On the official road from Jiangzhou to the capital, Qin Chuan lay in the royal carriage, his head resting between the Empress's legs, pretending to be asleep. The Empress used her slender fingers to stroke his face, occasionally touching it, and a playful smile appeared on her beautiful face.
"Qin Lang..."
Qin Chuan pretended to be asleep and did not respond to her gentle calls.
Throughout the journey, he was filled with doubt. What exactly did Ruyan and he have talked about that could make her make such a big concession and even promise to bring Ruyan to the palace after she gave birth...
It's a pity, though; it seems the two of them reached some kind of agreement, and neither of them revealed it, as if it were some huge secret...
Five days later, Qin Chuan, the Empress, Su Rushi, and the little princess and her daughter returned to the capital together.
Qin Chuan was taken to the Weiyang Palace's sleeping quarters by the Empress.
Su Rushi and the young princess went to the Prince of Yan's residence first. All the servants of the Prince of Jingbei's residence were dismissed. Returning to the desolate place, Su Rushi's mood would probably be even lower...
When the young princess asked to stay at the Prince of Yan's residence, the Empress glanced at the mother and daughter and felt sorry for the orphan and widow, so she agreed and sent five palace maids to take care of their daily lives...
"Why did you bring me here, Li'er?"
Qin Chuan saw the screen, beaded curtain, canopy, and pink dragon bed in the Empress's bedroom once again. This time, without waiting for her instructions, he walked in as if he knew the way well and sat down on an embroidered stool.
"My husband, sit on my bed, let me take a good look at you..."
The Empress smiled and pulled Qin Chuan up, and the two sat together on the dragon bed.
Qin Chuan was surprised that she was calling him "husband" so soon, even before they had held a wedding ceremony.
"Someone, bring water so that the Prince of Yan can wash his face."
The Empress gave the order, and the female officials Wan Chun and Mu Xia personally fetched warm water. The golden basin was placed on a golden nanmu wood stand some distance from the dragon bed. Then, Wan Chun used the Empress's extremely soft silk towel to prepare to wash the Prince of Yan's face.
The Empress's phoenix eyes turned cold the moment she saw Wan Chun's face so close to Qin Chuan's. She snatched the towel away and said, "Get out of here. I'll do it myself..."
Wan Chun was stunned for a moment. His Majesty was personally serving someone else?
This is unprecedented...
However, since His Majesty has spoken, it is an imperial decree and must be obeyed.
Wan Chun carefully stepped aside and stood respectfully with a bow.
Muxia took the towel from the Empress with both hands, walked to the golden basin, washed it again with water, and then returned it to the Empress with both hands.
The Empress held a towel in her slender hands and wiped Qin Chuan's face. With her delicate eyelashes fluttering, she took the opportunity to lightly kiss his lips.
Qin Chuan, provoked by her teasing, couldn't help but hug her soft and graceful waist tightly, wishing he could have sex with her right then and there...
Because of the presence of palace maids, he merely held her tightly, not daring to make any further moves...
"Alright, my husband, it's clean now."
The Empress tossed the towel to Mu Xia, then shifted slightly in Qin Chuan's arms. Suddenly, as if she had discovered something extraordinary, her phoenix eyes widened and she blinked, "You..."
"Shh, Second Brother is being disobedient. Let's talk about serious matters."
Qin Chuan put his finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture and looked at the Empress.
When he said "Second brother is disobedient," both Wan Chun and Mu Xia, the two palace maids who served him, lowered their heads, their expressions ambiguous.
The Empress glanced at Qin Chuan's lower garment with amusement, a mischievous smile on her face, and said, "The important thing is that we set the wedding date and get your second brother to behave as soon as possible..."
The second half of the sentence was spoken in a very low voice, almost inaudible.
"Li'er is so naughty..."
Qin Chuan scratched her waist and grinned mischievously.
"Oh dear, my husband, please don't do this, it tickles..."
...
The next morning, the court session began.
The Empress officially announced her marriage to the Prince of Yan, ordering officials from the Ministry of Rites to select the nearest auspicious day and allocating 50,000 taels of silver from the national treasury to handle the matter.
Inside the imperial court, the officials whispered among themselves.
"Your Majesty and the Prince of Yan have still come to this..."
"Your Majesty possesses unparalleled beauty, and the Prince of Yan is like a god, achieving feats unmatched in the past thousand years. Your Majesty and the Prince of Yan are indeed a match made in heaven!"
"Back then, the Prince of Yan was just a commoner, yet he became famous throughout the land for his poetry. Later, he rescued refugees, reformed the court, helped those in distress, and brought peace to the world. This is his civil administration. Then he drove out the Japanese pirates and destroyed the Southern Xiongnu. This is his military prowess. A man of such great talent as the Prince of Yan, who possesses both civil and military achievements, is truly a celestial being!"
"That's right. This wedding should have been a grand affair, a celebration for the whole country. But His Highness the Prince of Yan said it was inappropriate to waste money and resources on the people. This shows that the Prince of Yan loves his people like his own children, and is very loyal to me!"
"..."
Without the presence of the left and right prime ministers, the court was free from factional strife and quarrels, and a harmonious atmosphere prevailed. All the officials were focused on getting things done, and the entire court became more efficient and peaceful.
As a result, officials from various departments coveted the vacant positions of Left and Right Chancellor, but none of them made it too obvious.
The ministers unanimously approved of the marriage between the Empress and the Prince of Yan, without any objection.
The only suggestion I would make is to hold the wedding in a grander way, and even invite delegations from diplomatic allies such as Loulan, Nanyue, and the Western Regions to attend.
The empress had no such intention, so the ministers stopped making suggestions.
...
Officials from the Ministry of Rites chose March 19th as the date for the wedding.
According to the rules, the two sides could not meet privately during the period leading up to the grand ceremony. Therefore, the Empress had to suppress her longing and wait ten days before meeting Qin Chuan again.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
