I was flattered after crossing

Xiao Zhengchen smiled and said in a gentle voice, "Brother and sister-in-law, did you just go to pay your respects to the Queen Mother?"

Xiao Zhengxuan nodded slightly to show his agreement. Then, Xiao Zhengchen enthusiastically suggested: "Why don't we go to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to enjoy some refreshments together!" After that, he took the lead and walked towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

I was a little anxious at first and wanted to find Lei Lei as soon as possible. After all, her identity was extraordinary. What if she encountered any accidents in this unfamiliar environment?

Just as I was about to raise my head to tell Xiao Zhengxuan, I heard him whisper, "Princess, look at the woman standing by the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Is she Miss Lei Lei?"

I looked in the direction he was looking, and sure enough, I saw a woman in a Changchun pink skirt standing quietly by the lake, leisurely admiring the beautiful scenery of the lake.

"Ah, yes, it's her, it's her!" When I confirmed that the person in front of me was Lei Lei, my tense heart finally relaxed.

When we entered the pavilion, I couldn't wait to quicken my pace to her side and called out softly, "Miss Ling'er!"

However, she suddenly turned her head, her face suddenly became solemn, and her eyes revealed a hint of nervousness. She only relaxed when she saw that it was me.

"What's wrong with you?" I stared at her suspiciously, and was keenly aware that her expression was extremely strange at the moment.

At this moment, Lei Lei's eyes moved between me and Xiao Zhengxuan, as if she had something to say, but when she glanced at Xiao Zhengchen standing next to her with a puzzled expression on his face, she suddenly became a little timid and no longer dared to speak easily.

I noticed her change and took the initiative to break the silence and said, "Come, let me introduce you to this man, the prince's brother - Xiao Zhengchen."

Upon hearing this, Lei Lei immediately bowed to Xiao Zhengchen and said, "I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Second Prince!"

Then, I turned to Xiao Zhengchen and introduced him: "Chen'er, this is my good friend Zhao Zhongling."

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Zhengchen showed an expression of sudden enlightenment and shouted in surprise: "Ah! So you are the Miss Ling'er that my father often mentioned!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of us all turned our eyes to him with curiosity and questions.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhengchen was at a loss and muttered to himself: "...Did I say something wrong?"

At this time, Xiao Zhengxuan interrupted and asked, "Chen'er, when did you hear about Miss Ling'er from your father?"

Xiao Zhengchen looked a little sly at the moment. He looked around first, and after confirming that there was no one around, he carefully poked his head towards us and recalled in a low voice, "One afternoon, I went to the imperial study to find my father. As soon as I walked to the door, I heard a low voice coming from inside, as if someone was reporting something important to my father.

I stopped curiously and listened attentively. I heard someone anxiously say, "Your Majesty, after much inquiry and searching, we still can't find any trace of Miss Zhao..."

I was thinking to myself, who is it that my father is so worried about? Just as I was about to continue eavesdropping, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw that it was Eunuch Wang.

He looked at me seriously and said softly, "Young Prince, why are you eavesdropping here? This is not good, you'd better leave quickly." Helplessly, I had to reluctantly leave the imperial study.

As I walked out of the door, I couldn't help but feel a little regretful. The conversation just now seemed to mention a girl named Zhao Zhongling, but I had never heard of this name. Who is she? Why did my father pay so much attention to her? "

After Xiao Zhengchen finished speaking, he raised his head and looked at Lei Lei with his lively little deer eyes, exclaiming: "Miss Ling'er is really as stunningly beautiful as I imagined! Otherwise, why would your father be so obsessed with her!"

I was stunned when I heard that, and quickly explained: "Uh... Chen'er, there may be some misunderstandings here... She is not the Miss Ling'er that the emperor mentioned. Although the name is the same, they are not the same person."

Looking at Xiao Zhengchen's bright eyes full of doubt and puzzlement, I was extremely anxious, hoping to clarify this misunderstanding as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I didn't know where to start.

At this time, Xiao Zhengxuan on the side said: "Chen'er, this is a long story. I will explain it to you in detail later."

