Chapter 532 Gu Qianning's Wedding

Gu Qianning excitedly saw Gu Qianhan off. As soon as he left, she pulled Shen Wantang back, saying, "I'm starving! Come on, Wantang, let me see what good food your palace has!"

Shen Wantang was also very happy; she even hoped that Gu Qianning could stay at the Prince's Mansion for a few more days.

With her around, the Prince's mansion no longer felt so lifeless.

"Don't worry, while the Prince Ning's residence may not excel in other areas, its food is absolutely top-notch in the capital. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

The two returned to Wutong Garden with smiles on their faces.

The maids began serving dishes: Jade Loofah Soup, Cherry Crispy Pork, Chicken with Pickled Bamboo Shoots and Green Beans, Spicy Fried Cloud Noodles, Braised Snails, Crab Stuffed Orange...

The aroma of various delicacies was irresistible, and Gu Qianning's mouth watered just from the smell.

When they started eating, she realized that Shen Wantang was not exaggerating; every dish here was exceptionally delicious.

When she's at home, she only eats until she's about 70% full for dinner.

As a result, she ate until she was stuffed at Shen Wantang's place.

Shen Wantang also ate quite a lot because she had someone to keep her company.

So after eating, she took Gu Qianning for a walk in the garden to aid digestion.

Seeing people going in and out of Xiao Qingxi's courtyard from afar, Gu Qianning couldn't help but ask, "A-Tang, is your sister-in-law still living in the Prince's mansion? Is she not planning to return to the Huo family? Has she caused you any more trouble?"

While fanning herself with a round fan, Shen Wantang chuckled, "She's too busy taking care of herself lately to bother me. As for going back to the Huo family, she does want to go back, but she can't."

"Why? Doesn't Huo Yunzhou allow her to go back?"

"Huo Yunzhou really doesn't want her to go back, but the Huo family can't stop Xiao Qingxi. She used to be able to come and go as she pleased. The reason she can't go back now is because the Empress Dowager ordered her to serve the Prince and Princess at the Prince's residence. As long as they don't wake up, she can't leave."

Gu Qianning frowned and lowered her voice, saying, "I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to do something good. I've never heard of her doing anything good since I was born. When my aunt first married the Emperor, she suffered a lot at the hands of the Empress Dowager."

Shen Wantang nodded: "I've heard that the Empress Dowager and the Empress don't get along."

"Oh dear, it's not just that we don't get along, it's that we practically want each other dead! The Empress Dowager hates my aunt, and by extension, she hates me and the Gu family. Every time I go to the palace, before I can even see my aunt, I'm forcibly taken away by the Empress Dowager's people. Then she'll deliberately find fault with me and punish me. If it weren't for my cousin, the Crown Prince, protecting me, I don't know how much more I would have suffered..."

Gu Qianning stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, realizing what she had said.

She stared blankly at the distant lake, then smiled bitterly: "I've mentioned him again. I really don't know when I'll be able to forget him. Sometimes I wake up from nightmares in the middle of the night, and I feel like everything is just a dream. When I wake up, I'll go back to the way things were with my cousin, and he'll still protect me and care for me just like before."

Shen Wantang didn't know how to comfort her for a moment, so she gently put her arm around her shoulder to give her some support and strength.

She herself had never experienced such intense and profound feelings. In her previous life, she married Liao Youhe and spent ten years with him. After being reborn, she could forget him just like that, and she didn't hesitate at all to marry Xiao Qingyuan.

In comparison, she seemed too cold and ruthless.

Shen Wantang didn't want Gu Qianning to be immersed in sadness, so she tugged at Gu Qianning's hand and said, "A'ning, let's go boating on the lake and pick lotus pods. We can also pick some lotus leaves and flowers to make lotus leaf porridge and lotus flower rolls tomorrow morning."

Gu Qianning herself didn't want to look so pitiful all the time. She knew that Shen Wantang wanted to help her distract herself, so she readily agreed: "Okay! Let's go boating!"

Once she was on the small boat, she truly forgot about the Crown Prince, busy rowing and picking lotus pods, and became happy again.

After working for half an hour, Shen Wantang and Gu Qianning returned home with their loot.

The lotus flowers were beautiful and had a unique fragrance. The two decided to put them in a vase in the house for one night to enjoy them, and then eat them the next morning.

After taking a shower, the two lay on a bed and chatted until late at night before falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, Gu Qianning spent another day at the Prince Ning's residence before returning to the Gu family home in the evening.

In the blink of an eye, a month and a half has passed.

During this period, Gu Qianning did not come to the Prince Ning's residence again. In fact, she did not go anywhere else. She stayed at home preparing for her wedding.

Shen Wantang did not go out again. Firstly, she was in mourning and it was not appropriate for her to go out, and secondly, she was busy preparing makeup for Gu Qianning.

In addition to a complete set of jeweled headdresses, she also prepared some personal clothing, ointments, pills, and other items for Gu Qianning to use after they went to Jiangnan.

Because Gu Qianning was interested in medicine, Shen Wantang even wrote an introductory medical book for her, which included how to regulate menstruation and protect the meridians, how to avoid pregnancy, how to conceive easily, and so on.

Although Shen Wantang herself had no experience in sexual intercourse, she had learned a lot about contraception and pregnancy methods and prescriptions, but had never used them in her two lifetimes. Now she taught them all to Gu Qianning.

If Gu Qianning wants to get pregnant and have children soon after she gets married, then this medical book must contain prescriptions and methods that she can use.

But if she doesn't want to have children for the time being, there are also methods and prescriptions for contraception in medical books.

In short, Shen Wantang made very thorough preparations for her.

After everything was prepared, Shen Wantang sent someone to deliver it to the Gu family. When Gu Qianning received the items, she exclaimed that Shen Wantang had prepared even more meticulously than her own mother.

September 16th was the day Gu Qianning got married, and also the day the Crown Prince married his Crown Princess.

Because of her mourning period, Shen Wantang could neither attend the palace banquet nor go to the Gu family to send off Gu Qianning to her wedding.

Shen Wantang was originally unwilling to go to the palace banquet, but she felt very regretful that she could not go to the Gu family to watch Gu Qianning get married.

However, not being able to go to the family doesn't mean Shen Wantang can't go out.

She changed into an inconspicuous dress, put on a veil, and went out with her maids to watch Gu Qianning get married.

On Yong'an Street, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered. Men, women, and children all put down what they were doing and craned their necks to watch.

The eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion is getting married, and the Crown Prince in the palace is getting married. They've all come together. Who wouldn't be curious about what the scene will be like?

Soon, both grooms led their wedding processions to the brides' homes to pick them up.

The wedding procession was naturally much grander for the Crown Prince's side, but the common people talked more about the Duke's son-in-law.

"Hey, have you heard? Miss Gu married our newly appointed top scholar!"

"Tch, you don't need to tell me, we already knew! In fact, the two families had already arranged the marriage before the top scholar even became the top scholar. The Duke of Zhenguo is indeed as wise as the old saying goes, 'Old ginger is spicier,' he has good foresight!"