Jiang Qianyu's expression brightened considerably.
It seemed that she had been over - worrying.
The Crown Princess wasn't the kind of overbearing and jealous woman who couldn't tolerate other women around the Crown Prince.
However, she didn't completely let down her guard.
One encounter wasn't enough to easily draw a conclusion about the other person's character.
All she could say was that, so far, the Crown Princess showed no hostility towards her.
But it didn't mean that hostility wouldn't arise in the future.
Cheng Simian glanced at the Crown Prince. His face looked a bit stiff.
"Your Highness, you should also try Miss Jiang's cooking. I think it tastes really good," she said as she picked up a chopstick of cold dish for the Crown Prince.
Jiang Qianyu's eyes were filled with expectation.
The Crown Prince's gaze was calm and uninterested. In the end, he didn't touch his chopsticks.
"I've eaten enough," he said.
Cheng Simian's eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't say anything.
He had only been busy picking food for her just now and actually hadn't eaten much.
But he wasn't willing to give Jiang Qianyu this face.
Jiang Qianyu's eyes dimmed. She lowered her head sensibly and said, "Then this subject will not disturb the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess's meal. I'll take my leave first."
After walking out of the main hall, a tear quietly slipped from the corner of her eye.
She couldn't help but look back.
The door of the main hall wasn't closed yet. The Crown Prince was looking at Cheng Simian, and there wasn't a trace of coldness in his eyes.
His eyes were full of love, as if it was about to overflow.
After Jiang Qianyu left, the Crown Prince didn't want Simian to have the slightest misunderstanding. "I'm planning to let her be a female official beside the Empress Dowager, taking over Daiying's position."
Female officials were different from ordinary palace maids. They had ranks, and many noble families were eager to send their daughters into the palace to be female officials.
The requirements to be a female official were very strict. Girls from families of officials below the fifth rank weren't qualified to be selected as female officials in the palace.
Cheng Simian nodded. "Miss Jiang is steady, intelligent, and of the right age. The Empress Dowager's Yukun Palace would be a good place for her. But I'm afraid..."
The Crown Prince's eyebrow twitched.
"Miss Jiang has the Crown Prince in her heart. She may not be willing to leave your side. If we force her, it will hurt her sincere feelings for you," she said.
The Crown Prince looked at Cheng Simian in disbelief.
She calmly said that another woman was infatuated with him.
She wasn't angry, wasn't jealous, and didn't even make a little sarcastic remark.
The way she was talking about Jiang Qianyu was the same as when the Empress Dowager wanted to marry Qin Xuanyan to him as a side concubine.
She was extremely virtuous!
The Crown Prince felt a lot of resentment swelling in his internal organs, fermenting in his abdomen.
"What if I don't want to keep her by my side?"
Cheng Simian frowned slightly, looking a bit confused. "Your Highness, why don't you want to keep her? She's your benefactor, and she's infatuated with you, gentle and considerate..."
"Anyway, I just don't want to!"
His voice involuntarily raised, and Xiao Anzi shivered in fright.
Instantly, his jovial expression disappeared.
The eunuchs and maids inside and outside the hall held their breaths, afraid of making a mistake and angering the Crown Prince.
Cheng Simian was utterly confused and couldn't figure out why the Crown Prince was angry for a moment.
Was he angry that Jiang Qianyu loved him too much, or was he angry that she was commenting on his established arrangement?
Qiluo, standing beside them, understood clearly.
The Crown Prince was angry because the Crown Princess wasn't jealous.
But she couldn't convey this information to the Crown Princess at the moment.
Cheng Simian wouldn't punish herself because of someone else's anger, and she wouldn't dwell on things she couldn't figure out for a moment.
Putting down her chopsticks, she smiled gently. "Your Highness, it's getting late. It's time to get ready to pay respects to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."
The Crown Prince regretted his loss of composure.
The two of them had just established a loving and trustful relationship, and he shouldn't have shown anger to Simian.
It would hurt Simian's feelings too much.
