In the following two days, Cheng Simian had a fulfilling time.
She was hardly idle.
And she hardly got out of bed.
The Crown Prince was extremely powerful and full of energy.
The two of them indulged themselves in bed for two whole days and nights.
Cheng Simian thought he was already very much like a fatuous emperor now.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince knew where to draw the line and was self - disciplined.
On the fourth day, just like usual, he got up at the Yin hour (5 a.m.).
Cheng Simian personally helped him put on his court robe.
The moment the belt was fastened, he transformed back into the solemn, imposing and serious Crown Prince.
"I'll be back after court. You can sleep a bit longer. Eat when you're hungry. Don't wait for me."
On the first day away from Mianmian, he was extremely reluctant to part.
But there were more important state affairs waiting for him to handle.
His thoughtfulness warmed Cheng Simian's heart.
"Your Highness, please rise."
When the Crown Prince reached the door, he suddenly turned back, cupped the back of her neck and kissed her deeply.
The old maids and palace maids still in the bedroom quickly averted their eyes.
Cheng Simian was kissed until her face turned bright red and her cheeks burned.
"Lu Sihong, so many people are watching. You should at least pay a little attention."
The Crown Prince pecked her lips again. "I like it when you call me by my name. Say it louder."
Cheng Simian glared at him coquettishly. "Stop being naughty."
In private, she could call him Lu Sihong without restraint.
Her husband, Lu Sihong.
But in front of others, he was the Crown Prince and she was the Crown Princess. They couldn't break the rules and give others something to talk about.
Thinking this way, afraid that the Crown Prince would be disappointed, she hooked his neck, stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear like a gentle breeze, "Lu Sihong, I'll wait for you to come back."
The Crown Prince went to court contentedly.
Cheng Simian didn't stay in bed either.
After breakfast, she asked the female officials Baizhi and Luocen to bring the register of servants and the account books and spent the whole morning looking through them.
There were many people in the Eastern Palace. Including her dowry servants, the female officials, old maids and palace maids given to her by the Queen, there were more than a hundred people in the inner and outer courts combined.
The accounts were numerous and complex, with daily turnover of more than a thousand taels of silver.
The Crown Prince had already ordered someone to hand over the keys to the treasury to her. She was in charge of every corner of the Eastern Palace.
After looking through the account books, Cheng Simian had a good idea of the Eastern Palace's expenses and accounts.
Around noon, the Crown Prince sent someone to deliver a message.
The Emperor had asked him to stay in the Yangxin Hall to discuss state affairs and he wouldn't be back for lunch.
But he missed Cheng Simian and ordered someone to buy a dozen freshly baked pastries from Xunxiangji.
There was also the crispy pork knuckle from Fanxing Tower.
Cheng Simian's heart skipped a beat. She had never said that she liked the crispy pork knuckle from Fanxing Tower.
The Crown Prince also never seemed to have asked.
But he knew her taste.
There must have been so much about her that the Crown Prince had silently learned without her knowing.
No wonder the furnishings and color scheme in Ronghua Hall were all to her liking.
Even the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones for calligraphy and painting were the ones she was used to.
Thinking of this, Cheng Simian felt a bit ashamed.
The Crown Prince was so attentive to her, but she knew very little about his hobbies.
She had never even bothered to find out.
Maybe in this aspect, she didn't know as much as Jiang Qianyu.
She should be a good Crown Princess, but she really couldn't be counted as a good wife.
Cheng Simian didn't like extravagance. The main dish for lunch was the crispy pork knuckle, along with two light vegetarian dishes.
Just as she put down her chopsticks, a female official came in to report, "Crown Princess, Miss Jiang said she made some snacks and brought them for you to taste."
Cheng Simian rinsed her mouth. "Let her in."
She met Jiang Qianyu in the main hall of Ronghua Hall.
"I've come at a bad time. I didn't know the Crown Princess had just finished lunch," Jiang Qianyu said.
In her hand, there was a more delicate food box than last time.
