Shen Mingzhu subconsciously frowned and looked at Xie Lang. To her surprise, he suddenly closed his eyes, and his inner voice almost faded away. He looked extremely sleepy. How strange.
Now Shen Mingzhu's attention was back on Xie Lang's dark circles under his eyes. Subconsciously, she stopped talking, closed her eyes, and began to ponder.
Why was Xie Lang so sleepy? Could it be that he was too weak? Their daily schedules were almost the same, but now he looked so sleepy that he could hardly keep his eyes open.
Maybe he had gone out in the middle of the night?
Shen Mingzhu always felt that Xie Lang couldn't be that weak. So she planned to ask him later. But unexpectedly, with her eyes closed, she fell asleep unconsciously.
"Your Highness."
Chuntao's voice came from outside. Shen Mingzhu suddenly opened her eyes and found herself leaning on Xie Lang. They looked at each other, both seeing the tiredness in each other's eyes.
Leaning on Xie Lang, the familiar fragrance of jasmine gradually wafted into her nose. When Xie Lang turned to look at her, there was a hint of tiredness in his eyes, but he couldn't hide his tenderness.
Shen Mingzhu suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. So she touched her nose and said to Xie Lang, "Let's go."
Seeing Shen Mingzhu's uneasiness that she couldn't hide, Xie Lang couldn't help laughing and said, "Wait a minute."
After saying that, he reached out his hand to straighten the crooked hairpin on Shen Mingzhu's head and tidied up the loose strands of hair on her forehead.
Shen Mingzhu only felt Xie Lang's warm fingertips brush across. Although their expressions were both calm, there was an inexplicable hint of charm.
She subconsciously avoided Xie Lang's smiling gaze and said, "Thank you. It's time to get off."
"Your Highness."
Seeing that the two of them hadn't moved for a long time, Chuntao slightly raised her voice and reminded them inside, "We're here."
Did His Highness and the consort fall asleep? There was no sound all the way, so Chuntao didn't disturb them. She didn't expect them to sleep so soundly.
"Okay."
Shen Mingzhu raised her voice to the outside and said, "I'll come soon."
As she said that, the heat on her face finally subsided. She said to Xie Lang, "If we don't get out, Chuntao will be anxious."
Seeing this, Xie Lang couldn't help laughing softly. He got out of the carriage one step ahead of Shen Mingzhu. Then he reached out his hand to Shen Mingzhu who was lifting the curtain and said, "Come on. I'll help Your Highness."
Shen Mingzhu reached out her hand. The next moment, she jumped out of the carriage with Xie Lang's strength. Chuntao gasped in surprise and showed a look of disapproval on her face. But looking at their expressions, she still didn't say anything.
"Let's go."
Xie Lang reacted very quickly. Just before Shen Mingzhu could react, he interlocked their fingers.
Shen Mingzhu almost couldn't control her instinctive reaction and wanted to shake off Xie Lang's hand. But unexpectedly, the person in front of her showed a faint smile in his eyes and leaned over to her ear and said, "Your Highness mustn't forget that we're still acting."
Although Xie Lang looked calm, in fact, he was only panicked in his heart. He kept repeating the same words in his mind, and his inner voice became more and more panicked.
[No way, no way, no way. Shen Mingzhu won't really shake off my hand, will she!]
[How dare she!!!]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
How could Xie Lang be so cowardly and yet so self - righteous at the same time?
As she said that, the faint discomfort in her heart was replaced by amusement. Seeing Xie Lang looking calm, she leaned over to his ear and whispered, "Of course I haven't forgotten. I'm not such a stupid person who can't keep calm."
"However." Seeing Xie Lang's ear tips turn slightly red, Shen Mingzhu couldn't help laughing softly. "It seems that the consort can't maintain his image in front of others now?"
Realizing that he seemed to be a little out of control, Xie Lang subconsciously took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, which had started beating wildly for some unknown reason. Then he raised his eyebrows at Shen Mingzhu and said, "Of course. Your Highness can rest assured."
As he said that, a smile curled up on his lips, and he returned to his playboy look.
Shen Mingzhu: "..." "Okay."
Chuntao: "..." She always felt that the consort was really worrying. She was really worried that he would hold His Highness back.
As they were talking, the two walked forward hand in hand. By the time they saw the palace gate, Shen Mingzhu's usually slightly cold hand had been warmed by Xie Lang.
"Are you going in alone?"
Xie Lang asked. Seeing the hesitation on Shen Mingzhu's face, he said considerately, "Don't worry. I'm not easy to mess with. It's no problem for me to wait for you outside for a while."
Shen Mingzhu hesitated for a while. Finally, she said to Xie Lang, "Then I'll trouble you."
"Okay." Xie Lang glanced at her and said gently, "Go ahead."
Shen Mingzhu looked at him deeply and then turned around and stepped into the courtyard.
As soon as she entered the door, a smell of medicine wafted towards her. It wasn't particularly unpleasant, but it had a drowsy smell that made Shen Mingzhu's heart sink instantly.
"Greetings to Your Highness."
Chaoyan, the chief maid beside the Empress Dowager, couldn't help showing a look of joy on her face when she saw Shen Mingzhu. She stepped forward to salute.
"Don't stand on ceremony." Seeing Chaoyan, a faint smile also appeared in Shen Mingzhu's eyes. She asked Chaoyan, "Has the Empress Dowager improved these days?"
Chaoyan got up and led Shen Mingzhu inside. Hearing this, she paused slightly and then continued, "Her Majesty is still about the same as before these days. Fortunately, her condition hasn't gotten any worse. She can be sober for a moment from time to time."
Shen Mingzhu nodded, but there was still a hint of disappointment in her heart.
When would Mother get better?
As she stepped into the main hall, the light suddenly dimmed, and there was even a bit of uncomfortable oppression. Shen Mingzhu frowned. Before she could say anything, she heard Chaoyan beside her explain, "Her Majesty's eyes have been bad these days, so the imperial physician told us to light fewer candles."
"What about the night pearls?" Shen Mingzhu asked Chaoyan. "I remember there were quite a few night pearls in Mother's private treasury."
Hearing this, Chaoyan's steps paused slightly. She looked at Shen Mingzhu gently and said, "I was stupid. I didn't think of this method at first."
Shen Mingzhu heard that there was something in her words, so she stopped and looked at Chaoyan.
"But after His Majesty came here once, he came up with this method and brought some more pearls by the way."
Hearing these words, Shen Mingzhu's expression remained unchanged. She just looked at Chaoyan quietly with her eyes and said, "What do you mean, Aunt Chaoyan?"
Something wasn't right.
Shen Mingzhu felt that Chaoyan's attitude seemed a bit ambiguous, especially when she mentioned Shen Mingyuan. There was even a hint of unspeakable hesitation.
But Chaoyan would never betray her mother. She was originally a daughter of a noble family. But because her family committed a crime, she was almost exiled. Chaoyan was an unfavored concubine daughter. She didn't enjoy the family's glory, but almost got exiled because of the family's crime.
Coincidentally, Shen Mingzhu's mother met her and inexplicably felt pity for her and left her behind. She was extremely loyal to the Empress Dowager. Even during the most difficult days, Chaoyan never left.
Shen Mingzhu didn't believe that Chaoyan would be the kind of person who would betray her and her mother.
Hearing this, Chaoyan slightly pursed her lips, sighed, and said, "Nothing can be hidden from Your Highness."