On the other side, Yan Qing followed Ran Qiu through the nine-curved corridor and arrived in front of a round arch, where the faint fragrance of flowers filled his nostrils.

Yan Qing couldn't help but stop, called Ranqiu and asked: "Aunt Ranqiu, I heard that peonies bloom all year round in the small garden of Kunwu Palace, is it true?"

Ranqiu smiled kindly and said: "Of course it is true. General Yan wants to take a look?"

Yan Qing smiled sheepishly: "I'll just ask my aunt to lead the way."

Ranqiu looked at the dark color on Yan Qing's sleeves and thought that just some tea on the sleeves would not be a problem, and he could also go to the side hall through the small garden, just go a little further.

It was not easy to dampen Yan Qing's interest at the moment, so he took Yan Qing and took a detour from the small garden.

The small garden of Kunwu Palace is cleverly designed. There is only a flower fence two people high between the two side halls. There is an artificial lake outside the flower fence, and a long corridor on the lake connects the nine-curved corridor and the side hall.

Coming from the other end of the corridor, you can vaguely see the colorful flowers in the garden through the specially arranged flower hedges. If it is a sunny day, the scattered light and shadows will hit the lake through the flower hedges, which is another beautiful sight.

Through the sparse flower hedges in the garden, you can clearly see the scene in the corridor of the side hall.

Such a design was specially made by the Empress Dowager by skilled craftsmen in order to show her consort to Princess Jingshu.

A banquet of flowers was held to invite the ladies to sit in the garden, and a poetry banquet was set up at the end of the corridor to entertain the talented man, where the ladies looked at each other.

If we don't make good use of such a favorable geographical location, we will really be dishonoring the wisdom of our ancestors.

Yan Qing was admiring flowers along the way, stepping forward and counting the time in his mind. Just when he was leaving the small garden, he happened to see Concubine Li sneaking up in front of the side hall.

Even without Yan Qing's hint, Ranqiu took a step back almost subconsciously, avoiding Concubine Li's wary gaze.

"Isn't it because the imperial concubine is feeling unwell that she didn't attend the banquet? Why are you coming to the side hall now?"

Yan Qing sounded confused, "Is it possible that something was not arranged properly at the banquet and we need to arrange it now?"

Ranqiu suddenly noticed the sneaky figure of Concubine Li, and her attention was focused there. Yan Qing suddenly spoke behind her, startling her. Following Yan Qing's words, she said: "Big, probably."

Yan Qing lowered his eyes and saw Ranqiu's absent-mindedness. A smile flashed across his eyes. He walked a few steps towards the small garden and said, "Since the imperial concubine has something to do in the side hall, I can't go there."

Excuse me. It’s not too late to wait until the queen leaves before changing."

At this time, Ranqiu was thinking about how Concubine Li came to the side hall. In addition, she had just been frightened by Yan Qing. At this time, she felt an unexplainable guilt when facing Yan Qing, but she didn't feel it for a moment.

There was nothing wrong, and he didn't ask Yan Qing to change clothes. He just let Yan Qing admire the flowers in the small garden, but glanced at the side hall from time to time.

After about half a stick of incense, Yan Qing saw Wen Zhemao walking along the corridor from a distance through the flower fence.

Yan Qing calmly curled her lips, hooked a flower, turned back to Ranqiu and asked softly: "Auntie, do you know what kind of flower this is?"

Ran Qiuben was still paying attention to the side hall, but was startled by Yan Qing's call. He turned his head suddenly, but happened to see Wen Zhemao at the other end of the corridor, and was suddenly startled again.

"Aunt Ranqiu?"

Yan Qing pretended to be confused and called out again. Ranqiu trembled suddenly, quickly turned away and walked towards Yan Qing, but from time to time he looked through the flower fence at the people in the corridor.

Wen Zhemao came over and happened to see Ranqiu walking from the other end of the corridor to the small garden. He glanced at the small garden and vaguely saw a figure. He thought it was Yan Ling'er who sent Ranqiu away.

