Chapter 85 Entering the Palace "You two go and prepare the meal first." (Sound...)

"You two go and prepare the meal first."

His voice was cold and clear, carrying an unquestionable tone.

Xiangyue and Xiangxing dared not argue. They glanced at their young mistress, and under Jiang Zhuoying's approving gaze, hurriedly left...

Xiangyue walked ahead, feeling resentful. The girl was so beautiful; she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

But what kind of look was that from His Highness the Crown Prince just now?

She was filled with resentment, and when she stepped out of the door, she was so reckless that she bumped headfirst into the armor that was coming towards her.

"Ouch!"

Xiangyue immediately covered her forehead, but when she looked up angrily, she was stunned.

"I'm sorry, young lady."

Pei Yun, who was about to apologize, froze in place.

He quickly recalled his past interactions with the owner of that face, and his ears suddenly turned red, despite his usual cold and taciturn nature.

"Miss...I..."

Unexpectedly, the girl, who was shorter than him and clutching her forehead, glared at him angrily, then turned and walked past him quickly away without listening to his explanation.

"I"

Fortunately, Xiangxing, who was following behind Xiangyue, arrived in time. He curtsied to him and nodded slightly: "Xiangyue is not feeling well. She was impolite just now. I apologize to you on her behalf. I hope you will not take offense."

...

When Jiang Zhuoying met that cold and slightly sharp face, she calmed herself down and comforted herself not to be anxious or angry.

This guy is completely unyielding and has always been cold and aloof.

Didn't she already know?

After a moment's pause, she smiled again, her voice soft: "Your Highness, what do you think of my crown today?"

The man's dark eyes flickered slightly, and he paused for a moment before saying, "This crown doesn't suit you."

Jiang Zhuoying's smile froze completely...

She turned her head to look at herself in the bronze mirror. Every glance and smile was charming and beautiful. The kingfisher feather phoenix crown on her head shone with light and adorned her hair, which further balanced her originally charming temperament, making her features even more exquisite and naturally noble.

Why doesn't it suit her?

She felt it suited her perfectly!

Ignoring the words that had choked her, the two finished their breakfast in silence and then prepared to head to the palace.

As the Crown Prince's carriage was naturally not as understated and simple as before, this brand-new carriage was made entirely of ebony, with carved railings and hanging beads, exuding majesty.

As Jiang Zhuoying stepped inside, a familiar yet delicate sandalwood fragrance wafted towards her.

The crown on her head was so high that she had to bend over slightly and stretch out her arms to support the exquisite and luxurious phoenix crown.

A dark brocade robe suddenly swept past, the rustling sound of the fabric rubbing against each other flashing by.

In the blink of an eye, the man had already sat down with his legs spread wide, and even turned his head to pour himself a cup of tea.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

"Don't be angry, don't be angry," she told herself as she slowly and carefully sat down.

She leaned against several layers of soft cushions, her neck stiff, deliberately avoiding looking at Qi Fan. The relatively quiet environment and the slightly bumpy carriage quickly made her drowsy.

...

The man was finally able to look at her without restraint. The beautiful girl was breathing lightly and steadily; she was fast asleep.

Even when she was asleep, her eyebrows were furrowed, and her full lips, shaped like flower petals, were slightly pursed, making it easy to see that she was unhappy.

Jiang Zhuoying leaned against the carriage with her head turned to the side, her neck exposed and exposed, which was not a comfortable position.

Even so, she fell asleep just like that, which shows how tired she was.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed, and finally he leaned forward, placing his arm behind her head and carefully pulling her back into his embrace.

"Eek..."

He froze abruptly, his expression indifferent as he stared intently at her face.

Seeing the person's eyelashes flutter, and their soft words: "...My back hurts..."

Upon hearing this, Qi Fan pursed his thin lips and gave a cold snort, but his well-defined fingers had already lifted her outer garment and reached behind her waist.

The journey from the Crown Prince's residence to the palace was only about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. Jiang Zhuoying was awakened by Xiangxing and the others, who tidied her appearance a bit before helping her down from the carriage.

