Chapter 4: Entering the Royal Residence

  Yun Cong stopped his tears, as if he was still digesting the words of Zi Ruo Ye. What had he just heard? The prince said he would take him back to the palace?

  "Your Highness, but I am a courtesan." Mixed with confusion and joyful worry, a courtesan cannot be added to the imperial family, at most considered a plaything, and his identity will definitely damage the reputation of the prince.

  It seems that she understood his concerns and helplessness, and once again tightened her still frightened body. "Are you worried about your identity? Isn't this just right? The lustful prince ignored the law and brought the head courtesan of Penglai Pavilion into the palace. It looks like it will cause a big stir." She said casually, she knew that Yun Cong would think so, in fact, she had already taken care of Yun Cong's official position a year ago, and Yun Cong had long since left her life as a prostitute.

  "How can this be..." Yun Qing's eyebrows furrowed, looking worried. This wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to cause trouble for the prince, "The prince is already very pleased with this servant." Just as he was about to refuse, his lips were covered by Zi Ruoye's hand. A pair of eyes looked at Zi Ruoye in distress.

  "Clouds have gathered, but I've already helped you redeem yourself. Alas... what to do? But it's several thousand taels of silver! You won't follow me, and I'll suffer a great loss." She blinked her eyes, with an appearance of covering her face and crying.

  Several thousand taels? How could he not know his own worth was so high? Thinking that the prince might have been cheated out of more money by the procuress, her face turned even redder, but this time it was from anger.

  How could the pimp be so capable? Although he didn't serve any generous customers, he was good at playing the zither and earned a lot of money for the pimp.

  "Hehe...... You can't bear to part with me either, so come with me." With that, she picked up Yun Cong, who was clearly fifteen years old but seemed to weigh almost nothing.

  Yun Ning, who was startled by Zi Ruoye's actions, instinctively hooked her neck and they just went out like that? How embarrassing. Her small face buried in Zi Ruoye's arms refused to come out.

  Hugging Yun Cong, walking down the second floor, Piao Fu came up to greet him, "Wang Ye, what's this?" Looking at this, Yun Cong is leaving, right? In fact, Wang Ye had already given Yun Cong his ransom money, although he didn't understand why Wang Ye was taking Yun Cong away now, but this wasn't something he could chatter about.

  "Thanks to Master Piao for this year as well." Ziyue Ye knew that although Master Piao was a man who valued profit greatly, he was extremely good to Yun Cong. Everyone has their own hardships, let alone him single-handedly supporting the Peng Lai Pavilion, his hard work is not something to be spoken of to outsiders.

  The matchmaker nodded, and he realized why he felt that the king in front of him today was not quite like the king he knew.

  Xiao Shuai saw Zi Ruoye hugging Yun Ning come out, and was only surprised for a moment without making any further expressions. Probably the king really likes Yun Ning Gongzi.

  Yun Ning had already gotten into the carriage and was still burying his face in Zi Ruoye's bosom, his small ears having turned bright red. This was also his first time being so close to Wang Ye.

  Zi Ruoye lowered her head to look at the little rabbit still buried in her bosom, and whispered close to his ear, "Yun Ning, if you don't let go, I really think you want to rely on this king's bosom for a lifetime." She had wanted to say that he was taking advantage of her kindness, but it seemed that didn't apply here.

  Yun Ning had indeed stopped moving, but he was still nestled in Zi Ruo Ye's arms. This woman... He really wanted to rely on her for the rest of his life. Zi Ruo Ye's carriage soon arrived at the Wang Fu. She glanced at Yun Ning in her arms and saw that he didn't seem to want to move at all, so she had no choice but to continue holding him as she got out of the carriage.

  "The cloud has gathered, the royal palace is here."

  Yun Cong finally lifted her small face and carefully looked at this rumored Wang Fu. Does he count as the first person brought in by the prince...

  "Your Highness, you're back. The pastries and hot tea are already prepared." The butler stood beside the door and said respectfully, his eyes gazing at Yun Cong in Zi Ruoye's arms with a flash of surprise.

  Isn't this... Yun Cong of Penglai Pavilion? Why did the prince bring him back to the palace? Although he often stayed overnight at Penglai Pavilion for a year, there was no time when he brought someone into the palace...

  "By the way, let them clean up the east house, our Wang Fu will have one more person in the future."

  "I'll give orders in a moment."

  Zi Ruoye hugged Yun Ning and walked into the Wangfu gate, all the way to the main hall. The passing servants looked at Yun Ning with full curiosity and doubt, after all, the king was bringing someone back for the first time.

  Everyone's gaze was too intense and unhidden, making Yun Cong's face, which had just barely recovered its color, flush red again.

  Why is everyone looking at him like that... Yun Cong's small hand was tightly grasping the hem of Zi Ruoye's clothes, not knowing what to do.

  "Don't be nervous, from now on in the palace you can just relax."

  After settling Yun Cong down, Zi Ruoye returned to her study by herself. The so-called study was basically just a room with books and a desk.

