Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

On their way back to the mansion hand in hand, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli were in a slightly somber mood. Although they had many expectations for the future, the waters of the palace were becoming increasingly turbulent due to the matter of bestowing a title upon a prince.

As soon as he reached the palace gate, Su Peisheng came up to him with a big smile and bowed to Hongli, saying, "Your Highness, congratulations! His Majesty, remembering that you have now been granted the title of Prince Bao, has specially bestowed upon you a new mansion called the Prince Bao Mansion. This is a great honor!"

Hongli was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Father Emperor. Eunuch Su, where is this residence?"

Su Peisheng hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, it's in that extremely quiet yet impressive location in the west of the city. I just went to take a look, and the mansion there is exquisitely decorated with carved beams and painted rafters. It will surely suit Your Highness's taste."

Little Swallow was overjoyed too, and pulled on Hongli's arm, saying, "Fourth Prince, oh no, Your Highness, this is wonderful! We finally have our own new residence!"

Hongli looked at Xiaoyanzi with doting eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Hongzhou caught up from behind. Hearing this, he said sourly, "Oh, Fourth Brother, your good fortune is truly enviable! My Heshuo Prince's Mansion is not bad either, but after hearing what Eunuch Su said, I feel it's not as good as your Baoqin Prince's Mansion!"

Hongli smiled and patted Hongzhou on the shoulder: "Hongzhou, don't joke around. This is all a gift from Father. There's no good or bad in it. You and I, brothers, must do our jobs well from now on."

Hongzhou pouted: "Hmph, Fourth Brother is right. I'd better go back to my Heshuo Prince's Mansion first and have a good look around. I wonder how Father Emperor has arranged things for me!"

Little Swallow hurriedly said, "Hongzhou, your mansion must be very nice too, so stop sighing and complaining here. Go back and take a look!"

Hongzhou looked at Xiaoyanzi with a complex emotion in his eyes, then cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll take my leave now. I'll visit my fourth brother's Prince Bao's mansion another day." After saying that, he led his servants to the other side.

Led by Su Peisheng, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli headed towards Prince Bao's mansion. Along the way, Xiao Yanzi looked around curiously, constantly muttering, "Your Highness, I've never lived in such a big mansion before. It must be really interesting. We have to decorate it properly!"

Hongli smiled and nodded: "Okay, whatever you want. You can arrange it however you like, as long as you are comfortable living here."

Before long, they arrived at the Prince Bao's Mansion. The vermilion gate, with its copper studs gleaming in the sunlight, bore the powerful and vigorous characters "Prince Bao's Mansion" on the plaque. Stepping inside, pavilions and towers were arranged in a harmonious and orderly fashion. The flowers in the garden were in full bloom, and the stream flowing over the artificial hill murmured softly. It was truly as Su Peisheng had described—exquisite and magnificent.

Little Swallow excitedly ran around the courtyard like a cheerful little bird: "Your Highness, look at this garden, it's so big! We can plant lots of fun flowers and plants here, and over there, we can use the pavilion to store books! Oh, just thinking about it makes me happy!"

Looking at Xiao Yanzi's lively appearance, Hongli's smile deepened: "You, slow down, don't fall. This mansion will be our home from now on. We have a long life ahead of us, we can decorate it slowly."

At this moment, the steward came to pay his respects with a group of servants. The steward said respectfully, "Your Highness, Your Highness, we pay our respects to Your Highness and Your Highness. From now on, we will do our best in handling all matters, big and small, in this mansion, and will never let Your Highness and Your Highness worry about anything."

Little Swallow waved her hand with a smile: "Oh, everyone, get up! From now on, let's live a good life together in this mansion. Don't be so reserved!"

The steward responded and then said, "Your Highness, Your Highness's wife, there are many rooms in this mansion. I wonder which room Your Highness and Your Highness's wife intend to stay in? I will arrange for someone to prepare it."

Hongli looked at Xiaoyanzi and said, "Pick one you like, I'm fine with any of them."

Little Swallow tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Hmm... I think that courtyard on the east side is quite nice. It's close to the garden, and you can see the flowers every day when you open the window. Your Highness, let's stay there!"

Hongli nodded in agreement: "Alright, we'll do as you say."

After everyone went back to their work, Xiao Yanzi pulled Hongli to sit on a stone bench in the garden. The smile on her face gradually faded, and she whispered, "Your Highness, although this mansion looks nice, I still feel uneasy. After being made a prince, there will definitely be more people watching us. I wonder if the Shadow Pavilion incident will resurface."

Hongli held Xiaoyanzi's hand and squeezed it gently to reassure her: "Don't be afraid. No matter what, we'll face it together. This mansion is also a foothold for us. As long as we are careful, those forces in the shadows can't do anything to us."

Xiao Yanzi leaned on Hongli's shoulder and whispered, "Yes, as long as Your Highness is by my side, I have courage. But I must be more careful in the future."

Meanwhile, Hongzhou returned to the Heshuo Prince's Mansion. Looking at everything inside, he felt little joy. His attendant said, "Your Highness, this mansion is quite magnificent. Why are you still so gloomy?"

Hongzhou snorted coldly: "Hmph, no matter how grand it is, it's still because the most important person in my heart is gone. I thought I could stay with Xiaoyanzi forever, but now I can only watch her and Fourth Brother being so loving. This feeling is really unbearable!"

The attendant quickly advised, "Your Highness, please don't think like that. You are now a Prince of the First Rank. What kind of good woman can't you find in the future? Besides, you and Prince Bao are brothers after all. It's not good to keep hurting your relationship over this matter."

Hongzhou sighed deeply: "I understand the reasoning, but this mental hurdle is not so easy to overcome. Never mind, let's not talk about these troublesome things anymore. Let's go see what other places in the manor need to be taken care of."

Inside the palace, the concubines were not idle either. One of them said to the maid beside her, "Look at that little swallow, she's getting more and more arrogant now that she's with Prince Bao. From now on, we have to find a way to curry favor with her. If we can get Prince Bao's favor one day, then our lives in the palace will be easier."

The palace maid chimed in, "What the Consort says is true. But Consort Niohuru Zhixi will probably be even angrier. She was already jealous of Xiaoyanzi's relationship with the Prince. Now that the Prince has been granted the title of Prince, Xiaoyanzi's position is even more secure. I wonder what tricks she will use."

Changzai sneered, "Hmph, who cares about her? Let's take care of ourselves first. Come on, let's go to the storeroom and pick out some nice items to use when we visit Prince Bao's mansion someday."

The ministers in the court also gathered together and discussed the matter. An old minister stroked his beard and said, "Now that Prince Bao and Prince Heshuo have been granted the title of prince, the situation in the court is likely to change. We must be careful to keep an eye on the winds in our future actions."

Another minister nodded and said, "Yes, both of these princes are young and promising, and they will definitely be involved in more affairs in the future. We must carefully weigh their options and make sure we don't choose the wrong side."

Throughout the palace, everyone was calculating their own interests because of Hongli and Hongzhou's enfeoffment as princes. Some were expectant, some jealous, and some worried. Meanwhile, Xiaoyanzi and Hongli, in the Prince Bao's mansion, guarded their love for each other and prepared to face the unknowns that were about to come. The secrets of the Shadow Pavilion were like the dark clouds in the shadows, and it was unknown when they would shroud them again. But at this moment, they cherished this rare moment of peace and hoped to write their own peaceful story in this complicated palace world.