C19

The palace's dinner was slightly earlier than that of the prince's mansion's. When it was young, everyone was already sitting at the table.

There were more people eating than Yunsheng expected. Other than the emperor and empress, there were Xian, Liang, Shu, and De Fourth Concubine. There were two princesses accompanying her, one was a sixteen-year-old phoenix pearl princess, and the other was an eleven-year-old phoenix sun princess, who was born to a concubine. She had a son who died at the age of two.

The emperor did not favor her in any way, and the imperial concubines seemed to be in harmony with each other. When Sheng Yue and the crown prince arrived a little later, quite a few people were astonished. Even though their shocked expressions disappeared in a flash, Sheng Yue was still a little apprehensive as she did not know that the crown prince, Mu Rong Qing, rarely participated in palace events, including family banquets, due to illness.

The emperor's expression flickered as he smiled. "Qing'er, you seem to be in a bad mood. You've taken all of the imperial physician's medicine on time, right?"

"Thank you for your concern, royal father. I feel much better now." Murong Yu answered respectfully. After all, he was thinner than the rest of his body. After standing still for a while, he seemed to be swaying slightly. The empress quickly made him sit next to her.

Under Murong Yu's calm gaze, Yun Shengyue also sat beside him.

The emperor seemed to be happy to see his family gathered together. He raised his glass and said, "Today seems to be a good day. Yu'er has gotten married, and Qing'er's body is also recovering. It's rare for our family to gather together and drink a cup together. Feng Zhu and Feng Yang, if they aren't good at drinking, just use sweet rice wine instead."

"This concubine would also like to use this wine to wish His Majesty a safe and healthy life, and good fortune to our country of Beheng." Consort De's voice was tender and beautiful as she wailed. Sheng Yue could not help but take another glance at her, only to see that her gaze was also sweeping across her face in an unfathomable manner.

She could only lower her eyes and concentrate on eating. Unfortunately, the huge dining table was filled with a myriad of delicacies, but it could not be eaten as she wished. She could only wait for the palace maids to share the dishes.

Fortunately, the Emperor didn't pay too much attention to her. Perhaps it was because he was happy to see the Crown Prince and the Duke of Qin, so he continued to discuss with the two of them. Murong Yu didn't talk much, and only answered after he asked a few questions.

The empress also smiled. She should be more satisfied with the way the men spoke. The women were quiet, and the sounds of eating could barely be heard. She sighed in her heart. She did not like such a life. So what if she was extravagant? It was depressing!

Fortunately, everyone seemed to have eaten a little. In fact, Bei Heng had eaten two meals a day, and the main course was only two meals. But, let alone the palace compound, when could a rich family break off soup and snacks?

Finally, everyone washed their mouths. Just as Yun Shengyue thought that this trip to the imperial palace was coming to an end, the emperor suddenly laughed and said, "Yu'er, Qing'er's birthday is in two days. The rain for the next two days will be unstable, so you and Yue'er can stay at the palace for two days.

"Yes, this son understands." Mu Rong Yu nodded his head and looked at Mu Rong Qing, who was standing opposite of him. The latter immediately revealed a sinister smile.

It was still early after dinner.

After saying goodbye to Murong Yu, Yun Shengyue returned to the Hua Qing Palace, where Murong Yu used to stay.

The two of them sat on the emperor's carriage and didn't say anything for a while. It was as if the crown prince had deliberately come to talk to them when they had just parted. He was clearly speaking to Murong Yu, yet his gaze was always on her. Even Murong Yu noticed this, but his expression remained the same.

"Xiao Yu, it's rare for you and Yue'er to enter the palace, please come visit my Eastwood Palace." The Crown Prince said with a smile. Yun Sheng felt that his smile was extremely beautiful, but it was so dazzling that he could not make out his true expression. Despite his weak body, he always had such a bright smile on his face.

"As long as Imperial Brother doesn't mind, then I will bring Yue Er to drink Imperial Brother's Clear Plum Wine." A rare smile appeared on Murong Yu's face. It really was just a thread, it was hard for an average person to tell.

Mu Rong Qing's smile became even more dazzling. "I will naturally wait for the wine to warm up."

Sheng Yue simply smiled without saying a word. She stood beside Murong Yu like an incomparably obedient wife.

As he sat in the car, countless strands of silver floated around him. Perhaps spring was coming. Through the window, Yunsheng could see that the sky was dim. The long path of the imperial palace was extremely empty with a tinge of desolation. Fortunately, it was only a few days' living accommodations. Otherwise, it would truly be stuffy.

In the past, as a servant girl in Jiangnan, she did not have many taboos, and could freely move in and out of the Hundred Miles City. In the past, as a servant girl in Jiangnan, she did not have many taboos, and could freely move in and out of the Hundred Miles City.

Once again, Yunsheng felt that freedom was worth fighting for with everything.

"Why did you go to the Crown Prince?" After a long period of silence, Murong Yu finally asked.

Yun Shengyue glanced at him and saw that his expression was normal. She softly replied, "It's good that chenqie left the Phoenix Perch Palace. I thought the prince was in the East Palace, so..."

"Don't run around in the future. I'll send someone to bring Cui Er back to take care of the daily necessities. You'll be coming in tomorrow morning, so other than to pay respects to mother, you should obediently stay at Hua Qing Palace. Do you understand?"

"I know …" She couldn't stand that Murong Yu always had such a straight face and she didn't owe him anything. The two of them had already reached an agreement, so why couldn't they get along? It seemed that he could only hope to be friends.

When they entered the chamber, Yun Shengyue realized that although the palace was large, it was extremely concise. It only had the necessary utensils, a bed, a table, and a chair, and a screen. There was not a single extra ornament on it.

The bed was big enough. It looked as if it had been replaced with a clean bed and pillow. Sheng Yue raised her brows and glanced at Murong Yu. His expression didn't change; it was hard to tell.

"You rest first, I'll get someone to bring hot water over." After Murong Yu finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.

From the looks of it, he was not going to sleep in the same room as her. Sheng Yue heaved a sigh of relief as he surveyed the room once again. A palace maid came in with some snacks and hot tea and said, "Greetings to the royal consort. Hot water will be here soon. May I ask if Consort Wang has any other orders?"

"What's your name?" Judging from her age, she should be around eighteen or nineteen years old. A palace maid could enter the palace at the age of fourteen, but she could leave after receiving a blessing at the age of twenty.

"This servant is Ruo Lan." Her voice was soft and her eyes were respectful.

Yun Shengyue smiled and praised, "What a good name!"