Chapter 28 The palace has been quite lively lately, why...

The palace has been bustling lately. The entire He family has returned to the capital from Tajiang, and the barbarians have all been captured.

From then on, the "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" map of Dabei expanded into a new section, infusing it with new blood and strength.

This joyous occasion greatly boosted the morale of the entire court, and the emperor himself was all smiles for several days, becoming much more amiable during court sessions.

The main force behind this matter is not only Crown Prince Shen Jizhao, but also the He family, who are also key figures who have contributed a lot and deserve a great reward. Coincidentally, the annual Cold Clothes Festival is just around the corner, so this festival will be extremely grand, and the palace is making preparations in full swing.

The Eastern Palace was also extremely busy. For a time, everyone in the Eastern Palace was on high alert, working non-stop. Shen Jizhao even vanished without a trace, and you couldn't even see a corner of his clothes.

Logically speaking, the busiest person in the entire Eastern Palace should be Jiang Shuifu, as all matters, big and small, have to go through her hands.

But things are different now. Right now, she's hiding in some secret corner, holding Weiwei tightly.

Weiwei is the nine-tailed fox brought back from the hunting grounds. The emperor planned to have the nine-tailed fox appear on that day to bring blessings to the newly conquered Dabei, hoping to unify the world in the future.

There has always been a legend that if a country is to prosper and its surname to remain forever, the best way is to find an auspicious omen and offer its blood as a sacrifice.

Therefore, on the day of the palace banquet, the emperor would take out his precious sword, cut off the nine colorful tails of the tail to collect nine drops of blood, and then mix them with his own blood.

Jiang Shuifu was shocked and saddened when she learned of this feudal rumor based on bloodshed. Just because of a baseless and unfounded legend, an innocent life was to be harmed.

Since there's been less strict control over Weiwei these past few days, she's been coming to see it more often.

"Weiwei, you're not happy, are you?"

Weiwei has lost a lot of weight. Although it is fed the best food every day, it has completely lost its freedom and can only be kept in a cage specially made for it. If it jumps even one step, it will be caught.

Jiang Shuifu kept stroking Yan Dada, whose body was curled up in a ball. It obediently lay down beside her legs, looking at her with a wronged and pleading look in its eyes, hoping to get her salvation.

Jiang Shuifu kept comforting it, "Don't be afraid, Weiwei. If you're really scared, just cry. I'll wipe your tears for you."

Being in the royal family, she had no power to stop many things. She was just a high-level beast kept in captivity. In some ways, their fates were the same.

She used to cry a lot. When she cried her heart out, her father would buy her things she liked to comfort her, and Pan Tao would cry with her. As for Shen Jizhao... well, let's not talk about it.

Over the years, she has always wiped away her own tears. She actually hopes that one day a pair of warm hands will wipe away all her unhappiness and tell her that she can cry as much as she wants, and that he will always collect her precious tears.

At this moment, Jiang Shuifu deeply regretted her meddling.

If she hadn't barged into the hunting grounds and rescued Shen Jizhao, Weiwei wouldn't have been disturbed, wouldn't have lost its home, and wouldn't have been imprisoned as a so-called auspicious omen. It wouldn't have had to pay a painful price, both physically and mentally, because of the title imposed on it by this ignorant human.

Seeing Jiang Shuifu's guilty expression, the peaches nearby immediately tried to divert her attention:

"Your Highness, let's go back quickly. It's almost time for dinner. Besides, our aunts are coming to ask Your Highness for advice."

Jiang Shuifu no longer does everything herself. There are eunuchs and aunts in charge of the Eastern Palace. It would be a waste of manpower not to assign them some work. She doesn't care much about the lower-level matters. Only major issues that she is unsure about are reported to her.

Jiang Shuifu got up to return to the palace, and suddenly remembered the questions Shen Jizhao had asked her a few nights ago. After telling her the rumors circulating in the city, he stated his intentions:

"I just want to remind you that you and I are one. We share honor and disgrace. Don't forget my bottom line."

He was warning her not to do anything that violated the rules or her status, and not to cross the line that the royal family had strictly established and enforced for thousands of years. If she did, she would be wrong, and it would embarrass him and ruin his reputation.

Shen Jizhao always puts his interests first. He cannot accept that she has smeared his flawless status as crown prince, and he will never forgive her for giving the princes a handle to fight for the crown prince position, no matter the reason or whether she has been wronged.

Jiang Shuifu scoffed. Those scoundrels were really shameless, resorting to underhanded tricks to try and overwhelm her with rumors.

Perhaps they were certain that Shen Jizhao was too strict with rules, knowing that he would rather kill a hundred innocent people than let one guilty person go free, and that if there was any rumor, she would be punished.

The peaches comforted her, saying that without evidence, what could they do to her?

Jiang Shuifu originally thought so too, which is why she dared to use the most primitive means to retaliate. But more than ten days have passed, and the matter has only gotten worse and worse, eventually reaching Shen Jizhao, who was focused on his political affairs and oblivious to what was going on outside.

She inexplicably felt that something was wrong.

