Rong Rong and Xue Xiaoshan had bought some groceries and were heading back.

At the entrance, a eunuch was already urging her to hurry.

After saying goodbye to Xue Xiaoshan, Rong Rong took a carriage towards the palace.

When she reached the side entrance of the palace, she saw many carriages gathered there.

They belonged to the noble ladies and high-ranking women invited by the Empress to the palace for tea.

Since Rong Rong was in a carriage from the Eastern Palace, other carriages moved aside to let hers pass.

Through the veil, she noticed that many of the carriages belonged to the royal family, government officials, and high-ranking ministers.

This made her feel like she was enjoying some borrowed authority.

After getting out of the carriage, Rong Rong was greeted by the Yellow Gate eunuchs who led her inside.

The other noble ladies who had arrived earlier had to wait outside for someone from Kun Ning Palace to summon them.

The Yellow Gate eunuchs took Rong Rong to a room behind the Emperor’s study. “Please wait here, Miss. The Crown Prince’s lesson isn’t over yet,” they said.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Rong Rong replied.

Rong Rong knew the palace rules, and being led to a warm place instead of waiting in the cold was a privilege usually reserved for high-ranking officials.

It must have been arranged by Yuanbao, which made her feel touched and happy for Yuanbao.

It was clear that the Emperor and Empress must be very fond of him.

After sipping two cups of tea, someone came to summon her. “The Crown Prince has called for you to attend to him.”

Rong Rong quickly wiped her mouth, stood up, and walked out.

Outside the study, there were three palanquins.

As Rong Rong approached, the small eunuchs standing by the palanquins moved aside.

Soon, she saw three little figures, wrapped up warmly, walking out of the study.

“Aunt Rong Rong!” Yuanbao immediately called out when he saw her.

However, Liu Lin, the little one, ran straight to Rong Rong and jumped into her arms without saying a word.

“Aunt… Aunt Rong Rong,” Liu Lin mumbled, hugging Rong Rong’s neck tightly.

Rong Rong liked Liu Lin a lot.

Just as she was about to tease him, she noticed Yuanbao’s little face turning dark.

She quickly patted Liu Lin’s head and gently pushed him away.

Yuanbao’s face lit up again.

He quickly walked up to Rong Rong and hugged her arm.

“Aunt Rong Rong, let’s go to the Imperial Garden.”

“Sure.”

Rong Rong first helped Yuanbao into the palanquin.

When she turned around, she saw Liu Yu was already lifted into one, but Liu Lin was still standing on the ground.

“Aunt Rongrong,” Liu Lin waved his little hand at Rongrong.

Seeing his pitiful look, Rongrong approached and picked up Liu Lin to place him in the carriage.

Yuanbao wrinkled his nose and made a sound of discontent before instructing someone to head towards the Imperial Garden.

By this time, the Imperial Garden was already lively.

Although the Empress had not arrived yet, the concubines, princesses, noblewomen, and other ladies of the court had all gathered and were chatting amicably.

When they reached the entrance of the Imperial Garden, the eunuchs carried Liu Lin and Liu Yu down from the carriage.

“Go on inside first. I’ll come find you to play later,” Yuanbao waved to Liu Lin and Liu Yu.

Liu Lin looked at Rongrong with hopeful eyes but said nothing, while Liu Yu held Liu Lin’s hand and nodded to Yuanbao.

Yuanbao’s carriage continued to move until it stopped in front of Kun Ning Palace.

“Aunt Rongrong, let’s go in and meet the Empress.”

So, they were going to meet the Empress now?

Rongrong had never directly interacted with the Empress in her past life, but like everyone else in the palace, she knew that the Empress was a strict and authoritative figure with a commanding presence in the harem.

Yuanbao led the way, with Rongrong following behind.

Upon entering Kun Ning Palace, they first encountered Aunt Anru at the entrance.

Aunt Anru, like Aunt Anlan, had been a maid brought into the palace from the An family estate as part of the Empress’s dowry.

After the Empress established her position in the harem, she kept Aunt Anru by her side, while Aunt Anlan was assigned to manage the affairs, overseeing the movements of the concubines.

Back when Rongrong was working in the Respectful Service Room, Aunt Anru would often come to visit Aunt Anlan, so Rongrong was not unfamiliar with her.

Today, Aunt Anru’s appearance was much the same as before, though there were a few more fine lines around her eyes.

Looking at her, Rongrong couldn’t help but think of Aunt Anlan.

Since they were having tea in the Imperial Garden today, it was unlikely she would see Aunt Anlan.

“Your Highness, the Empress is having tea in the elegant room,” Aunt Anru’s gaze briefly passed over Rongrong before settling steadily on Yuanbao. “Your Highness should go in quickly; she has been asking for you.”

Aunt Anru led Yuanbao inside, but Yuanbao did not go straight in.

Instead, he turned to Rongrong and said, “Aunt Rongrong, you wait here for me.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Rongrong replied.

Only after she nodded did Yuanbao smile and walk inside.

The palace maid behind An Ru followed Yuanbao inside, but An Ru remained standing there.

Now that Yuanbao was gone, she took a good look at Rong Rong.

Seeing An Ru looking at her, Rong Rong gave a respectful bow and said, “Greetings to the Elder.”

