"Princess Nalan is staying behind...for what purpose?" The Emperor asked narrowing his eyes at Prince Rui. Prince Rui had just told him that he was returning to Zou kingdom so he could personally oversee the issue of the Chun siblings as it would be best for him to explain things to his father in person. The Emperor also told him about the Taohua temple inquiry that he needed answers on.

But then Prince Rui surprisingly mentioned leaving Princess Nalan behind.

Prince Rui slightly knit his brows. After extensively talking with Princess Nalan the evening before, he realized he did not have much of a choice on the issue. His sister was right, if he disobeyed his father on this, the repercussions may be too great.

The Emperor was obviously not promiscuous and so his sister would be fine in his palace. If it still failed after this step, their father will have no choice but to forget this angle. Therefore, this was the best way to handle this situation, a win-win for all.

So here he was in the royal study talking to the Emperor, doing his father's bidding as usual.

"My sister has become very fond of Noble consort Lei during this period and so would like to remain here until the wedding...Then she will return home with the incoming envoys." Prince Rui said with a polite smile and bow.

"I see...that is fine then." The Emperor said, he really could not fault that, especially since Lei Xing seemed to like this Princess. So he continued, "...Everything will be arranged for your departure with haste and An Hao will accompany you home since you are familiar with him...I wish you a safe return."

"Thank you Your majesty." Prince Rui said with a bow and a polite smile. The Emperor nodded but instead of leaving, Prince Rui stayed there with knit eyebrows, hesitating.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow at his fidgety guest and asked, "Is there something else you need?"

Prince Rui glanced up at the Emperor and then cupped his hands and bowed, "I worry for my sister's safety alone so..." He paused again, "...If it's not too much to ask, could you house her in the palace for this period?"

The Emperor frowned, "I thought I had made my position clear on this issue...A marriage alliance is not a necessary component for our alliance."

"Of course, Your majesty. I am very well aware and my sister, Princess Nalan as you know has also expressed no interest in the marriage...I just worry about leaving her here alone. I am also worried that there might be some retaliation over the current issue at hand...The palace is the safest place in the city so...I dare to make this request." Prince Rui said, bowing lower as he waited for the Emperor's response with bated breath.

The Emperor knit his brows in thought for a bit, "I will consider it...But regardless of where she stays, she will be properly protected."?The Emperor dismissively said. There were many rooms in the palace so housing Princess Nalan in the palace was not an issue.

What's more, Prince Rui did make some valid points but he did not like the idea of giving anyone reason for false hope. He could not believe this request was wholly innocent knowing the Zou king's wishes.

***

"You want to stay in the palace?" Lei Xing asked with raised eyebrows after Princess Nalan told her of this request.

"I don't want to stay in the palace. It's that my brother - well, my father wants me to stay in the palace.." Princess Nalan clarified with a frown, then she grabbed onto Lei Xing's arm and went, "Please I need your help!" She decided to come to talk to Lei Xing, knowing that her brother would half-ass the request.

"What do you need my help with?" Lei Xing asked with knit eyebrows. Princess Nalan had suddenly showed up here, interrupting Lei Xing's busy day to announce that she wanted to stay in the palace. But now she was backtracking and saying she did not. It was naturally quite confusing.

"Please let me stay in the palace. I heard you're now in charge of the palace, just a little room somewhere is enough..." Princess Nalan pleaded.

"You just said you don't want to stay in the palace then why are you begging to stay?... You seem confused." Lei Xing said with knit eyebrows.

Princess Nalan frowned and pouted and mumbled, "Well, the situation is a bit complex..."

"Well, I can't help you if I don't understand..." Lei Xing offhandedly responded, she was somewhat curious but at the same time, apprehensive.

Princess Nalan looked at Lei Xing with a pout and Lei Xing steadily looked back at her. If she was not going to talk then Lei Xing was not interested in further discussing her housing issue.

Princess Nalan then sighed and said, "As you know, my father wants me to marry your Emperor - Ah, but I'm not interested in him at all...Not even a little bit. I already expressed my opinion on things during the welcome banquet. I am not interested in a man who is not interested in me...Moreover, he's really not my type~" Princess Nalan said with a snort and a shrug

Lei Xing blinked at her as her face twitched, she was suddenly feeling irritated with this guest.

