Chapter 375 Candied Fruit

As Qi Yuxuan emerged from Hanyuan Hall, she spotted the Grand Princess with a cold and aloof expression at the entrance.

With Qi Jun's ascension to the throne, the Empress Dowager became the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Eldest Princess became the Great Eldest Princess.

Her gaze fell on Qi Jun and Qi Yuxuan's clasped hands, and her eyes grew even colder.

"Yu Xuan, come here to your mother." She reached out her hand to Qi Yu Xuan.

The moment Qi Yuxuan saw the Grand Princess, she felt a sudden panic. She quickly pulled her hand out of Qi Jun's grasp and practically ran to the Grand Princess.

She asked with a smile, "Mother, why did you come to the palace?"

The Grand Princess withdrew her glare at Qi Jun and pulled her daughter behind her, saying, "How can we bring back a girl like you who's always siding with outsiders if we're not going to the palace?"

She was a little angry: "You two aren't even married yet, and you're seeing each other every day. I don't understand, can't the emperor even wait three days?"

Putting aside whether others would gossip about Princess Chang Le always running to the palace, the palace is now the emperor's domain. If the two young people really did something passionate before their marriage, she would definitely come charging in with her sword.

Qi Jun fully understood the Grand Princess's concerns, but he didn't explain. Even though he had become the emperor, he still subconsciously felt a little guilty when he saw his mother-in-law and aunt.

Perhaps it was because he had promised his aunt he wouldn't lay a finger on Yu Xuan that he had agreed too readily, and every time they met afterward, he felt a sense of guilt for breaking his promise.

But despite his guilt, he still wanted to marry the young girl.

The young emperor, all his former majesty gone, now resembled a helpless child, his head slightly bowed, offering no defense and appearing willing to endure any scolding from his aunt.

Seeing him like this, Qi Yuxuan felt extremely distressed and quickly said, "Mother, it's not what you think. It's because the envoy from Yue Kingdom came to the palace to pay his respects. The envoy brought up the matter of the marriage alliance in the past, and His Majesty felt that I should know about these things, so he summoned me to the palace to receive the envoy together..."

The Grand Princess was furious when she saw that she was actually defending the other party: "Then there's even less reason for her to enter the palace!"

"Don't say that you are just my daughter now, Princess Chang Le. Even if you get married and become the Empress in the future, you will still be the mistress of the harem. You don't need to worry about the affairs of the court. Everyone has their own expertise. The Emperor should worry about his country himself. Why should I drag you into it?"

This was the first time Qi Yuxuan had heard this explanation, and she blinked, finding it rather strange.

The Grand Princess chuckled: "If you speak well, you won't get much credit; if you speak poorly, it will give some people a handle to accuse you of interfering in politics in the inner palace. It's not worth it."

So that's where they were waiting. Qi Yuxuan glanced at Qi Jun discreetly, wanting to see how he would respond.

Sure enough, Qi Jun also understood, and he looked ashamed: "Aunt, you are being too kind to me."

“Since Yu Xuan is my wife, we are one, and everything I have belongs to Yu Xuan. Similarly, if anyone dares to slander Yu Xuan in the slightest, they are slandering me.”

"Aunt, there is no need to provoke me with words. My feelings for Yuxuan are as clear as the sun and moon and as heaven and earth can bear witness."

He had said the same thing when he visited her a few days ago, and now that he had said it again, the Grand Princess was finally at ease. She didn't say anything more and left with her daughter.

But before leaving, Qi Yuxuan still secretly turned back and glanced at Qi Jun, who was standing there.

The Grand Princess saw this and felt a pang of sadness in her heart. The man and woman were in love, and she seemed like a wicked mother-in-law trying to break up the couple.

Clearly, initially, she raised this daughter to relieve Qi Yuxuan's immediate financial crisis, and also because she liked that her personality was just like her own when she was young, and that she would be a lively and interesting person when she was bored; but she never expected that in less than two years, her daughter would be getting married and she would be so reluctant to part with her.

If she had married into another noble family in the capital, it would have been fine. She could have invited them to enjoy flowers and tea from time to time, and she could have stayed at the Grand Princess's residence for a few days when she had free time. It wouldn't have mattered if she had been given a chance to meet her husband. Who would have thought that she would eventually enter the palace?

Although this was a much better outcome than marrying into the distant Yue Kingdom, the Grand Princess still felt uneasy.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Qi Jun; it was that she didn't trust men at all.

It is said that before the early-deceased prince consort married her, his family arranged for a maid to serve him in bed. Later, when they were in bed together, the prince consort called her by the wrong name, which made her so angry that she did not summon him to her bed for half a year.

When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; all the bad things are glossed over as good, and she's too lazy to think about them anymore.

Feeling both worried and nervous, the mother and daughter quietly returned home.

As soon as they returned to the courtyard, a maid came to report that a guest had arrived at the gatehouse. He was looking for Princess Chang Le. Judging from his attire, he did not seem to be from a high-ranking family, but rather an ordinary person. He said his surname was Qu.

Qi Yuxuan changed into her palace attire, wearing a moon-white jacket and skirt embroidered with red plum blossoms and adorned with rabbit fur. Upon hearing that the person coming was a commoner, she paused to think, "Surname Qu?"

The maidservant hurriedly replied, "That's right! Miss Qu is currently having tea in the warm room by the gatehouse. Would the princess like to invite her in for a chat?"

On this freezing day, the princess had entered the palace and it was uncertain when she would return. It was not appropriate to leave people waiting outside. When the gatekeeper saw someone carrying things, and remembering that the princess was approachable and never put on airs, he took the initiative to invite the person to go into the warm room to rest for a while.

Qi Yuxuan nodded, and after a short while, the maid led in a pretty young girl with dimples on her face.

But for some reason, her impression of the other person was very vague.

After thinking for a long time, a name finally came to mind from the depths of my memory: "Qu Sisi?"

Qu Sisi's eyes lit up: "This humble woman greets the Princess!"

Qi Yuxuan racked her brains, trying to recall when she and Qu Sisi had first crossed paths. Right, she and Sister Zheng and the others went to a restaurant and happened to save her…

Was it really just a coincidence that she was saved? Qi Yuxuan was a little unsure.

Why did she feel that she must have known this Miss Qu for a long time?

Completely baffled, and with the person already in front of her, Qi Yuxuan quickly told her to sit down and have tea served before smilingly asking about their purpose.

Qu Sisi walked from the gatehouse all the way here. Although there were thick curtains to keep out the wind in the corridor, her little face was still rosy from the wind, making her look very cute.

She cautiously looked at the increasingly radiant princess before her, pursed her lips, and two small dimples reappeared on her face:

"Princess, I heard about your wedding date and thought that I might not have the chance to see you again, so I specially made a lot of candied fruit to give to you."

"Princess, please don't be offended. I don't have anything to offer. I just overheard an old servant from the Xiao family saying that you used to love these candied fruits, so I learned how to make them from the master chef at Baihuazhai..."

"What did you say?" Qi Yuxuan's expression changed instantly: "The Xiao family?"