Nong Nu Jiao

In the East Palace Flower Hall, the charcoal brazier glowed red, and the heavy curtains were drawn, keeping out the cold wind from outside.

Inside the hall, small pear wood tables were arranged in a row, with dishes and warm fruit wine laid out.

Yan Chenghui sat upright in the main seat, his expression indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Xia Qinghe sat to his left, her hair neatly styled, her demeanor dignified, and a polite smile on her face. However, her injured arm was still hanging in front of her, which somewhat detracted from the Crown Princess's dignity.

Seated to the side, Consort Gu stared at the food and wine before her, her brows slightly furrowed.

She was proud and didn't want to see Yan Chenghui and Xia Qinghe together all the time.

She believed she was no worse than Xia Qinghe. Yan Chenghui was willing to have children with Xia Qinghe, but he wouldn't even touch her.

But Yan Chenghui had already told her about this before she entered the Eastern Palace.

She didn't believe it herself and insisted on coming in, so now she can only accept her fate.

However, rumors circulated that Yan Chenghui had affairs with both Cen Lingyi and Sun Peihuan.

She was skeptical, but too lazy to verify it.

Even if the rumors are true, so what?

She couldn't very well force Yan Chenghui to have sex with her, could she?

Yan Chenghui must have already told the two newcomers that he wouldn't touch them.

They probably thought the same as her, and didn't believe that Yan Chenghui would actually do it.

Sun Peihuan is still under house arrest and cannot attend the banquet.

Li Fengyi claimed to be ill and did not come over.

Therefore, there were only the three of them in the flower hall.

The heavy curtain at the door was lifted.

Zhu Sha entered and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Princess, Consort Qin, and Scholar Chen have arrived."

Yan Chenghui's gaze fell on Zhu Sha, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Why is it cinnabar?

What about Cen Lingyi?

She is now in charge of the household affairs of the Crown Prince's Palace, and she also organized today's banquet.

At this point, it was time for her to come in and announce the arrival.

Didn't they say they couldn't wait for him to select more women to enter the Eastern Palace? Why didn't you come and witness it yourself?

"Your Highness, may we invite them in?"

Seeing that he was staring at the cinnabar without speaking for a long time, Xia Qinghe smiled and asked.

"Um."

Yan Chenghui snapped out of his reverie and glanced at Zhu Sha again.

Ultimately, it wasn't appropriate to ask Zhu Sha why Cen Lingyi hadn't come in this situation.

Zhu Sha turned around and lifted the curtain.

"Consort Qin, Lady Chen, Your Highness and the Crown Princess invite you in."

Qin Luoshui and Chen Yanyan entered the flower hall one after the other.

"This humble servant greets His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess."

The two bowed in greeting.

Yan Chenghui glanced at them indifferently, without saying a word.

"No need for formalities."

Xia Qinghe spoke with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Your Highness, Crown Princess."

Qin Luoshui was not tall, dressed in a crimson silk dress, with large and bright eyes. With the support of being the Empress Dowager's grandniece, she stood there with great confidence.

Looking at Chen Yanyan again, she had a dignified appearance, wore a light apricot soft satin, and had an elegant demeanor. Standing there, she looked gentle and soft, without revealing any sharpness.

Consort Gu glanced at the two people below the hall, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. Two more fools, rushing to the East Palace like moths to a flame.

"Serve tea."

Zhu Sha spoke.

According to the rules of the Eastern Palace, newcomers to the Eastern Palace are required to serve tea to the Crown Princess to show the difference in rank and to establish order upon entering the palace.

This is the same principle as when a concubine enters a household and serves tea to the mistress.

Yan Chenghui looked at the cinnabar and thought of Cen Lingyi, his brows furrowing slightly.

He wanted to call her over so she could stand aside and watch.

Let's gently rub her pride.

He didn't contact her, and she actually didn't contact him for over a month.

How cruel she is!

A palace maid served freshly brewed tea; the jade cups were warm, and wisps of steam rose from them.

Qin Luoshui stepped forward first, holding a teacup: "Your Highness, please have some tea."

She grew up by the Empress Dowager's side and always considered herself superior to others.

However, she was not that kind of brainless woman.

