After being reborn, I became the apple of my enemy's eye.

Chapter 153 Nothing more than that

That old woman was much more perceptive than any of the old women Yan Yun had encountered before. She saw right through Yan Yun's thoughts at a glance and kept going along with his words, managing to get quite a bit of information out of him.

She taught Yan Yun not to trust anyone, but Zheng Jihua knew everything she said to Yan Yun on their very first day together.

Zheng Jihua came to the courtyard that day and asked Yan Yun why he didn't want to go to the palace.

Yan Yun had only told that old nanny that he didn't want to go to the palace, but he hadn't told anyone else. Zheng Jihua came to ask him that very day, so it's easy to guess who told him.

When Zheng Jihua heard Yan Yun say that he did not want to go to the palace, he still insisted that Yan Yun go and take a look first.

"There will be an opportunity in a few days. Once Ning'er goes to the palace, she'll see that it's much better than our home."

Zheng Jihua spoke with a hint of longing in his eyes.

"You'll know once you see it, Ning'er."

The woman Zheng Jihua mentioned in a few days was the concubine from the southern border who became the emperor's concubine.

Yan Yun was dressed in finery and taken to the East Gate city wall by carriage.

There was a palace maid waiting for Yan Yun.

As soon as Yan Yun stepped off the carriage, a palace maid informed her, "Are you Miss? I am Linglong, the little princess's maid. I came here specifically to fetch you."

Yan Yun had no idea why he had come here.

Zheng Jihua didn't tell her either.

She stepped out of the carriage and saw Granny Chang standing next to Linglong, staring at her.

Neng Yanyun walked to Linglong's side, and Granny Chang followed.

"This old servant will take care of Miss Zheng."

Yan Yun recalled the things she had said to Zheng Jihua, and realized that Zheng Jihua knew them all verbatim. She felt that this old woman had taught her a good lesson through her own actions.

Granny Chang looked at Linglong, and Linglong immediately handed over the clothes she had brought to Yan Yun.

"Before entering the palace, Miss Zheng, please change out of your clothes and put on the clothes that the princess has prepared for you."

Linglong treated Yan Yunwo with politeness and decorum.

She presented the clothes.

Granny Chang also came up.

"Miss, please change in the carriage."

She and Yan Yun returned to the carriage together.

Granny Chang told Yan Yun, "There are time restrictions in the palace, and you can't just walk around outside whenever you want. If you change into this outfit, it will be more convenient for you to follow us."

As she spoke, she reached out to help Yan Yun change his clothes.

Linglong helped Yan Yun comb his hair.

He had just officially entered the palace.

The vermilion city walls were so high that they seemed to stretch endlessly.

Standing beside her, Granny Chang said, "Miss, you don't need to worry about anything else. We'll take care of everything. You just need to wander around and look at things."

Yan Yun was not invited.

When she saw the woman who looked somewhat familiar, she remembered seeing her in the black market before, and how she had bought her hairpin.

Unexpectedly, she was the emperor's daughter, the youngest and only princess of the current emperor, Sima Wan.

Sima Wan stepped out from behind the gauze curtain and looked Yan Yun up and down.

She said with some confusion, "I never expected that the person Third Brother likes would be a woman like you."

When Yan Yun heard her mention her third brother, she naturally thought of Sima Yuema.

What talk of liking someone? It's probably just an excuse that Sima Yue and Zheng Jihua used to get themselves sent to the palace.

Sima Wan looked at Yan Yun, "Why aren't you saying anything? You're not answering either."

Yan Yun remained silent.

Sima Wan looked at Granny Chang and asked, "Didn't you teach her manners for a while? How come she still has no manners?"

Granny Chang glanced at Yan Yun beside her and immediately whispered a reminder, "This is the Emperor's princess. Miss, you've been taught before that you must kneel and pay your respects when you see a princess."

Yan Yun did not kneel, but simply bowed.

Granny Chang immediately corrected, "When you see the princess, you must perform a grand ceremony and kneel down."

Sima Wan didn't care. Seeing that Yan Yun had obeyed her and bowed to her, she stopped worrying about these things.

Whether she kneels or not is another matter. Besides, if she really ends up with her third brother, why would she kneel before him?

I won't kneel then.

Granny Chang felt that if Yan Yunruo was so unruly towards the princess, she was afraid that something else might happen to her later.

She continued to remind her, "Miss, you must abide by the rules in the palace. The princess is magnanimous and won't hold it against you, but anyone else would definitely pursue the matter to the end, which would naturally cause trouble for you and your family."

The person she was referring to in the manor was naturally Zheng Jihua. Yan Yun, wanting to cause trouble, looked at Granny Chang and replied, "I understand."

Just as they were talking, a sound came from outside the door.

