Yin Yunhan pouted, then simply got off the chair and walked up to Shen Yuning. He whispered, "Auntie, don't be angry. I'll send you something better later."
His self - address had changed, showing that he was a bit anxious and discontented.
However, Yin Zidu showed no mercy to him. He pulled Shen Yuning to his side and tapped Yin Yunhan's head with his hand. "Whatever your auntie wants, I'll give it to her. You don't need to worry about it. Also, if you don't study hard and don't read the things your teacher taught you well, you may not be able to marry a girl as beautiful as your auntie in the future."
Shen Yuning was extremely embarrassed. She gave Yin Zidu a discontented look and then nervously looked up at the emperor and the empress.
The emperor on the upper seat showed no expression, but the empress looked at them kindly. Seeing Shen Yuning's uneasy look, she comforted her, "Since Zidu came back, they've often bickered like this. You don't need to pay attention to it."
After saying that, the empress walked down, saluted the emperor, told him to take his medicine on time, and then motioned for Shen Yuning to follow her to the central palace.
Shen Yuning was very nervous. In the past, Xuanzhi and Weirui used to bicker from time to time, and sometimes they even bickered with Old Man Zhang. But after he became Young Master Zidu, he became more composed and no longer had such childish behaviors.
However, Yin Yunhan was his nephew, so it was normal for them to be close.
But why did she always feel that Zidu wasn't joking when she saw the two of them?
The empress led Shen Yuning not to the central palace first, but to the Yuming Palace where Yin Zidu lived in the palace.
As they approached the Yuming Palace, they could see a magnificent palace of the Great Qi, even more splendid than the Eastern Palace beside it.
Shen Yuning was stunned. There was no one living in the Eastern Palace. The eldest prince, Yin Yunhan, now lived in the more ordinary Dongsansuo beside it. The grandeur of the Yuming Palace showed the emperor's affection for his younger brother, Yin Zidu.
However, it seemed that such favor was a bit excessive.
Shen Yuning thought it was funny. The emperor was in poor health and almost died. It was Zidu who spared no effort to seek medical treatment for him, quell the rebellion of the second prince, and take care of everything in the court. It was natural for the emperor to favor him.
Maybe she just thought more than others on weekdays, so she always worried about these things.
The empress was very kind. She led Shen Yuning into the Yuming Palace, looked around, and sighed slightly. "Zidu used to live here alone. Although I wanted to take care of him, there was a distinction between men and women. Now it seems that everything is inappropriate. Fortunately, you've married into the family and will live here in the future. You can't be careless. I'll definitely decorate the Yuming Palace well later so that you can live here comfortably."
Shen Yuning looked at the magnificent Yuming Palace and felt a bit dizzy.
It was already very good here. Was the empress still not satisfied?
She quickly declined. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. But the Yuming Palace is already too luxurious. If we make large - scale renovations, it will really go against the rules."
But the empress insisted. "You're still young and don't understand. Zidu is the emperor's younger brother who was separated from the family for so many years. I heard that he had a very hard time when he was living among the common people. He didn't even have a full meal. Not only the emperor but also I feel heart - broken when I hear about it. I just want to give him the best things. The Yuming Palace is far from enough."
Shen Yuning couldn't decline anymore, because the empress's intention was to take care of things for Yin Zidu, not for her.
She thought that she would talk to Xuanzhi later and ask him to persuade the emperor not to be too extravagant. The new emperor had just ascended the throne, and the Great Zhou had not even achieved national peace and people's well - being. Those in high positions should set an example and be more thrifty.
The empress then led Shen Yuning back to the central palace. The decoration of the central palace was not too bad, which made Shen Yuning feel a bit more at ease.
Maybe the empress was used to being frugal in the past. Now that she was in power, she liked to be more extravagant. Perhaps she was reluctant to spend on herself and spent most of the money on the Yuming Palace.
The empress offered her a seat and some snacks.
"I know you got up late today, and I don't know if Zidu is careful enough. I'm afraid you haven't had breakfast, so I prepared these snacks for you to fill your stomach first."
Shen Yuning's eyes curved slightly. In other families, it was the wife who took care of the husband, but in the empress's case, she was afraid that Zidu hadn't taken good care of her.
Just as she was about to thank the empress, a maid came in with a tray. She accidentally bumped into the multi - treasure cabinet beside her. The soup on the tray spilled on the ground, which startled everyone in the room.
The aunt beside the empress frowned and immediately pulled the maid out. Then two other maids came in quickly and cleaned up all the dirt on the ground.
The floor was covered with a carpet, and it couldn't be cleaned up immediately. There was a stain on it, which looked a bit out of place.
The empress said, "It's my fault for not managing my servants well. They are so clumsy and caused such a mess. I'll definitely punish them severely later."
Shen Yuning pursed her lips and smiled. "Your Majesty is kind - hearted and treats people gently. It's a blessing for these maids to serve by Your Majesty's side."
