Chapter 39 The Swallow Wants to Stay Overnight

After leaving Cining Palace, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Xiaoyanzi whispered, "I was so scared! I thought the Empress Dowager was going to cause us trouble!"

Yongqi smiled and comforted her, "With me here, even if she wants to cause trouble, she'll come after me, not you!"

"That's not how it works. We went out together. If she really wanted to punish someone, she couldn't just punish you!"

Yongqi was both amused and exasperated, saying, "Everyone else is eager to avoid punishment, but you, who could have avoided it, are now eager to be punished?"

Little Swallow pouted, "I don't care, I can't let you be the only one punished!"

“Alright, then let’s share the good times and the bad!” Yongqi nodded in agreement, then pulled Xiaoyanzi along as they walked towards Yonghe Palace.

"Yongqi, you're finally back!" Consort Yu, who had been waiting at the entrance of Yonghe Palace, finally saw the two children. "What happened? Why are you so late?"

"Mother, don't worry. With guards with us, what could possibly happen? It was just that we went fishing this afternoon, and on the way back we stopped for a meal. But the food was so delicious that we ate a little too much, which is why we came back late!"

"..." Consort Yu stared at Yongqi in disbelief. "When did you learn to fish?"

Yongqi laughed and said, "Mother, your son knows a lot more. You'll see how he does in the future!"

As he spoke, he and Xiao Yanzi helped Consort Yu walk inside. "Alright, Mother, we're back. You don't need to worry anymore. Xiao Yanzi and I will go wash up first, and then continue our studies tonight!"

"Alright, then I'll go back and rest first." Consort Yu was escorted back to her room by Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi, and the two of them went back to their rooms to bathe and change.

After they had all washed and changed their clothes, Xiao Yanzi went to Yongqi's study as usual to begin her studies for the evening.

While Yongqi was busy answering Xiaoyanzi's questions promptly, he also continued to research Xiaoyanzi's subsequent departure from the palace.

At first, Xiao Yanzi thought Yongqi was dealing with matters of the court, so she didn't ask any more questions. But then she accidentally saw that Yongqi was writing about what happened after she left the palace. She was stunned. "I haven't even prepared so much for myself, and you've already written so much for me?"

She took the notebook Yongqi had written in and asked, "More than ten pages? Do you write every day?"

Yongqi nodded casually, "Yes, I write down whatever comes to mind every day, then organize it into categories, and add anything that needs to be added."

Little Swallow opened the booklet and looked at it carefully. Sure enough, it was neatly categorized, with everything from how to spend money to what to do when encountering illness or injury, to all aspects of clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Every single detail was there. "Yongqi, you're amazing!" she exclaimed.

"You're so great, how can I not be impressive? I just don't want to get snatched away by someone else!"

"No way!" Upon hearing Yongqi's words, Xiaoyanzi quickly reached out and hugged him, leaning against his chest as she said, "You're so outstanding, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone like you even with a lantern. I won't let anyone steal you away! I'm the one who should be worried. I'm not worried that you'll change, I'm worried that the Empress Dowager will still..."

This time, Consort Yu's side is fine, but the Empress Dowager's side is still a bit more difficult to deal with. Yongqi comforted her, "You just need to wait peacefully until the day you marry me. I'll handle the other troublesome matters! And if all else fails, there's always your brother!"

This time, he was determined to persuade Xiao Jian to enter the imperial court. With his martial arts skills and talent, how could he not contribute to the court? Especially since he was going to marry a princess! He also had a younger sister who was going to marry a prince; how could he, as the older brother, just be an ordinary person?

When Xiao Yanzi heard Yongqi mention Xiao Jian, she asked, "But if it's really as you say, and he loves being carefree and unrestrained, then it would be very difficult for my brother to become an official in the court, wouldn't it?"

Yongqi laughed and said, "That's hard to say. One of his sisters is going to marry into the royal family, and he's going to marry a princess. Who knows, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, and he might just fall for her!"

In their past life, it was mainly because Xiao Jian kept Xiao Yanzi's true identity a secret for too long, leading to many misunderstandings. They also had to help Han Xiang and Mardan with chivalry. Otherwise, Xiao Jian and Qing'er might have become a couple!

"What you say makes sense. Qing'er is the Empress Dowager's darling. If my brother really likes her and wants to marry her, he certainly can't let her suffer! In that case, he'll have no choice but to become an official in the court!"

"Yes, he said that his lone bird was destined to lose to us!"

Little Swallow sighed, "The more I talk about it, the more I want my brother to meet Qing'er soon. He's suffered so much; if Qing'er were by his side, he would be happier!"

Yongqi said in a low voice, "It definitely will! I already sent people to keep watch at Baiyun Temple. If Xiao Jian showed up, there should be news. But there's been no movement yet, so Xiao Jian probably hasn't found Beijing yet..."

Little Swallow sighed, "Then I can only hope that I might run into him when I leave the palace?"

Yongqi shook his head. "Not necessarily. We might run into him when we go to the Summer Palace or the hunting grounds in a few days."

"The Summer Palace? That's where you go to escape the summer heat every year?"

Yongqi nodded and smiled, "Yes, Father Emperor takes us to the Summer Palace every year to escape the summer heat. The scenery there is beautiful, and I'm sure you'll love it when you go!"

Little Swallow asked excitedly, "You're making me even more excited! When are we going to that mountain villa?"

"This year, we'll have to wait until Consort Shu has given birth and recovered before we can set off, probably around July."

"Huh? It'll take that long? How boring..." Upon hearing this answer, Xiao Yanzi immediately lost her enthusiasm, and the smile on her face vanished.

Yongqi asked deliberately, "What's wrong? You're still bored even with me here?"

She quickly shook her head and explained, "No, it's just that I still want to experience some new things."

"Just kidding! By the way, I'm thinking of going out of the palace to see Liu Qing and Liu Hong the day after tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

Upon hearing this, she perked up again and exclaimed, "I want to go! I want to go! You've mentioned Liu Qing and Liu Hong so many times, but I've never been able to see them in person. I absolutely have to go and see them!"

Yongqi was happy to see her smile. "Okay, I'll take you with me, but shouldn't you go to sleep now?"

"Okay!" Little Swallow looked up at the sky, knowing it was time to rest and return to her room. But before leaving, she muttered, "When can I finally sleep here? I don't want to keep walking back and forth..."

Yongqi was drinking water as he escorted Xiaoyanzi home when he heard her muttering something that almost made him choke. He thought to himself, "I wish you wouldn't leave either. I wish this day would come sooner!"

He was also suffering greatly from the days when he was in Yonghe Palace but could only look on.