Is Wan'er here?

Upon hearing the voice, Sima Wan immediately knew who had arrived.

She immediately walked outside happily and began to speak, "Third Brother."

Yan Yun also looked up at the person who had come.

Sima Yue wasn't dressed casually today; she was wearing a dark red robe with gold thread embroidered in the middle.

That garment already looked quite valuable.

Sima Wan looked at her third brother and asked, "Shouldn't you be in the city to greet other distinguished guests? Why are you in my palace?"

Sima Yue then looked in the direction where Yan Yun had not come out.

Sima Wan pouted, "Hmph, so Third Brother didn't come to see me at all."

Sima Yue smiled and said, "Of course I'm here to see Wan'er too. I was asked to come and see her on someone's behalf."

Sima Wan, however, did not believe it. "Third Brother went to great lengths to send a woman to the palace. It's impossible that he just came to visit. He must miss her very much, which is why he sent her here."

Sima Yue reached out and tapped Sima Wan's nose. "Wan'er is quite clever now, she guessed everything wrong. Stop fooling around and be careful in everything you do."

Sima Wan immediately wiped her nose and looked at Sima Yue, saying, "Third Brother, Wan'er is no longer a child. Why are you making such childish gestures?"

Sima Yue said, "You little girl, you've always been my most adorable Wan'er sister."

After speaking, Sima Yue handed the gift she had brought to Sima Wan.

Looking at the huge wooden box, Sima Wan smiled and said, "I knew Third Brother loved me."

She reached out and pulled Sima Yue into the hall.

Yan Yunzheng stood there, and his eyes met those of Sima Yue who had just entered.

However, there was naturally no romantic feeling between them.

Sima Yue walked towards Yan Yun and said, "Please forgive me for not being able to let Miss Zheng in through the main gate."

Yan Yun listened, and he still asked him to be lenient? He was the third prince, a man of noble status.

She looked at Sima Yue, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "I just don't know why you asked me to come to the palace."

Upon hearing this, Sima Wan asked Yan Yun, "How dare you speak to my third brother like that? You came to the palace to see my third brother, didn't you?"

Sima Yue spoke up to remind Sima Wan.

"Wan'er, why don't you go and see the gift your third brother prepared for you first?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Wan realized that Sima Wan was trying to get rid of her. Without saying a word, she led the palace maid towards the wooden box.

Sima Yue said to Yan Yun, "Because people from the southern border have come to celebrate, most of the palace guards are stationed in the front hall. I'll have Wan'er show you around so you can get familiar with the palace."

familiar?

Sima Wan exclaimed in surprise when she saw the gift that Sima Yue had given her.

"Third Brother, you actually found this for me."

Sima Yue smiled and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again today."

Sima Wan replied, "If Third Brother is good to me, I will be good to Brother Shan in return. What trouble is there?"

Sima Wan made a solemn promise to Sima Yue.

Sima Yue didn't say much to Yan Yun, because he had things to do in the front hall and naturally couldn't stay in the back any longer.

"Then I'll go first."

Sima Yue left.

Sima Wan immediately put the wooden box away and looked at Yan Yun, saying, "Is there anywhere you'd like to go? This princess will take you there."

It's impossible for anyone not to want to go; everyone wants to enter the palace and see the emperor's face.

Yan Yun was the same.

"If the princess brings it, it can go anywhere."

Sima Wan led Yan Yun, along with many palace maids, out of the palace. Yan Yun mingled among the accompanying palace maids.

However, Sima Wan walked beside her and told Yan Yun that the palace was very, very large and could not be explored in a short time, so she chose a place close to her palace.

For ordinary people, this vast palace is everyone's goal and everyone's dream.

Yan Yun gazed intently at the exquisite murals and the colorful corridors.

The palace maids and eunuchs passing by in the corridor all knelt down before Sima Wan.

"See Princess."

Sima Wan didn't even turn her head.

She took Yan Yun to the Imperial Garden, showing great enthusiasm and patience in explaining to him where this place was and what flowers usually bloomed there.

She slowed down and told Yan Yun, "Only by strolling leisurely like this can you truly appreciate the beauty of the Imperial Garden and hear the melodious birdsong around you. This is the Imperial Garden."

But in Yan Yun's eyes, the so-called Imperial Garden was nothing more than some flowers and plants, if she hadn't seen the ones Zheng Jihua had arranged for herself.

She was wrong. Even if she had never seen what Zheng Jihua had arranged for her, she wouldn't have thought the Imperial Garden was that beautiful.

Now that winter has passed and spring has arrived, few flowers are in full bloom, and even the few trees that do bloom are hardly eye-catching.

Even their leisurely stroll felt like nothing more than killing time.

