Chapter 63 Situation Worship
There was no one in Songjiang City who needed Prince Qi to entertain, so Gu Youan was sent to the bridal chamber. After the veil was lifted, he sat down to rest for a while. But after a while, Prince Qi, who had just left, came back.
Gu Youan was halfway through changing his clothes when he heard someone greeting him from outside. He asked, "Who's here?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The maids Xiaoyue and Xiaoju moved faster, but no matter how fast they moved, they could not be as fast as Prince Qi. Gu Youan was halfway through removing the red makeup on her face when she saw him in the mirror.
Gu Youan smiled and said, "Come to see me? Where are the guests outside?"
"The guests will be entertained by their own people, there is no need for me to show up."
Prince Qi was very happy today and had drunk some wine. His muscles and bones were relaxed, so he sat down lazily on the low couch under the window and watched the maid wipe his face.
Gu Youan looked at him through the mirror. He had just changed into a red and gold robe, which was very similar to the one he wore when he welcomed the bride. This robe had wide sleeves and a looser neckline, making him look more relaxed.
It was less majestic and more unrestrained, but she was satisfied no matter how she looked at it.
Prince Qi noticed her smiling eyes, and the two of them looked at each other in the mirror, which was quite interesting.
The two maids, Xiaoyue and Xiaoju, did not dare to raise their heads as they helped the princess wash her face and carefully removed the gorgeous headdress on her head.
"I don't need you. Just let me do it."
Prince Qi could no longer sit still, so he stood up and walked to her side. When Prince Qi came over, their eyes were still fixed on each other in the mirror.
Gu Youan smiled and said, "Your Highness Prince Qi also understands this?"
"I don't understand, but it shouldn't be difficult. Just don't look down on me, Your Highness, for I'm clumsy."
Gu Youan smiled and said, "Then you try. If you don't serve well, don't blame me for punishing you."
"Thank you, Princess, for giving me this opportunity."
The newlyweds flirted with each other as if no one was around. The maids serving them and the old women waiting at the door all smiled and retreated tactfully.
Xiaoyue and Xiaoju were the last to go out, gently closing the door.
The servants serving in the main courtyard all knew their master's habits, so without needing to be told, they all left the courtyard and retreated to the main courtyard gate.
The gatekeeper glanced into the yard from afar and could only see the big red lanterns under the eaves and the flickering candlelight in the new stained glass windows.
That night, the soft and lingering autumn wind blew across the towering mountains and rushed through the low ravines. Sometimes it roared and sometimes it gasped quietly, and the whole night passed like this.
The next day was a sunny day.
"What wonderful autumn weather!"
Before the masters got up, the backyard of Prince Qi's Mansion was already busy. Liu Ling, the chief eunuch, strolled to the kitchen, and Liu Zhong, his godson, naturally had to follow and serve him.
Zhang Er, the kitchen manager, saw them and his eyes lit up. He hurried over to greet them: "I pay my respects to the chief steward and the second steward."
Liu Ling smiled and waved his hand: "You are such a sweet talker, don't mention the Second Steward. Liu Zhong is not the Second Steward yet."
Liu Zhong smiled slightly and nodded: "Godfather is right, my son still needs to work harder."
Zhang Er smiled and said, "You two are the only ones who are so modest. Eunuch Liu is now the most popular person with the princess. If he is not the second steward of our palace, who else can be?"
Liu Ling was happy in his heart, but he said, "There is no such thing as a second steward in our palace. The master has never mentioned it, so naturally we cannot mention it either."
Liu Ling said this twice, and Zhang Er smiled and said, "Manager Liu is right. We will listen to you."
Zhang Er said to Liu Zhong, "Today is the first day. Although we have inquired about the princess's tastes, we are not as knowledgeable as you, her personal attendant. Can Eunuch Liu help us take a look later?"
Liu Zhong came over for this matter. He said, "The Gu family is originally from Yizhou Prefecture, and the princess's taste is also close to that area. She likes light and tasty meals in the morning, and the flavors are not too strong."
