The steward shook his head and said: "I don't know about this, but Miss Qing, the carriage is right outside the door. You'd better go quickly. You'll know everything after you enter the palace."

Although I felt uneasy, it was an order from the palace after all. I had no other choice. I looked back at the inner courtyard. On the path that extended deep into the snowy scenery, Huang Tianba was no longer around. He must have been there too.

Go do what he should do, I’m not needed here.

So I nodded and followed the steward out.

I got on the carriage and drove smoothly, and soon entered the palace gate. Just like before, I was not subject to any interrogation. After getting off the carriage, I was taken directly to Yonghe Palace.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a figure wearing a white fox-style cloak under the tree in the center of the yard. He kept looking up at the bare trees. When he heard the sound of the door being pushed open, he turned to look at me.

The fair face is almost the same color as the surrounding snow scene, and only the moist red lips are the only bright color on that person.

"You're here."

"Prince...Your Highness."

I walked over gently, but before I could salute him, he reached out and grabbed my hand, frowning slightly: "Why is it so cold?"

"...!" Although we have known each other for so long, he has never been like this before. I was a little frightened for a moment and wanted to break away, but when I tried hard, his fingers also exerted a slight force. It did not scratch me in pain, but it did not hurt me.

With irresistible strength, I looked up at him.

"Come in and warm yourself up."

He pulled me into the house.

I have never felt like this Pei Yuanxiu. He was still gentle and polite as usual, but there was something indescribably different. I didn't know why for a moment, so I could only follow him in.

The Yonghe Palace was as quiet as ever. There was a fire burning in the room, and the surroundings were warm. Looking inside through the bead curtain, the emperor was still sleepy. There was not much vitality in his pale face, only covered with

The slightly rising and falling chest of the brocade quilt shows that the emperor of the Celestial Dynasty is still alive.

Seeing him like this, I still felt uneasy. I turned back to look at Pei Yuanxiu sitting at the table: "Your Highness, what are you doing for summoning Qingying into the palace?"

Seeing my uneasy look, he just sighed softly, then slowly stood up and walked to my side, but did not look at me, but looked up at the wall and said: "Qingying, I believe

You also know that this is a troubled time for the imperial court, and it may not be long before the world will undergo great changes."

…Of course I know.

In the morning, he and Pei Yuanhao had made it very clear. Whoever finds the jade seal first may become the master of the world. For the princes of the Tian family, this is their fate.

Wait, he found me here because he wanted to ask me about the whereabouts of the jade seal?

When I thought of this, I glanced at him subconsciously. What he was facing was the painting on the wall, which was the painting that hinted at the location of the jade seal!

This is the first time I have looked at that painting seriously.

The painting is indeed an osmanthus tree. The bright yellow flowers are all over the branches and covered by the green leaves, but they still seem to exude a rich sweet fragrance, permeating the whole house through the painting paper. And under this osmanthus tree,

There seems to be a stone table, and there seems to be something next to the stone table.

However, the drawing paper stopped abruptly at the stone table, and only one corner of the stone table was exposed.

Is this painting only a small part of the scene, or is it cropped?

This is strange. The scrolls in the royal collection, including some ancient treasures, are complete and they never collect damaged famous paintings. This painting really looks like it was cut out from a whole picture. How could it be like this?

?

What makes me even more surprised is that the scenery in this painting looks somewhat familiar to me.

Could it be that I have seen this painting somewhere?

Just when I was confused, Pei Yuanxiu slowly turned around and looked at me. There was something on my mind, so I didn't dare to look directly into his eyes. I lowered my head in a hurry, for fear that he would really ask me, but he took one step at a time.

He walked towards me and walked up to me: "Qingying."

"..."

"What will you do if the day comes when the world changes drastically?"

"..."

I never thought that he would say such words. When the day comes that the world changes, what will happen to me? What can I do? My destiny has always been in the hands of these princes of the Heavenly Family.

?

So he smiled lightly: "Your Highness is joking, Qingying is just a little slave, what else can she do?"

He also smiled faintly: "Qingying, do you still remember what I told you here?"

I was stunned for a moment.

What he said to me here, he said to me - "Qingying, I don't treat you as a slave."

When I thought of this sentence, my face suddenly felt hot.

Although he didn't ask me to respond to that sentence after he said it, it doesn't mean that it never happened. I haven't forgotten that when he was assassinated by the assassin in Taishi Mansion, Pei Yuanhao held him in his arms.

I am looking at Nangong Lizhu, but he is the one who reaches out to me.

And what have I done for him?

