The East Palace was adjacent to the Ganqing Palace, and even if Huoling, who usually left the Ganqing Palace "rolling" as usual, it would take no more than the time it takes to burn an incense stick to reach the East Palace.
However, today was different.
The weather was clear and pleasant, suitable for a leisurely stroll, but Huoling couldn't appreciate how beautiful the spring weather was. Even the usual fragrance of flowers that he would unconsciously take a deep breath of was now a distant memory.
"Your Highness?" The attendant waiting outside the palace was completely unaware of what had happened. He looked at Huoling with concern, guessing what kind of situation the Emperor had turned around to make Huoling look so dazed. "Are you okay?"
Huoling subconsciously turned to look, "Oh? Oh, I'm alright, I'm alright..." After all, he was the prince with a "steel and iron body," how could he not be alright?
"...Your Highness?"
The attendant subconsciously reached out to support the stumbling Crown Prince, but was directly waved away by Huoling. He was fine, he didn't need help.
Huoling rubbed his face and when the emotions on his face affected his inner feelings, he covered his forehead with a handkerchief, hiding the marks left by his collision with the pillar. He then continued walking forward at a leisurely pace.
Maintaining the appearance of a prince, he entered the East Palace and, upon seeing his Crown Princess, Huoling's expression suddenly relaxed. "Ayue, you have no idea how unreasonable Father is!" Heartless and unreasonable were one thing, but now the Emperor was taking delight in his misfortune. What about "fatherly love"? Where did it go?
Harboring resentment towards the Emperor's behavior, Huoling accepted the perfectly warm tea that Liang Yue handed to him and drank it in one gulp, even chewing a few times on the tea that accidentally entered his mouth.
"This tea is so bitter, next time, change it to flower tea and add some honey, alright?" Huoling couldn't help but grimace. "Indeed, tea without honey is just not good."
Facing his request, even though Huoling had said he wouldn't drink flower tea again after quarreling with Concubine Ye, Liang Yue didn't mention the reminder that "Do you remember that Mother said you like to drink flower tea like a young lady?" Instead, she smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll serve you flower tea next time."
"And..."
Liang Yue smiled and continued, "Add three spoons of honey."
Being ordered around as soon as she returned, Liang Yue willingly complied, and her gentle smile and eyes were always on Huoling.
"My Ayue is so attentive."
Satisfied with his Crown Princess's thoughtfulness, Huoling subconsciously returned her a brilliant smile, then embraced her waist and sat by the window, ready to complain to Liang Yue about the "excessive" behavior of the Emperor, as usual.
"I'm telling you, Father didn't even mention the presence of my third sister-in-law, let alone..." But before he could continue his discussion about "whether the Emperor is becoming more unreasonable," his Crown Princess broke free from his arms, stood up, and smilingly told him, "Li Bangyan wants to talk to you, he's already waiting for you in the pavilion."
"Your Highness, don't forget to see him."
"Huh?" Huoling tilted his head, trying to remember who Li Bangyan was, but what concerned him more was a different issue. Glancing at Liang Yue's outfit, which was obviously suitable for going out, he leaned back in his chair, "You're going out?" Then, he reached for her sleeve without letting go, as if indicating that, if her reason for going out was not to his satisfaction, he wouldn't let her leave the palace.
Accustomed to Huoling's somewhat "childish" and "overbearing" behavior, Liang Yue didn't even try to pull her sleeve out of his hand. She smiled, pursed her lips, and said, "The palace recently added a new play, and I was invited to watch it by Concubine Ye."
During the time that Liang Yue spent in Yanchi County as "Zhenshanshi," she accompanied Concubine Ye to compete with other consorts, or watched plays and admired flowers with Concubine Ye. The rest of the time was spent managing the palace affairs—Concubine Ye handled the palace affairs after the Empress took refuge in the ancestral temple. When Liang Yue, as the Crown Princess, moved into the East Palace, she happily took over the palace affairs from Concubine Ye.
As a result, Liang Yue's life had become extremely fulfilling, so much so that she had no time to miss her husband who was away.
In fact, Liang Yue had noticed Huoling's changing expression when he entered, but with the guest (Li Zhuang) arriving at the East Palace and Concubine Ye inviting her, she couldn't miss the opportunity to please her mother-in-law. Furthermore, knowing Huoling's temperament, by the time she returned, there might be nothing left to do.
With this in mind, Liang Yue wiped the "cloud marks" from Huoling's forehead with a handkerchief and smiled, asking, "...how about waiting for me to come back and listening to the story that you and Father have to tell?"
"Ayue?" Huoling subconsciously sat up straight. "So, now I can't even compete with Concubine Mother?" It was one thing to compete with him for food, and now she wanted to compete with his wife?
