Chapter 61

On the Dragon Boat Festival, the curfew was lifted for three consecutive nights, and the imperial court did not restrict the citizens of Daliang from enjoying themselves all night long.

However, even so, the night was still much quieter compared to the day.

That night, around the hour of Dog, Zhao Hongrun brought the already exhausted Princess Yulong back to the palace. After changing back into her original clothes in the Wenzhao Pavilion, Princess Yulong was secretly escorted back to her Yujiong Pavilion by Zhao Hongrun and several imperial guards.

It cannot be denied that Princess Yulong's status in the palace was not particularly high, and she was only attended to by one middle-aged palace maid and a few young palace maids.

These palace maids had been searching for their princess since the hour of Rooster, almost driven to madness.

"Princess, you're finally back. ... Where have you been?"

A young palace maid had been waiting outside the Yujiong Pavilion. Seeing that the princess had returned safely, she could not wait to ask and whispered to the princess, "Princess, be careful, Palace Historian Xu is furious."

"Palace Historian Xu..." The returning Princess Yulong, who had been enjoying herself, showed a hint of unease on her face.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun could not help but ask, "Sister, who is this Palace Historian Xu?"

Before Princess Yulong could speak, the palace maid noticed Zhao Hongrun and the others. She had been so relieved that her princess, who had been missing for two hours, had returned safely that she had not noticed Zhao Hongrun and the others behind the princess.

Now, seeing Zhao Hongrun, she immediately asked in a rude tone, "Who are you? How dare you stand so close to our princess? ... Did you kidnap our princess?"

"Cui'er." Princess Yulong, fearing that Zhao Hongrun would be angry, quickly scolded, "This is my younger brother, the Eighth Prince Hongrun."

"Eighth... Eighth Prince?" The palace maid, now known as Cui'er, turned pale and hurriedly knelt down, saying, "This servant's eyes are not sharp enough to recognize Your Highness. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Zhao Hongrun glanced at Princess Yulong, who was looking at the palace maid Cui'er with worry and difficulty, and then turned to look at him. He immediately understood: this palace maid must be a close attendant to this imperial sister, and they had a good relationship.

Given this, how could Zhao Hongrun blame her? He waved his hand and said, "Ignorance is not a crime. Get up. ... You haven't answered my question yet. Who is this Palace Historian Xu?"

"Thank you, Your Highness, for not blaming me." Cui'er stood up, still trembling with fear, and secretly observed Zhao Hongrun.

After all, the affection between siblings in the palace has always been thin. She had served Princess Yulong for many years and had never seen a prince walk with their princess.

"That Palace Historian Xu..." Cui'er's eyes flickered, and she whispered, "is a lady official sent by the Shangyi Bureau to serve the princess. She has always been very harsh to the princess..."

"Cui'er, no nonsense." Princess Yulong seemed to have sensed something and turned to explain to Zhao Hongrun, "Hongrun, don't listen to her nonsense. Palace Historian Xu is just a bit strict with me. All the princesses in the palace have gone through this..."

Although he did not know the exact situation, Princess Yulong had a slight feeling: this younger brother, for some reason, was particularly protective of her and might believe the palace maid Cui'er and go to trouble Palace Historian Xu.

"Is that so... Sister, won't you invite me for a cup of tea?" Zhao Hongrun said to himself and walked into the Yujiong Pavilion.

Princess Yulong, hearing this, felt that something was wrong. She glared at the talkative palace maid Cui'er and pulled on Zhao Hongrun's sleeve, whispering, "Hongrun, it's late. Go back first. ... If you stay in my sleeping quarters late at night, it will look bad if it gets out."

At this moment, an older palace maid walked out of the Yujiong Pavilion. Seeing Princess Yulong, she frowned and walked over, scolding her, "Princess, you finally came back? What time is it now? I will report this to the Shangyi Bureau."

After saying this, the older palace maid noticed Zhao Hongrun, whose sleeve was being held by Princess Yulong, and her brows furrowed tightly. "Who are you?"

Zhao Hongrun glanced at the palace maid, and in his heart, he had already guessed her identity. He said coldly, "Zhao Hongrun!"

"Zhao... Hong... Run..."

The palace maid's face changed instantly, and she hurriedly knelt down. Seeing her panic, Cui'er, the palace maid, smiled with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Are you Palace Historian Xu?"

If Zhao Hongrun had been polite to the palace maid Cui'er, now he was fully displaying his princely demeanor.

Combining the information from the palace maid Cui'er and Princess Yulong's uneasy expression, Zhao Hongrun could easily guess what was going on.

It was simply that this lady official from the Shangyi Bureau, seeing that Princess Yulong had no support in the palace, treated her poorly.

Of course, these were just Zhao Hongrun's guesses, and he needed to verify them.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on the palace maid Cui'er, who was secretly sneering at Palace Historian Xu. His heart stirred.

