On the actual day, the two children went with Yuan Shen to the banquet, made a brief appearance, and then returned with a batch of gifts.
The gift list had to be packed in boxes.
Song Xibai had two warehouses opened and then made two booklets, which he gave to Wenniang to manage.
Wen Niang was flattered and repeatedly declined.
"Your Majesty, I...I can't read."
"If you don't know how, just learn. Don't be too nervous. It's not like you're writing poems or essays; it's just keeping accounts," Song Xibai comforted her with a smile.
Wen Niang nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, saying, "I'm just afraid I'm too stupid to learn it."
Wenniang came from a humble background; none of her family members were literate, which was a distant dream for people from the lower classes.
Song Xibai encouraged her: "If you can't remember it the first time, try again. Don't underestimate yourself. I see you memorize flower patterns pretty quickly, don't you? Try a different approach. Think of each character as a flower pattern, and maybe it will be much easier to remember."
Wen Niang's eyes lit up.
When the topic of literacy came up, Song Xibai simply had someone question everyone in Changqing Palace. The result was that more than half of them were illiterate. The remaining half mostly only knew a few common characters and their own names.
Like Wei Hong, who knows many characters but can't write them very well, while her father-in-law has beautiful handwriting, but it's all related to food.
Since Granny Fangqi didn't have time, Song Xibai called her father-in-law to give a lesson to everyone.
There's no other way but to choose the tallest among the short ones; at least the father-in-law knows how to keep accounts!
After nightfall, Yuan Shen returned reeking of alcohol.
As soon as he entered the room, he walked a few steps to Song Xibai, hugged her waist, and then, "smack," gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
Song Xibai was both annoyed and amused, pushing against his chest.
"You smell so strongly of alcohol, how much did Your Majesty drink? Go and change your clothes quickly, I'll have someone bring you some hangover tea."
"Don't go."
Yuan Shen grabbed her, wrapping his arms around Song Xibai's shoulders, making her unable to move.
"Let go! There are other people inside!"
Song Xibai stamped her foot and called out in a low voice.
Yuan Shen snorted, looked up and glanced around. His previously hazy eyes suddenly revealed a sharp and imposing aura.
The palace maids were so frightened they were practically quails, their heads bowed almost to their chests.
Grandpa Feng beckoned to them and led them out, then considerately closed the door behind him.
Just as Song Xibai was about to remind them to prepare hangover tea, suddenly, her footing gave way and she was swept up in his arms.
She gasped instinctively and quickly grabbed Yuan Shen's neck to steady herself.
She took a breath, and when she looked up, she met Yuan Shen's smiling eyes.
"Is Your Majesty about to engage in promiscuous behavior after drinking?"
Song Xibai puffed out her cheeks.
"So what if it's chaotic? We're a lawfully married couple..."
Yuan Shen lowered his head, nuzzled Song Xibai's forehead, and carried her quickly into the inner room.
As I walked by, layers of gauze curtains were inadvertently pulled down, instantly transforming the originally warm and cozy room into a more enchanting atmosphere.
Song Xibai was carefully and gently laid down on the bed by Yuan Shen.
But instead of letting go of her, he slipped his hands inside her collar and hem.
His palms still carried the chill of the outside air.
Song Xibai shivered.
"Don't..."
The words had barely left his mouth when they were blocked.
Yuan Shen closed his eyes, caressed her back, and sucked on her with gusto.
Song Xibai was completely powerless to resist, and almost all the air in his chest was squeezed out.
Finally, he loosened his grip a little, opened his eyes and looked at Song Xibai, his eyes shining with excitement.
Song Xibai understood.
"What good thing happened?"
"Xiao Ba is back, and he brought back the body of that traitor."
That's really good news!
Song Xibai sat up abruptly, grabbed his hand, and asked him repeatedly.
"They caught him? How did he die? Did they catch any other accomplices? Tell me what happened."
"We'll discuss the details tomorrow. It's getting late, let's get settled first!"
Yuan Shen pulled her close, laid her down on the bed, and covered her with his own.
"It's barely dark, get up, mmm..."
The next morning, Yuan Shen went to court feeling refreshed and energetic.
Song Xibai lay paralyzed on the bed, calling out Wei Hong's name several times.
Wei Hong led the palace maids in single file and arrived at the bedside first.
"Your Majesty, would you like to take a bath?"
Song Xibai shook her head, rubbing her wrist: "My hand is sore, help me find some ointment in the medicine box."
Wei Hong responded with a "yes," then took out a medicine box from the shelf beside the bed, found a bottle of ointment, picked up a little with her little finger, and carefully massaged Song Xibai's wrist.
"Your Majesty, you must have been busy with palace affairs these past few days and tired. Your wrists are all red."
Song Xibai couldn't tell if her wrist was red or not, but her face did turn red.
"Ahem... I'll do it myself! Go check on Fengchun and the others."
Song Xibai coughed twice and withdrew his hand.
Wei Hong, unsuspecting, put away the medicine bottle and went to the outer room.
Song Xibai got out of bed, dressed, went to the outer room to wash up, and then sat down at the dressing table.
Pan Chun came over and combed her hair.
Song Xibai was in a rare good mood, so she had her hair styled in a high bun, and then she pulled a few palace maids to pick out jewelry.
In the palace, the popular hairstyle was a tall and thick one, usually with one or two false buns. This was partly to make the hair look thick and auspicious, and partly to make it easier to insert various beautiful and exquisite hairpins.
For empresses and concubines of certain ranks, they would typically wear a full set of brocade.
When Song Xibai left the palace, she didn't take much jewelry with her. At the estate, she dressed casually, simply tying her hair up and inserting a hairpin.
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