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◎ "In Jiuhua Palace, you can be as close as you want."◎

After dinner in the evening, Qingyang took Zhang Su for a walk around the East Palace to help digest the food. After returning, Zhang Su went to the West Side Hall to bathe and change clothes.

Qingyang was used to having palace maids serve her when she took a bath. The whole process of wiping her body, washing her hair, and combing her hair took at least two quarters of an hour. Sometimes she would also ask Jin Su, who was good at massage, to help her with massage. So it was indeed more appropriate for her to bathe separately from Zhang Su.

After Qingyang finished washing and put on another set of red silk pajamas, he walked through the main hall to the east side room and found Zhang Su sitting on a chair on the north side, sitting upright with a book in his hand.

Meeting the Crown Princess's gaze, Zhang Su slightly tightened the book in his hand, but he remembered the Crown Princess's words that she forbade him to be so reserved in Jiuhua Palace, so he did not stand up to greet her.

Qingyang really didn't need him to welcome her. When she was a child, she liked playing with Zhang Su. Zhang Su strictly abided by the etiquette of a subject, and she had no way and couldn't bear to make things difficult for him. It was right for Zhang Su to continue to abide by the etiquette of a subject when he grew up. As a princess, she would not do anything frivolous. Now that they were husband and wife, if Zhang Su continued to be so old-fashioned in private, Qingyang would not have the patience to "tease" him all the time.

"What are you looking at?"

His long hair was not completely dry yet, and Qingyang walked towards Zhang Su curiously.

Zhang Su unfolded the book's cover. It was a military tome Qingyang had never read. Qingyang, however, had studied military tactics extensively and was familiar with the classics. This particular book, from its title to its author, was completely unfamiliar to her. However, Zhang Su, a son of a military family, likely wanted to read it immediately. While Qingyang's knowledge of military texts was limited, her scope was far greater than his.

"What's so great about this book?"

Qingyang would not judge talent by fame; any military book that caught Zhang Su's eye must have its strengths.

Zhang Su closed the book and put it aside. He looked up at the Crown Princess standing before him and said, "If Your Highness is interested, I will explain it to you tomorrow."

Before Qingyang could ask why he had to wait until tomorrow, the man suddenly stretched out his hand, and then Qingyang's feet were lifted into the air and he was held horizontally in his arms.

Qingyang subconsciously grabbed Zhang Su's collar.

Zhang Su lowered his head and saw that there was only surprise but no anger in the Crown Princess's eyes, so he strode towards the inner room.

He was tall and had long legs, so he had already entered the inner room in just a few steps. Qingyang then jokingly asked, "Are you in such a hurry?"

As Zhang Su walked, he said, "I have the patience to wait, but I am afraid Your Highness will misunderstand that I have no intention of getting close to Your Highness."

The marriage was complete, but Zhang Su wasn't sure the princess would actually enjoy physical contact with him. It wasn't until the midday break that the princess herself spoke up, and Zhang Su was certain she was willing. So why would Zhang Su keep hiding it and let the princess' suspicions run rampant?

Qingyang snorted: "How can I not misunderstand you? When I was a kid, every time I tried to get close to you, you would retreat away."

Zhang Su walked around the screen and gently placed the resurrected Crown Princess on the bed. He then quickly covered her, looking at her eyes, which had widened slightly in surprise, and said in a hoarse voice, "At that time, I had to avoid her. Now, I want to be close to Your Highness at any time, but I'm afraid Your Highness will not like it."

Qingyang noticed his change, and it frightened her just as much as his boldness tonight, followed by a thrill of anticipation and pleasure.

"Is this the only way you can be close to someone?"

Putting his right hand on his chest, feeling the strong beating inside, Qingyang asked with a smile.

Zhang Su: "...No, but it is now."

Qingyang put his hand into his clothes, listened to his heavier breathing and said, "You have to bear with it outside, but in Jiuhua Palace, you can be as close as you want."

.

If the prince consort on the wedding night was too well-behaved and polite, the prince consort on the second night was still cautious and asked for the Crown Princess's approval first. The prince consort on the third night didn't even pretend. As soon as Qingyang stepped into the east side room, he was picked up and carried to the inner room by Zhang Su who was waiting there.

