“But . . . ” Xiao Chen said, trailing off . Jing Yue, who had been tickled pink just a moment ago, suddenly went taut . ‘But? Why is there still a “but”?!’

Jing Yue swallowed and looked at Xiao Chen . “But? But what?” she asked warily .

“I’ll lend you the chef on one condition . You have to come to the Imperial Palace with me tomorrow,” Xiao Chen said lightly .

Jing Yue jumped all of a sudden . “What! Go to the Imperial Palace again?!” she shouted . The Imperial Palace was, without a single doubt, the place that Jing Yue hated the most .

Xiao Chen raised his brows disapprovingly .

“ . . . What is it again this time?” Jing Yue’s shoulders sagged .  Ugh, fine! I’ll go for the sake of my restaurant . It’s just the Imperial Palace, what’s the big deal?  

“I want you to meet someone,” Xiao Chen said, narrowing his eyes slightly .

“Who?” Jing Yue asked . Xiao Chen put down the book in his hand and looked at Jing Yue . “You’ll know tomorrow . Now it’s time for bed . ”

“Ugh! Why won’t you just tell me who it is? And I haven’t even agreed yet!” Jing Yue protested . The next thing she knew, Xiao Chen’s long arms reached out and pulled her into his arms . Xiao Chen’s flat voice sounded beside her ear . “Obey me if you still want to see your restaurant launch . ”

“ . . . ” At this moment, Jing Yue’s frustrations and feelings of powerlessness nearly drove her to tears .  You call this a discussion? Seriously?

This was clearly a threat!

A coercion!

Where was the justice in that!

Early next morning, Jing Yue was practically dragged out of bed by Yin Qiao to get dressed . However, when they were selecting her outfit for the day, Xiao Chen suddenly told her that casual attire would do for the meeting . ‘What? We’re allowed to dress casually for a meeting at the Imperial Palace? Huh . This is actually the first time I’ve heard such a thing . ’

Everyone knew that there were many somebodies living in the Imperial Palace; I would be punished and put into penalty hall if I had any omissions in dressing .  Jing Yue was afraid to think about it . Although Xiao Chen said she could dress casually, she put all her heart into dressing up .

The palace’s carriage drove into the Imperial Palace unimpededly . Jing Yue, who was sitting in the carriage, was very confused about this . She wanted to ask Xiao Chen about where would they go for many times, but Xiao Chen, who seemed don’t want to talk, closed his eyes all the way . Therefore, Jing Yue refrained from asking .

They drove for a long time . Jing Yue opened the curtains and wanted to see where they were . But she found that the more they went, the more remote the place was . And this was not the way to the Front Palace . Jing Yue felt even stranger at the moment . They stopped as the carriage drove for a little further .

“This . . . ” Jing Yue was stunned when she looked at the dilapidated Palace in front of her eyes . She didn’t expect there was such a place in the Imperial Palace . ‘Was this the Cold Palace in legend?’

Looking at the Palace door from the outside was shabby, but the scenery inside the Palace made Jing Yue surprised and blink . There were drying a lot of herbs, sundries and cloths . The floor was tidy, even the weeds were cleaned at all .

Here was a faint smell of delicious food . Jing Yue looked up at Xiao Chen, finding that Xiao Chen, who had always been cold, had a smile on his face . His gentle smile stunned Jing Yue for a long time as shock filled her heart .

“Amah . ” Xiao Chen walked inside with a smile . Jing Yue turned her head and saw a figure standing under the stone steps .