After holding them for a short while, both children started yawning.
Song Xibai put the child down and called the wet nurse Qiao over to give her detailed instructions, which the wet nurse nodded repeatedly.
Of course, it wasn't just Granny Qiao who was on night watch that night; Dingxiang also volunteered. Song Xibai was still a little worried, so she asked Lichun and Yingchun to take turns keeping watch, with the four of them splitting into two groups, each on duty for half the night.
The night passed peacefully, and Song Xibai woke up early the next morning. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Yuan Shen getting dressed, and she hurriedly got out of bed to follow him.
Why didn't you call me?
Yuan Shen turned around, saw her rubbing her eyes, and pressed her back onto the bed.
"Go back to sleep!"
Song Xibai refused, patting her cheeks to force herself to wake up.
"There's nothing much going on in the court today, so why is Your Majesty up so early?"
"You forgot? Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year."
Yuan Shen reminded her.
Song Xibai blinked a few times, not quite understanding.
"What's wrong with the second day of the Lunar New Year? Are the customs in the palace different from those outside? Is there some important event to be held on the second day of the Lunar New Year?"
Her blinking, puzzled look only amused Yuan Shen.
"There is indeed something important that concerns you."
Yuan Shen suddenly leaned down.
Song Xibai still didn't understand.
The two looked into each other's eyes, and Yuan Shen suddenly laughed, reaching out a finger to tap the tip of her nose.
"Are you too busy to think straight? You're going back to your parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year."
Song Xibai's beautiful eyes widened suddenly as she looked at Yuan Shen in disbelief.
"But...but we're in the palace, how can we go back to our parents' home? It's not allowed by the rules, is it?"
She was so surprised that she stammered.
Yuan Shen raised an eyebrow: "Rules are made by people. Just because they weren't allowed before doesn't mean they won't be allowed in the future. I want to see who dares to stop me!"
These words were spoken with great conviction and authority.
Song Xibai was delighted, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and she tugged at his sleeve.
“I am glad that Your Majesty has this intention, but leaving the palace is too troublesome. Besides, receiving Your Majesty is also troublesome. With so many people, it's noisy and chaotic, and we can't even exchange a few words before having to leave…”
Song Xibai muttered to herself.
Yuan Shen touched his chin.
"That's true... In that case, how about we go out of the palace incognito, taking only the child and a few servants?"
Song Xibai was stunned once again.
Why does it feel like Yuan Shen, this native emperor, has even more capricious ideas than I do?
Before she could react, she heard light footsteps outside, followed by Feng Jia's voice.
"Your Majesty, are you awake?"
Yuan Shen responded and called in the palace servants.
The once quiet hall quickly became noisy.
After washing up, Song Xibai had breakfast with Yuan Shen, and then called Dingxiang and Wei Hong over to talk about leaving the palace later.
Dingxiang yawned: "I'm not going, I'm sleepy!"
"Go and catch up on your sleep! Should I send a message to your parents?" Song Xibai asked.
"No need, I just got back!"
Dingxiang waved and went to her residence to rest.
Wei Hong was quite excited: "Your Majesty, how many people should we bring? Should I bring out your formal attire?"
Song Xibai quickly pulled her back.
"Go out of the palace incognito. You don't need to wear those clothes; just find some ordinary clothes. As for the people, just take the wet nurse and four palace maids with you. Leave the rest behind."
She paused, then lowered her voice and added a reminder.
"Oh, right, call Fuliu over. We need to have her keep an eye on things and see if anyone is secretly contacting other palaces."
Wei Hong's expression hardened, and she went to make the arrangements.
Over the course of four springs, Song Xibai brought two maids and selected two second-class palace maids to accompany Nanny Qiao.
Those who were punished yesterday are still recovering from their injuries.
Song Xibai summoned Fuliu and gave her some careful instructions.
Fuliuba had no choice but to leave the palace, so he immediately patted his chest and agreed, then turned around and found people to keep a close watch on all areas.
After tidying up, it was getting late. Song Xibai changed into a light purple jacket and skirt, put on a newly made sable cloak, and wore a matching Zhaojun headdress.
She looked at herself in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, and then led everyone out.
The group arrived at Qianqing Gate, where Yuan Shen was already waiting.
As Song Xibai approached, Yuan Shen gently took her hand and whispered something.
"We'll go out through the Donghua Gate."
"Okay, whatever you say."
With a beaming smile, Song Xibai led the way, with the two of them in front and the rest following behind, walking towards Donghua Gate.
It was quite a distance from Ganqingmen to Donghuamen, but the two walked slowly, treating it as a leisurely stroll.
Upon arriving at Donghua Gate, no one dared to stop them, and they smoothly walked out of the palace gate, boarded the carriage that had been prepared in advance, and headed towards the Marquis of Sheng'en's residence.
Since Song Xibai's true identity was revealed and Song Siyuan was granted the title of Marquis of Sheng'en, the Song family has been bustling with visitors, with carriages and horses constantly coming and going. Even today, the second day of the Lunar New Year, the area in front of the gate is still crowded with people.
The carriage stopped outside the alley.
Song Xibai lifted the carriage curtain and frowned when she saw so many people in front of her.
What are all these people doing?
The driver, Eunuch Feng, casually remarked, "You must be here to ask the Marquis of Sheng'en for a favor, right?"
Song Xibai pursed her lips, her expression somewhat unpleasant.
Yuan Shen could tell at a glance that she was in a bad mood, so he pulled her back and instructed Feng Jia.
"Let's go into the alley at the back!"
Feng Jia responded with a "yes," then turned the car around, changed direction, and quietly drove towards the back gate of the Marquis's residence.
As soon as they arrived, Song Siyuan, who had been informed in advance, came out with his whole family to greet them.
Yuan Shen got out of the car, and Song Siyuan lifted his robe to kneel down, but Yuan Shen stopped him.
"Father-in-law, there's no need for such formalities. I'm simply accompanying my wife on a visit to her parents' home today."
Yuan Shen smiled and helped Song Siyuan up.
Song Siyuan's smile looked a little silly.
"Why didn't Your Majesty inform me sooner? My family could have made preparations in advance!"
He had just finished speaking when he suddenly heard a faint voice coming from behind Yuan Shen.
"What should Father prepare in advance? Is there anything he doesn't want me to see?"
When Song Siyuan heard her daughter's voice, she was initially delighted, but then she saw her daughter's face fall, looking unhappy.
He scratched his head, thinking: I haven't done anything lately!
Seeing her father's expression, Song Xibai knew that things were not going to go well, so she turned to look at Song Xinian.
"Father doesn't understand, and elder brother, don't you understand either? What's going on with those people outside? Have you been doing something shady behind my back?"
"What do you mean by 'shady dealings'? I didn't do anything!"
Song Siyuan shouted that he was wronged and hurriedly pulled his eldest son in front of him, asking him to testify for him.
"If you don't believe me, just ask back then!"
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