Watching the maids enter in single file, each holding clothes of unimaginable beauty, Xie Pan’Er was completely stunned, her eyes wide and unblinking.
"I... Can I choose any one I like?"
Her voice was timid, tinged with disbelief.
"It’s not a matter of choosing one; all of these are yours. You can wear whatever you want."
"M...Mine?"
"Yes, they are all yours. We don’t have another young lady in our mansion of a similar age to you, so since these clothes were brought here, they can only be for you."
The young maid giggled, holding the clothes right before Xie Pan’Er’s eyes. "Why don’t you pick one to wear today?"
"Can I really pick one?"
Xie Pan’Er felt like she was dreaming just thinking about wearing any of these clothes.
So she said, "I just need one. I’ll have to trouble you sisters to return the rest to the Bright Moon Pavilion! I’m already quite embarrassed to wear even one."
Upon hearing this, the maids all said, "Please don’t refuse, Miss. You are a great favorite accompanying the Eldest Princess. Even if you don’t accept these clothes today, they will still be yours tomorrow!"
Hearing the maids’ words, Xie Pan’Er understood. Her status had indeed risen due to the Eldest Princess’s favor. Anyone attending the Eldest Princess couldn’t dress shabbily, as it would bring shame upon Her Highness. So, she gave a bitter smile, said, "Thank you," and then dismissed them.
Once the young Emperor had freshened up, he prepared to return to the Imperial Palace. This time, he didn’t go back alone but dragged Ji Youzhi along with him.
Ji Youze thought for a moment and decided to return to the Imperial Palace with them as well. He was, after all, the young Emperor’s study companion, and there was a place for him to stay overnight in the Imperial Palace.
Ji Youzhi was similar. Ostensibly a Divine Hunter, he actually held no official position outside the capital. For all the years he had handled cases in the provinces, he had done so under the authority of the Emperor’s gold medal, which signified His Majesty’s personal presence. This empowered him to take on difficult and important cases, requisitioning yamen runners and constables from various prefectures to assist him.
However, he did have two assistants in the capital.
Only when an exceptionally grave case arose that local authorities couldn’t manage would he dispatch these men.
As the Emperor and the Ji brothers returned to the Imperial Palace—the three of them together—they encountered the Empress Dowager’s Nanny leading the National Master towards Cining Palace.
"Is that the National Master?" the young Emperor squinted at the retreating figure ahead, his voice uncertain. An insect had flown into his eye earlier that evening near the Lotus Pond at the Ji Mansion, blurring his vision; he even saw the National Master’s figure as a double image.
"Yes, Your Majesty. It appears he is heading towards Cining Palace!"
Going to Cining Palace?
The young Emperor didn’t even need to think to guess the reason. A smirk played on his lips as he considered how he would repay Xie Pan’Er.
Upon returning to Yangxin Palace, the young Emperor ordered his Chief Eunuch to convey a message to the Empress Dowager. He suggested that since the Imperial Palace had been quiet for many years and his mother, the Empress Dowager, enjoyed liveliness, perhaps on the Double Ninth Festival, she could invite the wives of Fifth Grade officials and above, along with their daughters aged between thirteen and eighteen, to attend a palace banquet and perform before His Majesty.
Upon hearing the young Emperor’s command, the Chief Eunuch was stunned.
Ji Youzhi was also very surprised. "Is the thousand-year-old iron tree finally blooming?" he asked.
Ji Youze, however, glanced at his elder brother, Youzhi, who was brilliant at handling cases but not so adept at understanding social intricacies. "His Majesty is finding a creative way to repay the third young lady of the Xie family for saving his life!"
"What do you mean?"
A palace banquet? How could that be related to repaying a life-saving favor?
Ji Youzhi couldn’t fathom it. What was even more baffling was his own younger brother—usually so taciturn—how had he discerned the Emperor’s intentions with a single glance?