Chapter 46. We'll talk about it when we get home.

In Haiyan Palace, Chu Heng and Daiyu performed the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows to the Emperor and Empress. After the ceremony, the Emperor hurriedly ordered people to help them up and said, "Please take a seat."

Chu Heng and Daiyu thanked him before taking their seats.

The emperor smiled and said, "You two have been busy all day yesterday, and you still have these things to do today. You must be very tired."

Chu Heng smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. It's no trouble at all."

The emperor laughed heartily: "With such a joyous occasion, you're happy, and you don't feel tired no matter how hard you work."

Chu Heng raised his eyebrows and laughed, "Your Majesty is busy with many things, yet you still make fun of me. I'll have to go and complain to Mother later."

The Emperor smiled at the Empress and said, "Look at Fifth Brother, he's a married man now, but he's still like a child." Turning to the Empress, he added, "You even complained to Mother. I had to plead for you yesterday, otherwise Mother would have had you arrested."

Daiyu's smile faltered slightly as she looked at Chu Heng with concern.

Chu Heng touched Daiyu's fingers under the cover of his sleeve and asked in confusion, "Why is Mother angry again? Brother, Mother has been getting angry a lot lately. Is it because she is getting old? Should we summon the imperial physician to prescribe some medicine for her?"

The Empress looked at Chu Heng in disbelief; at first glance, his words seemed to imply that the Empress Dowager was ill.

The emperor tightened his lips and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, child? Your mother is perfectly fine. It's all your fault for upsetting her. When you see your mother later, you'd better behave yourself and listen to her scold you. She's just throwing a tantrum; she won't really do anything to you."

"Yes," Chu Heng replied reluctantly.

Seeing his reaction, the Emperor shook his head and turned to Daiyu, saying, "Sister-in-law, keep an eye on him. Don't let him really start arguing with the Empress Dowager in Renshou Palace. He cares about you, so he will definitely listen to you."

Daiyu stood up and curtsied, saying, "Yes."

Chu Heng quickly stood up as well as Daiyu, saying, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."

The emperor looked at it and couldn't help but laugh, "We're family, so we don't follow these rules. However, there's one thing I'm right about..." The emperor pointed at Chu Heng and teased, "Your princess can keep you in check."

Chu Heng was not bothered by this and said matter-of-factly, "My queen is naturally like this."

Daiyu lowered her head shyly and smiled softly.

The emperor laughed loudly, "Alright, alright, it's good that you two are getting along. Go on, the Empress Dowager is waiting for you at Renshou Palace."

The Empress hurriedly reminded him, "His Majesty has prepared a reward; don't forget to ask your fifth brother and sister-in-law to take it back with them."

"It was I who forgot." The emperor beckoned. "Find a few people and have them deliver this to Prince Duan's residence when he returns."

After Chu Heng and Daiyu thanked the emperor again, they bowed and withdrew.

Once outside the Haiyan Palace grounds, Daiyu asked softly, "Is the Empress Dowager angry because you personally welcomed the groom yesterday? Did she also…"

Chu Heng grasped her hand, and Daiyu paused slightly before continuing, "Didn't you tell the princess not to always anger the Empress Dowager? If she takes it seriously, we won't be able to handle it."

“But His Majesty can handle it.” Chu Heng reassured Daiyu by rubbing her palm. The place was spacious and there was no one around, so he said with peace of mind, “The Empress Dowager is concerned about the matter of the Minister of the Imperial Clan Affairs. She also wants me to be of full use to her. Since His Majesty has pleaded for me, the Empress Dowager does not want to appear bad, so she will not pursue the matter too much.”

Daiyu nodded and added, "It's not easy to be popular with everyone, Your Highness, you should still be careful."

Chu Heng paused, then squeezed Daiyu's fingers and asked, "Miss Lin, what's my name?"

Daiyu said helplessly, "I'm talking about serious matters."

Chu Heng said, "Yes, me too."

Daiyu didn't want to talk to him anymore. She clearly had a lot to say and many questions to ask, but Chu Heng's interruption made her unable to utter a single word.

Seeing the changes in her expression, Chu Heng lowered his head slightly and smiled, "Let's talk about it when we get home."

Daiyu glanced at him and snorted, "The walls have ears, don't they?"

"Your Highness is wise," Chu Heng praised.

Daiyu felt increasingly helpless. The emperor was right about one thing: Chu Heng was really becoming more and more like a child.

The two then went to Renshou Palace and performed the same three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager smiled and ordered someone to help them up: "Come sit next to me."

Chu Heng and Daiyu sat down on either side of the Empress Dowager as instructed. Chu Heng asked with a smile, "Mother, how are you? My brother said that I made you angry again yesterday. I know I was wrong. Getting angry is bad for your health, so please don't hold it against me."

The Empress Dowager smiled upon hearing this, but said to Daiyu, "Look at you, you're such a grown woman and you're still acting like a brat with me. You're such a child."

Daiyu smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager dotes on her youngest son, otherwise the Prince wouldn't dare to act so affectionately towards her."

These words pleased the Empress Dowager greatly. She looked at Daiyu with satisfaction in her eyes: "Good child, I love you too. If he behaves badly in front of you in the future, just come and tell me, and I will discipline him."

Daiyu was about to rise and bow, but the Empress Dowager stopped her, saying, "We are family, we don't need to follow these rules in private."

This is similar to what the emperor said; although the mother and son had disagreements, they had many similarities.

