"Your Majesty, Lady Lan is just too exhausted, which is why she has slept for so long. There's nothing serious," the imperial physician Li in the palace reported to Emperor Jingxiang cautiously.
"Then why hasn't she woken up yet? It's already been four hours since last night," Emperor Jingxiang asked.
"Your Majesty, Lady Lan has been over - tired and stressed recently. Carving jade yesterday must have taken a lot of her energy. And the fine liquor from the Qi State is indeed very strong. So Lady Lan is sleeping a bit longer. I can also use acupuncture to wake her up now," Physician Li said slowly.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had no idea who this lady was. It was just that she had slept a bit longer after getting drunk. Why was the emperor so anxious?
The frown on Emperor Jingxiang's face relaxed. As long as it wasn't something like poisoning, it was fine. She was just too tired.
Thinking of this, he felt a pang of heartache. Let the lady sleep a bit longer then.
"Don't use acupuncture. When will the lady wake up naturally?"
"Probably in about an hour."
After hearing Physician Li's words, Emperor Jingxiang felt relieved. He ordered the palace maid, "Go and prepare the soup to relieve the effects of alcohol."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
An He escorted Physician Li out and specifically told him not to make wild speculations or disclose this matter. An He sighed inwardly. Lady Lan had just slept a bit longer, but the emperor was reluctant to wake her up and had to call the imperial physician. Now Lady Lan was truly the apple of the emperor's eye.
After the palace maids and Physician Li had all left, An He came to report again that the secret guards had thoroughly investigated the matter the emperor had ordered last night.
Emperor Jingxiang stood under the window, away from the inner room, listening to An He's report.
"Your Majesty, five years ago, the secret guards only investigated unmarried girls and overlooked married women like Lady Lan," An He said carefully.
They had investigated for so long but had such an oversight. If it weren't for Miss Lan Xin's words last night, everyone would still be kept in the dark.
"Why didn't you find out when I asked you to investigate the lady?" Emperor Jingxiang showed a hint of displeasure.
"It rained heavily that night five years ago, and there were too many guests coming and going. Lady Lan showed no signs of anything unusual. Maybe she hid it well..."
An He's words hit Emperor Jingxiang's heart.
Indeed, the lady was extremely intelligent. It wouldn't be difficult for her to hide it.
Thinking of this, Emperor Jingxiang also felt a sigh. No wonder at first, the lady made him feel familiar. He thought it was just his imagination.
He and the lady were truly a match made in heaven.
"Forget it. Don't investigate anymore. I'll ask her myself later," Emperor Jingxiang said calmly, looking out at the scenery in the courtyard. He was already thinking about which palace would be the lady's residence in the future and what names their children would have.
An He didn't know what was on Emperor Jingxiang's mind.
But seeing the vivid expression on the emperor's face, he knew that the emperor was definitely not angry. Instead, he was even happier.
"Your Majesty, Princess Kaiyun is hosting a banquet on the grassland today. The time is almost up. Should we prepare the imperial entourage and set off now?" An He reminded.
Emperor Jingxiang pursed his lips, his mouth straight. He said indifferently, "I'll go later. Let them enjoy themselves first."
An He responded and secretly smiled.
It seemed that the emperor was going to wait for Lady Lan to wake up before he could feel at ease. He really held Lady Lan in the palm of his hand.
After everyone left the room, Emperor Jingxiang sat back by Lan Miao's bedside. The window screen blocked the sunlight from outside, and the hazy light shone on Lan Miao's face, making her look like a beautiful lady in a meticulous Chinese painting, elegant and serene.
Emperor Jingxiang looked out of the window in the distance.
The snow was everywhere, and the red plum blossoms exuded a fragrance. The woman in his arms was more beautiful than the scenery.
---
At the imperial riding ground.
The Second Prince and the Third Prince drew their bows and arrows, standing on the grassland. They aimed at their respective targets in front of them and shot at the same time.
The two arrows whistled through the air.
The Second Prince's arrow barely hit the edge of the target, while the Third Prince's arrow hit a place one circle away from the bull - eye.
It was obvious who had better archery skills.
Immediately, there was continuous applause. After all, the Third Prince was just a child. His mind was not as meticulous as that of an adult. He proudly raised his long bow and faced the people on the stage.