Qingyang felt that Zhang Su was bold and uninhibited enough, but he didn't know that Zhang Su was still restrained, otherwise he would have kept the Crown Princess awake all night.

Because he did not dare to indulge himself, Zhang Su especially cherished the opportunity that the Crown Princess was willing to give him to sleep with her for the first time and enjoyed it.

Although Qingyang had only been married for three nights, she had noticed the changes in Zhang Su in just these three nights. She couldn't tell the exact duration, but it was the same marriage, and she trembled more times. How could this be normal?

Just like the egg-sized honey apricots that were tributed to the local area, one is sour and sweet and you can’t get enough, two is satisfying, but three is a bit greasy, and then...

Qingyang would not force himself, and Zhang Su was always observing the Crown Princess's reaction. Seeing that a bit of the dignity of an imperial daughter began to recover in the Crown Princess's confused eyes, Zhang Su ended the sleeping arrangement in time.

By the time Qingyang had completely calmed down, Zhang Su had already put on his undershirt and brought some clean water and sat beside him for quite a while.

Qingyang drank some water first, then asked Zhang Su to change her clothes.

Watching the consort becoming increasingly adept at this task, and seeing his handsome face regain its restrained and respectful look, which even seemed a bit cold and solemn, Qingyang asked in confusion, "Did you want to hold out that long on your own, or did your pre-marriage tutor specifically instruct you to do so?"

She knew that the nanny sent by the palace to teach Zhang Su everything was for her own good, but the people under her might mean well but do bad things, and she was really not that greedy.

Zhang Su: "...Your Highness is not happy?"

Qingyang: "...Too much is as bad as too little. Just like last night is enough." She likes to eat only two honey apricots at a time.

Zhang Su nodded to indicate that he remembered it.

.

The eighth day of the first lunar month was the last day of their honeymoon, and Qingyang was going to accompany Zhang Su back to the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.

In previous dynasties, when many princes married princesses, there was a set of similar wedding ceremonies, but no dynasty required the prince to accompany his new wife back home for three days like an ordinary husband. After all, the prince's leaving the palace was too complicated to be handled by the emperor, and it was no longer a personal matter.

When it was the turn of the Crown Princess Qingyang to get married, whether or not she would accompany Zhang Su to his "return home" depended entirely on her wishes. If she was willing, her father would naturally not object.

The reason why Qingyang left the palace was not just to give Zhang Su face, but mainly to talk to the Duke's wife Xu, whom he had rarely seen in recent years, and to ask about Zhang Jian and Zhang Heng's situation in Yunzhou and Jinzhou. As for Zhang Jie, he had been in the capital in recent years, so there was nothing much to talk about.

After going to Qianyuan Hall to bid farewell to his father, Qingyang and Zhang Su left the palace from Donghua Gate. Two carriages were prepared outside the palace, one for passengers and the other for gifts.

After getting in the car, Qingyang asked Zhang Su, "When are your elder and second brothers planning to leave?"

Zhang Heng was in the Jinzhou army. As the Western Hu and Eastern Hu successively surrendered to the Great Qi, the north had been peaceful recently, so Zhang Heng didn't need to rush back. However, Zhang Jian was the general of Yunzhou, and he held a high position and power, so it was not appropriate for him to stay in the capital for too long.

Zhang Su said, "It should be these two days."

Qingyang: "At the end of the year, the generals of each state will return to Beijing to report on their work. Now that your eldest brother is back, there will be no more trouble at the end of the year."

Yunzhou is too far from the capital, and it takes Zhang Jian three or four months to travel back and forth with his wife and children.

Zhang Su: "Big brother plans to let Big sister-in-law and the others stay in Beijing. If the emperor summons him at the end of the year, he will take them back to Yunzhou after the New Year."

Qingyang: "That would mean we'd have to be apart for half a year. Your brother is really willing to let us go."

Zhang Su: "Brother, I want to let Dalang and Erlang have more opportunities to see the majesty of the Emperor and His Highness."

Qingyang smiled.

Most of the children of nobles in the capital were born and raised in the capital, and had the opportunity to see the emperor every year. For example, the children of several founding heroes were often asked by their father to go hunting together. Over time, they developed a relationship between the monarch and his subjects, so when these children reached a certain age, their father would arrange for them to be sent out for training.

