Nong Nu Jiao

"Jiaojiao".

Before Yan Chenghui even entered the Mingde Hall, he called for someone.

Yun Gong stood by the door, covering her mouth and chuckling.

His Highness looks just like he did when he first fell in love and saw a girl; he was just as impatient.

This is probably what they mean by "a day apart feels like three autumns"?

"You're finally back." Cen Lingyi poked her head out from the inner palace. "Why did you take so long? I was starving."

It's already past lunchtime.

She was hungry from sleeping.

I slept for a long time today.

After he was injured, she was constantly worried and took meticulous care of him, unable to eat or sleep well.

I finally felt at ease today and took a nap until lunchtime.

I thought he would be back in two hours at most, but it took him much longer than I expected.

"Set out the meal."

Yan Chenghui gave Yun Que a single instruction.

"You're hungry, don't you know to eat first?"

Yan Chenghui walked over, put his hands on her shoulders, and pulled her into his arms.

"I don't want to, I want to wait for you to eat together."

Cen Lingyi lowered her eyelashes and smiled with her lips pursed.

"Silly girl." Yan Chenghui kissed her cheek. "You don't need to wait next time."

He released her and reached to untie his waistband.

The court robes were heavy and uncomfortable to wear.

Cen Lingyi reached out to take it.

Yan Chenghui dodged her hand.

"I don't need you."

He went over and hung up his clothes.

Why?

Cen Lingyi was unconvinced and followed after him to ask.

"You're not a maid."

Yan Chenghui turned around and smiled at her.

"It's not like only maids can do these things."

Cen Lingyi pouted and smiled.

"Have a meal."

Yan Chenghui put his arm around her, and the two went to the main hall together.

He pulled her to sit down with him.

Cen Lingyi got up.

"Where are you going?"

Yan Chenghui grabbed her wrist.

"Won't it be crowded if I sit over there?"

Cen Lingyi raised her chin as if it were perfectly natural.

An eight-immortal table can accommodate people on all four sides, so why do people have to squeeze together?

"No." Yan Chenghui pulled her down to sit against him, turning his head to look at her: "I want you to sit with me."

Having finally regained her, he wished he could be with her every moment and never be separated from her.

"Don't you find it crowded?"

Cen Lingyi chuckled.

This reminded her of the early days of their relationship, when he was the same way, wanting to be with her every moment and never wanting to be apart for even a breath.

She sighed.

"Why are you sighing?"

Yan Chenghui handed her the chopsticks.

"I feel like time has flown by," Cen Lingyi remarked with a touch of nostalgia. "We're all over twenty now."

Huai Jiao is already so big.

"So you should get married soon."

Yan Chenghui spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

He stood up and served her soup.

"What does this have to do with getting married?"

Cen Lingyi looked up at him.

Time flies, so cherish it.

Yan Chenghui continued what he was doing.

"You can cherish someone even if you don't get married."

Cen Lingyi laughed.

"No, we need to get married as soon as possible." Yan Chenghui placed the soup bowl in front of her, turned around and looked at her: "How about we get married after your parents come back and settle in?"

"So urgent?"

Cen Lingyi blinked. Her father and mother would arrive in the capital in less than half a month.

Does that mean we'll be getting married in just one month?

"What's the rush? I think it's too slow." Yan Chenghui urged her, "Aren't you hungry? Eat quickly."

Cen Lingyi took a bite of rice, swallowed it slowly, and then said, "But a month is too short. Even in ordinary families, preparations for a wedding are made several months in advance, right?"

She doesn't need to be so formal.

But he is the Crown Prince. How could his wedding be small-scale? The Ministry of Rites must make the best preparations.

She had heard her father say that the Crown Prince's wedding would take at least one or two years to prepare.

"I had them making preparations before I went to the Northern Frontier," Yan Chenghui said, pausing his chopsticks. "It's been years already, isn't it too hasty?"

"So early?" Cen Lingyi was taken aback. "I hadn't even agreed to your proposal back then."

"If you don't agree, I can wait for you."

Yan Chenghui smiled.

He had already made up his mind before he set off.

"What if I keep refusing?"

Cen Lingyi raised an eyebrow.

"Then I'll keep waiting."

Yan Chenghui did not hesitate.

Cen Lingyi was about to speak again.

"Alright, that's enough," Yan Chenghui said. "Eat quickly, I have something to tell you after you finish."

"What?"

Cen Lingyi became curious.

"Let's talk after we finish eating."

Yan Chenghui deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

If he were to reveal now that his father-in-law had been exonerated, she would be so happy she wouldn't be able to eat.

Cen Lingyi stopped talking, her curiosity driving her to start eating quickly.

"Slow down, eating too fast makes it harder to digest."

Yan Chenghui stopped her again.

"I know, I'm not Huai Jiao."

As Cen Lingyi said this, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

The two finished their meal.

Cen Lingyi put down her chopsticks and bowl: "Alright, you can talk now."

"handwashing."

Yan Chenghui got up and walked to the washstand.

Cen Lingyi followed and immersed her hands in the warm water in the copper basin.

Yan Chenghui wrung out a handkerchief and wiped her face.

She turned her head away from him, saying, "I'm not a child."

"You've taken care of me for so long, now it's my turn to take care of you."

Yan Chenghui held the back of her head with his large hand and insisted on wiping her face.

