Inside the imperial palace.
Nanny Cao brought Liu Qingqing into the palace.
Liu Qingqing kept her head lowered, carefully following behind Nanny Cao.
Her lowered eyes shifted slightly as she secretly observed everything inside the palace.
This was not Liu Qingqing’s first time entering the palace.
Back when that person was still alive, she had been summoned into the palace once every half month.
After that person passed away, she had never entered the palace again.
Counting on her fingers, that person had been gone for seven or eight years already, right?
To her, the palace felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
She wondered what business the Empress Dowager had with her.
Liu Qingqing felt both excited and nervous.
After walking for about half the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they arrived at the Empress Dowager’s residence, Mingci Palace.
At the entrance of the palace hall stood two palace maids, one on each side.
The maids immediately bowed when they saw Nanny Cao.
“Greetings, Nanny.”
“Mhm.”
Nanny Cao casually responded, then paused.
Turning around, she said to Liu Qingqing behind her, “Miss Liu, wait here for a moment. I’ll go inform the Empress Dowager.”
“Yes,” Liu Qingqing replied timidly with lowered head. “Thank you for your trouble, Nanny.”
Nanny Cao looked deeply at Liu Qingqing several times, her gaze turning meaningful.
She said nothing and turned to enter the hall.
Liu Qingqing stood at the entrance without daring to move, obedient like a little rabbit.
Fortunately, Nanny Cao came back out shortly afterward.
“Miss Liu, come in.”
“Yes.”
Liu Qingqing answered softly and followed Nanny Cao into the main hall.
The Empress Dowager sat in the seat of honor.
From the moment Liu Qingqing entered, her gaze had remained fixed on her.
Her eyes were sharp as an eagle’s, sizing Liu Qingqing up from top to bottom as though trying to see through her completely.
When Liu Qingqing reached the center of the hall, she looked up once.
That glance happened to collide with the Empress Dowager’s gaze, frightening her so badly that her body trembled and her legs gave way.
With a thud, she knelt on the floor.
Her voice shook as she spoke.
“This commoner… Liu Qingqing greets the Empress Dowager.”
The Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze and said indifferently, “Miss Liu is afraid of me?”
“R-Replying… replying to the Empress Dowager… this commoner… is not afraid.”
Liu Qingqing’s words came out stammering.
Anyone who wasn’t a fool could tell she was terrified, yet she stubbornly insisted she wasn’t afraid.
The Empress Dowager smiled and stood up.
Seeing this, Nanny Cao hurried forward to support her.
The Empress Dowager walked toward Liu Qingqing.
“Girl Liu, have you forgotten me?”
The words “Girl Liu” carried a trace of familiarity that Liu Qingqing recognized.
She subconsciously looked up.
“This commoner has never met the Empress Dowager—”
The Empress Dowager interrupted her.
“Girl Liu, stand up before speaking.”
“This commoner thanks the Empress Dowager.”
Liu Qingqing rose to her feet.
The Empress Dowager lifted a hand and pointed toward a nearby chair.
“Girl Liu, sit and speak.”
“Yes.”
Liu Qingqing lowered her head and walked over to sit down.
Watching her timid and submissive appearance, the corners of the Empress Dowager’s lips curved upward.
The more timid a person was, the easier they were to control…
It was springtime, when all things revived and it was the season for sowing.
Among the common people and within the court, nothing major had occurred.
After the morning court session, Feng Jingge and the little emperor returned to the imperial study.
After breakfast, they began reviewing memorials.
These past two days, because of Liu Qingqing’s matter, Feng Jingge had not entered the palace to handle memorials.
As a result, the memorials had piled up into two large stacks.
Looking at them, Feng Jingge’s expression became somewhat distorted.
She had only missed one day of reviewing memorials, so why did it feel like she hadn’t entered the palace for ages?
The little emperor sat down first.
After Eunuch Chen finished grinding the ink, he bowed and quickly withdrew from the imperial study.
Feng Jingge sat beside the little emperor, picked up a memorial, and began reading.
Time passed quickly. After an unknown amount of time, Feng Jingge, who had been buried in reviewing memorials, felt her neck aching terribly.
She raised her head to look and discovered there was still half left to review.
Instantly, she felt miserable inside and silently cursed the heavens.
Why couldn’t they let her be the eldest miss of the Feng family, Feng Jingge?
Why did they have to turn her into some regent prince?
Sigh!
So exhausting!
Still, complaining was one thing; the work still had to be done.
Just as she picked up her brush again, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Xiao Yu, it’s time to play football!”
Feng Jingge frowned.
That voice?
Wasn’t that brat Xu Shu?
Why had that boy come to the imperial study?
If he came looking for Xiao Yu here, it meant he already knew Xiao Yu’s identity.
Feng Jingge set down her brush and glanced sideways at the little emperor.
The little emperor looked flustered, anxious inside.
He had already told Xu Shu not to come looking for him at the imperial study.
Yet he refused to listen. Now things were bad—his imperial uncle had caught them.
The little emperor noticed Feng Jingge’s gaze and turned around with an awkward grin.
“Imperial Uncle,” he called sweetly.
That single “Imperial Uncle” instantly reduced Feng Jingge’s anger to zero.
Still, on the surface, she deliberately acted displeased.
“You told Xu Shu your identity?”
The little emperor looked pitiful.
“Imperial Uncle, Yu’er didn’t say anything. Chu Ning guessed my identity long ago.”
“A few days ago, Chu Ning secretly bowed to me, and Xu Shu happened to see it.”
“You know Xu Shu too, Imperial Uncle. He’s got a huge mouth.”
“Once he found out, Anhao and Li Jie found out too.”
Feng Jingge: “…”
Military families all shared the same flaw—straightforward and blunt, without bad intentions.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Xu Shu’s shouting sounded again from outside.
“Xiao Yu, don’t stay silent! Are you playing or not—”
“Eh… Eunuch Chen, what are you doing?”
“Hey! Xiao Yu, save me!!”
Xu Shu’s cry for help rang out.
The little emperor panicked, jumped off his chair, and rushed outside.
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t asked his imperial uncle for permission.
His footsteps stopped, and he turned to look at Feng Jingge.
Feng Jingge waved her hand, signaling for him to go check.
The little emperor’s eyes lit up. He rushed to the door and pulled it open.
Eunuch Chen was chasing after Xu Shu.
Hearing the door open, both of them looked over simultaneously.
When Eunuch Chen saw the little emperor, he hurriedly stopped.
Xu Shu seized the opportunity and slipped behind the little emperor in one swift motion.
Seeing this, Eunuch Chen angrily shouted, “Brat from the Xu family, get out here! His Majesty is currently reviewing memorials with the Regent Prince. What you’re doing is disrupting—”
Xu Shu poked his head out from behind the little emperor and made a face at Eunuch Chen.
“Eunuch Chen, His Majesty hasn’t even spoken yet, so why are you in such a hurry?”
“Besides, playing football was already agreed upon yesterday.”
“The Grand Tutor once said that people must not go back on their word. Xiao Yu is the ruler of a nation, so he should value integrity even more.”
“You’re blocking me here—are you trying to make His Majesty break his promise?”
“…”
Every word Xu Shu said entered Feng Jingge’s ears.
Feng Jingge pursed her lips into a smile. This Xu Shu really was slick-tongued, even dragging the Grand Tutor’s teachings into this.
Everything he said came one line after another.
“Xu Shu,” the little emperor turned around and said, “I haven’t finished reviewing my memorials yet. You, Anhao, and Li Jie go play first.”
Xu Shu frowned upon hearing this.
“Are you saying you’re going to break your promise?”
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