The pastries meant for the bride were laid out to the side. Cui Xi walked over and tried to take one of them, but the chef stopped her: "Are you the young lady's attendant?"
Cui Xi nodded: "Yes, I'm here to serve Miss's breakfast."
"Go away, this isn't yours, this is." The chef carefully took the delicate pastries from her hands and handed her a small plate of mung bean cakes.
Cui Xi, carrying pastries, argued with the chef, taking Song Tangli's pastries one by one. Each one was exquisite and decorated with a large double happiness character.
Taking the opportunity, she sprinkled the medicine powder in, ensuring that everyone was covered, so that no matter which piece Song Tangli ate today, she would get the young lady's medicine. Finally, she pretended to be indignant and left.
After she left, the chef spat at her retreating figure, saying, "How dare you touch anything like that!"
When Song Tangli's maid came to serve the food, the chef was extremely attentive, his face beaming with joy.
These commoners will never have any contact with the Crown Princess in the future, so pleasing the matriarch is the key. Therefore, they naturally treat Song Tangli and Song Tangxue differently.
Cui Xi carried the mung bean cakes back to Song Tangli's courtyard and closed the door: "Miss, that chef is too unfair. He prepared the best for Song Tangli, but all we have left is this plate of mung bean cakes."
Song Tangxue didn't mind at all. She lay on the couch and closed her eyes to rest. She had been quite exhausted last night and hadn't slept well. Now she just felt languid: "Is the matter finished?"
"Yes, I guarantee the Second Miss will get to eat it."
"Clatter."
A small pebble tapped on the windowpane, startling Song Tangxue awake. She called for Cuixi to open the window, and An Shiliu climbed in from outside, his face stern: "Why did you suddenly change rooms?"
"You went to Plum Garden?" Song Tangxue asked with a smile.
"Hmm." Dark Sixteen looked gloomy, almost giving himself away. He carefully pulled out a few packets of pastries from his clothes: "This is what Master asked me to bring."
An Shiliu, who had been following Xie Qianzhong, knew what had happened last night and that Xie Qianzhong had gone to queue up to buy pastries early in the morning.
“Red bean paste pastry, plum blossom cake, jujube paste cake…” Song Tangxue picked them up and looked at them. The pastry stuck mischievously to her fingertips, and An Shiliu lowered his head repeatedly.
"I've brought the things, so I'll be leaving now." Dark Sixteen appeared and disappeared silently. Apart from the pastries on the table, even the passing Qingfeng didn't know he had been there.
What remains is all the sentiment of one person.
"Lord Xie is truly a lifesaver! We were just saying that these pastries weren't very good." Cui Xi placed the plate of mung bean cakes far away, so that these unlucky things wouldn't offend her mistress's eyes.
Song Tangxue smiled slightly as she ate the pastries Xie Qianzhong had brought her: "You did a good job today, so I'll reward you with the jewelry. You can sell it or keep it for yourself, it's up to you."
She gestured with her eyes to the jewelry box that Cui Xi had placed on the table. It was given to her by Song's mother that morning; she didn't want anything from the Song family.
Cui Xi's eyes widened in surprise, and she knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "Thank you, Miss!"
"Get up." Song Tangxue handed her a piece of pastry: "There's still food to cook today, eat more, eat your fill."
Cui Xi choked with emotion as she swallowed the pastry. She only learned later that Haitang had volunteered to die in place of her mistress, and that everything before was a misunderstanding.
She now deeply regrets her actions, realizing she almost went astray. Fortunately, her mistress pulled her back, even though she knows she has long lost her mistress's trust.
But her life now is something many servants can't compare to. A servant's only hope in this life is to meet a good master, and she is very lucky to have met one now.
Cui Xi only thought about serving her mistress wholeheartedly in the future.
Meanwhile, a maid brought pastries into the room. Song's mother stayed by Song Tangli's side. Song Tangli saw a small porcelain bottle on the table with only half a bottle left, and happily picked it up to look at it.
Song's mother: "What's in this small porcelain bottle?"
"Huh?" Song Tangli shook her head, snapping out of her smugness. "I just didn't see it."
“What good things could your sister possibly have?” Song’s mother sighed. “Her dowry was so shabby it was unbearable to look at.”
"Miss, have something to eat first." More than a dozen kinds of pastries were neatly arranged on the sandalwood table. Song Tangli picked up a piece and swallowed it with a good mood.
"These pastries made by the chef are so delicious!" Song Tangli tried all the pastries.
"This was specially commissioned by my father to be made by a master craftsman."
Kyoto is bustling every day, but today it's even noisier.
Horse-drawn carriages lined up from one end of the street to the other, in an orderly fashion. Red lanterns led the way, and guns and firecrackers were set off, with music and fanfare accompanying them all the way to the gate of the Song Mansion.
Countless flower petals were scattered along the roadside, and the summer heat carried the fragrance of flowers so strong it made people dizzy. Even the trees throughout the city were adorned with countless red ribbons. The prince's wedding was extravagant and grand.
Soldiers were stationed along the roadside to maintain order, and the surging crowds were endless, shoulder to shoulder, all craning their necks to watch the royal wedding.
Hearing the lively sounds of gongs and drums at the gate, Cui Xi stayed with Song Tangxue to guard the quiet courtyard.
The Crown Princess was, in the end, just a concubine, and since her wedding coincided with that of the Crown Princess, she could only be carried into the Crown Prince's residence in a small sedan chair through a side gate.
Cui Xi was somewhat resentful that she would have to serve tea to the Crown Princess, but Song Tangxue didn't care and went back to sleep.
In the front yard, Song Tangli, wearing a red veil and a bright red wedding dress, slowly stepped out of the Plum Garden. Her parents were by her side, wiping away tears.
Granny Geng had some doubts, but then she thought that this was just for show, and it seemed that the Empress Dowager's decree was still effective; at least these people had done enough in public.
The ten-mile-long procession of red bridal procession showcased the Crown Princess's lavish dowry, a sight to behold.
A thick layer of firecracker debris lay on the steps, bathed in sunlight, reflecting a festive and lively atmosphere.
With the help of the matchmaker, Song Tangli stepped into the sedan chair, clutching a red apple in her hand. A maid handed her an embroidered fan.
The bride covers her face with a red veil when she goes out and a fan when she enters the house.
Mr. and Mrs. Song helped each other walk back, seeing Song Tangli off. The guests then followed the wedding sedan chair to the Crown Prince's residence.
"Our plan is flawless. Once the guests have seen Ali's face, even the imperial family won't dare to easily reject it." Mother Song smiled gently, with a sense of relief.
"Yes, Mother is so clever to have come up with this idea," Song's father chimed in.
"I hope that Ali will have a joyful and smooth life in the second half of her life."
The hot summer wind blew, and amidst the sound of firecrackers, gray smoke billowed up, obscuring Li Zhaoxian's impatience and anticipation.
The bright red sedan chair landed at the entrance of the Crown Prince's residence, and Li Zhaoxian came over with a stern face.
But then he saw that the person under the embroidered fan was Song Tangli. His heart skipped a beat, and a smile spread across his face belatedly, but a trace of melancholy flashed through his heart.
Unconsciously, I wondered what a stunning beauty Song Tangxue would be if she wore a wedding dress.
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