On the Emperor's birthday, Shen Tangning and Chi Yan entered the palace together.
Today happens to be the winter solstice, and the weather has gotten quite cold. Shen Tangning put on her winter clothes. She is particularly sensitive to the cold in winter. She sat upright with her hands slightly tucked into her sleeves, wearing a light pink jacket with a lotus pattern and a white skirt with a lotus pattern.
She was young, and the light pink color accentuated her delicate and graceful appearance, like a crabapple bud about to bloom on a branch.
When she got off the carriage, Chi Yan stepped forward and offered his hand. With her hand in his, Shen Tangning lifted her skirt and stepped down.
With no shelter, the cold wind rushed in, and she shivered slightly from the cold. Chi Yan held her icy fingertips and frowned: "Why are you so cold? Next time you go out, you should bring a hot water bottle with you."
He was very tactful and quickly let go, but quietly moved to the windward side, his tall figure perfectly blocking her view.
Shen Tangning stared at him blankly for a moment, then looked away and slightly curled the corners of her lips: "It's not that cold, it would be a laughing stock."
Chi Yan glanced over with lowered eyes, intrigued: "What, are you shy too?"
Shen Tangning raised an eyebrow slightly, her bright eyes looking straight at her: "Is it not allowed?"
Their eyes met, the howling north wind stopped for a moment, and the world fell silent. It was as if invisible sparks were crackling and exploding in the air.
In this brief eye contact, he ultimately succumbed in a flustered retreat. Chi Yan, feigning composure, looked ahead and let out a snort of laughter: "Fine."
Shen Tangning glanced at his slightly reddened earlobes, slowly shifted her gaze, looked down at the road, and thought:
Chi Yan's eyes are indeed beautiful, bright and clear, sincere and luminous.
Many ministers and their families had already arrived at the palace gate. They were slightly surprised to see the two, but quickly greeted them with smiles.
Chi Yan's status is not high enough to attend the banquet; the fact that she is here shows that she is capable.
In that case, there's nothing wrong with establishing a good relationship beforehand.
Chi Yan was surrounded by several ministers talking, and Shen Tangning did not want to disturb them, but then she heard a voice behind her.
"Tang Ning".
She turned around and saw Gu Qingxu approaching gracefully. She smiled and said, "I had heard from Father that you would come, but I didn't believe it at first."
Shen Tangning smiled and looked her over: "Sister Gu, your outfit today is quite eye-catching."
Gu Qingxu's cheeks flushed slightly, and a faint worry appeared in her eyes.
She immediately understood, took Gu Qingxu's hand and led her inside: "Does Sister Gu have something to say?"
Gu Qingxu bit her lower lip, hesitated, and lowered her voice: "I wanted to ask you before, but I felt it wasn't a good idea. Do you know if His Highness the Crown Prince... is he seriously injured?"
Her face flushed red as soon as she finished speaking; it was quite an achievement for someone as reserved as her to have done so.
She overheard her father and mother talking, and the Empress inquired about whether her marriage had been arranged.
Gu Qingxu is seventeen years old this year, and marriage will have to be put on the agenda sooner or later. It is said that marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers, but she will feel uneasy about marrying someone she doesn't know at all.
But if it were His Highness the Crown Prince… she thought she would be willing.
Shen Tangning smiled knowingly. It seemed that her frequent mention of her cousin in front of the other party was not entirely useless.
"Sister Gu, if you are really worried about His Highness, why don't you go and see him for yourself later?"
Gu Qingxu felt embarrassed by her teasing gaze, but quickly caught the implication in her words and widened her eyes slightly: "You mean, His Highness the Crown Prince will also be here today?"
Shen Tangning blinked: "Of course, how could Your Highness possibly be absent from His Majesty's birthday banquet?"
Gu Qingxu's heart gradually calmed down, and she lowered her eyes, thinking:
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