He could see that this palace maid Cui'er was very clever. Seeing that he and Princess Yulong had a good relationship, she had tried to use him to punish Palace Historian Xu. Although young, she was indeed very smart.

Thinking of this, he asked, "Cui'er, if I weren't here, would my sister be punished?"

Cui'er looked up at Zhao Hongrun, as if understanding something from his eyes, and said without hesitation, "Palace Historian Xu would report the princess to the Shangyi Bureau, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless the princess gives her some silver."

As soon as the words were out, Palace Historian Xu, who was kneeling on the ground, hurriedly got up, pointing at Cui'er with a red face, and shouted, "Wench, don't spout lies!"

Zhao Hongrun's eyes turned cold. "Did I allow you to get up?"

Hearing the cold voice, Palace Historian Xu trembled.

Although she was a lady official in the princess's chamber and had never seen Zhao Hongrun, the prince with a notorious reputation in the palace, she had at least heard of his "great achievements": a prince who dared to destroy the imperial garden and smash the Yuzhigong Palace of Lady Chen Shu.

With a thud, Palace Historian Xu knelt down again.

"Hongrun." Princess Yulong gently shook her head and whispered, "Don't cause trouble."

Zhao Hongrun glanced at Princess Yulong and asked with a light laugh, "Is what Cui'er said true?"

Princess Yulong opened her mouth but could not say anything, looking somewhat troubled.

Seeing this, how could Zhao Hongrun not understand?

He could not help but feel angry. After all, a princess's monthly salary was not as generous as a prince's, and Princess Yulong sometimes had to bribe the lady officials to avoid having her "misdeeds" reported to the Shangyi Bureau.

However, seeing her sister frequently shaking her head, Zhao Hongrun held back. He thought for a moment and said, "Lü Mu, bring some silver."

Lü Mu understood and took out two silver ingots from his pocket, coldly tossing them in front of Palace Historian Xu.

Seeing the two silver ingots roll in front of her, Palace Historian Xu's heart was in turmoil, trembling with fear.

Dare she take it?

No, she did not dare!

"I know my crime, I know my crime..." Palace Historian Xu repeatedly bowed her head.

At this moment, Zhao Hongrun squatted down, neatly placing the two silver ingots in front of Palace Historian Xu and said in a low voice, "Since my sister does not wish to hold past events against you, I will not pursue them. But if you need silver in the future, you can come to me... Understand?"

He spoke slowly, clearly, and without any threatening tone, but the underlying meaning made Palace Historian Xu's forehead sweat.

"I dare not, I dare not..."

"Very good, put the silver away!"

Zhao Hongrun nodded in satisfaction, slowly stood up, and bowed to Princess Yulong, smiling, "Sister, I will take my leave. You should rest early."

"Uh..." Princess Yulong's expression was somewhat strange, as this was the first time she realized that her gentle younger brother, when serious, could be quite intimidating.

Suddenly, she thought of Palace Historian Xu, who was still kneeling on the ground, and quickly bent down to help her up, "Palace Historian Xu, get up."

"No need, no need..." At this moment, Palace Historian Xu had no trace of the authority she had shown when scolding the princess. She held the two silver ingots as if they were hot coals, making her look uncomfortable.

"Ah, the princess hasn't bathed yet. I will prepare the water for the princess..."

She did not dare to meet Princess Yulong's eyes and hurriedly ran into the Yujiong Pavilion.

"Phew..."

Princess Yulong let out a long breath, her expression somewhat strange.

Turning around, she saw that the palace maid Cui'er was still staring at the direction where her eighth brother Zhao Hongrun had left, feeling both amused and exasperated. She walked over and gently tapped Cui'er's head, "Snap out of it!"

Cui'er rubbed her forehead and said with a dreamy look, "The Eighth Prince is really amazing..."

Princess Yulong was slightly taken aback but inwardly agreed with Cui'er.

She had thought that her eighth brother, who was always free-spirited, would harshly punish Palace Historian Xu to avenge her, but instead, Zhao Hongrun used the methods of a superior, not at all like a fourteen-year-old child.

"Spring fever?" Princess Yulong teased her attendant, "Do you want me to set up a match for you?"

Cui'er pouted and said regretfully, "He is a prince..."

Princess Yulong sighed inwardly. She understood that, whether princesses or princes, they had no freedom in marriage.

"Good, go back."

"Okay... With the Eighth Prince's help, no one will dare to bully the princess in the future..."

"Nobody has ever bullied me..."

"Who said that... By the way, where did you go just now?"

"Where... I won't tell you!"

Leaving Cui'er, who was staring at her with wide, aggrieved eyes, Princess Yulong giggled and ran into the Yujiong Pavilion.

Perhaps, once the gloom was lifted, she was just an ordinary fifteen-year-old girl.

Note: Princess Yulong is not the main character and will not be paired with the protagonist. Please do not get hung up on this. She is an important supporting character who drives the plot and is the catalyst for the fourth father-son conflict. Is this a spoiler? Hmm, not really.

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