I want to be innocent, but they don't allow me

The Imperial Palace, inside the Imperial Garden.

Emperor Hongwen, who had just finished his morning court session, walked towards the circle with the gait of a dragon or a tiger.

"Your Majesty, what's the hurry?"

Emperor Hongwen signaled the maid beside him to leave, then he put away the dignity on his face, smiled, and said to the queen:

"I thought that the first thing I would do when I came back on the first day of the new year would be to visit her mother, so I came here."

As he spoke, Emperor Hongwen glanced around and asked in confusion:

"Why, no one has arrived yet?"

The queen leaned over and sniffed the plum blossoms in front of her, looking very leisurely, without even glancing at Emperor Hongwen, and said leisurely:

"I've been here before, and I came here together with New Year's Eve."

"What about that person?"

Emperor Hongwen frowned, looking somewhat displeased.

"I came here, and then I left again. If Your Majesty wants to see me, please call me again."

After the Queen finished speaking, she simply ignored Emperor Hongwen and walked straight towards her own bedroom.

"Hui Niang! You're still mad at me. There's nothing I can do about it."

Upon seeing this, Emperor Hongwen grabbed the Queen's hand from behind and flattered her.

However, the Queen did not buy it, and pushed Emperor Hongwen away, saying sarcastically:

"I dare not blame your majesty. Your majesty is always thinking about the people of the world. I am just a woman. Even if I am angry, I have to hold it in."

Emperor Hongwen shamelessly held the Queen's hand again, thought for a moment, and said earnestly:

"I know you like the boy from my second brother's family. I also think he's good, but we should also consider Chuyi."

As he spoke, he used a little force to hold the queen in his arms, with a tone of guilt.

"I was wrong before. I didn't consider Chuyi's feelings and arranged a marriage for her without her permission, causing her to run away from home."

Immediately he stretched out three fingers, put the pen to his ear, and said seriously:

"I promise that Chuyi's husband must be a man she likes. As long as he has good character, all other matters are fine!"

The queen snorted and glanced at Emperor Hongwen, but she did not struggle to get out of his arms. Her tone softened a little:

"What if the man you fall in love with at first sight is already engaged?"

Emperor Hongwen frowned and said hesitantly, "This...robbing a decent man and woman by force is not a good idea."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

The Queen punched Emperor Hongwen's chest hard and rolled her eyes.

"I mean that Chuyi and the man were in love, but the man had his parents' orders and the matchmaker's words to interfere."

Emperor Hongwen was in a good mood after being punched. He was almost smiling like a chrysanthemum. He waved his hand and said:

"Bullshit matchmaker's words, who can snatch my son-in-law, Zhao Laosi...eh?"

Before he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong and looked down at the queen in his arms.

But she didn't look resentful at all, her face was full of satisfaction and she acted like a winner.

"Hui Niang, please tell me quickly, which boy did Chuyi fall in love with, and are they engaged?"

Emperor Hongwen had already guessed that he had been tricked, but he was not angry. It was obvious that he was more concerned about his daughter's lifelong affairs than this insignificant matter.

The Queen did not directly answer the question of Emperor Hongwen. She slightly turned sideways, got out of the embrace of Emperor Hongwen, bowed to him dignifiedly, and then said slowly:

"Your Majesty, please do not call yourself "I" again, lest those censors hear it and say that Your Majesty has lost his dignity."

The corner of Emperor Hongwen's mouth twitched. Normally, the two of them never cared about these things in private.

There was no one around at the moment, and the Queen suddenly brought it up, obviously wanting to switch identities and do her usual joking thing.

He coughed twice, straightened his posture and said, "What the Queen said is right. I have made note of it."

Then his expression changed, and he asked in a slightly anxious tone: "The Queen hasn't told you yet, which boy is Chuyi in love with, and is that guy engaged?"

Although Emperor Hongwen had spoken wildly before.

But etiquette is etiquette, and the higher the emperor's rank, the more difficult it is to transcend them.

Seeing this, the queen no longer concealed it and asked with a meaningful tone:

"Your Majesty, do you know where Chuyi went?"

"Isn't it just that she went to the border to find Yin Huanping and wanted me to cancel her marriage with that boy? I have already..."

After a pause, Emperor Hongwen looked at the Queen in astonishment, with a hint of anger in his tone.

"Is he a noble family or a wealthy merchant? Or is he a general?"

"If it's a general's family member, it's not impossible..."

Emperor Hongwen was busy imagining things, but heard the empress beside him chuckle and say:

"Your Majesty, you misunderstood. I was asking where Chuyi had gone at this time."

"where?"

Emperor Hongwen was stunned, and subconsciously said,

"Could it be some powerful family in the capital?"

When the Empress saw Emperor Hongwen, she was talking more and more outrageously, so she simply stopped keeping him in suspense and said bluntly:

"Exquisite waterside pavilion."

"What was she going there for? To demonstrate? To vent her anger? But didn't that kid go to Qiuzhou?"

Emperor Hongwen frowned, somewhat confused.

Then the queen sighed softly, her tone somewhat sad:

"On the first day of the first month, I asked for the white jade lotus bracelet that Your Majesty gave to me, saying that he was going to visit me."

"Visit? Visit whom?"

"..."

...

"I pay my respects to Princess Yunhe."

Outside the exquisite water pavilion, Su Yuwei was slightly surprised when she saw Zhao Chuyi getting off the carriage.

"No need to be like that, you must be Su Yuwei, Sister Su."

Seeing Su Yuwei bowing to greet her, Zhao Chuyi quickly stood in front of her, put his hand on her wrist and helped her up.

After Su Yuwei stood up, she found that Zhao Chuyi did not take back her hand, but directly held her hand, appearing to be very familiar with her.

If others didn't know, they would think that the two were sisters who hadn't seen each other for many years.

"I am Su Yuwei. I wonder if Your Highness is here today..."

"Let's go in. I've heard of this exquisite waterside pavilion before, but I've never been here."

Zhao Chuyi took Su Yuwei's hand affectionately and walked towards the mansion. She looked more like the owner of the mansion.

"You must be Xiao Zhao, right? My name is Shanshan, and I'm Master's apprentice. These are the gifts the princess brought you."

Shanshan looked at the young girl in front of her who was just as tall as her waist, and pointed behind her.

Xiao Zhao glanced at Xia He and Dong Mei beside him, and the two immediately understood and directed the servants to carry the gifts brought by Zhao Chuyi.

"Master's apprentice?"

Then he looked at Shanshan, his tone full of confusion.

"It's the young master, the prince! His Highness the prince's apprentice!"

Xiao Zhao was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted and shouted in surprise:

"You are Shanshan! You are just as the young master said... just as majestic."

Shanshan looked a little unhappy:

"Don't try to get close to me. Master is just too soft-hearted. A maid like you, when my princess takes over the harem, the first thing she will do is sell you out."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhao's face turned slightly pale, but he still said firmly:

"Why? If you say to sell it, then sell it. Even if you are his disciple, you should ask his opinion first."

Shanshan snorted coldly, looked Xiaozhao up and down with her peripheral vision, and said disdainfully:

"She's just okay looking. I know quite a few of them in the palace. Um, more than ten, three or two..."

"Anyway, there is a maidservant prettier than you. When the time comes, ask the princess to ask the queen for her and she will replace you."

As she spoke, Shanshan bypassed Xiao Zhao and walked towards the mansion, saying angrily,

"A girl like you who only cares about wealth and fame is not worthy of staying with Master."