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  The two women had just stepped out of the door when they saw a group of maidservants walking towards them from outside the courtyard.

  They saw Zhang Gui and immediately bowed down, saying respectfully: "Gui Guizi, the Emperor has summoned you!"

  Your Majesty has summoned?

  As soon as these four words came out, the concubine-born daughters who were originally hiding in their respective rooms also ran out.

  Zhang Qi was stunned and looked at He Jie, who was standing on one side. Since she had come, it meant that these people had been approved by Zhang Xiao's family?

  A maidservant beside her said: "Miss, don't hesitate, our mistress already knows about this matter."

  Zhang Qi lowered her head and bowed to the crowd, saying softly: "Yes." Biting her lip, she asked in a low voice: "Do we go now?"

  "Exactly. Please come in."

  Zhang Qi nodded hastily and asked cautiously: "May I have a bath?"

  "It's unnecessary." The one speaking was still the maid from Zhang Xiao's residence, who said seriously: "How can you let Your Majesty wait for too long?"

  "I don't dare."

  Zhang Qi hastily bowed and gestured for Ah Lu to withdraw, then followed the maidservants out.

  Among the murmurs of the crowd in the courtyard, she came out of the yard.

  She was able to pass through the side gate and boarded a horse-drawn carriage. It wasn't until she saw the eunuchs from the palace standing beside the carriage, along with two guards, that she truly understood: it was indeed an imperial summons.

  Why does the emperor want to see her? Is it possible that Xiao Mo has used some trick again?

  Zhang Qi thought and thought, but couldn't figure out a reason.

  The horse carriage moved very quickly and before long it had crossed the moat.

  The river water flows under the bridge, with a clear and crisp sound far away. Zhang Gui lifted up the curtain of the carriage to take a look, seeing that the river water was deep and bottomless. She involuntarily shrank her head back and re-entered the horse-drawn carriage.

  The carriage took her, without entering the main hall, but instead went towards a Daoist temple consisting of more than ten stone halls on the right side.

  As soon as they entered the temple grounds, the carriage came to a stop. A eunuch outside said, "Young lady, His Majesty is waiting inside. Please enter."

  "Yes."

  Zhang Yi got off the carriage and was immediately enchanted by the towering green trees all around. Unlike the courtyards of Gong Cheng and other noble families, this place seemed like a primitive forest, with countless leaves fluttering in the spring breeze as far as the eye could see. No houses were visible, nor any human figures, except for the chirping birds and the swaying tree shadows.

  This hall is not very large, but because of the dense and towering trees blocking it, it has become a paradise on earth.

  Such a place doesn't make people feel tense at all.

  Zhang Qi started walking cautiously, occasionally thinking about where the emperor was. But after walking for two quarters of an hour, she had already become immersed in this lush greenery.

  Another quarter of an hour passed. A faint, intermittent sound of a guqin drifted over, and she followed the sound until she finally saw through the dense foliage the emperor sitting amidst the lush greenery of the pavilion.

  Zhang Qi walked away with quick steps.

  The empress was alone, she didn't dare to get too close. Stopping twenty steps away, she said respectfully: "Zhang Shi Aqi has seen Your Majesty."

  The emperor was plucking the strings of his zither and upon hearing her voice, he didn't even lift his head. "Is that Zhang Ji?"

  "Yes."

  After a brief and sometimes lengthy orchestral passage, the Emperor finally lifted his head, "Come closer."

  "Yes."

  The emperor stared at her, and after a while, he said: "Today's Ah Gui is better than that night. Although it's just a little better, she still can't catch his eye."

  Zhang Qi seemed to be praised by him a bit shyly, her head was lowered to her chest.

  The young emperor glanced at her, slightly furrowing his brow. His harem was filled with beauties beyond compare, and after being surrounded by those lovely women every day, his eyes had grown jaded.

  He gazed at her for a while longer, then the Emperor said gently: "I heard Xiao Mo say that the melody of 'Wandering in a Carefree Manner' was composed by you? And is it also true that you embroidered that painting?"

  Zhang Qi lowered her head and replied in a low voice: "Yes."

  The emperor, after all, was a military general by origin. Although he had the hobbies of a scholar, he also had the straightforwardness of a warrior. Therefore, compared to Zhang Qi, he preferred Wang Yan, who had publicly shown his loyalty to the Prince of Guangling at that banquet.

  At this moment, seeing Zhang Gui's cowardice and slowness, the emperor was somewhat displeased.

  He frowned and said, "I heard that you've been literate for only a few months?"

  Zhang Qi once again replied honestly: "Yes."

  The emperor furrowed his brow and finally waved his hand impatiently, "Nothing more, you may withdraw."

  "Yes."

  Zhang Qi slowly backed away.

  When her figure disappeared from the emperor's line of sight, a eunuch approached and whispered to His Majesty: "This little girl is too introverted."

  The emperor nodded. The eunuch looked at him and said, "However, being able to create 'Pilgrimage to the West' and such fine paintings is indeed worthy of the title of talented woman."

  The emperor turned around and glanced at the eunuch, saying coldly: "A small girl like A Qi, I don't know what method she used to make my attendants speak for her?"

  That eunuch was the one who had accepted ten taels of gold from Zhang Gui. He hadn't expected the Emperor to say such a thing, and he was so frightened that his face turned white. With a thud, he fell to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly, "Your humble servant dares not..."

  The emperor waved his hand, interrupting him, and said lightly: "That rumor is true, she is indeed a talented woman."

  He retuned the strings of his zither and said nonchalantly, "This Miss Zhang appears timid but is actually a woman with her own views. She dares to speak her mind when she meets people, I say she's a talented lady, it's certain that I won't pursue this matter."

  The young emperor smiled and said, "That night, even Prince Guangling was moved by her, let alone Xiao Jia's Mo Lang... I thought this woman must have had some extraordinary qualities." Zhang Gui's appearance was really uninteresting and didn't match her intelligence at all. It made him very disappointed.

  The emperor stood up and left with a wave of his sleeve.

  Zhang Yi retreated step by step, all the way back until he could no longer see the emperor's shadow, only then did he quietly let out a long sigh.

  She saw his disappointment in the emperor's eyes.

  It's better if he is disappointed, she doesn't want to enter the palace as a concubine.

  At this time, the leading eunuch shouted in a shrill voice: "Hurry up."

  "Yes, yes."

  Zhang Qi lowered her head and quickened her pace.

  Half a time later, Zhang Gui came to the side of the carriage. As she climbed onto the carriage, she caught sight of a figure and couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "Excuse me, sir, have the envoys not left Jiankang yet?"

  The eunuch glared at her impatiently and said in a shrill voice, "Hurry up."

  It turned out that she had not left yet, and she was still staying in the Zhang's mansion, without knowing this news. Zhang Qi raised her head, and the residual line at the corner of her eye happened to glance at several envoys from the imperial court exiting the main hall.

  At this time, the carriage went along the imperial road and slowly drove out of the palace.

  Before long, the carriage drove out of the palace gate. Zhang Gui had just lifted the curtain and stuck his head out to take a look when he heard a familiar, pleasant and low voice calling out, "Zhang Shi A Gui?"

  What's this sound?

  Zhang Qi quickly turned her head and when she saw the person coming, her eyes widened suddenly.

  Sitting in the same carriage, with a jade crown on his hair and wearing a formal official robe, yet still with a handsome figure veiled by a curtain, wasn't that Prince Guangling? And they actually bumped into each other!

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