Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 148: The Emperor’s Brother’s Friend?

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: The Emperor’s Brother’s Friend?

The flowers in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, a riot of vibrant colors competing for attention, yet Song Ling merely glanced at them indifferently.

In his view, although the flowers in the palace bloomed beautifully, they were too orderly to his taste, beautiful but devoid of vitality.

He rather preferred those planted haphazardly by Qi Yu in the Prince Qiu Residence, growing every which way. The sight of them swaying in the wind, a bit lacking in aesthetic appeal, was nonetheless quite entertaining to behold.

Shen Xiheng teased that flowers emulate their owner.

His point was that Qi Yu’s flowers grew as crooked as she did.

Yet Qi Yu had unabashedly nodded in agreement.

Her meaning was simple,—my flowers naturally follow my lead. Pretty!

Recalling that scene, Song Ling’s lips curved upwards into a smile, his eyes softer than he could have anticipated.

He seemed to have truly fallen in love with that kind of life.

"Princess, His Majesty is in the Imperial Garden!" Not far away, a group of maids chased after Li Huaixi, fearing she would bump into His Majesty.

Li Huaixi lifted her skirt, leaving those people behind.

With her imperial father doting on her so much, what did it matter if she did bump into him?

When she was still a distance away from the Imperial Garden, she caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar face and unconsciously slowed down.

The man had striking good looks, only slightly less so than her imperial brother.

Li Huaixi stood still, even slowing her breathing considerably, afraid to disturb him.

Suddenly, the man chuckled, and the bright spring of the garden seemed to pale in comparison.

Li Huaixi’s heart skipped a few beats.

Song Ling followed Li Tianze at a leisurely pace to a pavilion in the garden.

Inside the pavilion, there was a stone table laden with various pastries and several pots of wine, exuding an air of elegance.

In times past, Song Ling might have been quite pleased with himself, seeing this as a sign of the Emperor valuing him.

But times had changed, and his heart had been through upheavals; now these things seemed ordinary to him.

Li Tianze gestured to him, and Song Ling bowed before sitting down opposite.

Before the two could speak, a clear voice came from not too far away. Li Huaixi ran up to Li Tianze with a giggle and feigned annoyance, "Father Emperor, how could you enjoy the flowers in the Imperial Garden without calling me!"

Seeing it was his beloved little daughter, Li Tianze found he had no anger to vent and could only tap her on the nose with feigned irritation, "You, it’s all my fault for spoiling you, so ill-mannered!"

Li Huaixi clung to his arm, coquettishly, yet her gaze kept drifting towards Song Ling.

Zhou Fu hurriedly had a chair brought over for Li Huaixi to sit. After nibbling on a few pastries, she looked around and asked Zhou Fu, "Eunuch Zhou, who is this distinguished person? How come I have never seen him before?"

"This..." Zhou Fu paused, unsure of how to answer.

Song Ling’s status was special,—though the Emperor had pardoned his crimes, he couldn’t really be considered a dignitary anymore.

If anything, he would only be seen as a common citizen now.

Five years ago, Li Huaixi was just ten years old, and she had always stayed within the palace. How could she know of the earth-shattering events that had occurred outside the palace walls?

Zhou Fu pondered, feeling that no answer would be appropriate, so he simply kept his head down in silence.

Li Huaixi blinked her large eyes, waiting for a while without receiving an answer, and became somewhat angry.

She threw the pastry in her hand back into the plate with a pout, "I don’t want to eat anymore!"

Sweat was about to break out on Zhou Fu’s forehead.

Yet Li Tianze merely glanced at her and spoke indifferently, "If you don’t want to eat, then go play somewhere else."

Li Huaixi could hardly believe that these were the words of her Father Emperor. Li Tianze usually doted on her the most and had never spoken to her in such a tone before.

The tender-hearted little princess’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she looked at him with pitiable eyes.

Li Tianze’s heart softened for a moment, and he sighed, taking a handkerchief from the palace maid’s hand and wiped at the corner of her mouth, speaking with tender reproach, "How can you be so ignorant of the rules? How will you ever get married like this?"

Li Huaixi burst into a tearful smile, then glanced at Song Ling, her face reddening slightly, "Father, you haven’t told me who this gentleman is!"

Just as Li Tianze was about to speak, he heard Song Ling say with a calm tone, "I am but a humble civilian, nothing more, Your Highness."

Li Huaixi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

But since Song Ling had put it that way, her father didn’t contradict him.

Li Tianze furrowed his brows, feeling somewhat angry in his heart.

His intention in summoning Song Ling to the palace today was to promote him, to reinstate his previous official position.

However, the man was showing no appreciation, insisting on calling himself a mere commoner, and thus, where did that leave his face and pride?

The bit of guilt in his heart was diluted slightly, and when he spoke again, his tone was a bit colder, "Song Ling is staying at the Prince Qiu Residence for now, he is a friend of your royal brother."

Li Huaixi blinked, the Prince’s friend?

She gave Song Ling a sweet smile.

Now, she knew where to find him.

But Song Ling, from start to finish, didn’t even glance at her once, only keeping his head down, looking coldly at the pastries before him.

He didn’t even move a muscle.

With such resolute attitude, His Majesty probably won’t consider appointing him as an official again in the future.

After chatting for a few more moments and seeing that he truly had no intention of joining the court as an official, Li Tianze felt somewhat weary.

He waved his hand, "Enough, you may go back."

Song Ling’s eyes flashed with joy, and he bowed, saying, "This humble one takes his leave."

With that, he swiftly left the Imperial Palace.

Having spent a long time in the Prince Residence, he now actually felt that the atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was oppressive and suffocating.

Indeed, once there was a comparison, he could never return to his former life.

During those five years in Heifeng Village, he always thought how wonderful it would be if he could clear his name one day and rejoin the court as an official.

But now, with the opportunity right in front of him, he didn’t even want to give it a second glance.

Once back at the Prince Residence, he saw Qi Yu tirelessly turning the soil and planting flowers, and he couldn’t help but chuckle, asking, "What kind of seeds has the Princess bought today?"

Qi Yu had developed an interest in planting flowers at some point, and now every time she went out, she would bring back some seeds. The Prince Qiu Residence’s land was nearly filled with them.

Qi Yu spread the seeds into the soil and wiped the sweat from her forehead, smiling mysteriously at him, "These are not your ordinary flowers."

Song Ling’s brows rose slightly with interest, and he crouched down beside her to look at the seeds.

There was nothing special about them on the surface.

Clearing her throat, Qi Yu gave him a hint, "These are not just flowers, but also a kind of medicine."

Song Ling’s eyes brightened, his interest piqued.

Having studied various medical texts in recent days, he had learned quite a few remarkable herbal remedies.

Hearing Qi Yu say this, he picked up some seeds and examined them closely.

But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t match these dark and unremarkable seeds with any herb.

He had no choice but to concede, "I am not as naturally intelligent as the Princess; please enlighten me."

Qi Yu let out a hee-hee and leaned close to his ear, whispering mysteriously, "These seeds come from Tulan."