Chapter 90 Like an Ordinary Couple: The wedding was something Yinreng had been looking forward to for a long time. He wondered what his Crown Princess would be like...

The wedding was something Yinreng had been looking forward to for a long time. He had thought about what his Crown Princess would be like many times in private, guessing what she would be like, whether she was gentle, dignified, or powerful.

When the day actually arrived, he couldn't imagine anything in his mind. Having long been accustomed to being a crown prince, Yinreng had been surrounded and tossed about by servants like a puppet all day, doing whatever they asked. It wasn't until the wedding ceremony was completed and the veil was lifted that he felt a sense of reality: Oh, so I'm really getting married.

On the contrary, Shi Shi didn't have Yinreng's empty thoughts. She was really too tired from morning to night, traveling from the Shi family to Yuqing Palace. As soon as the Crown Prince lifted her veil, she wanted to take a long breath and exhale all the tension she had been holding in all day.

The two were sitting cross-legged facing each other on the wedding bed, and when she slightly raised her eyelids, her entire body came into Yinreng's view. He was the Crown Prince, and even though the Crown Prince in his wedding robes looked a little dazed at this moment, he was still the Crown Prince.

Shi Qionghua blushed instantly, and dared not exhale the breath she was holding in. She just stared blankly at Yinreng until all the palace maids and nannies in the room withdrew.

"Only the Crown Princess and I are left, and the Crown Princess is planning to just keep holding back like this."

Huh? Ah!

Shi Qionghua wasn't simply holding her breath; she was carefully and gently controlling her breathing. Yinreng had never seen anyone hold their breath like that before, and he completely forgot what he was supposed to say in greeting.

"I mean, where did you learn that skill of holding your breath and taking tiny breaths at a time? Is it something unique to your Shi family?"

Never expecting the Crown Prince to notice that she was holding her breath, Shi Qionghua couldn't hold it in any longer when he asked her that question. She let out a cry and completely released her breath. All day long, whether sitting in the phoenix carriage or moving around, she was very dignified, but her slender back could no longer be controlled and slumped down.

Once you collapse, it's hard to straighten up again. After a long day, her back ached so much it felt like it was about to break. She suddenly remembered something inappropriate: Shen Wanqing had told her before that she had secretly taken off her wedding dress on her wedding night and hadn't been sitting quietly.

The two of them talked about this when the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites finally decided that the Crown Princess would not have to sit on the throne before the wedding. Shi Qionghua was happy but also a little regretful. She felt that she would only get married once in her life, and it was a bit unbelievable that she couldn't stay in the bridal chamber alone all night, as her mother had said.

Looking back now, I realize I was just asking for trouble because I didn't know what was going on. If I had to sit on the throne tonight, I definitely wouldn't have been able to endure the prospect of having to go to the Qianqing Palace and Ningshou Palace to express my gratitude tomorrow, and then have to pay homage to the imperial family and noblewomen.

"Your Highness, I grew up in Fuzhou. Fuzhou is by the sea, and our Shi family has a military background. All the children of the Shi family, regardless of gender, must know how to swim."

Not only do you have to know how to swim, you have to be an expert. If you live in a coastal area and you can't swim, you're just playing with your life.

“Although we women cannot lead soldiers onto ships to fight the enemy like our fathers and brothers, at least we can’t be trapped in the inner courtyard when things come to a head. We must have the ability to run away.”

If things really come to a head, it's good to take a small boat and go far away so you're not a burden to others. Even if the boat capsizes, if you can swim and survive, you'll still have a chance to turn things around sooner or later.

Those who live near mountains can usually walk on flat ground once they enter the mountains; men on the grasslands can ride horses and gallop against the wind; and people who grow up watching the sea naturally feel close to water.

Shi Qionghua was not only good at swimming, but also very skilled at it. Because she was brave enough, when she was young, her mother and nanny took her to a beach that the Shi family had specially fenced off and that no outsiders were allowed to enter, to learn to swim. While other children cried when they entered the water, Shi Qionghua clapped her hands and giggled.

At that time, Shi Qionghua was not yet a candidate to become the Crown Princess. Her family even joked that if she still had this personality when she grew up, she might be able to lead troops like Mu Guiying in the opera.

It was just a joke, but Shi Qionghua was indeed the most outstanding child of the Shi family from childhood to adulthood. Even her brothers were willing to talk to this sister when they encountered problems, especially after Shi Qionghua was chosen by the emperor to be made the crown princess.

Remembering this, Shi Qionghua suddenly realized that today was her wedding day, and the man in front of her was the Crown Prince. Why hadn't she told him to be gentle and kind when they first met, instead of saying these inappropriate things?

Shi Shi, who had been speaking amiably, suddenly stopped. Seeing her somewhat uneasy expression, Yinreng understood what she was thinking.

"There are no outsiders in the room. Now that we are husband and wife, we don't need to be so formal in private. We can live like any other couple. The Crown Princess can say whatever she wants, and I'm willing to listen."

