Chapter 29 Feeling so at ease, the carriage departed after noon and arrived at the West Garden…

The carriages set off after noon, and by the time they arrived at the West Garden it was already evening. After arriving at her residence, the Princess Consort found the noise from the maids and servants arranging things in the room too noisy, so she left the courtyard and went to sit in a nearby pavilion.

The garden was indeed more spacious than the palace, and there were many more trees. A vast expanse of lush greenery greeted the eye, and even the usually composed and prudent Fujin couldn't help but relax a little. However, her relaxation was short-lived, as a servant came to report that the Second Prince had arrived.

Yinreng had just come out of Changchun Garden. After changing his clothes, he heard Jingshun report that his wife and Consort Cheng had arrived. He changed his clothes and went to his wife's place first.

The princess consort bowed and expressed her gratitude before taking her seat after Yinreng had sat down.

Yinreng then asked, "How is everything in the palace lately? Was your trip successful?"

The princess replied, "Everything is fine and there is nothing wrong."

Yinreng nodded, then inquired about the eldest princess's well-being, and said, "There are many ponds in the garden. When Wulinzhu comes out to play, bring a few more people with you to make sure she doesn't fall into the water." He gestured to the west and said, "There is a large patch of lotus flowers over there. Have someone pick a vase and put it at Wulinzhu's place tomorrow. Children are lively, and she should like these pink and tender flowers."

The princess consort replied in a deep voice, "Yes."

Then the couple had nothing more to say to each other, and the pavilion fell into silence for a moment.

Yinreng had grown accustomed to this silence, and his thoughts drifted away without him realizing it. Today, he had met his younger brothers in Changchun Garden, and both sides felt somewhat awkward upon seeing each other.

In previous years, as the crown prince, he had often acted arrogantly in front of his younger brothers, but now he didn't know how to face them. Although he was the eldest in age, they all had titles according to rank, while he was just a bald prince. So when the two sides met, they were both a little at a loss. Fortunately, the fourth prince spoke first and called out "Second Brother," which eased the tension.

Yinreng thought of his third son's furtive face and smiled mockingly. The third son was truly regressing with age, adopting the two-faced mannerisms of Han scholars—utterly repulsive. As for the others, the fourth son was there to receive an imperial decree and carry out his duties, still as respectful as before. As for the others, the fifth son was mild-mannered and disliked meddling; the seventh son had a leg ailment and was solely focused on his duties; the eighth son… ha, the eighth son was just a lackey of the Prince of Zhi, probably only there to gather information!

He couldn't help but think that it was just a matter of not running into his good older brother in Changchun Garden. Otherwise, even if he had been in Changchun Garden, under the Emperor's very nose, things probably wouldn't have turned out well.

Yinreng let out a slow sigh of relief and casually picked up the teacup on the table, taking a sip. His movement immediately drew the attention of his wife.

The princess consort slowly spoke in his line of sight, "His Majesty has shown you great favor and trust. You should be even more composed and loyal in front of him."

Yinreng paused in his tea drinking, suppressing his anger and refraining from giving a cold glare, before placing the teacup on the table with a crisp click.

He didn't understand why his wife always had such a stern, remonstrating demeanor. He wanted a wife who could manage the household finances and also offer him comforting words and intimate conversations, not some nanny, much less a minister who sought to make history by committing suicide by banging her head against a pillar. Sometimes he wondered, hadn't he given her enough respect? Hadn't he given her enough coldness? Why couldn't she learn how to be his wife, his concubine? Why did she always use the Emperor to pressure him?

He's already suffered enough!

Yinreng narrowed his eyes slightly, and after a long while, long enough for everyone in the pavilion to be sweating profusely, he said, "Your Majesty has just arrived, so there must be many things to take care of. You should rest well."

She was his wife, the wife the Emperor had appointed for him, and the mother of Wulinzhu. He couldn't voice his disgust. He racked his brains, trying to recall her good points. She managed the household affairs diligently, packed his things neatly, was always generous and never jealous, and was wholeheartedly devoted to the Emperor. Enough. That was enough. He had found someone who cared for him and no longer expected his wife to change into the person he desired.

Cheng Qianyue was also busy moving and arranging things. She lived in a courtyard called Donglizhai on the east side, which had five main rooms and three side rooms on each side, as well as several corner rooms and enclosed rooms. In addition, there were palace maids and eunuchs in Donglizhai who were responsible for cleaning. They originally belonged to the garden and were not under Cheng Qianyue's name, but when Cheng Qianyue came, they all consciously bowed and greeted her and indicated that they would listen to her.

Good heavens, compared to her treatment at Xian'an Palace, she's really gone from rags to riches!

After receiving the guests and giving them tips, Cheng Qianyue wanted to go for a stroll. The eunuch Xiao Jizi in the garden cleverly suggested, "Princess, if you walk about twenty steps to the east, there's a bamboo grove over there, with two large elm trees planted next to it, and there's a swing set up under the trees." So Cheng Qianyue went to the place he mentioned to swing.

I must say, the garden is truly beautiful. Take the trees, for example. Xian'an Palace only has two crabapple trees in the backyard, and as for the front and main courtyards, there are only two short bonsai pines and cypresses placed at the entrance. What good are those in the sweltering summer? They can't compare to the garden with its vast expanse of plants, which is not only visually appealing but also much cooler than the Forbidden City.

Cheng Qianyue sat on the swing facing the bamboo grove, thinking happily to herself. Ruoyun, remembering that Cheng Qianyue had been in a bad mood and had intentionally tried to cheer her up, pushed her to swing from behind. Cheng Qianyue swung from one end of the swing to the other with a whoosh, as if all her unhappiness had flown away.