I thought to myself, this woman is not completely brainless!

Then without thinking much, he took advantage of the gap between Ranqiu's departure and quickly entered the side hall.

But he didn't expect that his every move would be caught in the two pairs of eyes behind the flower fence.

"Is it His Royal Highness Prince Su who just entered?"

Yan Qing asked as if she was dazzled, but in fact, she kept hinting to Ranqiu that she must have thought that the person who had just entered was Wen Zhemao, "It seems that the imperial concubine is still inside. Your Highness, Prince Su, will go in now for a while."

Wouldn’t it be inappropriate?”

"Or does the Imperial Concubine have something to tell His Highness Prince Su, and it is inconvenient for His Highness Prince Su to leave the table for too long, so the two of them made an appointment in the side hall?"

Yan Qing seemed to be guessing in confusion, constantly stimulating Ranqiu's thoughts, and then asked in a subtle way, "Did it happen at the banquet?"

Listening to Yan Qing's questions, Ranqiu's heart beat as fast as a drum. Regarding Yan Qing's words, she just assumed that she was born in the frontier and didn't understand these rules, and didn't think much about it.

Let me ask you, if you don’t really understand etiquette, how could you say what the concubine said about the prince discussing the ceremony of the palace banquet?

But if it weren't for this reason, if a man and a woman alone made an appointment in the side hall, Ranqiu could think of the secrets in it with his toes.

Ranqiu thought she had caught Concubine Li, and was thinking about how to get away and go back to report to the queen. Then she heard Yan Qing say again: "Aunt Ranqiu, have you heard any strange sounds?"

When Ranqiu heard the words, he concentrated attentively, and some small sounds from the side hall suddenly floated into his ears.

Unable to stay any longer, Ranqiu hurriedly said to Yan Qing: "Young general, there are people in the side hall who are inconvenient to change their clothes at the moment. It's indecent for me to wear dirty clothes, young general. Why don't you change clothes with your maid in a side hall."

Yan Qing's eyes swept across the side hall of Kunwu Palace lightly. Knowing that he had achieved his goal, he said to Ranqiu: "Then I'll trouble my aunt."

Ran Qiu said politely, and quickly took Yan Qing to the side hall of the next door palace to change clothes, and quickly returned to the banquet.

At the banquet, half an hour after Yan Qing left with Ran Qiu, Wang Shuyu, who had had a pleasant chat with Yan Qing before, couldn't help but frown slightly.

It took too long just to change clothes.

In addition, it was really boring to sit at the empty table, so Wang Shuyu excused herself that the banquet was too boring and wanted to go out for some fresh air, and planned to go look for Yan Qing.

There were a large number of people at the banquet, and the light and shadow were blurred as they drank and drank. The departure of a few people was not enough to attract too many people's attention, except for those who were already paying attention to these people.

Seeing that Yan Qing had not returned for a long time, Meng Shulan became a little absent-minded while talking to the emperor.

Seeing Meng Shulan's eyes drifting downward from time to time, the emperor coughed lightly: "You are going to the Western Frontier. The journey is long and the responsibilities are heavy. You must be careful. I know you have high expectations for the girl from the Yan family, but the frontier is poor.

On the battlefield, the sword has no eyes, and as a woman on the battlefield in the military camp, she has to bear many things that men do not have to bear."

Meng Shulan was silent, stroking the handsome seal with her hand, feeling complicated.

"Like eldest sister, you value friendship the most. I know you feel uncomfortable in your heart, but I don't think you don't understand how much overt and covert fighting there is in this position."

The emperor's eyes returned to the singing and dancing in the hall, but he said to Meng Shulan, "If you really think about her, then take this position firmly. Or, you would rather have her die in a power struggle or on the battlefield one day.

.”

Meng Shulan's heart tightened, she rubbed Shuaiyin's hand, and said in a deep voice: "My nephew knows..."

"ah!"
Chapter completed!