{...Not your type?... I should not be offended by that, but I really am...What do you mean "not your type" in that crappy tone? And what the hell - I feel the urge to have you thrown outta here, much less let you live here ( ?_?)...}

"Anyway, the thing is my father - through my brother won't let me remain here on my own unless I'm living in the palace for my "safety"..." Princess Nalan said rolling her eyes.

"Well, why do you want to remain here in the first place? I thought you always hated it here for being so - what was it? Restrictive and boring..." Lei Xing said repeating Princess Nalan's very own words.

"That was in the past...Now I've found...that there are some interesting things here so I need more time to explore~..." She said with a smile.

Lei Xing scrutinized Princess Nalan's smiling face and skeptically asked, "Such as?"

"There's your wedding, as a friend I shouldn't miss that~ There's the city and a whole bunch of other things..." Princess Nalan said with a grin.

Princess Nalan then sighed and said, "The truth is the reason this place has been restrictive and boring is because of my brother, he doesn't let me do anything or go anywhere. With him gone, I will have some time to go exploring, see the city and enjoy it...It'll only be for a few weeks. I'll leave with the envoys after your ceremony. Please do this for me, hm?...I'll owe you this debt for life. Who knows what I'll go home to find. Therefore, this is really important to me and it may be the last chance of freedom I'll get. Pleeease...." Princess Nalan finished her ramble, blinking at Lei Xing with beseeching eyes.

Lei Xing blinked back at her, not sure what to say. As big a "house" as the palace was, Lei Xing was not really comfortable with accepting another woman in here.

But at the same time, there were already women in the palace, what would one more mean? Lei Xing also truly did not think Princess Nalan was interested in the Emperor. As for the Emperor, Princess Nalan seemed to irritate him. So there honestly was not a jealousy issue here.

Lei Xing also felt somewhat sorry for Princess Nalan and could understand her sentiment of wanting a last chance at freedom. After all, she herself had been so fixated on the idea at one point.

But being put on the spot like this, she was not sure how to respond. She definitely could not make this decision on her own. Just as she was thinking that, the person she wanted to see walked into her palace with his entourage.

The Emperor saw Lei Xing and Princess Nalan sitting in the pavilion as he walked into Lei Xing's palace. He let out a breath and then walked over as the two of them got up and bowed in greeting. Lei Xing normally did not bother with bowing but before outside company, she always maintained proper decorum.

Lei Xing smiled at the Emperor, relieved for his arrival, but before she could say anything, the Emperor went, "I'll be inside." And swiftly left without even sparing Princess Nalan a glance.

Lei Xing looked at him as he swept past with raised eyebrows.

{...Well, someone's in a bad mood ? _ ?)...}

Lei Xing turned back to Princess Nalan with a polite smile, "I'll talk to the Emperor and see what I can do..."

Princess Nalan grabbed Lei Xing's arms and nodded, "Great. My life depends on this -"

"How does your life depend on this?" Lei Xing exclaimed with a frown.

"My last freedom. I don't want any regrets. You know what I mean, you're the best! Thank you!" Princess Nalan said as she wrapped Lei Xing in a quick hug and then happily bounced out of her palace.

Lei Xing stood there blinking at her back and then she snorted in disbelief and then she sighed as she turned and went to find the Emperor.

{...What the hell are you thanking me for? I haven't even done anything yet...Way to guilt-trip me into this -_-)'...}

As soon Lei Xing entered her bedroom, the Emperor immediately asked, "What did she want?" In a very flat tone and then continued to leisurely sip on his tea.

{...Someone is really in a bad mood...}

Lei Xing walked over and sat on the chair at the other side of the table and then said, "She wants to stay for the wedding..." When the Emperor raised an eyebrow at her, she tentatively added, "...in the palace."

The Emperor dropped his cup and then looked at her and asked, "What do you think about it?"

Lei Xing c.o.c.ked her head a bit and then went, "Well...she says she doesn't like you."

The Emperor frowned and Lei Xing blinked at him and jokingly asked, "Or do you like her?"