After swinging for about half an incense stick's time, it gradually got dark, and Cheng Qianyue stopped swinging, but she was still reluctant to get off the swing. There wasn't one like this in the palace, so she was just curious. At that moment, a breeze blew from the lake, rustling the leaves of the elm trees and bamboo as it brushed against her clothes.

Cheng Qianyue stared at the bamboo forest opposite her and spontaneously added sound effects to them: "Whoosh whoosh, whoosh whoosh." She muttered to herself while laughing.

When Yinreng arrived, he heard her making strange noises. However, seeing how happy she was, he didn't want to disturb her. He waved to the others and stood five steps to the side of Cheng Qianyue, watching her intently.

Cheng Qianyue, oblivious to the danger, kept slurring her words.

After a while, Lin Quan'an came out of Donglizhai. He had come to report that the room was ready and invited Cheng Qianyue to come in and rest, but he almost collapsed as soon as he arrived. He saw the Second Prince standing there with his men, and he didn't know how long they had been standing there. As for their young mistress, well, she had her back to him and didn't even see the Second Prince. She was happily sitting on the swing, swinging around, and he didn't know what she was swinging around for.

What to do? Should he greet her loudly? But the Second Prince didn't seem angry; he seemed to be waiting for the Princess to notice. If he greeted her and startled her, wouldn't that ruin the Second Prince's plans? If he didn't greet her, wouldn't that also break the rules? Lin Quan'an was caught in a dilemma.

Just then, Chen He kindly gave him a hint and gestured towards Cheng Qianyue with his chin. Lin Quan'an smiled gratefully at him, then lowered his head and ran to Cheng Qianyue to bow, saying, "Princess, the room is all ready."

Cheng Qianyue stopped talking, straightened her back slightly, and nimbly got off the swing, saying, "It's getting dark, let's go back." She tilted her head, sighed, and muttered, "It's so late, I guess Second Master won't come."

She turned around and suddenly found herself face to face with Yinreng. She was so startled that she couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh dear!" Then she clutched her chest and said, "Your Highness, why are you here? You scared me to death!"

Yinreng felt a bit annoyed when he heard her trying to shift the blame. No, people in the palace, while not necessarily constantly vigilant, were certainly on high alert. He hadn't expected her to be so oblivious; he'd been standing there for almost fifteen minutes, and she still hadn't noticed him. Standing further back, he became somewhat curious; he wanted to see when she would finally notice him.

Cheng Qianyue thought to herself that she really shouldn't talk about people behind their backs, because the person in question might hear her muttering. She tried to recall what she had just said. Oh no, she had called him Second Master. Would he be angry? She hurriedly ran over, tugged at his sleeve, smiled ingratiatingly, and called out in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Master."

Seeing that she had no temper left, Yinreng couldn't help but say, "I've been standing behind you for a while and you didn't even notice. You're such a silly little thing."

Cheng Qianyue was particularly embarrassed and explained in a low voice, "It's all because your garden is so beautiful, sir. I was so engrossed in looking at it that I didn't notice you coming."

"So it's my fault too?" Yinreng raised an eyebrow at her.

Cheng Qianyue smiled and said coquettishly, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault, okay?" She quickly changed the subject, saying, "Has Your Highness eaten yet? Why don't we ask them to serve the meal?" Seeing that Yinreng did not object, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed: I've gotten away with it again!

But while eating, she suddenly realized something was wrong when she thought about what had just happened. It was true that she hadn't seen him come over, but surely the servants around her had seen him, so why hadn't she heard them announce his arrival? She didn't think the servants would dare to do that, so there was only one reason: he hadn't asked them to announce his arrival, which was why they hadn't relayed the message.

Thinking about it this way, Cheng Qianyue was filled with resentment: Humph, what is this? Yinreng probably just wanted to scare her, how childish!

After finishing their meal, they rested in the courtyard for a while before going to bed. Yinreng finished washing up and got into bed first, while Cheng Qianyue finished bathing a little later. After drying herself off, Ruoyun brought over a gauze robe. Cheng Qianyue didn't think much of it, put on her pajamas, and climbed onto the bed. Then she saw Yinreng staring at her, momentarily stunned.

Cheng Qianyue: Oh no, she didn't look closely just now, she must be wearing a newly made gauze dress! She lowered her head and felt herself blushing.

The nightgown was just a thin layer of gauze, revealing a light blue bodice embroidered with intertwined roses and short trousers underneath. When illuminated by the candlelight, it gave off a feeling of being both covered and not covered, alluring yet reluctant.

"He probably doesn't think she's seducing him, does he?" Cheng Qianyue thought awkwardly.

Of course, that was what Yinreng thought, but he had been busy lately and had just been rebuffed by his wife, so he wasn't in the mood for it. He said in a deep voice, "Come here."

Cheng Qianyue didn't have time to change her clothes, so she could only bite the bullet and sit down next to Yinreng. Yinreng lifted her chin, scanned her face thoroughly, and then said, "You look good dressed like this."

Cheng Qianyue felt her whole body burning up after he looked her up and down like that. However, Yinreng simply hugged her tightly and said, "I'm not in the mood today, I'll keep you company another day." He stroked down her neck, as if to show that he liked her outfit.

Cheng Qianyue nestled in his arms, thinking: You're overthinking it. Actually, I didn't think about it that much! Later, she stopped worrying about these illogical thought processes. She was tired from the long journey, so she yawned, rolled over, and fell asleep in no time.

In the darkness, Yinreng slowly pulled her into his arms. Holding her, feeling her warmth, he suddenly felt incredibly at peace.