Li Zhongqian slept soundly, and when he woke up, the room was dark.

The curtains were lowered, and the light was dim.

In the darkness, there was the sound of rustling dresses, and a slender figure was sitting cross-legged in front of a low table facing him. Her chin was supported by her hands, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. She was staring intently at the incense box on the low table.

It was a clam-shell incense box inlaid with gold and engraved with phoenix patterns. The lid of the box was half open, and faint light of light blue could be seen through it.

The young lady was so engrossed in watching that she couldn't help but reach out and gently open the lid of the box.

Suddenly, a soft halo of light flowed out like water, illuminating the entire room as bright as a candle.

It turned out that the incense box contained a round and smooth luminous wall from the Kingdom of Fulin, as big as a pigeon egg.

Li Zhongqian sat up and rubbed his shoulders.

"Do you like it?"

He asked with a smile, a bit of complacency on his face.

The luminous wall is also called the Moon Bead. When he saw this bead, he immediately thought of his sister. Her nickname was Ming Yue Nu, which was given by Xie Wuliang.

Li Yaoying nodded with a smile on her face, her eyelashes dark and thick: "I like it."

Jewels and jade are common, but this moon-shaped pearl is rare, with its lustrous color and beautiful shape.

The shimmering light reflected on her snow-white face, which was already very beautiful, and the hazy pearlescent light made her features look even more picturesque, soft and charming.

Li Zhongqian was stunned for a moment, as if he had just woken up from a dream. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Yaoying carefully.

Yaoying was afraid of heat, so she tied her long black hair up high and wore a peony and green silk crown, a green hairpin between her eyebrows, and a delicate smile on her lips. She wore a light blue gauze as thin as a cicada's wing, and a long skirt with eight panels of five-colored brocade and gold lace underneath. On her arm was a white silver shawl embroidered with flowers, birds, and pearls. Her thin brows were slightly lowered, and she sat there with one hand on the low table, smiling.

She has always been like this in private, lazy and casual, never standing if she can sit, never kneeling obediently if she can lean on something, and her posture is careless, without the virtuous and dignified demeanor that a lady from a noble family should have.

Li Zhongqian reminded her several times.

Yaoying was very well-behaved. She promised every time that she would change. After a while, she quietly changed her kneeling position, either crossing her legs roughly or simply leaning back on the desk to slack off.

After saying a few words to her, she smiled nonchalantly and knelt down obediently, but after a while she returned to her old ways.

Li Zhongqian doted on Yao Ying and didn't pay much attention to her.

She is his sister, there is no need to suppress her nature.

In his eyes, Yaoying was still a naive and cute child, trembling behind him, asking him to carry her to the yard to pick ripe plums from the branches.

At this moment, Li Zhongqian looked at Yaoying bathed in the pearly light and suddenly realized: Unknowingly, his sister had grown up.

She was still carefree, sitting cross-legged, but not at all vulgar, and her gaze had just the right kind of moving aura that was hard to describe in words.

She has a pretty face and a noble bearing, yet she exudes a soft and charming charm.

Besides, she was in the prime of her youth and had a beautiful complexion. She did not need any makeup. All she needed to do was to bend her eyebrows slightly and smile, and she could make half of the vagrant young men in the capital fall in love with her.

Li Zhongqian frowned slightly, and suddenly thought of Xue Wunian's poems.

Her demeanor is graceful, her thoughts far-reaching, and her character is genuine, with delicate skin and even bones and flesh.

I should have broken Xue Wu’s other leg as well!

Li Zhongqian's eyes darkened slightly, and anger rose in his heart.

He had been a bohemian man since his teens, and he knew what kind of women could make men unable to stop, and he also knew what was in the minds of Xue Wu and his gang.

Yao Ying looked at Li Zhongqian in confusion and asked with concern, "Brother, do you have a headache?"

Li Zhongqian uttered an ambiguous sound.

Yao Ying patted his arm gently: "I told you to drink less, but you never listened!"

She called Chunru's name loudly.

The palace maids opened the curtains and brought hot water and towels to help Li Zhongqian wash and comb his hair, and then lit up the gilded lanterns in the four corners of the room one by one.

Yaoying carefully put away the luminous wall and ordered the palace servants to serve food.

She had already eaten and wanted to ask Li Zhongqian to get up and have dinner together, but seeing that his brows were wrinkled in his sleep and he looked very tired, she did not call him.