It must be said that Jiang Shuifu's intuition was accurate. The moment she stepped into the East Palace, Shen Jizhao received an apology gift from the noble ladies who had spread the rumors.

The noble ladies all had their elders respectfully present them with gifts of apology.

These elders were all prominent figures in the court. Some were genuinely afraid of offending the Crown Prince and sent gifts to ask him not to take offense. Others were from other factions and sent gifts in a grand and ostentatious manner, as if they wanted everyone to know.

This further solidified her conviction.

Jiang Shuifu wasn't afraid. After all, she already had many skills, and the only additional charge was that she was unworthy of Shen Jizhao.

Shen Jizhao, let whoever wants to be his match, she's not worthy of him anyway.

However, she turned and headed out of the palace. Shen Jizhao would definitely come to punish her later, and she might not be able to go out for quite a while. She had to have a good time.

Sure enough, when she returned to the Eastern Palace, all the apology gifts had been moved to her Bihua Palace, which was already a verdict against her.

However, he did not appear, perhaps because he was too busy or unable to attend to other matters. It wasn't until the Cold Clothes Festival arrived that Jiang Shuifu saw him again.

Jiang Shuifu looked stunning today, adorned from head to toe with jewels. Her makeup was no longer as understated as before, with rosy cheeks highlighting her exquisite beauty.

After not seeing her for so long, Shen Jizhao was somewhat dazed when he saw her.

All the sunlight poured down on her, dappled light and shadow enveloping her entire body, as if giving her a golden-orange halo. She stood there, a dazzling presence.

In an instant, he heard the entanglement of young boys and girls. Gu Yuanji said, "Don't follow me. I'm from your older brother's generation. Also, I don't take in younger sisters."

He cut off her hopes without giving her any chance. Most women would never continue after hearing such resolute words, but Jiang Shuifu was clearly not an ordinary person.

She grinned, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons, sparkling brightly, and blurted out, "I'm so happy you don't want me to be your little sister! You're so beautiful, we're a perfect match!"

The first time Shen Jizhao saw her that year, their eyes met briefly in the crowd, but that one glance was not enough for her.

From then on, he and she were like an inseparable spring stream, constantly separated and then reunited.

Five years have passed since then.

It turns out she occupied such a long period of his life, from his childhood to adulthood.

Jiang Shuifu walked up to him, and he blurted out something out of the blue:

“Madam, I am of your elder brother’s generation. You may call me brother, but only in the bedroom.”

There were too many people in other places, and he didn't want others to hear him.

Jiang Shuifu's eyes widened. Had this man been possessed? He was getting aroused with every step he took! He wanted her to call him "brother" in bed? He was quite the player!

She pretended to be dizzy and took the opportunity to step on his foot, leaving a clean footprint on his boot.

Shen Jizhao's expression changed quickly, her brows furrowing into a deep frown. She secretly chuckled to herself, then ignored him and walked away alone.

As she walked, her hand was suddenly grabbed from behind. Before she could break free, she heard the man's stern voice: "You don't need to say anything later, understand?"

Jiang Shuifu didn't know what he meant, and she didn't think much about it. But he held her very tightly, as if afraid that she would pull away.

She went with him because, in front of others, they had to play the role of a harmonious and loving couple, as they had always done.

The banquet was extremely grand, and the magnificent palace was so dazzling that it made one dizzy.

When they entered the hall, Shen Jizhao held her hand the whole time, walking from the entrance to the very front, under the watchful eyes of countless ministers and their wives.

It was Jiang Shuifu's first time acting like this, and she was still a little uncomfortable. All eyes were on her hands as she and Shen Jizhao were intertwined, while the Empress smiled with a loving expression.

Only after learning that the bracelet was a gift from the Empress did she seem to realize her true identity: she was a member of the royal family, the mother of the Crown Prince, and in the future, the Empress Dowager.

Jiang Shuifu was chosen as the legal wife by her, and all of Shen Jizhao's future support will come through her.

She wouldn't blame her, because she hadn't done anything wrong. But Jiang Shuifu would also learn to be a member of the royal family. She nodded and smiled.

Once everyone had arrived, the emperor began to speak:

"The Crown Prince has arrived. My beloved ministers, please take your seats."

The emperor's words were blatant favoritism; of all the princes, he only mentioned one, while the rest of the princes gritted their teeth and swallowed their anger.

The Fifth Prince appeared relatively normal, a smile on his face, but inwardly he was secretly plotting against Shen Jizhao. Wait a minute…

Seeing how much the emperor favored Shen Jizhao, everyone began to praise him, with the Fifth Prince being the first to speak:

"The Crown Prince is a prodigy of our Great Bei. In the battle of Tajiang, he took the enemy's head in less than three months and drove out the tribes that invaded our borders. Now the people are all praising the Crown Prince's achievements. The Crown Prince's prestige has reached new heights. We brothers are truly ashamed! We are not even a tenth as good as him!"

The Fifth Prince's faction received the signal and followed suit:

"Yes, yes, the Crown Prince is truly a lucky star for our Great Bei. The common people have even woven his great achievements into poems. In just a few years, Great Bei has already shown the signs of becoming a hegemon. The Crown Prince's contribution is indispensable!"