Having said that, Xiao Changyi intended to take his wife into the city to find an inn for lodging.
However, General He once again blocked his way, "Prince! The Emperor has said that if you do not wish to enter the palace for a reunion, he would leave the palace and come to reunite with you and the Princess."
Xiao Changyi’s cold eyes narrowed slightly, looking very dangerous, "Are you threatening me?"
General He felt a chill go down his spine and, while he was terrified, he hastily said, "This General wouldn’t dare! These are indeed the Emperor’s own words! The Emperor also said, said... said..."
After hemming and hawing for a long time, General He just couldn’t bring himself to say the rest.
"Said what?" Xiao Changyi asked ominously.
Under tremendous pressure, feeling as if his head might fall off at any moment, General He nonetheless braved it and said at once, "He would bring along the Crown Prince for a reunion with you and the Princess!"
"Pfft." An Jing couldn’t help but laugh. Su Chengyu was quite the chatterbox in disguise; it seemed the Emperor of Xiyun knew that Xiao Changyi was quite annoyed by Crown Prince Su Chengyu.
When General He heard An Jing actually laughing, he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat for the Princess. If they were to anger Xiao Changyi, the King of Eternal Victory, that would be terrible!
Xiao Changyi, on the other hand, was considering turning his horse around and going straight back home.
Seeing the thoughts at the bottom of Xiao Changyi’s heart, An Jing found it even funnier but did not want the Emperor and the Crown Prince to actually leave the palace and come to the inn for a reunion. If that were to happen, it would certainly create a sensation throughout the entire Imperial Capital.
So, she turned to her husband and said, "Husband, let’s first enter the palace to see the Emperor and our brother-in-law. There’s no rush to wander around the Imperial Capital; we still have to stay here for several days after all."
Xiao Changyi didn’t think twice before agreeing with his wife, "Hmm."
Seeing Xiao Changyi agree so readily, General He, who was kneeling on the ground with his head down, not daring to look at Xiao Changyi on horseback, immediately widened his eyes in disbelief.
Since when was the King of Eternal Victory so easy to talk to?
Seeing that General He, still kneeling with his men, was blocking their path, Meng Zhuqing loudly ordered, "Clear the way at once!"
General He quickly led his men out of the way.
Xiao Changyi didn’t even glance at General He and just looked straight ahead, driving his horse into the city.
As they entered the city, An Jing still asked him, "Husband, should we change into more appropriate clothes before we go to the palace?"
Xiao Changyi said promptly, "We look quite proper as we are now."
An Jing was instantly amused.
After she stopped laughing, she continued, "I mean, shouldn’t we change into the clothes befitting your status as a Prince? Shouldn’t one wear the clothes that match their identity? Besides, we are going to be in the Emperor’s presence, dressing in these farmer’s clothes... don’t you think it’s quite disrespectful to our Father the Emperor?"
"I’ve never had respect for him."
Xiao Changyi continued, "And he doesn’t need my respect."
Upon hearing this, An Jing couldn’t help but hold the Emperor of Xiyun in high esteem. Not every monarch could be like the Emperor of Xiyun, a well-known enlightened ruler.
An hour later, An Jing and Xiao Changyi arrived at the palace gates, which were majestic, impressive, solemn, and stately.
The commanding officer guarding the palace gates immediately opened them upon seeing Xiao Changyi, respectfully allowing him to enter.
Since Xiao Changyi could enter the palace without dismounting, he rode his horse straight in.
Meng Zhuqing couldn’t ride a horse inside the palace and could not even bring his horse inside. After dismounting, Meng Zhuqing followed Xiao Changyi on foot into the palace. But before entering, Meng Zhuqing was searched by the commanding officer at the gate to ensure he had no dangerous items such as weapons on him before he was allowed inside.