The next day, Emperor Jingcheng went to the morning court early, while she waited in the palace for the little princess to arrive.
Azi was quite looking forward to it, after all, apart from Emperor Jingcheng who had no ill intentions towards her, there were only a few palace servants like Qinghe.
She felt terrible just looking at the women in the palace; the mere thought of them was unpleasant enough, let alone the thought of interacting with them.
She sat at her desk practicing Chinese characters, knowing that if she were to live here long-term, she would need to understand more about Central Plains culture. After several days of careful instruction from Emperor Jingcheng, her writing had become quite impressive.
Time passed slowly, and finally someone came to report that Her Highness the Princess requested an audience.
Zheng San and Qing He accompanied A Zi out, and a bright and cheerful girl walked in, with a radiant smile on her face. She wore a girlish updo, and her long, black hair hung down naturally behind her, swaying with her steps, which was very lively.
The young girl wore a kingfisher feather hairpin in the shape of a peony, adorned with rubies, which looked quite beautiful. A delicate jade hairpin was also tucked diagonally to her right, adding a touch of playfulness to her appearance.
Azi greeted the girl with a smile, finding her extremely cute. She wore a moon-white robe with a light yellow collar, which perfectly matched her temperament.
Di Jinghan walked in gracefully and almost drooled when he saw his new sister-in-law, who was so beautiful she looked like a god. Luckily, he managed to control himself in time!
She couldn't afford to lose face in front of her beautiful sister-in-law; first impressions are extremely important!
She stepped forward, revealing a captivating smile: "Jinghan greets Empress Sister-in-law! You can call me Jinghan, or you can call me by my title, Changning."
Azi was touched by the girl's smile; it was a genuine smile she had rarely seen since entering the palace. This little princess seemed easy to get along with. She bent down to help her up: "Jinghan, come and sit down!"
Di Jinghan nodded happily, taking the opportunity to squeeze A Zi's hand, inwardly screaming! Her sister-in-law's little hands were so soft, her voice so sweet and gentle, and she smelled so good. Thinking this, she quietly leaned closer and took a deep breath when A Zi's back was turned.
Ahhhhh! My sister-in-law smells so good, she smells so sweet and soft all over!
She expressed her jealousy of her brother, but noted that he had good judgment, unlike the previous Nalan Yun'er who had a bad temper and only knew how to feign compliance. She had to avoid that woman every time she encountered her.
Qinghe looked at the princess's behavior with a strange expression. What's wrong with this princess? What's going on? She looked at Zheng San in confusion. Zheng San calmly shook his head, indicating that he was used to it and told her to relax.
Azi didn't notice her movements and led her inside.
The two sat on a soft couch in the side hall of the sleeping quarters, warming themselves by a charcoal fire. Soon, palace servants brought them hot tea and snacks, as well as many rare fruits that were hard to find at this time of year.
As Di Jinghan spoke, he held Azi's little hand warmly.
"Jinghan, have some hot tea and something to eat first. You must be freezing from the journey," Azi said with concern, pulling her hand away as she did so, her own hand almost going weak from Azi's grip.
Di Jinghan regretfully withdrew her hand, then picked up the pastries her beautiful sister-in-law handed her and happily began to eat. Seeing her enjoying the food, Azi smiled gently and subtly rotated her wrist.
The two chatted and ate snacks and fruit. They were both girls of the same age, so their conversation naturally revolved around food, toys, clothes, and other household items.
As Azi listened to Di Jinghan recount the amusing stories he encountered while traveling outside the palace, and how he described which shop in the capital had the most beautiful jewelry and clothes, the best cosmetics, and the most delicious food...
Once Di Jinghan started talking, she couldn't stop. Azi would occasionally ask questions and agree with her. Envy was evident in her eyes; the palace was so boring, she really wanted to go out and play.
Di Jinghan watched his beautiful sister-in-law with a longing expression, eating grapes while admiring her charm.
"Jinghan, are there really that many good things in the capital?"
"Of course, sister-in-law, why don't you talk to my brother and we go out for fun together? What do you say?"
Upon hearing this, Azi became happy: "Really! But he won't let me leave the palace on my own." As she said this, a hint of disappointment appeared on her face, and she absentmindedly fiddled with the grapes on the table.
Di Jinghan continued to stare at Azi, noticing her dejected expression and wondering how to comfort her, when he suddenly noticed faint red marks on her slender, fair neck.
Curious, she reached out to investigate: "Sister-in-law, why is your neck so red? Is there something there?"
Upon hearing this, Azi quickly covered her neck in embarrassment, her face flushed: "It's nothing, I must have accidentally scratched myself by a tree branch in the plum garden a couple of days ago."
Qinghe and Zheng San, who were standing to the side, kept their heads down, but upon reflection, they couldn't help but feel embarrassed for Azi. The two quickly led the palace servants out.
Upon hearing this, Di Jinghan nodded in confusion. In winter, everyone wears a cloak with a fluffy collar, so how could he be injured like this? My brother is truly useless; he can't even protect his beautiful sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, have you sought out the imperial physician for proper treatment? You are so beautiful, I hope you won't have any scars."
Azi pulled her collar up a little and nodded: "I'll be careful."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a little awkward, Azi quickly called Qinghe in to bring in hot tea and then they continued to talk about other topics.
At lunchtime, before Emperor Jingcheng even stepped into his bedchamber, he heard his younger sister's incessant chatter at the door, which annoyed him greatly. He wondered how Azi was doing.
Zheng He'er, standing behind him, broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes darted around nervously. His little ancestor was back; his good days were over.
However, Di Jinghan didn't have time to tease him at the moment.
Emperor Jingcheng walked in by himself, dismissing the palace servants. He saw his younger sister gesturing wildly as she spoke, while Azi sat to the side, listening to her with a weary expression, occasionally responding with a few words.
He interrupted Di Jinghan, saying, "Jinghan! Have some hot tea, or you'll get a sore throat."
He then strode over to Azi, sat down beside her, and pulled her into his arms: "Azi, are you tired?"
Azi nodded, leaning against him, not wanting to move. Jing Han was indeed interesting, but he talked too much, and she was having some trouble keeping up.
Jing Han chuckled awkwardly, stood up and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Stay for lunch," Azi said, trying to persuade them to stay.
Di Jingcheng gave Di Jinghan a warning look, and the latter smiled awkwardly before meeting his beautiful sister-in-law's gaze and obediently agreed, "Thank you, sister-in-law!"
"By the way, Your Majesty, your sister-in-law's neck is injured. How can you be so indifferent!" Di Jinghan immediately felt indignant on Azi's behalf when he thought of Azi's "injury".
Upon hearing this, all of Azi's fatigue vanished. She had never felt so embarrassed in her life. She turned and buried herself in the man's arms, not wanting to speak. She was exhausted.
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