During her month in the Imperial Palace, ng Qianqian was utterly exhausted and could hardly get a good night’s sleep.
Thus, she slept especially soundly that night.
She had a lot of confidence in her sleeping posture. After all, Tan’er had shared a bed with her countless tis and had never once said she was a restless sleeper.
Lu Yuan lay still beside ng Qianqian, staring unblinkingly at the canopy above, removing her hand from his waist for the sixth ti.
At dawn, the ti ng Qianqian typically woke up, she was still so tired that she remained half-asleep.
In a daze, she vaguely heard Bao Shu’s little voice: "Kn-kn-knock! Knock! Open, open!"
Bao Shu had co to find her.
The little one was awake so early again. She was definitely pointing at the door, making Nanny Wan and the others open it for her.
ng Qianqian was too drowsy to get up, so she mumbled with her eyes closed, "Ban Xia, bring Bao Shu in."
She heard Ban Xia respond affirmatively and carry the golden-braided little Bao Shu to the bed.
Bao Shu clambered all over her.
She lazily chuckled, pulled the little one into her embrace, touched her tiny cheek, and gave her a fierce kiss.
"Good girl. Stay with and sleep a bit longer."
"Knock!"
Bao Shu’s voice resounded from outside the door again as she slapped at it with her tiny hand.
"Oh my, Miss Bao Shu! Let’s go play sowhere else!"
It was Nanny Wan’s voice.
ng Qianqian abruptly woke up and opened her eyes in shock. What filled her vision was Lu Yuan’s utterly handso face, which could topple nations. His gaze was icy, yet his cheeks and the tips of his ears were flushed bright red.
ng Qianqian’s heart skipped a beat. She released Lu Yuan, who she had been tightly clutching in her arms, and knelt on the bed to face him, looking like a startled little quail.
It turns out the words she had told Ban Xia earlier weren’t spoken out loud; she had only dread of saying them.
The person she had hugged and kissed so fervently wasn’t Bao Shu—it was the Grand Commander.
Her face turned pale as she stamred, "Grand Commander... let explain..."
Lu Yuan stared at her coldly. "You sleep still as a stone? Never touch ?"
ng Qianqian was speechless in her defense.
Wasn’t it because she was used to sleeping alone and had forgotten he was beside her?
The only ones who ever ended up on her marital bed were Bao Shu or Tan’er, both of whom she could cuddle freely.
Lu Yuan lifted the thin blanket and got out of bed.
The misunderstanding couldn’t deepen further. She had to explain!
"Grand Commander!"
ng Qianqian turned and reached to grab him.
She had intended to grab his shirt, but as she lunged forward, her hand clasped his pants instead.
Given his tall stature and her positioning at the edge of the bed, she accidentally pulled them down in her loss of balance.
Staring at what suddenly appeared before her...
She thought: Do not look! Do not look!
ng Qianqian hurriedly shut her eyes tight and turned her head away.
Lu Yuan had his back to her, so she couldn’t see his expression, but she guessed that he was probably close to killing her.
"I-I didn’t an to!"
ng Qianqian hastily tried to pull his pants back up for him.
But as soon as she tugged upwards—
Huh? Why wasn’t the front fitting properly?
And then...
"ng, Xiao, Jiu—!"
Lu Yuan’s furious roar echoed through the room, shaking the entire courtyard. Even the birds in the trees flew away in fright.
Lu Yuan left for morning court.
ng Qianqian sat on the bed alone, staring blankly at her flushed left hand, on the verge of tears.
-
Lu Yuan’s thunderous shout had such an impact that even Treasure Piggy’s sturdy little body trembled.
The only two unaffected were Tan’er, who was dead to the world even if thunder struck, and Liu Qingyun.
When she finally woke up it was already noon. Taking her ti to wash up, she first went to see Bao Shu.
She had brought Bao Shu a chest full of gifts, including trinkets from Miaojiang and baby clothes from the region.
After putting them on, Bao Shu looked at herself in the mirror and dramatically flopped onto the ground.
