At lunchtime, I followed An Ran back to Xian'an Palace.

There were still many fruits and vegetables planted in the courtyard, and some herbs were drying on the racks.

She seems to be treating my imperial palace as a remote countryside residence...

I sat down in the courtyard and looked around, it had a unique charm.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea."

I took the tea, lifted the lid, and took a sip.

Good tea.

It had a slightly bitter taste at first, but a sweet aftertaste.

However, from the Empress Dowager's palace until now, it seems like I haven't heard her true thoughts. Could it be that I can only hear the Empress and the Consort's?

I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. Among the harem, An Ran had always been a special presence.

She was a woman my late father found in the common folk, bestowed upon me, saying she could help me achieve great things.

After ascending the throne, I brought her into the palace. In my heart, she represented not just a concubine, but also my father's expectations and blessings.

Therefore, I indulged her quite a bit.

Even though she had a peculiar temperament, turning the entire courtyard of flowers into farmland, I didn't have many objections.

【The ginseng grown with the spiritual spring water seems to be growing much faster in a hundred years, the millennium ginseng is not showing much progress.】

? I turned my head to look, An Ran's eyes were vacant, staring at an empty space ahead.

【Forget it, let's make do with it. Fortunately, there's enough spring water in the space.】

【Oh no, did we forget to harvest the sweet potatoes yesterday?】

【Hurry and harvest them to hide, otherwise Consort Li will come and snatch them again.】

An Ran's eyes quickly regained clarity, and she lowered her head to drink her tea.

Space?

I vaguely remembered that when she first entered the palace, she was very sleepy, and although it improved later on, she often had moments of absent-mindedness.

Could it be because of this so-called space?

"Your Majesty, lunch is ready, please dine."

I snapped out of my thoughts and nodded.

Looking at the sumptuous dishes on the table, I picked up a chopstick and tasted it.

Previously, I thought it was just because the ingredients were fresh, but now upon closer inspection, the food was a hundred times tastier than usual.

After every meal, I felt my body becoming more relaxed and stronger.

Presumably, this was the reason why my father brought her back to the palace.

"..."

After lunch, I thought of visiting the Empress.

As soon as one foot stepped into the room, I heard a roar in my ear.

【Why is the Empress's strategy level only 1, system, are you kidding me!】

This voice... was it my reserved and calm Consort Ning?