Looking at those courtyard walls that were very close together, and the eaves of those houses that were tightly pressed together.

This place is no different from the former Zheng residence.

Yan Yun looked up at the sky, and only the sky seemed to stretch endlessly.

Sima Wan saw her looking up at the sky and curiously looked over as well.

"What are you looking at? Have you discovered something new and interesting?"

She clearly didn't enjoy strolling around here either; she was just keeping Yan Yun company.

Yan Yun shook his head. "I'll just take a look."

Sima Wan said to Qiao You from the side, "You don't have many opportunities to come to the palace, so why don't you take this opportunity to see what the palace is like? Instead, you're distracted. I don't know what you're thinking?"

Sima Wan took Yan Yun to stroll through the Imperial Garden and then to other palaces, but they only looked around.

The sound of the explosion was so clear, as if it were right next to my ear, not far away.

Qiao You shrank back.

When the banquet begins, Sima Wan will go there.

Sima Wan looked at Granny Chang and asked, "Is the gift I prepared ready?"

Granny Chang replied, "It has already been arranged for someone to prepare it."

Sima Wan looked at Yan Yun and patiently instructed, "When you come to my side later, you must behave yourself. This princess is going to show you something amazing."

The eye-opening experience that Sima Wan mentioned naturally referred to the banquet specially held by the emperor to entertain the envoys from the southern border who came to the capital.

Sima Wan led Yan Yun toward the front hall, where a scene of singing and dancing unfolded, and the aroma of food could be smelled from afar.

Sima Wan walked in front, and Yan Yun followed Chang Mama.

Granny Chang reached out and grabbed Yan Yun.

Don't go there.

Sima Wan walked into the hall, where the man sitting on the throne was the supreme ruler, the emperor.

"Father."

The emperor in the hall looked at Sima Wan and asked, "Why are you so late?"

Sima Wan smiled mischievously and said, "Of course, I'm preparing gifts for Father Emperor and Consort Nan."

Sima Wan clapped her hands.

Right next to Yan Yun, the palace maids who had followed him pushed all the boxes, which were half a person tall, inside.

Yan Yun could vaguely smell a odor, which he found somewhat pungent.

She looked at Granny Chang beside her and asked, "Can you smell anything?"

Granny Chang replied, "Today, His Majesty has prepared over a thousand dishes from all over the country. It must be because there are so many flavors that you find them flavorful—it's because there are so many flavors."

Yan Yun didn't think it was the smell of food. She looked at the wooden boxes that Sima Wan had pushed over and felt that the smell was coming from those wooden boxes.

"Why does that wooden box smell so strong, Granny?"

The old woman frowned after hearing this, still not believing Yan Yun's words.

"Smell? Those boxes don't have any smell."

Yan Yun still felt something was wrong, and then he saw Sima Wan reach out and open the wooden boxes.

Instead of the dancers who were supposed to appear in the wooden crates, a group of people dressed in black night clothes appeared.

As soon as they rushed out, Sima Wan immediately shouted, "Who!! Who are you...?"

Before she could finish speaking, the person in the wooden box jumped out, brandishing a long sword, and charged at Sima Wan.

Sima Yue jumped over the table from the side, pulled Sima Wan aside, and kicked the weapon out of the person's hand.

Once inside the main hall, their weapons were removed. Faced with these armed assassins who rushed in, they could only fight back with their fists and feet.

Sima Yue used her back to block the assassin who attacked Sima Wan.

The man sitting in the hall.

The emperor was immediately enraged. The eunuch beside him shouted to the guards around him, ordering them to come and protect him. As soon as the order was given, they rushed forward from all directions.

The guards surrounded them.

Meanwhile, Sima Yue helped Sima Wan escape from the emperor's princes.

The emperor looked at Consort Nan, who was somewhat flustered, and stepped forward, preparing to comfort her.

Consort Nan pulled out a dagger from her bosom and stabbed it directly at the emperor, who caught it with his bare hands.

Nanfei said fiercely, "You killed my people, ruined my reputation, and imprisoned me in this cage. Tyrant, no one will tolerate you anymore."

Upon hearing this, the emperor slapped Consort Nan hard across the face.

The eunuch who was standing next to the emperor immediately stood in front of him, reaching out to draw his dagger. "Your Majesty, my hand... my hand is bleeding..."

The emperor looked at Consort Nan and immediately ordered, "Guards, arrest Consort Nan as well."

Even after being captured, Consort Nan still had a smile on her face.

"You dog emperor, you've been poisoned by me, and you won't live much longer."

As soon as she finished speaking, the emperor suddenly spat out blood and collapsed.

The eunuch standing in front of the emperor shielded the emperor from falling.

"emperor."

Hearing the eunuch's hoarse roar.