Chapter 619 Welcoming the Empress Back to the Palace

Xie Ziyan and Xie Hongyou walked up to Jiang Fenghua, bowed respectfully, and said in unison, "Yanyan and Youyou congratulate Mother on her wedding! We wish Mother and Father great fortune, wealth from all directions, many children and blessings, and all the best..."

When Jiang Fenghua heard the child's voice, her hand holding the fan trembled slightly. A sense of familiarity rose from the bottom of her heart, as if she and the child had a telepathic connection.

She slowly moved the fan that was blocking her view. The child in front of her had a sweet smile and a soft voice. She smiled slightly and said, "Yanyan, Youyou."

The two nodded together. Their father had said he was going to bring their mother home, and their family would play games in front of everyone. They had to behave. The two called out again, "Mother."

Jiang Fenghua's eyes reddened, and she said gently, "My dear Yan'er and Youyou, I miss you both so much."

Even though the two children had practiced many times, they still couldn't help but rush to their mother the moment she said she missed them. "Yanyan, Youyou misses Mother too."

Jiang Fenghua squatted down in front of them and hugged the two adorable children in her arms. It wasn't because of her second sister's instructions that she wanted to be close to them, but rather it was a mother's instinct. Even though she had lost her memory, she could still feel that they were her blood relatives.

Xie Ziyan smiled and said, "Father said that today, Yan'er is Mother's little fairy."

“Youyou is the Queen Mother’s little fairy boy. Let’s come together to welcome the Queen Mother home,” Xie Hongyou said.

Jiang Fenghua's eyes were red and her nose was sore. "Mother will never leave Yan Yan and You You again."

Xie Ziyan leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Mother is the most beautiful mother, so you mustn't cry. Yanyan won't cry either. Father said that if we cry, we'll lose face in front of everyone."

Jiang Fenghua did indeed get up before dawn today to wash, dress, and put on makeup. Her exquisite makeup made her almost unrecognizable to herself.

She was breathtakingly beautiful today, and she smiled and said, "My mother won't cry."

She gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek, then kissed her son, and took their little hands in hers, saying, "Mother will take you home."

Xie Shang stood quietly to the side the whole time. He watched as she picked up the child and left. He smiled and looked Jiang Fenghua up and down. She didn't look at him once from beginning to end. What did it mean that so many people were watching her?

Xie Shang strode after him, picked up his daughter, and took Jiang Fenghua's hand, saying, "I've come to take you home."

Jiang Fenghua smiled gently and was very sensible. She stared at Xie Shang and him as if she had a thousand words to say, and said softly, "Didn't the Emperor catch up as well?"

Seeing her sweet smile, Xie Shang sensed that her words were loaded with meaning.

Granny Wang hurriedly ordered her men to follow. The procession to welcome the Empress slowly made its way towards the palace. The Empress's ceremonial procession included a phoenix palanquin, a yellow canopy with nine phoenixes and curved handles, a ceremonial carriage, and other items. On both sides were Buddhist whisks, gold incense burners, gold incense boxes, gold washbasins, gold spittoons, and other items. Each item was exquisite and of the finest quality. This was a standard reserved for welcoming the Empress.

The streets were packed with people, and many noblewomen looked on with envy. Of all the women in the world, only the Empress had such special treatment. The Empress was truly blessed to have both a son and a daughter, and the Emperor only had eyes for her.

The Jiang family enjoyed immense wealth and prosperity, to the point that everyone was tired of expressing envy.

Feng Jingyuan and Jiang Huai are still in a daze. Their third daughter married the same person twice. They still remember that five years ago, when the Jiang family received the imperial decree for the marriage, the Jiang family was trembling with fear and could not believe it was true.

Now the Emperor has brought his third daughter into the palace with the rites due to an Empress. The extravagance of the occasion has made the two old people even more apprehensive, unsure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.

Jiang Rumeng comforted the two elders, "This isn't the first time Third Sister has married the Emperor, so why are you still worried? The more the Emperor values ​​Third Sister, the more it proves that the Emperor cares about Third Sister."

Neither of them said anything. Feng Jingyuan had never known how deep the waters were in the royal family before, but now that she did, she was worried about her daughter.

Jiang Huai analyzed the situation from a broader perspective: the Emperor's excessive favoritism towards the Empress would lead to public criticism of his daughter in the future. She was not marrying an ordinary man, but the Emperor. If the Emperor acted discreetly, others would naturally not dare to criticize him easily. However, if he continued to be as grand and extravagant as he was today, it would be detrimental to his daughter's reputation!

Here, the imperial palanquin welcoming the Empress entered the palace through the main gate of the imperial city, with Xie Shang accompanying her throughout the entire process.

The Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Cheng hadn't even had a chance to meet privately before the Emperor pulled this stunt. The two were forced to attend in full regalia, and their faces were grim throughout. In front of the officials and the Emperor, they couldn't bring themselves to say a harsh word.

Five years have passed. As Empress Dowager Cheng sees her son's feelings for Jiang Fenghua growing deeper, the resentment in her eyes grows stronger. She wants to slap herself hard. Why did she choose Jiang Fenghua to marry her son? She didn't want a disobedient daughter-in-law, but now she is out of her control.

The investiture ceremony was personally presided over by the Minister of Rites, who announced that Jiang was to be named Empress of Emperor Xuanzong. This was followed by the entire set of wedding ceremonies. Jiang Fenghua was exhausted. She did not know that getting married was so tiring and the ceremonies so complicated. She was busy from morning to night to complete all the procedures for everyone.

Finally, she was ushered directly into the magnificent Kunning Palace. While she was entering the palace and holding various ceremonies, Xie Ziyan and Xie Hongyou were taken away by Granny Wang. Now she just wanted to lie down and catch up on her sleep.

She had just lain down on the bed when Xie Shang followed her in. Jiang Fenghua saw him come in and asked, "Why did you follow me here again?"

Xie Shang said, "The ceremony for Your Majesty's marriage to the Empress is different from the one we had when we got married at the Prince Heng's residence. I don't need to host a banquet for guests. After the ceremony is completed, I can return to my palace to be with the Empress."

No matter what he said, she didn't want to move. Not only did her feet hurt, but her knees also hurt from kneeling. The room was decorated in a festive and magnificent style.

Xie Shang had hot water brought in and then dismissed the servants before saying, "Soak your feet before going to bed."

Xie Shang even took off her shoes himself. Jiang Fenghua wanted to refuse, after all, he was the emperor, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to serve her any longer.

Xie Shang said, "Once we're back in the palace, we'll feel more at ease, just like we did outside."

Jiang Fenghua did not refuse. She was indeed very tired, and soaking her feet in the hot water made her feel comfortable all over.

She quickly asked, "Are you staying here too?"

“Although you have lost your memory, we are now married again. Tonight is my wedding night with the Empress. Ruan Ruan, you won’t refuse me again, will you?” Xie Shang explained patiently. “In your current memory, we are husband and wife.”

"That's why you're holding this wedding. After all, we had a wedding a long time ago."

"No," he added, "When we first got married, I didn't go to the Jiang family to pick you up, I didn't go through the entire wedding ceremony with you properly, and I didn't even spend time with you in the bridal chamber..."