Nothing could be more awkward than being alone with Prince Li inside the carriage.
At first, TanTan hadn't expected him to come in and sit beside her. But he did!
Without saying a word, Prince Li quietly took the seat beside her as the carriage began its journey.
TanTan's mind was in turmoil.
His earlier words kept echoing in her head, stirring something in her heart.
He doesn't hate me anymore... Is that really true?
She wanted to know more. She wanted to ask him what he had meant. But her pride wouldn't let her.
So what if he doesn't hate me anymore? He might still distrust me. He hasn't even bothered to look at me...
TanTan, stop thinking about him! Focus on where you're going now... The palace!
Thinking about the palace made her even more nervous.
She remembered what the Silver Mask had told her: her real enemy was somewhere inside the palace.
But she knew almost nothing about palace life. How could she face her enemy when she didn't even know who to watch out for?
She desperately hoped someone could brief her about the palace before they arrived. At least, she wanted to know what kind of people she might encounter.
TanTan secretly peeked at Prince Li.
He was sitting quietly by the carriage window, gazing outside. However, he seemed to notice her glancing at him.
When he turned his eyes toward her, TanTan immediately pretended to look in the opposite direction.
"Do you want to say something to me?" Prince Li suddenly asked.
"...No."
She answered instinctively, but quickly corrected herself.
"...Yes."
"Then speak."
Prince Li looked at her seriously, making TanTan feel a little nervous.
Just as she was about to speak—
CRACK!
The carriage suddenly shook violently and came to an abrupt stop.
The unexpected movement sent both passengers lurching forward.
TanTan instinctively grabbed whatever she could reach to steady herself.
Prince Li did the same.
Neither of them realized what they had grabbed until a moment later.
TanTan found herself lying against Prince Li's chest.
She slowly looked up and discovered that their faces were extremely close.
Prince Li's hands were almost wrapped around her shoulders, as if he had been about to catch her.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
They simply stared at each other.
"I'm sorry, Master! A goat suddenly ran across the road and startled the horse! Are Master and Madam all right?"
The carriage driver's panicked voice finally brought them back to reality.
TanTan immediately moved away and hurriedly straightened her clothes.
"..."
Prince Li looked at her.
"Are you all right?"
TanTan wasn't used to hearing such questions from him. Somehow, it made her feel even more awkward.
"...Yes. I'm fine."
Prince Li then turned toward the carriage door and gave the driver an order.
"We're fine. Continue."
"Yes, Master!"
The carriage began moving again.
"Now, then..." Prince Li continued, turning his attention back to TanTan. "What was it you wanted to ask me earlier?"
TanTan recalled what she had been thinking and finally gathered the courage to ask.
"You know I've forgotten a lot of things, and I don't want to cause any trouble later. So... could you tell me something about the palace? Like the people I might meet there?"
Prince Li gave her his full attention before letting out a faint smirk.
"In the past, you visited the palace very frequently. That place was practically your second home. It's hard to imagine that you've forgotten everything about it."
Feeling a little offended, TanTan replied,
"I really have forgotten everything about the palace! If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Perhaps I'll remember everything as soon as I step inside. But if I don't, don't blame me if I accidentally bring you some humiliation!"
Prince Li didn't respond immediately.
He regretted his earlier remark a little.
Deep down, he had already decided to give himself a chance to understand this new HuaMuTan. Although he was still somewhat disappointed to discover that the woman beside him really was the original HuaMuTan, he couldn't deny that he was still attracted to her.
And he meant what he had said earlier.
He didn't hate her anymore.
After a brief sigh, he finally answered.
"Fine. I'll tell you."
This time, TanTan paid close attention.
From Prince Li's explanation, she learned that the current Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager were both very fond of HuaMuTan. This had made some people in the palace either fear or envy her.
In particular, most of the imperial concubines weren't pleased whenever HuaMuTan visited the palace.
No wonder she had so many enemies inside the palace...
Prince Li also explained that, besides the Third Prince and Princess Xixi, whom TanTan had already met, there were several other princes she might encounter.
The Emperor had six sons in total, although not all of them were involved in state affairs like Prince Li and the Third Prince.
"How about the Empress?" TanTan asked.
She remembered XiaoRue mentioning that the current Empress was also from the Hua family. She was a cousin of HuaMuTan's father, so TanTan had assumed she might be one of HuaMuTan's strongest allies in the palace.
"...The Empress is the person you need to be most careful of."
Prince Li sounded particularly cautious when mentioning her.
TanTan was surprised.
"Why?"
"...The Empress cannot be trusted."
Unfortunately, he had no time to explain further.
The carriage had finally entered the inner grounds of the palace and came to a stop.
"We should go now."
Prince Li stepped out first, followed by TanTan.
The moment she stepped outside, TanTan was captivated by the view.
This was her first time seeing a real palace with her own eyes. Even in her modern world, she had only seen such magnificent buildings in books, photographs, and historical dramas.
The enormous structures, elaborate decorations, and grand architecture were beyond anything she had imagined.
It's completely different seeing it in person compared to looking at pictures or watching dramas... This place really is a palace!
TanTan was so amazed that she almost lost her balance while stepping down from the carriage.
Prince Li immediately noticed and reached out to hold her hand, helping her descend safely.
"Watch your step."
TanTan felt a little shy, but she was also pleased by his unexpected kindness.
She smiled sincerely.
"...Thank