Lu Zong's hands, tucked into his sleeves, were clenched tightly, yet felt utterly powerless, which only fueled his growing frustration and anger.
The third princess showed him no pity whatsoever, and threw another sentence at him, "One of us is heartless and unfilial, and the other is two-faced, so we're a perfect match. So let's torment each other for the rest of our lives and not think about harming others."
Bystanders?
Lu Zong's pupils contracted, and he didn't say another word.
After they came out of Kunning Palace, the Third Princess sent Eunuch Feng to the Imperial Study to inform him that she was about to leave the palace.
As the two walked to the corner of the path, they ran into the Crown Prince.
The prince held the snow-white little fox and was wiping the water droplets off its back with a handkerchief, completely disregarding the dirt on his clothes.
Upon seeing the Third Princess and her husband arrive, he smiled and said, "Father is busy, so he asked me to see you off. You should come back often in the future. Father may not say it, but he misses you terribly."
The third princess's expression softened slightly as she replied, "Alright, Crown Prince. I've finally moved out. I'll have to trouble you to take good care of Father Emperor from now on."
As she spoke, she took the little fox, teased it a couple of times, and laughed, "Where did San Tiao go to play? It's all wet. No wonder it didn't want to leave the palace with me; it's found someone to rely on."
She weighed the three foxes in her hands, tapped one on the forehead and scolded it, "You greedy little fox, if you get any fatter, you'll be just like a pig."
The three foxes shrank back and pretended to be dead. They'd heard too many people say it'd gotten fat lately, and the foxes were already exhausted. They wouldn't make a difference if the third princess came along!
The third princess sighed helplessly, stroking the fox fur as she walked, occasionally exchanging a few words with the crown prince.
Upon reaching the palace gate, the little fox jumped into the prince's arms and raised its neck.
The prince skillfully rubbed its neck, showing extreme affection.
The little fox comfortably swayed its fluffy tail, completely oblivious to the fact that there was something wrong with treating a prince of a country as a servant!
Lu Zong, however, couldn't hold back any longer and asked a question.
"Isn't this little fox the princess's? Why is it being raised by the crown prince?"
The Crown Prince smiled faintly and replied, "Does it make any difference whether I raise them here or the Princess raises them?"
Lu Zong's face instantly darkened.
The Third Princess was delighted, and without hesitation added insult to injury, "Consort, it's time to return to the Princess's residence!"
Lu Zong closed his eyes tightly.
Prince Consort!
Princess's Residence!
A man of dignity, reduced to a woman's subservience!
He was no longer the crown prince, no longer the third-ranked scholar, but simply... the princess's husband!
In the sweltering summer heat, these realizations he had been avoiding suddenly struck him like a hammer, plunging him into a freezing prison! The Third Princess sneered, ignoring him, and nodded to Caiyun and the others.
Caiyun and the others immediately stepped forward, surrounding the prince consort as they walked forward until they boarded the carriage.
Lu Feng had been isolated outside the princess's residence for three days. He was waiting at the palace gate, hoping to see his master. However, before he could go forward, he was blocked by the guards with swords.
He didn't say a word to his master until the carriage had driven far away.
If he dared to rush forward, those guards would not hesitate to draw their swords and kill him!
These five hundred guards were personally selected by the Emperor and sent to protect the Third Princess.
He shows no respect to anyone and only obeys the Third Princess.
Even the crown prince cannot give orders.
This is the confidence and authority that the royal family gives to their daughter!
As the sun began to set, the guests at the Li family's house reluctantly took their leave.
Old Mrs. Jia was a little weak, but she still held Old Mrs. Li's hand and kept saying, "Little sister, we agreed to get together again in a few days. You can't not come, I haven't talked to you enough yet."
"Don't worry, I'm still looking forward to trying your favorite Huaiyang cuisine. I'll definitely come find you." Old Mrs. Li said with a smile, helping Old Mrs. Jia walk outside.
Tao Hongying accompanied Madam Jia, Madam Liu, and Madam Xing. Seeing that there were no outsiders around, she lowered her voice and reminded them, "After you go back, if you have nothing to do, tidy up the house. There will be news from the palace tonight or tomorrow, and it will probably be quiet for a while."
News from the palace?
A period of quiet?
Madam Liu and Madam Jia guessed the reason almost immediately, but Madam Xing, who was not often out and about and was not well-informed, was a little slow to react.
Wan'er stepped forward, took her mother's arm, and whispered a few words of explanation.
Madam Xing's expression changed, and she quickly nodded.
Jiayin brought Shuiling and Shuiyun along, and they were packing return gifts.
The family's fleet brought back scallops, dried abalone, fish maw, and other seafood from the south, as well as fresh sea fish, shrimp, and crabs, and chilled baskets of lychees, peaches, jade melons, and golden fruits.
Madam Liu and the others were astonished, feeling that the gifts they had sent were too flimsy.
Putting aside how precious these dried goods and seafood are, just take the fruits for example. These jade melons and golden fruits are specially reserved for the people of Suijintan, and they are simply not available on the market.
Those juicy peaches, as big as bowls, would probably be hard to find even if the managers of each household insisted on buying them.
The most precious fruit is the lychee. Every year, it is transported from the south by fast horses. Each lychee is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. Only high-ranking officials of the six ministries know what it tastes like.
If it weren't for the princess planting them here, they probably wouldn't even know what lychees look like.
After loading the basket of lychees onto the car, they wouldn't want to eat them all themselves; they would definitely give away most of them as gifts.
Perhaps, it can also help solidify or expand the family's network of contacts...
Even though they were very grateful, no one refused to accept their thanks.
Firstly, they genuinely needed it, and secondly, they didn't want to disappoint the Li family.
But the first thing they did after returning home was to take out their most treasured possessions and deliver them to the Li family before it got completely dark.
It wasn't gold or silver treasures, but rather the finest light gauze fabric, cool and beautiful, specifically designed for Jiayin to make a dress.
As expected, the Li family readily accepted the money, and Wan'er even planned to make several dresses for her sister-in-law overnight.
When Li Lao Er, Mr. Wen, Jia Huan, Jia An, and others returned, the servants of the families had just left.
The courtyard was filled with the aroma of food, clearly indicating that Tao Hongying had just finished preparing dinner.
The family sat around the table, eating and chatting. After the table was cleared away, the maids and servants were sent off to eat, and the courtyard was now filled with their own people.
The group then sat under the eaves, eating lychees while discussing important matters.
Li Lao Er asked, "An Ge'er, how did the Emperor react when you went to the palace to deliver lychees?"
When Jia'an went to the yamen, he brought two baskets of lychees with him and entered the palace first, giving no one else a chance to find fault with the Li family.
At times like these, one must be cautious, as rumors can sometimes be sharper than knives.
What if someone says that the Li family is disrespectful, giving lychees to relatives and friends but not offering them as tribute to the emperor? Are relatives and friends more important than the emperor?
Even if things are clarified in the end, trouble is inevitable.
Jia'an nodded and replied in a low voice, "Second Uncle, don't worry, the Emperor seems to be in good spirits. Perhaps he is waiting for the Third Princess to enter the palace, because the Emperor didn't say much to me. He only told me to discuss with Shangguan first to write a memorial, and then submit it during the grand court assembly."
My darlings, only one update today. I'm spending the holiday with the kids and can't write anything.
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