The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 1)

Chapter 193 - Do You Know or Not

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Nian Gao hasn't seen you for a long time and got a bit too excited just now; it usually loves to jump on our Jieyu like this."

Huiyue rushed out of the room and immediately knelt to pay her respects, clearly frightened.

With Nian Gao's current size, what would happen if it knocked the emperor down while running so fast? Even if it didn't knock him over, damaging the dragon robe would also be a crime.

"It's fine; this dog has been raised quite robustly." Ning Chen waved his hand dismissively.

He even bent down to pick up Nian Gao.

"Wow, what have you been eating? You're really heavy."

Yuan Jiu finally reacted, wiping his forehead with his sleeve and smiling.

"Ming Jieyu has taken great care of it; look at this fur, so shiny and bright. I see the flowers in this courtyard are growing well too. It seems Ming Jieyu is blessed with great fortune and blessings."

"You really know how to flatter." Ning Chen set Nian Gao down and tapped Yuan Jiu on the head.

Yuan Jiu chuckled and didn't say anything more.

With Ye Yun not present, Ning Chen went inside first and took a seat.

Nan Zhi served tea and snacks before stepping outside to wait.

Ning Chen glanced around, noticing that all the furnishings in the room had been replaced with new ones. Some of them didn't seem to be from the inner palace and must have been brought in by Ye Yun; they were indeed quite unique.

Ning Chen took a couple of sips of tea and stood up, wandering around the room when he noticed some clumps of clay on Ye Yun's writing desk.

Curious, he walked over to take a look.

On the desk was a small, flat wooden board with several dried objects displayed on it: two swords of different lengths, a round shield, and a small bow and arrows.

Ning Chen picked up the round shield to examine it closely, noticing that it had fine patterns carved into it. Although the carving was somewhat rough, it looked quite nice.

After putting the shield down, he picked up the longer arrow for another look.

At that moment, he heard footsteps outside, and distracted, he accidentally snapped the sword in his hand.

When Ye Yun entered, she saw someone hurriedly pushing the items on the desk aside.

"Your servant pays her respects to Your Majesty," Ye Yun said, giving a slight bow and casting him a suspicious glance.

Ning Chen waved his hand awkwardly. "Cough, cough, no need for formalities. Why are you back so late?"

"It just so happens that today is the Dragon Boat Festival. The Empress spoke a bit longer than usual and even distributed new fabrics and jewelry to the other palaces," Ye Yun replied with a smile as she walked over to him.

Ning Chen quickly took a few steps forward to hold her and led her to sit by the table.

"I nearly forgot today is the Dragon Boat Festival. I imagine the outskirts of the capital must be quite lively, with dragon boat races held every year," he said.

"That's right! Before I entered the palace, I went to watch it every year," Ye Yun recalled, her eyes lighting up at the memory.

It was clear she was yearning to go out of the palace.

Ning Chen smiled and took a sip of tea. "Now, there's no way to go out, but if you're tired of staying in the palace, you could go to Lingxi Garden for a while."