Shen Qingque's question was too casual, as if these flowers had already been requisitioned by the Imperial Stud, and that Yongle was now using their Imperial Stud's things.
Coupled with his expression, which resembled a teacher scolding a student for doing something wrong, Yongle felt guilty and wanted to run away.
Her teacher, Shen Qingyu, didn't make her feel like she was being controlled, but this younger brother made her feel helpless, like a mouse facing a cat, with all her abilities restrained.
Seeing that she did not answer, Shen Qingque looked at the flower branch in her arms with great regret and said, "Since the princess has already picked the flower, please take good care of it and place it in the house so that the fragrance will fill the room, so that it will not come to the human world."
After saying this, he bowed to Yongle and left.
Watching his retreating figure, Yongle pursed her lips. They really are a family; compared to Shen Qingque, her tutor, Shen Qingyu, is far more adaptable!
Shen Qingque came on behalf of his family to deliver New Year's gifts. The Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion put in a lot of effort to find Shen Qingyu.
The Shen family held little real power in the court and their relationship with Prince Xiaoyao was not particularly close, so they were not worried about being implicated by the Xie family.
In addition, since the Emperor had previously appointed Shen Qingyu as Yongle and Song Yaozhu's "teacher," it would be convenient for them to interact publicly and would not cause any trouble.
Yongle angrily carried a bunch of flower branches to Song Yaozhu's room. The floor heating was working well inside, and she started sweating soon after she came in.
She placed the wintersweet branches in the vase, hoping to find an opportunity to speak with Song Yaozhu alone, but Princess Xuan didn't give her that chance and simply pulled her away.
"Let's go see a play together in a few days!" Yongle winked at Song Yaozhu desperately, hoping she would understand his hint.
Princess Xuan grabbed her arm and said angrily, "Do you think everyone is as idle as you? Doesn't a princess have to manage her family? The New Year is coming soon, which is the busiest time. Don't cause trouble here! Come on, come back with me. This year you will also have to take charge of the household affairs. After all, you are getting married soon."
Yongle was unwilling to be dragged away like this, and he regretted it deeply!
After seeing off Princess Xuan, Song Yaozhu continued to review the gift list and discovered that there was a gift for Yuwen Xian. She was somewhat surprised, and then returned the gift according to custom.
"I heard that *** has taken in a male concubine, who is extremely beautiful?"
This rumor was no longer unusual in the capital. Yuwen Wuji simply called his younger sister over and reprimanded her, telling her to be mindful of her behavior and not to give birth to a child of low blood that would taint the Yuwen family's reputation.
Song Yaozhu was simply puzzled; Yuwen Xian didn't seem like the type of girl who was interested in beautiful women. She probably preferred BMWs to male concubines.
"Yes, I've heard that this gigolo is as handsome as Pan An and also quite talented. *** always brings him along when attending banquets."
Song Yaozhu became curious and wanted to see her.
At this moment, Xie Liwei walked in, his aura carrying the chill of the outside air, making people feel a little scared.
"What happened?" Song Yaozhu asked.
Tao Dingbang was secretly escorted back to Beijing.
Are there any people in Jianzhou Road?
Xie Liwei shook his head. This was a secret edict. His men only realized something was wrong when they discovered that Tao Dingbang had not appeared in Jianzhou for a long time, and they investigated it privately.
"Does the Tao family know about this?"
"They should know."
After all, such a grown person has been missing for so long; one should have noticed something was amiss.
"Let's see what Prince Jing is up to first." Song Yaozhu rested her chin on her hand, feeling listless. This world had once been in ruins, but now it was riddled with holes because of the lust for power of those people.
She was just a tiny ant, unable to shake the thriving giant tree of history.
Perhaps noticing the weariness on her face, Xie Liwei reached out and pulled her into his arms. "It will be alright, everything will be alright."
Time flies, and the annual meeting day arrived in the blink of an eye. Song Yaozhu, dressed in palace attire, entered the palace with Xie Liwei.
She ate a large meal beforehand and didn't plan to dine at the palace. She wondered what kind of traditional events awaited her at this year's palace banquet. Sigh, this was difficult.
This year, she sat with a group of elderly ladies, avoiding moving around as much as possible, and stayed with the group until dinner. This certainly protected her, but it also had its drawbacks.
"It's been over a year since the princess got married, hasn't it? Why is there still no sign of pregnancy?"
Noise? What kind of noise? Does bowel sounds count?
"Yes, yes, Your Highness is not young anymore, you two should have a child soon! Your sister, Consort Zhao, is pregnant this year, you should try harder too!"
"Hey, sometimes you can't blame us women for not being able to conceive! Didn't you say the prince was weak? I have a medicine that can help the prince regain his virility, Your Highness, would you like some to try?"
......
After being told to take their seats, Song Yaozhu finally saw Xie Liwei. She breathed a sigh of relief and whispered in his ear, "My head was about to explode from all those old ladies nagging me about wanting a child."
Xie Liwei gently took her hand into his palm, "Your Highness has worked hard."
The interaction between the two was observed by Song Wenyue, whose eyes flashed with murderous rage, and she was so jealous that she wanted to kill someone.
Why is Song Yaozhu able to win Xie Liwei's favor? It's all because of her face, which resembles Xie Wanqing's!
Not only Xie Liwei, but also the Emperor!
To be honest, she still had doubts about the Emperor's feelings for Xie Wanqing. She originally wanted to use her pregnancy as an excuse to ask for more palace maids to serve her, so she asked around among many palace servants and found that almost none of the servants in the palace had stayed for more than ten years.
It is said that the Emperor was devastated by Empress Jingxian's death and reprimanded the palace servants for failing to protect their mistress, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people as burial victims. Those who survived have either left the palace or later died from illness or in palace intrigues.
The more this happened, the more Consort Song felt that Yuwen Wuji was treacherous, and that she might be associating with wolves and tigers. She absolutely had to give birth to a boy!
"Your Majesty, I am pregnant and cannot drink alcohol, so I will offer you a cup of tea instead. May you be healthy year after year, and may I be by your side year after year." As she spoke, Song Wenyue smiled shyly, "I hope we can be as loving as my sister and brother-in-law."
Her words drew everyone's attention to Song Yaozhu and Xie Liwei, while half the crowd looked at the taciturn Consort Song. This Consort Song truly enjoyed exclusive favor in the harem. Her sister was the principal wife, and her loving relationship with the prince was praised. Although she was a consort, she was essentially a concubine, yet she dared to dream of being as loving as the principal wife with her husband?
The Imperial Concubine smiled faintly, "His Majesty is the ruler of a country; how can he waste his energy on matters of the heart? My sister is being delicate because she is pregnant, but I have been through the same thing, so I understand."
Song Wenyue's smile froze for a moment. She finished her tea and sat back down.
What's there to be proud of in an old woman who has been with Yuwen Wuji for over a decade without ever becoming empress?
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