The man dressed in a black python robe was already standing beside the car, his hands behind his back, giving some instructions to Chu Yixin beside him.

Jiang Zhuoying pursed her lips and followed him with her head down.

Since the death of Empress Yuan, no new empress has been appointed in the palace. The original high-ranking concubines have only become Noble Consorts. However, even Noble Consorts have lost power. Jiang Zhuoying thought that she would only need to see the Emperor once today.

Unexpectedly, the aging emperor was accompanied by a young concubine who looked to be about the same age as him.

Jiang Zhuoying was somewhat surprised.

Logically speaking, there should be quite a few people in the Emperor's harem, but only this one is here. Presumably, she is... enjoying the Emperor's favor.

She glanced at Qi Fan and saw that he still had that same unchanging grumpy face, so she copied him and put on a stern expression.

Now that she was a member of the royal family, she should be more dignified and intimidating, she silently told herself.

However, the young concubine's appearance pleased her greatly, and Jiang Zhuoying couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.

She was tall and voluptuous, with red lips and white teeth, and a bold and generous personality, yet she also possessed a feminine gentleness.

Jiang Zhuoying thought to herself, “She doesn’t look like a woman from Rong Kingdom at all.”

Sure enough, she soon learned that this person was from the Li Kingdom, which bordered Da Rong, and was the only princess of the Li Kingdom, now the Emperor's Consort Ling.

The man beside her engaged in fluent and engaging dialogue with the emperor, who sat at the head of the table.

Jiang Zhuoying only needed to nod and smile, playing the role of a well-behaved and sensible Crown Princess. While she was dealing with the situation perfunctorily, she couldn't help but drift off into a daze.

So young and beautiful, and a princess of a nation, even though the emperor is above all others, it is really hard to say that they are a good match for each other when standing together.

She sighed inwardly, then glanced at someone with a wistful look in her eyes.

Whether the latter had eyes in the back of his head or not, he glanced at her meaningfully while she was drinking tea.

Jiang Zhuoying ignored him, casually looked away, and took a sip of tea as well.

"What does the Crown Princess think?"

"...?"

Jiang Zhuoying secretly sought help from someone, only to find that not only did he not help her out, but his usually aloof eyes even showed a rare hint of mockery.

She pursed her lips and immediately understood.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right."

Qi Fan ignored her, but given their current situation of being in the same boat, if this question was important, he wouldn't let her ignore it.

Then she only needs to follow up on that topic.

"Hahaha, very good, very good! Then it's settled! I must see the little grandson next year!"

The Emperor laughed heartily, but his tone carried an invisible pressure, leaving no room for refusal even though it was a question.

The curve of Jiang Zhuoying's lips trembled slightly.

Little... imperial grandson?

Although she found it quite absurd, she had no choice but to nod reluctantly, her smile widening.

"Your subject will do his utmost."

...

The only topic that can be mentioned about her is "having children".

After sitting for a while, the emperor asked Consort Ling to take Jiang Zhuoying out, saying that he would take her around to get more familiar with the palace.

Jiang Zhuoying dared not and had no reason to refuse, so she immediately followed Consort Ling out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Following the narrow path towards the inner palace, Consort Ling, who was walking in front, suddenly spoke up: "This palace is all very similar, and it's not convenient for us to go into the other palaces. Why don't we just come and sit in my palace?"

This suggestion was exactly what Jiang Zhuoying wanted to hear.

She slept late last night, and when she got out of bed today, she felt sore back, aching legs, and weak legs. Of course, she was willing to walk less.

And so, she followed Consort Ling to the Sui'an Palace.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Consort Ling seemed like a different person. No longer as proper as before, she turned around and greeted loudly, "Did you eat your fill just now?"

"……ah?"

Even Jiang Zhuoying, who had been spoiled since childhood, was slightly taken aback by this girl who acted so unpredictably.

"Oh dear, were you quite full at the Emperor's place? I didn't think you ate much."

Seeing her standing there in a daze, Consort Ling took a few more steps toward her, and then raised her eyebrows at her.

Jiang Zhuoying understood this time and nodded in agreement. Before she could say anything, her hand was grasped.

