Chapter 94 Old Stories Unfold: "She's up to no good again."

Xue Chan didn't expect Yu Lang to take her out of the palace and to the princess's residence for drinks.

The two drank and chatted in the warm room.

At first, Yu Lang simply poured the wine silently and drank it silently.

After several rounds of drinks...

"Aa ...

"I am a princess, outstanding and exceptional, why should he refuse to marry me!"

Yu Lang, completely disregarding her image, slammed her wine glass on the table. She was already drunk, and as she staggered to pour more wine, the glass slipped from her hand.

Xue Chan had just finished drinking when she immediately reached out and caught the cup that rolled off the table.

She poured herself a drink, and after drinking it, she raised an eyebrow, thinking that the wine at the princess's residence was really good.

"Do you like him?"

Yu Lang pouted and started to cry: "I like him! I've never liked anyone this much before, and he actually refused to marry me in front of Father!"

Xue Chan took another sip of wine, rested her chin on her hand, and said calmly, "Since that's the case, then why don't you just snatch him away?"

She continued, sobbing, "Even if I snatched him away, if he doesn't like me, he still won't like me. The two of us being together will only bring unhappiness."

Yu Lang was drunk and searched for a long time but couldn't find a handkerchief, so he simply grabbed Xue Chan's sleeve to wipe his tears.

"Besides, I have never done anything to steal someone else's love! I am a princess of noble birth, why would I do such a thing?"

Xue Chan said, "Since you think this way, then you might as well let go."

"I'm not reconciled! What did I do wrong that he rejected me without even a second thought?"

"Isn't this a good thing?"

Yulang paused as she wiped away her tears, then opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

"I knew it! You'd laugh at me if I told you!"

Xue Chan pulled her sleeve back and took a silk handkerchief to wipe her tears: "I didn't laugh at you."

Yu Lang snatched the handkerchief and wiped herself, then choked up and said, "You think it's a good thing that this princess is looked down upon."

Xue Chan smiled helplessly and asked her, "I heard that Lord Shen's wife and he were childhood sweethearts. Both of their parents have passed away, and they grew up supporting each other. If he really abandoned his fiancée to win the favor of His Highness and His Majesty, would you like that?"

Yu Lang slammed his fist on the table.

"If he really does that, such a heartless and ungrateful person, I will definitely have Father chop off his dog's head first! If he can't be chopped off, then he will be banished far away!"

Xue Chan crossed her arms and placed them on the table: "But he didn't, which shows that this person is of steadfast character and proves that Your Highness has excellent judgment, picking a good one at a glance. Isn't that a good thing?"

Yu Lang immediately relaxed. Her mind was a little foggy, and after thinking for a while, she spoke again.

"But I'm still not reconciled. I just can't accept that he doesn't like me."

Xue Chan burst out laughing.

Yu Lang tugged at her sleeve and cried for a while longer. Whether he was tired or drunk, he slumped onto the table and didn't get up, only letting out soft sobs.

Xue Chan gently pulled out her sleeve, poured herself a cup of wine, and slowly drank it down before calling for someone to help her away.

Xue Chan left the princess's residence only after the pot of fine wine was emptied.

It was already evening when we got back.

Counting the days, it's already the end of November, and even the banana leaves are turning yellow and curling at the edges.

Jiang Ce has been gone for more than half a month.

Xue Chan sat under the lamp, slowly sorting through the tattered pages of the painting. She was preoccupied with the Cheng family's affairs and felt uneasy.

“Yun Sheng”.

"They're here." Yun Sheng stopped combing and wiping Xi Tuan's fur and walked over.

Xue Chan remained silent for a moment, then said seriously, "Tomorrow morning, send someone to the Cheng family to ask me what the situation is with my father."

Yun Sheng took her letter and handed it out.

The next day at noon, Xue Chenghuai's reply reached Xue Chan's hands.

She hurriedly opened the paper and saw that there were only eight characters on it.

"Everything is going well, please don't worry."

Yun Sheng sat down next to Xue Chan and said softly, "Not long after Young Master Cheng requested a thorough investigation into the Tongzhou case, Lord Shen presented His Majesty with evidence of the crimes committed by Consort Shen's maternal family."

"Is it Lord Shen Zhe?"

Yun Sheng nodded, then added, "It seems to be related to the incident where the old master's leg was broken by a collapsing riverbank while he was controlling the floods..."

Xue Chan held the letter tightly, without saying a word.

Days passed, but Jiang Ce still did not return.

He only sent a few letters; the rest were many trinkets he had somehow acquired.

Xue Chan slowly pieced together the information from various scattered pieces of news.

Shen Zhe relayed the matter to Consort Shen's maternal family, which led to the revelation that several years ago, her son had drunkenly trampled and killed civilians, seized land, and killed civilians, and that the construction of the river embankment was done with substandard materials, causing the collapse of the Yunyang River embankment.

There were even allegations of collusion with Prince Ning to traffic women and children...

The weather is getting colder little by little.

Everyone was busy inside and out. Jiang Ce didn't go home, and Jiang Ji was too busy to go home.

Because Zheng Tan was pregnant, Xue Chan helped arrange and prepare for the New Year.

By the time she finally had a little free time, it was already mid-December.

In just over two weeks, it will be Chinese New Year.

Yun Sheng, Chu Tao, Ying Yue, and the other girls hung lanterns, pasted paper-cut window decorations and auspicious characters on the windows of the courtyard, and even made new clothes for Xi Tuan and Niannian.

On December 25th, Xue Chan went to the palace.

In fact, Consort Xue never summoned her for anything important, but Xue Chenghuai could only see her and not see her.

