A short night is hard to please! A stunningly handsome prince dotes on her exclusively.

Fearing that her younger sister's health might not be up to par, Xin Moling took Xin Moyan for a stroll in the garden for a while before sending her back to her room to rest. She instructed Cailian to bring the medicinal soup and tonics to the room on time and to personally watch Xin Moyan drink them.

"Picking lotus flowers".

After Xin Moling left the room, Xin Moyan became a little bored, so she called Cailian over and asked her more about the current situation. Although her brother was there to protect her, she still had to be mentally prepared for the upcoming trip to the palace.

Upon hearing her voice, Cailian quickly brought out a bowl of bird's nest soup from outside, saying as she went, "Miss, this is blood bird's nest soup that the young master had prepared. Please have some!"

She simply shook her head, reached out and pulled Cailian to sit down at a table nearby, startling the little girl.

“Miss, this is not allowed! Cailian is just a servant and cannot sit in the master’s seat.”

“What are you afraid of, Cailian? There’s no one around right now. You’ve said that you’ve been by my side for ten years and you’ve taken care of me in many things. Although we are master and servant, we don’t need to pay too much attention to etiquette in private.”

Xin Moyan knew that people in ancient times must have paid special attention to this concept of hierarchy, so she couldn't let Cailian call her by her name directly. She could only try her best to maintain an equal relationship between them.

Upon hearing this, Cailian looked at her with gratitude: "Miss, thank you for valuing Cailian so much."

“Cailian, I have no memory now and do not know court etiquette. When I enter the palace tomorrow, I can’t guarantee that I won’t make a mistake again. Tell me in detail about the situation in the palace, and what the relationship is between my brother and me and our aunt, the Empress Dowager.”

“Miss, it is now the third year of the reign of Emperor Junqi. The current Emperor Yuan is the eldest son of the late Emperor and Empress Dowager... Yuan Huaijun.”

After all, it was the emperor's real name, and Cailian originally dared not call him by his name directly. However, she thought that her young lady had lost her memory, and since His Majesty was her cousin, she should let her young lady know about the family relationships around her.

"and then?"

"When the late emperor was alive, he and the empress, who is now the empress dowager, were deeply in love. They only had two imperial heirs, the current emperor and Princess Jiaen. The emperor made His Majesty the crown prince at birth and raised him with the manners of a crown prince from a young age."

Upon hearing this, Xin Moyan looked up in confusion and asked, "Isn't that Prince Lie the son of the Empress Dowager? Then why does he seem to have a pretty good relationship with His Majesty?"

"Miss, this is a testament to the virtuous and benevolent conduct of our Empress Dowager! Although the late Emperor and Empress Dowager were a loving couple, he also had quite a few children with other concubines. The Empress Dowager treated all the princes of the late Emperor with the same respect and courtesy. With such a gentle and virtuous stepmother as the Empress Dowager, the other princes also respected her greatly. The princes and the Crown Prince studied and practiced martial arts together from a young age, and their relationship was even better than that of brothers in ordinary families. As for Princess, she was the late Emperor's only daughter, she naturally received all the love and affection of her brothers!"

"There's only one princess in the palace?" Xin Moyan was somewhat surprised. Such a large harem, and only one princess?

"Yes! Miss, the only surviving imperial heirs of the late emperor are the current emperor, Princess Jiaen, Prince Lie, Prince Ze, Prince Yu, and... Prince Xuan, a total of six."

Cailian thought for a moment and then said, "Miss, even if Her Highness the Princess is deeply loved by her father and brothers, it cannot compare to the young master's affection for you."

Xin Moyan laughed: "Cailian, I know my brother is good to me, but can I compare to a princess of the royal family?"

“Miss, you don’t know this, but everyone in Yuanqi who is older knows that the story of the General and his wife was a beautiful tale in Yuanqi back then. And you are the younger sister that the young master asked the General and his wife for when he was young. Naturally, the young master will cherish you as a treasure of the world.”

It turns out that Xin Moyan was the second child her brother had begged for. No wonder her brother loves her so much and even dared to draw his sword against the prince in the palace. Moreover, with their parents having passed away early, the two siblings were left to depend on each other, which is why her brother became even more of a doting brother!

"Anything else? Cailian, let's not talk about my brother yet. I will definitely be filial to him in the future. Tell me about the palace now!"

“Miss, three years ago the late emperor passed away, and the crown prince ascended the throne as the new emperor, with the reign title Junqi. After all the princes came of age, they were all granted the title of king and left the palace to establish their own residences. Currently, there are only His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, the princess, and several concubines in the harem in the palace.”

"What about the Queen?"

After listening for so long, all I've heard about are emperors and princes. The imperial harems on TV are places where people are devoured without a trace!

Cailian slowly explained to her, "Miss, His Majesty has not yet established an empress since his ascension to the throne, just like Prince Lie back then. His Majesty insisted on not establishing an empress for three years due to the mourning period for the late emperor. Currently, there are only four concubines in the harem. His Majesty is diligent in governing and loves his people, and never indulges in wine and women, but..."

"what's wrong?"

After all, she was just a young maid in her teens, and it was rather embarrassing for Cailian to be discussing matters of marriage between men and women in her boudoir, especially with the emperor himself.

"Although His Majesty has several concubines, he has no heirs, which has caused great anxiety for the Empress Dowager and the ministers."

"Huh? His Majesty has four... concubines, so why doesn't he have any children yet?"

She originally wanted to say four wives, but she swallowed it back.

Cailian simply shook her head. The secrets of the inner palace were not to be discussed casually, but she dared to mention them secretly because her mistress did not remember.

With four wives and no children, it's obvious whose fault it is. Xin Moyan hadn't even met the emperor yet, but she already had a ingrained impression of him as "infertile."

She then asked many more questions and learned that the current Empress Dowager and the late Emperor were childhood sweethearts. With the original owner's father's illustrious military achievements and loyal protection, and with several veteran ministers recommending talented individuals, Yuanqi, under the late Emperor's leadership, rose to become the most powerful of the four kingdoms.

Empress Dowager Yuanqi was virtuous and kind, and all the concubines, imperial relatives and nobles sang her praises. At one time, the Yuanqi harem became a legend among the four kingdoms.

So... it was because of the Empress Dowager's virtuous wife, coupled with the original owner's father's achievements, that the late emperor valued and loved the brother and sister so much, even having the Empress Dowager personally teach them. She, no, the original owner, was even granted the title of Princess!

"Cailian, is it because my aunt, the Empress Dowager, dotes on my brother and me?"

"Yes, the Empress Dowager really likes Miss and Young Master! However, Miss was deceived by those noble ladies a few years ago and did not listen to the Empress Dowager's advice. She thought that the Empress Dowager did not approve of you and Prince Lie, and even... she complained about the Empress Dowager!"

Her mouth gaped slightly, somewhat incredulous: "No way! 'I' have blamed my aunt, the Empress Dowager?"

"Yes!"

Since the Empress Dowager doted on the two siblings, and there weren't many concubines in the harem, there shouldn't be any conspiracies or schemes. Xin Moyan gradually felt relieved...

"Then tell me, how should the etiquette in the palace be conducted..."