Knowing that she would not be in danger, Xiao Yao's tense nerves relaxed at once. This palace was simply a den of dragons and tigers. It would be best if she was never summoned to the palace again. It was too scary.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager and the Princess." Yun Yichen bowed to the two elders, then walked straight towards his sister without even looking at the ladies around Empress Dowager Han.
"Are you guys okay? Has anyone bullied you?" Yun Yichen looked at his sister and saw that her eyes were red, but he shook his head and said nothing.
The three of them must have been bullied. Yun Yichen hated himself for being too slow, and he hated Han Yueting and He Jinzhi even more. He secretly vowed to get back at them.
"How are you two?" Yun Yichen looked at her cousin who was usually full of energy and now completely listless, shaking her head weakly at her. She and her sister both looked at the little girl at the same time. It seemed that her grandmother and the others were mainly targeting her today.
Yun Yichen felt a pang of pain in his heart. The Xiao family's most beloved daughter had been wronged in the palace. She must be very sad! He still failed to protect her and let her be bullied. Wouldn't it be much better if she had the status of a prince's consort?
"You..." Looking at Xiao Yao, who had been daydreaming since he came in and had no idea what she was thinking about, Yun Yichen didn't know how to comfort her for a moment. No wonder his father and uncle said that sweet words were important. It seemed that he should learn some in the future, just like using them to comfort people at times like this!
Xiao Yao was thinking that the banquet would be coming up soon, and she would be able to leave Fengxiang Palace and go home soon. She wondered how worried her grandfather and parents must be at home...
This pair of children are really a perfect match, the girl is pretty and the boy is tall and straight. Princess Deqing looked at Yun Yichen and Xiao Yao standing opposite each other and thought beautifully.
This scene was a glare to the young ladies surrounding Empress Dowager Han. Yun Yichen had never treated any of them this way before. The way he looked at Xiao Yao was so special and unique, it made Han Yueting and He Jinzhi jealous, almost mad with envy. They deeply regretted not joining forces to scratch the little vixen's face. If the little vixen turned ugly, how could she possibly please the prince?
Yun Ruonan nudged Xiao Yao with her elbow. She had been engaging in a debate with the group of scholars, so calm and composed just now. Now that everything was fine, why did she suddenly become dazed?
"Ah! What's wrong?" Xiao Yao turned her head to look at Yun Ruonan. Why did this person touch her for no reason?
"Ahem." Yun Yichen, who had been ignored, couldn't stand it anymore. He had been standing here for a long time. Did the little girl really not see him, or was she pretending not to see him?
"Is there something?" Xiao Yao tilted her head and looked at Yun Yichen and asked. After thinking for a while, as if she remembered something, she suddenly took a few steps back and turned her face to the side, pretending that she didn't see Yun Yichen coming.
"You..." Yun Yichen really wanted to slap Xiao Yao hard. Was this obvious gesture an attempt to draw a line between them? Was he really that annoying? Could you draw this line just because you wanted to?
"Junior sister, what's wrong? Do you want me to find someone to help you go out for a walk? You must have been stuck in the room for too long. Just some fresh air will be fine." Yun Yichen deliberately moved a few steps towards Xiao Yao, blocking her way and forcing her to face him.
"I'm fine, Prince, please help the princess go out for a walk!" I can't even hide from you! Let's go for a walk together. If I go into Fengxiang Palace again next time, these people will eat me alive!
"I think you need to get some fresh air." It was the first time Yun Yichen was this close to Xiao Yao. She had a particularly pleasant scent, a light milky aroma mixed with a hint of jasmine, sweet but not greasy, exuding a subtle, elegant fragrance. Just like the feeling she gave people, relaxed, comfortable, and calm.
"No need." Seeing that there was no way to retreat, Xiao Yao decided not to. She was planning in her mind what action she should take if Yun Yichen approached her again.
"Do you want to step on my foot too?" Yun Yichen found it very interesting to tease Xiao Yao. She would not cry or make a fuss. She would either take decisive action or pretend to be stupid and obedient.
"How could it be!" Queen Mother Han was just trying to find something to hold against him. It would be strange if he would have a good ending after stepping on her own grandson.
"Miss Xiao, you are so capable. My cousin really loves you!" Han Yueting had crystal tears on her face as she blamed Xiao Yao resentfully, as if she was the original wife and Xiao Yao was the mistress who destroyed the couple's relationship.
"Your cousin is crying, go comfort her!" Xiao Yao felt that Han Yueting's tears were falling too early. When Yun Yichen turned around and looked at her, she was crying again! She didn't grasp the timing well.
"That's right, that's right, cousin, go quickly!" Xiao Yuan took Xiao Yao back and put her behind him. Prince Yun was his cousin, not a relative of his, so he shouldn't be so close to his sister.
