Chapter 44: Entering the Palace for the Dragon Boat Festival

As soon as Chunlei returned to his quarters, he spotted a dark figure waiting for him.

From the silhouette alone, he immediately knew who it was.

"Master!?" Chunlei was startled.

The man was none other than Dark One, the Prince's chief shadow guard, who was also the mentor to all the younger shadow guards.

"The Prince wants to see you," Dark One said coldly.

The two made their way to the study.

"This subordinate pays respects to the Prince," Chunlei greeted anxiously, dropping to one knee.

The Prince merely stared fixedly at the shadow guard he had personally helped train.

Seeing that the Prince remained silent, Chunlei broke out in a cold sweat.

Could the Prince have found out something?

The oppressive silence weighed heavily on Chunlei, not daring him to stand.

"Speak, where did you take Ziqi's wife tonight?" the Prince asked coldly, still not bidding him to rise.

Hearing this, Chunlei knew instantly that their excursion tonight had reached the Prince's ears.

"Your Highness, it would be better for you to ask the Eldest Young Madam about this."

Chunlei still harbored some fear toward the Prince. However, since he was now a subordinate of the Eldest Young Master and the Eldest Young Madam, he had to carefully consider how to pledge his loyalty.

Even though the Prince was the supreme master of the entire estate.

He could not simply answer every single question the Prince asked.

Instead of growing angry, the Prince nodded slightly at Chunlei's response.

A good subordinate acted precisely like this; if he spilled everything the moment he was questioned, this shadow guard would be utterly useless.

"Get up."

Chunlei felt as though he had been granted a pardon.

"How does Ziqi's wife treat Ziqi?" The Prince bypassed their whereabouts today and asked something else instead.

"The Eldest Young Madam is extremely attentive to the Eldest Young Master." Upon mentioning this, Chunlei spoke the absolute truth.

"Mmm. Go. Guard Ziqi and his wife well."

"Yes."

Stepping out of the study, Chunlei still found it all somewhat surreal.

The Prince had just let him off the hook like that?

Inside the study.

"Which direction did they head?" the Prince asked Dark One.

"The Princess Huining's Estate."

"There is no need to keep watch on the Eldest Young Master and his wife from now on. Focus primarily on the Heir's courtyard and ensure the safety of the iron chest."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The following day, Yu Yuanzheng woke up late once again.

The Princess Consort was very indulgent with her, sparing her from paying morning respects when she overslept.

Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, and the entire family of the Prince's estate was required to enter the palace for the banquet.

The Princess Consort had spent the past few days preparing for the festival.

Wormwood was hung on the gates of every courtyard, and the fragrance of the herbs drifted throughout the entire estate.

The Princess Consort had also made custom outfits embroidered with the Five Poison motifs for every member of the household.

Yu Yuanzheng put hers on the moment she woke up. She even personally dressed Shangguan Ziqi.

Festivals called for liveliness, so Shangguan Ziqi was dressed in a deep crimson long outer robe.

Yu Yuanzheng wore a rose-red outer robe.

The creatures of the Five Poisons were actually rather grotesque, but after artistic processing and the ingenious craftsmanship of the embroiderers, they looked completely different.

They even carried a touch of childlike playfulness.

Remembering the face of the Princess she had seen last night, Yu Yuanzheng immediately began making preparations to handle the matter.

She lacked the surgical instruments required for the procedure.

After eating a simple breakfast, she immediately started drawing diagrams and writing detailed specifications.

She then instructed Chunlei to arrange for someone outside the estate to forge them.

Next, she wrote out two medical prescriptions and also had Chunlei collect the ingredients from the Herb Garden.

Her Herb Garden was her primary supplier of medicinal herbs.

The proprietor, Dong Shikong, had been in the business for many years and possessed multiple procurement channels. He could practically source any herb Yu Yuanzheng required.

After arranging these matters and dressing up properly, it was almost time.

The Princess Consort sent someone to summon her to the main courtyard.

The Princess Consort was leading the female members of the household into the palace.

The Prince had already departed earlier with the male members.

Yu Yuanzheng gave Nanny Ye a series of instructions before leaving.

Qingfeng and Mingyue would not be leaving today, which allowed Yu Yuanzheng to depart with her two maidservants with a peace of mind.

"You truly have no sense of decorum, actually making your elders wait for you." Second Old Madam glared with displeasure the moment she saw Yu Yuanzheng arrive last.

"My apologies, Second Old Madam. The Heir is able-bodied and healthy, which is why the Heir's Consort could arrive early, and Second Uncle doesn't require Second Aunt to wait on him hand and foot like cleaning up his bodily waste, which is why Second Aunt can leave whenever she pleases.

As for Second Old Madam, needless to say, you have servants attending to your dressing and washing, allowing you to depart whenever you decide.

However, I cannot do the same. My husband requires my personal care for every single daily need, whether eating, drinking, or answering nature's call.