He felt a bit guilty, and his voice became much softer. "Simian, leave the matter of Qian'er to me. You don't need to worry about it."
Cheng Simian gave him a gentle smile, looking as if she didn't mind at all.
The two entered the palace to pay respects to the Emperor and the Empress.
Even though they were at the highest position and the rulers of the world, they would still be happy about ordinary happy events in the world.
The Empress was in high spirits. Her face was rosy, and her brows were filled with joy.
The Emperor seemed to have more gray hair at his temples. His energy was a bit low, and his eyes weren't as bright as before.
Cheng Simian served tea to the two of them. The Empress gave her a painting by a master from the previous dynasty.
"I know you like calligraphy, painting, poetry, and literature. A person with knowledge has a natural elegance. You must have a lot of jewelry, so I'll give you a painting," she said.
The name of this painting was "The Picture of a Woman Chanting on a Lotus".
It was a famous Buddhist painting, depicting a woman sitting on a lotus, chanting scriptures piously and without distraction.
Cheng Simian understood its meaning.
The Empress hoped that she would continue to maintain a kind and magnanimous attitude towards the people and things around the Crown Prince.
It was also a subtle warning to her that in the future, when there were other women around the Crown Prince, she shouldn't be jealous and cause trouble.
"I really like this painting. It makes people feel peaceful just looking at it. It's good for self - cultivation. Thank you, Empress Dowager. I've learned my lesson," she said.
When she said this, the Empress knew that her message had been conveyed.
The Empress nodded in satisfaction.
The Emperor invited the newly - wedded couple to have dinner in the palace.
Princess Lingyang also came.
She seemed to have grown up a lot overnight.
The coquettishness of a young girl was gone, and her speech and behavior had become much more steady and reserved.
The Empress was deeply relieved. "Lingyang was able to figure things out, thanks to Simian's comfort and guidance."
"Sister Lingyang was always very sensible. Now that she's older, she's naturally more steady and dignified," Cheng Simian said.
Hearing this, Princess Lingyang felt very comfortable.
All children had the desire to show off and seek praise in front of their parents. But although Cheng Simian was often praised, she wasn't the least bit arrogant.
The words she used to praise Lingyang weren't insincere flattery.
Princess Lingyang thought she was sincere and considerate.
She was a good sister - in - law.
The Emperor casually asked the Crown Prince, "The young man from the Liang family, Liang Wentao. Do you know anything about him, Hong'er?"
Liang Wentao was the cousin of Liang Yuzhou. Their grandfathers were brothers, so their relationship was quite close.
"His father serves in the光禄 Temple. Liang Wentao was the first among the second - class scholars in last year's imperial examination. He serves as a sixth - rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. He's really a talented person. I've met him a few times. Although he's just in his early thirties, he's solemn, mature, and has a pure heart. He's a person who can be used," the Crown Prince gave a very fair evaluation.
"Good. Recently, I've been thinking about transferring him to the Secretariat for some experience. Since you say so, it proves that this person has good qualifications and is worthy of great responsibility."
Worthy of great responsibility?
Did the Emperor want Liang Wentao to replace Qin Feng?
The marriage between Lingyang and Qin Ziqi was already a foregone conclusion. The Qin family had even sent the betrothal gifts, and the wedding date had been set.
It was only a matter of time before Qin Feng stepped down from his position as the first - rank official in the Secretariat.
Mentioning Qin Feng, the Crown Prince thought of another person.
Lu Siming, who was lurking in the dark.
On the day of the wedding, the assassination on the street was originally a conspiracy between Lu Siming and Lu Ningzhen.
However, the evidence pointing to Lu Ningzhen was too obvious, and the Emperor's anger was focused on this former eldest princess.
Lu Siming was smarter. The evidence he left behind was very vague.
Concubine Lan had just been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. The Crown Prince didn't want to expose him without clear evidence.
If he couldn't strike a fatal blow, it would be a useless attempt.
He was patient. He just wanted to see if Lu Siming had the patience to play this hidden game with him.
If Qin Feng was demoted, would Lu Siming be able to hold back?