Accidentally dressed as an empress

Yunxiu had dinner with Mrs. Lin before moving back to Jinghe Hall.

Outside the Jinghe Hall stood a plum grove. The original owner's father had loved plums, and the courtyard outside the palace gates was planted entirely with plum trees. Since his father's death, the plum trees had been neglected, and during a severe drought, the trees were starved of water and died.

At that time, the young princess, who was raised by Prince Lin, did not dare to express her longing for her father too much.

When the original owner was a little older, he asked the Queen Mother to replant the plum forest. The Queen Mother shook her head and said, "Follow the will of heaven."

As we walked through the plum forest, we heard the sound of playful laughter coming from Jinghe Hall. “Swim, swim…”

Su Er was running on the brick and stone ground, holding up the fish lantern and pretending to swim. Suddenly he saw Yunxiu at the door. Su Er was like a mouse seeing a cat, and he became silent for a moment.

Seeing Yunxiu's gloomy face, Su Da scratched his head and said, "This was made by my subordinate."

Yunxiu said, "Very good, confess and you will be treated leniently."

Zhong Yi lowered his head and said, "I asked these two guards to help me. Your Highness, please punish me."

After receiving the task, Zhong Yi called two coolies to make river lanterns together. Yes, he found the guards Su Da and Su Er who were guarding Jinghe Hall.

Three people worked together, one weaving the base, another continuing the work, and the last person pasting the cloth. Through a series of assembly line operations, they finally wove 81 river lanterns. They also recycled the remaining bamboo strips and made fish lanterns.

The workmanship was quite exquisite. Yunxiu stretched out her hand and said, "Give it to me."

Su Er had a bitter look on his face as his fish lantern was confiscated.

Yunxiu ran off, holding the fish lantern in both hands, a long-lost smile on her face. They both breathed a sigh of relief. Yunxiu noticed Zhong Yi's expression, and he smiled back at her, his curved eyes gleaming with a faint light that made Yunxiu look away.

What's so funny about him? Yunxiu snorted, as if everyone hadn't played this game as a child.

That night, Yunxiu went to the wing room to bathe and change clothes, while Zhong Yi stayed in the bedroom of the main hall, and the two of them did not disturb each other.

The next day was the Ghost Festival, a day when people commemorate their deceased relatives. Yunxiu got up early and lit a stick of incense in front of Zhong Xuan's tablet.

The original owner had always felt like a dependent because the Second Prince Yun Lang was the biological son of Prince Lin. Yun Lang felt that she had taken away his father's love and care, so he was at odds with her.

When the original owner was bullied as a child, she would come to Jinghe Hall alone to complain and vent her grievances. Later on, she could only come once a year.

No wonder the original owner committed suicide by hanging himself. It was not because he was mentally fragile, but because he was too tense.

At night, Yunxiu took Zhong Yi to the floating light pool to release lanterns.

The Tinglan Water Pavilion is located on the side of the Fuguang Pond close to His Majesty's sleeping quarters, the Changning Palace, the East Palace and the Princess Palace, while the seldom-visited Qinglian Water Pavilion is very close to the cold palace area where the Jinghe Hall is located.

Here at the Qinglian Waterside Pavilion, the lotus flowers were in full bloom and there were many mosquitoes. Yunxiu wore comfrey to repel mosquitoes.

There was no light in the pavilion, and Su Da and Su Er were holding lanterns.

Yunxiu walked a little further, and the lotus flowers and leaves along the lakeshore finally became sparser. It was pitch black all around, with only the faint reflection of the lights swaying on the water.

Yunxiu lowered her eyes and stared at the river lantern in her hand.

Yunxiu's furrowed brows were filled with worry, and her vulnerability, which she usually didn't reveal, was now clearly revealed by the dim river lanterns.

She concentrated on lighting the candle, and the faint light illuminated the profile of her face, making it look softer.

