"Princess Yuan An, is this not quite right?"
Imperial Sister Ankang asked cautiously.
In her opinion, speaking to the Imperial Princes and Princesses in such a manner would likely lead to considerable trouble.
Although she was grateful to Princess Yuan An for standing up for her, she couldn't help but worry about Princess Yuan An.
If Princess Princess Yuan An were to be punished because of her, Imperial Sister Ankang would also feel guilty.
"Imperial Sister Ankang, it's fine, don't worry about it."
Princess Princess Yuan An waved her hand dismissively, not caring about these matters in the slightest.
She had a good mother, so among all her siblings, it didn't matter if she acted boldly.
Moreover, Princess Princess Yuan An was not foolish; she knew very well when to show strength and when to remain silent.
The clamor behind Tongming Gate did not detain their carriage.
The carriage slowly moved forward, and after passing through the shadow beneath the city gate, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
Outside the Imperial City, the scenery of the capital slowly unfolded before them, and even their previous unpleasantness was cast aside.
Imperial Sister Ankang and the others, who were leaving the palace for the first time, couldn't help but widen their eyes, immersed in the unfamiliar scenery before them.
Li Xuan, who already had one such experience, smiled faintly, silently observing their reactions.
"A bunch of inexperienced little girls, are you already awestruck?"
"The scenery of the capital has only shown you the tip of the iceberg."
Li Xuan knew very well that the vicinity of the Imperial City was not lively, and there was hardly any foot traffic.
The surrounding area consisted either of government yamen or residences of high-ranking officials and nobles; there were far more government runners and imperial guards on the road than common people.
It should be said that in the several residential areas nearby, there were hardly any ordinary common people living there.
Even the lowest-ranking residents would be house servants or maids from wealthy families.
But Imperial Sister Ankang and the others didn't care; they just found everything outside the Imperial City to be very novel.
The curtains on both sides of the carriage were pulled back, and both princesses, like curious babies, gazed endlessly at the outside.
Yu'er stood behind Imperial Sister Ankang, found a suitable angle for herself, and also observed everything outside.
The passing pedestrians, the buildings by the roadside, the red apricots peeking out from other people's courtyards…
All of this kept the three girls, who had long lived in the palace, staring without blinking.
Even these quiet streets around the Imperial City made them feel much livelier than inside the palace.
Li Xuan also strongly agreed with this point.
Mainly, the rules outside were not as strict; people's gestures and movements were more natural, and they weren't timid everywhere they went.
Their carriage traveled south along the street to a corner of the Imperial City wall, then turned east, proceeding straight along a wide road.
And this was precisely the main front of the entire Imperial City.
Three massive city gates were embedded in this enormous wall: Hanguang Gate, Vermillion Bird Gate, and Anshang Gate.
The group, riding in the carriage, had a good tour of the main entrance to the Imperial City, where they had lived for many years.
Even when Li Xuan left the palace last time, he did not pass through this street; he only saw the massive outline of the Imperial City from a distance and had not seen these three majestic city gates up close.
After another two quarters of an hour or so, traveling along the wide avenue in front of the Imperial City, their carriage arrived in front of a complex of palaces.
Looking further east along the direction of the main road, one could see the capital's city wall, which was even taller than the Imperial City, and beneath the wall, a massive city gate seemed to be wide open.
The eunuch driving the carriage stopped it and softly reported from inside the carriage:
"Your Highnesses, we have arrived."
Hearing this, everyone in the carriage prepared to disembark.
Imperial Sister Ankang remained seated in her wheelchair.
The eunuch driving the carriage initially wanted to take out the ramp, but Yu'er refused.
Yu'er's current strength was considerable; she easily and steadily lifted Imperial Sister Ankang, along with her wheelchair, from the carriage to the ground.
Princess Princess Yuan An, standing nearby, couldn't help but glance at Yu'er again.
She hadn't expected the seemingly ordinary Yu'er to also be a martial artist with cultivation.
Surrounding the carriage were guards dispatched by the Internal Affairs Bureau, but they had changed out of their ornate uniforms and were all dressed in ordinary guard attire.
In addition, there were Princess Princess Yuan An's personal attendants, but their clothes had not yet been changed; they were still the palace set.
These people wouldn't all change their clothes; Princess Princess Yuan An wouldn't bring everyone when investigating cases on the street.
Most of them would remain in the palace complex before them, serving her daily needs for the next few days.
And only after they all disembarked from the carriage did they see the name of this palace complex.
[Xingqing Palace]
It was said that a vassal king once lived here, but later that vassal king became emperor, so his original residence here was rebuilt into the current Xingqing Palace.
It was also expanded, occupying the entire area of the original Xingqing Ward, which is why they now saw this palace complex before them.
According to the eunuch driving the carriage, they would be staying here for the next few days.
Unless there were special circumstances, after investigating a case, they had to return here to rest.
If they wished to stay outside, a special application was required, and the application process was extremely complex, with the Internal Affairs Bureau subtly discouraging them from doing so.
The Imperial Princes and Princesses investigating cases in Wannian County would all stay at Xingqing Palace; as for where those investigating in Changan County would stay, they did not know.
