Chapter 514: Chapter 170: Xiao Jinxing’s Crisis of Conscience?_3
The carriage reached inside the Imperial Palace.
Ye Qichi and Xiao Jinxing alighted from the carriage.
The Palace Attendants by the Emperor’s side had already been waiting for their arrival.
Seeing them alight, they hurriedly approached to pay their respects, and escorted them to the Emperor’s sleeping quarters.
The vast Imperial Palace still felt cold as they walked inside.
It was still snowing today.
The temperature seemed even lower than yesterday.
Ye Qichi kept breathing on her hands to warm them up as she followed Xiao Jinxing.
Suddenly, Xiao Jinxing reached out and pulled her hands, which had turned red from the cold, into his own.
Ye Qichi slightly frowned.
This darned Prince has indeed been very kind-hearted recently.
This time, he pulled her hand without explanation.
He just tightly wrapped her small hands within his large ones.
The warmth from his palms was simply too comforting.
"Xiao Jinxing, why are your hands so warm?" Ye Qichi was still somewhat surprised.
Are men naturally warmer?!
That’s not scientific!
Xiao Jinxing glanced at Ye Qichi and said indifferently, "I used my Inner Strength to keep myself warm."
"..." Inner Strength can be used like that.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qichi quickly tried to channel her own Inner Strength too.
She was just about to do so.
"No need to bother, your level of Inner Strength isn’t enough," Xiao Jinxing stated bluntly.
Ye Qichi rolled her eyes.
This is just plain showing off.
But she had to admit,
with Xiao Jinxing holding her hand like this, not just her palms, her whole body felt much warmer.
Damn it!
She must practice diligently!
Ye Qichi and Xiao Jinxing reached the Emperor’s sleeping quarters.
Upon entering, they were greeted by a wave of warm air.
The place where the Emperor lived was really different.
The warmth here was even enough to dance in thin clothes.
At this moment, indeed, Xiao Zhanping was seated on the Dragon Throne, watching the dancers perform gracefully in the palace.
No wonder so many people wanted to be Emperor.
The life of an Emperor, unimaginable by ordinary people.
Xiao Jinxing and Ye Qichi approached and greeted the Emperor, "Greetings to Father Emperor."
"Rise," Xiao Zhanping said, then instructed the dancing Dancer in front of him, "All of you leave."
"Yes."
The Dancer left.
Xiao Jinxing and Ye Qichi were arranged to sit in a spot nearby.
"Today I specifically summoned you to the palace because yesterday I was drunk, and Princess made hangover soup for me, allowing me to wake up today feeling refreshed.", Xiao Zhanping stated straightforwardly, his tone pleasant indicating a good mood, "With Princess around, I no longer worry about the suffering from getting drunk."
"Father Emperor, although this daughter-in-law can prepare hangover medicine to ease the symptoms of drunkenness, Father Emperor should still be cautious about not drinking excessively as the damage to the body cannot truly be alleviated just by hangover medicine. Please prioritize your health, Father Emperor." Ye Qichi respectfully said.
"I am well aware of that," Xiao Zhanping responded, "Princess, rest assured, I am not a heavy drinker."
"It was an excessive worry on my part."
"Not an excessive worry, but your concern for my health."
"Father Emperor is wise."
"I won’t beat around the bush, my summoning you today is to reward you." As he said this, Xiao Zhanping instructed Eunuch Mu by his side to have the palace maid present countless invaluable gold and jewels.
Shiny and glittering, it dazzled Ye Qichi’s eyes.
Inside, she thought, I’ve struck it rich.
Yet outwardly, she maintained her composure.
"These are all carefully selected by me as a reward for the Princess," he said.
"This daughter-in-law thanks Father Emperor for the reward," Ye Qichi quickly knelt to pay her respects.
"Princess, not only for yesterday’s hangover soup, but your recent performance has also been under my observation. I heard that during yesterday’s Cold Plum Blossom Banquet, you also received rewards from the Imperial Concubine, unexpectedly outshining all the other ladies," he commented.
"It’s the generosity of the Imperial Concubine," she replied.
"You don’t need to be so modest, I am well aware that without true capability, you could not have taken this accolade from Princess Consort Chu," Xiao Zhanping continued.
In truth, many understand what kind of person Zhao Mengyu is.
Knowing yet still indulging her,
truly shows his favor towards her.
Over these years, among those around him, only Zhao Mengyu has truly been in tune with his mind.
Lately, his health has made him uninterested in matters of men and women, rendering the harem virtually needless; what he needs is someone who can comprehend his thoughts, someone who can manage the harem efficiently – frankly speaking, a soul companion, and over these years, only Zhao Mengyu has truly understood his heart’s desires and met his expectations.