The soup was still being heated on the stove, the mutton was very tender. Li Zhongqian ate two bowls in silence and asked about Monda Deva.

Yao Ying had thought about it before and did not tell him about the Brahman magic medicine. She only said that Mondadeva could not cure Concubine Xie's madness.

Li Zhongqian didn't ask any more questions, and then asked: "Did he take your pulse? What did he say?"

Yao Ying smiled and said, "The master said that I was born weak, but I took good care of myself and kept exercising, so it's not a big deal."

When Concubine Xie was conscious, she stayed by her side and took care of her without taking off her clothes.

She is always clean and refreshed.

Later, Li Zhongqian took her to his side to take care of her and searched for famous doctors for her. As long as the doctor prescribed a medicine, no matter how strange the prescription was or how many expensive and rare herbs were needed, he would find a way to collect them and have the doctor mix them into pills for her to take.

She was well taken care of and was now much stronger than when she was a child. She could run, jump, ride a horse, and was growing very fast.

Li Zhongqian was worried, so he asked someone to bring the prescription left by Mondadeva and sat in front of the lamp to read it carefully.

They were just a few prescriptions for nourishing and conditioning. He read them one by one and nodded.

"Mingyuenu, come here."

Li Zhongqian sent the palace maid away, motioned Yao Ying to sit in front of him, and said solemnly: "I talked to Mr. Zheng last night and arranged a marriage for you."

Yao Ying was stunned for a long time, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Isn't this too hasty?

Li Zhongqian was very stubborn in some aspects and insisted on finding a suitable marriage for her.

She had already told him that she was still young and didn't want to get married.

With a knife always hanging over her head, she really had no intention of getting married.

Li Zhongqian was very determined. After much deliberation, he finally decided on the Zheng family.

He mentioned this before going to war, but she did not agree at that time.

Yao Ying thought about it and insisted on her decision: "Brother, let's talk about it in two years."

She had not yet found out the truth about Tang's suicide, nor had she found the villain who poisoned Concubine Xie and made her crazy, so she really had no time to think about choosing a son-in-law.

Li Zhongqian raised his hand and rubbed Yaoying's head. "Don't be afraid. We'll just get engaged first and discuss it when you reach the age of marriage. Zheng's third son is a legitimate son. He has a good character, handsome appearance, and is kind. He has been familiar with poetry and books since he was a child, and has memorized all the rules and regulations. Although he only has an idle job in the Honglu Temple now, he will definitely be promoted soon."

Is it really Zheng Jing?

Yao Ying was stunned.

After leaving Pingkangfang, Xie Qing calmly told her that the young man who escaped through the window was Zheng Jia Sanlang.

Yao Ying didn't remember Zheng Jing's appearance and didn't recognize him at all at that time. She just thought he was a scholar who was visiting a place of fireworks for the first time. When he heard the noise outside the tavern, he thought it was the police coming to arrest someone. He was embarrassed and wanted to jump out of the window to escape, but he fell right in front of her.

Recalling how Zheng Jing was covered in dirt and felt ashamed at that time, Yao Ying couldn't help but smile.

Who could have imagined that the shy and mediocre Zheng Jing would rise rapidly to become a powerful prime minister and be bold enough to slap the little emperor in the face with a tablet?

She leaned against the bed, laughing so hard that the candlelight in the room seemed to become brighter in an instant.

Li Zhongqian immediately frowned in alarm: "What are you laughing at?"

Yao Ying waved her hands and said perfunctorily: "Nothing."

Li Zhongqian's narrow eyes slightly raised, and he suddenly approached her, grabbed her shoulders, and asked in a loud voice: "Xiao Qi, have you met Zheng Jing? What did he say to you? What are you laughing at?"

Yaoying smiled without saying anything, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She didn't dare tell him that she had seen Zheng Jing visiting a brothel, otherwise what would she do if he got angry and hammered Zheng Jing to death?

Li Zhongqian's face was gloomy, and when he thought of a possibility, undercurrents welled up in his eyes.

"Do you like Zheng Jing?"

Looking at her like this, is it possible that she is having an affair with Zheng Jing?

Yao Ying was stunned and quickly explained: "I have only seen him a few times..."

Li Zhongqian's voice turned cold: "So, you have indeed met him? How many times? What did Zheng San say to you?"

Yao Ying couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, put away her smile, and pushed him away: "We've met a few times, but we never talked."

He has already arranged the marriage on his own, why does he care about these things?

She hasn't lost her temper yet, why is he mad?

