Chapter 35

"What—! What are you two doing...?!" Right at this moment, a trembling voice suddenly rang out. It was a mixed of shock and disbelief.

Ye Lanjue narrowed his eyes, the corners of his lips curled up. He then loosened his grip on her shoulder, and in the next moment, increased the distance between him and Tang Kexin.

"This son pays his respects to the empress." In just an instant, Ye Lanjue had completely returned to his usually calm and tranquil facade.

"Third Prince, no need to be courteous." The empress looked at him, her heart unable to calm down.

"Xin'er, come over here..." The empress tried her best to control her emotions, but her voice was still shaky.

"En... Yes." Tang Kexin replied softly. Because her head was lowered, she couldn't see the expression on the empress' face.

"Come back with me." The empress didn't ask anything, but her voice wasn't as gentle as usual.

"Yes." Tang Kexin still kept her head down, but her voice didn't sound too weird.

Along the way, the empress' face grew more and more gloomy. She turned her head back several times to look at Tang Kexin behind her, but didn't say a word.

By the time they reached the Kuan'An Palace, the empress had dismissed all her servants, leaving only her and Tang Kexin in the room.

Tang Kexin knew in her heart that the empress had something to say.

"The Third Prince is a man of both martial arts and literature. He is extremely talented and peerless in the world. He is indeed very outstanding." The Empress looked at Tang Kexin and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

Tang Kexin was stunned when she heard the empress' words. She raised her eyes and looked at the empress with some doubt and a surprise. What did the empress mean by this?

The sudden praise for Ye Lanjue, could it be that...?

She still remembered how the empress unceremoniously declared last night that she could find another suitable marriage for her after the annulment of her current engagement.

Seeing the surprise and puzzlement on Tang Kexin's face, the empress secretly heaved a sigh of relief. If Xin'er was interested in the third prince, hearing her say these words would definitely reveal the shyness of a young woman. However, her expression said it all.

"His Highness is too cold, it's hard to get along with him." The empress remembered that Tang Kexin's illness was just treated, so she thought to use the simplest of words, hoping that she would understand.

"Right." Tang Kexin nodded her head in agreement. He was indeed too cold.

"Furthermore the third prince is deep and reserved, hard to fathom." The empress continued, but her voice was clearly much more relaxed.

"Right." Tang Kexin nodded her head once again. This made her agree even more. That man was far from being unfathomable. He was simply impenetrable.

At this moment, Tang Kexin completely understood the empress' intentions. It was not what she thought, thus, she heaved a huge sigh of relief. The empress had scared her to death.

"A woman's greatest happiness in life is to be able to marry the man who truly loves her and can protect her for the rest of her life. As a prince of Dayuan, His Highness is one with very little time to spare." Seeing Tang Kexin nod in agreement and understanding, the empress' gloomy expression slowly faded. It could be seen that Xin'er really didn't have that kind of mindset towards the Third Prince. However, in order to be safe, she still needed to remind Xin'er of this.

As a man, the Third Prince was indeed unparalleled in this world. He was the focus of all aspiring wives and was admired by tens of thousands. However, as a husband, the empress was afraid…

An accomplished man like that, with his heart and soul in the world, he would not have much time for romance. Therefore, it would be impossible for him to love a woman wholeheartedly, and with his identity and status, there would definitely be many women around him in the future.

And being one of the legitimate sons of the emperor of the current dynasty and along with the accomplishments he gained, it would be impossible for him not to vie the highest position in the kingdom. As long as he had that intention, he would be in danger both openly and covertly.

And if Xin'er were to marry him, she would definitely be in danger, too.

She only wanted her to be safe and happy, nothing else.

"Yes... Xin'er understands." Hearing the empress' words, Tang Kexin was deeply moved. She did not expect the empress to really openly advised her of such things.

If the empress had a bit of selfishness, she would definitely think of a way to get her to marry Ye Lanjue as it would definitely be beneficial for Ye Lanchen.

"Come here." The empress finally smiled and stretched out her hand to grasp onto Tang Kexin's hand. She pulled her into the inner room and pulled out a beautiful and exquisite clothes. "Come, give it a try. Let's see if it fits."

