inside the house.
Ling Shumo has already packed her clothes.
Fu Yijing was still paralyzed on the bed, barely breathing. Before he got married, no one had told him that wedding night would be so difficult. He had originally planned to get up and serve the princess, but it was so early in the morning, his whole body ached, and even with several servants pulling at him, he didn't want to get up.
The attendant Zhiqi who had followed him from the Prime Minister's Residence was anxious. "Princess and Your Majesty, please don't lie in bed. We have to go to the palace to pay our respects to His Majesty and the Queen. We must not be late."
Fu Yijing sat up with a look of despair.
Ling Shumo was amused by his expression. "Since you are so tired, would you like me to bring food to you in bed?"
Fu Yijing didn't realize Ling Shumo was teasing him. Instead, he opened his eyes wide with joy and asked, "Is it okay?"
Zhiqi tugged at Fu Yijing's sleeve and lowered his voice, "Your Highness got up early, why aren't you in a hurry at all? Your Highness will have dinner in the dining room soon, and you, who are healthy and well, are eating in bed. How can you be so rude?"
Fu Yijing lowered his head. He didn't want this to happen, but he felt really uncomfortable all over.
Fu Yijing was just about to grit his teeth and get out of bed.
Ling Shumo's voice sounded first, "Set up a small dining table on the bed for the princess, and share some of the dishes from the plate."
Ling Shumo gave the order, and the servants who were originally standing on both sides immediately became busy.
When Fu Yijing saw that the servants really wanted to serve him meals in bed, his face turned red and he said embarrassedly, "No, this is against the rules." This was only his first day married, and even if Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess agreed, he should not be so arrogant and ask for special treatment like this.
Fu Yijing was about to get up, but Ling Shumo pushed Fu Yijing back onto the bed and said with a smile, "I told you not to get up, so just lie down peacefully. I have the final say here, and there's nothing against the rules."
Fu Yijing wanted to refuse, but the waiter who brought the dishes was very efficient. In a blink of an eye, the small dining table was set up in front of his bed, and the plates were filled with steaming hot food.
The wife and husband each had breakfast.
They got on the carriage to the palace together.
The emperor is still ill, so the court will be adjourned today.
The two first went to the Yangxin Palace to meet the emperor, and then went to the harem to pay their respects to the empress.
Fu Yijing was handsome and had a good family background. The queen was very satisfied with her new son-in-law. After giving him a brief lecture, she rewarded him with a carriage full of goodies.
Fu Yijing was left in Fengyi Palace by the Queen to talk.
Ling Shumo had some government affairs to deal with, so she returned to the East Palace first.
November. The capital welcomed its first snowfall of the winter. Ever since Fu Yijing married into the Eastern Palace, Fuyao Palace had been abuzz with revelry. Ling Shumo hadn't even returned to her own Guangming Palace, staying here every night.
The other masters in the harem were still at the stage of envy and jealousy, but Shangguan Xu couldn't stand being ignored for a long time and had already resented Fu Yijing in his heart.
It was winter. The various masters needed new clothes, and all the fabrics Fu Yijing had her eye on were snatched up by Shangguan Xu. This year, the envoys from the Southern Qi Empire presented several boxes of fine rubies as tribute. The Queen Mother allocated one box for the Eastern Palace. It was originally intended to be presented to Fu Yijing, the Crown Princess, for review, but it was intercepted en route by members of the Changqiu Palace.
That would have been fine, but at lunch today, all that was brought into Fuyao Palace were cold dishes. Fu Yijing took a quick look and saw that the entire table was filled with vegetarian dishes, without even a hint of meat.
Zhiqi returned from the dining hall, nearly fainting from anger. "Master, Shangguan Cejun is simply going too far. The people from Changqiu Palace were already waiting in the kitchen for the glutinous rice stewed duck you specifically requested. As soon as the dish was ready, they snatched it away, saying their concubine suddenly craved it. This time, they gave all the dishes to Changqiu Palace, and told you to have the glutinous rice stewed duck next time. It's clear from their words that Shangguan Cejun can't wait even a moment, otherwise our Fuyao Palace will be treated perfunctorily."
Zhiqi looked at the dishes on the table, none of which were steaming, and suddenly laughed. "If they had only taken this glutinous rice stewed duck, it would have been an exaggeration and a thorn in the relationship for the master to go and ask for an explanation. But they are from the Changqiu Palace, and now they won't give us this delicious dish. If this matter is brought to Her Royal Highness, we are completely in the right. I will go to Guangming Palace and invite Her Royal Highness over to see if that Shangguan Concubine can continue to be so arrogant."
Fu Yijing watched Zhiqi leave and sighed inwardly. For the first five days after he married into the Eastern Palace, he was so exhausted from serving the Princess that he didn't allow the other ladies in the Eastern Palace's harem to come to Fuyao Palace to pay their respects to him until the afternoon of the sixth day.
The first time he met Shangguan Xu, he realized that he was not someone to be trifled with. He had been avoiding conflicts with Chang Qiufeng's men these days, tolerating minor matters whenever possible. Unfortunately, even though he wanted to keep things quiet, Shangguan Xu was the one who rushed in to pick a fight.
Fu Yijing had no appetite to eat. He stood up, went to the dressing table, and called a servant to apply some of the lip balm that had fallen off.
Elsewhere, Ling Shumo heard that Fu Yijing had been wronged and immediately put down her brush. "Shi Qi, go to Changqiu Palace in person and have Shangguan Xu come to Fuyao Palace to see me. He actually made it so that the Princess Royal couldn't even have a hot meal. This is simply too much."
If someone else had snatched the Fuyao Palace's standard dishes, Ling Shumo might have had to gather evidence first, but if it was Shangguan Xu, he could have done anything extreme. Furthermore, since Fu Yijing had asked her to go to Fuyao Palace now, the evidence was already on the table.
Fu Yijing quickly put on her makeup and stood in front of the main gate of Fuyao Palace waiting for Ling Shumo.
There was a thin layer of snow on the grass nearby. As the cold wind blew, Fu Yijing hugged the heater tighter in his hand.
After waiting for a while, Ling Shumo's figure finally appeared in Fu Yijing's sight.
Ling Shumo quickened her pace, stopping only two steps in front of Fu Yijing. She took off her cloak and wrapped it around Fu Yijing, frowning unhappily. "You didn't even think to wear something thicker before going out. If you get cold, I'll be worried about you."
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