Yunxiu bent down, holding the river lantern, and lowered it into the water. The lantern swayed gently in the waves, and the candlelight swayed in the warm summer night breeze.

Zhong Yi looked at this scene, and his clear voice broke the silence of the night: "The past cannot be changed. Your Highness will still have the Zhong family in the future."

The Zhong family and the eldest princess were connected by blood, a relationship of shared prosperity and shared suffering. Although rebellious, Zhong Yi understood this principle, not to mention that he had been saved by Yunxiu. The thought of this sent ripples through Zhong Yi's heart, as if a stone had been dropped.

Yunxiu turned to look at him. Under the bright river lights, his eyes shone like stars. Yunxiu hesitated for a moment, then smiled calmly and said, "Those who come after us can still be pursued. May our country be safe and sound."

Zhong Yi also placed the river lantern in his hand into the water, and as it drifted away with the current, he said softly, "May my old friend be well, and may the country be peaceful and prosperous."

Yunxiu had released eighty-one river lanterns, but she had no intention of enjoying the beautiful scenery.

She just wanted to save the child and get out of the palace as soon as possible. Acting wasn't addictive, and she was so tired of suppressing her temper and pretending to be elegant. She didn't like the original owner's hobbies at all.

In the darkness, the group walked back to Jinghe Hall. Hearing the owl's cry at night was a bit creepy, so Yunxiu quickened his pace.

It was getting late at night. Yunxiu planned to take out a book and give it to Zhong Yi as a reward for helping him finish the work.

My hand felt heavy, wow, a scroll of bamboo slips.

No wonder points are so expensive. The system gave her bamboo slips. Each bamboo slip only has one chapter, and a book must have dozens of volumes. If all twenty books were taken out, she would be crushed.

Yunxiu walked to the door of the dormitory and decided to stay at Zhong Yi's place tonight in order to justify herself.

She told her mother the Queen and Mrs. Lin that she fell in love with Zhong Yi at first sight, and after marrying him, they slept in separate rooms, never even touching hands, never crossing the line. This is not logical.

Zhong Yi, seeing Yunxiu had been observing the ceremony last night, had left the door unlocked. Without noticing, Yunxiu pushed the door open and walked in. Zhong Yi, who was washing his hair, tilted his head to look at her at the door, a little surprised, and took a step back.

He quickly picked up the cloth and wrapped it around his hair, effectively concealing his panic.

Zhong Yi walked forward to greet Yunxiu. He had accepted his fate. This was inevitable. What was he resisting?

He stood in front of Yunxiu, who took out a bamboo slip and said, "This book is for you."

Zhong Yi took it with both hands and opened the book. "Six Strategies and Three Strategies? Is this the Military Book of Huang Shigong, which is known as a masterpiece throughout the ages?" Zhong Yi was very surprised.

"Well, as long as you like it." Yunxiu paused and said, "Don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch."

Zhong Yi's hair was still dripping with water. Yun Xiu raised her hand, and seeing him step back, she pointed at his hair and said, "Remember to dry your hair. The head of the bed faces the window, so be careful of a headache."

Zhong Yi understood and closed the window.

He thought to himself that since Yunxiu had promised to marry him, it was only a temporary solution, and she would not break her promise. When she mentioned the window, Zhong Yi moved closer to Yunxiu and asked in a low voice, "Is anyone peeping?"

Yunxiu didn't know and didn't ask the system to check, but this possibility was very high. Both the Queen Mother and Princess Lin were likely to send people to monitor her and Zhong Yi, so she simply nodded.

Yunxiu wanted to ask Zhong Yi to shake the bed, but then she changed her mind and gave up because it was too embarrassing.

After Zhong Yi dried his hair, Yun Xiu extinguished the candle and went to sleep on the couch.

Having an extra roommate didn't affect Yunxiu's sleep. But Zhong Yi was different. He was constantly on guard and only drifted off to sleep in the second half of the night.