During the day, the sun shines brightly, and the azure sky is cloudless. In the evening, the full moon hangs high in the night sky, and occasionally a cool spring breeze blows.

Li Shiyue suddenly opened her eyes and sat up abruptly from Xu Yunci's embrace, the chill of her red undergarment clinging to her skin along her back.

Xu Yunci was startled awake. He sat up, wrapped his arms around her, and naturally buried his head in her neck: "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

His voice was soft, still a little sleepy, and he wasn't impatient at being woken up. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, his chest pressed against her back, radiating warmth.

Suddenly, some images filled her mind, and Li Shiyue blushed slightly, as if she had remembered something.

"I'm fine, I just had a nightmare. Go to sleep."

Xu Yunci had no doubts. He pulled her back down to lie down and closed his eyes. After the person in his arms drifted off to sleep, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze full of clarity.

His fingertips gently slid down her cheek, his gaze lingering on her face for a long while, and then his other hand holding her tightened even more.

The next morning, when she was required to pay her respects, Li Shiyue wore a bright red cross-collar belted jacket and a ruby ​​gold hairpin in her hair.

Upon entering the flower hall, Duke Rongguo and Madam Yang sat at the head of the table. Xu Huaiting and Madam Wei, along with Xu Yunbo, sat on three sandalwood chairs on the left. On the right were Xu Huailou and Madam Zhou, along with their siblings Xu Yunyao and Xu Lingqing.

I've seen all of these before, so there's nothing to be nervous about.

After serving tea, Li Shiyue sat down with Xu Yunci. The Duke of Rongguo and Madam Yang only said things like "the couple is loving and affectionate," and didn't say anything else.

Judging by the time, they couldn't enter the palace too late, as they needed to go to the Funing Palace to express their gratitude on the second day after their wedding.

The two rode together in a carriage, entered the palace gate, and walked to the Funing Palace.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was almost noon, so the temperature felt exceptionally comfortable on my skin.

It seemed as if the emperor had been waiting for them, but to Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue's surprise, Princess Chunhui was also among them.

No, she should now be called a First-Rank Princess of Zhao. She is already married. Chunhui was her title when she was an imperial princess. According to the rules, an imperial princess can only be granted the title of princess of a certain country after marriage.

Princess Chunhui was granted the title of princess at birth, but the title was still that of an imperial princess.

She had already styled her hair in a woman's bun, but the intricate snake bun was somewhat different, and the flowing pearls on her forehead added a touch of tranquility to her appearance.

Even the gaze directed at her was equally calm, her gentle eyes suggesting a resemblance to the benevolence of an official, but lacking the former arrogance.

Her lower abdomen was slightly protruding, and a handsome young man in purple robes sat beside her.

When she looked over in the direction of the Zhao princess, she glanced at Li Shiyue with gentle eyes, then looked directly at Xu Yunci, as if she were sizing him up, but without any malice. She even nodded in acknowledgment when she met Xu Yunci's gaze.

On the contrary, the Zhao princess looked at Xu Yunci with unexpected calmness, while her gaze lingered on Li Shiyue for a long time, and she did not move her eyes even when Li Shiyue stopped.

Li Shiyue deliberately ignored this and bowed to the steward with Xu Yunci. They were then given seats opposite the Zhao princess and her husband.

"I missed the wedding of the Crown Prince and his wife on my return to the capital. I have already sent someone to deliver gifts to their residence to congratulate them on their marriage."

Princess Zhao's voice was calm, but she still didn't spare a glance for Xu Yunci, and only looked at Li Shiyue as she spoke.

Lacking the arrogance she remembered, Li Shiyue was somewhat unaccustomed to the change in the Zhao princess.

It was as if she hadn't seen Xu Yunci at all, and treated Li Shiyue more like an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time. However, both of them knew that some things couldn't be easily forgiven.

"Thank you, Princess."

Li Shiyue smiled slightly, gently pressed Xu Yunci's hand under the table, and spoke first, following the lead of the Zhao princess as she walked down.

Xu Yunci didn't intend to say anything, but she was worried that what happened before would happen again. You can know a person's face but not their heart, and you can never be too careful.

As Li Shiyue emerged from the Funing Palace, she looked at the Zhao princess before her with a hint of wariness in her eyes. Then, the princess turned around and calmly met Li Shiyue's gaze, meeting the wariness that had just appeared in her eyes.

"sorry."

Princess Zhao remained calm, her eyes slightly lowered, and she was about to curtsy. Seeing Li Shiyue reach out her hand, she looked up and stopped her: "This is what I owe you. I will admit my mistakes myself. From now on, we will go our separate ways. My mistakes should not implicate the prince consort and the Lu family."

The prince consort's name was Lu Cheng. Although he was not from a noble family like the one in the capital, he was still from a wealthy and influential family.

Li Shiyue withdrew her hand, recalling how Lu Cheng's gaze and demeanor had been exceptionally kind.

"The prince consort must be a very good person. His manners and upbringing are excellent, and that can't be faked."

She finally spoke her mind, and the Zhao princess visibly breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly worried that she might implicate Lu Cheng or the Lu family.

Li Shiyue was somewhat surprised, even astonished. The former Princess Chunhui was arrogant and domineering, and she acted this way in front of everyone except the Emperor.

Today, the Zhao princess is apologizing for what she did before, on behalf of Lu Cheng and the Lu family, and even pleading with her not to blame Lu Cheng or the Lu family.

This was truly unexpected, but the Zhao princess was not blind. She noticed her surprise, her lips curled into a bitter smile, and she looked up to meet Li Shiyue's eyes.

“I’m not the kind of person who runs away from things. It’s true that I made mistakes and was provoked by someone, but I still did what I did, and I admit it. It’s just that my husband is very good. He has never treated me badly because of those things, and he even told me about it.”

She sniffed, as if remembering something, and looked gently into the distance: "It was the prince consort who told me that whether I like it or not, my appearance is actually useless."

"It's because my mother told me day and night that I have no brothers in the royal family to rely on, and that the only way to find a good path for myself is to marry into the Rongguo Duke's mansion and marry the younger brother of my sister-in-law, the Crown Princess."

"If I were to say whether I like Xu Lize or not, I might have been making a few unfounded statements in the past. Now, I just want to tell myself what the prince consort said: I want to live with my prince consort and I don't want to look back."

"Perhaps it's because I've followed my mother's obsession since I was a child, or perhaps I really did like her, but now I don't like her anymore, I haven't liked her for a long time."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and simply raised her chin, just like when they first met. If her eyes weren't red, it would have looked even more like it.

"I acknowledge my mistakes and ask for your forgiveness. Whether you forgive me or not is your business. Thank you for pleading for me before my father."