Highness, you will have to endure staying at Xingqing Palace for the next few days."Chief Steward Shang said with a chuckle."Not at all, it's actually a bother for Chief Steward Shang."Ankang replied politely.She hadn't expected that her brief stay outside would trouble Chief Steward Shang to personally come."Your Highness is too kind. This old servant is just an idler.""I heard that Your Highness needed to leave the palace for a few days, so I volunteered myself and took on the duty of protection.""It's only because Your Highness doesn't mind this old servant's old bones that I can breathe a sigh of relief."Ankang immediately waved her hand: "Not at all, not at all…"After exchanging pleasantries, the two officially settled into Xingqing Palace and finalized the arrangements for the next few days.While staying at Xingqing Palace, Ankang could go out to play, but she needed to ask Chief Steward Shang for permission, and Chief Steward Shang would arrange personnel to protect her.Ankang naturally had no objections to these arrangements.She just wanted to be able to go out and play.Moreover, this time only the Three Little Ones were residing in Xingqing Palace, which made the place seem rather spacious.The Three Little Ones moved directly into the best rooms in Xingqing Palace, served by all the servants of Xingqing Palace, truly enjoying themselves.Even Xiao Cui didn't have to work too hard this time, only needing to command the servants of Xingqing Palace.Aside from matters concerning Ankang's personal needs, she didn't have to do anything herself."Is Xiao Cui also getting more and more airs now?"Li Xuan, nestled in Ankang's arms, watched Xiao Cui command others and secretly mused.Ah, people, once they gain confidence, their entire spirit changes.Since Xiao Cui began cultivating, aside from her cultivation, the most obvious change has been her mental outlook.The former Xiao Cui would always walk with a hunched back, speak in a soft voice, and try every means to reduce her presence.After all, their previous status was awkward, and keeping a low profile could indeed save a lot of trouble.But the root cause was still a lack of confidence.She lacked the confidence to handle the various conflicts that life brought, especially within the ruthless Great Within imperial palace.But the current Xiao Cui was different.She could naturally command other servants, her words and actions clean and decisive, no longer showing any fear.When standing, she was chest out and back straight, like a spear, firmly guarding Ankang's side.Li Xuan and Ankang both felt that the current Xiao Cui was much more spirited than before, and looked more charming.By the time the Three Little Ones had moved from the palace to Xingqing Palace, it was already afternoon, and after they had settled in, dusk began to fall.They couldn't go out to play on the first day, so they decided to rest well today and then make plans for tomorrow.This was the second time the Three Little Ones had left the palace, so they weren't like before, acting like tourists and only visiting scenic spots.They now had some friends in the capital, so this time out of the palace, they could start by visiting friends."I wonder how Xiao Cui and Dr. Fang are doing now?"Before going to sleep, Ankang lay on the bed, thinking of the two people she had befriended during her last trip out of the palace.Li Xuan held Ankang's head, licked his paw, and then licked Ankang's hair.Hearing her suddenly mention these two, he also became curious."Yes, I wonder if the matter at the time was properly resolved."Xiao Cui and her grandfather were being troubled by members of the Money Gang. The Three Little Ones happened upon them and played the role of chivalrous heroes.It was just that the Money Gang had considerable influence, and there were also some special people involved at the time."Yang Wanli, the Vice Leader of the Money Gang, has an unusual relationship with the Fourth Prince.""I just don't know if the Imperial family or Consort Zhang's family is connected to the Money Gang.""But there has been no news from Xiao Cui during this time, so I suppose the Money Gang has been relatively well-behaved."Before Ankang returned to the palace last time, she had asked Xiao Cui to seek help at Xingqing Palace if anything happened, and Zhao Feng would arrange for the message to be sent to the imperial palace.But there had been no movement during this time, so there should be no problem.In such matters, Zhao Feng would never be careless about promises he made.As for Fang Muyang, Imperial Physician Xue's disciple, Li Xuan also had a bit of a headache.Fang Muyang, in order to avenge the woman he loved, had killed two prominent wastrels: one, the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the