Having just entered the Eastern Palace today, I must not fail to observe proper etiquette, and my posture while serving tea is very respectful.

Xia Qinghe took the teacup and took a small sip.

Next up is Chen Yanyan.

She held the teacup with both hands, raising it to eyebrow level before presenting it to Xia Qinghe, her posture respectful and proper: "Your Highness, please have some tea."

Xia Qinghe took a bite and then slowly said, "Now that you two have entered the Eastern Palace, you must follow the rules and regulations of the Eastern Palace, be careful in your words and deeds, serve His Highness well, and give birth to an imperial heir for His Highness as soon as possible."

"This concubine will humbly follow the teachings of Her Highness the Crown Princess."

Qin Luoshui and Chen Yanyan responded in unison.

"Please take a seat."

Xia Qinghe raised his hand in greeting.

Following her instructions, the two men went to the last two seats and sat down.

The flower hall fell silent, and no one spoke for a moment.

All eyes were on Yan Chenghui.

Yan Chenghui sat there, his gaze deep and thoughtful, seemingly lost in thought.

"Your Highness, shall we begin?"

Xia Qing gently reminded him.

The banquet can only officially begin after he has taken his first bite.

She dug her fingernails into her sleeve, and it was clear that Yan Chenghui was somewhat absent-minded today.

Could it be because Cen Lingyi didn't come, and everything in the flower hall was arranged by Zhu Sha at Cen Lingyi's request?

Yan Chenghui picked up his chopsticks, casually picked up a little food, and placed it on the small plate in front of him.

He didn't have much of an appetite.

He picked up his chopsticks, and only then did the others follow suit.

No one spoke; only the soft clinking of chopsticks and cups filled the flower hall.

"Your Highness, I raise a toast to you, congratulations on finding your second beloved."

Xia Qinghe raised his wine cup towards Yan Chenghui.

Yan Chenghui remained silent, picked up the wine cup in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess. I am new to the Eastern Palace and am not yet familiar with some of the rules. If I have done anything wrong, please forgive me in the future."

Qin Luoshui was bold; she stood up, raised her wine cup, and addressed the person at the head of the table.

"From this day forward, you are a sister in the Crown Prince's family, so there's no need to be so polite."

Xia Qinghe smiled and took a sip of wine.

Yan Chenghui then downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"Your Highness, please have some food. Drinking on an empty stomach will make you drunk more easily."

Xia Qinghe looked at him with tenderness in her eyes.

Yan Chenghui had already lost his patience.

He put down his wine cup and stood up.

"Where is Your Highness headed?"

Xia Qinghe couldn't help but ask.

"I'm going out to clear my head of alcohol."

Yan Chenghui didn't look at her and walked straight out.

"Which sister's place does Your Highness plan to stay with tonight?"

Xia Qinghe looked at his retreating figure and asked with a smile.

She felt a mix of bitterness and resentment, and was almost certain that he wanted to see Cen Lingyi.

She heard that they hadn't seen each other for over a month, and she thought he had completely given up on Cen Lingyi.

Unexpectedly, he still couldn't forget Cen Lingyi.

She could easily imagine that the two of them must have had some conflict over Qin and Chen entering the Eastern Palace, which was why they had been in a cold war ever since.

Yan Chenghui stopped in his tracks and turned to glance at her.

His gaze was sharp and piercing, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Xia Qing froze, her blood seemingly freezing, a chill running from head to toe.

His eyes were terrifying, as if he wanted to kill her.

Her face turned deathly pale.

Fortunately, Yan Chenghui only glanced at her and did not make any other move before continuing to walk out.

Xia Qinghe let out a long breath, almost unable to resist patting his chest to calm his wildly beating heart.

His gaze just now was truly terrifying.

Does he already know what she did to Cen Lingyi?

No, she can't personally take action against Cen Lingyi anymore. Yan Chenghui will find out, and then she might not only lose her position as Crown Princess, but also her life.

Her gaze fell on Qin Luoshui.

We still need to use someone else to do the dirty work.

Yan Chenghui lifted the curtain and walked out of the flower hall.

A cold wind blew, and a full moon hung in the sky.

"Why is Your Highness out here?"

