In the quiet of the night in Zhiyang Palace, Gao Jiarong tossed and turned several times. The maid on night watch heard her movements and walked closer to ask her quietly, "Princess, are you sleeping restlessly?"
Gao Jiarong rolled his eyes in annoyance, then sat up and said, "I can't sleep well. Go make me some tranquilizer."
The maid replied, "Yes, I will go right away. Princess, please wait a moment."
"Go ahead."
Gao Jiarong had so many things on his mind that he finally fell asleep, only to be awakened by a nightmare. He tossed and turned for a long time, but still couldn't fall asleep.
Last time, she had tried to steal the tiger talisman from Yanqing Palace and had almost succeeded, but when she heard the emperor asking her a question, she lost her grip and the talisman fell back into the brocade box.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she actually felt that the emperor had discovered her action of stealing the tiger talisman, and the words he said that night were just a deliberate reminder to her.
Otherwise, why was the timing so coincidental, exactly the moment she picked up the tiger talisman.
And she felt that at that moment, his words and tone were inexplicably heavier, like a warning.
Everyone also said that the emperor had been working hard and diligently recently. He knew how to appoint people to the right positions both internally and externally, and he was frugal and loved the people. He was like a different person.
Although gossip should not be taken seriously, she still had some doubts.
If it was her royal brother in the past, he would have taken it directly from his brocade box and he would not have noticed at all.
But now... it's different.
Every time she used the excuse of going to Yanqing Palace to pay her respects to the emperor, she felt as if her every move was under the eyes of her royal brother.
While feeling uneasy, one also feels a bit more awed, which makes one afraid to act rashly.
As a result, she didn't dare go to Yanqing Palace these days, for fear that someone would notice something strange.
On the other hand, Lu Huan would send people to ask about her well-being from time to time. Although he did not urge her directly, she knew that was what Lu Huan meant.
How could he really care about her health? This wolf cub, now... he has really grown up.
…
On the second day, Gao Jiarong washed up and went to the Empress Dowager's palace to pay his respects. Coincidentally, the Emperor had also come out of court and came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.
Gao Jiarong felt a little uncomfortable when she saw the emperor, but she suppressed her fear and performed the princess's ceremony, "Your son pays his respects to the queen mother and to my brother the emperor."
The Queen Mother looked at her with a smile, "Jiarong is here, get up quickly and come to your side."
Gao Jiarong: "Yes."
"It just so happens that your brother is here too. You two siblings can have dinner together with our mother and chat."
"Your brother has been very busy with state affairs lately and has rarely had time. Even though you've been living in the palace lately, it's rare for you two to meet and have a meal together. Today is a coincidence."
The emperor also spoke at this time, "Jiarong has arrived at the right time. I just told my mother that I would ask the maid to call you over."
Gao Jiarong raised his eyes. The man's eyes were as soft as spring water, warm and kind.
Gao Jiarong was a little surprised. Was he overthinking it?
She sat down at the table silently, but her peripheral vision accidentally caught a glimpse of a wine jug on the table, and her brows twitched.
She picked up the wine pot and poured a glass of wine into the wine jug in front of them. Her movements were smooth and graceful. "Being able to have the care of my mother and my brother, Jiarong has no regrets in this life."
"Jiarong offers a toast to the Queen Mother and the Emperor."
Gao Jiarong raised the wine glass, covered his face with his robe, and was about to drink it when he was stopped by the emperor.
The emperor was dressed in a purple dragon robe, and his slender fingers pressed on her movements. The simple movements made him look noble and elegant.
The emperor stopped her, but turned his head to look at her, "Mother, I think Jiarong is not feeling well, why not let her drink tea instead of wine."
The Queen Mother nodded upon hearing this, "My son is indeed very thoughtful."
"Jiarong, please drink tea instead of wine. Your kindness has been received by the Queen Mother and your brother."
Gao Jiarong was delighted, "Yes, thank you, mother." Then he turned to look at the emperor, "Thank you, brother too."
The emperor held the wine bottle tightly and said, "You and I are brother and sister, there is no need to be so polite."
During the meal, the three of them, mother and son, chatted and laughed, and they seemed to have the ease of an ordinary family.
At that moment, Gao Jiarong felt that he had forgotten many sorrows and worries, and had thrown away many shackles, as if he had returned to his original life.
A princess should be the most casual and free-spirited person.
After three rounds of drinking, perhaps because the Queen Mother drank a few more glasses, she was a little drunk. When Gao Jiarong was feeling quite happy, she mentioned Lu Guang.
Gao Jiarong's expression suddenly changed.
The Queen Mother put down the wine bottle, her eyes becoming a little blurry. "Jiarong, now that Qinghong is gone, you should let it go. Normally, when you are in front of the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother is afraid of hurting you and dares not mention this matter, but today I have to talk about it."
"Although you've been forcing yourself to smile and accompany me during these days here, I can see that you haven't let go. But why are you doing this? The person is already gone, and you're still missing him. Isn't that just being hard on yourself?
Your health is not as good as before. I heard from the maidservant beside you that you can't sleep well for nights and the tranquilizers you take don't make you feel better.
You are suffering from a mental illness, and your mother can no longer bear it, so she wanted to remind you not to be too sad.
The emperor saw that the empress dowager seemed drunk, and was afraid that her words would hurt Gao Jiarong. "Don't worry too much, mother. I will send the imperial physician to treat Jiarong well."
Seeing the two men talking, Gao Jiarong pretended to pour wine for the emperor, but actually secretly added some knockout drug into his wine jar. After doing all this, she looked at the two men with some guilt, and only felt relieved when she saw that they didn't notice anything unusual.
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