“Hide, go ahead and hide. You can hide today, but you won’t escape tomorrow.”
Watching Mo Nian’s retreating figure, Luo Li muttered quietly to herself.
With that, she stood up, straightened her clothes slightly, and turned to Yushuang.
“Is the carriage ready? And have the gifts I prepared for my imperial brother been checked?”
Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there was a palace banquet. As the Emperor’s younger sister, she naturally couldn’t miss it.
Hearing this, Yushuang nodded. “Everything has been prepared, Your Highness. You need not worry.”
“Good, let’s go.” As she spoke, Luo Li paused mid-step and glanced in the direction where Mo Nian had gone, lifting her chin haughtily.
“Over there—make sure someone keeps a close eye on him.”
Hearing her mistress’s words, Yushuang sighed inwardly.
She had thought the princess had finally regained her senses by no longer meddling with Young Master Sikong.
But it turned out the princess had simply shifted her target.
Their princess still couldn’t resist a handsome man.
“Understood.” Though she thought this, Yushuang immediately gave the order, instructing someone to keep a close watch on Mo Nian.
Whatever he wanted or wished to do would be allowed—except leaving the manor.
“……”
Watching the procession depart from the manor and hearing the instructions left behind, Mo Nian lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.
…The imperial capital truly lived up to its reputation as the seat of the Son of Heaven. The city was bustling and diverse, with many buildings boasting unique charm.
“It’s Princess Baoyang…”
“So handsome…”
“The one in the middle is the most handsome…”
Baoyang was the original host’s title. As the most esteemed princess of the Qian Kingdom, the original host’s outings were always grand and ostentatious.
Her phoenix carriage was as flamboyant as she was—a gilded carriage made of rosewood, draped with red silk curtains.
Surrounding it were nearly a hundred attendants and guards.
Each one was pleasing to the eye, making the procession dazzling wherever it went, impossible to look away from.
Many young women on the streets instinctively shrank back in fear at the sight of her carriage.
But upon seeing the rows of tall, handsome guards, their cheeks flushed, and they huddled together, whispering excitedly.
Honestly, you had to admit—the original host’s taste in men was truly commendable!
She liked it!
Watching the envious gazes from outside, Luo Li curled her lips into a smile and lazily reclined on the phoenix seat.
She glanced up at a pavilion filled with scholarly charm and nodded slightly, chatting with Little Cabbage.
“That pavilion is quite beautiful, decorated with bamboo artistry on the outside.” She’d have one built in the Princess Manor someday.
Just as she was thinking this, she noticed a man in white robes looking over from the pavilion.
“Hmm, and the person is quite pleasing to the eye too.” What an elegant young gentleman—though still not quite as good as Mo Nian.
And he looked somewhat familiar.
Little Cabbage: “…That’s Sikong Yao.”
Luo Li instantly averted her gaze, frowning.
Ugh! What bad luck!
Noticing her reaction, Sikong Yao paused, his eyes also filled with disgust.
At the moment, the procession was still some distance from the pavilion, which happened to be directly ahead of them.
Seeing the direction the procession was heading, he had assumed the shameless princess was coming to disturb his peace once again.
But to his surprise, the carriage passed straight by the entrance of the Breeze Pavilion without any intention of stopping.Meanwhile, the woman who previously couldn’t take her eyes off him did not glance at him again after that initial look.
Seeing this, Sikong Yao furrowed his brows but soon relaxed them again.
He figured it was just another trick of playing hard to get—something he was all too familiar with.
………
Over here, Luo Li had already arrived at the palace.
Since the palace banquet hadn’t started yet, Luo Li first went to the imperial study to find the Emperor.
“Imperial Brother!”
Before the door even opened, the Emperor heard the familiar voice. He looked up at the eunuch beside him and shook his head helplessly, though his eyes were clearly smiling.
Sure enough, the next moment, a fiery red figure stepped through the doorway. Backlit by the light, she appeared indescribably bold and radiant, stunningly beautiful enough to dazzle the eyes.
But when her gaze locked onto the Emperor, it instantly transformed into her usual sweet and charming demeanor. She rushed over and grabbed his arm.
“Imperial Brother, it’s been so long. Have you missed me?”
Seeing his younger sister acting so coquettishly, the Emperor chuckled lightly and tapped her forehead with his finger.
“Impertinent,” he said, seemingly scolding her, but the tone held far more affection than reproach.
“Haha…” Luo Li laughed, then turned to have someone bring forward the food box she had prepared.
“This is the Mid-Autumn gift I made for you, Imperial Brother. Would you like to try it first?”
Looking at the piles of memorials stacked on the desk, Luo Li felt a headache coming on. It was clear he had been holed up here for a long time and probably hadn’t eaten properly.
However, her Imperial Brother had only been on the throne for a year. With his foundation still unstable, there were indeed many matters requiring his personal attention and effort.
Listening to the siblings’ conversation, the eunuch beside them tactfully opened the box in advance, revealing the exquisitely crafted pastries inside.
Seeing a style he hadn’t encountered before, the Emperor’s eyes lit up slightly. He turned to Luo Li with a hint of surprise in his gaze.
“You made these?”
Luo Li shook her head honestly. “How could I have that skill? But I came up with the idea and had someone make them. They’re really delicious, Imperial Brother! You’re the first to taste them!”
A Mid-Autumn celebration couldn’t be complete without mooncakes. Luo Li had obtained the modern method for making mooncakes from Little Cabbage and then ordered the people in her residence to give it a try.
Unexpectedly, it actually succeeded, and they turned out quite tasty.
She figured that as the Emperor, he lacked nothing material. The only thing he might lack was genuine sincerity.
While she hadn’t made these herself, she had put thought into the idea. That should count as having sincerity, right?
Of course, she had also prepared gifts for the palace banquet, but those were merely formal, ceremonial presents.
“Hmm, not bad.”
Sure enough, after hearing Luo Li’s words, her Imperial Brother was visibly more moved. The smile on his face grew warmer, dispelling some of the weariness brought on by state affairs.
As he spoke, he made to try one. The eunuch beside him hurriedly moved to fetch the items, preparing to taste-test the food first, but the Emperor waved his hand.
“No need. I’ll do it myself.”
“Let me,” Luo Li said with a smile, taking the initiative to divide the mooncake into several small pieces. Using the prepared small forks, she shared it with the Emperor.
She ate a piece along with him. Seeing him raise his eyebrows in appreciation, a proud expression appeared on her little face.
It was as if she were asking, ‘Well? Pretty good, right?’
The Emperor found it amusing. After tasting it, he nodded in satisfaction.
“It really is quite good. Alright, out with it, Little Li’er. What is it you want to ask your Imperial Brother for this time?”Well, alright. The original host had always had some ulterior motive whenever she tried to curry favor before, so the Emperor was already used to it and assumed the same this time.
Hearing his words, Luo Li was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hands.
“No, no, I just genuinely wanted to share it with you, Brother Emperor.”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor raised his eyebrows high, clearly not quite convinced. Turning to glance at the eunuch beside him, he suddenly remembered something.
“I heard you’ve been frequently visiting that newly opened Breeze Pavilion in the city lately?”