The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

After the palace maids withdrew, only Geriletu and a few trusted maids she had brought from Mengqi remained in the hall.

Haheye frowned, unable to help but complain in a low voice, "Princess, isn't the Great Zhao going too far? You've come all this way for a marriage alliance, and they treat us like this! The welcoming procession is smaller, and the eunuch leading the way has such a lazy attitude!"

Geriletu did not respond immediately.

She slowly looked around.

The vermilion-lacquered pillars, gilded beams, and layers of brocade curtains, though slightly worn, still hint at the extreme luxury of the past.

After a while, she turned around and sat down in a large chair covered with brocade cushions, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

"Haheye, you're looking at things too superficially. The Great Zhao and Mengqi have been locked in a standoff for years, with constant border clashes and layers of blood feud accumulating. Now that I've come for a marriage alliance, this is the first time our two countries have held peace talks. How could the Emperor of the Great Zhao not take this opportunity to give us a warning?"

"In the end, the Great Zhao is now militarily strong and well-equipped. We haven't gained any advantage in the several small-scale skirmishes on the border. This marriage alliance is ostensibly a reconciliation between the two countries, but in reality, it's also because we, Mengqi, need their help. These slights and snubs are nothing."

Geriletu's analysis was very logical, but Xie Yanzhao's true thoughts were actually just three words.

She doesn't deserve it.

Haheye was still somewhat annoyed: "But Princess, you are, after all, the most precious jewel of Monchi!"

Geriletu chuckled, pointing towards the palace: "Don't worry, the Great Zhao will never dare to neglect us again. Look at this palace, so magnificent, second only to the Empress's palace in grandeur. His Majesty bestowed it upon me to reside in, at least outwardly showing me respect. Isn't that a form of appeasement?"

Upon hearing this, Haheye and the other maids began to carefully examine the palace.

Just as the princess said, it was full of ingenious design, far superior to the straightforward and extravagant style of the Monchi Royal Court.

Haheye finally smiled slightly: "The princess sees things clearly. This palace is truly exquisite, far more refined than our royal tents and stone halls."

Another maid chimed in, "The princess is the most beautiful woman on the grasslands. The Emperor of Dazhao will surely fall in love with her."

Geriletu smiled smugly and said nothing more.

The Monchi Kingdom's foundation was shallow; compared to the grandeur of the Great Zhao's imperial palace, its royal court was insignificant.

If she had the chance to enter the Kunhua Palace where Empress Shen Tinghe resided.

Having witnessed the grandeur and refined elegance of the imperial palace, where every step reveals a new vista and every inch of wood is precious, one would never again describe the Xingqing Palace, which exudes an air of antiquity and desolation, as merely "magnificent."

Inside Kunhua Palace, Shen Tinghe woke up at noon.

The warm spring sun shone through the light gauze curtains, casting soft dappled light on the floor of the sleeping quarters.

She got up lazily and let Qingxu help her with her washing and grooming.

As Qingxu combed her hair, she casually mentioned, "Your Majesty, the princess from Mengqi entered the palace yesterday."

Shen Tinghe looked at herself in the mirror, and upon hearing this, she simply hummed softly, her expression remaining unchanged.

Qingxu continued, "His Majesty arranged for her to stay in Xingqing Palace."

Shen Tinghe's hand holding the hairpin paused slightly, and she looked up at Qingxu in the mirror: "Xingqing Palace?"

"Yes." Qingxu smiled enigmatically.

Shen Tinghe paused for a moment, then chuckled and shook her head: "Your Majesty is truly..."

Xingqing Palace.

That was the magnificent palace that Emperor Qihui of the previous dynasty had built for his favorite concubine, Consort Roujia, sparing no expense, with a scale that rivaled that of an empress.

However, the once most favored concubine in the palace met her end after losing power: her body was dismembered and dumped in a palace well.

After that, three more concubines moved in, but none of them met a good end; some went mad, others died, and each one was more tragic than the last.

