Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

After the two sat down, they only heard the queen and several concubines chatting about things that had nothing to do with them. They could only sit upright in their seats, their postures straight, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Time passed slowly, and after a long time, the queen let everyone go.

However, unexpectedly, the queen did not let the Tao sisters leave, but took them to the back garden and invited them to take a walk with her.

Along the way, Tao Jiuxi kept repeating to herself that she must abide by the rules. She was like a taut string, always vigilant.

If the queen asked anything, she would answer cautiously, never saying a single extra word, for fear of making the slightest mistake.

The Queen still had doubts in her heart. His Majesty once mentioned to her that the woman Shen Zhiyi loved had a clever tongue and could hold her own even in debates with many scholars.

But Tao Jiuxi in front of him was acting so cautiously and prudently at this moment, which was completely different from what Your Majesty described.

Her sister kept her head down and remained silent. Her timid and shy look made the queen feel a little happy.

At this moment, the eunuch's shrill voice came from the imperial garden: "Your Majesty has arrived."

Tao Jiuxi and Tao Qingwan immediately knelt nervously and saluted. After the Queen finished her ceremony, Tao Jiuxi spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for the grace that has bestowed upon me the title of County Princess. I thank you for your great favor."

"Stand up." The emperor's voice came, with a hint of gentleness in his majesty.

After the two stood up, Tao Jiuxi looked up and saw Shen Zhiyi behind the emperor, but because the emperor was there, he didn't dare to look at him any longer.

The emperor examined Tao Jiuxi for a while, then turned to Shen Zhiyi and said, "I left this person to you, but he's really useless. He can't even handle his own father-in-law."

There was a hint of sarcasm in the emperor's words.

Shen Zhiyi wore a respectful expression, but replied stubbornly, "It's not that I have no choice, but I love you and your dog too."

"You have a way, but you still want me to keep him?" The emperor continued to joke.

When Tao Jiuxi saw the two people interacting like this, he realized that they were indeed very familiar with each other in private, and his originally tense mood relaxed a little.

The corners of her mouth unconsciously rose slightly, and the tension in her eyes faded a little.

Shen Zhiyi no longer refuted, but just looked at Tao Jiuxi quietly, his eyes full of tenderness, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him, and she was the only one in his eyes.

"Zhiyi, it's time for lunch. Have your meal here before leaving." His Majesty said to Shen Zhiyi, and then said to the young man in red official uniform on the other side behind him.

"Mingxiu, you should stay here too."

It was only then that Tao Jiuxi discovered that this man was none other than Fang Mingxiu, the former top scholar and grandson of the old man setting up the stall.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Fang Mingxiu responded respectfully with a humble smile on his face.

After saying this, the emperor naturally took the queen's hand and left leisurely.

From beginning to end, the emperor's gaze almost never lingered on Tao Qingwan, and the queen, feeling that she was the only one in the emperor's eyes, her already gentle gaze was now filled with a happy smile.

Seeing this, Shen Zhiyi stepped forward without hesitation and held Tao Jiuxi's hand.

Tao Jiuxi's eyes involuntarily glanced in the direction where the emperor and empress left, and he said anxiously, "Don't make any moves. My father told me to behave myself in the palace."

"Why wouldn't I do it?" Shen Zhiyi responded with a hint of grievance.

"Then you can't pull and tug, and I can't be alone with you today." Tao Jiuxi said as he slapped Shen Zhiyi's hand away, his cheeks slightly flushed, and a hint of shyness revealed in his eyes.

Shen Zhiyi couldn't help laughing, thinking that it didn't matter if they couldn't be alone together outside, as long as they could be alone in private.

"Eldest sister, let's go to the pavilion in the lake together."

Shen Zhiyi then turned around and spoke gently to Tao Qingwan. He had already accepted in his heart that he was Tao Jiuxi's future husband, so when he called Tao Qingwan, it was very smooth, as if this was already an established fact.

Several people came to the pavilion together, and the palace maids and eunuchs immediately served them tea respectfully in a well-trained manner.

Shen Zhiyi probably came here often. Even the eunuchs who served him knew his preferences and served him his favorite tea.

The four of them sat around the round table. As soon as Shen Zhiyi sat down, he picked up a piece of dessert and gently put it into Tao Jiuxi's hand, his eyes full of concern: "You came out so early, you must be hungry now."

Tao Jiuxi looked at the eunuchs and palace maids around him who were very surprised by Shen Zhiyi's behavior, and quickly whispered: "Keep a low profile, my father told me to keep a low profile."

