Holding the script, I want to give up.

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

The coachman steadied the horse and whispered to Huangfu Hongxi inside the carriage.

Huangfu Hongxi gently shook him awake. Shangguan Zitong slowly woke up, saw this, smiled awkwardly, and got out of the carriage.

"Um, thank you."

After quickly finishing her speech, she bowed and then ran back to Tangxi Pavilion.

Just as Huangfu Hongxi was about to ask her where she really wanted to go, he saw her run off in a flash, so he went back to Shuiyun Palace to see Song Yao.

Inside the Shuiyun Palace.

"Your Highness, let go. This path is too dangerous. It will be very difficult for you."

"There are clearly better options; are you really going to do this?"

Song Yao held his hand through her clothes and pressed it against her belly, wanting him to feel the pulse of new life.

"Yes, for your sake, just wait."

"Come here, pass the meal."

Huangfu Hongxi gently touched her belly and said.

After quietly finishing his meal with Song Yao, Huangfu Hongxi went to his study.

In the middle of the night, inside Tangxi Pavilion, Shangguan Zitong tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

"Ugh, I slept too much during the day, so I can't sleep at all at night."

She got up, lit the candles barefoot, walked to the dressing table, and sat down in a daze.

"Ah Li, are you there?"

[Host, I'm here. 】

"Can you come out and keep me company?"

Are you scared?

The system transformed into a little fox lying between her legs, and Shangguan Zitong stroked its head, teasing it. It squinted its eyes in enjoyment.

"Emm...maybe, I'm afraid a ghost might suddenly crawl out of the mirror."

Looking at herself in the mirror, Shangguan Zitong realized that her complexion after removing her makeup was far worse than before.

No, there are no ghosts in the world; it's your own conscience that's guilty.

Don't be afraid, I'm always here, I promise to be there whenever you need me.

The little fox wrapped two of its tails around her waist as if to hug her, while another tail went around her back and gently patted her back.

"Why does this scene seem so familiar?"

Shangguan Zitong felt that the fox tail wrapped around her waist was particularly ambiguous, and inexplicably felt her heart racing.

No, it's just a beautiful nine-tailed male fox that can't transform into human form, why are you blushing and your heart racing? Shangguan Zitong asked herself inwardly, unconsciously touching her face and patting it a few times to wake herself up.

"Do you know any seductive arts?"

Shangguan Zitong asked with great interest.

Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about foxes? I would never learn those things.

The fox scratched the back of her hand with its front paw.

Okay, so I guess I've already read the novel.

Seeing how cute the fox was, Shangguan Zitong couldn't help but touch its ears a few times, and the system instantly disappeared.

"Huh? Didn't you say you'd always be here? How did you disappear?"

Seeing that the fox was not there and did not respond to her, Shangguan Zitong, unable to sleep, tried to sit there until dawn. However, she couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep on the table.

The system took on a human form within the space, touching her through an invisible barrier.

Ah Zi, what am I going to do with you?

The system looked at the sleeping person and sighed.

......

The following day, Huangfu Hongxi dined with Shangguan Zitong in the Shuiyun Palace.

"Let's set off this afternoon. You can rest for a while."

Huangfu Hongxi pretended to be understanding.

"it is good."

So, that's your reason for coming to freeload? Shangguan Zitong suddenly felt that eating alone was quite nice, and why was he getting in her way?

In the evening, Huangfu Hongxi took her to the highest peak in Beiji Maple Forest to wait for the sunset.

"This is the best spot in Beiji to watch the sunset."

Huangfu Hongxi and Shangguan Zitong sat cross-legged on a relatively flat stone.

"Well, that's true."

She saw the maple forest covering the mountains, the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves, and the afterglow of the setting sun in the distance creating a desolate atmosphere.

Du Mu's "Mountain Journey" is truly excellent; the ancients were right! These frosted leaves are indeed redder than February flowers. Who wouldn't love such a beautiful maple forest? Why not stop and take a look? She squinted slightly as she gazed at the sunset on the horizon.

"Your Highness, let's go back."

She felt that although the scenery of nature was beautiful, her health was deteriorating and she couldn't withstand the chill.

"Aren't we going to wait for the fireflies and stars?"

Huangfu Hongxi thought Shangguan Zitong would like the fireflies flying all over the sky and the brilliant Milky Way.

"Cough...cough, I've seen fireflies everywhere, the Milky Way looks the same no matter where you look at it."

After coughing twice, Shangguan Zitong got up and left on her own. Huangfu Hongxi got up and followed her.

After returning to the manor, Shangguan Zitong went to her own bedroom, while Huangfu Hongxi went to the study.