Yun Gong, who was guarding the door, saw him come out and couldn't help but ask a question.

The banquet hasn't been going on for very long. What will happen to the people inside if His Highness comes out?

Yan Chenghui glanced at him sideways: "Where's Yun Que?"

Yun Gong was honest and straightforward, and had no idea what he was thinking.

"A subordinate reported something to him, and he went over there."

Yun Gong pointed with his finger.

Yan Chenghui remained silent, placing his hands behind his back as he descended the steps.

"Where is Your Highness going?"

Yun Gong followed and asked.

Yan Chenghui ignored him.

"Your Highness, you're leaving like this? What will happen to the Crown Princess and the others...?"

Yun Gong followed him and couldn't help but speak again.

"Shut up."

Yan Chenghui turned around and scolded him.

Yun Gong quickly covered her mouth and blinked.

He recalled Yun Que's words of admonition.

Yun Que said, "If you can't speak well, then speak less, and if you can avoid speaking, then don't speak at all."

He slapped his thigh. How could he have forgotten about this?

He silently followed in his prince's footsteps, looking left and right.

Isn't this heading towards the side hall?

Oh, he knows!

Your Highness is on your way to see Miss Cen!

But hasn't His Highness not seen Miss Cen for over a month?

He thought His Highness would never look for Miss Cen again!

As they reached the entrance of the side hall, Yan Chenghui turned to look at him.

"My subordinates are guarding the gate, not letting anyone in."

This time, Yun Gong was very self-aware.

Yan Chenghui nodded slightly, put his hands behind his back, and climbed the steps.

Yun Gong was secretly pleased with himself; he had finally guessed His Highness's thoughts correctly.

As I walked down the corridor, a maidservant stood there, curtsying in greeting.

Before Yan Chenghui could speak, Yun Gong dismissed the man.

"You may leave."

Yan Chenghui glanced back at Yun Palace again, then reached out and pushed open the door.

The hall was quiet, with only tiny candles burning, barely enough to make out what was happening.

He saw that the bedroom door was ajar.

At this hour, Huai Jiao should be sleeping.

She was probably trying to put the child to sleep.

He pushed open the bedroom door and walked quietly.

Inside the bedroom, only one candle was lit, making the room dimly lit.

The bed curtains were half-drawn, and there was indeed someone under the quilt. There was also a small bulge on the inside of the bed, which was the little Yan Huaijiao.

She actually fell asleep in bed, managing to find some peace and quiet.

"Why don't you go and check on the person you chose?"

He spoke in an unfriendly tone.

Lingzhi, who was half asleep on the bed, suddenly heard his voice and was so frightened that she hid under the covers and dared not move.

Why aren't you saying anything?

Yan Chenghui walked to the bedside, looked down, and immediately sensed something was wrong.

The person on the bed was facing inwards, and only loose strands of hair could be seen, which were different from Cen Lingyi's hair texture.

"Who are you?"

He frowned and questioned in a cold voice.

Lingzhi couldn't lie still any longer and was so frightened that she almost jumped off the bed.

"Your Highness..."

She sat up and was about to get out of bed to bow, her face pale.

The young lady has gone out. Why is His Highness the Crown Prince here at this time?

She had worried about this earlier that day, but the girl reassured her, saying it was absolutely impossible.

But the impossible happened right before her eyes.

"No need to get down." Yan Chenghui glanced at Yan Huaijiao, who was fast asleep on the inside of the bed, and asked him in a low voice, "Where is Cen Lingyi?"

She wasn't in the side hall!

"Miss...Miss has left the East Palace..."

Lingzhi was a little nervous and stammered.

"Where did she go?"

Yan Chenghui's expression turned cold.

Did she run away again?

She's really daring!

"The young lady said that new concubines have arrived at His Highness's side. The matter of ensuring the continuation of the royal family's lineage is of paramount importance. She went to prescribe some fertility-enhancing medicine for the two new noble ladies, which they can use by tomorrow morning..."

Startled, Lingzhi hurriedly spoke.

This is what she asked the young lady: what should she say if His Highness came and asked where she had gone?

That's what the girl said at the time.

Startled by the Crown Prince's words, her mind went blank, and she simply repeated Cen Lingyi's words.