I was spotted by the heroines while doing the quick-travel mission.

When the eldest princess turned sixteen, she was granted a princess's residence and moved out of the palace. During this period, she seldom entered the palace, so much so that Yang Liu was not seen for the first time until the coldest time of winter.

As soon as she entered the room, Princess Liu Chaoling let go of Yang Liu's hand and turned to Queen Zhang Jiuyue who was sitting and drinking tea.

"Mother, do you miss Ling'er?"

The girl who was just dignified and graceful suddenly turned into a squeamish and pretentious little girl.

Yang Liu was stunned and greeted them, then quickly found a corner to sit down so as not to disturb the two people who were reminiscing about the past.

"My dear Ling'er, have you lost weight if your mother sees you? We told you not to move out so early, but you insisted on asking your father... Are you willing to leave your mother?" Although Zhang Jiuyue blamed her, she looked left and right with a look of heartache.

Liu Chaoling smiled, took Zhang Jiuyue's hand and patted it, "Mother, you know that I don't like this deep palace. I'd better leave as soon as possible, right?"

Zhang Jiuyue took very good care of Liu Chaoling, but she seemed to be born with a quiet and elegant temperament. She did not care about all the wealth and splendor at all. She preferred to tend to her flowers and plants, compose poems and paint.

"You, you, you little heartless thing. You always say that I am the only one who spoils you." Zhang Jiuyue smiled bitterly, lifted the hair by her ear, and poked her daughter's heart lightly.

In such a happy family reminiscing scene, Yang Liu could only sit in the corner, clasping her hands awkwardly, trying to reduce her presence as much as possible.

"What are you talking about, mother? I am here to accompany you. Besides, now that father has adopted the second princess as your own, it won't be boring."

Yang Liu, who was in a daze, suddenly heard herself being mentioned. She subconsciously looked in the direction of the two people chatting. Seeing Liu Chaoling looking at her and blinking, she immediately stood up and saluted, looking cautious, gentle and quiet.

"Why do you say this in such a sour tone? Now that you have your second sister, do you not want to accompany your mother anymore?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiuyue pinched Liu Chaoling's ear lightly with amusement and anger, as if she wanted to teach her a lesson.

"Oh! Mother! Why do you miss your daughter so much? Your daughter is going to be sad."

Liu Chaoling was not annoyed even if someone pulled his ears. After all, he was her mother and it was just a joke.

Yang Liu endured the noise of the mother and daughter playing until dinner time when she was finally able to relax.

As luck would have it, just after dinner, news came from the Wanshou Palace that the Empress Dowager had died.

For a while, the harem was in chaos. When the matter was dealt with, it was also the end of the year, and the princes and princesses also had a month's vacation, and they would not go back to school until after the New Year.

……

"System, is it time for the emperor to start dealing with the Yu family?"

[Yes, host. According to the original plot, the Queen Mother's death was the beginning of the heroine's difficult childhood. It was also the starting point for the heroine's gradual maturity, her dark turn, and her slaughter of the palace to establish herself as emperor.]

"So what should I do next?"

[Just like in the original plot, give the heroine private help, let the heroine grow up safely, keep it as secret as possible, and protect herself. 】

"This...is not difficult."

Yang Liu pondered. Now that she was under the name of Queen Zhang Jiuyue, she would naturally be immune to the fall of the Yu family. It would be easy to protect her, but how could she give Liu Jinyuan the power to conquer her own kingdom in the future?

"Yes! We can do that!"

An idea flashed through his mind, and Yang Liu excitedly stood up, put on some clothes casually and walked out, avoiding the patrolling palace servants and went to Liu Jinyuan's place in a flash.

"Jinyuan, Jinyuan...it's me, open the window." Yang Liuxiao sneakily lay beside the window closest to the bed, knocked on it, and called softly.

Liu Jinyuan, who had not yet fallen asleep, heard the sound and immediately got up and opened the window. Yang Liu turned over and came in, and the two little figures hugged each other in the dark.

"Sister, why are you here?" The two of them let go of their arms, and Liu Jinyuan pulled Yang Liu onto the bed and asked in confusion.

"I have something to tell you."

Even though there was no one around in the middle of the night, Yang Liu still lowered her voice and whispered a lot into Liu Jinyuan's ear. Liu Jinyuan was full of confusion and even a little bit of non-comprehension, but since it was her sister's request, she nodded in agreement.

"It's settled then. You must come tomorrow." Yang Liu smiled with satisfaction when he saw Liu Jinyuan nod.

"okay."

"Then I'll go back first."

"Okay, go ahead, sister."

Yang Liu didn't know how she came back and how she returned the same way. After Ping An returned to the room and closed the door, she breathed a sigh of relief and climbed back into bed.

"In this case, it would be nice to have an extra layer of protection."

As she was thinking, Yang Liu tilted her head and fell asleep.

……

"You went out and came back?"

"Yes, my dear."

"Got it, go down and rest."

After the palace maid bowed and left, Queen Zhang Jiuyue looked confused.

"What is this little girl doing? She usually goes out and comes back at dawn. Is there a conflict?"

"No, I still have to remind her more often, so as not to waste the Queen Mother's efforts." Thinking of something, Zhang Jiuyue frowned slightly.

……

The next morning, the queen rarely accompanied Yang Liu for breakfast.

"Chao Yuan..." Seeing that it was almost time, Queen Zhang Jiuyue put down her bowl and chopsticks and spoke in a seemingly casual tone.

"What's the matter, mother?" Seeing this, Yang Liu also put down his bowl and chopsticks.

"You eat. What I want to say is not important." Seeing Yang Liu put down his bowl and chopsticks because of her words, she finally spoke in a soft voice.

"Although the Third Princess is your sister from the same mother, and the Imperial Concubine is your biological mother, since you are here, I still hope you can keep some distance from them. I know that you went to see the Third Princess during this period, but from now on, I still hope that you will not go there again... Especially at night. If people know that you went there, do you know the consequences?"

Zhang Jiuyue put it simply and clearly, even revealing the fact that Yang Liu always went to Liu Jinyuan, leaving Yang Liu no room for refusal.

The matter of the princess running around in the palace late at night is not a big deal, but it is not a small matter either. If you really make a fuss about it, it can be very troublesome.

"Mother is right. Apart from daily contact and occasional encounters, I will no longer look for the Third Imperial Sister..."

Yang Liu lowered her head and nodded, agreeing to it.

The officialdom today is probably undercurrent-filled and ready to explode. If she wants to protect herself, she can only "understand" the Queen's hints, keep a distance from the Royal Concubine and Liu Jinyuan, and abandon them.

In the original plot, Liu Chaoyuan continued like this, which led to her estrangement from Liu Jinyuan. But she is not Liu Chaoyuan, and she is on good terms with Liu Jinyuan.

"It's best if you can understand my feelings. If you don't, you're so smart and shouldn't make such a mistake." Seeing Yang Liu being so easy to talk to, Queen Zhang Jiuyue was stunned.

"I know that I will not bring disaster to Mother."