Repeatedly broken branches

Back in the palace, after a busy morning, she finally managed to steal a moment of leisure. It was nothing more than the solemn and dignified coronation ceremony. Xiao Mu was like a puppet, listening to the nanny's instructions. She did whatever the nanny told her to do. Anyway, she was extremely bored, so bored that she kept yawning. Yu Yanjing, who was standing next to her, was secretly laughing at her, but he himself looked tired.

Back in the Zining Palace where the Empress resided, Xiao Mu could finally relax. She leaned against the soft couch, completely exhausted. Xiao Shao was massaging her shoulders, and You was rubbing her legs. It felt so good, the pressure was just right, and she simply closed her eyes to enjoy it.

"Your Majesty, this is a highly nourishing soup specially sent by the Emperor. Please drink it..." You said, looking at the bowl of dark-colored stuff on the table.

Xiao Mu half-opened her eyes, glanced at it, and thought it looked unappetizing, even having an unpleasant smell. She had no intention of drinking it.

"After you drink it, the pain will go away," You whispered in her ear, making sure Xiao Shao didn't hear.

"Okay." Xiao Mu picked up the bowl, pinched her nose, and gulped it down.

Xiao Shao asked, puzzled, "Why do we need to drink such a nourishing soup? Is the Empress very weak?"

You laughed, "You'll understand when you marry Young Master Ruan. You won't understand now!"

Xiao Mu raised her eyebrows slightly, gazing at You with a smile, her eyes shooting out countless cold thorns. "You, am I being too nice to you?"

You immediately shut her mouth, pinched Xiao Mu's leg in a flattering way, and said, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. I'll make you goat milk pastry next time, okay?"

"Okay... I'm doing this for the sake of the goat milk tarts."

After finishing his work, Yu Yanjing immediately rushed to Zining Palace. Shen Ruoxuan mocked him for being impatient, but he didn't care at all.

Xiao Mu leaned against him, playing with the tassels on his crown. Yu Yanjing simply moved all his memorials to Zining Palace. For some reason, he just wanted to be with her. Even when handling official business, having her by his side made him feel good.

"Yu Yanjing~"

"What's wrong?" Yu Yanjing put down the memorial in his hand and looked down at the person in his arms.

"When can I ask my maternal grandfather to come see me?"

After a few days of pleasant tranquility, it's time to get back to work.

If she didn't take revenge in a day, Xiao Mu would feel as if a huge stone was pressing on her heart.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Yanjing said, "I don't know either. It depends on when my maternal grandfather wants to come. If he doesn't want to come, we can't force him to, can we?"

Yes, why would he come if there wasn't something important? If he didn't come, how could she take revenge? It's unrealistic to go to the Western Regions to fight, so why not let Yu Yanjing raise an army to attack the Western Regions? Anyway... why would she think like that? If there's a war, what will happen to the innocent people?

so what should I do now?

As long as Bai Jiaoyu lives, she will never be able to quell the hatred in her heart.

"Can I leave the palace? I'm so bored here."

Yu Yanjing refused outright, saying, "You are already the Empress; you cannot show your face in public anymore."

Xiao Mu looked at him dejectedly, paused, and said, "Then teach me how to disguise myself, so I can get out, okay?"

"No, the art of disguise is dangerous. You can't learn it," Yu Yanjing said earnestly.

Xiao Mu was furious. This wouldn't work, that wouldn't work. He just wanted to keep her tied to his side and not give her any freedom. He said it was dangerous, but he used it all the time, so why was he fine? To put it bluntly, he just didn't want to teach her and found it troublesome.

"Angry?"

Seeing that Xiao Mu had a dark expression and remained silent, Yu Yanjing closed the memorial and looked down at the person in his arms.

"I want to go out!" Xiao Mu pleaded again.

"I can't teach you disguise, because it requires using internal energy. You can go out, but you must be accompanied by plainclothes guards, and you must be back before dark. Also... you are not allowed to see any other men!"

Xiao Mu found it amusing, watching Yu Yanjing earnestly instruct her with amusement; it was simply hilarious.

"Don't laugh, I'm very serious," Yu Yanjing said through gritted teeth.

"He's calling himself 'I' again!"

Yu Yanjing sighed helplessly, "I'm very serious, I'm not joking. You're not allowed to play with Ruan Cifeng, do you hear me?"

"Play? I'm not a child, why did you say we were playing?" Xiao Mu almost died laughing. How could he act like a child, using such childish language? He's clearly in his twenties, yet he still uses such language in his actions. So cute.

Yu Yanjing tentatively asked, "May I go?"

Xiao Mu shook her head. "We're together every day, don't you get tired of it? Don't you need to catch your breath?"

Yu Yanjing remained silent for a long time before saying softly, "So you think I'm annoying... Yes... I was too clingy... It's my fault, I'll set you free."

Xiao Mu was both amused and exasperated; he actually knew how to play the victim and act innocent!

"I didn't mean that. I just wanted to go out and have some fun. How about we go together next time? Yu Yanjing, I know you're busy, that's why I'm going out by myself so you can focus on your work."