Hearing this, I felt a little relieved. I hope Xiao Zhengxuan can tell Xiao Zhengchen the whole story to avoid any further misunderstanding.

Xiao Zhengchen nodded blankly and said, "Oh~Okay."

At this moment, Xiao Zhengxuan turned around and said to Lei Lei, "Miss Ling'er, don't worry, just tell me what you want to say. What happened just now?"

After saying this, he turned around and ordered the guards behind him to strictly guard the pavilion in the middle of the lake and not let any outsiders in.

Then, Xiao Zhengchen pointed to the stone bench beside him and greeted enthusiastically: "Come, come, let's sit here and talk slowly."

Lei Lei nodded with a little fear, sat down slowly, and then began to narrate: "After I paid my respects to the Queen just now, I wanted to walk around outside and enjoy the scenery while waiting for you to come out. Who would have thought that I would run into the Prime Minister's wife behind a rockery..." Her voice was still trembling, and it was obvious that she had not fully recovered from the shock just now.

"What? Why is the Prime Minister's wife there?" I said in surprise. At the same time, I looked up at Xiao Zhengxuan and asked in confusion, "Could it be that she is also going to pay her respects to the Queen?"

However, for some reason, I always felt something was strange.

At this time, Xiao Zhengchen suddenly interrupted and said, "That's not right! Although she is a court lady, she is allowed to enter the palace to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday, but if she wants to meet the Queen Mother, she should also hand in her name card in advance. How could she act so arbitrarily?

Moreover, every year, the Queen Mother would have to sit for a long time waiting for them to come and pay their respects because it was too troublesome, so in recent years, the Queen Mother has exempted these people from the etiquette of paying their respects!"

I then asked, "So what did the Prime Minister's wife say when she saw you?"

Lei Lei recalled carefully and replied: "She warned me to remember my mission in entering the palace and not to be self-righteous or reckless, and not to think that I can stop obeying the orders of the Prime Minister's Mansion after leaving it.

If I don't follow the original plan, the prime minister will most likely report my unknown origins to the emperor, and then how to deal with it will be entirely up to their prime minister."

Having said that, I could still feel a little nervousness as she held my hand tightly.

So, I gently patted the back of her hand and comforted her: "It's okay, just relax. How can he, a mere minister, dare to interfere in the affairs of the royal harem? Besides, the emperor and the queen are well aware of his little calculations, so don't be afraid. It's no big deal~"

However, Lei Lei still said worriedly: "But I am worried that he will really go to the emperor to complain that my identity is unknown. If that happens, wouldn't it be impossible to clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River? After all, it's easy to find a pretext to accuse someone of a crime."

"Look, am I not also a person of unknown origin? But haven't I been a princess for a long time now? Think about it, how could the emperor easily agree to let the prince marry me? Wouldn't he do some investigation?" I stared at Lei Lei and whispered softly.

Then, I leaned my head closer to her and said in a low voice: "After such a long period of observation, I think this emperor is not as suspicious as the emperors we know in history! So you can rest assured~"

Then, I raised my head, cast my gaze towards Xiao Zhengxuan, and said in a normal tone, "Besides, we still have our prince to support us!"

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Zhengchen also hurried over to interrupt and said, "Count me in! I've long disliked Prime Minister Fu. Every time I put forward some unique opinions in the court, this old guy is always the first to jump out and sing the opposite tune!"

Lei Lei and I looked at each other, and we couldn't help but burst out laughing at the innocent and simple-minded Xiao Zhengchen in front of us. It was thanks to his jokes that we broke the dull and depressing atmosphere.

"Miss Ling'er, you should smile more! Sister looks so beautiful when she smiles!" After saying that, Xiao Zhengchen lowered his head shyly.

He wondered in his heart if he was too direct, but when he saw Ling'er's smile that was as bright as a blooming spring flower, all his worries disappeared.