However, those local military officers who passed the military imperial examination, such as Cheng Zhixu, who was the third place in the imperial examination, had never seen the emperor before. Although they learned the way of loyalty to the emperor since childhood, there was no relationship between the emperor and his subjects that developed after they became familiar with each other. Without this layer of affection, their loyalty would be reduced. Therefore, the emperor's father would keep the top three martial arts examiners in the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Army, and the four major capital camps for a few years, and then arrange for them to be sent out for training.

Qingyang thought that Zhang Jian left his two sons in Beijing so that his sons could enjoy the emperor's grace and be loyal to him, and also to show his loyalty to the royal family.

We have arrived at the Duke of Wei’s Mansion.

Zhang Jie and Xu came to welcome the emperor with Zhang Jian and his wife, Zhang Heng and his wife, and several grandchildren, big and small.

When Zhang Su helped Qingyang get off the car, Zhang Jie and others knelt down to pay homage to the Crown Princess at the same time.

Qingyang smiled and asked everyone to stand up. He looked at Zhang Jie and his wife and said, "I have often come to your house to play since I was a child. Father and Mother, there is no need to be so polite."

Outside, Zhang Jie was always her subject. When she came to the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion for family matters, she would respectfully call Zhang Jie "Father".

The princess called him "Crown Princess" so naturally that Zhang Jie and Xu were both flattered.

After a brief greeting, the Zhang family invited the Crown Princess and her husband to the hall.

Zhang Su now has three nephews and two nieces, all of whom are handsome. Among them, Changsun Dalang is thirteen years old this year, with a tall and straight figure like a jade tree.

Qingyang looked at Dalang twice more, because this child reminded her of Zhang Su when he was young. They did look a bit similar, especially his mature and polite demeanor.

Qingyang asked Fu Liu to give rewards to each child, and also took Zhang Su's second brother's three-year-old niece into his arms and cherished her for a while.

It was impossible for Xu to take her youngest son somewhere else to ask him whether he had served the Crown Princess well, but she secretly observed the Crown Princess. Seeing the Crown Princess's bright smile, she guessed that her youngest son must still have some ability, at least he did not arouse the Crown Princess's dislike.

After chatting about some family matters, Xu took her daughter-in-law and children away, and asked her husband and three sons to entertain the Crown Princess who was concerned about state affairs.

Qingyang did not behave politely with the Zhang father and son, and started directly by asking about the 36-year-old Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian answered the Crown Princess's questions one by one with full respect as a subject, not daring to be perfunctory.

Zhang Heng is also thirty years old this year and has a short beard. He found that the Crown Princess was more concerned about the livelihood of the people in the border areas, so he told her everything he knew.

Finally, Qingyang asked Zhang Jie, Zhang Jian, and Zhang Heng, father and son, simultaneously: "What are the rumors among the people about me being the crown princess? I want to hear the truth."

Zhang Jie was silent for a moment, then said, "The people of the capital all know that Your Highness is a top scholar and has made great contributions to the Northern Expedition. Most of them praise Your Highness."

What this means is that the Crown Princess has a very strong support among the people in the capital, and those who say something unpleasant are a minority.

Zhang Jian said, "Yunzhou is far from the capital, and the local people are more concerned about their immediate food and clothing. They don't discuss the crown prince's removal or enthronement much. However, I have visited the people in disguise, and because of your achievements in the Northern Expedition, the people often speak highly of you."

Zhang Heng smiled a rare smile and said, "When Your Highness first won a great victory in the Northern Expedition, the people of the north were filled with gratitude and submission to Your Highness. Even the girls on the street liked to dress up as princesses and female generals when playing."

Qingyang, who had always looked calm, smiled upon hearing this and told Zhang Jian and Zhang Heng, "I can gather some information from the capital. Jinzhou and Yunzhou are too far away. If there's any controversy between officials and the public, please inform me immediately."

The two of them bowed and accepted the order.

【Author’s words】

The short honeymoon is over, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~

P.S.: I am not an iron man, I always have moments of weakness, but I am also an iron man. As long as I can still write, I will keep writing stories for everyone to read. I will write what I love and love what I write. Good night, [Three-color cat head]