When I thought of this, I suddenly felt sad, and Pei Yuanxiu's deep voice sounded in my ears again——

"I never thought of telling you before, because in my eyes, although this palace is very peaceful, all the tranquility is an illusion caused by the turbulent undercurrent. The only place that really makes me feel peaceful is inside.

Zangge, I don’t want to break it. But when you leave, even the inner Zangge no longer makes me feel peaceful, so I know——”

"The place that really makes me calm is by your side."

I couldn't say a word, I just felt my heart beating so hard, as if it was about to burst out of my chest, and even the fingertips hidden in my sleeves were trembling.

Pei Yuanxiu looked at me, gently stretched out his hand, and took my hand. A warmth spread from his palm to my skin.

"Qingying, I want to know, what kind of person am I in your eyes?"

"I...?"

I looked into his eyes, and they were still the same as before, but the gaze inside was no longer clear, but looked very solemn, as if it contained some deep obsession.

I felt trapped by such obsession, and after a while I lowered my head: "His Royal Highness is a good person in Qingying's heart."

"Good guy?"

"Hmm..."

Although unlike Pei Yuanfeng, he does not have the airs of a prince at all. He always carries the majesty of a prince, but being around him makes people feel at ease. The two years in the Tibetan Pavilion were not only days when he felt peaceful, but also when I

In the palace, the most peaceful days.

He grabbed my hand, gently pulled it to his chest, and pressed it against his chest. I immediately felt his heart beating under my chest with my palm, and his voice seemed to come through that.

A heart, spread to my heart——

"So, as a person like me, can you rest assured and leave yourself to me?"

"..." I was stunned for a moment and looked up at him.

Pei Yuanxiu's face was as handsome as ever. The sunlight shone through the window lattice and coated his face with a faint golden light, as if even the long eyelashes were shining.

He said: "Qingying, things in the world are unpredictable, especially in the palace. I know there are many things and people here that you can't see clearly or distinguish. Some people you think are good people may not necessarily be the case, but you think they are bad people.

Yes, there may be something pitiful about it. But, no matter whether I, Pei Yuanxiu, am a good person or a bad person——"

He looked into my eyes and said word by word: "Yue Qingying, I want to give you happiness."

My hand trembled again in his hand, and he held it tighter.

"Your Highness..." His hand was intertwined with mine, and I couldn't get rid of it. My heart became even more confused, and his other hand had already gently grabbed my waist and held me in his arms.

When he looked down at me, his pure face was full of intoxication. He closed his eyes and slowly lowered his head towards me.

No, no!

I hurriedly took a step back, and my back hit the cold wall with a "clang" sound.

Why does this voice sound like——

I remember that last time, I seemed to hit the wall in the same way, making the same clanging sound, but last time I was so nervous that I didn't notice at all. The sound sounded as if the wall was empty.
p>

Not only me, but also Pei Yuanxiu heard it. He was stunned for a moment, immediately let go of me, and reached out to touch the painting.

Once pushed, it's still hard.

He bent his fingers and tapped lightly again, and this time there was a thumping sound from the bottom of the scroll, which sounded more like it was empty!

We both looked at each other and seemed to realize something. I stood next to him and watched with bated breath as he stretched out his hand to gently push the painting away. I was surprised to find that there was a dark figure on the wall behind the painting.

Grid!

Pei Yuanxiu even breathed heavily, stretched out his hand to open the secret compartment, and saw a huge seal inside.

This seal is made of Lantian jade, four inches in diameter, and covered with jade tiger buttons. Although the light in the dark grid is dim, the seal still exudes a warm luster and is not dimmed at all.

"Chuan Guo... Jade Seal..."

Pei Yuanxiu's voice was trembling. He gently reached out and took out the jade seal. When he looked carefully, he saw that it was really the national jade seal!

Why does the Imperial Seal appear here?

My mind was completely confused for a moment, but the corner of my eye fell on another corner of the dark grid. There was a bright yellow scroll there. I asked doubtfully: "What is that?"

Pei Yuanxiu had been looking blankly at the jade seal in his hand, and he came back to his senses at this time. When he looked at the scroll, his expression seemed to change, but in the end he could not suppress his inner curiosity and put the jade seal back into the dark.

Ge, reached out and took out the scroll. When he unfolded it, he discovered that it turned out to be an imperial edict!

Pei Yuanxiu only opened it and took a look, and his face suddenly turned pale.

I stood in front of him, not knowing what was written on it, so I asked softly: "Your Highness, what is above -"
Chapter completed!