Song Chengze came out after washing up, sat on the kang by the window, took the tea that Meng Qi poured for him and took a sip.
Meng Qi sat opposite and poured amber tea from another pot.
"What are you drinking?" Song Chengze asked.
"It's longan and pear tea. It contains longan, pear, dried osmanthus flowers, and wolfberry. It's great to drink in winter."
"You don't drink tea on weekdays?"
"I do, but I don't dare drink too much in the afternoon, as it will keep me awake at night. This tea is made by my second sister. She is very talented and makes different ones every season. It is delicious and nourishing. Would you like to try it, Your Highness?"
Song Chengze shook his head, "What did the emperor give you as a reward?"
Meng Qi pointed to the magpie ascending plum blossom pearl hairpin on her head. Song Chengze put down his teacup and gently turned it in his hands. "Where's the Queen?"
"The Queen gave me a pair of jade bracelets and a ruby headpiece as a reward."
Song Chengze hummed, "My mother also had some prepared, but I didn't expect the Queen to call me over at the last minute, so I didn't bring it with me."
Meng Qilue was a little surprised. It turned out that it was not Concubine Lian who took the initiative to go to Kunning Palace, nor was it that Concubine Lian did not want her to go to Qionghua Palace. It was all the Queen's intention, and Concubine Lian had to follow the Queen's words.
Then he smiled knowingly. No matter whether it was the palace or the mansion, there was no place that made people worry-free. "I know. When I have the chance to enter the palace, I will go and get it."
Song Chengze looked up at her, Meng Qi met his gaze and accepted his exploration.
She knew that Song Chengze was a very cautious person. Beneath his easygoing and calm appearance, he had a heart that was more delicate than that of ordinary people. Few people could hold their gaze until the end.
She also knew that based on these two conversations alone, it was impossible for Song Chengze to believe her, so both of them were testing her.
"Your Majesty, I want to explain to you what happened just now."
Song Chengze waved his hand, "No need, you just need to tell me, you asked your girl to fight back twice as hard, was it intentional, or did you think it should be that way?"
Meng Qi was stunned at first, and after thinking about this sentence in her mind, she finally understood what Song Chengze meant.
"Your Majesty, can I tell you the truth?"
Song Chengze looked puzzled, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Of course."
"I don't know what the situation in the palace's harem has been like for a long time. Although I learned about the situations of the concubines and concubines before I got married, I only understood one tenth or one twelfth of them after I really integrated into them.
"In fact, I think the prince must have known what was going on, otherwise what happened last night wouldn't have happened. You also know that what we did last night can't be kept secret. Jing'an Garden will know, the palace will know, and even the palace will know. What does this mean? It means that there are too many people in the palace.
"There are three reasons for this situation. First, the palace is so large, and there's no one in charge of the inner court. The prince has to deal with the bloody storm outside, so it's inevitable that there will be times when he can't pay attention, and some information will be accidentally leaked. Second, the prince deliberately makes some things known to others, such as what happened last night. Third, people like Lin are collecting information and want to use it to achieve their own goals, even exaggerating it."
Song Chengze frowned as he digested Meng Qi's words, but did not respond.
"Because the prince and I had an argument last night, and I returned from the palace alone today, those who were seeking information saw something was wrong and wanted to verify their ideas."
"Are you saying that Lin did it on purpose?"
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm more inclined to believe this is a coincidence, and Lin is just trying to make it bigger. In my opinion, Lin probably just wants the prince to see my domineering side. Since she wants to see it, then let everyone see it. Anyway, I've been wronged from last night to today. If I'm not mistaken, maybe tomorrow the news will spread in the capital that Prince Rui doesn't like Princess Rui and that Princess Rui is taking her anger out on the cook."
Song Chengze poured himself a refill of tea. "So, you did it on purpose just now?"
"Yes, but I didn't discuss it with the prince. I didn't dare to go too far. At least I could scare Lin first. I dare not hide it from the prince. I don't know the temperaments of the sisters in the harem. I'm afraid that going too far will affect the prince's plan."
Song Chengze said softly, "Mrs. Lin is usually a bit cunning. I know what she wants, but there are some things that I can't decide. That's why I leave most of the affairs of the mansion to her. I'm afraid that with today's incident, she might be dissatisfied and let the people below her go."
"We can't actually blame her for what happened today. It was just a coincidence, and I just wanted to use this incident to see what everyone is doing. Besides, I also think that if we do as I discussed with the prince yesterday, then it's time to add this firewood." Meng Qi said softly.
"So it seems you did both the small kitchen and the pagoda meat on purpose."
"Half and half. I also want to discuss with the prince about returning home tomorrow."
"What are you discussing? Hasn't Madam Hai made any arrangements? Or haven't you arranged the return gift properly?"
"No, Your Majesty, I don't plan to return home tomorrow."
Song Chengze asked in surprise, "Why?"
"Your Highness, we had a quarrel last night, and today you didn't accompany me back from the palace. At noon, you were angry with the cook, and you lost your temper with the concubine, and you even drove away the two gatekeepers. Tell me, facing a wife you didn't like in the first place but had to marry, who did so many things on the first day of your marriage, do you still want to accompany her back home?"
Song Chengze whispered, "Is this what you meant by half and half? The pagoda meat was just a coincidence, and you're using this as an excuse to not be able to return home tomorrow?"
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