Under the dim palace lanterns, there stood a person ahead, dressed sharply, seeming to have waited for some time.
The Emperor looked up and recognized it was Xu Rongying. He silently walked past her toward a pavilion.
Consort Xu De made a slight bow and casually followed, saying, "Those few people, I saw them when I was at the Imperial Animal Garden. They treated the animals very well, clearly loving them genuinely. Yet, I never imagined they would do such a thing."
Inside the pavilion, the Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, without speaking.
Zhang Qing and others knew the two had things to discuss, so they stood guard nearby without approaching.
