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Shen Chuwei thought she must have seen wrong and rubbed her eyes to take another look; realizing she had not made a mistake, it was indeed him.

She never dreamed she would encounter someone she knew here, and such a "familiar person" at that.

For the first time, she lamented her bad luck.

Actually, they weren’t exactly acquaintances; she had seen him two or three times.

And from those few times, she had been scared enough to lose sleep for two nights.

But why was the man in the mask here?

The man accompanying Ye Yuchen wore a dark-colored brocade robe, with a crow-blue inner garment beneath, his ink-black hair bound by a jade crown.

In the backlight, the mask on his cheek shone as if coated with a layer of silver light.

Even from this distance, she could feel his noble aura, as well as a foreboding presence.

As they walked towards her, Shen Chuwei immediately hid behind a tree, holding her breath, praying not to be discovered, or her cover would be blown.

Ye Yuchen said, "I am quite happy you could return."

The man in the mask: "Is this what you were looking forward to?"

"Of course," Ye Yuchen stared at him for a long time.

Shen Chuwei, clutching the pastries to her chest, sneaked a glance and seeing that Ye Yuchen and the man in the mask had walked away, she finally exhaled in relief, patting her small chest as if to comfort herself, "That scared me to death."

Once they were far enough away, she stepped out from behind the tree, casting a distant glance, only able to see a glimpse of the masked man; her sense of security slowly returned.

What exactly was the identity of the masked man for him to be able to enter the Imperial Study Room?

With doubt in her heart, Shen Chuwei turned and headed for the Imperial Study Room.

The eunuch at the door, who had seen her several times and was familiar with her, went in to announce her arrival and let her in.

Ye Haoting sat before the dragon desk reviewing memorials. Upon seeing Princess Jiuyou enter, he put down the memorial in hand and smiled at her.

"Jiuyou, come here."

Shen Chuwei, holding the pastries, walked over and placed them before Ye Haoting, her smile brimming, "Your Majesty, I just returned from outside the palace. These are pastries for you, with a moderate sweetness. Please try them and see if you like them?"

Ye Haoting looked at the pastries before him, opened the box and took one out. Its appearance wasn’t as exquisite as those from within the palace, but they looked quite appealing. He smiled and lifted his head to look at Jiuyou.

"It’s kind of you to have such thoughtfulness every time you leave the palace, always bringing something for me to eat."

Shen Chuwei of course knew that by "every time," Ye Haoting was referring to Feng Wuyou, so her decision to buy pastries was serendipitously on point.

Ye Haoting picked a piece of pastry and bit into it. The pastry melted in his mouth, and its sweetness was just right for someone like him who didn’t care for overly sweet food; it was quite to his liking.

He smiled and said, "Jiuyou, the taste of these pastries is quite good."

The eunuch brought over two cups of tea, placing one before the Emperor and the other before Princess Jiuyou.

Having walked a long way, Shen Chuwei was just a bit thirsty and also felt a bit embarrassed to drink first. Seeing Ye Haoting enjoying the pastries, she reminded him with a smile, "Your Majesty, have some tea."

Ye Haoting glanced at the tea—pastries and tea were a perfect match. He smiled and nodded, "Alright."

With that, he picked up the cup and put it to his lips, blowing gently and sipping a mouthful.

Only then did Shen Chuwei smilingly pick up her cup, brought it to her lips, blew gently, and took several sips.

Having delivered the pastries and drunk the tea, Shen Chuwei then waved her hand to take her leave.

Ye Haoting, eating pastries, watched Jiuyou’s figure disappear at the door of the Imperial Study Room. He had intended to tell her that Han’er had returned, but considering she remembered nothing, there was no point in his telling her; it would be better for Han’er to tell her himself.

He sighed and continued to eat his pastries.

The eunuch who had served the Emperor for decades and was a favored attendant overheard the Emperor’s sigh and asked, "Your Majesty, are you not pleased with the Third Prince’s return?"

Ye Haoting replied, "Pleased, of course I’m pleased, but... I don’t know what he has been through these years. He seems to have lost a lot of weight. There has been no word from him for so many years, and then he suddenly returns..."

The eunuch spoke gently, "The world is vast and finding someone is not so easy. The Third Prince must have endured much suffering these years."

Shen Chuwei left the Imperial Study Room, pondering over the masked man. She wondered what he was doing in the palace and whether he could possibly know that she was there as well.

Unless he could foresee events, he certainly wouldn’t know.

The Imperial Palace was so large, and she had nothing to do with him; it was certain they wouldn’t meet.

Before the National Master arrived, it would be safest for her to stay out of Wuyou Palace as little as possible.

Reassured, Shen Chuwei walked back to Wuyou Palace with light steps.

The Palace Maid at the entrance saw Princess Jiuyou return and came forward with a soft report, "Princess, the Third Prince has come to see you."