Gu Yan said, "Aren't you looking for your cousin? I don't know what your cousin looks like. If the palace mistress changed her name, it would be even more difficult to find her. Why don't I take you into the palace and let you look for her yourself?"
Yun Xiangye looked at Gu Yan in shock, "But I... I haven't learned the rules of the palace yet, and I'm afraid of offending you."
Gu Yan said, "It's okay. His Majesty and His Majesty know that you come from the common people, so they won't force you to abide by the palace rules. You can learn them slowly in the future. Go take a bath first, and I'll let Zhu Yi, Mei Yi and the others serve you."
Upon hearing Mei Yizhu Yi, Yun Xiangye frowned and said, "No need. I don't need anyone to wait on me for a bath. Just prepare the hot water and I can bathe by myself."
Gu Yan said, "There's no need to add hot water to the baths in Qingfeng Garden. Someone is there to boil warm water. You just need to add water."
Yun Xiangye tidied her clothes and went to the bathhouse. The bathhouse in Qingfeng Garden was indeed spacious enough to accommodate several people for bathing.
After taking a bath, it was already past noon. After lunch, Yun Xiangye coaxed Nuonuo to sleep and asked Run'er to take good care of Nuonuo before going to the palace with Gu Yanqian.
In the carriage.
Seeing Yun Xiangye's expression, Gu Yan said, "As long as your cousin is in the palace, we will definitely be able to find her."
Yun Xiangye opened the curtain of the carriage and looked at the bustling stalls on both sides of the streets in Chang'an City, unwilling to pay attention to Gu Yan.
It is already the twelfth lunar month, and vendors on both sides are selling couplets and blessing characters, giving the place a strong festive atmosphere.
Seeing Yun Xiangye's expression, Gu Yan couldn't help but ask, "Are you still angry with me?"
Yun Xiangye said, "Shouldn't I be angry with you? We've been sleeping in the same bed for three years, and you kept it a secret from me for three whole years. You've never cared about me at all."
Gu Yan sighed and said, "I didn't tell you my identity because I really don't think it's that important. Why should I be so angry about this for so long?"
Yun Xiangye took a deep breath and ignored Gu Yan.
Seeing Yun Xiangye getting more and more angry, Gu Yan didn't know how to coax her. After all, he had never coaxed another woman since he was a child. He just hoped that she would be in a better mood after seeing her cousin.
The carriages arrived at the palace gate and were not allowed to enter.
After Yun Xiangye got off the carriage, she followed Gu Yan into the towering palace gate. The high city walls showed its majesty.
Yun Xiangye followed Gu Yan into the East Palace.
The study in the East Palace was heated by a floor heater, making it very warm.
Yun Xiangye followed Gu Yan in bowing and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"You two, please take a seat. Someone, make some tea." Zhao Yun looked at Gu Yan and chuckled, "Why did you bring your sister-in-law here today?"
Gu Yan said, "Your Highness, Xiangye has a cousin who works as a maid in the palace. She will be twenty-five in the first month of the lunar year. I would like to ask for a favor so that she can leave the palace before the New Year."
Zhao Yun said, "This isn't a difficult task. Consider it a gift from me to my sister-in-law. Which palace does your sister-in-law's cousin work for? I'll ask the Queen Mother to let your cousin out of the palace later."
Yun Xiangye replied, "I don't know which palace she served in. After she entered the palace, she only wrote a letter home to report her safety that same year. After that, there was no news from her."
The palace maids came out of the tea room and made tea for Gu Yan.
Yun Xiangye looked up at the palace maid who was making tea for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. She carefully examined the palace maid's face and the red teardrop mole under her eye.
Thirteen years had passed, but Yun Xiangye still recognized Ye Wanhe at a glance.
"Sister He!"
When Ye Wanhe heard the familiar name, she put down her teacup with both hands and looked at Yun Xiangye. She didn't know why the woman in front of her called her Sister He, and because of her status, she only looked at Zhao Yun.
Gu Yan looked at Yun Xiangye and asked, "Aunt Ye is your cousin?"
Yun Xiangye stood up and walked over to Ye Wanhe. She held Ye Wanhe's hands with both of hers and said, "Sister He, it's me, Xiangye."
"Sister Yun."
Ye Wanhe looked carefully at Yun Xiangye's appearance in front of her, with tears in her eyes. She knew that the Eastern Palace was not a place to cry, and she tried hard not to let the tears fall.
Yun Xiangye chuckled and said to Zhao Yun, "Your Highness, what a coincidence! The maid who made tea for you is my cousin Ye Wanhe."
Ye Wanhe looked at Yun Xiangye in front of her in confusion, wondering why Yun Xiangye would come to the East Palace from Jiangnan?
Zhao Yun glanced at Ye Wanhe after hearing this and said calmly, "What a coincidence! You two sisters haven't seen each other for many years. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. Let's go to the next room and talk. I also have something to discuss with Gu Yan."
Yun Xiangye said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Ye Wanhe bowed and took Yun Xiangye to the tea room nearby. The tea room was full of palace maids, making it difficult to talk.
Ye Wanhe had no choice but to take Yun Xiangye to the prince's bedroom in the Eastern Palace. No one dared to come here and eavesdrop on their conversation.
Yun Xiangye entered the palace and said with great joy, "Sister He, I thought it would take a lot of effort to find you, but I didn't expect to find you as soon as I entered the East Palace."
Ye Wanhe was in the bedroom, simmering medicine in the stove and asked, "Sister Yun, how did you get into the palace? How do you know Prince Ning?"
"Gu Yan, the Prince of Ning, is my husband."
Ye Wanhe asked with a hint of surprise, "Your husband? How could Gu Yan be your husband?"
Yun Xiangye nodded and said, "Three years ago, Gu Yan saved me from the water. He caught a cold and became seriously ill. The sorcerer asked me to bring him good luck, and so we got married."
Ye Wanhe opened the lid and checked the medicine inside the jar. She sighed softly and looked at Yun Xiangye worriedly: "I never thought that Gu Yan's wife would be you."
Yun Xiangye looked at Ye Wanhe and said, "Sister He, from what you said, do you mean that Gu Yan can't get married?"
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