"Of course not...She almost killed you." The Emperor irritatedly went, facing forward and folding his arms.

Lei Xing's suspicions were now confirmed. The Emperor did not like Princess Nalan. Lei Xing's mood suddenly felt much better and she nodded.

{...Naturally, brash is really not his type~ Guess we're even (￣～￣)...But...}

Lei Xing chuckled and then said, "I think you're overexaggerating it a b-"

"Do you know how many people have died from falling off of horses?" The Emperor asked narrowing his eyes at her.

"A lot...?" Lei Xing awkwardly responded, still amused.

"Exactly, it's dangerous." The Emperor said, facing forward again.

The Emperor was clearly irritated with this topic, but Lei Xing was finding this to be very amusing. She managed to restrain her laugh, but she could not help smiling. She was honestly finding all this very adorable.

Lei Xing lightly cleared her throat and then asked, "So...can she stay?"

The Emperor sighed and said, "If you want..."

"I'll make sure to choose a residence farthest from ours... You won't have to see her at all, ever." Lei Xing said, trying to find a middle ground.

{...She said ours~...}

The side of the Emperor's mouth rose in the beginnings of a smile. But he quickly stomped down the smile, raised his chin, and regally ordered, "No lessons."

"Never...I like my life too, you know." Lei Xing said with a little laugh. The Emperor glanced at her and then faced forward, still refusing to smile.

Lei Xing inwardly rolled her eyes, she could clearly tell he was just pretending to be annoyed at this point.

{...Coaxing really isn't my thing...*sigh*...}

Lei Xing then proceeded to sweetly added, "I like my life a whole lot more recently... thanks to a certain someone~..."

The Emperor promptly turned to her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, "And who is this certain someone?"

Lei Xing snorted and rolled her eyes and went, "Who knows~"

The Emperor narrowed his eyes at her and then she laughed, the Emperor smiled and then got up and went over and pulled her up into his arms, gave her a quick kiss and then said, "I'm serious...no lessons." The last thing he needed was a broken Empress on his wedding day.

"Definitely none~" Lei Xing said with a sweet smile, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a quick kiss of her own.

"No leaving the palace without my knowledge." The Emperor added, giving her another kiss.

"We agreed I wasn't to leave during this period~" Lei Xing reminded, giving him another kiss.

"En, we did." The Emperor whispered before going in for a full kiss. Lei Xing happily kissed him back and the two were engrossed in a deep kiss. The fire was started and their engines were revving up for greater endeavors, but then Lei Xing suddenly broke the kiss and lightly pushed the Emperor back, slamming on the brakes as she went, "Okay, I need to go now -"

"Go where?" The Emperor asked blinking at her in confusion, while his arms remain locked around her waist.

Lei Xing blinked back at him and then explained, "Well, before Nalan came I was actually on my way to a meeting with the kiln technicians and the builders to discuss my plans for the oven I want to build. I had to send Ming Shu ahead but she really doesn't understand this things so I have to be there. Anyway, I'm already very, very late..."

The Emperor knit his brows and just blinked at her, he could not believe she actually wanted to leave at this moment.

Lei Xing smiled at him and pat his cheek, "Be good~ I'll see you when I get back~" She sweetly said and then gave him a soft kiss and a mesmerizing smile as she peeled his arms off her waist and skipped out of the room, leaving a flabbergasted heated Emperor in the room alone.

The Emperor stood there frozen staring at the doors for a bit and then he let out a defeated sigh.

He was truly really having mixed feelings about her newfound responsibilities. He now understood what she meant by that "workaholic" thing. She was barely in her palace during the day and he honestly had no idea what she was actually doing most of the time.

It had only been about a week, but he was already missing having her all to himself whenever he wanted...He missed the lazy Lei Xing. But she seemed much happier now and much more vibrant than ever, so he really did not have the heart to complain.

Moreover, they spent their evenings together and talked for quite a bit so perhaps he was just being too selfish in wanting her to always be available when he wanted her.

The Emperor sighed again and went out of the room. He would return to the royal study and immerse himself in his work while he waited for the evening to continue what they had started just now.