Actually, insomnia isn’t scary. What’s scary is that you’ve had a good sleep.

  This was the state that Yan Tao had been in recently. When he woke up in the night, this feeling was especially obvious.

  It was not unbearable, but after a few days, he had become so haggard that even the Crown Princess could feel that something was wrong with him.

  When he was dressed in the morning, Ling Xiangwu looked at him worriedly. “Your Highness doesn’t look well. Are you having trouble sleeping at night?”


  He nodded slightly and pinched the space between his brows. “Is it that serious?”


  Ling Xiangwu smiled and put the Dragon Marked Jade Sash on him. “It’s not serious. I was watching you carefully. If it was someone else, they might not have been able to figure it out.”


  Yan Tao curled his lips and only said that his beloved concubine was considerate.

  In the eyes of others, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess were a pair of lovers. The servants had never seen them argue before, and they always treated each other with respects and smiles.

  But only they themselves knew that it was not really a love, just a resignation they had no choice about.

  The Crown Prince was gentle. He didn’t have foresight as the First Prince, who knew well how to judge the situation, and to build a good foundation for himself early on.

  Many officials of the imperial court were besieged by the First Prince and became his backers. The Crown Prince, however, was one step too late, and he had fallen into a passive situation.

  Yan Tao had done a lot in the past few years. In order to win the hearts of the people, he married Ling Xiangwu, who was the granddaughter of Imperial Tutor Ling.

  Imperial Tutor Ling was an old official of the imperial court, and his words held weight. In this way, not only would he win over the Ling Family, he would gain a good reputation that respected his teacher, and he would use this to win over more officials.

  He would never let go of such a good thing like killing two birds with one stone.

  It turned out that his decision was correct. Over the years, his wings had gradually expanded and he was no longer being held back. Instead, he began to prepare his counterattack.

  His relationship with Ling Xiangwu was neither good nor bad. Even though the crown prince’s residence had constantly been sent other concubines, he had always been courteous to her. He had given her everything that a husband could give his wife.

  Because his mother’s relationship with his father was extremely tough, Yan Tao had always believed that this was the best way to get along for a husband and his wife. There was no argument, only obedience.

  He was born in the royal family, so he had long given up any hope of love.

  During breakfast, Ling Xiangwu personally scooped up a bowl of yam wolfberry porridge and gave it to him, “Later, I will have the servants to buy some agallochum on the street. I remember that Your Highness was able to sleep more soundly with this kind of fragrance.”


  Yan Tao did not object, “That’s good. Do it.”


  Ling Xiangwu smiled and said yes.

  He went out after breakfast and said that he would not be back for dinner that evening. Ling Xiangwu stood in front of the door to see him off.

  He led the servants forward for more than ten steps. When he looked back, there was no one in front of the door. His Crown Princess had already entered the room.

  “Your Highness?”


  The servant Feng Yi called to him.

  He came back to himself, shook his head, and walked on.

  When he returned from the palace that day, he happened to see a couple on the street who were about to be separated. The man carried a bundle on his back and said goodbye to his wife in front of the door.

  There were tears in both of their eyes. They talked to each other intimately for a long time before the man finally made up his mind and walked away. He did not turn back even after a hundred steps.

  His wife stood in front of the door watching him until he could no longer be seen. She wiped the tears from her face silently and turned back to the house.

  He was jealous of the feeling, so he wanted to see the same thing on the Crown Princess.

  But he had forgotten that they had no love, it was only a deal, he got the backing he wanted from her family, she got the power and wealth from him. That was all.

  When he came back at night, Ling Xiangwu let the servants light the agallochum.

  Scent rose up from the duckbilled gold-plating furnace. The scent quickly filled the entire room. The smell was not strong, making people feel refreshed.

  Yan Tao went to bed after changing clothes. Seeing that the Crown Princess was still standing beside the bed, he said, “It’s late in the night. You should go back and rest as well.”


  He did not have any intention of letting her stay here. Ling Xiangwu was an understanding person, so she did not say anything immediately. After bowing, she left the room.

  The agallochum helped him sleep. Yan Tao’s sleep was better than the previous two days.

  But at night, somehow, there was always a strange dream.

  In the dream a girl with a handkerchief stood smiling at him in the misty clouds, but when he took a step forward, she was gone.

  When he woke up again, the handkerchief was at hand.

  He didn’t even know who the owner of the handkerchief was, and he didn’t know what she looked like, and he was thinking about that girl.

  But that was the truth, and he could not deny it.

  The agallochum could benefit sleeping, but it was still not as good as the handkerchief. He had woken up in the midnight in the past two days, and had been unable to sleep for the rest of the night. He could only sit by the window and read official documents.

  After seven or eight days, even his iron body couldn’t take it anymore.

  He made a compromise and spoke to the Crown Princess one morning, “Sixth brother has been the age to get married and he was shy to ask it. As his elder brother, I should help him.”