At noon, she and Consort Xue were painting in the warm pavilion.

Halfway through the painting, Yunyu tiptoed in and whispered in Consort Xue's ear, "Your Majesty, that one in Yanqing Palace... she's gone..."

The ink dripped onto the paper, ruining the completed ink orchid painting.

Consort Xue crumpled the painting into a ball and threw it out, then got up and went outside.

It was snowing, with snowflakes fluttering down, but only a plum tree under the eaves quietly exuded its fragrance.

She took two steps, her skirt billowing up snowflakes and plum blossom petals.

Consort Xue lowered her head, catching her breath, and asked, "You were only placed under house arrest last month..."

Yunyu also lowered her head, her voice somewhat muffled by the rustling sounds: "It's His Majesty..."

The wind and snow made Consort Xue's face flush slightly. She murmured softly, "It's over just like that, but I feel so tired."

She'll have to spend her whole life in this palace.

A sudden gust of wind swept up the snow, bringing down a day's worth of snow.

Consort Xue shivered involuntarily, feeling extremely cold. She asked Yunyu earnestly, "Do you think I... might also have such a day?"

When she asked this, Yunyu was quite shocked and quickly said, "Your Highness, please don't say such things."

The sound of Xue Chan and Yu Lang chatting and laughing came from inside the warm room.

Consort Xue seemed to awaken from a dream; the cold wind and snow blowing against her made her more aware. She stared at the plum blossoms blooming in the frost and snow, and said firmly, "I will definitely live well and for a long, long time."

Before long, a palace maid stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has moved to the Funing Palace."

Consort Xue reached out and brushed the snowflakes from her temples, a smile appearing on her face, still looking as radiant as ever.

"Everyone, get ready to receive the emperor."

She walked lightly and gracefully across the corridor, her figure gradually disappearing as the wind and snow intensified.

Snow falls on green branches, heavy and oppressive.

Xue Chan picked up her brush and finished painting "Snow Bamboo".

"Finished drawing, right? Show me your masterpiece." Yu Lang sat by the window, raised his chin, and beckoned.

Xue Chan respectfully handed the painting to her.

It was snowing outside, and Xue Chan was in the warm pavilion with several palace maids drawing flower patterns for Consort Xue.

Seeing Xue Chan pretending not to know, she leaned closer and whispered, "About that day..."

Xue Chan blinked, looking quite bewildered, and said, "What did Your Highness say? We were just drinking that day, and I got so drunk that your palace servants had to take me home."

Yu Lang raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly: "Yes, that's it."

Xue Chan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your Highness is a princess, a princess who has been pampered and spoiled. It's only you who looks down on others, not others who look down on you."

Her words made Yu Lang feel a little better.

She continued to coax her, "Besides, you are exceptionally beautiful and in the prime of your life, so why worry about not having a consort? Let alone one consort, even if there were ten or a hundred, His Majesty wouldn't say anything."

Yu Lang thought this made a lot of sense, but it sounded strange coming from Xue Chan's mouth.

"What you're saying is ridiculous. If you were a princess, you probably wouldn't like to do this, would you?"

Xue Chan calmly drank a glass of wine: "But I'm not a princess."

Yu Lang: "Yes, it's just because you're not a princess."

“I’m going to tell Jiang Bozhou.” She raised an eyebrow.

Xue Chan said, "If Your Highness doesn't tell him, I won't tell anyone about what happened in the warm pavilion either. Isn't that the best thing for both of us?"

Yu Lang raised her chin: "I am a princess, dare you tell anyone?"

"I really don't dare," Xue Chan sighed, feigning worry. "But he and I are husband and wife, and we're going to be together for a very long time. If he forces me to answer, then I'll have no choice but to tell him."

Yu Lang looked at the two empty jugs of wine and pondered for a moment.

I'll let it go because she drank with me.

"Okay, I won't tell him, and you're not allowed to tell anyone either."

Xue Chan continued to clink glasses with her.

"good"

Xue Chan lowered her head, suppressing a laugh, and asked her, "Your Highness, have you come to your senses?"

Yu Lang sat languidly, and when he smiled, his beautiful face, with its delicate eyebrows and lips, became even more radiant.

“My heart has never been closed.” She took the pen from Xue Chan’s hand and drew on another piece of paper. “But you are right about one thing: I am the only one who can take a liking to others, and it is their honor to be respected by me.”

"Snap!" She put the pen down, flicked her long skirt, and walked away.

Xue Chan smiled and put away her painting.

"By the way," Yu Lang came in again shortly after, looking down at him and said, "Since you've been drinking with me, I'll kindly tell you that Jiang Bozhou is going back to the capital in the next couple of days."

She crossed her arms, bent down, and suddenly brought her face close to Xue Chan's: "He has done a great service this time, and Father is very happy."

Before Xue Chan could say anything, she had already floated lightly out of the warm pavilion.

By the time they left the palace, it was already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Xue Chan silently counted down the days; there were only two days left until New Year's Eve.

She sat by the window watching Chu Tao do needlework, watching her and Yun Sheng sew, cut fabric, and sew clothes.

Xue Chan held Xi Tuan, Yun Sheng held Niannian, and Chu Tao measured the size with a ruler.

When all the little clothes were finished, there were still many scraps of cloth left.

Xue Chan grabbed a handful of cloth from the basket, her eyes darting around, and an idea came to her.

By the time Chu Tao had done as she was told, she was already thirty.

Yun Sheng saw Xue Chan laughing silently, shook his head helplessly, and said to Xi Tuan, "She's up to no good again."