Now I really have to marry the princess.

It was noon, and looking around, the palace road was deserted.

Li Lizhi stood in the pavilion, her palms sweating slightly.

The lady-in-waiting stepped forward and said cautiously, "Your Highness, the sun is too strong. Why don't you go back first? Be careful not to catch a heatstroke."

Li Lizhi frowned slightly, her gaze still fixed on the end of the palace path, but she said, "The spring scenery is just right, it would be a pity not to appreciate it."

The lady-in-waiting gave an awkward smile. "Your Highness, you certainly know how to find excuses."

She opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't try to persuade her further. She just sighed quietly and stepped aside.

Li Lizhi's expectations sank little by little.

Hey, where's that shameless guy?

Just as Li Lizhi was feeling utterly dejected, she saw a group of people stepping through a palace gate and coming out at the end of the palace road.

Li Lizhi's eyes lit up, and she stood up abruptly.

It's him.

It's that shameless one.

He was following behind the eunuch Jian, who was leading the way. He was wearing a dark blue round-necked robe with a leather belt around his waist, which accentuated his tall and straight figure.

Li Lizhi's eyes were filled with tears, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

But when she glanced at the shameless man's side out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but sigh.

Unfortunately, that clueless Changsun Chong was there too!

On the palace road.

Yang Zhengdao originally thought he would be hungry at noon today, but unexpectedly, he was greeted by Eunuch Jian.

The eunuch Jian relayed a message that Empress Zhangsun summoned him and Zhangsun Chong to the Lizheng Hall for lunch.

He was initially delighted, but then he couldn't help but feel nervous.

Moreover, this tension was even stronger than when he met Li Er.

After all, his "love" for Ah Zhi was not pure and was not purposeful.

There's no such thing as love at first sight, especially when you're facing Li Lizhi when she's a young girl.

He was aware of his own feelings. Rather than saying he was attracted to Li Lizhi, it would be more accurate to say that he harbored ulterior motives and expectations towards the grown-up Li Lizhi.

As he was lost in thought, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a graceful figure standing in a pavilion by the roadside.

He subconsciously turned his head to look, and met a pair of clear eyes with long, fluttering eyelashes, their eyes filled with seven parts joy and three parts playfulness.

"Ah-Zhi!?" Yang Zhengdao exclaimed in surprise.

It was probably the first time that Eunuch Jian had heard Yang Zhengdao address Prince Chang Le in this way. After a moment of surprise, he quickly coughed.

This eunuch Jian was a close advisor to Empress Zhangsun.

Yang Zhengdao had no choice but to follow the others and bow to Azhi.

Li Lizhi had already stepped out of the pavilion, lifting her skirt, and returned the greeting properly before heading straight to greet Yang Zhengdao.

She raised her small face, seemingly both shy and excited.

"Cousin Zhengdao, what a coincidence! I never expected to run into you here."

Li Lizhi's lady-in-waiting smiled bitterly to herself. Your Highness, you've made it so obvious that Eunuch Jian couldn't see through your intentions.

The eunuch Jian had guessed that Prince Chang Le was deliberately waiting here, so he could only pretend not to know and let them stay and chat for a while.

When Changsun Chong saw that Li Lizhi was unwilling to even exchange pleasantries with him, he was both ashamed and angry. He snorted coldly and turned his head away.

But for Yang Zhengdao, that sweet, soft voice was something he never tired of hearing; that shy, timid little face was something he never tired of looking at.

Yang Zhengdao subconsciously wanted to reach out and rub the head of the girl in front of him.

But when he caught a glimpse of the eunuch Jian standing to the side, who seemed to be looking down at his nose and inwardly lost in thought, he felt he should restrain himself a bit.

"Sister Azhi, what a coincidence!"

The eunuch Jane started coughing again.

Li Lizhi immediately frowned, and said with displeasure, "Eunuch Jian, are you ill?"

The eunuch was startled. This Prince Chang Le was usually well-behaved, so why did he become so willful and capricious whenever Yang Zhengdao was involved?

He hurriedly apologized, saying, "This servant has been rude; I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Li Lizhi was unwilling to make things difficult for the servants, and besides, her mother was still waiting in the Lizheng Hall.

Her gaze lingered on Yang Zhengdao's face for a moment, then she pursed her lips, blushing, and said:

"Cousin, on the fifteenth of April, the peach blossoms are still in bloom."

Yang Zhengdao was slightly taken aback, but then he understood.

It's Xuandu Temple. Is Azhi asking him out?!

He was secretly delighted, and then nodded gently with a smile.

Seeing that the shameless man understood her meaning, Li Lizhi smiled knowingly, her eyebrows curving into two crescent moons.

"Then, Ah Zhi, I'll take my leave."

She lowered her eyes, bowed, and turned to leave.

Her skirt swept lightly across the palace path, her steps even more hurried than when she arrived.

She felt that if she stayed any longer, her cheeks would probably catch fire and her ear tips would probably melt.

Yang Zhengdao watched the small, pale yellow figure quickly leave, and couldn't help but smile.

When Changsun Chong saw that Li Lizhi hadn't even glanced at him once, he was filled with anger again.

You call him "cousin" so affectionately, but what kind of cousin is Yang Zhengdao? I'm your real cousin!

The group then continued on to the Lizheng Hall.

As soon as they arrived at the Lizheng Hall, a young eunuch stepped forward and whispered a few words in the ear of the eunuch Jian.

The eunuch was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

He turned around, a smile plastered on his face: "Gentlemen, Her Majesty the Empress is taking a nap. She just instructed that you two dine in the side hall, and there's no need to wait for her."

What's going on?!

Just provide meals! No meetings?

Yang Zhengdao felt a sense of relief, but then he tensed up again.

The ancients were quite adept at using the trick of secretly spying on their sons-in-law.

Wait a minute, what should we do?

Should we learn from Wang Xizhi's "eating with an open belly on the eastern bed"?

Oh! I'd better not learn it! After all, that era was too crazy!

If he were really in the Lizheng Hall, with his shirt open and belly exposed, he would probably be beaten out with sticks.

The eunuch led the two into a side hall.

The two small food stalls have been set up.

The eunuchs filed in and laid out the lunch.

A plate of steamed buns, a plate of roasted meat, a plate of pickled vegetables, a plate of sunflower soup, and a bowl of soy milk.

Looking at the lunch, which was neither shabby nor lavish, Yang Zhengdao couldn't help but sigh, "Ah Zhi is still the best."

It is said that Empress Zhangsun was frugal, and it is indeed true.

After all, the Tang Dynasty had only been established for a short time in the fifth year of the Zhenguan era. Not to mention the national treasury, even Li Er didn't have much money.

"Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen. There are eunuchs waiting outside. Please feel free to give any instructions." The eunuch bowed and withdrew.

Yang Zhengdao glanced at the large screen on one side out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Is Empress Zhangsun hiding behind that screen?

But this time, Yang Zhengdao guessed wrong.

At this moment, inside the main hall.

Empress Zhangsun blushed and leaned against the armchair, flipping through a stack of secret letters that had just been sent to the palace.

Although the letter paper was of the finest quality, due to the large number of words copied, more than ten pages were still written in dense, fine regular script.

After Empress Zhangsun finally finished reading the entire secret letter, she couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Immediately, her face flushed with embarrassment again, but before the embarrassment faded, anger was spread over it.

She said coldly, "Eunuch Jian, leave Yang Zhengdao here later."

On the armchair in front of Empress Zhangsun lay a stack of secret letters, the first page of which bore the words "Spring Screen Curtain".