Heir's Consort, perhaps we should simply swap husbands? After all, the Heir wouldn't be losing out." Yu Yuanzheng dragged all three women into the conversation.

"Nonsense!" Second Old Madam flew into a rage upon hearing this.

"Very well, it is almost time. Let us go." The Princess Consort swept a cold glance at Second Old Madam and pulled Yu Yuanzheng toward the door.

She wondered if Second Old Madam was growing more senile with age, as she always seemed determined to pick a fight with Ziqi's wife.

The Princess Consort walked at the very front with her daughter-in-law, turning her head to look at Yu Yuanzheng only to catch sight of the mischievous grin on the younger woman's face.

She was left utterly speechless.

She had no idea how the second branch of the Yu family had raised such a sharp-tongued daughter.

However......

She liked it!

The corners of the Princess Consort's lips curved upward by several degrees without her realizing it.

It wasn't until they boarded the carriage that Yu Yuanzheng recovered from the satisfaction of leaving Second Old Madam utterly speechless.

Yu Zhaoyang wisely chose not to crowd into the Princess Consort's carriage, opting instead to board Second Old Madam's carriage.

The Princess Consort only treated Yu Zhaoyang with the bare minimum of familial duty.

Closeness was out of the question, though she never deliberately made things difficult for her either.

"You deliberately courted a scolding, didn't you?" The Princess Consort shook her head helplessly.

"Mother, this daughter-in-law is very easy to provide for and eats everything, except for one thing."

"What is that?"

"I hate being taken advantage of."

"Oh, you child." The Princess Consort shook her head again. "Although Second Old Madam can be rather eccentric, she is still an elder after all. Try to provoke her less in the future."

"Yes, Mother. But this daughter-in-law also has her own code of conduct: If others do not offend me, I shall not offend them; if others offend me, I shall certainly retaliate." Yu Yuanzheng stated righteously.

Leaving the Princess Consort with no response. Having a daughter-in-law like this had both advantages and disadvantages.

Excessive rigidity made one prone to breaking.

Yet she herself was far too gentle and easily bullied.

It seemed she would have to learn a thing or two from her daughter-in-law in the future.

Otherwise, she, the mother-in-law, would end up needing her daughter-in-law to protect her.

The two carriages quickly arrived at the palace gates.

To her surprise, the grand gates of the imperial palace were also adorned with branches of wormwood.

Two massive bundles hung there, their fragrance detectable from far away.

The female relatives of various households had already arrived and were lining up at the eastern side gate to enter the palace.

Because the Rong Prince's Estate held the rank of a princely household, they were not required to queue with the female relatives of ordinary officials; instead, they were permitted direct entry through the western side gate.

Just as they reached the entrance, another carriage pulled up right beside them.

The moment the owner of that carriage alighted and spotted the Rong Prince's Estate's vehicle, they paused and waited.

"Sister Yuyan," a middle-aged noblewoman greeted first from across the way.

She was dressed in the formal attire of a Prince's Consort, exuding a noble aura. Her garments were primarily festive red, and hanging from the hem of her skirt was an exquisite sachet-shaped jade pendant.

With her round face, she radiated an air of great blessed fortune.

"Shiyun. What a coincidence to run into you here." The Princess Consort was overjoyed to encounter her dear girlhood friend from before her marriage.

Lin Shiyun was none other than the Consort of Prince Jing, the reigning emperor's own younger brother.

"Zheng'er, come here. This is the Princess Consort of Jing; you should address her as Aunt Lin. She is Mother's dearest friend," the Princess Consort called Yu Yuanzheng over to make introductions.

"Greetings, Aunt Lin. Aunt Lin is truly beautiful." Yu Yuanzheng beamed brightly.

"So this is Ziqi's wife? How spirited and clever, simply wonderful." Lin Shiyun took Yu Yuanzheng's hand and looked her over carefully.

Although she had attended their wedding ceremony, she had not caught a proper glimpse of the bride herself.

"Qin Auntie." A young man and a young woman stepped forward to offer their greetings.

"Heir Jinyu grows more dashing by the day, and Princess Lingxuan blossoms further into such a poised and graceful young lady." With a single sentence, the Princess Consort praised both juniors.

In Yu Yuanzheng's eyes, this pair of siblings truly looked like dragons and phoenixes among men; the young man was strikingly handsome, while the young woman was sweet and adorable—both rare beauties indeed.

"Greetings to the Heir of Jing, and greetings to Princess Lingxuan." Yu Yuanzheng smiled as she greeted the two young people.

"Greetings to the Princess Consort of Jing." Second Old Madam also approached with the Second Madam and Yu Zhaoyang to pay their respects.

"Second Old Madam, Second Madam, please dispense with the formalities. The Heir's Consort's attire today is truly lovely," the Princess Consort of Jing praised graciously.

"Very well, let us go in together," the Princess Consort of Jing invited.

"Yuanzheng! Yuanzheng, wait for me!" At that exact moment, someone shouted Yu Yuanzheng's name from behind.