Mu Lin felt the atmosphere suddenly becoming tense, and in order to avoid further angering Ying Yuan, he remained tactically silent.
"I made a vow when I asked for your hand in marriage in the Haoran Pavilion on Baihu Mountain: I will take only one scoop from the three thousand rivers of water; there will be only you in the harem." Ying Yuan clamped her jaw with his fingers and forced her to raise her head. "I tell you, you are my only woman. You can only accept the affairs between husband and wife."
Mu Lin's heart was raging. He lowered his eyes and said coldly, "The third condition is that you must not force me."
"Don't forget, my queen, the most fundamental condition is to become my queen." If they cannot perform sexual relations as husband and wife, then their relationship is in name only, so the basis for reaching an agreement no longer exists.
Mu Lin sneered: "The pleasure of sex should be consensual. Your Majesty is too overbearing to let me refuse!"
"Mutually consensual? The Queen also enjoyed it last night, right? In my opinion, I was too good to you. I took pity on your frail body and did not get too close to you! Otherwise, the Queen thought she had the strength to confront me here today?"
"you!"
"I can give Queen some time to let you recognize your own identity. In the Qin Palace, I am your husband and your heaven!"
“It’s unreasonable!”
The two parted unhappily.
The emperor went to the Qinzheng Palace angrily and was cold to the queen who was lying on the bed "recuperating".
Emperor Wu's Confidants/Lily of the Valley: It's amazing that the emperor and empress quarreled on the first day of their marriage.
Fortunately, the Grand Empress Dowager sympathized with the Emperor and Empress' wedding and exempted the two from paying respects this morning. Mu Lin only needed to go to the Grand Empress Dowager's Ronghua Palace with Ying Yuan in the afternoon, so she continued to lie back and relax with peace of mind.
After a while, she called Lily of the Valley in, took out a black pill and swallowed it.
"Princess..." Linglan spoke with some concern. Although this pill has mild medicinal properties, it is harmful to the body if taken too much.
Mu Lin closed his eyes tiredly, "No need to say more, I will sleep for another hour and a half, wake me up at 9:00 pm." Being in the Qin Dynasty, with so many eyes watching him, there has to be a limit to how long he can stay in bed.
"Yes, you worked too hard last night. May I apply some medicine for you?"
"No need, leave now." Ying Yuan said he had applied medicine to her, and Mu Lin could still smell the faint smell of medicine on her body, as well as some other...
Thinking of this, I felt ashamed and angry again.
Linglan quietly changed the soothing scent and left. Mu Lin was the only one left in the hall. He did not feel uncomfortable with the quiet environment and familiar fragrance. He closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly.
She was indeed very tired last night and had not recovered even after sleeping for two or three hours.
Damn Ying Yuan...
Crazy, out of control, fragile, completely controlled, bone-breaking lovemaking...
Mu Lin rarely has an ostrich mentality. She doesn't want to do this kind of thing again...
It was rare for her to have a peaceful daytime sleep. Linglan came in on time to wake her up. She opened her eyes lazily and was helped to get up by her. When she moved again, she felt a little better. It was obvious that Yingyuan applied the medicine carefully and properly for her, and Mu Lin felt relieved.
Only then did she notice that her undershirt was white. And, yes, the red one she wore last night was no longer wearable... Wait, why didn't she remember the maid coming in to help her change clothes? Could it be that Ying Yuan changed her clothes for her
The more she thought about it, the more likely it was. Mu Lin had finally suppressed the embarrassment in her heart. Although they had physical contact, it didn't mean she could accept Ying Yuan changing her clothes personally, especially in that environment...
Linglan observed his expression and said, "Your Highness, would you like to order food?"
"Okay." Mu Lin hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, and felt a little uncomfortable with an empty stomach. She simply washed up, changed into her casual palace clothes, and had some breakfast.
“The porridge is good.”
Another senior palace maid, Ju Shu, said with a smile, "Your Majesty, this rose and ginkgo porridge was specially given to you by His Majesty. It is a good tonic for women and has the effect of promoting blood circulation and nourishing the skin."
Mu Lin smiled slightly and put down the jade bowl. There was still a small bowl of porridge in it, but she didn't want to eat it anymore.
"Clear the food and prepare the hot spring bath."
"yes."
Mu Lin had already understood the situation clearly before entering Fengyang Palace. Fengyang Palace was the central palace, and there was a hot spring in the rear hall that was built with great efforts of royal craftsmen. Five years ago, Ying Yuan ordered it to be renovated to be more magnificent, as luxurious and beautiful as a dream in the clouds.
Mu Lin remembered that she went to the South Region that year and made some arrangements before leaving, turning the South Region upside down. Unexpectedly, five years later, the South Region, which had long been a nobody in her eyes, became a useful knife and cut off her marriage fate.
From that time on, Ying Yuan was certain that she would marry him. He was secretly planning, and as a yellow bird waiting in the background, his patience reached a terrifying level.
Mu Lin didn't like people who were scheming and unscrupulous. She was in awe of him and was wary of him. No matter how he showed her kindness and how attentive he was, she would be alert and would not fall for the emperor's tenderness.
He wanted to conquer her heart, and she wanted to be indifferent and stay out of it.
Ying Yuan was also thinking about this problem, and he summoned Nanny Cui to analyze it for him.
"Your Majesty, I have watched you grow up. You have a strong character, while the Queen is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. You can't confront them head-on."
"She doesn't have me in her heart, what can I do?" Thinking of this, Ying Yuan's heart was filled with resentment.
