Chapter 37 Prince Heng and his wife enter the palace for instruction
Xie Shang went straight to Lan Yue Pavilion after leaving the Sandalwood Courtyard. He stopped when he saw that the candle in her room had suddenly gone out.
He stood there for a while but didn't push the door open to go in. Instead, he turned around and went to Tingxue Pavilion.
Inside the room, Jiang Fenghua sat upright on the bed, breathing in and out to exercise.
Lianye looked through the window and saw Xie Shang leave before saying, "The Prince was clearly about to come in, so why did you blow out the lamp, Princess? This was an opportunity!"
"He clearly went to the Sandalwood Courtyard but didn't stay overnight, why is that?" A sly glint flashed in Jiang Fenghua's eyes.
"The prince no longer likes Consort Su."
Jiang Fenghua smiled faintly, "People often find it hardest to forget the first person they liked. Whether it's a man or a woman, the first love is always the most beautiful. Even if they fall in love with someone else, they will still cherish the beauty of their first love. This kind of feeling is the easiest to rekindle old flames."
Now that Xie Shang has already taken a liking to me, it's time for me to take the initiative. I need to force Su Tingwan to act so he can see her bad side and forget her good.
Lianye then asked, "Did Your Highness have a first love, like Young Master Xiao...?"
She thought that the young lady didn't like Prince Heng because she might like Xiao Yu. After all, Young Master Xiao was also elegant, refined, and knowledgeable, and could be considered one of the best in Shengjing City.
Jiang Fenghua tapped her forehead and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Yu has nothing to do with me. No matter what he thinks, I will not provoke him, let alone like him. From the day I decided to marry Xie Shang, I have no relationship with any other man in the world except him."
"Does the princess like the prince?" Lianye asked.
"When a person has experienced disappointment and despair, and God gives her a chance to be reborn, she should cherish it and not fantasize about unrealistic love. From that moment on, no one can stir her heart anymore." She will never give her heart to him again in her life.
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The following day, the imperial edict summoning Prince Heng and his wife to the palace arrived at Prince Heng's residence early in the morning.
Jiang Fenghua, unaware of the reason, came to the front hall to receive the imperial edict, while Xie Shang knew perfectly well why the emperor had sent this decree.
When he saw Jiang Fenghua dressed in a proper princess palace gown, with her hair styled in an elegant and exquisite updo, and her stunningly beautiful face, he instructed Hongxiu, "Prepare two more sets of clothes for the princess, and a cloak."
Hongxiu obeyed the order without asking any further questions and quickly went to prepare.
Jiang Fenghua looked at him with firm and bright eyes, her gaze gentle and charming. She said softly, "Does Your Highness know why the Emperor summoned me to the palace?"
"I commend you." Xie Shang's lips suddenly curled into a playful smile.
Jiang Fenghua frowned, seemingly not quite believing it. A charming and amorous look inadvertently appeared in her eyes. "Your Majesty, I don't understand. Please enlighten me."
"You'll find out when you get there." Xie Shang smiled, his gaze fixed on Jiang Fenghua like the blazing sun, sharp and profound.
After saying that, he turned around and walked away without looking back.
Jiang Fenghua strolled along and quickly followed. Seeing that he was walking too fast, she almost ran.
She chased him all the way from the courtyard to the gate of the Prince's mansion. Suddenly, her face turned bright red. "Your Highness, please wait for me! My legs aren't as long as yours, yet you walked so fast. You did it on purpose!"
Xie Shang stopped in his tracks; the carriage was already waiting outside the mansion.
He glanced at the tables and chairs at the entrance of the Prince's mansion and said to Steward Cheng, "Remove them!"
Butler Cheng glanced at Jiang Fenghua and explained, "The Princess Consort's intention is to keep the desk open so that the people can submit their complaints. These days, this old servant has also received some complaints from the people, but they are all anonymous. This old servant guesses that the people are probably still not quite sure that His Highness can really clear their names."
