Chapter 47 The Royal Family.

After the banquet, the Empress Dowager summoned her own children to Renshou Palace, leaving the rest to their own devices.

Hejia was the only married princess who did not bring her husband with her. At this moment, she was talking to the Empress Dowager with her four children, and the Empress's two children were also by the Empress Dowager's side.

The emperor patted the shoulder of the second prince beside him, beckoning him to come over. The second prince responded and went over, standing behind He Jia's youngest daughter. He tugged at her sleeve, and the little girl immediately turned around. The two began to talk.

It's too harmonious, too natural.

Upon seeing this, He Jia couldn't help but frown slightly.

The emperor's expression hardened slightly.

Chu Heng and Daiyu walked side by side behind, both taking in the changes in their expressions.

Daiyu looked at Chuheng, but saw him shake his head. Yongkang came over to talk to Daiyu again, and Chuheng glared at her. The two siblings started arguing again, and Daiyu tried to mediate to prevent them from really arguing.

Even after arriving at Renshou Palace, Yongkang persisted: "Once we get home, Fifth Sister-in-law will be yours alone. What's wrong with me talking to her now!"

Chu Heng said, "Now Daiyu belongs to me alone!"

Daiyu blushed and gently tugged at his sleeve, telling him to stop.

The Empress Dowager looked over and laughed, "Aren't you two done yet? Can't you let me have some peace and quiet?"

Upon hearing this, He Jia pulled her youngest daughter to her side and said with a smile, "It must be that the children are bothering their mother. Please don't blame Man'er and Fifth Brother."

The Empress Dowager looked at her and smiled: "Don't speak well of them. These two can't stay still. They've caused more than one disturbance today."

Upon hearing this, the emperor laughed and said, "It's all because Mother spoils them too much. When my fifth sister and I were young, Mother's rules were not so lenient."

The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "Back then, my son and I had to depend on others, and life was not easy. Alas, I have wronged you."

The emperor clearly did not expect the empress dowager to follow up on his words and put on such a show. He originally only wanted to dress up in colorful clothes and act out a scene of his eldest son being jealous.

The emperor had no choice but to play along: "Mother, what are you saying? It is all thanks to your painstaking guidance back then, otherwise, how would I be where I am today?"

The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor with satisfaction: "It is because Your Majesty is sensible and capable that I, a mere woman, can do anything."

Daiyu noticed that Hejia had a half-smile on his face, clearly having a lot to say about the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's loving relationship.

Chu Heng once said that He Jia's marriage into the Gu family was done by the Empress Dowager to curry favor with the late Emperor and to win over the Gu family.

As the emperor's own sister, He Jia is now living a life of wealth and honor, but when she thinks about the past, she must feel unhappy.

Moreover, she has now distanced herself from the Gu family. Although she did suffer injustice in the past, there are bound to be some rumors. Because of her status, no one dares to say anything openly, but they can't stop it behind her back.

Daiyu sighed inwardly, thinking that it was all the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's fault, yet they had always felt at ease with themselves.

It wasn't until evening that Chu Heng and Daiyu were able to leave Renshou Palace. Afterwards, they boarded a carriage, followed closely by Zhao Wang's two nannies who had accompanied Daiyu into the palace, along with Zijuan and others. The carriage behind them carried the rewards bestowed by the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

After leaving the palace gates, Chu Heng said softly, "Shuang Yun asked them what they said, but Zhao Qing couldn't get too close, so he doesn't know what they talked about."

Daiyu nodded: "It doesn't matter what they say. If the Empress Dowager wants to do something, it doesn't matter what they say."

"I..." Chu Heng had only just begun to speak when Daiyu interrupted him.

“We are already husband and wife, and we should share both hardship and prosperity,” Daiyu said. “Let’s not talk about whether we will be a burden or not.”

Chu Heng took her hand in his palm: "I only want you to share wealth and honor with me."

Daiyu smiled gently and said, "That's not good. You should correct it."

"Hmm." Chu Heng patted Daiyu's hand and said, "When we get back, I'll summon the two of them over to talk."

Daiyu was not yet used to skin-to-skin contact with him, and her face flushed slightly. Fortunately, her mind was still clear, so she asked, "Should we be polite first and then force, or force first and then polite?"

Chu Heng pondered for a moment: "The people chosen by the Empress Dowager cannot be easily frightened."

“Hmm… then let’s do it politely.” Daiyu blinked and smiled. “Everyone has fears, and at the right time, it’s okay to give them a fright.”

"Alright." Chu Heng gently stroked Daiyu's face. "How about I use force first, and you can follow up with courtesy?"

Daiyu was not used to it and said in a low voice, "Just talk, don't... don't hit me."

Chu Heng chuckled in a deep voice, "You can't help yourself when you're in front of me."

Daiyu whispered, "It wasn't like this before..."

Chu Heng's eyes darkened as he said, "Before... I hadn't married you yet."

"Does marrying someone make me a lecher?" Daiyu muttered.

Chu Heng was taken aback, then chuckled, "You just said we're husband and wife, how did I become a lecher?"

Daiyu moved her fingers, looked up at him, and said in one breath, "Then you are not allowed to touch me."

Chu Heng asked hesitantly, "What if I can't do it?"

Daiyu's eyes widened. Normally eloquent, she was speechless. How could someone be so shameless? "You...you..."

Seeing her chest heaving, Chu Heng knew she was emotionally agitated, so he gently patted her chest and said softly, "Alright, alright, breathe slowly, I won't bother you anymore."

