After passing through the palace walls on the outskirts, Yalveth quickly realized that she had still been too naive.
The imperial palace Zhou Xu had described was far larger than she had imagined!
The outer palace walls had essentially been designed like the walls of a city. After passing through the outer wall, there was still an inner wall, and only after that could one reach the plaza before the main audience hall.
Beyond the main audience hall was the Hall of Diligent Governance, where Zhou Xu handled official business. Deeper inside were his sleeping quarters, the Imperial Garden, and the separate courtyards where the consorts lived, collectively known as the inner palace.
"You'll stay here for the time being."
When the imperial palace had first been built, the designers had taken into consideration that His Majesty would need to spread his branches and leaves for the Zhou Royal Family. As a result, they had arranged a large number of separate courtyards, many of which were currently vacant.
Zhou Xu found a relatively secluded courtyard and had Yalveth settle in there. He then turned to leave, but Yalveth grabbed him.
"Where are you going?"
"..."
At that moment, Yalveth's meaning was already perfectly clear: You're not planning to stay here tonight and continue working hard for that daughter who hasn't been conceived yet?
Having understood that meaning, Zhou Xu felt his pressure multiply.
"I've been away for some time, so I need to deal with the piled-up official business first..."
Yalveth clearly wasn't buying it. She showed no intention of letting go until Zhou Xu spoke again.
"I'll come by later."
Only after he made that promise did Yalveth release him and let him go.
When Zhou Xu arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance, it was clearly already after