4 Entering the Palace
◎From now on, don’t look back◎
The two of them slept together in the cool September breeze and drizzle. Because they were attacked, they could only make do on the roadside today, and no one else thought there was anything wrong with it.
Xue Ji was not annoyed. Instead, he had an indescribable patience towards Rong Qianyu, like a cat playing with a mouse.
The next day he did not change into new clothes as usual, which shocked and surprised the palace maids and eunuchs present.
He was famous for his love of cleanliness. He would change his clothes if there was even a stain on them, and they had to be fumigated and ironed clean before he could wear them. Now he had worn the same clothes for two days, which was simply unprecedented.
"Young sir, Master Xue hasn't gotten up yet?" a young palace maid asked Qingyun.
Qingyun replied, "My lord caught a cold and was caught in the rain yesterday. Let him have a good sleep first. It won't be too late to rest and continue our journey."
The little palace maid didn't leave. Instead, she said thoughtfully, "It's a good thing that you and the princess are so different in status. If it were an ordinary couple, I'm afraid the in-laws would have canceled the engagement."
Qingyun has been with Xue Ji for at least seven or eight years. Although he is young, he has learned some tricks in dealing with people, and he doesn't like the trend of blindly following others in the palace.
He looked at the little maid calmly, his tone calm but full of rebuke, "Don't gossip about others. Go and deliver the clothes to Her Royal Highness the Princess. Be careful what you say, or the adults will hear you. I will throw you to the Animal Taming Department to feed the wild dogs. I can't protect you!"
The little palace maid was a little dissatisfied, but she answered honestly, "Yes!" After being scolded in an unpleasant way, she hurriedly went to deliver clothes to Rong Qianyu.
Inside the tent, the master and servant had just woken up in the morning. Rong Pan was helping his master wash and dress. "Princess, Master Xue said that you can enter the palace in six or seven days. Then you can finally have a good rest."
After listening to Xue Ji's description last night, Rong Qianyu became even more uneasy about this one-way marriage.
He seemed more pessimistic than in the past few days. "Don't be too confident. We don't know what the situation will be like after entering the palace."
Rong Pan noticed her dazed look and asked, "Princess, what's wrong?"
Rong Qianyu was lost in thought, looking up at the withered tree outside the tent, its leaves all fallen, in a daze. "I, Yu Da Zhou, am just a princess from a humble country. To put it nicely, this is for the sake of diplomatic relations between our two countries. To put it bluntly, I was abandoned by my motherland and brought here as a hostage. How could he like me?"
Rong Pan knew she was worried but had no better words to comfort her, "Princess, you are overly worried."
She only knew a few words about the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou, but as a woman, she still felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
"The Crown Prince now has a Consort, who has given birth to a little princess. I heard he also has a woman who is unnamed and kept away from his wife. He also has countless beauties. How can I compare to them?"
It was the first time that Rong Pan heard that the prince already had a concubine and a child, and he was as shocked as his master.
I was just trying to comfort her with a few words, but now I'm completely speechless.
But now there is no turning back, we can only move forward and cannot retreat.
She tried to reassure Rong Qianyu in various ways, "But the Queen of the Great Zhou treated the princess very well. She gave her so many jewels, utensils, gifts, and silks. She treated the princess very well. And Lord Xue was also respectful and caring towards the princess. Don't think too much."
Rong Qianyu has been accustomed to the struggle for power since she was a child. For the sake of a position, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, uncles and nephews can go to war with each other. What ability does she have to guarantee that she can get away with it?
Her mother was a valuable person at that time. She was the childhood sweetheart of the Right Prime Minister and had a close relationship with her father since they were young.
But within these high walls, their deep affection ultimately vanished. While folk tales circulated of the late Empress and His Majesty's deep love and their match made in heaven, only she, the daughter, knew that her mother was a victim of this pursuit of fame and fortune, a woman her father had promised to grow old with, only to end up growing tired of each other and leaving two bodies behind.
She was afraid that her mother's tragedy would become her own future.
The square palace walls, and even the sky outside, are all square. To outsiders, they are as precious as gold and jade, but I am just walking from one cage to another, more gorgeous cage.
