"Mian Mian, you are my woman, you can only smile at me, remember?"
"I will not hold you responsible for what happened on the wedding day, can you be a good boy?"
He kissed Xueou's arm, tucked her into the quilt, and patted her gently, "I will go to the south for an inspection tomorrow, can I bring you a gift when I come back?"
Seeing a crabapple flower pinned on her forehead, he stroked her soft hair and whispered, "Then I will buy you a pearl flower when I go out, and you can pick me up at the palace gate when I come back in five days, and then we can have a happy and exciting wedding, okay?" Shi Yan
returned to Zichen Hall to prepare the official documents for tomorrow's trip, and quietly left Penglai Hall.
After he left, Xu Mian woke up in the middle of the night and cried loudly in the hall.
Xuelian hugged her and coaxed her, "Crown Princess, don't cry. His Highness is not a bad person. You are husband and wife, and you are doing husband and wife things. Don't be afraid."
Xu Mian trembled and bit her lip, thinking of the terrible scene when a servant in the mansion got drunk and blocked her in the corner when she was nine years old.
"Little beauty, let me kiss you."
Xu Mian was so scared that she couldn't shout. When people are too scared, they can't make any sound, but they just stare and cry.
If Xuelian hadn't knocked the man unconscious with a stick, who knows what terrible thing would have happened. Since then, Xu Mian has been frightened to the point of stuttering.
Her mother, Mrs. Xue, died of dystocia after giving birth to her, and her father, Grand Marshal Xu, did not remarry. Although Xu Mian had never been bullied by her stepmother since she was a child, she was not much better off because her father never cared about her and would test her on her studies or spank her hands whenever he saw her.
Xu Mian had a lonely and boring childhood, which became even more colorless because of that terrible shadow.
………
Everyone knew that the prince had gone out of the palace to gain experience in the next five days.
But after the fifth day, he still did not return to the palace, and there was even terrible news that he had been assassinated and disappeared.
The entire court and the palace were shocked, and the East Palace was drowned in cries.
The other concubines were worried that something had happened to Shi Yan, so they were sent to the imperial mausoleum to live as widows. Only Xu Mian was unusually calm. Wherever she went, she would just muddle through.
Besides, the devil Shi Yan is very strong and will not die!
She and Shi Yan were arranged to be married by Empress Xiao and her mother Xue.
At that time, Empress Xiao and Princess Huan were about to give birth, and Xue was not pregnant yet.
Empress Xiao and Princess Huan were twin sisters, and they married royal brothers who were also twins.
Xue and the two sisters were playmates since childhood and had a deep relationship.
Princess Huan smiled and said, "If I give birth to a boy and you give birth to a girl in the future, let the girl be my daughter-in-law, how about it?" Xue
had not answered yet. Empress Xiao
said first: "I am also greedy for this daughter-in-law. How about this, if one of us gives birth to a
son first, the girl that Sister Xue is carrying will be the daughter-in-law." Princess Huan smiled and said, "Okay, Sister Xue, you must hurry up and get a beautiful girl, preferably twins, so that the Empress and I can each have a daughter-in-law."
Xue said happily: "That's what I want."
Unexpectedly, three years later, Xue really gave birth to a girl named Xu Mian.
Because of treason, Prince Huan was given poisoned wine. Although Princess Huan gave birth to a boy before Empress Xiao, she was so heartbroken by the treason that she burned herself to death with her child in her arms.
........
Even though it was Princess Huan who gave birth to the son first, Empress Xiao still arranged a marriage with Xue. Even though Xu Mian was a little stutterer who was famous in the capital, she still became the Crown Princess.
Some even said that the royal family was very tolerant and could tolerate the wife of the Prince Chu, a little stutterer with big breasts and no brains.
If she had a choice and someone asked her opinion, she would never be willing to marry the arrogant and rude Crown Prince!
-------
Five days later, the morning light broke, as if foreshadowing that the palace had cleared the haze of the missing Prince Chu.
In the Penglai Palace, Xu Mian was playing with small toys in the corner of the back hall.
In the golden basin, the mud became soft and obedient under her fingertips. Sometimes she patted it gently, sometimes she squeezed it hard, and a rough but childlike little clay figure began to take shape.
The little clay figure had a round head and two eyes inlaid with stones, revealing a bit of naivety.
Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence, and the palace maid ran in hurriedly, saying excitedly: "Report to the Crown Princess, His Highness is back! His Highness is fine!"