Nanny Cui was his late mother's wet nurse, now 70 years old. Nanny Cui had a lot of insights on the relationship between men and women. Although his mother died young, his father never forgot her, thanks to her secret guidance.
"The Empress has a grudge against you. You should show her kindness, like a gentle spring breeze, so that she can relax her guard and infiltrate into the Empress's life bit by bit. Once the Empress gets used to your presence, the situation will be reversed, and you can attack. Then I will talk to you again."
"I understand. But what if the queen and I have a child?" Once a woman has a child, her heart will be at peace and she will never be able to leave again.
Ying Yuan didn't know that he had been tricked by Xiao Muyun, and he would never have thought that Mu Lin would be so cruel in the future.
"Your Majesty, this matter should not be rushed. Even if the Queen loves her child, it is inevitable that she will be angry with the child's father. At that time, it will be even more difficult for you to win the Queen's heart."
"I understand."
Mist was rising and warm fragrance was lingering. Mu Lin's body below the collarbone was immersed in warm water. The skin exposed above the water surface was dotted with ambiguous marks that made people blush.
Mu Lin pretended not to see it and leaned against Yu Yan with her eyes closed to rest. Ling Lan knelt beside her and reported something to her.
"All the servants we brought with us have been properly settled. Currently, two-thirds of the people in Fengyang Palace are ours, and the remaining one-third are spies planted by various palaces."
"I see. Don't worry. Just slowly find out. Linglan, tell me about Qin Gong's situation."
"Yes." Linglan started with the person in the highest position. "The Empress Dowager is old and has difficulty moving. She has been fasting and chanting in Ronghua Palace and rarely travels. Your Majesty is busy with many things. In order to fulfill his filial duty, he often summons the women and children of the Fifth Prince to the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager."
Mu Lin nodded indifferently. The Empress Dowager and Emperor Wu of Qin were the only two people who weighed heavily on her.
"How many brothers does Your Majesty have left?" Her tone was somewhat sarcastic.
"Your Highness, there are only three brothers left. The second prince was named Prince Xian, and he has always devoted himself to worshipping Buddha. He became a monk during the Taishan Rebellion, and now lives in the White Horse Temple; Prince An, also known as the fifth prince, blocked an arrow for the crown prince during the palace coup and injured his left arm. Now he is deeply favored by your majesty, but he has no ambition and is addicted to wine, women, poetry and painting; the ninth prince, also known as the Prince of Guangping, is only fourteen years old and has not yet left the palace to open a government office and build a mansion. He is still being raised in the palace by the concubine..."
Mu Lin simply commented: "The Fifth Prince is a smart man."
The Second Prince and the Ninth Prince had no maternal roots, but they were able to stay intact as mascots, showing that Emperor Wu was not cold-blooded and was willing to leave a way out for friendly brothers. As for the Fifth Prince, his grandfather had been a staunch party member since the previous dynasty, and he had been a target for Ying Yuan for many years, and even lost an arm for him, so he was isolated from the throne and naturally lost his threat. If she were Ying Yuan, she would also be favored by such a good brother.
It seems that the internal affairs of Daqin are more stable than she thought...
Mu Lin sighed in his heart, and unconsciously thought of Xiao Muyun's situation. As a young regent, he had countless people watching him secretly, wanting him to make mistakes, wanting him to die. After his old relationship with her was exposed, everyone thought he had evil intentions, and he was afraid that his situation would become even worse...
Mu Lin's mood was a little low. He felt dizzy after soaking in the hot spring for so long, so he simply got up, changed his clothes, and dressed up.
Ju Shu said considerately, "Your Majesty, you didn't eat much for breakfast, so have some snacks first. Lunch will be served soon."
Mu Lin said nonchalantly: "You are thoughtful. Lily of the Valley, reward."
"Thank you very much, Queen Empress, for your reward." Ju Shu's face showed just the right amount of surprise and admiration. She bowed politely to express her gratitude, then bowed and retreated to urge for lunch.
As expected of a top maid trained by the Qin Palace, her words and actions were flawless, making her master feel comfortable using her. Mu Lin smiled faintly.
One can always tell from the little things that Ying Yuan puts a lot of thought into her.
Ju Shu quickly returned and saluted with a happy face, saying, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived at the gate of Fengyang Palace! Hearing that you would like to order lunch, His Majesty said he would come to eat with you."
Coming again so soon? A hint of surprise flashed across Mu Lin's eyes. He put down the tea in his hand and ordered, "Okay, prepare more dishes."
"Don't worry, Madam. You and His Majesty are newlyweds and have a deep love for each other. I guessed that His Majesty would come, so I told everyone to prepare in the morning."
Mu Lin: “…” Sometimes it’s not a good thing for a maid to be too capable.
Mu Lin didn't say anything and took people to the door to greet them according to the rules.
Sure enough, Ying Yuan was in a very good mood when the dishes were served. Many of the dishes were his favorites, so the look he gave Mu Lin became more gentle, almost as if water could drip out of it.
"The Queen is thoughtful."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind." Mu Lin smiled politely and picked up a piece of brown sugar glutinous rice lotus root for him.
The brown sugar juice soaked with sugar osmanthus is rich and fragrant, and the glutinous rice lotus root is sweet and delicious, sweet but not greasy, which is a classic delicacy of Jingsheng. Because of the difference in taste between the two countries, Mu Lin specially brought a few cooks from Jingsheng.
I thought Ying Yuan didn't like sweets and would just take a bite for the sake of politeness, but I didn't expect him to eat it all in just a few bites.