Chapter 9: 9

The Grey Wolf (4.1)

When the funeral finally ended in the evening, Chu Ning’s body had become stiff, and she had difficulty walking. She stood up and took a few steps with Cui He’s support before she regained her balance and walked towards the Hall of Eternal Spring.

According to custom, they were supposed to return to the East Palace.

The East Palace was near Taiji Palace. If one travelled from Valiant Hall to the east of the Taiji Palace, the East Palace would be very near. However, Xiao Kezhi expressed concerns for his nephew’s weak health and said that it was unsuitable for him to rush about. He ordered the Hall of Eternal Spring to be readied for the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess’s stay.

Xiao Yu had been suppressing the resentment in his heart. His expression was sullen the moment he entered the hall. The maid who was helping him to take off his boots was stunned. Her face turned pale, and her hands trembled. Her clumsiness angered him.

“Get out.” He said coldly, not looking at the maid.

“Let me do it.” Chu Ning glanced at the maid, indicating that she should leave. Chu Ning then kneeled before Xiao Yu and helped him take off his boots. “Your Highness, don’t be mad. The East Palace is also full of their people, so there’s not much difference between staying here and returning to the East Palace.”

Xiao Yu closed his eyes and remained silent. She could not tell what he was thinking about. After a long while, he reached out his hand, pulled her up, and wrapped her in his arms. One of his hands was rubbing her waist while the other caressed her face as he gave her a few gentle kisses.

“Alright, I know. Ning, you’re always too nice to irrelevant people.” His expression softened slightly. It was difficult to know whether the eyes watching her were in good humor or anger.

Chu Ning knew that he was talking about her protecting the maids from his anger, so she answered softly, “Your Highness does not have many people that you can trust. As such, it is better to be nicer to the people who remain here. I treat them well for your sake.”

She knew that Xiao Yu would not heed her advice most of the time. She said this just to prevent him from being suspicious of her.

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As expected, Xiao Yu shook his head and laughed in disagreement, “Some people won’t be grateful even if you treat them well.” After that, he did not explain further but gripped her waist and pointed to someone who was waiting. “You should leave first. I need to talk to Xu Qing.”

Chu Ning stepped away from him, flattened her wrinkled clothes, and left the hall.

“Madam,” Cui He caught up with her and whispered, “Supervisor Zhao is waiting outside the door.”

“Alright, I will be heading there.” As she went with Cui He towards the Dragon Door, she instructed another maid, “If his Highness asked about me, remember to tell him the truth.”

The Hall of Eternal Spring was located in the eastern part of Taiji Palace. It faces the Spring Tribute door on the west and Dragon Door on the north; the Spring Tribute door was near the palace cemetery, where outsiders were not allowed to enter. Meanwhile, the Dragon Door was at the back part of Taiji Palace, where only the Emperor’s close relatives and ministers could enter with permission.

Zhao Yanzhou was standing straight as he waited for her beside a high wall. When he saw Chu Ning coming to him, he bowed.

“Let’s dispense with the formalities.” Chu Ning waved him up as she walked to him. They went out of the Dragon Door and headed towards the north.

This pathway was wide. It was connected to the Thousand-Step Corridor and could reach a scenic pond. There was a lot of traffic on this pathway. Every now and then, she would see palace maids, eunuchs, and even royal relations.

Although Xiao Yu did not forbid her from interacting with Zhao Yanzhou, she still needed to maintain a formal distance before the public eye so that no one would suspect that they were related.

“Formalities must be followed.” Zhao Yanzhou stayed three steps behind her. His every word and action was succinct and concise.

He was the only son of her mother’s cousin. He was very intelligent from a young age, but sadly his family was poor, and his parents passed away when he was eight years old. He had no choice but to head to Chang’an and seek help from the Chu family. As Chu Qianyu valued good talents and loved his wife, he took good care of him, who was his wife’s nephew, and even guided his studies personally.

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