  This trick was really disgraceful. However, he could not say that he himself wanted to find a woman, “I see that he likes a meticulous girl. If you have nothing better to do, then hold a banquet, and invite some girls of the aristocratic families to come to our residence. If you see anyone with exquisite embroidery, you can bring them to me for me to take a look.”


  Last time, he had picked up the handkerchief at the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion’s Old Lady’s birthday banquet. He didn’t know whether it was the young lady from the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion or the girl who had been there for congratulation, but he had no way to confirm it. All he could do was call them all over here.

  Ling Xiangwu did not think too much about it as she said, “Sixth Brother looked like a taciturn man, I thought he did not have such thoughts.”


  Yan Tao ate a mouthful of walnut cheese and casually replied, “No matter how little he talks, he is still a man.”


  He was a man, how could he not like the squidgy?

  Ling Xiangwu smiled knowingly before agreeing, “Then I will start preparing. I will tell Your Highness when the time is set.”


  Yan Tao nodded, “Thank you, my beloved concubine.”


  Frankly speaking, the sixth brother was very hard-working these days. He had been running around a lot for the war in Western Yi.

  He might as well take advantage of this opportunity to call him and his seventh brother over. He might as well call for a few more government allies to hold a banquet in the courtyard and have a sip of wine so that he could indulge himself.

  Xie Zhen was washing her hair in the yard when the invitation arrived.

  It had been raining a few days recently, and the weather was a little cold. When the sun finally rose, she had someone put up a wooden frame under the the Gallery veranda and stood with her body bent over to wash her hair.

  As soon as her hair was soaked in water, the servant brought the invitation over.

  She couldn’t open her eyes because of the acacia on her head, so she let Xie Xun read it, and her was listening. “What did it say?”


  Xie Xun opened the envelope, sat on the veranda fence, and stuffed a mauve candied fruit into her mouth. She mumbled, “The Crown Princess has held a banquet for peerless beauties in ten days. It seems that she will be competing in talent and beauty. If anyone gets the first prize, the Crown Princess will reward them with a prize.”


  Xie Zhen cleaned her face and listened three times before finally understanding that the focus of it attention was: “Is the Crown Princess quite leisurely?

  “Why does she always like to hold banquets?”


  Xie Xun was too busy eating to take care of her, she said to herself: “talent and beauty?”


  Must it be that only girls with both talent and beauty should win?

  “Would it be ok with just one of them?”


  Needless to say, her face was definitely the most beautiful.

  Xie Xun asked, “Are you going, sister?”


  After slowly washing her hair, she wiped the droplets of water off her face. Her wet hair was hanging behind her as she sat beside Xie Xun and said, “Since the Crown Princess has already invited me, why not go?”


  “See if it has your name on it, too. ”


  Furthermore, a banquet could increase one’s visibility. It would be a waste if she missed it.

  Xie Xun read down and sure enough, she saw her name after Xie Zhen. She said, “I don’t know anything.”


  Xie Zhen took the candied fruit from her hand and put it in her mouth. “Don’t be afraid, you know how to eat.”


  Xie Xun was so angry that her cheeks puffed out. “Mother said it’s lucky to be able to eat!”


  “…”


  “Yes.”


  “I guess our Ah Zhen was very lucky,” Xie Zhen said, pinching her cheek, feeling that it was too smooth.

  After speaking, she began to laugh.

  Xie Xun felt she was being teased. She snatched the package from her and turned to leave. “I won’t care about my sister any more!”


  It was the candied fruits Xie Rong had brought them from the street, and although Xie Zhen liked to eat it, she didn’t feel as greedy as Xie Xun so most of the candied fruits went into Xie Xun’s stomach.

  Seeing her sister was about to leave, Xie Zhen quickly wrapped her arms around her waist and said, “What will I do if you leave?”


  “Don’t go.”


  After a long pause, Xie Xun sat back down. After all, they were still very close to each other, so she didn’t take what had just happened to heart.

  The two of them sat in the sun, Xie Xun held a towel in her hand, and sat behind Xie Zhen, brushing her hair. “Does sis want to win?”


  Xie Zhen tilted his head, her little face was white and transparent, her black hair draped behind her shoulders, she was only wearing a thin spring shirt, “I want to, since I’ve gone, I naturally have to be first.”


  Even though she was usually lazy, she didn’t lose out at all.

  As long as she wanted to work hard, she had to succeed. If she didn’t have the enthusiasm, it might was that she wouldn’t care about this thing.

  Xie Xun her a half-dry wipe, then took the comb from Shuang Yu and smoothed her hair, one by one. “Then what talent does sister need to compete with?”


  There was no need to worry about her appearance. In the entirety of Chang’an City, one would not be able to find such a good-looking person like her.

  It was just that talent was difficult to deal with. When she was young, she had been lazy, but she was not good at playing chess and painting. Now, she did not even have a single one skill that she could take out.

  Xie Zhen thought for a while, and was a little bit sad, “Why don’t I play the heptachord?”


  Xie Xun was puzzled. “Does sister know how to do it?”


  She didn’t think that she had learned it before …


  Xie Zhen was smiling. “Isn’t there another ten days? I can learn to play from now.”