A few strands of hair, damp with moisture, curled up beside her forehead, resembling peonies in full bloom on a branch—truly vivid and bright, captivating the eye.

Yan Chenghui couldn't help but lean over and plant a kiss on her forehead: "My Jiaojiao is so beautiful."

Cen Lingyi turned her face away and smiled, her ears turning slightly red.

Everyone says he's a man of few words, but he never misses a single thing, whether he should or shouldn't say it.

"Can we talk now?"

She asked him.

"I'll tell you after I've wiped your hands."

Yan Chenghui pulled her hand out of the water.

Cen Lingyi watched him wipe her fingers one by one.

Her ten fingers were slender, each one delicate and pretty like a tender scallion, a real treat to the eye.

Yan Chenghui bent down and kissed the back of her hand: "Our Jiaojiao's hands are beautiful too."

"Stop it." Cen Lingyi was amused by him again, cupping his face in her hands: "If you don't say anything, I'm going to get angry."

She was dying of curiosity!

"Alright." Yan Chenghui tossed the handkerchief back into the basin, then, supporting her waist, said, "I'm about to say something, so listen carefully."

Cen Lingyi couldn't help but open her clear eyes wide and stare at him without blinking.

Let's see what he can say.

"Today in the imperial court, I have exonerated my father-in-law. The Emperor has ordered him to be reinstated to his original position and to return all his titles and property. All members of the Cen family who were implicated have also been pardoned and will be reinstated as appropriate."

Yan Chenghui's voice was mellow and smooth.

Upon hearing this, Cen Lingyi froze, almost unable to believe her ears.

"Are you... serious?"

Father has been exonerated?

Do I look like I'm lying to you?

Yan Chenghui turned his head to look at her.

"Father has been exonerated and reinstated. His injustice has finally been cleared. They will be back soon, and the Cen family can return to what it was before..."

Cen Lingyi was both surprised and delighted, at a loss for words, and somewhat incoherent.

This long-cherished wish, after countless days and nights of torment, has finally come to a good end.

Are you happy or not?

Yan Chenghui asked her.

"So happy, so incredibly happy." Overwhelmed with joy, Cen Lingyi felt dizzy. She raised her hands to hug Yan Chenghui's neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him on the lips: "Yan Chenghui, thank you."

As she spoke, she tried to break free from his embrace.

"That's all the thanks you're getting? That's too perfunctory, isn't it?"

Yan Chenghui grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms.

"I'm going to tell my brother the good news..."

Cen Lingyi still wanted to run away.

"I have already sent someone to speak with my brother."

Yan Chenghui held her hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

"Really? What about my second sister?"

Cen Lingyi asked him again.

"A message has also been sent to my second sister's place."

Yan Chenghui pulled her along and walked towards the inner hall.

"Don't go out, I have something to discuss with you."

"What?"

Cen Lingyi was still in a state of joy and felt a little dizzy.

Walking feels like I'm floating on clouds.

"I'm asking you, where will we live after we get married?"

Yan Chenghui pulled her to sit down on the soft couch.

"I'll stay at the East Palace." Cen Lingyi was puzzled by his question: "Where else could I move to?"

His question is not surprising at all.

"I'm talking about the sleeping quarters," Yan Chenghui said. "This inner palace is too small. We can't live here after we get married."

"Isn't there a sleeping quarters there?"

Cen Lingyi paused for a moment before speaking.

The sleeping quarters were originally where the Crown Prince slept. It was a very large place, with sleeping quarters on the east and west sides and a main hall in the middle.

Xia Qinghe had previously lived in the West Palace.

"Xia Qinghe has lived in the sleeping quarters," Yan Chenghui said. "There's a courtyard next door, which is quite large. We changed the name and will live there for now. I've asked them to demolish the sleeping quarters and rebuild them, then we'll move there."

"Why tear it down?" Cen Lingyi blinked and said, "The bedroom is quite nice."

"Someone else has lived here before, don't you mind?"

Yan Chenghui glanced at her sideways.

"I don't mind at all," Cen Lingyi said sincerely. "Hasn't this inner chamber been lived in by others before?"

"Besides you, who else could it be?"

Yan Chenghui frowned.

"Pinellia ternata."

Cen Lingyi blurted out.

Don't think she's forgotten; she remembers everything perfectly.

"You mean that maid?" Yan Chenghui had long forgotten the maid's name. "I was just using her to annoy you. When did she ever live here?"

"Not yet? I heard it from the doorway; she kept crying out in pain..."

Cen Lingyi pouted.

Although she tells herself she doesn't care, the thought of that scene still makes her feel very uncomfortable.

"Stop talking, don't make me think about that."

She gave him a push.

She had already figured it out; as long as she didn't think about it, she wouldn't be sad.

But why does he keep bringing it up?

"I have to admit that I was giving her acupuncture at the time, and I didn't insert the needles into the correct acupoints, so of course she was in a lot of pain."

How could Yan Chenghui not explain?

The less he explains, the more she'll believe he's been with other women.

"Acupuncture?"

Cen Lingyi recalled the situation at the time, and it seemed somewhat similar.

She started to believe it, but after a moment, she realized what she had done.

"No, if you didn't touch her, why were you so nice to her? You did it, so why are you trying to deny it?"

Cen Lingyi stood up and looked at him.

"How have I been good to her?"

Yan Chenghui was both amused and exasperated.

How could he not remember ever being nice to anyone?