In the early morning, a maid knocked on the door softly and asked, "Master, are you up?"
Xie Ruzhuo woke up when he heard the sound and asked, "What time is it?"
Xiao Junxi lovingly kissed her forehead and said, "It's time." After saying that, she said to the outside, "Come in."
After he gave the order, the maids filed in. Apart from Jiangzhu Qianbi, there were two other unfamiliar faces.
Several people greeted Xie Ruzhuo and Xiao Junxi together, and then they saw that Xiao Junxi had already put on her clothes and left the maid to serve.
After Jiangzhu Qianbi served Xie Ruzhuo to dress, she saw Hongrui coming in with a brocade box in her hand. She hesitated and said, "Miss, we put this on the window sill." It had the mark of Tianmen on it. She was no stranger to this.
Hearing this, Xie Ruzhuo took it and saw a note attached to it. When she opened it and took a look, she immediately blushed and cursed, "This old monster."
When Xiao Junxi heard what she said, she looked at the note with a smile and saw it said, "Excessive indulgence will lead to kidney and essence loss. Young people, please exercise restraint."
Who else besides Wen Ruyu could write that handwriting
Xiao Junxi shook her head helplessly and said with a smile, "Why do you need to be as knowledgeable as him?"
Xie Ruzhuo sneered, "Who knows as much as him?" As he said this, he opened the brocade box again and saw a bracelet placed neatly inside. The transparent bracelet body has blood threads meandering around it, outlines a circle of patterns. As the sun shines in, the bracelet is coated with a layer of golden light, making it look even more radiant and beautiful.
Xie Ruzhuo doesn't know much about jade, but he also knows that this is the king of jade, a rare and rare thing - blood jade! Ordinary jade is cultivated by people, and it is the jade that nourishes people over time. But this blood jade has been buried for hundreds of years. After being worn by someone, it can not only ward off evil spirits but also protect women.
Xiao Junxi obviously also noticed the specialness of this jade, and she chuckled and said, "He is quite generous, Zhuo'er wears it just right."
Xie Ruzhuo nodded, remembering Feng Ruhong's words before, and said, "I'll come to thank him another day."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Zhu, who was making the bed, had a shy smile on his face and happily picked up a white handkerchief.
Xie Ruzhuo immediately understood what it was, and his face turned red involuntarily. He sat casually in front of the dressing table and said, "If you have packed up, you can go out first."
Xiao Junxi naturally noticed her little movement, and felt soft in her heart, saying, "I'll go order breakfast and come back to see you later."
The two maids from before had been standing there waiting. After one of them saw Yuan Pa, her eyes suddenly widened, looking a little unbelievable.
Xie Ruzhuo saw this and calmly ordered, "You two should go out first. I'll call you later if something happens."
These two were the original maids in the palace, and they were called Niao Niao and Ting Ting. Hearing this, Niao Niao Ben Ben wanted to say something first, but was pulled by Tingting and saluted, "Yes, Princess."
After the two maids went out, Qianbi muttered, "These two didn't have any good intentions at first sight. When they got up early, they didn't let us in. It's a good thing we met the prince, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get in." !”
After hearing this, Xie Ruzhuo glanced at the door thoughtfully, and then said softly, "Is there anyone who can't wait to enter the house on the first day?"
Jiang Zhu, on the other hand, was very calm, "Miss, I think those two maids seem to be quite capable, but as long as the prince is not interested, we are not afraid."
Xie Ruzhuo nodded in agreement and handed the blood jade to Jiang Zhudao, "Put it away."
Hongrui on the side asked doubtfully, "Miss, you don't want to wear it?"
"It's better to keep such a ostentatious thing for now." Although she likes it, wearing this blood jade is too ostentatious and is not her style.
Xiao Junxi specially ordered the kitchen to prepare the early morning meal, which was quite light. After breakfast, the two took a carriage all the way to the palace.
According to the rules, the newlyweds had to enter the palace on the second day to express their gratitude. Moreover, Xie Ruzhuo had requested this imperial edict herself, and she wanted to kowtow to Emperor Jing.
When they entered the palace, Emperor Jing was still in court, so Xiao Junxi and his wife went to Concubine Ye's palace first.
As soon as you enter the door, you will first smell the fragrance of flowers in the hall, which is extremely elegant.
Concubine Ye was talking to Xiao Xinning when she heard the chamberlain singing, "To the King, to the Princess—" She immediately raised her head and smiled, "You guys are here so early."
Concubine Ye was wearing a colorful palace dress with dark flowers and brocade today. She had a thin layer of powder on her face, but her graceful demeanor was incomparable.
Xiao Xinning on the side was also cute and cute. When he looked at the two of them, he immediately showed a mischievous smile.
Xiao Junxi took Xie Ruzhuo's hand and greeted her first, "Greetings to my concubine, may my concubine be blessed with peace and happiness."
The two spoke in unison. Xie Ruzhuo was a little shy when speaking, but he finished what he said to Xiao Junxi word for word.
Hearing this, Concubine Ye smiled slightly, stood up and stepped forward to help the two of them up. She looked at Xie Ruzhuo for a long time, her eyes filled with joy, "What a good boy."
After saying that, Concubine Ye took another red envelope from the hand of the maid on the side, stuffed it into Xie Ruzhuo's hand and said, "Keep it."
Xie Ruzhuo thanked Concubine Ye again and helped her back to sit down. He and Xiao Junxi just sat down together.
After Xiao Junxi said a few words to Concubine Ye, she smiled and said, "Concubine, I will go to pay my respects to my father first, and I will accompany you later."
As soon as she saw his expression, Concubine Ye knew that he had something to say to Emperor Jing alone, so she said, "Go ahead. It just so happens that I have a few private words with Concubine Jing."