"Third Brother, you're so amazing!" Yu Jia stood up and smiled brightly at the Third Prince. Xue Er beside her also clapped with her.
"Yes, the Third Prince is so young, but his archery is so accurate. He will surely achieve great things in the future," a concubine beside Consort Jia on the viewing platform flattered.
"Where, it's just shooting an arrow. There's still a long way to go," Consort Jia raised her long eyebrows. Although her words were modest, the pride in her eyes could not be hidden.
As soon as she finished speaking, the noble consort sitting beside her sank her face and said with a hint of sourness, "It's just shooting an arrow. It's just brute courage. There's nothing to be proud of."
"Brute? Fortunately, the emperor is not here. If he heard what the noble consort said, he would be so angry. After all, the archery skills of the two princes were taught by the emperor himself," Consort Jia, although modest, would not tolerate her child being ridiculed by the noble consort. She immediately retorted.
"You..."
The noble consort was not easy to deal with either. She pointed at Consort Jia and scolded.
Since the emperor was not here, the two ladies were about to start a fight again. The other concubines were also watching the show with great interest.
The two princes, who should have been the center of attention, were ignored.
The Second Prince lowered his head, his face gloomy. He murmured something in a low voice.
The Third Prince put away his pride and strode away. He walked to Yu Jia on the stage and started talking to Xue Er beside her. The three of them were chatting and laughing, and their relationship was much more harmonious than before.
While talking, he secretly glanced at Princess Kaiyun in the middle.
Princess Kaiyun sat upright on the upper seat, taking in everything that happened on the riding ground. The empress dowager was tired yesterday and did not come. She was really worried about her elder brother's harem. Without a queen to hold the fort, it was easy for trouble to arise.
"Mother, why hasn't Uncle Emperor come?" the eldest son of Princess Kaiyun, the Crown Prince Li of the Qi State, looked up at her with a delicate face.
"Shh," Princess Kaiyun made a gesture to be quiet. "A Li, keep your voice down. Don't talk about your uncle emperor casually. He has his own reasons."
Seeing the listless look of the young crown prince, Princess Kaiyun smiled. She took out a silk handkerchief from her bosom and wiped his face.
A Li was extremely good - looking, but he just liked to hang around girls too much.
At this time, the Third Prince and Yu Jia walked over. They were dressed in magnificent clothes and had a dignified bearing. They bowed respectfully. Xue Er followed behind them. Now she and Yu Jia were like twin sisters, always together.
"Greetings to Your Highness, Aunt/Princess," they said.
"Get up, all of you," Princess Kaiyun said with a smile.
Yesterday, there was a banquet in the Nuanyu Pavilion to compete in jade carving. Today's banquet on the riding ground was more like an ordinary family banquet, just for the children to play and get to know each other.
"I wonder if Crown Prince Li is interested in archery. I have a batch of excellent arrows. If the crown prince likes, we can accompany the crown prince to shoot arrows," the Third Prince said.
"Yes, A Li, what do you think?" Princess Kaiyun looked at the Crown Prince Li gently.
But the Crown Prince Li didn't say a word. There were many butterflies embroidered on his magnificent golden robe. He was only six or seven years old. His face was extremely handsome, and his phoenix eyes were full of charm. He first sized up Yu Jia. After seeing Xue Er, who was like a snowball behind her, his eyes immediately lit up.
Princess Kaiyun knew that his old problem had resurfaced. She gently patted his shoulder and said, "A Li, what are you looking at?"
"Who are you?" the Crown Prince Li pointed at Xue Er.
Xue Er was not panicked at all when being pointed at. She stepped forward generously and said clearly, "My name is Wen Yinxue. I'm the reading companion of Princess Yu Jia. My mother is Lady Lan, who carved jade for Your Highness yesterday."
Her introduction was very graceful.
Under her thick eyelashes, her pupils were as black as jewels. Her facial features were delicate and striking, and her skin was fair and glowing.
The Crown Prince Li stared at her and walked towards her as if in a trance.
Princess Kaiyun nodded appreciatively. "So you're Lady Lan's daughter. You're really smart and cute."
While she was still talking, her son had already walked up to Xue Er. His beautiful phoenix eyes stared at Xue Er, and he stretched out his hand. It seemed that he was going to hold Xue Er's little hand. His action had a natural air of elegance.
"Sister Xue Er, have we met before?"