Li Zhongqian was silent for a while, then realized that he had overreacted and let go of her hand in disappointment.

He sighed and reached out to help Yaoying tidy up the shawl that had slipped off her shoulders. His movements were cautious and ingratiating.

Yao Ying snorted with a stern face, and took away the shawl to prevent him from touching it.

Li Zhongqian smiled bitterly, holding the shawl tightly, and said in a harsh voice: "Xiao Qi, remember, don't be like A Niang..."

Don't give your whole heart impulsively for the momentary excitement of youth. It's like a moth flying into a flame, only to end up with nothing.

Even if you like someone, you should protect yourself, be a little selfish and a little cold.

Don't just jump in headfirst.

Yao Ying was stunned.

Li Zhongqian smiled and didn't say anything else.

In fact, he didn't need to be so nervous, Xiao Qi had never been like Concubine Xie.

But he still couldn't help but worry.

Yao Ying sighed and gently held Li Zhongqian's stiff hand.

"Brother, don't worry."

She suddenly understood why Li Zhongqian had always been reluctant to marry.

He seems careless, but he is actually sensitive.

When he was born, Li De and Concubine Xie were at their most loving. He witnessed the disputes between Tang and Concubine Xie, witnessed Concubine Xie waking up from her dream, becoming disappointed and finally heartbroken, and witnessed the Xie family's rise and fall.

After going through so much, he doesn't care about anything anymore.

…

The brother and sister had a small quarrel. Li Zhongqian knew he was in the wrong, so he promised Yao Ying not to mention the Zheng family's affairs for the time being.

Yao Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since she knew she was Li Xuanzhen's sister, she had observed carefully and found that some things were the same as she knew: Tang died before she was born, and after Li De ascended the throne, he posthumously conferred the title of empress on Tang. All the princesses of the Li family had no titles, except Zhu Luyun, who had the title of Fukang. Li Xuanzhen and Zhu Luyun were indeed entangled.

But there are also some things that are different: for example, Li De became emperor two years earlier than in his previous life, and he already has three more sons and two more daughters in this life than in his previous life...

Yao Ying herself is also a variable.

Now she just wanted to find out the entanglement between Tang and Concubine Xie, and didn't want to create any more complications and involve more unrelated people.

…

East Palace.

Li Xuanzhen did not sleep all night. When he returned to the East Palace, the servants reported that Crown Princess Zheng Biyu had been waiting for him until midnight last night.

He rubbed his brows, knowing that Zheng Biyu must have prepared a lot of advice. He didn't want to go over to listen to his wife's teachings, so he turned around and went back to the study.

Wei Ming compiled the intelligence gathered during this period into a list and asked Li Xuanzhen to review it.

Li Xuanzhen read ten lines at a glance, and halfway through, his brows furrowed. "What's going on with Du Sinan?"

Du Sinan is a rare talent. He has instructed the officials of the Eastern Palace to find a way to recruit Du Sinan. It has been several months, why is there no news at all?

Wei Ming replied expressionlessly: "Your Highness, the rumor in the capital is that Du Sinan has already joined the Second Prince."

Li Xuanzhen smiled and said, "Du Sinan will not join Li Zhongqian. Send someone to invite him..."

He thought for a moment.

"No, don't send anyone. I will go and invite him myself to show my seriousness."

Wei Mingmei's heart skipped a beat, and he looked troubled: "Your Highness, Du Sinan may not have joined the Second Prince... But there is a rumor in the capital... It's about the Seventh Princess."

Li Xuanzhen said nothing.

Wei Ming glanced at him and continued, "It is said that the Seventh Princess admired Du Sinan's talent and visited her every now and then. Du Sinan was overwhelmed by her favor and fell at the feet of the Seventh Princess."

Li Xuanzhen slowly raised his eyelids, his eyes narrowed and gleamed with brilliance.

Wei Ming said: "Your Highness, if Du Sinan really becomes the Seventh Princess's lover, he must be a serious threat. We cannot let him stay."

Li Xuanzhen asked calmly: "Is the news true?"

Wei Ming nodded.

Li Xuanzhen said nothing and continued to read the document with his head down.

Wei Ming was not in a hurry. He bowed and retreated behind the screen.

A moment later, he saw Li Xuanzhen summoning the secret guards.

A calm command came from the quiet study: "Kill."

Just one simple word: murderous and chilling.

The author has something to say: Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: ECHO Gao Ximo Zhaoyu, the mousse-flavored fairy