Lei Lei, who was standing by, held her cheek with her hands, stared at Xiao Zhengxuan intently and said, "I've just been thinking that the Second Prince is really handsome and elegant. Especially his big, round, bright eyes, which are as lively and full of charm as a little deer, and as bright as the twinkling stars in the night sky after rain."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhengchen's cheeks instantly turned red, like a ripe apple. He raised his head a little embarrassedly, with a hint of surprise and nervousness in his eyes.

Then he stammered, "Ah... Am I... Am I as beautiful as Miss Ling'er described..." At this moment, his face seemed to be a little redder than before.

Turning to look at Xiao Zhengxuan beside him, he saw that he was also looking at his younger brother helplessly and shook his head slightly.

Seeing this, I quietly leaned close to Lei Lei's ear and whispered, "You are now an extraordinary person, so don't use your sea king tricks anymore! When you are sure that you can't become the emperor's woman, it won't be too late to tease his son!"

"Oh, I've become accustomed to it... Fortunately, I stopped in time, otherwise I would have followed in the footsteps of Concubine Ying..." Lei Lei shuddered as she spoke. Thinking of Concubine Ying's tragic fate, she felt a surge of fear in her heart.

"Miss, please go back! No one is allowed to enter here without the prince's permission."

Suddenly, a low and serious voice came from outside the pavilion.

We all looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young woman wearing a lavender dress that fluttered in the wind. She had a jade hairpin in her hair, which made her look even more elegant and refined. She was whispering in a voice as clear and sweet as a yellow oriole singing in a valley: "Please tell this guard brother that I, Zhao Wanqing, have come to see the prince. Please grant me an audience."

However, the guard showed no intention of giving in and remained at his post, even refusing to go in to deliver the message.

So, all one could see was Zhao Wanqing standing outside the door, anxiously looking into the pavilion.

I couldn't help but look up and look at Xiao Zhengxuan beside me, just in time to catch him frowning slightly, rubbing his forehead, and shaking his head helplessly.

At this time, Xiao Zhengchen, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up and said indignantly: "Why is it her again!"

Seeing this, Lei Lei asked curiously, "Oh? So the Second Prince also knows this Zhao Wanqing?"

Xiao Zhengchen nodded unhappily and said angrily: "More than just knowing her! Last time at the lotus banquet hosted by my aunt, it was she who made my sister-in-law so angry that she fainted! Humph, I'm going to send her away now." Before he finished speaking, Xiao Zhengchen strode out.

Just when I was about to open my mouth to stop Xiao Zhengchen, I heard Lei Lei staring at me with wide eyes and saying, "What! Someone can make you faint from anger, why didn't you tell me earlier!

If I had known this earlier, I would have chased after her even if I had tried my best, and then ruthlessly stripped off the disguise of that shameless, scheming woman! Humph! It’s not too late now!” She also stood up and went over.

I quickly reached out my hand to cover her mouth, and lowered my voice and said, "Oh my, my little ancestor, you really dare to say anything~ This is the imperial palace... and today is the Queen's birthday! We must not cause any trouble! There is no need to rush~ Calm down~"

Then, I quickly turned my head to look at Xiao Zhengxuan, deliberately teasing him, "Oh my, Your Highness, why are you still sitting here so quietly? Your childhood sweetheart has already caught up with you~"

He looked at me helplessly and said helplessly: "Princess...Princess, please stop making fun of me..."

At this moment, when the guards saw Xiao Zhengchen coming out, they immediately saluted and took a step back.

This created a large enough space for Xiao Zhengchen and Zhao Wanqing to talk.

Zhao Wanqing saw that the person who came out was actually the Second Prince, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but she quickly concealed her emotions, gracefully bent down slightly, saluted, and said softly: "Zhao Wanqing pays respects to the Second Prince~"

Xiao Zhengchen seemed a little impatient and asked unhappily, "Miss Zhao, why are you here? Is there something going on?"

Zhao Wanqing lowered her head slightly and said softly, "Your Highness the Second Prince, I saw the prince and you here from a distance just now. I was very happy, so I thought of coming to greet you two." However, she kept her head down, not daring to look up and look directly at the noble Second Prince in front of her, and seemed a little restrained.