other, the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.Although at the time, Qianqian's uncle was pushed out to take the blame, and it seemed the case was cleanly handled.However, because of his revenge, Fang Muyang also became entangled with Aymu, the courtesan of Hu Yu House.This courtesan from the Western Regions was no simple character.Not to mention her cultivation, she was also determined to take possession of Hu Yu House.Fang Muyang, having owed Aymu a favor during his revenge, still had to help her with this matter.Li Xuan thought for a moment, then shook his head:"Troublesome."He yawned, planning to go out for a stroll himself later to see what interesting things had happened in the capital during this time.Tonight, Ankang and Xiao Cui were resting in Xingqing Palace, protected by Chief Steward Shang and his people, so Li Xuan could safely go out and parkour.The capital was too large. Although he had left the palace several times, he had only covered a very small area.One day, he hoped to explore the entire capital thoroughly."There are many places I haven't been to yet."In the dead of night.After Ankang had fallen asleep, Li Xuan stealthily climbed down from the bed, silently slipped out the window, and planned to explore the capital under the night sky.Li Xuan left the room without avoiding the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs responsible for guarding the place, and simply climbed over the courtyard wall, intending to take a walk."Li Xuan, it's so late, where are you going?"Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind Li Xuan."Meow?"Li Xuan turned his head in confusion, wondering why Chief Steward Shang was here."Could it be that old people sleep less and can't sleep?"Li Xuan guessed.But the next moment, he was taken to the rooftop by Chief Steward Shang."Since Li Xuan has such elegant taste, why not accompany me to admire the moon?"Chief Steward Shang said, and without waiting for Li Xuan's agreement, he directly wrapped Li Xuan in his qi and, in a blink of an eye, took him to the rooftop.But tonight, the moon was dark and the wind was high; let alone the moon, not even a single star could be seen.If it weren't for the bright lights of the capital at night, perhaps not even a glimmer of light would be visible.Standing on the rooftop of Xingqing Palace, with a casual glance, they could see the still brightly lit markets not far away.Looking in that direction, it was undoubtedly the East Market.Places of pleasure were always the liveliest at night."Li Xuan, it seems you are also very interested in life outside the palace."After Chief Steward Shang took Li Xuan to the rooftop, he quietly sat down by himself, admiring the night view of the capital.Li Xuan knew that Chief Steward Shang had suddenly sought him out probably because he had something to say, so he also sat down beside him, waiting for what he would say next.He followed Chief Steward Shang's gaze. Although the night view of the capital was good, Li Xuan still preferred to immerse himself in it and experience it firsthand.Merely observing from a distance held little appeal for him.Li Xuan was more interested in the details that happened to each person."Li Xuan, what do you think of this capital?"Chief Steward Shang suddenly asked out of the blue.Li Xuan frowned slightly, but still honestly wrote with his tail:"It looks very good. Although I have encountered some filth, in such a large city, there are always more beautiful things, I suppose.""Haha." Chief Steward Shang chuckled, perhaps not expecting Li Xuan's answer to be surprisingly serious."You've only left the palace a few times, and you already have so many insights?"Chief Steward Shang, with a smile on his lips, continued:"Indeed, as Li Xuan said, there are always more beautiful things, I suppose."Seeing that Chief Steward Shang had finished speaking and had nothing more to add, Li Xuan asked with some impatience:"Is there anything else?""If not, I'm going out for a stroll."As soon as Li Xuan turned around, preparing to descend from the rooftop, Chief Steward Shang's voice came faintly from behind:"Li Xuan, don't go anywhere tonight.""Stay by Her Royal Highness Ankang's side."Li Xuan's figure suddenly froze, a cold glint flashing in his eyes."Is she in danger?"He had felt that Chief Steward Shang was a bit strange tonight, procrastinating and beating around the bush with him.Li Xuan had never seen Chief Steward Shang with such an attitude before.Clearly, anything that could make Chief Steward Shang act this way was probably not a small matter.Combined with his current refusal to let Li Xuan leave and his instruction to stay by Ankang's side.Li Xuan's heart sank."Even with your protection, will Ankang still be in danger?"Li Xuan slowly wrote with his tail in mid-air.If even Chief