  "Your Highness." The steward stood outside the door and called out softly.

  "Come in." Zi Ruoye held a small wine jug, raising an eyebrow, "What's going on?"

  "Your Highness, may I ask something?"

  "Huh?" The steward was usually taciturn, but today he suddenly became talkative. "You speak."

  "Yun Cong Gongzi... I don't know what identity he used to enter the Wang Fu... I'm incompetent, I don't know how to arrange it." The king didn't mention Yun Cong Gongzi's identity, and in the Wang Fu, food, clothing, and usage were all divided into levels, so for a while, she really couldn't figure it out.

  Yun Cong's identity... She hadn't thought it through carefully. At first, she had Yun Cong accompany her to perform in a play, and before she knew it, a year had passed. Bringing him back was just a temporary measure, "Just arrange the best for him."

  The best... but the princess's treatment. The steward didn't ask much and just nodded and went down.

  Zi Ruoye held a small wine jug, with Erlang's legs raised. Now that the lustful king has brought back a stunning courtesan, this reputation... Tsk, tsk, it will probably be even worse.

  Just as Zi Ruoye had expected, the news of what she did today spread like wildfire the moment her foot stepped into the Wang Fu. And upon hearing the news, Zi Yanran was so angry that she only rubbed her temples.

  Liu Chengxiang furrowed his brow after the morning court session, wondering how to tell You'er that if she disobeyed the imperial edict, it would be considered defiance, but if she obeyed, her lifelong happiness would be ruined by Zi Ruoye's hands.

  "Madam is back. Please sit down and rest." Mr. Liu Qingyou's father stood up to welcome him as soon as he saw Liu Chengxiang return, and as soon as he walked in, he saw his wife frowning.

  "Isn't it... that His Majesty won't grant a marriage?" The tentative question slipped out, probably because the Emperor also didn't want the two major powers to become in-laws.

  Upon hearing this, Liu Chengxiang became even more worried and sighed, "The Emperor has indeed granted the marriage... but it is to be with the current Fifth Prince, Zi Ruoye."

  The sound of furniture colliding suddenly came over, and Liu Chengxiang looked over to see Liu Qingyou standing there in a daze, still holding a cup of hot tea.

  He doesn't understand why the relative he asked his mother to invite yesterday suddenly changed.

  "Mother, are you deceiving me?" With a hint of suppressed emotions and a calm tone, he said, "You must be scolding me for being too mischievous all the time, not having the temperament of a man, so you made up a story to scare me, right?"

  Since the year God calculated that Phoenix would fly, Liu Qingyu's life has been filled with unacceptability. From an early age, he was raised according to the standards of the imperial family, but he disliked the royal family and did not want to be one of them. Even if the phoenix were to come, it would still be waiting for the emperor. He didn't think so, nor did he want to, but since he sneaked out at the age of five to play and saw Li Yu's elegant appearance on horseback, he was captivated by her figure. So he began to reject his previous way of life even more, secretly finding a master to learn martial arts, just to be worthy of Li Yu. Since Liu Qingyu entered the palace, his heart has become even more settled, and his heart is even more devoted to Li Yu.

  "Alas!" Minister Liu sighed, looking at You'er's forced calm demeanor. She too thought that this was a lie to deceive him. "On the third day of next month, you will be marrying Prince Wang and the Emperor has granted you the position of Princess Consort. Prepare well."

  He couldn't calm down anymore, "No way. I don't want to marry, I don't want to marry." He didn't want to, didn't want to marry that prince, why did heaven treat him like this, what about the position of princess! Even being an empress he didn't want to do it, he didn't want...

  "Young master, your mother never liked the idea of you marrying. But not marrying is defying the imperial edict!" The old prime minister's words were like a knife to her heart, she too felt pain and didn't want to push her own son into the fire pit, that person being Zi Ruoye after all.

  "Mother! I don't want to get married, why, why did it become like this." Liu Qingyu slowly slid down his body, he felt that all his strength seemed to have been drained away. He wasn't afraid of being unmarried at twenty and being pointed at by others, because he had always been waiting for Li Yu, but why was it that what he waited for was a completely different person.

  Your Majesty, I hope that what this old minister has said will be taken to heart and become a reality. Minister Liu looked at his son's dispirited appearance, and his heart was in knots.

  Liu Qingyu wiped away the clear tears on her face, and her eyes seemed to have made a decision. She slightly bowed to the Prime Minister and her father before taking her leave.

  At this moment, Zi Ruoye in the Wangfu had no idea that Zi Yanran would send her a beauty in just a short while... If she knew, she would definitely kill her way to the Golden Hall.

  "Yu'er, are you alright?" Lin Nian, Liu Qingyu's father, said with concern as he watched his son's emotions fluctuate so unpredictably. This child has been hot-headed since young, hopefully he won't do anything foolish.

  "It won't work, maybe You'er just went to calm down." Liu Chengxiang sighed again, she found that just this day she had exhausted all her sighs for a lifetime.