Zhang Er led the way to the kitchen, saying as he walked, "We prepared it according to this taste. We're not sure about the side dishes to go with the porridge."
Liu Zhong went to do something busy, and Liu Ling was impatient to leave, so he asked someone to bring him a table and chairs. The weather was good today, so he asked him to sit here and get some fresh air.
After a while, Liu Zhong came out of the kitchen and reported, "Godfather, my son has gone to the main courtyard to work. Please sit here and rest for a while. After breakfast, go back to your own room."
Liu Ling waved his hand and said, "Go and do your own thing. Serve the master well."
"Why."
When Liu Zhong arrived at the main courtyard gate, he saw that the maids and servants were waiting outside the gate, and Xu Zhi, the prince's long-time attendant, was eating a bowl of noodles.
Xu Zhi finished a bowl of noodles in a few gulps, even drinking up all the soup in the bowl, and sighed contentedly: "Liu Zhong, would you like a bowl too?"
"besides?"
"Yes, there were some leftover dishes from the wedding banquet yesterday. One of them was a braised golden pig's trotter, and the side dish was stewed peas that had been stewed until they were sandy. I asked someone to save two bowls of them. This morning I cooked a pot of noodles and poured the flavorful pea puree on it. It was so delicious."
Liu Zhong felt hungry after hearing what Xu Zhi said, and he glanced into the main courtyard.
Xu Zhi chuckled and whispered, "Don't worry. The master will definitely not get up early this morning. I think we may have to wait until noon."
Liu Zhong glared at him: "How dare you talk nonsense about the master's affairs?"
Xu Zhi was not afraid at all. He leaned over and said, "We are just talking between us brothers. How dare I say a word to others? Am I not afraid of death? How many heads do I have to chop off?"
Liu Zhong's face remained sullen: "You can't tell our family either."
"Yes, yes, it's my fault for not keeping my mouth shut. Do you want some pea noodles?"
"eat."
Liu Zhong went to the corner room outside the gatehouse to eat two bowls of pea noodles, rinsed his mouth, wiped his face, and when he arrived at the main courtyard gate, the maids and servants who served the princess had all arrived.
Xiaoju looked at the sky. If she were at home, the young lady would have gotten up by now.
Zheng Er's wife went outside to ask for more water. At two quarters past noon, the crisp sound of golden bells rang out in the main courtyard, and the maids and old women hurried into the house to serve.
Xiaoyue and Xiaoju entered the house first. The first thing they did was to open all the doors and windows to let the wind blow into the house. The layers of gauze curtains in the bedroom swayed in the wind.
The servants in the room suddenly heard the prince say from behind the gauze curtain: "You like to blow the wind so much, where is the etiquette?"
Gu Youan yawned lazily, "According to the rules in Yizhou Prefecture, the first thing to do when you wake up in the morning is to open the doors and windows for ventilation."
Prince Qi chuckled softly and said, "You've been in Songjiang City for a while now. The winter wind in Songjiang City is so cold that it's unbearable. Do you have ventilation?"
"Let's ventilate the room for a while. It's been stuffy all night and there's a bit of a bad smell. Let's ventilate it and it'll make you feel refreshed and comfortable."
While the newlyweds were talking, the maid had already pulled the gauze curtains to the sides, revealing the carved step-out bed in the innermost room.
The couple came out in their pajamas. Prince Qi waved his hand and Xu Zhi hurriedly brought over two cups of warm tea. Prince Qi drank one and gave the other to Gu Youan.
"Tea?"
Xu Zhi hurriedly said, "It's clear tea, not too strong. The prince likes to drink a cup in the morning to wake up."
Gu Youan picked up the tea and drank it, then turned to King Qi and said, "If you must drink it, switch to black tea. Drinking green tea so early in the morning is harmful to your health."
Prince Qi didn't care about these things and only told Xu Zhi: "Listen to the princess."
"yes."
The servants serving in the room held their breath. The princess had changed the prince's habit of many years with just one sentence. Everyone should know what it meant.