She knew that Yu Yanjing had been so busy lately that he wanted to bury himself in official documents, but he still stayed by her side and brought all his work materials to her place. She couldn't let Yu Yanjing be like this; she had to make him understand that love wasn't about being together all the time, but about each person needing their own space.

Besides, her personality isn't suited to staying in one place all day. She has her own business and can't keep handing it over to Ruan Cifeng and Xiao Shao. Even if she can't leave the palace often now, she still needs to hire people and take orders. If her shop stops taking orders, it probably won't be able to stay open. Although she doesn't lack money now, it's still her hard work.

“If you’re free, you won’t have me in your heart anymore,” Yu Yanjing said sullenly.

Xiao Mu chuckled, "What do you mean? Who told you that? I don't have a home anymore. Marrying you means you're my family. How could I not have you in my heart?"

"Shen Ruoxuan said it."

On the eve of her trip to the Western Regions to marry Xiao Mu, Shen Ruoxuan mysteriously called Yu Yanjing aside and spoke to him earnestly.

"Your Majesty, we must not let the Empress be too indulgent in the future. I know she is lively, but you must not spoil her too much, otherwise she will fall for another man. What will you do then?"

Yu Yanjing asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Shen Ruoxuan said very seriously, "Just trust me. When have I ever harmed you?"

Now that I think about it carefully, Shen Ruoxuan himself doesn't have a woman, so why should I believe his words so deeply? Why should I believe someone who has never had a woman in his life?

Xiao Mu wished she could tear Shen Ruoxuan to pieces. She knew that over the years, Shen Ruoxuan had led Yu Yanjing astray. Although he was a good person, he was extremely unreliable and did things that were incomprehensible to others.

"Don't worry, you won't find another man in this world better than you. Just looking at your face, I can't find anyone like you. Don't worry!"

Yu Yanjing nodded and said calmly, "Then go ahead, but be sure to come back before dark to have dinner with me."

"Okay!" Xiao Mu stood up, strode out the door, and was overjoyed.

Yu Yanjing stared gloomily out the door. He didn't know why, but without Xiao Mu in the palace, he always felt empty inside. Whenever she wasn't by his side, he felt extremely flustered. He didn't even know what he was afraid of.

Wei Lan prepared a set of ordinary women's clothes for her. After she changed, they immediately prepared to leave the palace by carriage.

Wei Lan was filled with apprehension. The Empress was so wild; how could she possibly serve the Emperor in the future? Yet the Emperor continued to indulge her, which was bound to lead to a major disaster. She was just a servant and couldn't possibly speak ill of the Empress in front of the Emperor.

She had been in the palace for so long, and she had never seen an empress go out to play after entering the palace. The emperor really spoiled her.

Rou Rou was quite envious. Although she never went hungry in the palace and her duties weren't tiring, she rarely left the palace. She envied the Empress for being able to leave the palace and wished she could leave with her.

I heard that Shen Shanshan has been staying at home for almost a month since she learned of the Emperor's appointment as Empress. That's great! Rou Rou is very happy. It would be best if someone like her lived a solitary life!

"Your Majesty, it's dangerous outside. Why don't Weilan go out with you..."

Xiao Mu shook her head. "I want to go out alone. You can stay here and serve the Emperor."

She wouldn't even bring You, so how could she possibly bring Wei Lan? Besides, Wei Lan is someone close to Yu Yanjing. If she went, wouldn't she just be watching and monitoring her? What's the point of going out to play? She might as well just stay in the palace and watch helplessly.

Wei Lan couldn't stop Xiao Mu, so she could only let her get into the carriage and head out of the palace. She didn't understand how dangerous it was outside the palace. What could she say if the Emperor had tacitly approved of it? She was furious. The Emperor would never indulge or go along with someone like this. The Empress was too ignorant. She just took advantage of the Emperor's affection for her. Anyway, the Emperor has had countless concubines since ancient times. She wanted to see how long the Empress could remain the only one!

Xiao Mu always felt that Wei Lan was prejudiced against her. When they were in the palace, no matter what she wanted to do, Wei Lan would always negate her and would bring up how empresses of the past behaved to admonish her. She would just endure it and let it pass. Yu Yanjing didn't say anything. Why would Wei Lan be like this? Maybe she was overthinking it. Wei Lan just wanted her to be a good empress.

I don’t know if I’m overthinking it, but I always feel that Wei Lan is looking at me with hostility.

The carriage stopped in front of Ruan Cifeng's clinic. Xiao Shao was there helping him prepare medicine for his patients, while the teahouse next door was handed over to the new helper, Qin Tian.

It seems I need to hire more people, otherwise my teahouse and jewelry shop will have to close down. However, hiring is easier said than done. I have to personally oversee the interviews for a while before I can trust them to work with me.

This little spoon is so fickle, she forgets her friends for the sake of beauty. It seems I should keep her by my side for a while longer, lest she move in with Ruan Cifeng instead.

"Your Highness...Miss, why are you out here?"

Xiao Mu walked up to the two of them and said to Xiao Shao with a forced smile, "If I don't come, my teahouse will have to close down!"

