After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Just after noon, Princess Ping Le arrived carrying her cat.

Seeing Xiao Yebai sitting with Lu Zhiyuan, she felt a slight displeasure and nudged him aside with her shoulder. Xiao Yebai frowned, showing a hint of pain, and Princess Ping Le immediately shouted, "Don't try to scam me! I bumped into your left shoulder, and your left shoulder isn't injured!"

Xiao Yebai lowered his eyes, clutching his injured right shoulder as he stepped aside: "It has nothing to do with Your Highness, it's Yebai's problem."

"Good to know. I didn't bully you." Princess Ping Le rolled her eyes at him. "Don't think that just because our Yuan'er treated you, you can rely on her. You may be handsome, but no matter how handsome you are, you are still a hostage from Southern Chu. My father and mother will never marry Yuan'er to you. My mother said that Yuan'er should marry my Crown Prince brother and become his Crown Princess."

Tai...Crown Princess?

Lu Zhiyuan choked on her tea.

When did this happen? How come she doesn't know?

Composing herself, she looked at Princess Ping Le and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince's selection of a consort is a major event and cannot be discussed lightly. I am only eight years old and not yet of marriageable age. If others were to overhear this, they would think I am daydreaming and trying to criticize the Eastern Palace."

"I'll see who dares to gossip behind my back!" Princess Ping Le raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. "After the New Year, Yuan'er will be nine years old. The Empress Dowager said that we should find an auspicious day to set it first, and then hold the investiture ceremony after Yuan'er comes of age."

Princess Ping Le was not one to spread rumors; since she said so, it meant that Her Majesty the Empress did indeed have this idea.

His Highness the Crown Prince is of mediocre talent, lacking any outstanding abilities. Being in the royal family is indeed somewhat difficult for him. Fortunately, the royal family has few heirs, and his surviving brothers are not much better than him. In addition, his maternal clan is powerful, which is why he has been able to secure his position as Crown Prince.

If it weren't for the Prince of Yong'an's rebellion, given his diligence, he would surely have become a good ruler who safeguarded the country.

In the original story, he was murdered by Prince Yong'an before his coming-of-age ceremony. Apparently, he had a concubine who was deeply in love with him, and after seven months of pregnancy, she committed suicide by throwing herself against his coffin. She couldn't do something like breaking up someone's marriage.

Judging by the timeline, it was still a while before His Highness the Crown Prince was murdered. She needed to find his concubine. Although the main storyline had changed, Prince Yong'an was still alive, and given Lu Jinyao's ambitious nature, he was bound to rebel. If she could protect the Crown Prince and find his destined partner, would her arranged marriage with him be canceled?

We should take it one step at a time. Even if the Empress wants to arrange a marriage, she should still ask her mother, her maternal grandfather, and her two uncles for their opinions, at least her second uncle.

"Is this what Your Highness came for?"

"Of course not, how could this princess come for such a thing?" Princess Ping Le said, petting the cat while gently nudging her with her elbow. "There's good news, this princess is going to take you out to play."

On the anniversary of the late emperor's death, the Empress Dowager was to go to Huguo Temple to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings. The Emperor, as the sovereign of the nation, the Empress, as the mother of the nation, and the Crown Prince, who needed to stay by the Emperor's side to learn state affairs, were all forbidden from accompanying her. In previous years, Princess Pingle had gone to Huguo Temple in place of the Empress Dowager, and Prince Yue in place of the Crown Prince, accompanied by some ministers and female relatives, making it a grand and lively procession.

They would usually stay at Huguo Temple for seven days, but if the weather was bad, they might stay for ten days or half a month. Including the time for the round trip, it would take about a month. This month was the most free time Princess Pingle had.

"Does Your Highness wish for me to accompany you?"

“Not just you, but him too!” Princess Ping Le pointed at Xiao Yebai: “Father knows that Consort Jin treated him badly and wants to make it up to him. Also, the injury on his arm is somewhat related to me. I pleaded with Father to let him come with us.”

Princess Ping Le pursed her lips: "I know your personality. He is your patient. You won't leave him alone in the palace to go out with me until he is cured. It will put your mind at ease if he comes with us."

"A princess is a princess, so considerate." Lu Zhiyuan hugged the princess: "When are you leaving? I'll pack my things."

"You'll have half a day to pack tomorrow morning. I'm here to have you bring your stuff, like that barbecue grill and copper hot pot. I'm going to eat a lot on the way. You have no idea how strict the rules are in the palace. If I eat even a little more or less, they'll go to the Empress Dowager and complain. It's so annoying."

"Isn't it forbidden to eat meat at Huguo Temple? Does Your Highness want to use my barbecue grill to roast sweet potatoes and stew vegetables in a copper hot pot?"

Princess Ping Le winked at her: "Don't worry, I've had them bring all the ingredients. The perishable ones are frozen with ice. It will take three days to get from the capital to Huguo Temple. We'll pass through two post stations along the way. At one post station, we'll have barbecue, and at the other, we'll have copper hot pot. When we get to Huguo Temple, we won't stay in the temple itself, but will stay in a small house behind the temple to eat secretly."

Lu Zhiyuan asked curiously, "There are small houses behind Huguo Temple? What kind of small houses are they? Are they big enough for all of us? Are they safe? Does the Empress Dowager allow it?"

Princess Ping Le patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, it's similar to your Jinxiu Palace. It's a separate courtyard that the Empress Dowager specially ordered to be built. The courtyard is surrounded by guards and has some permanent servants. It has everything you need to eat, drink, and use, but there is no meat or wine."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded, then asked, "Does the Empress Dowager also want to stay in a separate courtyard?"

Princess Ping Le shook her head: "Ever since my grandmother fell ill with her leg three years ago, she has stopped going to the villa. The villa is built halfway up the mountain, and you either have to walk or ride in a carriage. My grandmother can't walk, and she doesn't want those people to carry her, saying that it's too shaky and unsafe, and that they get tired too."

It's good that she doesn't live with the Empress Dowager; she can't stand those rules.

A'Luo had been anxious all night, and when she heard that she could go too, her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She was afraid that the princess wouldn't let her go. Her young master was injured, and Miss Lu had to accompany the princess. If no one took care of him, her young master might not even be able to eat. He was someone who wouldn't bow his head to anyone, and if others knew his status as a hostage, they would most likely make things difficult for him.

Fortunately, Miss Lu told her to come along and thoughtfully prepared all the necessary items for her and the young master, including changes of underwear.

Upon seeing the clothes in the package, especially the underwear, Xiao Yebai, who was usually expressionless, blushed.

Lu Zhiyuan pursed her lips, turned her gaze aside, and said casually, "I asked Liuying to ask the eunuch in charge of purchasing in the palace to buy these from a clothing store outside. Maybe the eunuch didn't explain clearly, because they packed them as a set. I swear, I didn't know that clothing stores sold such a complete range of clothes."

Xiao Yebai lowered his head and said calmly, "Thank you, Miss Lu!"

Lu Zhiyuan waved her hand, "You're welcome. I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for Her Highness the Princess."

Xiao Yebai's eyes darkened, and he said nothing more.