The fine clothes, delicious food and beautiful women that everyone envied were a cage that she could never escape from in her lifetime.
"At the moment, I still have some value, so she treats me with courtesy. But in the future, I will not be favored, so how can I bear her daily courtesy? My fate is in the hands of others. I can live in peace now, but if we disagree in the future, I will be at their mercy."
"Princess, there's no need to be so self-deprecating. A person's true character will be revealed over time. Even though the Crown Prince has a child, it doesn't necessarily mean he's bad to you."
Rong Qianyu paused for a long time, unable to utter any rebuttal. She said woodenly, "I hope so."
"We will arrive at the Imperial City in a few days, and the princess will be the Crown Princess of the Great Zhou. From now on, you don't have to worry about the people and things in Rong Kingdom anymore."
She knew what Rong Pan said, but with the lesson of the past right in front of her, how could she not sigh?
"I don't know when I'll be able to see Brother Xia Qing again."
As soon as she mentioned her childhood sweetheart from her homeland, Rong Pan immediately made a gesture to silence her.
"Princess, please forget all the right and wrong of Rong Kingdom from now on. This is the beginning of a new life. Behind you is the rise and fall of the entire Rong Kingdom, and the more than two million people who need to recuperate."
This is true. The most important thing for the friendly relations between two countries is to seek benefits and avoid harm and achieve coexistence. As long as the people of both sides can live and work in peace and the country can be prosperous, it is worth sacrificing a number of young girls.
Since ancient times, women in the royal family have had only two paths: either marry court officials to consolidate imperial power, or marry into other countries to maintain balance. Who would care about the thoughts of these tools?
I am sending my concubine to protect the country, but I don't know where to use the general. If I can sacrifice one person to ensure the stability of the country and the prosperity of the country, it is also a great merit.
They will only see the eternal peace brought about by the marriage and her infinite virtues recorded in history books.
But you can’t see a little girl who left her hometown, looking out in despair and helplessness, but she can’t even see the shadow of her homeland in her dreams.
"There are still over two million people in Rong Country who need to feed. How dare a princess from a small country disrespect me? My mother is overthinking it."
Fu Hua was very dissatisfied with his future wife. He looked down on the actions of Rong State, which only cared about peace and did not dare to go to war, but sent a princess to marry. He also looked down on the petty-mindedness of the princess of this small country.
Upon hearing his words, Empress Bai Yi immediately reprimanded him, "Nonsense! You're a father, yet you're still so careless. Your mother naturally made many inquiries before arranging this marriage for you. She's a miserable child. Her mother died when she was young, and her father didn't love her. Although she's a legitimate princess, she's not arrogant at all. Instead, she's kind and polite to others. A girl like this is the most sensible and loyal person, and the right choice for the position of Empress."
She is a dignified and serious person, a role model for all the women in the palace. She also truly likes Rong Qianyu and is willing to praise her more.
Hearing his son say this was naturally unpleasant, and no amount of persuasion would help.
He just hangs out with a bunch of flashy and mean friends all day long, and doesn't look like a crown prince at all.
But Fu Hua didn't care about that. "If the Queen Mother likes her so much, why don't you marry her yourself? You treat a wild girl like a treasure."
"What nonsense! This is your Crown Princess, the future Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Don't embarrass me! And don't go looking for those girls of yours anymore. They've all been bewitched. The Crown Prince should focus on government affairs and studies."
"I've handed all that over to Jiming!" Fu Hua said nonchalantly.
Bai Yi looked down on Xue Ji the most. She always felt that he was not up to the standard and looked down on her from the bottom of her heart. As a eunuch, he relied on his son's indulgence and became more and more daring to interfere in other people's affairs.
"I've said it before, how can you leave your own affairs to that eunuch? Do you know that eunuchs are harmful to the country? How many dynasties have been ruined because of them? If eunuchs interfere in government, the monarchy will lose power, and then you will be nothing but a figurehead!"
Every time he wanted to reason with his son, he would always refuse with various reasons. However, Xue Ji only wanted to get promoted and make money, and then quietly arrange flowers and drink tea. He had no interest in interfering with the imperial power.