Xiao Shao ran up to her shyly and said solicitously, "Miss, would you like some water? You must be tired after your journey. I've missed you a bit; it's been so many days!"

"alright."

It was clear that Xiao Shao had something to say to her, so she followed Xiao Shao to the backyard.

"Miss, could you please move up the wedding date between me and Mr. Ruan?"

For some reason, Xiao Shao felt that something would happen if the wedding date wasn't moved up, which made her very anxious these past few days.

Xiao Mu teased her, "You're so impatient? This is the first time I've ever seen a bride who's more eager than a groom. But it's not a big deal. I'll go back and discuss it with Yu Yanjing, and we'll get it done for you as soon as possible. You, you, I can't keep you here!"

Little Spoon looked at her gratefully, then suddenly asked, "Miss, is the jewelry shop still open?"

“Why not open it? I still need to hire people. Have Ruan Cifeng post the recruitment notices, and you can select people for me. I shouldn’t show my face in public now. You can make all the decisions for me.”

She was still thinking of Yu Yanjing. After all, she was already the Empress whom everyone had seen. If she were to appear in public in these places again, what would people say?

It doesn't matter if people talk about her, she's just afraid of people talking about Yu Yanjing.

"I'll leave this clinic and teahouse to you and Ruan Cifeng. I trust you both. I'm just waiting for the annual profit sharing. You can manage all of this, right?"

Xiao Shao was incredibly grateful. She knew better than anyone that these were Xiao Mu's hard work and dedication. She knew how much Xiao Mu had toiled for these shops, and now she had entrusted her with the two most successful ones. This showed how much she trusted her.

……

Ruan Cifeng immediately drafted a recruitment notice and posted it at the entrance of the jewelry shop, which immediately attracted a lot of people to watch. Everyone knew that this was the Empress's property, so they all came to apply.

Xiao Shao sat in the center, asking each of the people who signed up about their special skills. Priority was given to those with experience in jewelry making, but they were all there just to join in the fun and had almost no experience.

After interviewing for several hours, Xiao Shao couldn't find a single person she could use. She was extremely anxious and worried that she wouldn't be able to deliver.

"Excuse me, are you hiring master jewelers here?"

Xiao Shao looked up and saw a handsome young man with an extraordinary temperament. The young man had slightly narrowed phoenix eyes and a smile on his lips, and he looked extremely polite.

"Yes, can you make jewelry?"

The boy took out a hairpin, a gold-inlaid hairpin with plum blossoms. The plum blossoms seemed to come alive and had a fragrance. Upon closer inspection, the gold powder sprinkled on it was also a fragrance, hence the scent. This was the first time Xiao Shao had ever seen such a novel piece of jewelry.

The boy said gently, "I made this myself. If you don't believe me, you can try me out for a few days. I don't want wages, just meals."

Xiao Shao took out a pen, quite pleased with the boy's work. She nodded and asked, "How old are you? What's your name?"

"twenty-three……"

After the boy gave his name, Xiao Shao took him to see where they lived and gave him a day to familiarize himself with the surroundings.

After Xiao Shao showed him around the house, she couldn't wait to rush to the clinic.

Ruan Cifeng poured Xiao Mu a cup of tea and carefully inquired, "Xiao Zhi, how is your residual poison? Have you had anyone take a look at you recently?"

Xiao Mu shook her head. "I haven't seen it since I came to Chaoyang. What's wrong? Will it relapse?"

Ruan Cifeng said with a worried expression, "I don't know either. Let me take your pulse."

Xiao Mu did not refuse and reached out her hand. Ruan Cifeng's fingers rested on her wrist. He closed his eyes and carefully felt her pulse. If only time could stand still, even if they didn't say anything, just like this, that would be enough.

After a long while, Ruan Cifeng withdrew his hand and said with a joyful expression, "The residual poison has almost dissipated. Your physical condition is very good now, but there is still some coldness in your body. Go back and drink more warm and nourishing foods. It's best not to take any medicine and try to nourish yourself through food."

"it is good!"

Ruan Cifeng stole a glance at her, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness.

Xiao Shao burst in excitedly. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but for what seemed like an instant, she saw the way Young Master Ruan looked at the princess. It was so gentle, a gentleness she had never experienced before.

It must be an illusion.

"Did you recruit someone?" Xiao Mu looked at Xiao Shao, who was standing there motionless.

Xiao Shao's thoughts drifted back to the present moment. She nodded blankly, glanced at Ruan Cifeng, who walked out uncomfortably. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Why did Young Master Ruan leave as soon as she returned?

"Male or female, how old?"

"Male, twenty-three years old..."

Xiao Mu asked in surprise, "So young, do you have any experience?"

Xiao Shao took out the hairpin that the boy had just given her and handed it to Xiao Mu, saying sullenly, "This is his work. I think it's pretty amazing. Anyway, he said he'd try it out for a few days first, and if it doesn't work, he won't take the money and will leave voluntarily."

Xiao Mu took the hairpin, examined it carefully, and then smiled knowingly. It turned out to be an old acquaintance.

Xie Huai, didn't we say we'd never see each other again?