sighed insincerely, "Long-distance relationships are really tough, tsk."
Meanwhile, Qiao Xiuyu was indeed delayed by some strange things.
...
In the Imperial Garden of the palace, a charming and lovely young woman was chasing after Qiao Xiuyu, running and calling out in a sweet voice, "Qiao Zhuo! You stop right there!"
Qiao Xiuyu had no choice but to stop, and turned around with a helpless sigh: "Third Princess, you are already engaged, and I do not like you, so please stop bothering me."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shuangyi stomped her foot angrily: "I like you, so what if we're engaged? It's your good fortune that I've taken a liking to you. Who do you think you are? A destitute nobody who's not even welcome!"
These words were truly harsh, and Qiao Xiuyu was angered. Her expression turned cold: "Third Princess, I like gentle, sensible, well-educated, and beautiful women. Which of these qualities do you possess?"
Lu Shuangyi's eyes widened in anger: "You, you..."
Qiao Xiuyu scoffed: "What do you mean, 'you'? I'll just tell you the truth. I hate people like you who are self-righteous and unreasonable the most in my life. It's too tiring to be around you, let alone like you. From now on, Princess, don't say that it's my good fortune to have taken a liking to me. I can't afford such a good fortune."
After saying that, he left without looking back.
Lu Shuangyi was so aggrieved that she almost cried, but the maid who hurriedly caught up behind her comforted her: "Your Highness, don't be angry. How could Qiao Zhuo be worthy of you? You're right, he's just a poor, unwanted man."
Lu Shuangyi burst into tears: "I must go see my father!"
The maid thought for a moment. Although she felt that this was not something worth complaining about, His Majesty doted on the Third Prince so much that he would surely take it to heart. There was no harm in seeing His Majesty.
So she quickly replied, "Indeed, Your Highness is of noble birth, how can you be ridiculed by a poor man?"
Lu Shuangyi then went to find Chen Huang in a huff.
At this moment, Emperor Chen was still engrossed in reading the comic books that Shang Yunlan had brought to the palace. When he heard that the Third Princess was requesting an audience, he simply waved his hand and said, "I won't see her. I'm busy. Qin Ye, go and see the Third Princess off."
Qin Ye then put down the vermilion brush he was using to review memorials and went out to give a reply in person.
When Lu Shuangyi heard that her father, who had always doted on her, refused to see her and only sent out a eunuch, her eyes widened immediately. Then, recalling that she had recently heard that her father had a powerful eunuch by his side, she didn't even use her brain and concluded that Qin Ye was behind it all.
Her eyebrows furrowed, and she kicked Qin Ye: "You insolent servant, how dare you stop me from seeing my father?"
Qin Ye was kicked to his knees. He quickly prostrated himself to hide the gloomy expression on his face, but spoke softly: "Your Highness is too kind to this servant. How could this servant dare to stop you? His Majesty is indeed busy dealing with important matters at the moment. Your Highness, please return."
Lu Shuangyi was about to utter a few more words when she was stopped by the maid behind her: "Your Highness, disrespecting the Emperor is a serious offense, and you are about to be married..."
"Smack—"
A sudden slap landed on the maid's face.
Lu Shuangyi shook her hand, looked at the somewhat bewildered maid, and sneered, "What, you feel pain now? If it weren't for you, you lowly maid, instigating me to come to Father Emperor, would I have suffered such humiliation?"
After saying that, she stormed out of the imperial study, completely unaware of the gloomy expression on Qin Ye's face as he respectfully saw her off.
The maid who had been slapped inadvertently saw the expression on Qin Ye's face, and her heart skipped a beat, and she became somewhat frightened.
Recently, Lord Qin has gained the Emperor's favor, and many important matters are decided by Lord Qin. Offending him is more terrible than offending the Emperor.
At least, at least His Majesty and the princess still have a father-daughter bond.
But Lord Qin is known to be ruthless and heartless, even towards his own family.
The maid was about to follow Lu Shuangyi to warn her to be wary of Qin Ye when she felt a sharp pain on her face the moment she took a step.
She was also the legitimate daughter of a minor official, and had never been beaten since childhood. At the beginning of the year, her father was dismissed from his post and exiled, and she entered the palace as a slave as the daughter of a disgraced official. After that, she worked by the side of the Third Princess.
The grievances and beatings she suffered in that year were far greater than those of the previous ten years combined.
Thinking this, she couldn't take another step.
Seeing this, Qin Ye sneered, "Why isn't Miss Hongye leaving? Does she want to be beaten to death by the Third Prince if she doesn't go back?"
Hongye clenched her fists, as if she had thought of something. She turned around, bowed to Qin Ye, and then kowtowed earnestly to apologize before covering her face and leaving.
Qin Ye looked at Hongye's thin back with a cold gaze.
Like Hongye, he was a descendant of a "criminal" official. His family members were either exiled or beheaded, all because they had advised the Emperor Chen.
He once had pride, but through repeated kneeling and beatings, his proud edges were worn away.
That day, he knelt in the snow for two hours. He thought he probably wouldn't live more than a day and wanted to drag Consort Jing, who had been tormenting him, down with him.
Anyway, he had no family to rely on, and he was all alone, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
But then the Empress appeared.
The empress passed by him, smiled, and helped him up, instructing the palace maid beside her to brush the snow off his body.
He saw the scar running through the Empress's left cheek and vaguely heard her say casually, "He will belong to me from now on."
He is the Empress's man.
In fact, Qin Ye had heard people say that Consort Zhao was a demonic concubine, with a hideous face like a demon and a violent and unpredictable personality.
He had never met the Empress before, so he didn't dare to speak.
But that day he felt that the Empress was really beautiful, very pretty, and did not have the face of a demon at all; she was also very gentle and had the most straightforward personality.
Those people are just jealous of the Empress, that's why they're talking such nonsense.
When he woke up, he wanted to serve the Empress, but he heard her laugh and say, "Following me is a path to hell."
"Then I will follow Your Majesty to the Asura Hell."
He thought to himself that he was originally a demon from hell.
But he was willing to don human skin for her and clear away obstacles for her.
He wanted her to be safe and well.
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