Their group was among the earliest to arrive, so Xingqing Palace was still relatively quiet at this time.
They followed the eunuch from the Internal Affairs Bureau inside and quickly settled down.
Although the room arranged for Imperial Sister Ankang was not as large as their original one in Jingyang Palace, the furnishings inside were much more exquisite, with everything one could need, and the quality was not bad.
"Your Highness, the conditions here are quite good."
Yu'er inspected the room, then said to Imperial Sister Ankang.
"Hmm, it's more than enough for the three of us."
Imperial Sister Ankang sat on the bed for a moment, feeling a soft cushion beneath her, no worse than the bed at home.
Ever since they had received many supplies, Yu'er had replaced Imperial Sister Ankang's mattress and bedding with better ones, hoping she could sleep better each night.
Imperial Sister Ankang looked at the quality of the bed in the room and was very satisfied, thinking that at least she wouldn't have trouble sleeping in a new bed for the next few days.
"Your Highness, what should we do next?"
After tidying up the personal luggage they brought, Yu'er poured a cup of tea for Imperial Sister Ankang while asking.
Imperial Sister Ankang picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then assumed a thoughtful expression.
"Well…"
"First, we need to change these clothes."
Imperial Sister Ankang pointed to herself and Yu'er.
The clothes they were wearing clearly indicated they were from the palace, which would be very inconvenient for their upcoming actions.
"The clothes for changing have already been prepared."
Yu'er said, taking out several relatively ordinary clothes from their luggage.
Though called ordinary, they were definitely of silk and satin quality, something ordinary families could never afford.
These clothes were prepared for them by the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy for them to get a few sets of such clothes in the palace.
Clothes in the palace were all regulated according to identity and social status.
To make ordinary clothes like the ones they had, they would have to make them themselves.
Yu'er did have the skill, but time was too short; there wasn't enough time to prepare them herself.
Fortunately, the Internal Affairs Bureau was thorough in its work, preparing such clothes for every Imperial Prince and Princess who applied to leave the palace, to facilitate their immersion among the common people and investigation of cases.
Imperial Sister Ankang and Yu'er each chose a suitable outfit, closed the door, and changed.
The next moment, a young lady from an official family and her accompanying maid appeared before Li Xuan.
Li Xuan couldn't help but have his eyes light up.
He was used to seeing the two girls in their usual palace attire, but now that they had changed clothes, their entire demeanor had transformed.
Li Xuan meowed happily twice, then his gaze fell upon the remaining outfits, and he pointed with his paw.
"What's wrong, Li Xuan?"
"Don't Yu'er Sister and I look good in these clothes?"
Imperial Sister Ankang asked, wrinkling her small brows and putting her hands on her hips.
If Li Xuan dared to nod, she planned to use her small fists on him.
Li Xuan immediately meowed sweetly twice, rubbing against Imperial Sister Ankang and Yu'er, indicating that he absolutely had no such intention.
He brushed Imperial Sister Ankang's palm with his tail, explaining that he thought their new clothes were so beautiful that he wanted to see the effect of the other few outfits when worn.
Understanding Li Xuan's meaning, Imperial Sister Ankang and Yu'er's faces broke into happy smiles.
"Oh, Li Xuan, you really are something."
"You Little Cat are truly honest, there's nothing we can do with you."
Imperial Sister Ankang and Yu'er affectionately petted Li Xuan, then reluctantly agreed to his request.
Then, Imperial Sister Ankang and Yu'er changed into those other outfits in front of Li Xuan, giving him a good display.
Li Xuan clapped his paws, enjoying the fun of this 'Miracle Nikki' before him.
"It seems there are still too few clothes at home; in the future, I'll have to make the old Emperor bestow more beautiful clothes upon the two little girls at home."
In Li Xuan's eyes, Imperial Sister Ankang and Yu'er looked good in anything.
From beginning to end, his mouth was constantly grinning, unable to close, showing how happy he was.
"Hehe, Ankang and Yu'er look so good."
Li Xuan nodded contentedly, feeling a surge of pride.
After Imperial Sister Ankang and Yu'er played dress-up with Li Xuan for a while, they planned to go out.
It was a rare opportunity to leave the palace, and time could not be wasted casually.
As soon as they stepped out, they saw Princess Princess Yuan An, who had also changed her attire, already waiting outside.
However, unlike Imperial Sister Ankang and the others, Princess Princess Yuan An had chosen men's clothing.
At first glance, she looked like an exquisitely handsome young man with fair skin and beautiful features.
But upon closer inspection, many clues could still be discerned.
This cross-dressing was probably only fooling herself.
Once on the street, it wouldn't take long before she was recognized.
Princess Princess Yuan An, who had changed her clothes long ago, finally saw Imperial Sister Ankang and the others arrive.
She immediately stood up and asked excitedly:
"Imperial Sister Ankang, are you going to the county yamen together?"
But this time, Imperial Sister Ankang silently shook her head, expressing her refusal.
Princess Princess Yuan An's smile froze, looking somewhat at a loss.