After traveling through time, I became the aunt of the loyal dog emperor

Although the moon tonight is not full, it is unusually bright.

Wan Ning, who was insomniac again, remembered that the rope on one side of the swing in the yard was loose, so she simply opened the door and went to the yard alone. The faint moonlight poured into the yard as gentle as water, and the story "algae and waterweeds crisscross in the water" that she had learned many years ago suddenly appeared in her mind, and she couldn't help but sigh: "The ancients were not deceiving me, but it's a pity that no one walks with me in the yard, and I can only look at the moon and my shadow as three people."

She walked slowly to the tree, picked up the wooden board she had placed there in the afternoon, and tied it with a rope. Then she moved a chair and stood on it, trying to tie the rope to the branch. Wan Ning stretched her arms as far as she could, but it was still a little far from the target branch, so she had to stand on tiptoe to make it.

She was not willing to admit defeat. The worse she did, the more she wanted to do it. But suddenly a gust of wind blew over, and she lost her balance and almost fell down. She was not panicking, thinking that the worst that could happen was that she would fall down, and her hands were still busy tying the rope. At this moment, a black shadow flashed quickly and supported Wan Ning from behind.

She couldn't help wanting to verify her guess, but before she could turn her head completely, she was carried down from the chair. She wasn't light, but she was easily carried up and landed safely. Ziheng stood quietly behind her, one hand on her waist and the other hand directly took over the swing that was not yet completely tied. Wan Ning came to her senses, squatted down and quietly moved to the side, while Ziheng helped her tie the swing without looking at her, and then pulled it hard to make sure it was safe.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping at this time?" Ziheng didn't stop what he was doing, and there was some coldness in his voice.

The situation just now made her extremely embarrassed. Like a child who had done something wrong, she forgot to refute and whispered, "Can't sleep?" The next second, as if she had found a loophole, she asked back, "You shouldn't be here at this time, right?"

Ziheng didn't know how to answer for a moment. He thought about it but couldn't find a good reason, so he walked straight to the other swings in the yard to check if they were still risky. "You can't do this kind of thing alone. If you fall and no one finds you immediately, the consequences will be disastrous. If your subordinates don't do their job well, then I'll send Xiang Wanxuan a new batch."

"No, I didn't call them myself. Xiang Wanxuan's sisters are very good, and no one can replace them." Wan Ning was a little anxious when she heard that Xiang Wanxuan's sisters were going to be replaced, and she quickly waved her hand to refuse, "I didn't call them this time, I wanted to give them a surprise. Why are you here now?"

"The moonlight is nice tonight. I can't sleep, so I might as well go out for a walk." Ziheng said no more. He sat on the swing he had just tied and looked Wan Ning straight in the eye.

Seeing this, Wan Ning also walked to the swing next to her. The two sat side by side in silence, basking in the moonlight.

Perhaps the current atmosphere is too subtle and someone needs to break the silence first.

Ziheng spoke first: "I heard that you get along well with the palace maids?"

Wan Ning was very excited when she talked about this. She smiled, patted her chest and said proudly, "Of course, these girls are my concubines, so I have to treat them well. Did the eunuch who came to deliver the gifts tell you? Why do they have to tell you even such a small matter?"

Ziheng smiled slightly, and repeated the word "harem" with his lips slightly parted. He soon returned to his usual calmness: "You can't blame them for being talkative. They said that Xiang Wanxuan treats the palace maids so well that they all want to work in your palace. It's really enviable."

"That's because they are being polite. If we really let them come, no one would be willing to do so."

The two chatted casually, tacitly not mentioning each other's disgraceful behavior at Prince Qi's mansion last time.

"Meow meow meow~ meow~", it was the appearance of the kitten that broke the deadlock. This was the kitten that Wan Ning picked up in Prince Qi's mansion, and it was also the witness of the disqualified behavior of the two people in Prince Qi's mansion. Wan Ning brought it back with her when she returned to the palace. After raising it for a few days, it was fatter than the last time she saw it. The kitten appeared at Wan Ning's feet without knowing when, rubbing her legs back and forth with its furry body.

Unable to bear it, Wan Ning picked it up and placed it on her lap, stroking the fur on its back from front to back. She also used her index finger to lightly scratch the kitten's chin. With the double enjoyment, the kitten soon made a purring "chanting" sound.

"This guy loves to sleep during the day, but becomes energetic at night." Wan Ning calmly recounted the trivial matters about the kitten, as natural as chatting with a friend. She seemed to be complaining, but she was full of doting on the kitten.

"Can we have a name now?"

"Yes, it's called Persimmon. Look at its body, it's light yellow, just like a big persimmon. Look at its face, doesn't it also look like a persimmon?" He held the kitten's front paws with both hands and lifted it up. The kitten tilted its face and stared at Ziheng with its big eyes. Ziheng's eyes were all on Wan Ning behind the kitten, and he smiled unconsciously at her proud expression.

"Are your injuries all healed?" Wan Ning changed the subject.

"All right."

"Have you found out the identity of the assassin?"

"We are still investigating. Now we have given full authority to Prince Qi."

"Someone is so bold as to blatantly assassinate the emperor in the hunting grounds! Please tell me if there is any result in this case. I must go and see who this person is. He left in a hurry that day. How did Miss Du Ruo do afterwards?"