An Ru nodded slightly. “You seem unfamiliar. When did you start working in the Eastern Palace?”

“Yesterday,” Rong Rong answered honestly.

The Empress is sharp, and lying would only be quickly discovered.

An Ru noted, “You’ve just joined the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Prince has already taken you into the palace. This shows how much he values you. You should work hard and not disappoint the Empress’s expectations of you.”

Rong Rong nodded in agreement.

After replying, she suddenly felt something was off.

The Crown Prince did value her, but what expectations could the Empress have for her?

Did An Ru mean that the Empress already knew about her?

Rong Rong tried to calm her confusion and glanced discreetly at An Ru, who had turned her attention to other palace matters regarding the Imperial Garden.

Rong Rong thought she might have misunderstood.

An Ru had served the Empress for many years and always spoke with the Empress’s perspective in mind.

As someone not from the Eastern Palace, An Ru wouldn’t be talking about disappointing the Crown Prince’s expectations.

Feeling a bit reassured, Rong Rong was just about to relax when she heard a commotion from the inner hall.

Looking up, she saw the Empress coming out, holding Yuanbao’s hand.

The Empress was dressed in elaborate new spring clothes from the Palace’s wardrobe, looking even more radiant, showing no sign of being a grandmother.

“There’s no need for the palanquin. I’ll walk with Yuanbao,” the Empress said as she left Kun Ning Palace, not giving Rong Rong a glance.

Only Yuanbao slightly turned his face and waved his finger at Rong Rong.

As the Empress and Yuanbao left Kun Ning Palace, An Ru followed them, and Rong Rong trailed behind, just a step behind An Ru.

“Grandmother, do you like Aunt Rong Rong?” Yuanbao asked the Empress in a low voice, pulling at her sleeve.

“Shh,” the Empress quickly placed her finger over Yuanbao’s mouth. “Let’s enjoy the flowers first, and we can talk quietly later.”

“Okay.”

Kun Ning Palace was very close to the Imperial Garden.

They only had to go down some steps and walk through a small alley.

Before they even entered the garden, the noise from inside could already be heard.

“The Empress has arrived!” the eunuchs announced loudly.

Upon hearing the announcement, everyone in the garden fell silent and bowed to the Empress.

“Wishing the Empress peace and health.”

“No need for formalities,” the Empress said, though everyone still stood respectfully. “Since we’re here to enjoy the flowers, just relax and have fun.”

Despite her words, everyone remained respectful, watching as the Empress led Yuanbao to the phoenix throne in the garden.

In the past few days, the weather had warmed up, and the sun was much brighter than before.

Therefore, in the Imperial Garden, some pavilions made of thin gauze were set up to provide shade and a place for the ladies to rest.

The most spacious one was, naturally, reserved for the Empress.

After the Empress and Yuanbao were seated, the concubines came over in groups to pay their respects.

There was no need for strict adherence to ranks and seniority for the flower viewing, so those who were closer came first.

However, the external noblewomen waited until the concubines and princesses had paid their respects before approaching.

Xie Yuanrui wanted to go over first, but her mother, Lady Zhai, was not present today.

Xie Yuanrui felt uncomfortable about stepping in before the other noblewomen.

“Yuanbao, go out and play with Liu Yu and Liu Lin. You don’t have to sit here with me all the time,” the Empress said, noticing Yuanbao looking bored.

Yuanbao instantly perked up at these words, jumping off his seat and was about to run out when he suddenly turned back and whispered in the Empress’s ear, “Grandmother, I’ll come back to play with you after we return to Kun Ning Palace.”

“Alright, go ahead.” The Empress waved her hand, smiling.

Yuanbao dashed out, and Rongrong had to lift her skirts and follow him.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin were already playing in the nearby mud pit.

Children always enjoyed playing in the mud, so the Empress had set aside a special area in the garden for them.

When Yuanbao arrived, the attending eunuchs quickly removed his rabbit-fur cloak and replaced it with a more durable cotton one.

They also put on sleeves and a bib for him before letting him join the others.

Liu Yu had built a tower out of mud and water, while Liu Lin had made a mud lump that was hard to identify.

Yuanbao changed into his play clothes and immediately joined them.

Rongrong, of course, could not follow Yuanbao into the mud pit and had to stand by, feeling quite bored.

Just then, the Crown Prince arrived.

Having just come from the court, the Crown Prince was still in his court attire.

As soon as he entered the Imperial Garden, he headed straight for this area.

His arrival caused everyone in the garden to bow in greeting.

“No need for formalities,” the Crown Prince said.

He walked past Rongrong, who kept her head lowered, and she noticed a flash of bright yellow pass by her eyes before it quickly reached the pavilion in the center of the garden.

From behind the gauze curtain, Rongrong watched him sitting upright and couldn’t help but think of what happened last night.

This person, truly… It seemed an exaggeration to say he was two-faced, but at the very least, he was not as straightforward as he appeared.

In her previous life, Jing Rong was his bedchamber maid and had dutifully flattered him every night, not realizing he had such a hands-on nature!

As Rongrong glared in frustration at the pavilion, the Crown Prince suddenly lifted his gaze and looked in her direction.