Xu Mian's pink cherry-like mouth corners slightly raised, forming two charming dimples.
Rubbing the mud on her hands, she muttered: I said you are blessed with a long life and will not die.
Xuelian quickly asked someone to bring the golden basin, and pulled Xu Mian's hands into the basin to wash.
"Crown Princess, when His Highness left that night, he specifically told you to pick him up at the palace gate when he came back from his errand, saying that he had a surprise for you and that His Highness was thinking of you." "
I... got it. Where is His Highness...?"
The maid reported, "His Highness has entered the city gate and will soon arrive at the palace gate!"
"Then I... will go to the palace gate in person to greet... His Highness."
The entire East Palace suddenly became busy, with the maids shuttling around in every corner, changing Xu Mian's wedding clothes, dressing her up, and arranging the welcoming ceremony.
Dressed in gorgeous palace clothes, she looked pure and charming.
Everything was ready. Xu Mian stood up, her skirt swaying lightly, her steps carrying a hint of urgency and elegance, and told the maid, "Let's go."
Surrounded by the palace maids, she slowly walked out of the East Palace and headed towards the palace gate.
When they were about to reach Chunhua Gate, several concubines in gorgeous palace costumes suddenly appeared at the other end of the road. The leading concubine was Yilan, the concubine of the East Palace. She was wearing an elegant green palace dress with delicate bamboo leaf patterns embroidered on the lapels.
Her hair was tied up high, with a few strands of hair casually falling in front of her forehead, and her eyebrows and eyes flashed with a faint sharpness.
"Hey, isn't this the Crown Princess? Why are you walking with us concubines?"
It was Concubine Liu who spoke with a hint of provocation.
Originally, the Crown Princess had a procession of processions, but Shi Yan insisted that Xu Mian needed to exercise and not show off in public, so he cancelled her procession.
Xu Mian got angry at the thought. She and Shi Yan had been at odds since childhood, and the Concubine Yi Lan in front of her had been Shi Yan's lackey since childhood.
Xu Mian slightly side-glanced, and originally wanted to say sternly: Since you all got the news, just follow me to greet His Highness, and remember not to make noise, so as not to lose face for the Eastern Palace.
But when she opened her mouth, she uttered two short words: "Noisy!"
The other concubines around her all looked at each other and laughed. The Crown Princess would stutter if she said more than three words. You could never ask her to teach anyone.
At this time, the palace gate was very lively. When Xu Mian brought the concubines of the Eastern Palace to arrive, the people in front of the palace and the people in the Queen's Palace were already waiting, as well as the Prime Minister, the Grand Tutor and other old ministers. After
a long time, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and then a majestic team of black cavalry appeared at the corner of the street outside the palace gate.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here!"
Xu Mian saw a stern-faced man on a tall horse at the head, wearing a raven-green four-clawed dragon court robe, tall and slender, and wearing a golden crown.
Sword-like eyebrows slanted into the temples, eyes were deep and sharp, radiant and cold.
The bridge of the nose was straight, thin lips were tightly pursed, revealing an indomitable arrogance.
In front of the majestic procession at the palace gate, Shi Jun jumped off the horse, and as he walked, his eyes were dim, and his steps were steady and calm.
Exactly the same appearance, exactly the same temperament and behavior, no one could see through it.
The former eunuch stepped forward, "Your Highness, His Majesty has been waiting for a long time."
Shi Jun nodded slightly, feeling guilty and nervous, pretending to be calm and looking around.
The prime minister and the imperial tutor stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Highness, it is a blessing for the country that you are safe."
Xu Mian led the concubines of the Eastern Palace to salute, "Your Highness, I respectfully welcome you back to the court."
Shi Jun's deep eyes quickly swept through the flowers and willows, and stayed for a moment on a woman with a gorgeous jade body, a slender waist and a lotus face.
Xu Mian's eyes briefly met with his, strange, unknown and multiple emotions in it.
Suddenly, a woman rushed out from behind her and rushed in front of Shi Jun, "Your Highness, you finally returned safely, I was almost worried to death."
Concubine Lan has always been bold, and the others were confused.
Shi Jun was stunned for a moment and pushed Yi Lan away coldly.
Dog Shi Yan, what do you mean by giving me a surprise, just this?
Xu Mian turned around and went back to the Eastern Palace angrily.