Tang Kexin was once again stunned by the empress' treatment of her. She saw this clothes being stitched by the empress herself yesterday, but she had never imagined that it was for her. This favour was exceedingly too good, she couldn't even dare to accept it.

The empress actually made this clothes for her?

When she thought back the night before, when the empress had been sitting under the lantern, stitching clothes together with a gentle smile, Tang Kexin suddenly felt a warm feeling in her heart. Her eyes were getting warmer .

In the modern world, she was an orphan. No one had ever treated her like this before.

In the Prime Minister's Estate, the Prime Minister's wife doted on her and loved her a lot. However, she was not as meticulous as the empress, and the feeling she gave off was from the deepest of her heart.

"Hmm, Xin'er is so beautiful." After Tang Kexin changed into it, the empress looked at her full of smiles. The more she looked at her, the more satisfied she became.

The corners of Tang Kexin's lips curled up as she lightly smiled. It was very warm and very soft.

"Esteemed Empress, we're already prepared. Are we going out now?" Just then, a respectful voice of a palace maid came from outside the door.

"Yes." The empress replied in a low voice as she linked her arm into Tang Kexin's and pulling her along gracefully as she walked out. "Come now, Xin'er... Let's go to the Qing Yin Garden. It's too hot today."

Qing Yin Garden, with its lake that was clear and serene, and its trees arching over creating a canopy of leaves, was the palace's holy land. In the hot summer days, this area was exceptionally cool. Of course, not just anyone could come into this place. Its usage was only to the few important people.

Normally, only the emperor and the empress could visit in. Ordinary imperial concubines weren't qualified, but the fourth prince was a regular visitor.

The empress rarely visited this place, but today Tang Kexin came and it was especially hot, so the empress wanted to bring her there.

In the ancient eras, there was no air-conditioning, not even a fan. So, such hot days were truly torturous. However, with such a refreshing place, Tang Kexin was naturally happy.

Unfortunately, after entering the garden, she saw two men playing chess in a pavilion over the lake. One of them was Ye Lanchen, and the other was Ye Lanjue.

Thinking about what had happened earlier, Tang Kexin's steps unconsciously paused. The Empress' expression also seemed to changed slightly.

"Imperial Mother, you have come." When Ye Lanchen saw them, he stood up and shouted happily.

The empress could only walk over with Tang Kexin.

"What are you lazing here about again?" The Empress looked at him with a smile in her eyes, it was clear that she was fond of her Ye Lanchen.

"Mother, your son isn't slacking off. This son is playing chess with his third brother. I just ran into him on the way, so I pulled him over." Ye Lanchen was really good at finding excuses.

"You dare challenge the Third Prince with chess? Then Mother shall take a good look at you. Xin'er, come and see how badly Chen'er will lose." The empress smiled lightly as she brought Tang Kexin along with her and sat at the edge of the stone table.

The stone table wasn't that wide. The empress sat at one side, while Tang Kexin sat on the other. She sat opposite of Ye Lanjue, not far from him.

"Mother, how could you say that to your own son? What made Mother think this son will lose?" Ye Lanchen slightly pouted his mouth and protested in a low voice. However, when he looked at Ye Lanjue, it was obvious that he was lacking with confidence.

"Third Imperial Brother, let's continue." He sat down gloomily, looking despondent.

Tang Kexin looked at the chessboard on the table and chuckled to herself. It should only take a few moves for the third prince to win, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry to do so.

"Xin`er, I've already sent someone to the Mu Manor to discuss the cancellation of your engagement with Mu Shaoyi." The empress looked at the movements of the Third Prince, her eyes twinkling as she spoke.

When Tang Kexin heard the empress' words, she rejoiced inwardly. She never expected the empress to be so quick. Of course, she couldn't display her emotions too clearly.

She picked up the tea served by the palace maid and took a sip, concealing some of her emotions.

"If we cancel the marriage between you and Mu Shaoyi, I think that you and Chen'er are a good match. Perhaps Xin'er and Chen'er can…" The empress had this thought in her mind from the very beginning, and at this moment she wanted to test out Xin'er's and Chen'er's opinion on the matter.

Of course, the reason she said this in front of Ye Lanjue was to test out his reaction, too.