As the day's excitement gradually subsided, Princess Qingning, exhausted from the day, removed her wedding dress and lifted her veil.
The nuptial wine and wedding candles on the table were also removed.
The maids and nannies who were serving the princess dared not say anything and quickly withdrew all of them as instructed by the princess.
The princess made a grand show of choosing a husband for herself in front of others.
Once the door is closed, the princess can do whatever she wants.
Prince Consort Gu was still standing in the courtyard in his wedding attire. Without the princess's permission, he dared not step into the bridal chamber.
After waiting outside for a long time and making sure no one came to call him, Gu Yunfei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
There will be no nuptial wine or wedding night.
He didn't know how to face the princess, but this situation was perfect.
As dawn approached, a maid finally emerged from the bridal chamber. "The princess has already retired for the night. Your husband, you should also go and rest."
Gu Yunfei felt as if he had been granted a pardon.
He thanked the old woman and immediately turned and left.
The old woman looked at his retreating figure, feeling a slight pang of regret.
Before today, they were all happy for the princess.
The prince consort was handsome and looked very well-matched with the princess.
They never imagined things would turn out this way.
The old woman shook her head and went back to guard the princess's bedside.
The princess grew up, but she was unwilling to get married, a fact she kept secret even from the nanny who had watched her grow up.
Gu Yunfei lay in bed, exhausted from a long day, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Although he avoided an awkward wedding night, he still felt a mix of emotions.
I wonder if he and the princess will become enemies in the future. Although he knew from the beginning that the princess was forced into marriage, he himself brought this situation upon himself.
Gu Yunfei wished he could slap himself a few times.
He wasn't angry that the princess didn't consummate the marriage; he just felt that the princess was wronged.
What merit does he possess to marry a princess?
I slept until I naturally woke up.
Princess Qingning stretched.
The old woman immediately stepped forward, "Princess, you're awake! This old servant will call someone to help you with your toilette."
Princess Qingning lazily opened her eyes, and was startled to see the old nanny. "Nanny, what's wrong?"
The old woman was puzzled. "Princess! Is there something wrong with this old servant?"
"Go and look in the bronze mirror."
The nanny immediately went to look in the mirror as instructed.
Looking at myself in the mirror, with two huge dark circles under my eyes, strangers might mistake me for a ghost.
"Princess! This old servant has been rude." The old nanny was ashamed.
"Were you on night watch yesterday?" Princess Qingning asked.
She was exhausted after a long day and slept soundly.
Since the old nanny got old, Princess Qingning has never made her stay up all night again.
It seems I was too worried about myself yesterday.
"Go and call everyone in the courtyard over." Princess Qingning intended to tell her trusted maids the truth.
The maids came in immediately.
Last night, apart from the master sleeping soundly, none of the maids slept.
They were all heartbroken for their master.
Therefore, when the prince consort stood at the gate of the courtyard, they all treated him with indifference.
It must be the prince consort who displeased the princess.
He deserved it.
Seeing that the maids were all listless, Princess Qingning said, "Cheer up! There's nothing wrong with getting married; it's just a change of sleeping place. You can still do what you were doing at the Prince Xiang's residence."
"Yes!" the maids replied respectfully.
Soon everyone began to perform their duties and get busy.
They understood what the princess meant and decided to pretend that Prince Consort Gu didn't exist.
"Granny! You don't need to serve me today, go and rest," Qingning ordered.
Seeing that the princess seemed unhappy, the nanny felt relieved and went to catch up on her sleep.
Prince Consort Gu tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, until dawn broke. He got up and headed towards Feixue Pavilion.
Along the way, the bright red lanterns had been taken down, and there was no trace of celebration left in the mansion.
Just as he reached the door, he was stopped by Princess Qingning's personal maid. "What is it, Your Highness? This servant can relay your message."
They practically had "unwelcome" written all over their faces.
Gu Yunfei was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.
Yes, the princess is the ruler, and he is the subject.
Even if he is the princess's nominal husband, he must act according to her wishes without her approval.
Gu Yunfei bowed respectfully, "Please inform the princess that I have come to accompany her to the palace to express my gratitude."
In fact, someone would have notified him long ago if he were to enter the palace; he was just using this as an excuse to test the princess's attitude.
That way, he can better understand his place in the future.
"The princess is having breakfast. Please wait a moment, Your Highness." Gu Yunfei nodded and waited respectfully outside the door.
The maid was a little surprised, thinking that the prince consort would be unhappy if he had been cold to her yesterday.
After all, as a man, being neglected by his wife would make anyone resentful, especially if he was left outside all night on his wedding night.
Surprisingly, the prince consort showed no anger whatsoever.
A moment later, the door opened, and Princess Qingning came out. She was dressed in plain clothes, and her face was beautiful. Apart from lacking the joy of a newlywed, there was nothing wrong with her.
"Your Highness, go back! You may come to the palace to express your gratitude in three days." Princess Qingning said, then immediately turned and went back into her room.
It seemed as if even glancing at the prince consort was bad luck.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave." Gu Yunfei stared blankly at the princess's retreating figure.
Sure enough, the princess disliked him.
"Princess! The prince consort has left!" a maidservant immediately rushed in to report.
Qing Ning nodded slightly; the prince consort showed no resentment.
Qing Ning thought to herself, "This person is quite sensible."
She then summoned her maid and instructed her, "Send someone to secretly observe the people the prince consort comes and goes. If anything unusual happens, report it immediately."
The maid obeyed and left. Qing Ning's lips curled into a slight smile.
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