Xiao Junxi agreed, leaving a message, "Zhuoer, wait for me." and left alone.
After Xiao Junxi left, Jiang Zhufang stepped forward holding a box and respectfully said, "Send it to the noble concubine."
Xie Ruzhuo also knew what it was, so he just lowered his head and pretended not to see it.
Concubine Ye took it and looked at it. The smile on her face widened and she said with a smile, "I know you are a good boy." After saying that, she said with some emotion, "Sister, in the spirit of heaven, seeing you so harmonious, I can feel at ease." .”
Seeing that she was a little sentimental, Xie Ruzhuo and Xiao Xining were busy coaxing her.
Just as he was talking, he suddenly heard an eunuch shouting outside the door, "Mr. Cao has come to say hello -"
Concubine Ye calmed down and said, "Please come in."
Cao Guiren was a concubine that Emperor Jing took during his southern tour a few years ago, and she was also favored for a period of time. However, she is weak by nature and does not like to compete with others. Therefore, she lost her favor in only half a year. Fortunately, she was in good health. Although she only gave birth to a princess, she was still much better than the concubines in the harem who had no heir, Cheng Huan.
Xie Ruzhuo had heard about this noble Cao earlier. After all, Emperor Jing did not have many heirs and only had two princesses. One was the seventh princess, Xiao Xinning, and the other was the eighth princess, Xiao Xinqi.
It's just that there is a world of difference in the status of the mother and concubine between the two, and the other is that the eighth princess is only three years old now, so Xie Ruzhuo has never seen her.
Not long after, Cao Guiren walked in. She walked neither quickly nor slowly, with her head lowered, like a weak willow supporting the wind. And behind her, there was a little doll that looked like a glutinous rice dumpling.
Guiren Cao was the first to say hello, and the little glutinous rice dumpling behind him followed suit and said, "Greetings to my concubine."
Concubine Ye treated Mr. Cao particularly favorably. She immediately gave him a seat and said with a smile, "You have been in poor health these days. Didn't you say you wouldn't come to pay your respects?"
Cao Guiren was only in his early twenties, with a face that was as white as frost and snow. Although his appearance could not be said to be the most beautiful one in the country, he still had a unique charm. Hearing what Concubine Ye said, she immediately replied, "Although I say this, the rules cannot be broken. Besides, I come here to pay my respects to the empress every day, and I don't feel any pain. On the contrary, I can have peace of mind."
Hearing this, Concubine Ye smiled and introduced her, "This is King Jing's newly married concubine. You can call her Zhuo'er."
Xie Ruzhuo bowed to Cao Guiren as he was told, and then saw the nobleman waving his hands in fear and saying with a smile, "I can't do it, I will destroy my concubine."
On the other hand, Xiao Xinqi, who was next to Cao Guiren, opened her big watery eyes and asked in a milky voice, "Hey, who are you?" After saying that, she ran to Xie Ruzhuo on her short legs and looked at her brightly. Said, "Xiangxiang, I like this sister."
Xie Ruzhuo couldn't help laughing, squatted down and looked at Xiao Xinqi, and said softly, "In terms of seniority, you have to call me sister-in-law."
Xiao Xinqi obviously didn't understand what a sister-in-law was, so she just turned around and asked Cao Guiren, "Mother, can I play with my sister-in-law?"
When she spoke, her articulation was not up to standard, and the longing on her face made people unable to bear to reject her.
Cao Guiren was a little embarrassed, so he saw Concubine Ye smiling and said, "It's okay, let them play, we can talk freely."
After listening to Concubine Ye's words, Cao Guiren smiled and said, "Yes." After saying that, he took out the sachet he had embroidered and offered it with both hands, "A few days ago, my sister said that she was not sleeping well, so I specially made a soothing sachet. If you try hanging the sachet on the bedside, it will definitely help you sleep better at night."
Concubine Ye agreed and thanked her with a smile, "I'm sorry you are still thinking about me."
Xiao Xinqi had never met many strangers, but now she felt a rare enthusiasm for Xie Ruzhuo. Even Xiao Xinning on the side was surprised and said with a smile, "In the past, Qi'er would avoid strangers when she saw them, but I didn't expect that you would fall into her eyes."
Xiao Xinqi was playing with Xie Ruzhuo's fingers. Hearing this, she turned around and said with a sharp smile, "Sister-in-law is beautiful."
As soon as these words came out, Xiao Xinning immediately sneered and said, "You are a little girl, you are not old, but your mouth is very sweet. Let me ask you, your sister-in-law is beautiful, am I not beautiful?"
After Cao Guiren heard this, he looked back nervously, but Xiao Xinqi said, "Hello, sister, it's the best."
The innocence in the little doll's eyes made people want to hold her in their hearts and love her. Xiao Xinning was not very young, and she had the temperament of a child. But seeing Xiao Xinqi like this, she couldn't help but hug her in her arms and kiss her. He smiled and said, "You don't know who you look like with your little mouth."
Although Xie Ruzhuo only met Cao Guiren once, he felt that this woman was good. A person can pretend again, but her expression cannot deceive others.
What's more, if such a beautiful little princess had been another concubine, she would have taken the child for granted. It is rare that this noble Cao is not arrogant or impetuous, and he still maintains his status as a nobleman while guarding his child.
Thinking like this, Xie Ruzhuo looked at this child with a higher regard.
Until Xiao Junxi's personal bodyguard came to deliver the message, "The prince invites the princess to go to the imperial study."
Xie Ruzhuo just reluctantly let go of Xiao Xinqi, and then saluted Concubine Ye, "Concubine, I've passed here first. I'll come back to pay you respects another day."
Concubine Ye agreed, but Xiao Xinqi reluctantly grabbed Xie Ruzhuo's clothes and asked expectantly, "Sister-in-law, are you coming to see Qi'er?"