Without answering Huoling's question, Liang Yue smiled and ran her hand over the fringed silk flower at her temples, tilting her head. "Your Highness, how do I look in this outfit? Will Concubine Mother like it?"
Ignoring the issue of whether his wife had been stolen away by Concubine Ye, and feeling extreme resentment towards his mother, Huoling disdainfully snorted, "You don’t have to care whether she likes it or not, as long as you like it." With his mother’s unique sense of aesthetics, who could bear it if not for the presence of a tolerable face?
Helpless, Liang Yue clicked her tongue at him, "Your Highness."
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything." In his eyes, there was almost no difference between a peony silk flower and a fringed silk flower. Pretending to carefully consider her appearance, Huoling looked at Liang Yue and said directly, "No matter how you dress, Mother will like it."
Staring at Huoling, Liang Yue chuckled and changed the subject, "Your Highness, do you think my silk flower is crooked?"
Turning her head, Liang Yue's fringed silk flower delicately came into Huoling's view. Its layered red and green colors contrasted with the delicately wrapped flower buds, and the wind blowing through the window brought with it a faint fragrance of the flower. Even the slight trembling caused by the wind made it seem as though the flower was real.
Her delicate features were as bright and beautiful as the colors, and the red and green colors complemented each other, making Liang Yue look like a graceful lotus flower.
The lotus leaf skirt is cut from one color and the hibiscus flowers are opening on both sides of the face.
At the moment when Liuyue, wearing a matching bodice and chest jacket, smiled at him, Huo Ling couldn't help but cover his chest, feeling as if he suddenly heard the sound of a flower blooming, so bright that he forgot about the Emperor's "heartless and unjust" remarks, only hearing the beating of his heart.
One beat after another, powerful and steady.
Blinking lightly, Huo Ling lifted his chin and, taking advantage of Liuyue's lack of reaction, lightly pecked her on the face, "My Liuyue always looks beautiful no matter how she dresses."
Huo Ling never spoke sweet words, he only spoke the truth.
Delighted by his cajoling, Liuyue forgot for a moment the dullness of being alone in the Eastern Palace, even the annoyance she had always felt towards Huo Ling's lack of a specific opinion had disappeared. At this moment, even if Huo Ling said to her, "Whatever, as long as you're happy," Liuyue wouldn't be the least bit upset.
She covered her face with a handkerchief, as if this could hide the faint blush on her face. "Your Highness, if we don't leave now, I'll be late. You wouldn't want mother to think that I'm ignorant, right?"
"Eh?"
"So, could you let go of my hand?" Liuyue put down the handkerchief and, composed, smiled at Huo Ling, her gaze fixed on his hand, which was holding onto her cloak.
"...Oh."
Huo Ling obediently let go of her hand and even took the opportunity to help Liuyue tidy up, smoothing out all the creases he had caused.
Reluctantly seeing Liuyue off from the Eastern Palace, Huo Ling didn't immediately go to the pavilion to meet Li Zhuang, but took a short rest before finally entering the pavilion where Li Zhuang was.
The cool breeze blew gently, just like Li Zhuang's mood at the moment.
Knowing that Huo Ling had returned today, Li Zhuang had calculated the time to come to the Eastern Palace, but he had not expected Huo Ling to have no sense of giving face. Waiting for nearly two hours, Li Zhuang's initial excitement and anxiety had long since vanished by the time Huo Ling finally appeared before him, leaving only regret.
---Who would have thought that the Crown Prince would actually become the Crown Prince. If he had known, he wouldn't have used that method to build his reputation back then.
During his time at the Bai Library, the countless books washed away his impetuosity, and the dull and repetitive life honed his patience. The flattery and fawning thoughts no longer revealed themselves. Even after waiting for Huo Ling for nearly two hours, there was no sign of emotion on Li Zhuang's face. He respectfully greeted Huo Ling, who had entered the pavilion and casually found a stone stool to sit on, "I pay my respects to Your Highness."
In a green robe, with starry eyebrows, respectful and polite.
Li Zhuang, who was born in a humble family, after a period of settling in, looked quite decent. Different from the arrogant and luxurious young master and the unyielding generals, he appeared like a wild grass struggling to survive from the cracks, ordinary yet outstanding.
At the sight of Li Zhuang, Huo Ling, who had been changing, lifted an eyebrow. Taking a bite of a freshly picked peach, he asked casually, "So eager to come here, do you have something to say?"
To be honest, if it weren't for Li Zhuang coming to him, Huo Ling would have forgotten about the fact that he had a study buddy who was left at the Bai Library.
The two hours of waiting were not in vain, and Li Zhuang had organized his thoughts and prepared his speech during this time. He stood up, paid his respects to Huo Ling with folded hands to the ground.
Once he stood up, Li Zhuang looked at Huo Ling and said slowly, "Your Highness, I want to be an official."
Huo Ling: "What?"
---Why is it 'one surprise' after another today?