Seeing this, the empress seemed to relax a bit. She then thought of something else and deliberately said, "Many of those fools in the court are dissatisfied with Zidu's marriage to you. The more they are like this, the more I feel that I should treat you better. Let them see that you are not only the apple of Zidu's eye but also in the hearts of the emperor and me."
Shen Yuning was extremely grateful. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I'm really flattered to be favored by the emperor and Your Majesty."
The empress took her hand. "Don't say that. You are the younger sister - in - law of the emperor and me. If we don't treat you well, who else should we treat well?"
After saying that, she inserted a hairpin inlaid with Dongzhu pearls into Shen Yuning's hair.
It was not until after lunch that Shen Yuning was able to leave. She didn't need to be on duty, but the regent probably couldn't avoid his official duties.
Thinking like this, Shen Yuning decided to go back to the mansion first.
But not long after she left the central palace, she saw Yin Zidu standing there, as if waiting for her.
The aunt beside the empress prepared a sedan chair again, served them on the sedan chair, and sent them outside the palace. Then she reluctantly went back.
When they got on the carriage, Yin Zidu immediately pulled Shen Yuning into his arms and asked in a low voice, "I saw that you hardly ate anything for lunch. Is the food in the palace not to your taste?"
Shen Yuning shook her head. "I just ate some snacks in the empress's palace before the meal. I'm not hungry for the moment."
Yin Zidu tapped her nose. "Greedy girl."
Shen Yuning sat up straight, put on a straight face, and deliberately ignored him.
Yin Zidu quickly pulled her into his arms again and said coquettishly, "Good sister, don't ignore me. If you like the snacks in the empress's palace, I'll find the cook from the imperial kitchen later and ask him to make them for you every day. Okay?"
Shen Yuning was a bit worried and said, "Don't do that. Otherwise, the emperor and the empress will think that I'm being arrogant because of your favor."
Yin Zidu gently kissed her cheek. "Be arrogant because of my favor if you want. You are my wife, and I'll give you the best things in the world."
Hearing this, Shen Yuning frowned and subconsciously turned her head and asked, "Did you prepare the betrothal gifts sent to the Xue family yourself?"
Yin Zidu looked at her in confusion. "I was very busy at that time. I just told the inner court about a few things and didn't handle it personally. In fact, all the arrangements for our wedding were handled by the empress. Why? Are you angry that I didn't handle it myself, Yuning?"
He just thought that Shen Yuning was unhappy today because she learned in the palace that the betrothal gifts were arranged by the empress.
Shen Yuning realized that the empress had mentioned today that the court officials were dissatisfied with the regent's choice of her as the princess. Maybe she didn't know that Xuanzhi hadn't told her that the wedding affairs were personally arranged by the empress.
But why did the empress act like this, as if she was holding her up high?
She then asked out her doubts.
Yin Zidu laughed. "My little bride, you just think too much. The empress was used to being alone in the past. The emperor's health was not good, and Han'er was favored by the emperor and was taught by him personally. She was alone in the Eastern Palace and always worried about the emperor's health and whether Han'er would displease the emperor. She also had to find ways to avoid being bullied by the virtuous concubine. Her life was a bit hard. Now that there are things for her to worry about, she is naturally happy."
Shen Yuning still asked doubtfully, "But the furnishings in the empress's palace are not as good as those in the Yuming Palace. In my opinion, the empress should be a thrifty person, but she is really a bit extravagant about the Yuming Palace."
Yin Zidu didn't care. "It's probably about the same. I think the emperor's palace is not bad."
Shen Yuning shook her head. "I went to see it today. It looks about the same on the surface. But I saw that the maids in the empress's palace were not even familiar with the things in the palace, and the decorations in the palace seemed to be newly arranged, not the usual ones."
Hearing this, Yin Zidu also sat up straight, and his heart was filled with doubts.
Shen Yuning added, "Maybe I'm being too suspicious, but I don't think such excessive favor is a good thing. I think the Yuming Palace is really luxurious, but the empress still thinks it's not enough and wants to build it again. I originally wanted to refuse today, but she said it was for you, so I couldn't decline. How about you ask the emperor later?"
Yin Zidu nodded and then looked up at her. "Now that you're my wife, why do you still call them the emperor and the empress? You should call them elder brother and elder sister - in - law. Do you understand?"
Shen Yuning blushed a bit and gently nodded as an answer. Afraid that he would act naughty, she quickly moved to the window and gently lifted the curtain to look outside.
Outside the curtain, there was a very imposing man sitting in the corner. His eyes were gentle and a bit anxious. And there was a young man sitting beside him.
Shen Yuning subconsciously whispered, "Stop."
The carriage stopped. Shen Yuning stared blankly at the man in front of her. It was General Liang, Liang Hong, and the young man sitting in front of him was her former younger brother, Xue Yuxi.