After removing her makeup, Shangguan Zitong lay down on the bed to read a storybook. Seeing that she had nothing to do recently, Leqi brought her a few new storybooks to help her pass the time when she went out shopping.

"Ah Li, come out and keep me company."

Shangguan Zitong flipped through a few pages of her sketchbook out of boredom.

I'm out now, but you're not allowed to touch my ears, okay?

The system appeared before her in the form of a large dog.

"Oh, I see, I get it now."

"So it just disappears if you touch its ears? I won't touch them then." Shangguan Zitong thought she was very clever; she figured it out herself without the creature's prompting.

Seeing its size, Shangguan Zitong leaned against it to read her storybook, like reading a textbook, and eventually fell asleep. The system used its tail to extinguish the candle flame and then covered her with its entire tail.

"Wuhu~ Awesome, a good night's sleep."

Shangguan Zitong woke up, stretched, and moved her neck.

"In that case, I'll go back to my space and stay there."

The system got up, stretched, and went back into its space.

"Thank you so much! I'll call you whenever I'm scared and can't sleep."

She got up and walked towards the dressing table.

【Can. 】

A group of maids filed in to help her change her clothes and do her makeup.

"Leqi, why are there so many people?"

Shangguan Zitong was convinced that it was Huangfu Hongxi who was behind it all.

"Your Highness is very considerate of you, allowing so many maids to serve you."

Leqi happily styled her hair.

I think he's probably just trying to have someone spy on me. She felt that Huangfu Hongxi wasn't so kind; he was definitely up to something.

"Are you all better? I'll take you to another place. It's very beautiful."

Huangfu Hongxi pushed open the door and entered, and everyone bowed. He told them to rise and then walked towards Shangguan Zitong, looking at her in the mirror.

"It'll be ready soon, just sit and wait a bit."

She looked at him in the mirror and said. Huangfu Hongxi then walked to the square table, sat down, and waited for her.

After Shangguan Zitong finished packing, Huangfu Hongxi took her out of the mansion.

"Your Highness, I would like to stroll through this bustling market."

She felt that the market was more fun and had a more human touch; beautiful scenery is more meaningful when viewed with someone you like.

"There will always be an opportunity. Let's go to the place I mentioned first."

Huangfu Hongxi felt inexplicably annoyed when he saw her lift the side curtain and look at the bustling market outside with shining eyes.

"Your Highness, we have arrived. You may get off the carriage now."

The coachman called out to the people inside after parking the carriage. Only after Huangfu Hongxi alighted did Shangguan Zitong slowly and leisurely get off.

"Wow, it really is quite beautiful."

She found it incredible to see red spider lilies planted under the osmanthus trees that filled the garden.

"The red spider lily? Its flower and leaves never meet."

She couldn't smell the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms throughout the garden, but she didn't have a good impression of the red spider lily.

"You've actually seen it before? You can't grow it in Nanning."

Huangfu Hongxi looked at her in confusion, surprised that she had recognized the flowers he had painstakingly grown.

"I love reading storybooks and I've also dabbled in strange tales and legends, is that not allowed?"

Shangguan Zitong rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. She wasn't stupid; what did he really take her for?

"That was not what I meant."

"But the seeds for this flower are hard to find, and it's also hard to grow."

"I raised it for so many years before..."

Huangfu Hongxi felt a little disappointed when he saw that Shangguan Zitong had recognized the flower. He had thought she would be pleasantly surprised when she saw it.

"You raised it? Is it that idle?"

Shangguan Zitong looked at his face with a slight shock. She thought he was just bored out of his mind. Instead of engaging in palace intrigue, he was just tending to flowers. If he hadn't tended to so many flowers, he might be the emperor by now.

"...Can't I grow flowers? Is it wrong for me to grow flowers?"

Huangfu Hongxi felt a little wronged at this moment, and his voice softened unconsciously.

"That's not true."

"Haha, well, let's not talk about this."

Let's look at the flowers together.

Feeling bad, Shangguan Zitong pulled on his sleeve and walked towards the garden. She forgot that this was Huangfu Hongxi's garden, and he knew how to get there. Shangguan Zitong was still foolishly leading him around.

"The flowers you planted are quite beautiful and smell very nice."

Although she couldn't smell it, she had smelled the fragrance of osmanthus and seen the red spider lily in the original world, so she thought she would try to comfort him in a small way, since she seemed to be too hostile towards him.

But because of his promiscuity, when she and Song Yao fell into the water at the same time, even though she sank deeper, he hesitated for a moment while looking at her, then decisively swam to her, which still makes her angry. And his attitude towards Song Yao after she became pregnant also disgusted her. He's definitely a master of manipulation.

......