"Your Highness hasn't eaten yet. I will have someone prepare a meal."
The Crown Prince immediately stopped her and waved his hand, dismissing everyone in the room.
"In the Crown Prince's estate, there is no need to address me as 'Your Highness' or yourself as 'your servant', Qingwan," he said, pulling her into his arms and holding out his sleeve for her to see. "I am still wearing yesterday's clothes. I did not consummate the marriage with her."
"Mhm." Tang Qingwan did not hide anything. "The servants have already reported everything to me in full detail."
Xiao Chen nuzzled against her neck. "Then you won't be mad at me, alright?"
Tang Qingwan patted the back of his hand. "Alright, stop fooling around. Look at the time. If we delay our entry into the palace, people will find fault with us. If you aren't going to eat, let's leave quickly."
The Crown Prince had three days of leave for his wedding. Xiao Chen's face was filled with a gentle smile. "Then we will return early."
Tang Qingwan glared at him.
The Fengluan Palace was not far from the Crown Prince's estate. Xiao Chen held Tang Qingwan's hand the entire way, and wherever they passed, the palace servants knelt in unison to pay their respects.
As they approached the palace gates, Tang Qingwan took the initiative to let go of his hand. "Your Highness, please go first. Do not let others find any fault."
The rules in the palace were strict, leaving no room for the slightest misstep.
At that moment, a man dressed in a dark brocade robe happened to walk out of the palace gates. He bowed frivolously. "I pay my respects to Imperial Brother and Imperial Sister-in-law."
Xiao Chen looked at the suddenly appearing Prince An and immediately reined in his expression a bit. "Second Brother entered the palace this early?"
A smirk played on Xiao Yi's lips as he cast a fleeting glance at Tang Qingwan. "I absolutely had to make it before Imperial Brother entered the palace."
Otherwise, how could I complete the task Yunfeng entrusted to me?
Xiao Yi always spoke like this, so Xiao Chen did not take it to heart. He took Tang Qingwan's hand and was about to continue walking forward, but Prince An spoke up once more.
"Yesterday was your wedding night. I wonder how Imperial Brother spent it? Was it pleasurable?"
The Crown Prince's eyes turned slightly cold. "If Second Brother wishes to know, you can ask Consort Liang to choose a primary consort for you. You'll know once you try it."
Xiao Yi's smiling face froze for a split second. The Crown Prince's gaze was equally icy.
Both of them were very clear on the matter.
Xiao Yi was deeply in love with Cui Yunfeng, but the two found it difficult to be together precisely because the marriage between the Crown Prince and Tang Qingwan stood in the way.
This matter was Xiao Yi's reverse scale, something he utterly despised.
The two locked eyes, sparks seemingly erupting in the air between them.
Tang Qingwan furrowed her brows slightly, remaining silent.
After a long moment, Xiao Yi suddenly dispersed his hostile aura, curling his lips into a smile. "Imperial Brother's pleasure is something I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy in this lifetime..."
He tilted his head, his gaze sweeping back and forth across his brother's face. "I don't have the fortune to enjoy Imperial Brother's blessing of having two wives. I'd be afraid of throwing my back out."
With that said, without waiting for the Crown Prince to respond, he swaggered away.
The Crown Prince had long been accustomed to his temperament, but that bout of cynical mockery still sparked a trace of anger in him.
Tang Qingwan said, "He has always loved Yunfeng. With our marriage, he and Yunfeng have lost all hope. It is only natural that he feels unhappy. Don't lower yourself to his level. Let's hurry."
The Crown Prince smiled. "He and I have been like this since we were young. I'm already used to it."
The two continued into the palace, but Xiao Yi, who had already walked away, suddenly paused. He turned his head, a mocking sneer curving on his wickedly handsome face.
"Suddenly, I feel a bit of pity for Imperial Brother."
"The daughters of the Cui family are not something an ordinary man can endure."
In the Imperial Garden, palace maids in groups of twos and threes were gathered together, cleaning.
"Hey, did you hear? Last night, the Crown Prince didn't even enter the main courtyard. I heard he rested in Side Consort Liu's courtyard."
"Yes, yes, yes, I heard that too. This daughter of the Tang family is truly pitiful. Although she is the primary consort, she slept in an empty bed on her wedding night. She's worse off than a concubine."
"But wasn't it said that His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Tang were childhood sweethearts, and their affection goes way back?"
"He got bored of her, I guess. How can the old compare to the new? In the future, the Crown Prince's estate will probably belong to Side Consort Liu. It's hard to say if Miss Tang will even be able to keep her position as the primary consort."
"That can't be, right? She's the primary consort, after all, a daughter of the Cui and Tang families."
The three maids made no effort to lower their voices, and Tang Qingwan and the Crown Prince, who had just entered the Imperial Garden, heard every word clearly.
Tang Qingwan halted her steps. Her expression was calm, yet tinged with a pale hue.
Xiao Chen shouted, "Insolent! Who dares to gossip here?"
Eunuch Liu immediately stepped forward to reprimand them, his face turning pale from fright.
The Crown Prince's estate was chaotic enough last night; why were they adding to the trouble?
The three maids hurriedly knelt and begged for mercy. After they were dealt with, Eunuch Liu hastily reported, "Your Highness... they are people from Consort Liang's palace."
Consort Liang was at odds with the Empress. She would definitely send people to keep an eye on the Crown Prince's estate, so it was normal for her to know what was happening there.
Tang Qingwan smiled. "I didn't even know that I was on the verge of handing over my position as the primary consort."
"Qingwan, I..."
But Tang Qingwan had already stepped away and walked ahead.
The Crown Prince was extremely frustrated.
Everything was supposed to be fine. Why did everyone, one after another, insist on going against him?
Eunuch Liu said, "Your Highness, forgive this old servant for speaking bluntly, but in recent days, the Liu family has indeed been a bit arrogant, causing the Crown Princess to suffer quite a few grievances."
The events of last night had already exhausted the Crown Prince's patience.
He looked at the lonely silhouette of the woman ahead of him, his mind filled with the affection and promises they had shared over the years.
"I must honor my promise this once."
The process of paying respects to the Empress was quite simple. The Empress did not make things difficult in the slightest; on the contrary, she was extremely gentle toward Tang Qingwan, perhaps having heard about what happened at the Crown Prince's estate last night.
The Liu family was not to be trifled with, but the Cui and Tang families were even less to be offended.
After Tang Qingwan served tea and knelt to pay her respects, the Empress kept her for a meal, bestowed gifts upon her, and then let them leave. Throughout the visit, the Empress did not mention a single word about Liu Wanting.
Tang Qingwan knew that now, both the Empress and the Crown Prince felt guilty toward her.
Among the gifts bestowed by the Empress, there was also a portion for Liu Wanting.
Tang Qingwan was about to send someone to deliver it, but the Crown Prince stopped her. "For such a trivial matter, let Eunuch Liu go."
"Qingwan, next year when you pay your respects to your mother at Anshan Temple, I will still accompany you."
He wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered softly, "Don't be mad at me. I promise that no one can shake your position."
...
Cui Yunchu looked at the white cat in Cui Yunfeng's arms with a face full of disgust, especially when she heard the name Xiaobai.
