On the wedding night, the incident in which Li Guanghan stayed in the study and left Qiao Si alone in the empty room caused a sensation the next day.
When Zhang You was dressing up Qiao Si, she mentioned the rumors she heard in the mansion early in the morning and angrily stood up for Qiao Si.
"That's too much! Those maids must have been gossiping last night after they went out! I should have given them a good scare back then!"
Qiao Si smiled slightly, his face calm. "Okay, why are you so angry? It's just some gossip. Haven't you heard enough of it over the years?"
"This is different. I thought the people in the prince's mansion would be different, but it turns out they are all birds of a feather, working together for evil!" Zhang You said angrily, his facial muscles tense.
"Hahaha. I found out, Xia He, did you learn it secretly? You can say so many words now!"
"You're still laughing! Qiuyue, the princess asked you to study, but you didn't study hard enough." Chunhua shook her head in disgust and teased Qiuyue.
"I'm not suitable for this. I only like to study martial arts. Being pedantic is not suitable for me." Qiuyue smiled and played with them.
With their teasing, Zhang You no longer felt angry towards those people.
Qiao Si shook his head, helpless yet doting, "Okay, stop making trouble, we still have to go to the palace later."
"Yeah." They responded in unison, each speeding up their movements.
"Speaking of which, today is New Year's Eve, and I don't know how to celebrate it. When I got up early, I saw that the palace was not decorated or prepared." Chunhua helped Qiao Si get dressed and mentioned this.
"The mansion has not prepared anything? The princess has just entered the mansion and has not yet taken charge of the household chores. Do we have to prepare it now?" Jingzhu was a little surprised to hear that the mansion had not prepared any New Year's Eve banquet.
Qiao Si was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "No need. This must have been arranged by the prince long ago. Even if I asked them to prepare, they wouldn't listen to me. In Prince Han's mansion, other than our courtyard, I'm afraid I wouldn't be welcome anywhere else."
Qiao Si understood clearly that Li Guanghan would not give her power and let her be the manager. He would rather torture herself than hand over the household affairs, which symbolized the position of the mistress, to her.
"Then we won't even have a meal." Cui Liu muttered unhappily.
"We can do without them, Chunhua Xiahe, after I enter the palace, go to Zuixianlou and book an elegant room. We'll go there in the evening." Qiao Si admired his dressed-up self in the mirror, nodded with satisfaction, and gave instructions in a gentle voice.
"The princess wants to take us to Zuixianlou! That's great! The princess is the best!" Zhang You was so happy that he almost jumped up when he heard that.
The food at Zuixianlou is all excellent, and she has yet to try them all, which is such a pity.
"Hahaha."
"It turns out that only food can motivate you! Just now, when Chunhua said that there was nothing prepared in the mansion, your eyes almost drooped to the ground."
"No way! I don't have any!"
Qiao Si looked at them with a gentle smile, her eyes enjoying this simple moment. "I'm going to the palace today to serve tea, and I might even be asked to stay for a few words. If I come back late, you can go to Zuixian Tower and wait for me. I'll go there after I leave the palace."
"Yes. Princess, please be careful when entering the palace. If you haven't come by the hour of You, we will go to Prince Qiao's mansion to report the news." Just in case, Zhang You agreed on a safe time with Qiao Si.
When Qiao Si entered the palace, he only brought Jingzhu and Cuiliu with him.
It’s not that she couldn’t take them with her, but with what happened with Sun Chanyu, Qiao Si didn’t want Chunhua and the others to be in danger, so she simply left them behind.
Sun Chanyu was unpredictable and cold-blooded. Combining Chunhua's description of her with the rumors surrounding her in the capital, Qiao Si knew she couldn't be easily offended.
Sun Chanyu seems to be a variable.
Qiao Si was not personally present at what happened back then. Only a few of them who knew the whole story knew that Jingzhu had impersonated her. If Sun Chanyu found out about this, there was no guarantee that she would not also find out what happened in Tuozhou.
Taking a prudent view, Qiao Si decided to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
At least, Sun Chanyu did not tell the emperor about her meeting with them. Qiao Si didn't know what she wanted to do, but she was ready to fight against the enemy and block the water.
After Qiao Si followed Li Guanghan into the palace, Chunhua and Zhang You went to Zuixianlou to book a room first. After returning to the mansion, they felt bored and decided to visit Prince Han's mansion together.
But the housekeepers of this palace are really difficult to deal with. We have to guard against them as if they were villains.
They were just getting familiar with the environment, but he kept staring at them, either stopping them from approaching Li Guanghan's study or preventing them from going to the warehouse.
It was as if they were treating them as thieves.
It's really annoying.
Qiuyue's eyes turned, and she came up with a way to torment him. They took turns walking around in the palace, fighting in a rotation to wear him down.
Although it was a hurtful idea, it was child's play compared to their malicious looks and the way they treated them as villains.
Zhang You and the others took him around the palace several times. At the end, his old bones couldn't take it anymore and he had to stop and rest after every two steps.
Zhang You and the others returned to the yard feeling relieved.
The weather today is exceptionally good. The warm sun hangs high in the sky, and it is cozy and warm. The remaining snow in the yard melts away, turning into patches of water that soak everything.
Sunlight streamed into the room through the window lattice. Bored, Zhang You and the others sat inside, waiting for Qiao Si. It was past noon, and Qiao Si and the others still hadn't returned. They counted the minutes and began placing bets on when he would return.
The sunlight shifted, and the light and shadows in the room were stretched out until they were completely lost in the shadows. Zhang You checked the time. It was already 3:45 PM, and the sky was getting dark.
"Let's go to Zuixianlou first? What if the princess has gone to Zuixianlou first?" Qiuyue suggested.
They all had no objection, packed up their belongings, and went out.
When the housekeeper saw them leaving the house, his expression was indescribable. It seemed as if he thought they were going to deliberately make trouble for him, but it turned out that they were leaving the house.
Zhang You and the others didn't care about his gloomy face throughout the whole process and left the palace together.
The palace was deserted, without any festive atmosphere.
Even their lunch was just one meat and two vegetables, with no New Year's Eve atmosphere at all. If it weren't for the red silk and red lanterns that hadn't been taken down in the palace, no one would have known that it was New Year's Eve.
Instead, it was outside the palace.
The streets and alleys are filled with the atmosphere of the New Year.
Groups of children were setting off small fireworks at the door, while adults, eager to join in the fun, lit a string of firecrackers. The crackling noise made those around them cover their ears, and white smoke drifted up.
The smell of fireworks makes people feel joyful.
Zhang You and the others watched their joyful appearance along the way and felt happy too.
They walked and stopped along the way, and when they arrived at Zuixianlou, they just saw Qiao Si getting off the carriage.
They met by chance.
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