"Mother, I'm leaving first." After saying this, he left in a leisurely manner.
"What are you doing again?" Bai Yi scolded him.
Fu Hua, however, was unconcerned and said excitedly, "A pony disembarked at Shanglinyuan today. It's all black and shiny. It looks really good. I'll go take a look."
"Stop," she pulled Fu Hua back. "How long has it been since you last visited Shu'er? The child was born with a deficiency and has always been in poor health. She fell ill again a few days ago. Even if you don't like Liang Di, the child is yours after all. You should have cared for her more and not act like a father at all."
This Shu'er is his eldest daughter and the first son of the crown prince of this dynasty. However, this child without the love of her father is always helpless. Although she is the eldest daughter, she is not favored, so Liangdi and her daughter have never been taken seriously.
It would be easy to deal with if Fu Hua was really greedy for money and lustful, but he was a calm person. No matter how beautiful or intelligent a person was, if he didn't like them, he just didn't like them and was never willing to smile for even a moment.
This is also what the queen is most worried about. If Rong Qianyu really marries, she will inevitably have to live the same life as Tan Liangdi.
After walking for six or seven days, they finally arrived at the imperial city of the Great Zhou. The imperial guards were already on full alert, and many people came to the roads on both sides, shouting "Long Live the King" and lining the streets to welcome them.
Flags were waving, people were gathering, drums and music were playing. It was a clear day and the marriage procession entered the city in a mighty procession.
The common people have not experienced such a grand wedding scene for a long time. Although the princess will not be made a consort immediately, it is a foregone conclusion.
The prince was handsome and well-read, and in the eyes of the common people, they were a perfect match made in heaven.
The stories that have been widely circulated since ancient times are about fairies and scholars, and the true love and dedication of women are what move heaven and earth.
At this moment, Fu Hua was not waiting for the future bride in the palace, and no matter how earnestly the queen tried to persuade him, it was of no avail.
Apart from his good looks and a little cleverness, he was mediocre in other aspects. He didn't like reading, but was very good at pursuing women and having affairs with prostitutes.
The queen could be so spoiled because she had a son at an older age. She had been married for more than eight years before she had a son. She had held him in the palm of her hand since he was a child and dared not let him get hurt in any way.
This is why he has the willful personality he has today.
The emperor and empress led the ministers and stood in front of the hall to welcome Rong Qianyu to Da Zhou.
She was wearing a bright red brocade skirt with scattered flowers and colorful phoenix patterns, and her hair was adorned with pearl and jade hairpins and a lotus-shaped flower ornament on her forehead, which made her look even more beautiful and graceful.
Xue Ji was wearing a bright red Luo Feiyu suit today, which made his skin look even whiter, even a little pale. He wore an official hat, held Rong Qianyu's hand, and walked step by step to the front of the hall.
This was the first time he held her hand, and it was nothing. No one thought that eunuchs were men, so no one thought it was inappropriate.
This was also the first time Rong Qianyu saw him dressed so formally. The gorgeous clothes made his upright posture stand out even more.
She would always steal a few glances at him from time to time, and her tassels would move slightly. Sometimes Xue Ji would notice it, but he didn't say much.
In his opinion, the princess was just like a cat and a mouse to him, fun to play with and no one cared about her.
The staircase was high, covered with long red silk, and flowers were scattered all over the ground. The deep sound of chimes filled the air, and the guests and the people were all eagerly looking forward to it. Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there have been few such lively and festive occasions.
Rong Qianyu is dressed up today and looks incredibly beautiful. Her appearance is fresh, graceful and restrained, like tea that needs to be savored carefully. But despite such a peaceful face, it is difficult to hide the sadness on her face.
Her head was covered with jewels, which gave her a headache. The pearls and hairpins on her head would jingle if she moved a little.
She tried to turn her head away, but didn't dare to be too obvious.
Xue Ji lowered his eyes slightly, listening to her Zhu Cui swaying back and forth, and saw the clue. He pinched Rong Qianyu's hand, which was already sweating from nervousness. It was a little soft and slippery, and it was very small in his hand. He said softly: "Your Highness, don't worry. From now on, don't look back."
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