The Emperor, with more men than women, made me his mistress.

Before Jin Chenyuan could introduce them, Lian Xinran, who had just heard Jin Chenyuan's introduction, immediately stepped forward and walked up to Yue Li. She happily said, "My name is Lian Xinran. You can call me Xinran or Aran. Can I call you Yue Li? If I call you Aunt, it feels like I'm making you sound too old."

Upon hearing Lian Xinran's words, Yue Li waved her hands repeatedly. She didn't want anyone to call her "aunt." She was only 16 years old this year, still a young and vibrant age. Being called "aunt" would make her sound like an old lady.

Jin Chenyuan introduced Xinran to Yue Li from the side, saying, "Xinran is my mother's cousin."

Upon hearing that she was from the Empress Dowager's family, Yue Li immediately affirmed, "You can just call me Yue Li, and I'll call you Xin Ran."

Never call her your aunt.

"Okay, Yue Li, come here, let me introduce you. This lady next to me is Yin Xiyue, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue." Lian Xinran took on the role of introducing the two sides, pointing to the woman standing next to her.

Yue Li had just seen Yin Xiyue, whom Lian Xinran had mentioned. The reason was simply because Yin Xiyue looked very gentle; on the surface, she appeared to be a gentle woman.

Unexpectedly, Yin Xiyue spoke in a gentle and soft voice, "Greetings, Princess Consort Chen."

"No need to call me Princess Consort Chen, just call me Yue Li." The two were not married, and hearing the title "Princess Consort Chen" felt strange.

“Alright, Yue Li, then Yue Li can call me Xi Yue,” Yin tide Yue said with a gentle smile.

Then Lian Xinran introduced Yue Li to the four men following behind her and Yin Xiyue. Two of the men were Lian Xinran's husbands, and the other two were Yin Xiyue's husbands.

After both sides had greeted each other, Lian Xinran then pulled Yin Xiyue and Yue Li aside and talked for a while.

In just a few words, Yue Li could roughly tell what the two people were like. Lian Xinran was quite lively, while Yin Xiyue was indeed very gentle.

"Yue Li, how about we go boating on Yin Yuan Lake together tomorrow? It's always lively there. We can hire some singers, sit on the boat, enjoy the scenery, drink tea, and listen to music. It would be very pleasant." After spending time with Yue Li, perhaps because she felt that Yue Li's personality was not as aloof and distant as Prince Chen's, Lian Xinran took the initiative to invite her.

After thinking about it, Yue Li agreed.

Although she doesn't like interacting with strangers, both of them have good personalities, and when she has free time, she often has two close girlfriends who can chat, go shopping, and have tea together, which is quite nice.

Come to think of it, chatting and shopping with girlfriends like this is a modern thing.

In the world of cultivation, she was busy all day refining pills to earn money, taking on sect missions, and exploring secret realms. She didn't even have a single friend to talk to. Sometimes she would go into seclusion for months at a time because of refining pills or cultivating. Let alone going shopping with her girlfriends.

Looking back now, although she was just a poor college student in modern times, those days of fooling around with friends are still quite memorable.

But now!

Looking at the two nice-natured people in front of her, Yue Li thought that perhaps she could also find a close female friend to chat with in this era.

Seeing that they were talking and showed no sign of stopping, even Xinran and Yin Xiyue's husbands were helpless. After having wives, they realized that when these wives got together and started talking, it was simply endless.

Jin Chenyuan couldn't stand it anymore. He walked over and said, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Go on, Ah Li and I have things to do too."

Lian Xinran, who was chatting happily with Yue Li, immediately stopped talking when she heard this. She pulled Yin Xiyue next to her and waved to Yue Li, saying, "Yue Li, don't forget, we agreed to go boating on the lake together tomorrow afternoon. You must come tomorrow!"

Looking at the exceptionally lively Lian Xinran, Yue Li smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll definitely go tomorrow afternoon."

Seeing Lian Xinran waving to her as she walked away, Yue Li waved back, then turned and walked into the inn with Jin Chenyuan.

Inside the inn, a middle-aged man behind the counter saw Jin Chenyuan and Yue Li enter through the door. Remembering the innkeeper's instructions from the day before yesterday, he immediately called over a waiter. After whispering a few words in the waiter's ear, the waiter agreed and turned to enter the inner hall of the inn.

Seeing the people coming and going in the lobby, and worried that someone might bump into Yue Li, Jin Chenyuan raised his hand and placed it behind Yue Li, gently protecting her as they walked towards the stairs. Looking at the exceptionally happy Yue Li, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? So happy to be going boating on the lake!"

"If you like to go boating on the lake, I can take you there."

Hearing Jin Chenyuan's words, Yue Li rolled her eyes inwardly and said, "Going with you, or going with like-minded girlfriends, will it feel the same?"

"What's different? Aren't we all going on a boat trip on the lake?" Jin Chenyuan asked, puzzled.

Yue Li: ……

What do men know?

Instead of discussing the difference between shopping with men and girlfriends with Jin Chenyuan, Yue Li changed the subject and brought up the Marriage Lake that Lian Xinran had mentioned.

When Yue Li asked about the Lake of Marriage, Jin Chenyuan explained, "Although it's called the Lake of Marriage, it's actually a branch of a river that encircles Kyoto. Everyone likes to go boating on the lake. Every year, many couples who meet and fall in love while boating on the lake get married, so everyone likes to call it the Lake of Marriage."

So it's a lake for matchmaking! And a legitimate group matchmaking event, no wonder it's called the Lake of Marriage.

"So, the Marriage Lake must be very lively every day."

"It is quite lively, especially the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of July every year, and the Floating Wine Cups held by various mansions in Kyoto on the thirteenth of September, which are both very lively."

As they spoke, the two had reached the top of the stairs, and the innkeeper followed behind the waiter, arriving not far from them.

Upon seeing Jin Chenyuan and Yue Li, who had already reached the top of the stairs, the shopkeeper wanted to bow and kowtow, but Jin Chenyuan quickly stopped him, saying, "There's no need to bow outside."

Upon hearing Jin Chenyuan's words, the shopkeeper did not perform a full bow, but he still slightly lowered his head to show respect.

"You don't need to follow me. I'm only here to help the Princess retrieve her things. I have nothing else to do," Jin Chenyuan said to the shopkeeper who wanted to come with them.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately stopped in his tracks and respectfully replied, "Yes, sir. If you have any instructions later, please send a servant to inform me."

"Oh, I see."

The shopkeeper stood at the top of the stairs, watching Jin Chenyuan and Yue Li until they were out of sight, before saying to the waiter standing next to him, "Keep an eye on things here. If the master comes down from upstairs later, then inform me."

"Yes, sir." The waiter was already busy in the lobby, and now he only had the added task of keeping an eye on people. He didn't think it was difficult and readily agreed.

He hadn't been busy in the lobby for long when someone called out to him.

This person was dressed in a blue brocade robe, and both the jade crown on his head and the jade pendant at his waist were clearly not ordinary items.

"Are your guests on the fifth floor here today?"

Thinking of the people who had just gone up, the waiter immediately replied, "Yes, they just went up not long ago."

"Then I'll go up and take a look." With that, the man started climbing the stairs without waiting for the waiter's reaction.

The servant following behind the man saw his master in a hurry and immediately followed.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, seeing Huan Yun and You Yun guarding the stairwell, the man immediately asked in confusion, "Hey, what are you two doing here? Could it be that Prince Chen has come too?"