Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 700 - 698

Chapter 700: Chapter 698

Cining Palace

The Empress Dowager, the Empress, the Emperor, the Second Prince and his wife, the Fourth Prince and his wife, the Fifth Princess, and the entire family of Prince An have all arrived.

As the sun rose higher and higher without the appearance of the main protagonist, the Empress Dowager’s face further darkened.

Ruan Weizhen and Gu Qiqi exchanged a look, both secretly worried for Xiao’er. If they had known, they should have entered the palace later so that Xiao’er’s tardiness wouldn’t stand out so much.

The Empress and the Empress Dowager had differing views. The Empress’s heart thudded at the sight of the Empress Dowager’s expression, but she understood the Empress Dowager’s temperament. Fearing she might make matters worse, she dared not speak up for her son. So, she had to resort to some indirect saving approach.

The Empress faked anger, "Yi’er is really inconsiderate. How can he not show up on such an important day! The sun is almost at its zenith!"

Empress Dowager huffed coldly. She knew all along that the Lady of Rui’an County would spell trouble. Her grandson, who had always been disciplined, who practiced martial arts, whether it was raining or freezing cold, starting from when he was three, had been led astray from the first day of his marriage!

How can a prince who is obsessed with women achieve great things!

The trouble brought by their charm wasn’t unprecedented.

The Emperor was engaging in a conversation with Prince An. Hearing the Empress’s outburst, he was about to appease her when he noticed her winking at him.

The Emperor glanced discreetly at the Empress Dowager, and everything was clear.

The issue with the Empress Dowager’s mood was far greater than that of the Empress’s.

The Emperor deliberately looked at the grandfather clock in the corner and laughed, "Are you too eager for our daughter-in-law’s tea, Empress? It’s still early, and I’ve just returned from court. Moreover, I specifically asked the couple to come an hour late to pay respects today."

"The Emperor spoils the child too much! But rules are rules, and they must not be broken!" The Empress’s anger didn’t fade in the slightest as she purposely chose words agreeable to the Empress Dowager.

Over the years, the couple had mastered the art of flattery.

Hearing the Emperor’s words, Empress Dowager’s stern face slightly eased up, but it was still gloomy.

"The Empress is right. Last night, I saw Yi’er drink ten jars of wine. Worried that he might get drunk and lose consciousness, I allowed them to be late this morning. I forgot that we can’t break the rules! When they arrive, I will punish them to kneel outside Cining Palace under sunlight for half a day! How dare they let their elders wait! Waiting until the tea is cold!" The Emperor lied blatantly, pointing to the pot of tea that was still hot.

Prince An’s lips twitched at this. The tea had just been brewed a while ago with the warm weather, it wasn’t getting cold. Despite this, he was impressed by the Emperor’s blatant lie.

At this point, Shangguan Xuanhao also chimed in, "It’s our fault for forgetting to restrain ourselves in the joy yesterday. We accidentally let the Sixth Prince drink too much. Can he even wake up from sleeping off 50 pounds of alcohol?"

Shangguan Xuanjun nodded gravely, "Very possible."

Those words finally dispersed the dark clouds looming over the Empress Dowager’s face. It seemed the storm wouldn’t burst after all.

The Emperor stole a glance and felt a little relieved.

But to completely evaporate the rain cloud, another flame had to be added. Otherwise, it would still be troublesome if it didn’t rain, but thundered.

The couple was in their honeymoon phase, there was no need to dampen their spirits over such a trivial matter.

Wait, it was only now that the Empress Dowager reacted to what Shangguan Xuanhao meant by 50 pounds of alcohol. She anxiously asked, "Haor, how much did you say Yi’er drank?"

"Fifty pounds!"

The Empress Dowager was taken aback. Fifty pounds of alcohol. Would her grandson not be drunk to death!

Just as she was about to summon the imperial doctor, a maid reported that the Sixth Prince and his wife had arrived.

Emperor: See, aren’t they quite early? At the very least, they came on time, not an hour late!

However, one glance at the Empress Dowager’s face confirmed that it still looked rather unpleasant.

So, the Emperor angrily slammed his hand on the table, using a little bit of his inner strength, causing the tea in the cup to splash out, "Let them kneel under the sun. When they understand the rules, they can come in!"

"Hold on!" The Empress Dowager’s face had completely cleared up in response to the Emperor’s words, and the weather had changed from cloudy.

It’s strange how when someone else gets angrier and more outraged over something than you, you no longer feel as angry. You might even find yourself calming the other person down.

"The Emperor mustn’t. We must be careful with words. If the Emperor asked Yi’er to pay respects an hour later, how can he be punished for it now? Besides, it’s still early and they’re not late. If the Emperor makes the new bride kneel outside in the sun for half a day, wouldn’t people misunderstand if the news got out? They might think I am uncharitable!"

"Mother is right, I’ll listen to you. If Mother asks them to come in for tea, they can come in. If she wants them to be punished by kneeling, then they must kneel. They don’t have to kneel outside Cining Palace, they can kneel outside Zichen Palace!" The Emperor was compliant, implying that he was willing to play the villain.

The Empress Dowager’s mood cleared up completely, "Enough, Yi’er drank so much last night, it’s only normal that he’s a little late. Quickly let them come in!"

"Mother’s word is the law."

"Mother is most kind-hearted, this concubine wanted to severely punish them!" The Empress laughed.

Ruan Weizhen and Gu Qiqi both sighed with relief.

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi came in together and paid their respects.

The Empress Dowager watched as Xiao’er’s gait was as normal as could be.

Generally, the gait of women on the second day after their first time tends to be somewhat different.

Could it be that Yi’er was so drunk last night that they didn’t manage to consummate the marriage?

At this moment, a maid brought two prayer mats and placed them in front of the Empress Dowager.

Another maid stood on the side, holding two cups of tea.

"Grandmother Emperor, please have tea." Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi knelt on the prayer mats, took the tea, and respectfully lowered their heads.

The Empress Dowager had other concerns, so when Xiao’er served the tea, she didn’t deliberately give her a hard time. She took the tea, took a sip, and directly rewarded Xiao’er with a jade talisman.

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief.

The rest of the tea ceremony went smoothly as well.

The Emperor and the Empress both rewarded them generously, and the others gave a handsome tea money too.

Each cup of this tea was now worth a fortune.

After the tea ceremony, the Emperor permitted them to sit.

"Yi’er, I heard that you drank fifty pounds of wine last night. How do you feel now?" The Empress Dowager asked with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Grandmother Emperor, but I’m not too troubled. It’s just a bit of a headache, hence the late arrival for the salutations today. Please forgive me, Grandmother Emperor." Shangguan Xuanyi said, reaching out to rub his temples after.

"It’s alright, there’s no need to apologise, you weren’t really late. If you have a headache, you should go back to sleep."

"Yes, Grandmother Emperor." This couldn’t be more to my liking.

At this point, a nanny brought a box to the Empress. The Empress opened it, smiled upon seeing its content, then handed it to the Empress Dowager.

Upon seeing the contents, the Empress Dowager was completely relieved: her grandson was indeed extraordinary. Despite having drunk fifty pounds of wine, he didn’t become unconscious. He was even able to consummate the marriage! No one in this world could compete with that.