After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Shen Jingque followed Qingyuan through two moon gates and saw that the door to the flower hall was half open, from which came Xiao Mingyue's somewhat helpless voice.

"...You just ran away like this, does your mother know?"

Shen Jingque quickened her pace and stepped into the flower hall, where she immediately saw Xiao Mingyue holding a teacup in her hand, her brows furrowed in a knot.

On the round stool beside her sat a little girl dressed as a palace maid.

The little girl had her hair styled in two buns, and her clothes were the blue-green palace dress that palace maids often wore. Her face was as white and tender as a peeled egg, and her round almond-shaped eyes were full of coquettishness.

"Auntie... please don't talk about Shuer anymore..."

Shen Jingque seemed to have a mental block, and her steps froze on the spot.

Xiao Jingshu?

The emperor's most beloved daughter, the only legitimate princess of the Dayong Dynasty, the little darling cherished by the entire palace, how did she end up dressed like this at the Princess's residence?

No matter how shocked you are, you can't break the rules.

Shen Jingque composed herself, strode into the flower hall, and stepped forward with a graceful bow.

"Your humble servant, Shen Jingque, greets Your Highness."

Xiao Jingshu jumped off the round stool, her little face puffed up like a pufferfish, and ran up to Shen Jingque, putting her hands on her hips.

"Shen Jingque! You're lying!"

Shen Jingque maintained her bowing posture, blinked, and raised her head.

"Your Highness, what did I lie to you about?"

"You said you were going to come to the palace to visit me!"

Xiao Jingshu poked her shoulder with a finger, pouting in grievance.

"You promised me last time, and now it's almost the spring equinox, where are you?!"

Shen Jingque's mind raced as she recalled that she had indeed made a promise to the Empress Dowager when she last visited the palace.

In her view, it was just a polite social gesture at the time; who knew that people would take it seriously.

She straightened up and gave an apologetic smile.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. I have been very busy with schoolwork since the start of the semester. I did not mean to break my promise."

"Hmph, what do you mean by being busy with schoolwork?"

Xiao Jingshu didn't buy it and pouted.

"I've had someone inquire about it. You're studying at Qishan Academy, right? What's so great about that academy? The teachers are so fierce."

Shen Jingque's lips twitched; this person was quite well-informed.

"Your Highness even knows this?"

"Of course, I care about you a lot."

As Xiao Jingshu spoke, she suddenly grabbed Shen Jingque's hand, looked at her with bright eyes, and her tone instantly changed from accusatory to coquettish.

"Shen Jingque, don't go to that academy anymore, come and be my study companion, okay?"

Shen Jingque's hands immediately became sweaty.

What? The princess's study companion?

Wouldn't that mean going to the palace every day, hanging around on the princes' and princesses' turf, and constantly running into that psychopath Xiao Jingchen?

Alarm bells were ringing in her head, but she dared not show it on her face. She could only maintain a smile and frantically wink in Xiao Mingyue's direction.

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, my dear mother, please save my child.

Xiao Mingyue held the teacup with unwavering steadiness, and as she looked at Shen Jingque's eyes, which were about to roll back, the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

She slowly put down her teacup and waved to Xiao Jingshu.

"Shu'er, come here."

Xiao Jingshu obediently ran over, looked up at Xiao Mingyue, and had an expectant look on her face.

Xiao Mingyue reached out and gently tidied the stray hairs at her temples, her tone warm and kind.

"The matter of having a companion for your studies requires your mother's approval; your aunt cannot make that decision."

Just as Xiao Jingshu was about to argue, Xiao Mingyue gently pressed her shoulder and continued.

"Besides, Que'er is currently studying at Qishan Academy, where the studies are quite important. If she were to be transferred to the Imperial Academy midway through her studies, she might fall behind."

Xiao Jingshu pouted and muttered unconvinced.

"What's so great about Qishan Academy? It's not as good as the Grand Tutor in the palace..."

"But you'll have another reason to leave the palace," Xiao Mingyue said, her lips curving into a smile.

"Your aunt promises to bring Que'er to the palace once a month to keep you company. If you wish to leave the palace, your aunt can also ask your mother for a favor and let you stay at our residence for a while."

Xiao Jingshu's eyes lit up immediately, and she completely forgot about the matter of being a study companion.

"Really! Can I come and stay at my aunt's house?"

"If your mother agrees, then of course it's possible."

"Auntie is the best!" Xiao Jingshu buried her head in Xiao Mingyue's arms, rubbing her little head against her chest, and said in a sweet and coquettish voice.

Seeing this scene, Shen Jingque finally breathed a sigh of relief, but was also filled with emotion.

The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other.

The little princess is so innocent and adorable, how come her third brother, Xiao Jingchen, has grown up to be a scheming, manipulative green tea?

Even gene mutations don't cause this kind of change.

Xiao Jingshu was now completely unrestrained, pulling Shen Jingque along and chattering away, asking her all sorts of questions.

She complained about the strict rules in the palace, saying that her every word and action was being monitored.

She said that none of her older brothers liked to play with her, and her only younger brother always bullied her.

Looking at her beaming face, Shen Jingque couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair.

Even though the two bodies belonged to the same age, she felt inexplicably sorry for her.

Girls in this era, no matter how high their status, are inevitably bound and constrained by rules and regulations.

As the two were talking, Xu Bo's footsteps came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, preparations for the spring outing in ten days are complete. Please advise: shall we go to Pear Blossom Slope outside the city, or Green Stone Stream?"

Xiao Mingyue thought for a moment and replied, "Pear Blossom Slope, the terrain there is flat and suitable for horseback riding."

Xu Bo responded and added, "This old servant has already had the villa cleaned in advance, and prepared wine, honey, and food boxes. The eldest and second young masters have also been notified."

Shen Jingque clapped her hands excitedly, just about to discuss with Uncle Xu what snacks to bring, when a very loud voice suddenly rang out beside her.

"A spring outing?!"

Xiao Jingshu jumped up from the stool, grabbed Xiao Mingyue's arm and started shaking it.

"You're going on a spring outing?! I want to go too! Take me with you!"