Steward Shang couldn't stop them, then who exactly were they?"There's no need to worry so much, it's just that it's always right to be careful and cautious."But Chief Steward Shang's words were clearly not enough to put Li Xuan at ease.Moreover, combining this with the current situation of the Three Little Ones, Li Xuan immediately thought of something."We came to Xingqing Palace to seek refuge?"Chief Steward Shang sighed, not expecting Li Xuan to guess so quickly.Seeing Chief Steward Shang remain silent, Li Xuan knew his conjecture was confirmed."Will we be in danger in the imperial palace?""How is that possible?""Emperor Yongyuan doesn't need to go to such lengths to get rid of us.""Then, who…"Seeing Li Xuan's expression suddenly turn solemn, Chief Steward Shang also comforted him:"Don't think too much, it's just a precaution."Li Xuan looked up at Chief Steward Shang.Chief Steward Shang's protection of them should at least be at Emperor Yongyuan's behest.In the palace, only one person could defy Emperor Yongyuan's will and pose a threat to the Three Little Ones, Li Xuan could only think of one person."Empress Wu!"But why?Li Xuan thought it over and over, and the only recent change was Ankang winning the Autumn Hunt competition.In the past, Ankang had won countless competitions in the Imperial Garden and had always been safe.So, the problem lay with this time's prize."Does renovating Jingyang Palace displease Empress Wu, to the extent that it threatens Ankang?"Li Xuan looked at Chief Steward Shang in astonishment, wanting his confirmation.Chief Steward Shang saw Li Xuan's expression change several times in a short period, his eyes shifting from initial bewilderment and confusion to ultimate shock, and he already knew that Li Xuan had guessed almost correctly.Li Xuan's intelligence had always pleased Chief Steward Shang, but at a time like this, he wished Li Xuan wasn't so clever.But as Li Xuan wrote his questions with his tail, Chief Steward Shang could no longer pretend to be confused."Why does Empress Wu want to deal with us?""Just because of the renovation of Jingyang Palace?"Seeing that Li Xuan had already guessed this much, Chief Steward Shang could no longer conceal it.He recalled Emperor Yongyuan's previous instructions to him, only hoping that Li Xuan would not misunderstand.Chief Steward Shang first nodded silently, then said:"That's right.""Li Xuan, renovating a palace isn't anything special, but Jingyang Palace is the Cold Palace.""This will inevitably lead people to wonder if His Majesty's attitude towards Jingyang Palace has also been 'renovated'."Hearing these words, Li Xuan finally understood why the reward for this competition was something like renovating a palace.After all, Emperor Yongyuan had never been stingy with Ankang's prizes before.This sudden change in attitude, although there was the precedent of the First Prince, still made Li Xuan feel strange.Now, after Chief Steward Shang's explanation, everything made sense.Emperor Yongyuan's prizes for Ankang had not only not gotten worse, but had become better and better.So good that it was enough to make others start to feel that Jingyang Palace had become a real threat.It even attracted Empress Wu's covetousness, causing the Three Little Ones to hide outside the palace, protected personally by Chief Steward Shang and his people.But Li Xuan couldn't understand, could an Empress actually achieve this level?Emperor Yongyuan was the Emperor of Great Xing, wasn't he?Chief Steward Shang was also an old hand at court intrigue; even if Li Xuan didn't speak, he could see the doubt in his eyes.Moreover, some things are better left unsaid.Li Xuan was just a cat, but Chief Steward Shang was a Grand Eunuch in the palace, and saying some things would be highly disrespectful."Li Xuan, this world is always very complex.""Just like this prosperous night view before our eyes, it cannot be lit by a single lamp."Although Chief Steward Shang spoke euphemistically, Li Xuan had already understood the meaning behind his words.Although Emperor Yongyuan was the emperor, he was not the only one who had a say.Even his daughter's life needed to be protected through various means.Li Xuan had always known that many people in the palace disliked Ankang.But he hadn't expected that when Empress Wu merely had the intention to act, it could make Emperor Yongyuan treat it as such a grave threat."What exactly does this Empress rely on?"But now was not the time to delve into this question.Li Xuan had a more important question he wanted to ask Chief Steward Shang."Then, does Emperor Yongyuan want to protect Ankang?"The title Li Xuan wrote made Chief Steward Shang frown unconsciously.Immediately after, Chief Steward Shang saw Li Xuan's tail continue to wag."Or, does Ankang still have value to him?"