An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

After leaving the court, he was called by his father to the Qinzheng Hall to discuss matters for nearly an hour. It was already noon when Xu Zize walked out of the hall.

The sun was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

He raised his hand to block the sunlight slightly, and then saw his personal bodyguard Qingfeng quickly step forward, bowed neatly, and whispered back, "Your Highness, July just sent a message to the palace, saying that Princess Anping wants to see you, and she seems a little anxious."

"Oh?" Xu Zize's eyes suddenly brightened when he heard this. The gloom that had been in his mind for many days seemed to be swept away by this news. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly unconsciously, and he thought to himself: This girl has finally come to her senses and knows to come find him on her own initiative.

When she returned to Beijing, she was so eager to see him. She was happy just thinking about him, and she even wished the girl was right in front of him at this moment.

He was in a good mood and immediately ordered, "Your Highness will go over and take a look. Qingfeng, go to Zuixianlou immediately and ask them to send a few of their signature dishes to the princess."

He pondered for a moment, his mind quickly flashing over the dishes she had most frequently touched when they had a meal together last time. His voice was a little more cheerful, "Hmm... I want that Kung Fu dish, minced chicken with bamboo shoots; I also want pocket tofu; I have to choose the freshest steamed sea bass; and the sweet and sour spareribs she praised last time..."

"Yes! I've made note of it." Qingfeng replied with his head down, reciting the names of several dishes in his mind. Just as he was about to turn around to do it, he was stopped by Xu Zize.

"Wait," Xu Zize added, "there are also sugar-steamed yogurt and pea yellow. Remember to go to Fengmingzhai to buy the latest ones and send them to you as soon as possible." He thought of her love for sweets and the way her eyebrows curved when she ate these, and his tone softened a little.

"Yes, I understand." Qingfeng responded respectfully, but he was secretly complaining in his heart.

Fengmingzhai and Zuixianlou are located in the east and west of the city, respectively. How could this be "incidentally" done? It's simply the opposite of the truth. Fortunately, His Highness has more than one person around him who can help him, so they can split up the work. Otherwise, it would be a real chore, exhausting.

When they arrived at the Princess's Mansion and met, Xu Zize thought that they would be alone together, but he saw Ling'er was there too.

When Ling'er saw him, she bowed politely. She was already very restrained in front of him, and when she saw that he only had eyes for his sister and could hardly tolerate anyone else, she felt even more uncomfortable.

When she heard her sister say that she was going to the rockery in the back garden to talk, she found it very boring and immediately found an excuse: "Ling'er is not going. I... I'm going back to see my mother." Before she finished speaking, she turned around and slipped away like a nimble deer.

"Xi'er," Xu Zize looked at Jing Chunxi, wanting to speak but stopping himself. Although he felt that the sun was scorching hot in the middle of the day and it would be too hot to walk around outside, he thought, perhaps the girl had grown up and understood the pleasures of love and romance, so she deliberately sought a quiet place to be alone with him?

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a warm anticipation in my heart.

"Xi'er," he called out softly again when he saw that the attendants on both sides had tacitly retreated a little and there was no one around. He naturally stretched out his hand and gently held her slightly cold fingertips.

"Brother Xiaokang," Jing Chunxi didn't let herself be lost in the warmth. A hint of inquiry lingered in her expression as she led him to a quiet path about two meters away from the rockery. She pointed at the craggy rockery and said, "You said before that this entire courtyard was given to Princess Xiande by the late emperor himself? Later, when the princess married, the empress dowager personally pleaded with the deposed emperor to preserve this mansion, is that correct?"

"Yes, that's true." Xu Zize answered honestly, his eyes following her slender fingers to the seemingly ordinary rockery, but he was confused in his heart, wondering why she suddenly became interested in this place.

"Then... before the Empress Dowager passed away, did she have any special instructions with you alone? Especially about this house?" Jing Chunxi asked again, his tone serious, his bright eyes fixed on him, his hand pointing at the rockery still raised steadily, without any relaxation.

"Xi'er...did you discover something unusual?" Xu Zize finally realized at this moment that Jing Chunxi's visit to him today was probably not just for a simple chat.

His expression froze, and he suppressed his previous romantic thoughts. He became serious and thought carefully about her question.

"Before the Imperial Grandmother passed away..." He slightly frowned his handsome brows, slowly narrowed his eyes, and tried hard to recall that painful and vague memory.

He was still young at that time and his situation was difficult, and many things were shrouded in mystery.

Jing Chunxi knew very well that this was the expression he would have when he was deep in thought, so he stood patiently beside him, not disturbing him, just waiting silently.

"The Imperial Grandmother loved the Imperial Aunt immensely, treating her like a precious treasure." He spoke slowly, a hint of sadness in his voice. "After the Imperial Aunt tragically passed away on the way to the marriage, she was devastated. After the Emperor's passing, she became almost bedridden. She holds this place in high regard, once declaring in front of the entire royal family that anyone who dares to touch a single blade of grass or tree in this Princess Mansion will be killed..."

He opened his eyes, a trace of resentment and sarcasm about the past flashing in them, and he said coldly: "This is also the fundamental reason why the deposed emperor, despite his stupidity, never dared to give this house away as a reward or dispose of it elsewhere."

Jing Chunxi remained silent, and quietly took a step closer to him. He raised his hand and carefully straightened his slightly wrinkled collar, his face still showing an expression of quiet listening.

Unexpectedly, this subtle and considerate gesture seemed to touch a soft spot in his heart. Xu Zize suddenly reached out and gently held her in his arms.

His chin rested lightly against the top of her head. His voice was low and choked with a barely perceptible sob. "Before my grandmother passed away, in her final moments, she forced herself to stay strong and made a request to the deposed emperor, who was pretending to be by her side... She asked him to show mercy and release me from the palace, and... to send capable men to 'safely' escort me back to my fiefdom in Lingnan."

He deliberately emphasized the word "safe", and his tone was full of endless sarcasm and sadness.

Is this how you protect him? This sharp question instantly flooded Jing Chunxi's mind, but she looked at the vulnerability and hatred revealed by Xu Zize at this moment, and finally did not ask it out loud.

Thinking about how he was forced to leave home at a young age, imprisoned in the deep palace as a hostage, and grew up in fear, and finally waited for the empress dowager's last words, but that dog emperor was so hypocritical, and the so-called "escort" was almost exile.

He didn't even have a capable confidant around him, and he was forced to follow the prisoners back on a displaced journey...

It was also because of his good fortune that he met her by chance. Jing Chunxi's heart felt like it was pierced by a needle, and it was extremely painful.

She couldn't help but reach out and hug him back. It was a silent hug that was full of strength and tenderness.