The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Jiahe was oblivious to the undercurrents among the adults. She ran up to Qi Yitang and opened her short arms.

"Auntie, can I have a hug?"

Almost every prince, princess, and consort who came today who got married had a child.

The little ones, who were still nestled in their parents' arms, looked at Qi Yitang with Jiahe and their eyes lit up—she's so beautiful!

The girls crowded around, and even the little boy couldn't resist moving closer.

"I want a hug too!"

"Me too!"

Qi Yitang didn't expect that she was quite popular with the children, but she was really not in a good position today, so she could only bend down and pat the heads of the little ones one by one.

Even so, Xie Changqing, who was obsessed with his younger brother, noticed it.

He stared at Xie Ling's cuffs and suddenly asked, "Brother, what's that tied on your wrist?"

All eyes turned to them.

"Uh..." Qi Yitang was speechless for a moment.

She couldn't very well say, "Your brother is a pervert; he tied me up with a rope."

Xie Ling, on the other hand, was quite composed. He even raised the wrists of the two of them, which were tied together, so that everyone could see them more clearly.

"Some time ago, the master of Huguo Temple cast a divination for the Empress, saying that her fortune has been declining for the past six months and that she needs the protection of a true dragon. She must not leave my side for more than three steps, otherwise she will be easily offended by villains. This is a red thread to ward off evil, which has been blessed in front of the Buddha."

Everyone was inexplicably forced to witness this display of affection: "..."

It's just a child's birthday party, where did this petty person come from?

Xie Yunxing couldn't help but roll her eyes.

……

At lunchtime, everyone took their seats according to their relationship to each other.

The table closest to the emperor was naturally the main table, with Princess Anping sitting on the left and Gu Ziye holding Jiahe beside her.

Jiahe tilted her little head and looked around, her gaze finally settling on the plate of glossy, sweet osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root.

It was a bit far away, and her little arms couldn't reach it.

"Uncle," the little girl called out, "could you get me a piece of candied lotus root?"

Xie Ling was serving food to Qi Yitang. He removed the bones from the steamed sea bass and put it in her bowl, then scooped a spoonful of lily bulbs and shrimp and placed it next to her.

"Uncle?" Jiahe thought he hadn't heard her, so she called out again.

Qi Yitang nudged Xie Ling's arm. "Jiahe is calling you."

Xie Ling asked, "May I speak to her?"

Qi Yitang was completely confused. "Why not?" Had someone gagged him?

Xie Ling calmly replied, "My elder sister is a woman, and so is Jiahe. If I were to speak to other women again, Tangtang would get angry again, just like before, and think I'm not clean. What should I do then?"

The warm room fell silent for a moment.

Jiahe was too young to understand, so she just blinked her big eyes and waited.

The expressions of the others present were quite interesting—Xie Changqing couldn't bear to look, Xie Yunxing's speechless expression was almost overflowing, and even Princess Anping's lips twitched.

If you can't even talk to women, how can you possibly pay attention to the Empress Dowager in the palace?

Xie Yunxing spoke softly, "I never imagined that Her Majesty the Empress would be so possessive of His Majesty. It has truly broadened my horizons."

Everyone present was amazed.

I'd only ever heard that His Majesty was hopelessly in love, but I never imagined the Empress was just as bad.

These two are truly facing the same illness in opposite directions.

Princess Xuanhe's youngest son looked up and asked, "Mother, what is possessiveness? Why does my aunt want to possess my uncle, the Emperor?"

Qi Yitang's face flushed red instantly. "No, I didn't..."

She elbowed Xie Ling, gritting her teeth, "What nonsense are you talking about! When did I ever forbid you from talking to women? Hurry up and serve Jiahe some food!"

Xie Ling wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, she smiled and readily agreed, "Okay, whatever Tangtang says goes."

Xie Yunxing: "Hehe."

Xie Changqing, a die-hard fan of his brother, also wanted to express the same sentiment: In front of so many people, can the Emperor please be a little more sober?

Qi Yitang must have used a spell on him, definitely!

……

After the meal, it was still early, and since it was rare for everyone to gather so well, they all found their own ways to pass the time.

Several princes and their consorts set up an archery range in the courtyard to compete in archery, or set up a chessboard to play chess.

The women gathered in the warm pavilion to drink tea, chat, play with the children, and gossip about everyday life, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Because of the red thread that warded off the prophecy, Xie Ling stayed by her side the whole time, which made everyone feel uncomfortable.

Although they are all brothers and sisters, apart from Xie Changqing, they are not born to the same mother. There is a certain politeness between them because of their blood ties. Moreover, he is the emperor, and his aura of supreme authority is so strong that even the children do not dare to make a loud noise.

However, the person seemed quite at ease, even squeezing next to Qi Yitang when playing chess.

"Down here."

Qi Yitang followed suit, placing her piece several times before clapping her hands excitedly, "Yay! I won again! Royal sister, give me the money!"

Princess Anping: "..."

Before leaving, Qi Yitang pulled Xie Ling along and took a few steps to find Xie Yunxing.

"Look, your birthday is coming up soon, so I'm giving you a symbolic gift. It's only because of your sister and Jiahe; otherwise, you wouldn't get a single thing."

Qi Yitang handed over a brocade box.

Xie Yunxing scoffed, "What good stuff could you possibly have? I don't care for it—"

But as soon as he opened it and saw what was inside, his expression changed drastically. "This!"

He quickly closed the brocade box, glancing left and right, suppressing the elation in his voice, mainly to guard against Xie Ling a few meters away.

"How did you get this?!"

Inside the box was nothing but a stack of beautifully bound pages, neatly arranged, the Xuan paper yellowed, the brushstrokes meticulous, and the colors vibrant—it was the second volume of "Secret Plays in the Lotus Garden on a Spring Night," a novel by Zhenxia Sanren that was famous throughout the capital and attracted countless literati!

The original volume was already in high demand and short supply, and only a handful of the later supplementary volumes were printed.

Xie Yunxing regretfully missed out back then, and even after spending a fortune, he still couldn't get it, and he was upset for several months.

How could Qi Yitang have a complete set of bound volumes and extras!

Xie Yunxing was startled, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Could it be that your fourth brother is the famous Zhenxia Sanren?"

Qi Yitang: "..."

What kind of person does Fourth Brother usually hang out with? His reputation is completely ruined.

However, as an older brother, it's only natural for him to take the blame for his younger sister.

She coughed lightly. "Just take it. Why ask so many questions?"

"Thank you, thank you!" The person he hated the most turned out to be his most admired painter sister. Xie Yunxing immediately extended his affection to her and said with a smile, "Um... Sister-in-law, I admit that I used to raise my voice when I spoke to you. Please forgive my rudeness and don't hold it against me."

"Could you talk to your fourth brother about making a comeback? We're open to discussing how much it costs."

You're insatiable, aren't you?

Qi Yitang smiled enigmatically, "That depends on your performance. And—keep it a secret."

Xie Yunxing patted his chest and solemnly assured her, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'm very discreet. We are both refined individuals, and I will certainly keep quiet about our intellectual exchange!"

……

"A meeting of minds among refined individuals?"

On the carriage back to the palace, Xie Ling leaned against the side of the carriage, speaking slowly and deliberately, yet with a perfectly measured air of sarcasm.

"I'm curious, what kind of soul does Tangtang need to communicate with Xie Yunxing about, hmm?"