Zheng Pianran had already received news of His Majesty's impending arrival and was waiting in front of the palace gates early on.
Unlike Zhao Cheyu, he was not dressed lightly, but rather wore a fox fur cloak over his white satin robe with gold trim, just like when he was in the imperial concubine selection.
His face was fair and jade-like, his eyebrows were like ink paintings, and his eyes were long and deep, as if they held countless stars. Only his lips were slightly pale, but this gave him a kind of sickly beauty.
Even upon seeing Chen Xiao arrive, his expression remained indifferent and aloof, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness, like a flower on a high mountain, untouchable.
Upon seeing Chen Xiao approach, he was courteous yet distant, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly, not noticing anything unusual about Zheng Pianran's attitude, nor did he feel the same closeness he had shown when facing Zhao Cheyu. He just pondered to himself.
The scene from the audition couldn't help but flash through her mind: Is this the same fox fur coat as before? Why is the inner layer the same as before? Does he have many identical inner layers? Is this cloak the same?
If it's the same piece, has it been cleaned? Is the fox fur real or fake? If it's real, wouldn't that be extremely harmful to the animal?
Chen Xiao was completely preoccupied with his clothes and didn't think about what kind of person he was at all.
Zheng Pianran was naturally unaware of these things; he only noticed Chen Xiao's gaze lingering on his cloak.
Upon noticing this, and seeing that His Majesty was dressed in thin clothes and without a cloak, he paused, wondering whether he should take off his cloak and put it on His Majesty.
However, he only thought about it.
Firstly, he was not familiar with His Majesty, and secondly, he already had someone he loved and had no interest in trying to please His Majesty, so he gave up the idea.
Chen Xiao was also unsure of Zheng Pianran's thoughts. He only noticed that Zheng Pianran's brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were troubled, and his lips were pale, giving him a somewhat sickly appearance.
She assumed Zheng Pianran was weak, so she quickly ended the awkward standoff and walked into the hall with Zheng Pianran.
As Chen Xiao and Zheng Pianran stepped into the hall, the warm air, mixed with a delicate fragrance, wafted towards them.
The hall was resplendent with gold and jade, with flickering candlelight casting shadows that danced on the carved walls.
The decoration is the same as Zhao Cheyu's side hall, except that this one has a colder feel to it.
Chen Xiao strode forward, her clothes swaying gently, her gaze sweeping over the familiar yet unfamiliar furnishings around her.
Zheng Pianran followed behind, his fox fur cloak swaying slightly with his steps. His gaze remained lowered, and his expression was indifferent.
The two walked into the hall, where the carved tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the tea set on the table was exquisite.
The palace servants around him all bowed their heads and hung their hands, and the entire hall was silent except for the sound of their light footsteps echoing in the hall, as if telling a story of a subtle and restrained atmosphere.
Zheng Pianran did not speak rashly, but waited quietly for Chen Xiao to speak.
After surveying his surroundings, Chen Xiao turned his gaze to Zheng Pianran and examined her closely.
Zheng Pianran sensed something, tilted her head slightly, met Chen Xiao's gaze, and accepted her scrutiny with composure.
Chen Xiao's eyes were cold and aloof, as if he were looking at a stranger.
After a while, she had already made up her mind.
She sensed something was amiss, but did not speak of it immediately. Instead, she brought up the matter of Xunyang: "You have been in the palace for so long that you may not know that your father has caught a cold and is now bedridden."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Pianran's expression shifted, and worry showed in his eyes. However, he remained silent and waited quietly for Chen Xiao to continue.
He knew in his heart that Chen Xiao wouldn't come specifically for such a trivial matter; there must be other important matters at hand.
As expected, Chen Xiao then mentioned that she was setting off for Xunyang the next day. After a few brief words, she asked, "Would you like to come with me?"
Chen Xiao did not mention the purpose of his trip. Zheng Pianran knew her own identity and had no intention of probing. She was just a little surprised by Chen Xiao's last question.
His Majesty is so kind? He must have important business to attend to on his trip to Xunyang, yet he's willing to take him along? Just because his father is ill? Zheng Pianran was filled with disbelief.
Seeing that he had been pondering for a long time without responding and that his expression was slightly surprised, Chen Xiao guessed that he must have many thoughts in his mind, and perhaps he was wondering why she was so "kind".
It must be said that Chen Xiao's guess was very accurate.
At the same time, Chen Xiao understood why Zheng Pianran had been thinking for so long. Under the pressure of imperial power, even if he wanted to go together, he dared not easily agree; this was the unspoken rule under imperial authority.
Chen Xiao didn't care about such imperial rules, nor did he like to use imperial power to bind others. So he said directly, "You don't need to worry. I only asked you this because you are the son of the Prefect of Xunyang. I have no other intentions. You don't need to hesitate so much."
After saying that, she added in her mind: People who are cunning and scheming must have a hard time living.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Pianran stopped thinking.
Since His Majesty had said so, he had no reason to hesitate any longer and decided to trust His Majesty this time. He then said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am willing to go to Xunyang with Your Majesty."
According to palace rules, the concubines in the harem had to refer to themselves as "臣妾" (chenqie) or "妾" (qie).
Even someone of Xu Ruyu's noble status and official position, who was also very familiar with Chen Xiao, would always refer to herself as "your humble servant" whenever she faced Chen Xiao.
Zhao Cheyu's parents were acquainted with Chen Xiao, and he himself was also close to Chen Xiao, but he also referred to himself as "your concubine".
However, Zheng Pianran did not follow this rule.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao became even more certain of her guess. Staring at the indifference in Zheng Pianran's eyes, she suddenly asked, "Does Consort Chen not wish to become a concubine?"
Zheng Pianran's expression remained unchanged, but a fleeting struggle flashed in her eyes before she calmly replied, "Your Majesty, there is no such thing."
Looking at Zheng Pianran's appearance, Chen Xiao's face showed a hint of helplessness: "I do not like my concubines having someone they love, and I am even less willing to forcibly take away someone else's love. You must have heard that I released Consort Yan, Consort Qi, and Consort Qi from the palace and even bestowed upon them official positions."
Chen Xiao's words were quite clear. Zheng Pianran had indeed heard about it, but he had never thought about it in this way. He always thought that His Majesty must have other reasons for acting this way.
Unexpectedly, it was because these three people had found someone they liked?
Qi Yanyun, who was far away in the princess's residence, suddenly sneezed. After being scolded by Yuan Yin, he obediently put on his cloak.
Zheng Pianran was completely unaware of this, but she could hear the unspoken meaning in Chen Xiao's words. Could it be that His Majesty had noticed his thoughts?
Seeing that Zheng Pianran still seemed somewhat incredulous, Chen Xiao didn't want to waste any more words. He simply stood up and said calmly, "You must already understand what I mean. In that case, I can give you some time to think it over. Give me your answer before you arrive in Xunyang. Otherwise, I will not wait."
Upon seeing this, Zheng Pianran immediately stood up and bowed slightly to Chen Xiao: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Chen Xiao waved his hand, turned and left, his clothes fluttering as if carrying a hint of helplessness.
Zheng Pianran watched Chen Xiao's departing figure and fell into deep thought.
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