October 29th, morning, main hall of the East Palace.
"I wonder why Lord An and Lord Ouyang came to the East Palace so early in the morning?"
Mu Lige, who was sitting at the top, glanced indifferently at An Zihao and Ouyang Yuming who walked in from outside the hall, but did not stand up to greet them.
Although they were a generation older than him, according to the Three Bonds, "the ruler is the bond of the ministers," and other relationships naturally took precedence over the ruler-minister relationship. Ultimately, they were merely the emperor's attendants, and were no match for him, the crown princess and legitimate ruler.
Since they came with bad intentions, there was naturally no need for him to save face for them.
"So early in the morning? It's already 9:00 PM, it's not early anymore." Xiao Xinzi, who was standing beside An Zihao, looked at the sun outside the hall, which was already high in the sky, and said sarcastically.
“Bold!”
"The master is speaking, how can you, a servant, have the right to speak?" Mu Lige changed his usual gentle demeanor and frowned angrily.
"Shumo, slap me in the face!"
"Yes, Masaru-kun."
Shu Mo, who was skilled in martial arts, came to Xiao Xinzi and before everyone could react, he had already slapped Xiao Xinzi several times.
"My Lady, what are you doing..." An Zihao looked at the usually gentle and refined Mu Lige with a look of disbelief.
"Brother Zihao, you are indeed a bit unruly for a palace official. You offended the Crown Princess with your words, and the punishment you received is your own fault."
Ouyang Yuming unkindly ridiculed his "ally" An Zihao. This servant's misbehavior was naturally shameful for the master's failure to discipline his subordinates.
"Brother Ouyang is absolutely right! I will discipline the servants strictly when I return. Little Xinzi, why don't you quickly apologize to the Crown Princess!"
Although An Zihao had been promoted to the rank of Imperial Noble, he and Ouyang Yuming still used the same verbal address for each other in private. Since Ouyang Yuming always liked to act arrogantly, he should be kind and help this "old man"...
Looking at the two people "biting each other", Mu Lige just sneered in his heart and did not participate in the lawsuit between them.
"Xiao Xinzi's words were rude. I beg the Princess Zhengjun to forgive me!"
Xiao Xinzi realized that he had done something stupid because of his quick mouth, so he tactfully knelt down and begged for mercy.
No matter how good-tempered the Princess Zhengjun seems to be, he is still the male master of the East Palace and is not someone a mere eunuch like him can afford to offend.
"Admitting one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue. But...don't make the same mistake again."
Although Mu Lige was talking to Xiao Xinzi, his eyes were slowly sweeping over An Zihao and Ouyang Yuming beside him.
"Yes, yes, I will follow the instructions of the Princess." After Xiao Xinzi knelt down and kowtowed, Mu Lige waved his hand and asked him to step aside.
"Lixiang, why don't you serve tea to Noble Lord An and Noble Lord Ouyang quickly?" Mu Lige deliberately emphasized the status of the two and glanced at Lixiang beside him with pretended anger.
"Because I'm pregnant, I can't drink tea. So... tea is rarely made in the East Palace. They didn't realize it at first, so please don't blame me for not being hospitable enough."
"Your Excellency is too polite. In all matters, Fengyi will naturally take precedence." An Zihao, who was sitting in the guest seat below, was a patient man and was not annoyed by Mu Lige's deliberate neglect.
Soon, Lixiang brought tea to An Zihao and Ouyang Yuming, but they spat it out after taking just one sip.
"Prince Zhengjun, what kind of tea is this? Why is it so bitter?"
Ouyang Yuming only felt an extremely bitter taste in his mouth. A strong bitter taste rushed straight to his heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys, almost choking him to tears.
An Zihao standing beside him was not much better than Ouyang Yuming. His face turned pale and he looked sallow.
"This...it's my fault for not considering it carefully. I grew up in the countryside, so naturally I can't use high-quality teas like Dongyang Lake Fengjing and Zhaoyang Biyuntian as mouthwash like Lord An and Lord Ouyang. The only tea we can afford to drink on a daily basis is this kind of bitter gourd tea..." Mu Lige ignored the dark faces of An Zihao and Ouyang Yuming and spoke lightly.
"Your Highness the Princess is wrong! You are now the master of the Eastern Palace, how can you entertain guests with such inferior tea? If so, how can Her Highness the Princess maintain her dignity?" Ouyang Yuming said with a forced smile.
"Well... I come from a humble background, my family is poor, and I'm used to being frugal. The Emperor also said that it's a good thing to always remember the bitter past and think of the sweet past..."
Mu Lige's eyes, which seemed to contain stars, were bright and clear, and she looked at Ouyang Yuming helplessly.
"Since even the emperor appreciates it, then... then it must be correct." Ouyang Yuming said embarrassedly.
The other party had already brought up the emperor, so what could he do? If he continued to talk, wouldn't it mean that he was dissatisfied with what the emperor said?
"By the way, I wonder why Lord An and Lord Ouyang took the trouble to come to the East Palace so early in the morning?" Mu Lige took the cup of warm water handed to him by Lixiang, took two sips, and said seriously.
"The Crown Princess and the Prince are truly open-minded and virtuous. The Crown Princess has newly appointed a concubine, and according to protocol, they should have come this morning to offer tea to the elders and the Prince. However, I have waited and waited, but Prince Helun has not shown up. Therefore, I came to the East Palace with Brother Zihao to pay him a visit."
Ouyang Yuming wanted to pick up the tea beside him and take a sip, but when he thought of the bitter taste that had just filled his mouth and was still lingering, he retracted his outstretched hand.
"It's only natural for the new husband to offer tea to his father-in-law... But, as far as I know, Queen Feng has already..." Mu Lige glanced at An Zihao and Ouyang Yuming with a hint of meaning.
The two of them are just the emperor's noble servants, not the emperor's legal husbands. If they want to be the father-in-law of the princess's servant, I'm afraid... they are not qualified!
An Zihao: ...
Ouyang Yuming: ...
"Brother Feng Hou is like a brother to us. I thought I could help him..." An Zihao hesitated and found a way out.
"What the Crown Princess said is very true. Our status is not high enough, so it is understandable that the Crown Princess did not bring the new concubine to offer tea. However, it seems that Prince Helun does not respect you as the legitimate prince enough. Why doesn't he come to pay his respects to you?" Ouyang Yuming said to sow discord.
"Your Excellency Ouyang, you may not know that last night was the wedding night of Her Highness the Crown Princess and Prince Helun. I was worried that they would be too tired, so I have already told Prince Helun to excuse him from coming to pay his respects this morning."
"The Crown Princess is indeed magnanimous, but since there is a new concubine joining the family, the Yuanpa must be sent for inspection early in the morning, right?" Ouyang Yuming said unwillingly.
"Mr. Ouyang, this... Prince Helun is from a country that respects men..." Mu Lige didn't finish his words, but his meaning was already very clear.
Ouyang Yuming: ...
I was careless!
How could I forget this?
Prince Helun is the third prince of Zhaoyang Kingdom, which is a male-dominated country. Naturally, men will not bleed after their first sexual intercourse.
Mu Lige used a lot of skill and finally sent away An Zihao and Ouyang Yuming who came to cause trouble.
As for Wu Chen, who was being picked on, he was still wrapped in the same quilt with Hua Qingcheng, lying on a broken bed board in the bridal chamber of Xianxianyuan.
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