"I was frightened, but it's nothing serious."

"That's good." Wan Ning thought about it and decided to be more direct. "You came here today, but do you have something to ask me?"

Ziheng got up from the swing, did not answer the question, turned around and left, and just said: "It's late, Yanyan, go to bed early."

When Wan Ning saw him leaving, she suddenly remembered that she had not asked a question about the butterfly jade yet, so she quickly chased after him. Because she was anxious to make him stop, she reached out and grabbed Ziheng's belt fiercely. Ziheng immediately stayed where he was, thinking that this girl always did something shocking.

"I'm sorry, I was so anxious and rude." Wan Ning apologized for her impolite behavior and explained, "Is there anything else I want to ask you?"

Ziheng deliberately didn't look at her, and turned around very honestly, walked around Wan Ning who was lowering her head, and sat back on the swing. His abrupt turn made it seem that he was somewhat reluctant to leave.

"What do you want to ask me?" Ziheng took the initiative to hold the swing next to him that was swaying in the wind, and Wan Ning sat on it tacitly.

"The milky white and ethereal jade presented at the birthday banquet of Prince Qi, do you know which mine it comes from, how much is produced each year, and where is it sold? Do you have any records?"

"Yanyan, why are you suddenly interested in this?" Ziheng did not give a direct answer, but wanted to know why she was suddenly so passionate about it.

"To be honest, there is something very important to me, which is made of this material. I have been searching for it for a long time but have found nothing. I thought that if there were records of the production and sales of the material, I would have more clues."

Ziheng looked at her with a slightly serious expression, and then returned to his usual calmness: "This kind of jade is extremely rare and has never been recorded before. This time it was also discovered by King Qi by chance. Now it is the only piece in Chu State. Yanyan, what does what you are looking for look like? I can help you look for it."

"Okay, okay, I've been waiting for you to say that." Wan Ning smiled sweetly and quickly put the kitten on the swing board, while Shi Zi continued to lie there and sleep soundly. Wan Ning immediately took out the handkerchief she had embroidered from her arms, feeling very happy. Not only because Zi Heng agreed to help her find it, but also because she spent a long time preparing the handkerchief, and now it worked as soon as it was made. This feeling of immediate reward made her feel really comfortable.

Wan Ning walked up to Ziheng, bent over, opened the handkerchief, pointed at the butterfly embroidery on it and said proudly: "I have prepared it in advance, look, it looks like this. When separated, they are two butterfly wings, and when put together, they form a complete butterfly shape. The most peculiar thing is that there is an irregular round hole in the middle of the butterfly, look, it looks like this."

Ziheng took the handkerchief and carefully identified it in the moonlight. He had never seen such a jade pendant before, especially the irregular hole in the middle of the jade pendant. He wondered what kind of craftsman was willing to carve such a rough craft on such a rare jade?

"Is the hole in the middle of the jade pendant really like this?"

"That's true. My embroidery is not good, but this hole is really irregular. Because it was damaged by external force, there was no such hole originally. Since you have already seen it, just return the handkerchief to me!" As she said that, Wan Ning was about to reach out to take it back.

Ziheng tilted his head and looked at her lovingly, her cheeks reddening in anxiety to prove something. He took the opportunity to put the handkerchief away, and then said to her seriously, "I'll take the handkerchief. Since it's so important to you, it will be faster if we look for it together."

Wan Ning had anticipated many reactions, none of which was Ziheng not asking anything or investigating her origins and life experience, but instead offering to help. She was filled with gratitude, and Ziheng's delicate face looked even more profound under the moonlight. The moment their eyes met, her heart began to beat violently again.

"Why is your face so red?" Ziheng leaned over to look at her cheek. At this moment, they were only a fist away from each other. He touched her cheek worriedly, "It's still a little hot. Is there anything else that's making you feel uncomfortable?"

"It's okay, I'm allergic to the changing seasons." Wan Ning made up an excuse and sat back on the swing. She was worried that she couldn't hide her excitement at such a distance. And this excitement was more dangerous than exciting to her at the moment.

Since Qiu Lie Ziheng got Wan Ning's personal admission that she was not a princess, he had never asked about her origins. He must have already looked her upside down in private. But for someone who had no life track in this era, all he could find out were endless unknowns.

For the royal family, the unknown represents danger. How can the emperor tolerate a dangerous person by his side? Maybe his feelings at the moment are true, but the emperor is the most ruthless. A feeling is fluid and changing. Once it changes, it may be fatal.

"Ziheng, thank you."

"The jade stone from Prince Qi has been handed over to craftsmen to carve into a Buddha statue. If there are any extra scraps, they will be sent to Xiang Wanxuan for you to keep for reference." After Ziheng finished speaking, he stood up again and was about to leave.

He walked a few steps before turning back. He squatted down so that their eyes were at the same height. He looked into her eyes tenderly and said, "I didn't ask because you will naturally tell me when you want to. I trust you, so I don't ask you the purpose of entering the palace. I just hope that you can trust me too and come to me directly when you need help."

Wan Ning nodded at a loss, while Ziheng stood up and touched Shizi's head lovingly, and this time he really turned around and left Xiang Wanxuan.

Wan Ning leaned her head on the swing rope and watched him leave, seeing him disappear in the moonlight.