As dawn was breaking, the palace gates had quietly opened.
A eunuch exited the palace gates, heading straight for Princess Rongyang’s mansion.
The princess’s mansion was located in an area where many royal and noble families resided, slumbering in the dim early morning light.
Princess Rongyang had long been living separately from Cui Xu, and her temperament had grown increasingly lazy. She often didn’t get up to wash until the sun was high in the sky. As a result, the closer one got to Princess Rongyang’s quarters in the mansion, the quieter it became.
The servants moved about quietly to avoid disturbing the princess’s sleep and incurring her wrath.
However, Princess Rongyang hadn’t slept well that night.
She was truly furious.
She had hoped to vent her anger by using a distant relative of Prince Yan’s wife to tarnish her reputation, but unexpectedly, Prince Yan had easily neutralized the situation.
This wild child raised outside the palace from a young age had taken an unorthodox approach, completely disregarding conventional methods.
Princess Rongyang’s anger refused to subside. She tossed and turned in bed, and just as she was finally drifting off to sleep, she heard a maid call out: “Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived—”
Princess Rongyang sat up abruptly, clutching her brocade quilt, momentarily confused: “Someone from the palace?”
The maid said softly: “Yes, His Majesty summons you to the palace.”
Princess Rongyang couldn’t help but glance outside.
The window gauze was hazy, the door curtains thick. Even though the maid had just lit a lamp, it couldn’t dispel the darkness in the room.
“What time is it?”
After hearing the palace maid report the time, Princess Rongyang looked surprised: “Entering the palace as soon as the gates open?”
Has Royal Brother gone mad?
Princess Rongyang didn’t say this out loud, only grumbling inwardly.
Regardless, the Emperor’s summons couldn’t be delayed. Princess Rongyang said with a stern face: “Help me wash and dress.”
After getting ready, Princess Rongyang met the eunuch who had delivered the verbal order in the flower hall.
The eunuch hurriedly bowed to Princess Rongyang.
Princess Rongyang asked abruptly: “Why has His Majesty summoned me to the palace?”
The eunuch smiled awkwardly: “This servant doesn’t know, only that His Majesty ordered you to come to the palace as quickly as possible…”
Princess Rongyang frowned: “I understand, let’s go then.”
A small sedan chair was waiting outside the second gate of the princess’s mansion.
Princess Rongyang got into the sedan chair, and four bearers immediately started running with it.
The sedan bearers for the palace were carefully selected. Not only did they carry the chair steadily, but they also moved swiftly.
Princess Rongyang lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and peeked outside. The biting cold wind felt like a knife, painfully cutting her face.
Her drowsiness was completely dispelled, and her mind started working.
She was the most prominent among the princesses, and entering the palace had been a common occurrence for her over the years. However, this was the first time she had entered the palace so early.
Why had Royal Brother summoned her so urgently?
Looking up at the sky turning blue, Princess Rongyang felt an inexplicable gloom settle over her heart.
Such urgency probably didn’t bode well…
The sedan chair stopped amidst Princess Rongyang’s speculations.
As she got out, she immediately noticed a tall young man standing not far away.
The day was about to break, and he stood at the boundary between darkness and light, giving him an unreal quality.
Princess Rongyang was momentarily stunned, and then her expression darkened.
It was Prince Yan!
Yu Jin heard the commotion and turned around, greeting her coolly: “Aunt, you’re here so early?”
“Why are you here?” Princess Rongyang’s tone was even colder.
Yu Jin didn’t respond, but his eyes concealed anxiety.
Asi hadn’t returned all night!
Heaven knows how he had endured this night. As soon as he estimated the palace gates were about to open, he rushed over to seek an audience.
Looking at the imposing palace gates, Yu Jin felt powerless for the first time, a feeling he found extremely unpleasant.
“Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting,” reminded the eunuch who had delivered the verbal order to the princess’s mansion.
Princess Rongyang glanced at Yu Jin and walked past him.
Yu Jin stared at Princess Rongyang’s retreating figure, his lips curling into a cold smile.
He wondered what this stupid woman was so smug about. Nursemaid Duo had been caught last night, and Asi had been summoned into the palace. Knowing Asi’s personality, she definitely wouldn’t miss the opportunity to deal with her.
Another eunuch quickly approached: “Your Highness, His Majesty summons you inside.”
Yu Jin nodded and quickly caught up with Princess Rongyang.