Yinreng had never actually witnessed how ordinary couples lived their lives. In the palace over the years, three empresses had passed away one after another. The first was his own mother, whom he had no memory of, so naturally he had no idea how Empress Heseri and Emperor Kangxi got along.

The second empress was from the Niohuru family. During the years she was empress, Yinreng was still young and was raised by Emperor Kangxi in the Qianqing Palace, so he hardly had any interaction with her.

Niohuru also did not want to associate with Yinreng, the crown prince left behind by the empress. Outside the palace, the Niohuru family and the Hesheli family were both related to the empress and had a delicate relationship. The same was true inside the palace.

On her deathbed, Niohuru's only thought was to give birth to a prince of the Niohuru family as soon as possible. Both of them were empresses who had given birth to legitimate sons. With the empress alive but the first empress dead, it was uncertain whose son would succeed to the throne.

Unfortunately, she was unable to have a child and did not survive; she fell ill early and died. Yinreng even remembered that after Niohuru died, the maids, servants, and eunuchs around him seemed to feel a sense of relief.

For a long time after that, there was no Empress in the palace, only the Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia in charge of the six palaces. Tongjia and the Emperor were cousins, so their relationship was naturally close. Everyone said that His Majesty treated the Tong family and the Imperial Noble Consort very well.

Over the years, the Imperial Noble Consort has treated the princes in the palace very well, so well that Yinreng sometimes thinks that if she were the Empress, the concubines in the harem would probably be even more obedient, as long as she doesn't have any more sons after becoming Empress.

Such selfish thoughts could only linger in his mind; he never uttered a single word about them, not even to his closest servant, Yinreng.

Not long after entering the palace, Tongjia was made a Noble Consort. Later, when Empress Niohuru was seriously ill, she was made an Imperial Noble Consort. She remained the only Imperial Noble Consort in the harem until her death in the 28th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

The reason why she was no longer made empress was known both inside and outside the palace: His Majesty felt that her destiny was too strong. Two empresses had already died in just a few years. This was for the good of Tongjia, so he kept her in the position of Imperial Noble Consort.

But the Empress is the Empress, and even if the Imperial Noble Consort holds the same rank as the Vice Empress, she is still different from the Empress. In Yinreng's memory, Lady Tongjia was always proper in her conduct and managed the harem fairly.

She was not jealous of the favored concubines who had sons, nor did she neglect those who were childless and of lower rank. During festivals, she would always find some excuse to reward the lower-ranking concubines with fabrics and gold and silver. Even though she favored the fourth prince raised in her palace, she would never treat the other princes poorly.

She was virtuous and capable enough, but in Yinreng's eyes, she was not like a wife at all, but more like an official of the previous dynasty. It's just that those officials handled the affairs of state in the court, while Tongjia was in charge of the concubines and princes in the harem.

In his eyes, the Imperial Concubine and his own father did not seem like a couple. Of course, he had never seen how the two interacted in private. In short, he had never seen how a proper married couple interacted in the palace.

He even asked Yulang about this. Yulang looked at Yinreng in shock and shook his head repeatedly, disregarding the proper etiquette between master and servant. He said that the relationship between husband and wife is not something to be discussed with outsiders. It cannot be said, even if you are the Crown Prince and the master, it cannot be said.

Yinreng found Yulang's attitude both amusing and perplexing. It wasn't like Yuqing Palace was without concubines and princesses; Yinreng wasn't some clueless novice. While matters between men and women were indeed often best kept secret, this was the first time he'd ever seen Yulang so secretive, as if hiding some precious treasure.

Seeing Yinreng's state, Yulang knew that he was not deliberately trying to pry into the private affairs between his subjects and their spouses. However, he was worried that he could not tell Yinreng about his relationship with his wife. But he also felt that it would be wrong not to tell him, especially since he was afraid that if the Crown Prince and Shi Shi did not get along well, then all the efforts his wife had made to curry favor with the Crown Princess would be in vain.

So after holding it in and thinking it over and over, she finally told Yinreng two days later that a husband and wife are a husband and wife, and the Crown Prince should live like any other couple.

Ordinary couples live their lives like this: when things are good, they're inseparable; when things are bad, it's chaotic. But even though they argue, after the argument, they're still a couple, and their relationship is different from that of other people.

Yu Lang spoke with such conviction, as if the matter were perfectly natural and simple, leaving Yinreng only half-understanding and too embarrassed to ask further. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was quick-witted; having grown up in the palace and never seen ordinary couples, he was certain that his Crown Princess came from outside the palace.

So at this moment, he seemed to be comforting Shi Qionghua, telling her not to be nervous and to be more natural, but in fact he was throwing the important issue of how husband and wife should get along to Shi Qionghua, telling her to set an example first and then he would follow suit.

"Since Your Highness has said so, then I will no longer be awkward and coy in front of you."

