Since last time, Fourth Prince Jun Molin’s health had gradually improved.

Hearing that the princess had entered the palace, Consort Xian hurried over with her two sons.

On the way, they happened to run into her.

“Greetings to the Crown Prince,” Consort Xian and her sons saluted.

【Wow, wow, wow! Another handsome brother!】

Jiang Yuanxi stared at Third Prince Jun Mocheng.

She hadn’t had a chance to look at him properly last time, but now that she did, she realized that this Third Prince was almost on par with her eldest brother in looks.

Jun Mocheng raised his head.

His fox-like eyes held a hint of amusement.

He was extremely confident—no one could resist his charm.

【But… he’s still a bit lacking compared to my big brother. My big brother has extraordinary literary talent and looks amazing. Although the Third Prince is handsome, he’s just… sigh.】

The emperor’s sons were all quite good-looking.

This made Jiang Yuanxi even more curious—just what did the male lead look like to attract so many women?

The Third Prince, standing nearby, was getting anxious.

Say it! Just say it already!

Consort Xian covered her lips and chuckled.

Her son had always been proud of his appearance, but it seemed he had finally met a formidable rival.

She then bowed slightly to Jiang Yuanxi. “I came today to thank the princess for saving my son. Such a great kindness cannot be forgotten. If the princess ever needs anything in the future, the Kong family will be there to help.”

The Crown Prince was surprised.

He hadn’t expected Consort Xian to make such a promise.

Consort Xian’s maiden family was the renowned Kong family, and her father was the great Confucian scholar, Kong Meng.

His students were spread throughout the entire empire.

Moreover, the Kong family had never participated in political struggles, nor did they bother currying favor with others.

Getting a promise from the Kong family was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Fourth Prince Jun Molin looked at his mother, shocked. He never expected that she would make such a huge commitment.

His maternal family had always avoided court politics and never made casual promises.

But now, for his sake, they were willing to support the Jiang family—dragging the Kong family into this muddy water.

“Little brother?” Jiang Yuanxi leaned in closer, her big eyes blinking as she stared at Jun Molin, making his face turn red.

【Little brother is just like me—we’re both bald!】 Jiang Yuanxi finally felt like she had found her kind.

【But little brother has some dots on his head… one, two, three, four… nine… twenty-six… Ah, I lost count.】

The Crown Prince and the others silently shook their heads.

This little one was still an illiterate child.

Seeing this, Consort Xian suddenly had an idea.

She smiled and asked, “Your Highness, where are you taking Yuanxi?”

“Yuanxi is now employed at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. I’m taking her to familiarize herself with the place.”

The Third Prince was stunned. “Her? At the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?”

His mouth dropped open, all pretense of composure gone.

A one-year-old joining the Imperial Astronomical Bureau—was this some kind of joke?

Seeing his brother’s reaction, the Crown Prince explained, “Father has already approved it. Besides, the bureau jointly petitioned for Yuanxi to become the Chief Astronomer. Unfortunately, Father rejected that request.”

Chief Astronomer?!

“The hell is this little girl’s power level?!”

The Crown Prince thought for a moment and said calmly, “Probably the kind that even divine lightning couldn’t kill.”

It only singed a few strands of her hair.

Jun Mocheng was speechless.

..

Pei Zhengyi led a group of officials, all busy pulling weeds.

“Hurry up! The princess will be here soon! Make sure the courtyard is spotless!”

They had to make the bureau look brand new—to impress the princess.

Pei Jian, holding his waist, stood up. “Father, do we really need to work this hard?”

The weeds in the courtyard were tall—wasn’t that kind of nice?

Pei Jian absolutely refused to admit that because they lacked imperial favor, the palace servants had been neglecting their duties, allowing the place to become overgrown with weeds.

Pei Zhengyi scolded, “Of course we do! If we can’t keep the princess here, the bureau is doomed!”

The previously reluctant officials suddenly became highly motivated.

Compared to their job security, weeds were nothing.

…

“This is the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Yuanxi.”

The red gates gleamed under the sunlight.

Jiang Yuanxi glanced around.

【Nice gate.】

Especially the stone lions on either side—they seemed almost alive.

As soon as the Crown Prince and Jiang Yuanxi stepped inside, the stone lions shimmered and slightly lowered their heads, as if bowing.

But it only lasted a moment before they returned to their usual posture.

Chief Astronomer Pei Zhengyi and the bureau officials were already waiting at the entrance.

“Greetings to Your Highness, the Crown Prince. Greetings to the Princess.”

The Crown Prince nodded. “You may rise.”

“Yuanxi will be working here from now on. Pei, I’ll have to trouble you to look after her.”

Pei Zhengyi immediately assured him, “Your Highness, rest easy. With us here, the princess will be well cared for.”

Jiang Yuanxi suddenly realized something.

“Do I have to come every day?” She frowned, clearly displeased.

Pei Jian instinctively answered, “Of cour—”

“Of course not!” Pei Zhengyi interrupted, smiling broadly. “The princess may come and go as she pleases. Think of this place as your home.”

Pei Jian stared at his father, almost not recognizing him.

Pei Zhengyi shamelessly continued, “Princess, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau is the closest institution to the Imperial Kitchen. If you ever want a snack, you can go there anytime.”

The Crown Prince glanced at Pei Zhengyi in admiration.

This old man was really putting in effort to keep Yuanxi here.

What the Crown Prince didn’t know was that Pei Zhengyi had spent the past few days researching Jiang Yuanxi’s preferences in detail, making sure she wouldn’t run away.

Jiang Yuanxi was tempted.

【It’s close to the Imperial Kitchen? Let’s go, let’s go!】

Pei Zhengyi introduced the bureau.

“Our bureau has two divisions—one focuses on astronomy and weather predictions, while the other…” He leaned in closer. “Handles demon exorcism. Mostly Taoist priests.”

Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes lit up.

Taoists were great! In her past life, she had cultivated Taoist arts.

The Crown Prince hesitated. “Pei, do demons and ghosts really exist?”

Pei Zhengyi glanced around and whispered, “Of course! The turtle the princess caught last time was one!”

At that moment, inside a talisman, Xuanwu was fuming.

“That old man! I am Xuanwu! A sacred beast!”

Nearby, Hei Zi flicked his tail, causing sparks to crackle. “Behave, or I’ll give you a beating!”

Xuanwu shrank into his shell like a frightened child.

The human world was too scary!

After a tour, Pei Zhengyi said, “That’s about it, Princess. Tomorrow morning, I will personally send someone to pick you up.”

“No need,” the Crown Prince replied on Jiang Yuanxi’s behalf. “Our father will take her here on his way to court.”

“That works, that works,” Pei Zhengyi nodded eagerly.

..

As soon as Jiang Yuanxi got home, she rushed to Chen Xinwan.

“Mother, I want dots on my head too!”

Chen Xinwan was confused.

【Fourth Prince has dots on his head. I want them too. They look cool!】

Jiang Yuansheng nearly choked on his tea.

The Fourth Prince’s dots were Buddhist ordination scars…

Did Yuanxi even understand what that meant?

He smirked. “Yuanxi, if you get those, you won’t be able to marry handsome men anymore.”

Jiang Yuanxi immediately shook her head like a rattle drum.

【No way! No cute boys? That’s unacceptable!】

She had to convince the little prince to return to the secular world!