"After Zihui returned to the capital, has Shangguan Jingci sent any news?"
Shu Zhan shook his head. "Never received it."
Qin Xi pursed her lips. Zi Hui had been back for over half a month, and Shangguan Jingci hadn't sent a single word. The two must have had a falling out. Clearly, Shu Zhan also had some suspicions, so he was worried about Shu Hua as well.
Whenever Qin Xi thinks about something, she unconsciously frowns; it's a little habit of hers, and Lu Huai has told her about it many times. It's not for any other reason than that he doesn't want her to overwork herself while she's pregnant.
She decided to stop thinking about it and figured Zihui would tell her when the time was right.
As dusk approached, Shuzhan didn't stay long before heading back.
...
...
Today is the day Princess Zhaoyang returns to the capital. Besides Emperor Yuxian, many court officials came to the capital gates to greet her. It wasn't that Emperor Yuxian ordered them to come, but the new emperor's methods were truly formidable, and the court officials were all walking on thin ice, fearing that they might inadvertently displease him.
This man was not one to care about his reputation. Even though there was so much criticism against him in the capital, he ignored it all and even intensified his efforts, taking advantage of the situation to seize power in the court.
Therefore, they had no choice but to come spontaneously to welcome Princess Zhaoyang. After all, she was Emperor Yuxian's most beloved younger sister and currently his closest relative. With the emperor himself coming, how could they dare not come?
Apart from the regent who caught a cold, most of the officials in the court were here, and eight or nine out of ten of them were from the regent's faction.
The heavy city gates were slowly opened, emitting a dull thud, like the longest sigh of this ancient capital.
Shortly after the city gates were opened, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, eventually coming to a stop.
"Princess Zhaoyang has arrived!"
The emperor, standing atop the city tower, had already spotted the magnificent palanquin at the city gate. A smile played on his lips, as if he were quite pleased. He turned and descended the steps, arriving at the city gate.
Seeing the woman stepping out of the sedan chair, Emperor Yuxian finally relaxed his brow.
"Welcome back to the capital, Princess Zhaoyang! May the Princess enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Wu Chang, the chief eunuch, was the first to speak, followed by the officials and common people.
"Welcome back to the capital, Princess Zhaoyang! May she enjoy boundless happiness and good health!"
Princess Zhaoyang steadied herself and walked slowly towards him with graceful steps. She performed a very proper and elegant bow to the young emperor, saying, "Zhaoyang greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Emperor Yuxian stepped forward and gently helped her up. "Rise. It's good that you're back. You've suffered."
Princess Zhaoyang smiled slightly, her beautiful eyes as before. "Zhaoyang has not suffered, but Your Majesty seems to have lost a lot of weight."
Emperor Yuxian pursed his lips. "Is that so? I don't feel anything."
Princess Zhaoyang nodded slightly, "You have lost some weight. Your Majesty must take good care of your health so that you can bless the people of my Great Yu with peace and happiness."
Her genuine concern seemed to overflow from her eyes, and Emperor Yuxian smiled. "I understand. Let's return to the palace first. I've ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare a welcoming banquet for you. Why don't you go and see?"
"yes."
Princess Zhaoyang gracefully curtsied, her every move exuding elegance and grace. No one could believe that this was the same arrogant and domineering princess who once resembled Zhaoyang.
Even though she seemed to have changed a lot in personality, no one dared to underestimate her. Putting aside everything else, their status alone meant they could not afford to be careless.
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