tallest building

When Wen Mingqian arrived at the Empress's palace, he saw that the Empress had already removed her outer clothes and the hairpins and ornaments on her head.

She smiled and said, "Your Majesty the Empress has had a long day. Let me light some incense for you and give you a massage."

The Empress sighed and said, "I can forget about everything else, but this whole outfit is making my bones ache."

When the Prince of Fenye and the Princess returned to the capital, the Emperor and Empress naturally received them with great ceremony. Therefore, the Empress's auspicious attire and jewelry today had to be appropriate for the occasion, with the nine-phoenix crown alone weighing nearly five pounds.

Moreover, the clothes worn by the Empress were made of exceptionally luxurious materials. Except for the three innermost layers which were made of light and thin material, the outer layers were made of thick material. In order to show solemnity, they were made to be wide and long, and were quite heavy.

Wen Mingqian skillfully lit incense and washed his hands again before massaging the Empress.

The Empress squinted comfortably and said, "Your strength is just what I want. The others were either too light or too heavy."

"Your Majesty, this servant has come to ask what you would like to eat for dinner so that they can prepare it," Yu Lu said, tiptoeing in.

"There was a dish of steamed eight treasures at today's banquet, which I was going to eat, but it got a little cold and I can't eat it anymore. Tell them to steam a small bowl for me tonight," the Empress said quietly.

“Yes, but this steamed eight-treasure dish doesn’t go well with side dishes. How about we ask them to add another soup?” Yu Lu asked cautiously.

"That's fine then!" The Empress remained silent.

The Empress loved sweets, so this steamed eight-treasure dish contained many candied fruits and honey water.

No wonder the Queen's teeth were bad.

"By the way, have the two princesses returned to their palaces yet? Tell the servants to keep an eye on them and replenish anything that is missing or lacking, so that no one feels that I have neglected them," the Empress added.

Yu Lu had already turned to leave, but then he gave the little eunuch next to him a wink.

The implication was that he should tell the imperial kitchen staff to prepare dinner for the empress, while he himself would stay behind to report back to the empress.

"This servant was just thinking of reporting to Your Highness! Princess Duanmin said that she will not live in Huixiang Palace, but will live in Mingcui Palace with the Eldest Princess. This servant has already taken people to move the things from there."

"This..." The Empress hesitated, "Very well! Let her do as she pleases! Later, you can send Zhou Fu to serve King Fenye!"

"This servant will send him immediately," Yu Lu readily agreed.

The Empress originally arranged for Prince Fenye and Princess Duanmin to live in Huixiang Palace, but since Princess Duanmin didn't live there, only Prince Fenye lived there.

In a side hall of Huixiang Palace, Yu Chao held a curved sword in his hand, the blade reflecting a sharp glint in the candlelight.

The attendant came in and asked, "Master, our princess says she's hungry and wants to eat roasted mutton. Would you like some?"

They were too busy having fun today to eat much of the food, and besides, they weren't really used to the food.

Yu Chao's eyes darted around, and he asked, "Did Zhuolahan invite that kid Gong Chang'an?"

"This... I don't know." The attendant shook his head.

"Idiot, go and ask him." Yu Chao glared at him.

The attendant slunk away and returned shortly after, saying, "The princess said that Gong Chang'an has other business to attend to and cannot come. If the prince wishes to see Miss Sang Er, he may go to the Grand Consort's place."

Yu Chao wasn't embarrassed at being caught in the act, and clapped his hands and laughed, "As expected of my sister, let's go to the Grand Princess's place for a barbecue."

They all referred to Princess Duanmin as the Grand Consort.

The next morning, the Empress had breakfast with the two princesses. Seeing that the Empress's complexion wasn't good, the eldest princess asked, "Did you not sleep well last night, Your Majesty? You look rather tired."

The Queen said apologetically, "My headaches have flared up again. In previous years, I couldn't even sit up at this time. This year I've been much better, but I think it's because of the change of seasons that they've flared up again."

"I suppose you've been exhausted these past few days," the eldest princess said. "Don't stay with us any longer, go back and lie down to rest, lest it get worse."

He added, "We're not guests, so we'll take care of ourselves. Don't worry about taking care of us; getting better is the most important thing."

The Empress then stopped refusing and returned to the palace to summon Wen Mingqian, asking him to burn a strong incense for her so she could sleep soundly for half a day.

After finishing his business with the Empress, Wen Mingqian came to Mingcui Palace to pay his respects.

Princess Duanmin said, "I really like the incense you made, and you are my aunt's adopted daughter. This headdress is a gift from me to you, so please don't refuse it. I don't like to keep passing the buck."

Wen Mingqian looked at the Princess, who smiled and nodded: "Just take what she gives you, she has plenty of good things anyway."

Wen Mingqian then thanked the reward.

Then, someone from Consort Hui's palace came to invite them: "Our Consort wishes to host lunch today and would like to invite the two princesses to come and sit in our palace."

The eldest princess remained silent, but Princess Duanmin said coolly, "There's no need to trouble Consort Hui. I ate a bit too much yesterday and I'm still not digesting it!"

When Shen Fu and Bu Yuegui were involved, Consort Hui was the first to step forward as a witness. Of course, at that time she was not Consort Hui, but only Consort Hui.

The person who came looked embarrassed and naturally didn't know what to say, so he agreed and left.

Wen Mingqian, watching from the side, could also see that Princess Duanmin was now too lazy to cater to the people in the palace.

Whether it's the Empress or anyone else, she ignores anyone she doesn't like.

“I didn’t see Consort Yun at yesterday’s palace banquet,” Duanmin said. “I heard she has been ill for years, and I’d like to go and see her.”

“Then let’s go together. Mingqian, you should come too,” the princess said, glancing at Wen Mingqian.

Upon arriving at Consort Yun's palace, the Ninth Princess came out to greet them first.

"Linglong, I didn't have a chance to take a good look at you yesterday. You've really grown into a beautiful young lady." Duanmin looked at the Ninth Princess with a sigh. "How has your mother been these days?"

"Mother is well today. Your Highness, please follow me." The Ninth Princess led the way, and Wen Mingqian also took the opportunity to see the courtyard clearly.

There are many flowers and trees, and the place is very quiet and secluded. Although it is inevitably deserted, it does not appear dilapidated.

Consort Yun was out of favor in the palace, so those who were good at judging people by their status would inevitably make things difficult for her.

However, Consort Yun didn't care and stayed at home, rarely going out, while taking care of her daughter.

She wouldn't leave the courtyard unless it was something extremely important.

However, she was not present yesterday, which made Wen Mingqian a little strange.

Chunmei quickly lifted the curtain and greeted the two princesses.

"Sister Yunpin, why didn't I see you yesterday?" Princess Duanmin asked as soon as she entered the room.

"Your Highness, Princess Duanmin, please forgive my rudeness... cough cough..." Consort Yun struggled to get out of bed. "I've been coughing so badly these past few days, and I couldn't help it at the banquet... cough cough... I'm sorry to have spoiled everyone's mood... cough cough..." (End of Chapter)