“I knew it! All the girls in your Rong Kingdom are so slender, and they eat only a little bit at a time, so they must never be full.”

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

"You are the most beautiful girl I have seen in all the time I have been in Rong Kingdom. You are even more beautiful than the concubines and empresses in the palace."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

"Why are you being so formal? Come with me."

Jiang Zhuoying had a better understanding of this girl's temperament.

Just now in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she felt that this Noble Lady Ling's eyebrows and eyes were bold and generous, but her behavior and demeanor revealed a bit of caution and restraint, which did not match her overall temperament.

So that was something she did deliberately.

Half an incense stick later, a table full of delicacies was placed in front of Jiang Zhuoying. These were not the dishes she usually ate; they were all specialties of the Li Kingdom.

"These are all delicacies from my Li Kingdom. I wonder if the Crown Princess will be able to enjoy them?"

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at it, then stretched out her chopsticks, picked up a small piece of lamb leg, and put it in her mouth.

The aroma instantly filled her mouth; the lamb leg was tender and crispy, with a unique texture that perfectly suited her taste.

The girl's eyes lit up, a look of amazement flashing within them, and she nodded without hesitation, praising, "It's delicious!"

With her praise, Consort Ling became even more enthusiastic and kept introducing the dishes on the table to her.

Jiang Zhuoying also gave her plenty of face, praising each dish to the skies, making Consort Ling extremely happy.

Although she praised it as much as she could, the dishes on the table were indeed delicious, and Consort Ling suited her taste in both appearance and temperament, and gave her this opportunity to taste delicacies from a foreign land.

Jiang Zhuoying sincerely wanted to get along well with her.

After a while, the two exchanged nicknames.

Jiang Zhuoying finished filling her stomach and, while propping her chin up and looking around, suddenly noticed that the drink in the other person's cup seemed to be slightly different from the one in her hand.

The doubt and curiosity in her eyes were too obvious, so Consort Ling took the initiative to explain to her that the wine in her cup was a special kind of wine from their Li Kingdom.

"A-Zhuo, would you like to try some? But we Li people are used to drinking this wine, and you..."

Jiang Zhuoying's competitive spirit was suddenly ignited; of course she could do it too!

In fact, she does have an excellent alcohol tolerance.

The two chatted and drank, creating a very friendly and harmonious atmosphere.

As time went on, Jiang Zhuoying gradually noticed that Ling Guiren's speech was much slower than before.

Not only were her cheeks flushed, but she also kept telling her how much her father doted on her. In fact, when she turned around, she accidentally knocked her chopsticks to the ground.

She knew in her heart that the other person had drunk much more than her and was probably already quite drunk.

Pressing down on the rim of the cup, Jiang Zhuoying beckoned to the maid beside her: "Help your mistress to rest. If she drinks any more, she'll feel unwell."

"I'm not resting! I'm in a good mood today. Come here, Azhuo, I'll take you out! I'll show you how to use a whip!"

"Oh? Princess, please don't practice whipping today. We can do it tomorrow. For now, let's go back and rest."

Two maids came forward and coaxed her from both sides.

“But…” Consort Ling suddenly pointed her finger at Jiang Zhuoying’s nose, “Tomorrow, the Crown Princess won’t be here.”

"How could my father be so heartless? Sending me all the way to another country, so far away..."

Her next words were covered by a maid beside her.

Almost at the same moment he covered her mouth, the latter turned his head and glanced at Jiang Zhuoying.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

She immediately looked away, pretending she hadn't heard anything.

"Princess, you are drunk. This servant will take you back to rest."

"……ah."

Suddenly hearing a cry of pain, Jiang Zhuoying turned her gaze back and saw the maid who had covered Consort Ling's mouth earlier shaking her hand in pain.

It seems they were bitten.

Are you alright?

No sooner had Jiang Zhuoying spoken than she heard a soft muttering in her ear.

"No... Father has thought things through. Otherwise, why would he have sent me to Luoyang so soon? After the old emperor dies, I..."

Jiang Zhuoying's eyes widened slowly: "?"