Daiyu's hands were finally freed, and she pushed Chu Heng's arm, saying, "Stay away from me for now."

Looking at her expression, Chu Heng said, "Then you can't be angry with me."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu blinked and said, "Go away, or I'll get angry."

Chu Heng had no choice but to sit opposite Daiyu as instructed. The carriage was spacious, and in this way, the two of them had no further contact.

Chu Heng was extremely disgusted with the carriage and thought that he would tell Zhao Qing to change to a smaller one when they got back.

...

The Empress Dowager reclined on the soft couch and, after listening to Shuangyun's words, slowly said, "It sounds like my fifth daughter-in-law is quite alright, but it's all other people's faults. No wonder Heng'er is so devoted to her, even though Yongkang has only seen her a few times, he's still incredibly affectionate towards her."

"Your Majesty, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion is indeed unrestrained and has gone too far in bullying the Princess. I think it's better if the Princess doesn't acknowledge them as her own family, otherwise wouldn't the Prince have to add this troublesome relative to his family?" Shuangyun said. "Even if they dare not and cannot do anything to the Prince, it is still a nuisance. Besides, the Jia family's affairs are really shameful. If the Prince is dragged into it, it won't look good for Your Majesty either."

The Empress Dowager said, "That makes sense, but Lin's methods are too naive. If word gets out that she's doing this, it won't sound good. After all, we've raised her for a while."

Shuangyun chimed in, "The princess is young and her thoughts are not yet fully formed. It would be best if the Empress Dowager could take the time to correct her."

The Empress Dowager smiled slightly and said, "She is already my daughter-in-law. For Heng'er's sake, I have to take care of her."

Shuangyun understood the Empress Dowager's implication. She could cover for Princess Duan and prevent people from gossiping about her disregard for her maternal grandparents' kindness in raising her. However, the Empress Dowager would not take the initiative. She wanted Princess Duan to suffer the consequences first and then come to her for help.

Shuangyun bowed and said, "The Empress Dowager is kind and benevolent."

"They are all my children, how can I not worry about them?" The Empress Dowager stroked her sleeve. "They are a good couple, but we can't let Heng'er neglect his duties."

Shuangyun, understanding the implied meaning from the song, quickly said, "I heard from the eunuchs at Haiyan Palace that His Majesty wants the Prince to go to the Imperial Clan Court immediately after his wedding, but the Prince insists on having a few days off so he can go next month. His Majesty couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he agreed."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Heng'er, this child, seems to just want to slack off."

What was Chu Heng really thinking? Did he not know the Emperor's purpose, or was he unable to see through the Empress Dowager's hints?

The Empress Dowager raised her own son. She knew that although Chu Heng had been bedridden for many years, he was definitely not stupid. He had been in the palace for many years and understood everything he needed to understand. He just liked to pretend to be stupid.

However, the Empress Dowager was confident that Sun Wukong could not escape the Buddha's palm; her own son could never defeat his own mother.

Because of Master Pingyi's divination, the Empress Dowager thought that it would be fine if the couple were to live in harmony. However, Chu Heng now values ​​personal feelings for his children too much, which greatly displeases the Empress Dowager.

But this is also his weakness. Since he cares so much about his princess, it's no wonder the Empress Dowager uses some tricks on her.

The Empress Dowager was always able to comfort herself by saying that she was doing this for Chu Heng's sake. The Emperor was reckless and power-hungry, and he intended to use her. She, as his mother, was only doing these things to protect her youngest son.

...

Inside the Prince Duan's residence, Daiyu was looking at the Emperor and Empress Dowager's gifts, and then ordered the servants to put them into the storeroom. To her right were two tables with various account books and storeroom keys from the past years.

Daiyu only knew that Chu Heng didn't care for any good things, but after seeing the Wangfu's storeroom today, she realized that she had truly been short-sighted before.

On the left is Daiyu's dowry list. After it was brought here yesterday, no one in the mansion dared to touch it. Now that the princess has come to handle the matter, Zhao Qing hurriedly came over to ask her for instructions.

Daiyu ordered the money to be put into the storeroom, and then glanced at the amount of silver in her dowry. She knew the details of the silver her father had left behind, so she could tell at a glance how much Grandmother Jia had used.

Apart from the expenses of this wedding, the rest was misappropriated into the Jia family's accounts.

While Daiyu was busy here, Chu Heng was not idle either.

Upon hearing that the Prince had summoned them, Zhao Wang and his companion, remembering that they had just returned from speaking to Shuang Yun today, felt a moment of unease.

Fortunately, they were all shrewd women from the palace, and they quickly calmed down and entered the room to pay their respects to the prince without changing their expressions.

Even if the prince really came to question them, firstly, they didn't say anything bad about the princess, and secondly, they were always given to them by the empress dowager. Could the prince possibly kill them?

Chu Heng casually raised his hand and smiled, "Please rise, both of you. You were bestowed upon us by the Empress Dowager, so there's no need for formalities. Please sit down."

Both of them replied, "We wouldn't dare. Please give your orders, Your Highness."

"I wouldn't call it giving orders, I just wanted to ask the two matrons if they're adjusting well to life in the Prince's residence?" Chu Heng said with a smile.

Both of them said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Everything is fine."

Chu Heng asked them a few more polite questions before casually asking, "When you were in the palace, were you on good terms with Aunt Shuangyun?"