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The Emperor looked at Empress Dowager Zhuang with a resentful expression that seemed to say ‘I knew it!’
Empress Dowager Zhuang flatly denied it, saying, "That’s not it. When has Aijia been unable to play cards?"
The Emperor continued to complain bitterly, "Then imperial mother just doesn’t want to get up early?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang: Since when has your mind become so sharp!!!
The habit of getting up early for so many years was ruined in just one year in Bishui Alley. It was quite helpless to think about.
In the end, the Emperor agreed that Empress Dowager Zhuang would no longer attend the morning court sessions from now on. After all, he was the Emperor, and no matter how much he trusted Empress Dowager Zhuang, he still longed for the opportunity to govern alone.
It was truly a contradictory feeling.
At her age, what was there that Empress Dowager Zhuang couldn’t understand?
It was normal for a ruler to have this kind of mentality. Otherwise, if everyone indulged and trusted someone unconditionally like the Crown Prince, in the end, would he be willing to give up the throne to the person by his side?
Being an Emperor, or rather, a benevolent monarch wasn’t a bad thing. One could be gentle where it was necessary, but they must also not lack the ambition of an Emperor.
However, the Emperor did not unconditionally agree to Empress Dowager Zhuang's request to abstain from politics. She had to promise to play cards with him three or four times a month!
She also had to allocate time every day to handle state affairs together with him.
——An afternoon alone time with his imperial mother!
Empress Dowager Zhuang did not completely delegate her power. She simply stopped attending the morning court sessions. She still had to play tricks in private.
Liulang got promoted, but the money he earned wasn't enough to pay rent to the little monk every month.
Sigh, having so many children at home was truly a heavy burden.
......
Xiao Heng came out of the Hanlin Academy after his shift and immediately noticed a carriage parked in the alleyway across from him.
The coachman had an unfamiliar face, and it was also a carriage that he had never seen before.
But Xiao Liulang's intuition told him that the owner of that carriage was waiting for him.
At this moment, with no one around, Xiao Heng couldn't be bothered to disguise himself and walked directly over.
The coachman didn't ask any questions and simply placed a wooden stool for him.
Just as he hesitated for a moment, Princess Xinyang slightly opened a gap in the curtain.
Xiao Heng was momentarily surprised, then proceeded to step onto the carriage.
He sat down opposite Princess Xinyang, and she said to the coachman, "Go to the medical hall."
"Yes."
The coachman cracked the whip, and the carriage started moving.
Princess Xinyang's complexion had improved compared to when she first returned to the capital, and today one could see a hint of rosy color on her face. She didn't smile much, but the warmth in her eyes was almost flowing.
"I came to see you." She said.
"En."
Xiao Heng felt a little uncomfortable.
Princess Xinyang smiled and looked at his right foot, "I saw you walking just now. Is your leg better?"
"Yes, it's better." Xiao Heng replied without hiding anything.
After being apart for so long, returning to their previous intimacy all at once was challenging, especially considering she had hurt him deeply. In fact, Princess Xinyang felt more awkward inside than Xiao Heng did, but she didn't show it on the surface.
Princess Xinyang smiled and pointed at the crutch next to him, asking, "Then why haven't you thrown this away yet?"
"I'll discard it in a few days." Xiao Heng answered.
"Oh." Princess Xinyang instantly understood. There was no one who knew the child better than the mother. How could she not understand what he had in mind?
He had never been so attentive to a young lady like this before even when he was engaged to Wen Linlang.
Princess Xinyang lowered her gaze to hide her smile, then changed the subject, "Have you heard about Zhuang Yuheng entering the cabinet?"
"I have." Xiao Heng replied.
Princess Xinyang continued, "It was Grand Preceptor Zhuang's idea. Starting as a seventh-rank member of the cabinet might seem like a demotion in terms of official rank, but it's actually a promotion in status."
So the official position had already been settled.
Xiao Heng wasn't surprised that Princess Xinyang was aware of these internal matters. Back when he was still the Little Marquis of Zhao, he often saw jaw-dropping insider information in Princess Xinyang's study.
"I heard that Grand Secretary Yuan appreciates you a lot." Princess Xinyang said with a hidden meaning.
Xiao Heng paused for a moment and replied, "It's not exactly appreciation. We've only met once or twice, and he only spoke to me briefly."
Xiao Heng understood Princess Xinyang's concern. She was worried that he might feel imbalanced because Zhuang Yuheng was promoted faster than him. If he did, she could use her connections to get him into the cabinet as well.
"I'm doing well in the Hanlin Academy." Xiao Liulang stated frankly.
Some things could be expedited, but not everything needed to be rushed. In his view, getting involved in the cabinet at this moment might not necessarily be a good thing.
Princess Xinyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She had been testing Xiao Heng's intentions earlier. When he was a child, he had a strong competitive spirit and always wanted to be the best. Of course, he had the ability to back it up, but the official world was like a battlefield, and sometimes, even if you won a battle, you might end up losing the war.
Xiao Heng's current mentality greatly exceeded her expectations.
As they were talking, suddenly there was a sound of rapidly approaching horse hooves from ahead. It sounded like someone riding a horse had collided with something, and a chorus of screams followed.
"Aiya! The horse is out of control!"
Princess Xinyang's coachman shouted.
It wasn't their horse that was out of control but the other party's horse, charging recklessly and knocking pedestrians over, showing no signs of stopping.
With their carriage about to collide with the out-of-control horse and no time to turn, Long Yi leaped into the air, swiftly lifted the carriage's roof, and pulled Princess Xinyang and Xiao Heng out.
The horse that was going wild collided with their carriage, reducing it to pieces.
Long Yi placed the two of them on top of a roof and rushed to save the coachman, who was on the brink of being crushed under the horse's hooves.
"Long Yi, that child!"
A child had been terrified and was standing frozen in the middle of the street, with the wild horse now charging toward him.
After Long Yi grabbed the coachman with one hand, he made a quick move to rescue the child with the other, just in time to pull the child out of harm's way before the horse charged past.
Princess Xinyang let out a sigh of relief in secret, but before she could fully relax, her foot slipped on the roof, and she fell down. Xiao Heng reached out to grab her but ended up falling down with her.
Long Yi, who hadn't had time to put down the coachman and the child, swiftly moved to save the two of them but only managed to catch Xiao Heng as Princess Xinyang slipped from his shoulder.
In the nick of time, another tall and imposing figure descended from the sky, embracing Princess Xinyang's delicate waist and gently descending.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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