By this dynasty, the palace had long been regarded as an ominous place where "evil spirits dwell," and it had been abandoned and neglected for more than eighty years. Palace servants would have to quicken their pace when passing by.

It was quite remarkable that Xie Yanzhao ordered people to clean it up again and make room for Princess Mengqi, who had come from afar.

Shen Tinghe got up and walked to the window.

The crabapple blossoms outside the window are in full bloom, their pink petals forming layers upon layers.

She gave a soft, calm instruction: "Send someone to keep an eye on her. After all, she is a princess from a foreign land. We must not let anything happen to her in the palace."

"Yes," Qingxu replied, bowing her head.

Geriletu has been in the palace for three days, but he has not even been able to see the emperor.

The next morning, Xie Yanzhao sent a nanny who taught etiquette to Xingqing Palace.

It is said that the Great Zhao Dynasty values ​​etiquette, and the investiture ceremony will be held after the princess has learned the etiquette of the Great Zhao Dynasty.

The old woman was over fifty years old, with pale features. She didn't even lift her eyelids when she spoke, as if the person standing in front of her wasn't Princess Mengqi, but just a crude maid who had just entered the palace.

Three days. Geriletu endured three long days in Xingqing Palace.

A celadon bowl filled with water is placed on its head, and it wobbles with every step it takes.

The vines would burn my back, and if I didn't walk properly, they would hit my shoulder blades.

It wasn't very painful, but Geriletu felt extremely humiliated.

In a fit of anger, she smashed the bowl and berated the nanny for her insolence.

The old woman wasn't annoyed: "Princess, please calm down. This is His Majesty's will."

His Majesty.

Geriletu bit down those two words, swallowing back his grievances.

She figured His Majesty must not have seen her yet. Once he did, he would surely not be able to treat her like this.

What she didn't know was that Xie Yanzhao had barely left the threshold of the Hall of Mental Cultivation these past two days.

Shen Tinghe had her period the day before yesterday.

She was never in pain, but she was always listless and didn't like to move.

These past two days, Xie Yanzhao has kept her by his side. When he was reviewing memorials, she would fall asleep on the warm couch. When they were discussing matters, she would lean against the screen. Even when she got up to change her clothes, he would carry her there.

It is afternoon.

On the warm couch by the window, Xie Yanzhao leaned against a pillow, while Shen Tinghe nestled in his arms, her face buried in his neck as she slept soundly.

After he finished grading the last folded document, he put down his vermilion pen and pinched the bridge of his nose.

When he looked down at the person in his arms, tenderness welled up in his eyes.

She slept very well.

Her cheeks were rosy from sleep, and her breathing was light and even, gently brushing against his collar.

Xie Yanzhao looked at it and couldn't help but lean down.

First it landed on the center of the brow, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Then the tip of the nose, and finally the lips.

One bite, two bites, three bites. Like tasting a cherry coated in honey, once you take a bite, you can't put it down.

Shen Tinghe was awakened by the disturbance.

Without opening her eyes, she first weakly raised her hand and clung to his shoulder: "Brother, stop teasing me..."

Xie Yanzhao placed his hand on her back, patting her gently as if coaxing a tired cat.

"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Shen Tinghe rubbed against him: "No. I just don't want to move."

Xie Yanzhao was finally relieved.

For her, the Gui water element was never difficult to bear; she was just lazy.

A breeze was blowing outside the window, rustling the copper bells on the eaves, which rang out a few times.

Xie Yanzhao looked up and gazed out.

"The weather is lovely today. How about you take Yuan Yuan out for some sunshine, my husband?"

She slept too much today; if she sleeps any longer, she'll be restless again tonight.

Shen Tinghe squinted and glanced out the window.

The sky was clear and blue, with white clouds drifting by. The sunlight was just right, neither scorching nor dull.

She nestled in his arms and smiled.

"it is good."