Shen Zhiyi sighed helplessly, thinking that it was another reminder from his father, but facing Tao Jiuxi, he had no way and could only smile helplessly.

The eyes of the surrounding eunuchs and palace maids widened even more. So Duke Shen loved to laugh so much? Why had they only ever seen him with a serious face?

Shen Zhiyi stuffed the snack into Tao Jiuxi's hand, then handed a piece to Tao Qingwan, and then, as if to cover up something, he picked up a piece and stuffed it into Fang Mingxiu, as if doing so would make it seem that he treated everyone equally and without any personal feelings.

But when he just stuffed the cake into Fang Mingxiu's hand, he couldn't help but frown and asked, "Why did you follow me?"

"Ah? Your humble servant..." Fang Mingxiu tightly grasped the pastry in his hand, opened his mouth slightly, but stammered for a long time and couldn't say anything.

There was a hint of nervousness in his eyes, and his fingers unconsciously exerted force, making the pastry seem to be deformed.

Just after leaving court, the emperor kept Shen Zhiyi and Fang Mingxiu to discuss matters together.

After the meeting was over, the emperor mentioned to Shen Zhiyi, "As for the sisters from the Tao family, I asked the empress to keep them for you. They should be in the imperial garden now."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. If there is nothing else, can I go now?" Shen Zhiyi responded respectfully, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

His Majesty complained: "No future."

Just as His Majesty and Shen Zhiyi were about to head to the Imperial Garden, Fang Mingxiu suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have never been to the Imperial Garden. Could you take me with you?"

His Majesty did not refuse and brought Fang Mingxiu with him.

Although Fang Mingxiu was hesitant and unable to explain himself, his eyes could not help but drift towards Tao Qingwan. There was an unconcealable nervousness in his eyes, mixed with a bit of shyness, and anyone who saw it could understand his thoughts.

Tao Qingwan heard the conversation between the two and felt Fang Mingxiu's gaze, and immediately lowered her head in panic.

Tao Jiuxi sat beside her and clearly saw her face instantly turn bright red, like peach blossoms blooming in spring, gorgeous and moving.

Ah...this...isn't this a coincidence!

Fang Mingxiu, the current top scholar, was naturally strikingly handsome. Though already an official, his scholarly aura lingered like the wisps of green smoke from the Jiangnan water towns. His figure stood tall and straight, as slender and resilient as a bamboo, and his official uniform only added a touch of elegance.

Isn’t this exactly the type of scholar that Tao Qingwan admires?

Tao Jiuxi blinked and looked at Shen Zhiyi.

Shen Zhiyi responded with an understanding expression, as if to say that he also understood the clue.

But my sister is so shy and pays great attention to etiquette, so I definitely can't leave her alone with Fang Mingxiu.

Shen Zhiyi originally felt that Fang Mingxiu was a bit annoying, but after understanding what Fang Mingxiu meant, Shen Zhiyi immediately put away the slightly annoyed look.

He had offended his father-in-law because of some things earlier, which resulted in his proposal to Tao Jiuxi being blocked.

For now, he plans to act cautiously and not lose the big picture for the sake of small gains.

Therefore, he quickly put away his disgusted look and replaced it with a more peaceful expression.

After Tao Hongyuan left the court, as soon as he stepped out of the court gate, a eunuch hurried over to inform him to go home first. He said that the queen was very fond of the two girls from the Tao family and specially asked them to stay for dinner and would send them back home before the palace gate was locked.

In this way, Shen Zhiyi, with the help of the emperor's cover, happily spent another sticky day with Tao Jiuxi.

It was already evening when the two sisters left the palace and returned home.

On the carriage.

Seeing that his sister was in a good mood, Tao Jiuxi couldn't help but ask, "Sister, are you in a good mood today?"

"Jiuxi, I am really glad that I met His Majesty and the Queen today. I did not rush into the palace. You see how loving the Emperor and the Queen are. If someone else came, it would be difficult for them to have a place in His Majesty's heart." Tao Qingwan said. She witnessed the Queen's smile when she left, and then she understood why the Queen had looked at her so deeply in Funing Palace before.

"Of course. There are many complicated things going on in the palace. But is my sister happy just because of this?" Tao Jiuxi tilted his head and asked again.

"Otherwise...otherwise, what else is it for?" Tao Qingwan's eyes were a little flustered, and her cheeks were slightly red.

"Because, this is the first day I haven't been locked up since returning to Beijing! Isn't that worth being happy about? Hehe."

Seeing that Tao Qingwan refused to say anything, Tao Jiuxi also turned a blind eye.

In this age where people have no control over their own lives, she only hopes that Tao Qingwan can live her life as she pleases.