How could a daughter of a military family who has seen the sea be so timid as to be afraid of even a person? Her previous reserve was simply because she didn't know what kind of person the Crown Prince was. What if he liked his wife to serve him like a master?

She still didn't know much, but at least he wanted to be a normal husband and wife with her. This was much better than serving him like a master, so Shi Qionghua naturally wouldn't refuse or be polite on such an important matter.

Despite saying she wasn't awkward, she reached to the side, grabbed a pillow, and placed it behind her back, letting her upper body lean against it. She let out a light sigh and looked at the long, winding bed curtains above her head. Suddenly, Shi Qionghua felt that this room was indeed her home from now on, and it didn't feel unfamiliar at all.

"Your Highness, would you like to lean on me for a bit? You're exhausted today."

"I'm alright, I haven't even left the palace yet. It's you who really went through a lot of trouble, going from the Shi residence to the Yuqing Palace."

He said he wasn't tired, but his body betrayed him, and he leaned close to Shi Qionghua. When Shi Qionghua heard the Crown Prince say he was tired, she moved aside and gave most of her pillow to Yinreng.

Who knew that the Crown Prince was not honest? He didn't just use half a pillow, he also squeezed in next to Shi Qionghua. In the end, the two of them fell onto the bed together, and that night was just the beginning.

The next morning, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess left Yuqing Palace and headed towards Qianqing Palace. Yinreng's face was filled with undisguised smugness. Yulang, as a first-class guard, was supposed to accompany the Crown Prince to Qianqing Palace today, but was stopped by Yinreng, who was in a very good mood.

"With so many guards in Yuqing Palace, we can't expect you to do everything. Have you kept track of how many days off you've missed in the past six months?"

"It should take about twenty days."

"Then I'll give you twenty days off. Rest at home until you're ready to come back to work."

Yinreng was incredibly generous. Even palace guards didn't get this much leave during the New Year. Now he suddenly got twenty days off, and by the time he returned it would be December. He wouldn't be on duty for more than a few days before the New Year, and he could take more rest then.

Happiness came so suddenly that Yu Lang forgot to express his gratitude. The Crown Prince, however, took two steps and then turned back: "It is indeed a joy to be an ordinary couple. I will give you another credit this time. Think about what reward you want and come to me next time you return to the palace."

This is a very vague statement, and Yu Lang doesn't dare to ask what kind of fun this ordinary couple has come up with, let alone whether or not there will be a reward.

After leaving Yuqing Palace and returning to Hesheli's home, Yulang finally came to his senses and stopped caring about the couple's fun or not. As long as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had a good relationship, that was all that mattered.

Yulang was quite pleased with this, and his steps into the east courtyard were light and cheerful. He had originally wanted to share this with his great-grandmother, but she wasn't home. The only thing in the house was the steaming hot pork wontons that Ningxiang had made, which were served to welcome Yulang, who had just gotten a long holiday.

Before Shen Wanqing married into the family, she rarely ate wontons. If she did eat dumplings, they had to be big dumplings with sauerkraut and pork filling, because that was the only way she could truly enjoy them.

After her grandmother-in-law married into the family, the dishes on the table became more and more abundant. Shen Wanqing seemed to have no concept of the limitations of local customs and was willing to collect recipes from all over the country to try them.

Over time, Yulang tried many new things, and these fresh meat wontons seasoned with a little pepper and seaweed were one of his favorites. Especially in the dead of winter, eating a bowl of these would make him sweat and feel refreshed.

"Where did your great-grandmother go? She was so tired yesterday, why didn't she stay home and rest?"

"Madam and Mrs. Dai Jia have arranged to meet today. The ginseng slices in the shop have sold extremely well this year. Next year, the caravans going to Liaodong will need to add more people and trips. I mentioned this to the manager of the master's side before, but we couldn't agree on the price. Madam said that we should just do it ourselves and not ask others for help."

Shen Wanqing had mentioned the caravan to Yulang. She knew that running a caravan was not something that could be done in a year or two, but her family was currently thriving, and Akdun had joined the firearms battalion. So, it wouldn't be too difficult for the two families to make money together.

Shen Wanqing deliberately leaked this information to put pressure on the eldest branch of the Shen family. It would be best if the price could be lowered after negotiations, but if not, then it's because you asked your relatives for too high a price. I'll start from scratch and find another way out later, so don't regret it then.

Even close brothers should keep clear accounts; business is like that, a back-and-forth negotiation. As long as there's no underhanded trickery or sabotage behind the scenes, this kind of bargaining is perfectly normal.

Without Chen Wanqing in the room, Yu Lang couldn't sit still. After eating wontons and changing into a casual long gown, he had his maid bring him the newly made misty blue cloak after only a quarter of an hour. He then got up and went out towards Akdun's house.

————————!!————————

Black Monday again! [crying][crying][crying]

A red envelope will be given away in the comments section of this chapter! [Dog head with rose in hand][Dog head with rose in hand][Dog head with rose in hand]