The princess must be served like a prince and must not be neglected.
It is obvious that the newlyweds have a good relationship. They got along well before marriage and after marriage... they are also very harmonious. They are not picky people, so some living habits are easy to adjust to.
According to the rules, on the first day of the wedding, everyone in the mansion had to kowtow to the master. After breakfast, the couple sat together and received the worship of all the servants in the mansion, and gave them rewards. The morning was over.
In the afternoon, the couple went back to their room to rest for an hour, and then went to the study together. They ordered Xu Zhi and Liu Zhong to guard outside the door and not allow anyone to disturb them.
Outside the house, Xu Zhi secretly winked at Liu Zhong: You are so awesome! The maids and wives that the princess brought from her parents' home are not as important as you, Liu Zhong.
Liu Zhong's mouth curled up slightly. This was his advantage.
He was a eunuch with no ties and lived under the control of his master. As long as he was loyal and capable, his master would not fail to use him.
The master's personal maids and wives have their uses, and Liu Zhong also has his uses. It is his blessing that the master chose him to be the leader.
Liu Zhong stood out among the servants serving the princess, and a lot of gossip spread among the servants of the Gu family who followed the princess. Anyway, there was no shortage of people who were trying to stir up trouble.
Wang Quan and his wife finally came to Prince Qi's mansion with Gu Youan as their dowry. Wang Quan's wife, Sister Wei, was worried and warned Xiaoju carefully, "Don't listen to their instigation. We are the young lady's dowry, and no matter what, we are the most trusted people in front of her."
Xiaoju knew, and she smiled and said, "Don't worry about me. I just want to see who is trying to stir up trouble with me. I'll write it down and tell the young lady later."
Mrs. Wei was surprised: "I didn't expect that a girl like you would become so cunning."
Xiaoju smiled and said, "It's not all my idea. Xiaoyue taught me."
Sister Wei said, "Xiaoyue is smart. She's trying to get close to you to show her loyalty to our young lady. You don't need to argue with her. She's there for the young lady to serve. The more helpful she is, the less worry our young lady will have."
Xiaoju nodded vigorously: "I know, I will learn from her and become as capable as her in the future."
"She's a smart girl."
On the first day that Gu Youan married into Prince Qi's Mansion, everyone in the mansion was watching her. The male and female servants and guards had several fights with each other, but Gu Youan didn't take it to heart. These trivial matters were not worth her worry.
The couple rested for two days. When it was time to return to their parents' home on the third day of the lunar year, they went back to Gu's house and then went to the North Mountain to pay homage to Queen Meng.
On this day, the gate of Tianyi Temple was wide open, and the abbot, Taoist Li, and his disciple Li Xuanyue were waiting at the door to greet them.
Taoist Priest Li smiled when he saw the couple and said, "What did I say? When you two first met at my Tianyi Temple, I knew you were destined to be together. I've waited so long all these years, and finally, you two came up the mountain together."
The couple looked at each other. If their memory was correct, Taoist Li should not have said this, right?
Taoist Priest Li laughed heartily: "None of this is important. Since you are here, please enter and offer three sticks of incense to the Three Pure Ones."
"It should be."
The couple first burned incense to the Three Pure Ones, knelt three times and bowed nine times before going to the tomb of Queen Meng on the right side of Tianyi Temple.
From the bottom of his heart, Prince Qi respected and loved his mother very much. After death, it was like a light going out. Coming to pay tribute several times a year would also fulfill their mother-son relationship.
After paying homage to Queen Meng, the couple returned to Tianyi Temple hand in hand. When they were about to go down the mountain, snow began to fall.
The couple both thought of the snow when they first met. It seemed as if they were really destined to be together.
"The snow fell early this year."
"That's great! If the snow gets thicker, there won't be a shortage of water next year."
A heavy snowfall is a welcome relief, and the situation in the northern grasslands and the Luoyang court will change slightly.
Everything that happens seems to be beneficial to the couple.
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