Are all the Xiao family members here to ruin their careers? Yun Yichen felt the need to develop a member of his own within the Xiao family. This feeling of being tied down and constantly facing obstacles was truly terrible. As for Xiao Yao's words about him comforting his cousin, Yun Yichen pretended not to hear them.
Just because I'm in the mood to play with the little girl doesn't mean I have the leisure to watch others perform tricks on me.
"The Queen invites all the young ladies to go to the Imperial Garden." Someone from the Queen's palace came over to deliver the message.
"Huh." Xiao Yao breathed a sigh of relief. She could finally go out and no longer have to look at the faces of the Queen Mother and the Han family.
Yun Yichen heard Xiao Yao's relieved sigh, but the heavy stone in his heart not only did not move away, but instead felt like it was suffocating him. The little girl must not like the palace! Then would she also hate the prince's mansion? This girl has her own ideas. If she doesn't like the prince's mansion, with the emperor's uncle's decree in hand and the old man's backing behind her, it would not be easy to marry her.
As if the heavens knew that many young men and women were waiting for a chance encounter today, they blew a gentle breeze and spread the warm sunshine. Most of the flowers in the imperial garden had not yet bloomed, and the pots of colorful flowers were temporarily moved from the greenhouse.
"People are more beautiful than flowers. Looking at their delicate faces, I feel old." Queen Mu sighed to her two daughters-in-law.
"You're still young! Your composure and grace are something they can never match at this age." The pregnant Crown Princess was also worried about being outshone by younger, more beautiful, and fresher girls. She had no power to stop the passage of time, much less the ability to completely change herself.
After marrying into the Prince's Mansion and spending the first unforgettable days of love and affection, she could only watch helplessly as one or more beauties were carried in every once in a while, but she could do nothing.
Yuan Min's eyes followed Xiao Yao's figure. She had grown up, become more beautiful, and more dazzling. No wonder... no wonder her husband would call her "Junior Sister" incoherently after getting drunk, and keep repeating "I was born before you were born, and you were born when I was already old..."
No wife wants to see her husband thinking about other women, and as a royal daughter-in-law, she has no right to stop him or say anything against him. Yuan Min still remembers that after her husband sobered up, he kept asking him if he had said anything he shouldn't have said. It seems that this is not the first time his brother has said such words. He must have had this idea for a long time!
"I will give you the respect and status that a legitimate wife should have. I'm sorry for the rest." Yuan Min remembered that her husband only said this when he walked out of her room, nothing else.
In reality, she was the most favored of all the wives and concubines in Prince Qi's mansion, the one most valued by the prince. But who could have imagined that at least nine out of ten times Prince Qi came to her room, he would be sound asleep with his head covered. The occasional moment when he remembered that the person next to him was his wife, he would be perfunctory, like completing a necessary task, and then go soak in the bathtub for half an hour.
Fortunately, she now has a son by her side, and she knows that his heart can no longer accommodate anyone other than the grown-up junior sister. Yuan Min puts all her thoughts on her son and no longer fantasizes about the love that has long gone away and will never come back.
"That must be the daughter of the Xiao family, right?" The Crown Princess approached Princess Qi and asked sourly. If the Crown Prince saw this little girl, he would definitely try his best to get her back to the palace!
With his lustful personality, he would definitely do so. Fortunately, the Xiao family has a special decree from the emperor, and fortunately, the emperor promised that the daughter of the Xiao family must be his legal wife. Otherwise, how could these princes and grandchildren be so obedient!
"Yes! She was like a fairy when she was a child. I didn't expect her to become more and more beautiful as she grew up. It must not be easy to find someone prettier than her in Tianyu!" Yuan Min didn't know whether she wanted to tell the Crown Princess or to say it to herself. If she were a man, she would probably be moved by such a girl.
Who among men of status and position wouldn't want to have the most beautiful woman in the world? If there's no Xiao Yao, there will be Li Yao, Wang Yao... Marriages like theirs, formed to consolidate power and status, don't really care about feelings, so why should I dwell on this matter?
Tables and chairs were arranged in rows at the north and south ends of the Imperial Garden. The men occupied the northern side, with Prince Qi and Yun Yichen in full charge. A long gauze curtain hung over the women's side. The two sides could see each other from a distance. The women could clearly see the movements of the people across from them, but the men could only vaguely see the graceful figures, not their faces.
"Empress sister-in-law, this is too unfair! The girls can see us clearly, but we can't even see their shadows, let alone who is on the opposite side!" Yun Can protested. He came here just to see the beautiful little junior sister. You put up a curtain here, what am I supposed to see!
"This requires the consent of all the ladies." The Crown Princess's beautiful eyes turned, and she asked the ladies' opinions with a sweet smile.
The Xiao sisters exchanged seats with others and sat down in the last row. Yun Ruonan was not interested in this disguised matchmaking. Her marriage would be decided by her father and mother. She hid in the back, intending to go back to the palace after a perfunctory meeting.
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