Liu Qingyun was startled. "What happened to her?"
Qing Shuang responded calmly, "She fainted from admiring her own beauty again."
Holding Bao Shu, Liu Qingyun asked, "Do you like Grandma?"
Bao Shu replied, "Like very much."
Liu Qingyun smiled. "What do you like about Grandma?"
Bao Shu, in a babyish voice, responded, "Grandma... beautiful."
Liu Qingyun continued, "Is Grandma prettier, or is your mother prettier?"
With utmost sincerity, Bao Shu waved her tiny hand. "Grandma pretty, Mother, not pretty!"
Liu Qingyun smiled in satisfaction. "You have good taste."
After coaxing Liu Qingyun, Bao Shu sighed like a little adult, her tiny face serious as she moved on to her next social engagent.
She wobbled her way to ng Qianqian’s room, held her arms out for a hug, and exclaid with stars in her eyes, "Mother pretty, Mother the prettiest, the very prettiest!"
-
"I’ve heard that in the Central Plains, mothers-in-law all have to establish strict rules for their daughters-in-law. For instance, a daughter-in-law isn’t allowed to sit at the table during als; she has to set out the bowls and plates, serve the dishes, and wait for the mother-in-law to finish eating before she can join the al."
At the dining table, Liu Qingyun sipped her tea and comnted casually.
ng Qianqian stood respectfully by her side, smiling sweetly as she replied, "Yes, Mother."
Liu Qingyun cast a glance at her, signaling she should set the table.
ng Qianqian sprang into action, setting everything flawlessly.
Any ti Liu Qingyun even glanced at a dish, ng Qianqian imdiately served it to her with precision.
By the end of the al, ng Qianqian had not only demonstrated excellent attentiveness but also imnse patience.
How could she not be patient?
What kind of "good" mother-in-law waits until after noon to summon her daughter-in-law to establish rules? ng Qianqian had long since eaten at the old madam’s quarters.
Liu Qingyun, naturally, found fault with everything, casually pointing out yet again how ng Qianqian had failed to et her standards today and yesterday.
ng Qianqian smiled. "I will try harder, Mother."
As soon as the al was over, an invitation arrived from the Princess Mansion—Princess Wanping was hosting a poetry gathering and had invited both ng Qianqian and Liu Qingyun.
Liu Qingyun had only arrived in the Capital City yesterday, the sa day ng Qianqian left the palace. News of their arrival had spread surprisingly fast.
ng Qianqian still had an unresolved wager with Princess Wanping. Because of the Imperial Palace plague, the one-month deadline had long since passed.
Could it be that Princess Wanping intended to hold ng Qianqian accountable for the bet today, humiliating her in front of everyone by making her lose Lu Yuan?
At the re thought of Lu Yuan, uncontrollable images of certain indescribable monts surfaced in her mind.
Her palm began to burn red again.
She stared blankly at her hand, murmuring sadly, "What were you fumbling around for, you fool?"
After much deliberation, ng Qianqian decided to attend.
She wanted to see Chen Long, and at most, she could find a way to delay the bet for a few more days.
Liu Qingyun, however, had no interest in poetry gatherings.
Seeing an opportunity, ng Qianqian’s eyes glinted with mischief as she subtly placed Bao Shu behind Liu Qingyun.
Bao Shu took the hint imdiately, grabbing Liu Qingyun’s hand and tugging her toward the door. "Grandma, let’s go play!"
One hour later.
Liu Qingyun stepped out of the carriage holding Bao Shu.
Raising her eyes to the grand and imposing plaque, she remarked nonchalantly, "So this is the Princess Mansion? Not so impressive."
Upon entering, her face was filled with disdain.
Looking at the vibrant flowers and exotic plants blooming all around, she curled her lips and said, "A princess, huh? Her taste is worse than yours! Planting all this in the middle of sumr—is she trying to invite even more snakes, rats, and bugs?"
ng Qianqian heard it this way: Mother-in-law praised my taste, saying it’s better than Princess Wanping’s, and that my choice of flowers and plants is superior.
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