Eavesdropping on Fu Bao's inner thoughts, emptying the stored grain and fleeing the famine

"Your Highness, your words sound like you're trying to sow discord between the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Yi."

Before the Empress Dowager could speak, Hua Ling spoke first.

Li Yuanqi raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Miss Hua, where did you learn such manners? You dare to interrupt before the Empress Dowager has even spoken?"

"I cannot afford a woman from such a humble family!"

"Your Highness, Ling'er is not..."

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Before Hua Ling could finish speaking, Li Yuanqi immediately silenced her with a kiss.

"Prince Qi, what a show of power! I'm right here!" The Empress Dowager was clearly biased towards Hua Ling.

But Li Yuanqi didn't care at all; he replied to the Empress Dowager with the same indifferent attitude:

"I'm just worried that Miss Hua is unruly and might tarnish Grandmother's reputation in the future."

If Grandmother dislikes her grandson's meddling, then he will simply remain silent! After all, who in this world doesn't dislike meddlesome people?

This veiled criticism was truly aimed straight at the Empress Dowager. However, given her status, she couldn't easily take it personally.

I'm so frustrated, I just have nowhere to vent it.

Fortunately, there was still that fool, Princess Ling. Upon hearing Li Yuanqi's words, Princess Ling immediately boasted as if seeking credit:

"Prince Qi, what are you saying? Does the Empress Dowager's concern for your own good constitute meddling?"

Upon hearing this, Lian Rongrong immediately feigned shock: "Royal Aunt, you can't just label my prince like that."

Your Highness never said that the Empress Dowager was meddling in other people's business. From which sentence did you hear that the Empress Dowager was meddling in other people's business?

The Empress Dowager cares for her grandchildren; we younger generations are overjoyed. What? You think something's wrong?

"I, I, I didn't mean that! It was clearly Prince Qi who was saying that the Empress Dowager was meddling in other people's business!"

"Enough, Princess Ling, what kind of behavior is this, shouting like this during the New Year?"

The Empress Dowager shouted, her voice much louder than Princess Ling's "shouting".

After Princess Ling calmed down, the Empress Dowager softened her tone and then spoke to Li Yuanqi:

"Very well! Perhaps I'm just getting old. When people get older, they tend to worry about this and that."

Since you are unwilling to marry Ling'er as a concubine, then so be it.

The Empress Dowager's casual remark left Li Yuanqi and Lian Rongrong completely bewildered. All that effort to keep them here, and it just ended like this?

[What mischief is that old hag up to now?] Even Xiaobai in my consciousness noticed something was amiss, let alone Lian Rongrong and Li Yuanqi.

However, adhering to the principle of "I will not move unless the enemy moves," they still had to see what tricks the old witch was planning to use.

Sure enough, the old hag couldn't wait even a moment before speaking again:

"Although we can't be husband and wife, Ling'er and you are still destined to be together. Rumors about your marriage are spreading like wildfire."

If there's no explanation, it might damage Ling'er's reputation! In my opinion, it would be better if you recognized Ling'er as your god-sister; that would silence the gossip.

Li Yuanqi glanced lazily at Hua Ling, whose face betrayed her nervousness; it seemed they were going to go all out this time.

“Grandmother, Miss Hua is already your goddaughter, and by all accounts, she is my god-sister. Why bother with the formal god-sistership ceremony?”

"Your Majesty is mistaken," Li Yuanyi retorted as soon as Li Yuanqi finished speaking, after a long silence.

"Brother, can't you see that Grandmother is giving you a way out?"

Furthermore, can the relationship between an imperial grandmother adopting a goddaughter and an imperial brother adopting a god-sister be the same?

Grandmother, I think it would be better if your grandson and brother became sworn brothers with Sister Hua Ling.

"Then my brother should have no more worries!"

Li Yuanyi's clever and obsequious interference pushed Li Yuanqi into a dilemma.

Seeing this, Lian Rongrong gently tugged at Li Yuanqi's sleeve and transmitted her thoughts to Xiaobai:

Admit it. Otherwise, things won't end well today. Let's see what tricks they're up to.

Li Yuanqi turned to look at Lian Rongrong, nodded slightly, and then he noticed a white ball floating out from between Lian Rongrong's eyebrows.

【Don't worry, Master, I'll go see what that little witch is up to!】

Xiao Bai floated between the Empress Dowager and Hua Ling, and at this time Li Yuanqi had already agreed to recognize her as his sworn sister.

The Empress Dowager and Hua Ling were clearly very satisfied with the result.

The Empress Dowager even wore a fake yet loving smile: "Since we are going to acknowledge our kinship, we can't just make it up."

"Someone, prepare wine and offerings for the altar. We'll hold the family reunion ceremony for them right here at Cining Palace."

Having already agreed, Li Yuanqi naturally wouldn't object to any of the Empress Dowager's orders.

Anyway, what's coming will come eventually. If we don't deal with it all at once, the troublesome days are probably yet to come.

Upon hearing this, the head maid of Cining Palace immediately went to make preparations. Before leaving, the head maid had a brief encounter with Hua Ling.

Because of the long sleeves covering their faces, no one else could see anything, but Xiao Bai, who was floating in the air, could see the two people's movements clearly.

[Master, they exchanged a porcelain vase.]

Xiao Bai transmitted her voice to Lian Rongrong and Li Yuanqi.

Upon hearing this, Lian Rongrong immediately gave Xiaobai a look, and Xiaobai understood, following the head maid closely behind.

Side Hall of Cixi Palace

"Hurry up and get everything ready, and be quick!"

The head maid urged the other servants on as she quickly walked to the table.

The wine and cups were on the table. The old woman took out a porcelain bottle and poured some into a cup.

But then I thought about it and decided to pour everything from the porcelain bottle into the wine.

[What is this thing? Is it trying to poison the expressionless prince?]

Although Xiao Bai saw that the head maid had done something wrong, he really didn't know what she had done.

The old woman picked up the wine pot, gently shook it, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

Seeing the head maid's expression, Xiaobai felt a little relieved.

Thank goodness, thank goodness, it shouldn't be the death of the expressionless prince. After all, poisoning a prince isn't something that can be done so easily.

However, we should still go back and tell our master about this; whatever that old hag concocted, it's certainly not a good thing.

When the white ball of fluff floated back to the main hall, Hua Ling was having an awkward conversation with several princes. However, apart from Li Yuanyi, no one paid any attention to her at all.

Li Yuanqi was disgusted, while Prince Ling was drunk.

"Look at you."

The Empress Dowager looked at Prince Ling with disappointment, but seeing that he was very drunk, she had no choice but to have someone take him to the west wing to rest.

Today, the three princes will be assigned to the west wing, while all the female members of the household will be assigned to the east wing.

This arrangement was naturally made to facilitate Hua Ling's actions. However, this arrangement was not unreasonable, since men and women could not sleep together in the palace except for His Majesty.

Prince Ling was helped away by servants from Cixi Palace, while Princess Ling stayed behind. Princess Ling was quite satisfied with this outcome.

After all, it seems like something big is about to happen today. With the Empress Dowager taking action herself, what good can Rongrong possibly do?

The thought of the arrogant Lian Rongrong about to suffer a setback filled Princess Ling with a sense of satisfaction. As for that drunkard, Prince Ling, she couldn't be bothered with him at all.

No sooner had Prince Ling left than the head maidservant had prepared everything and entered with cups of wine and goblets.