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Before she could open her mouth to reply, a Dragon-Soared Golden-Patterned Cloak blocked her view. Carrying thousands of mighty imperial favors, it landed heavily upon her shoulders, distancing her from Young Master. The next moment, she heard a chorus of kneeling and kowtowing rise from the lakebank around her.

"Long live, long live, long, long live our Emperor."

"My lord, you are certainly in high spirits, leaping into the lake to play in the middle of the night and disturbing Zhen in bestowing favors upon Consort Qi," a lazy, husky voice carried a tone of blame and helplessness.

"Your Majesty?" In a panic, she raised her head to look at Zhao Huangpu, who had entered the water at some point and now stood beside her. His lips and teeth still carried the slight pant of someone who had hurried along, and he was looking down at her. Tangled in her secrets, she forgot to kneel or pay respects, instinctively wanting only to retreat from his direct gaze and cover her chest.

"Don't move!" the Emperor's commanding voice rang in her ear with deterrence. A large hand pulled her unresistingly to his side, tightening the Cloak's ties while casually using his back to block everyone's line of sight. He whispered softly in her ear, "Zhen knows what you are covering, Xiaoru."

"Your Ma—" Her mind burned with a roar, and she looked at the Emperor in shock.

"Hush. Little Jing is watching." He turned slightly sideways to reveal Young Master's frozen figure, but she dared not look at his expression.

"..."

"If you don't want to be discovered, do as Zhen says."

"..."

"Now, hold Zhen's hand and come with Zhen. Do not turn back, do not look at Little Jing."

"..."

"You did very well, Xiaoru." He leaned down to