After finishing speaking, Steward Cheng whispered further, "This old servant thinks the Princess is right. The Prince has just been appointed Prefect of the Capital and has handled a major case. The people are naturally grateful and praise the Prince as a good official who serves the people. Now that several cases have been withdrawn, this old servant is worried that the people will think that the Prince is just putting on a show. Your Highness, the hearts of the people are very important."
Xie Shang glanced at Jiang Fenghua, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, "These were her words."
Butler Cheng nodded, indicating that the princess was indeed a good princess who truly cared for the prince.
Xie Shang's gaze towards Jiang Fenghua changed. He stepped forward and took Jiang Fenghua's hand. "Get in the carriage. Father must be getting impatient."
Jiang Fenghua understood that Xie Shang was destined to become the man who would rule the world, and he would not need a beautiful but empty-headed princess. She was about to give Su Tingwan a good slap in the face.
Xie Shang will reconsider. In her previous life, she also became the Crown Princess, but unfortunately, Xie Shang rejected her when he was crowned Empress.
No matter how well she did, he couldn't see a single good thing about her.
Meanwhile, Su Tingwan was consumed by jealousy when Xie Shang helped her into the carriage, but there was nothing she could do. The Emperor had summoned them to the palace, and they should stand together.
Aunt Yunfang was right. She could no longer rely on A Shang's kindness to let him come to her room. She had to do something.
The Imperial Palace.
Chief Eunuch Cao personally welcomed Prince Heng and his wife into the palace, but instead of taking them to the Imperial Study to meet the Emperor, he had eunuchs and palace maids bring them a pile of writing implements and books. "By imperial decree, Prince Heng and his wife are to enter the ancestral hall to reflect on their mistakes for three days, and no one is allowed to visit them." This meant that even the Empress was not allowed to visit them.
Chief Steward Cao said softly, "Your Highness, these books are what Your Majesty instructed you and the Princess to use to pass the time in the ancestral hall."
Xie Shang glanced at the list and saw that in addition to books like the Book of Rites that taught etiquette and norms, there were also scriptures for ancestor worship. This meant that his father wanted him to learn the rules properly, and the Xuan paper he had prepared was for them to copy the Book of Rites and scriptures as punishment.
It wasn't until Chief Steward Cao left that Jiang Fenghua came to her senses. "Your Highness, what does His Majesty mean by this? Didn't you say His Majesty was going to reward me? Why am I here? To reflect on my mistakes? Did I do something wrong?"
Xie Shang, adopting a "what's done is done" attitude, glanced at her and said, "You have no idea what good things you've done."
Jiang Fenghua shook her head and answered seriously, "Since I married into the Prince Heng's mansion, I have always believed that I have followed the rules and regulations. How could Your Majesty punish me by making me copy the Book of Rites?"
"He's just using this as an excuse. No matter what, he'll find a reason to punish me," Xie Shang said.
"Why did Your Majesty involve me in punishing the Prince?" She pouted her pink lips, her eyes full of confusion.
“We are husband and wife, so if I am punished, my queen should also be punished.”
Jiang Fenghua asked again, "Just now, from what Your Highness said, it seems that I also angered the Emperor, so I was punished along with him? But I didn't!"
Jiang Fenghua racked her brains but couldn't figure it out. She went straight to the desk and said, "So the prince already knew that we were going to be punished when we came to the palace, which is why he asked Hongxiu to prepare two more sets of clothes."
Jiang Fenghua resigned herself to her fate, after all, the emperor's order was hard to disobey, so she obediently picked up the paper and book, sat down at the desk, and began to copy diligently.
Xie Shang stared at the bruises on her wrist that hadn't faded yet, feeling a pang of heartache, and said, "Stop copying. You'll be released after three days."
"Since I'm going to stay here for three days anyway, and I have nothing else to do, I might as well copy some etiquette and rules." Her hands kept moving.
Xie Shang was annoyed by her obedient appearance, snatched the pen from her hand and threw it on the ground, "Even if you copy all these books, Father Emperor won't read them."
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