"Princess, why did you come out so late? Did they give you a hard time?" After they entered the private room, Zhang You asked the reason.
"It's nothing more than a show of power. All mothers-in-law are like this." Qiao Si calmly drank a sip of hot tea and said slowly.
"Ah?" It was Zhang You and the others' turn to not understand.
Zhang You was very surprised when he saw Qiao Si with a calm face.
Is this still the Qiao Si who would fight if he wasn't satisfied?
How come you are so calm?
According to the stories in palace fighting dramas, Qiao Si must have been severely bullied by Concubine Rou, otherwise he would not have left the palace so late.
But the person who was drinking tea calmly in front of him was too calm, as if those things were not worth mentioning at all.
Cui Liu, however, spoke up for Qiao Si and said, "The princess is so kind that she can tolerate their behavior. You don't know that the princess knelt in the hall for an hour, while they sat there idle. The floor tiles were cold, and there was no cushion, yet they just let the princess kneel like that."
"They're actually going this far! Princess, you don't even have any reaction?"
"It's okay actually." Qiao Si sipped his tea carefully and spoke lightly.
"No way! They even blamed the princess for the prince not staying overnight, saying that the princess couldn't keep him here! Such harsh words, not the behavior of a concubine."
"Shh! Keep your voice down, Cuiliu. Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall." Cuiliu became more and more excited and her voice was a little loud. Jingzhu carefully pulled her to lower her voice.
"Hmm... I'm so angry just thinking about it." Cui Liu lowered her voice, still gritting her teeth. "They seem to be loving mothers and filial children, enjoying a reunion banquet. It's really hard for the princess. She spent the entire afternoon copying the women's rings in the side hall and didn't even have lunch."
"Princess, you didn't even eat lunch! How can this be possible!" Because of the hunger she experienced back then, Zhang You was enthusiastic about every meal. She could eat less, but she absolutely couldn't skip it. When she heard that Qiao Si was being forbidden to eat by Concubine Rou and the others, she was the first to jump out and protest.
"Princess, please eat some cakes quickly. You haven't eaten much since your wedding yesterday. You only had some noodles this morning. You haven't eaten properly all day. How can this be? Eat quickly." Zhang You handed the two plates of glutinous rice cakes on the table to Qiao Si.
She was a little impressed by Qiao Si. He hadn't eaten much for a whole day, but he could still drink tea so quietly. Was he starving?
Zhang You's concerned eyes were so intense that Qiao Si gently pushed her head away and said with a helpless smile, "It's okay. I had some cakes this afternoon."
"Princess, please stop talking and try this glutinous rice cake. It's very sweet and soft. Eat some to fill your stomach. I'll go to the kitchen and rush them."
Qiao Si couldn't resist her sincere gaze, so he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. "Not bad," she commented lightly.
After watching her eat, Zhang You felt relieved and went out to urge her to eat.
Zhang You specially ordered a few more of Qiao Si's favorites, focusing on one of them, fearing that Qiao Si wouldn't eat well. Zhang You watched them cook from the kitchen door on the first floor, and once they were done, he took them back to the private room.
"Princess! The food is here!"
When I opened the door, I only saw Chunhua Qiuyue and Dongmei there, but Qiao Si was no longer there.
"Where's the princess?"
"The princess just left. The third young master invited her to the private room upstairs." Chunhua watched the waiter serve the dishes and said quietly to Zhang You.
"Why did the princess leave?" Zhang You waited until the waiter served the dishes and left, closing the door before asking. The look in her eyes looked like that of a resentful woman.
She finally watched the dishes they cooked, and while waiting at the door, she was so hungry just by smelling the food that she came back excitedly, but Qiao Si was not there. She didn't even get a chance to take a bite.
"Alas - the princess was invited upstairs by the prince and the third young master, and young Marquis Lu is also upstairs. I heard that the third young master knew what happened to the princess today, and helped her invite the prince over to reconcile." Dongmei felt helpless.
"Ah? Then these..." Zhang You looked at the dishes on the table, her face full of concern. She really couldn't bear to throw these dishes away.
"You don't have to worry about that. The princess said she's treating us to these dishes. We just need to wait for them to finish and go back together." Qiuyue saw Zhang You's thoughts at a glance, smiled and sat down, picked up the chopsticks and put the dishes in the bowl in front of her, "You're all stunned, sit down and eat."
They were not polite either. They were all acquaintances, so there was no need to be polite or humble.
"This reminds me of last year. At this time last year, the princess also had dinner with them at Zuixianlou."
"Hmm." Qiuyue swallowed a mouthful of meat and said, "Yes, yes, yes! That was our first time seeing the prosperity of the capital! Otherwise, we can go out for a walk later!"
Qiuyue suggested it, and they naturally agreed happily.
New Year's Eve in the capital is as lively and prosperous as ever, with bright lights and heavy traffic.
If Zhang You were asked to describe the scene at that time, she would probably only be able to describe it with this:
The east wind blows thousands of flowers into bloom at night, and brings down stars like rain. The fragrance of fine horses and carved carriages fills the road. The sound of phoenix flutes fills the air, the light of jade pots glistens, and fish and dragons dance all night long.
The moth is covered with golden threads of snow willow, and its smile and fragrance fade away. I searched for him among the crowd for a thousand times, but when I turned around, he was there, in the dim light.
As she and Qiuyue and the others separated on the bustling streets, she was absorbed in admiring the dazzling fireworks above her head. And when she turned around, as if by fate, she saw Wei Qian.
He stood in the shadows at the entrance of the alley, the street lights only illuminating half of his profile, yet he remained handsome. Zhang You didn't know how long he stood there like that, she only knew that when she turned around to squeeze out of the crowded crowd, he was the first person she saw.
Just like the first time I saw him in Dingzhou, he always caught my eye at first sight.
He looked at himself quietly, not knowing what he was thinking.
Zhang You hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to go forward.
Fireworks burst out above his head again, and he opened his mouth to say something to her. The sound of the fireworks was so loud that Zhang You couldn't hear what he said clearly, nor could she read his lips. She simply took a step forward and walked towards him.
"Master Wei."
Zhang You walked closer and shouted loudly. Wei Qian raised his hand and waved it, then pointed to his ears, indicating that he couldn't hear.
The sound of fireworks and firecrackers continues, and it is a new round of fireworks.
Zhang You simply took his hand and walked deeper into the alley. The further they went, the quieter the sound of the fireworks became. This was the back alley of the shops, with only a few scattered lanterns hanging high, illuminating the dark narrow alley.
"What did Lord Wei just say?"
Zhang You pulled him to a quiet place, faced him, and asked curiously.
Wei Qian looked down at her with a smile in his eyes.
"Nothing, just wishing you a happy new year."
Zhang You listened with a mixture of disbelief. She clearly remembered him starting with a long speech, yet now he said just four words. But she couldn't argue, so she just went along with what he said, "Lord Wei, too. Happy New Year."
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