Seeing this, Chu Heng laughed and said, "Now that Mother has a good daughter-in-law, she doesn't need a disobedient son like me anymore."

The Empress Dowager glanced at him and said, "It's good that you know you're disobedient. I can't control you anymore. From now on, I'll let your wife take care of you."

“After our son gets married, he will be an adult and naturally become sensible.” Chu Heng looked at Daiyu with gentle eyes, but when he looked at the Empress Dowager, his smile remained unchanged. “Mother, please rest assured.”

The Empress Dowager seemed to be thinking about something, then nodded and smiled, "That's good. After the wedding, don't make excuses anymore. Your brother has entrusted you with this one task, so you must do your best."

Chu Heng lowered his head and said, "Your son knows."

As they were talking, a palace servant reported that Princess Yongkang was requesting an audience, and the Empress Dowager said, "Let her in."

"After breakfast, I sent someone to call her, but that girl was busy with something and refused to come over," the Empress Dowager said to the two of them. "Now she's come here on her own."

"Yongkang is still young," Chu Heng said, using his usual excuse. "Mother, please bear with him."

The Empress Dowager said, "It's because I always thought she was too young and indulged her too much that she developed such a spoiled and arrogant personality."

Chu Heng said, "It's alright for the princess to be a little spoiled; who would dare to complain about her?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head, about to speak, when someone outside chimed in, "Fifth Brother is absolutely right. We princesses should act this way!"

Upon hearing Yongkang's words, the Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead: "She alone is enough to give me a headache, and you're still helping her..."

Yongkang entered and bowed formally: "Greetings, Mother. Greetings, Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law."

The Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead without saying a word. Yongkang pouted, and then Chu Heng said to her, "Who said you're 'us'?"

Yongkang asked in surprise, "Fifth Brother, you don't even recognize your sister anymore? If you don't want to be family with me, I don't want to be family with you either, but I am family with Fifth Sister-in-law..." She smiled sweetly at Daiyu, "Fifth Sister-in-law, aren't we family?"

“Yes.” Daiyu smiled and took Yongkang’s hand before slowly explaining, “Your fifth brother was saying that you are a princess and he is not, so he doesn’t address you as ‘we’. There was no other meaning behind it.”

"Oh." Yongkang turned his head and said disdainfully, "Fifth Brother, why do you talk so incoherently?"

Chu Heng rolled his eyes and ignored her.

Yongkang was dissatisfied and was about to speak again, but the Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "You siblings can be quiet for a while. Yongkang, sit down properly."

Shuangyun brought over an embroidered stool, and Yongkang sat next to Daiyu, but made a face at Chuheng.

Chu Heng raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when Daiyu glanced at him, causing Chu Heng to pause and shut his mouth.

Yongkang said with a grin, "Fifth Sister-in-law is so kind!"

The Empress Dowager then said, "Look how good your fifth sister-in-law is. You should learn from her. Look at how gentle and quiet she is; that's what a proper young lady should be like. And what about you?"

Yongkang stroked his chin, looking as if he was thinking seriously: "I'm trying to learn, Mother, but it's like trying to imitate someone else's walk in Handan, or drawing a tiger but ending up with a dog; I'm more like Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi."

“You already have such a wonderful daughter-in-law as Fifth Sister-in-law, you can go out and show off all you want, I'm not an exception,” Yongkang said with a smile.

The Empress Dowager was immediately speechless.

Daiyu turned to Yongkang and said, "The princess has her own advantages, which I cannot match. It is all thanks to the Empress Dowager's excellent teaching. I should learn from the princess."

Yongkang grabbed Daiyu's hand and shook it: "Fifth Sister-in-law, we are now a proper family, don't be so formal."

Chu Heng warned her, "Yongkang, don't..."

Daiyu also spoke up at the same time: "Yongkang, be careful not to fall."

"Got it!" Yongkang sat up straight and gave Chuheng a smug smile.

Chu Heng looked at Daiyu with a mixture of grievance and pity.

The Empress Dowager observed the three women's every word and action, pondering to herself, "I never expected Yongkang to get so close to the Lin family's girls. They only spent a few days together at Longhua Temple, and haven't seen each other since, except for Yongkang and Chen." She added, "Yongkang has met many of the Fang family's girls, and I've never seen them get along so well."

She observed her fifth daughter-in-law discreetly. Though young, she was quite capable, having managed to kill both of her children.

The lunch was a banquet hosted by the emperor. It was a family banquet, but because the royal family was large, Chengguang Palace was still packed with people, even though only close relatives were present.

Many of Chu Heng's siblings and the emperor's children were people Daiyu had never met, so Chu Heng told her about them one by one, with Yongkang by his side providing supplementary information.

People came one after another to congratulate the newlyweds. Since Chu Heng never drank alcohol, they said auspicious words, and the palace servants served tea cups in place of wine.

Yongkang quietly smiled at Daiyu and said, "I remember when Sixth Brother and Sister Xiankang got married, Sixth Brother and his husband were both heavily intoxicated and almost had to be helped out of the house. Fifth Brother didn't drink, so he really escaped a disaster."

Daiyu smiled, and just as she was about to speak, a long, slender hand suddenly covered her shoulder. Then, following the hand, she moved slightly, and there was another person between her and Yongkang.

"Go back to your seat," Chu Heng said expressionlessly.

Yongkang: "..."

Daiyu chuckled softly.