She didn't seem to be going to open it.
Cheng Simian could tell that she wasn't really here to send snacks to her.
It would be easy to find out when she had lunch. If she really wanted to send something, how could she choose the wrong time?
This box of snacks was clearly for the Crown Prince.
But Cheng Simian was a bit confused. She and the Crown Prince had a deep - seated affection. If she wanted to send something to the Crown Prince, she could just send it directly. Why did she have to go through the Crown Princess in such a roundabout way?
But such a question couldn't be asked.
She smiled faintly. "You're so kind. I'll accept the snacks. I'll taste them with the Crown Prince when he comes back."
Jiang Qianyu's face brightened a lot.
Cheng Simian invited her to sit down. Qiluo served her tea.
When Jiang Qianyu saw Qiluo, a flash of wariness crossed her eyes.
Cheng Simian pretended not to notice.
Qiluo had told her that on the wedding night, the Crown Prince had left in a huff and gone to Jiang Qianyu's Lanxing Pavilion, and the two of them had had intimate actions.
This made her even more convinced that Jiang Qianyu wouldn't leave the Crown Prince.
She sat quietly, waiting for Jiang Qianyu to speak.
Sure enough, before she had even finished a cup of tea, Jiang Qianyu looked a bit embarrassed. "Crown Princess, I have something to ask of you..."
Cheng Simian motioned for Shuyi and Qiluo to go out.
After the door was closed, Jiang Qianyu slowly began to speak.
"I don't want to take credit in front of you and the Crown Prince. But the Crown Prince insists on sending me to the Queen's palace. Otherwise, he wants to send me home to be married off. I know my status is humble and I'm not worthy to serve the Crown Prince. But I've loved His Highness for many years. I only ask for a place by His Highness's side..."
She choked with sobs and tears streamed down her face. Her aggrieved and reserved appearance was really touching.
Cheng Simian didn't rush to speak.
It would be cruel to interrupt a lovesick girl's sobs.
She was willing to listen.
Jiang Qianyu kept wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. After calming down a bit, she continued, "I know His Highness and the Crown Princess are deeply in love and don't want to be disturbed by others. His Highness is also worried that the Crown Princess will be jealous and have a rift with him. I have no ambitions and don't expect any special favors. I only ask to serve His Highness and the Crown Princess for a long time. This is my only wish. Please, Crown Princess, grant my wish."
She lifted her skirt, knelt down solemnly and kowtowed, looking humble and pious.
Hearing her say this, Cheng Simian roughly understood why the Crown Prince was reluctant to keep Jiang Qianyu.
He was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable.
The Crown Prince was really seriously fulfilling his promise of "doting on only one woman in the harem" to her.
She smiled calmly and lifted her arm slightly, motioning for Jiang Qianyu to get up.
"I understand your painstaking efforts."
She was still willing to help with this.
After getting Cheng Simian's promise, Jiang Qianyu felt relieved.
Since she couldn't persuade the Crown Prince, she changed her strategy and came to ask the Crown Princess.
For the sake of her reputation of being virtuous and generous, the Crown Princess would surely try to persuade the Crown Prince to keep her.
She didn't care whether it was sincere or not.
As long as she could stay by the Crown Prince's side.
The Crown Prince didn't return to the Eastern Palace until evening.
The Emperor's health was really getting worse.
Especially after Lu Ningzhen's death, the Crown Prince felt that half of the Emperor's life had died with her.
Lu Ningzhen's actions had hit him too hard.
He was furious, self - reproachful and felt guilty for ordering Lu Ningzhen's death.
During the discussion of state affairs today, the Emperor's headache flared up again halfway through.
The Crown Prince served the Emperor medicine beside the dragon bed, so he came back late.
"Dinner is ready, Your Highness. Please have dinner first," Cheng Simian said, seeing that the Crown Prince was very tired.
The Crown Prince's eyes accidentally swept across the table and he saw a stack of colorful pastries.
His eyebrows suddenly knitted together. "Qian'er came to see you again?"