Chapter Twenty-Four
After everything was said and done, the marriage proceeded without a hitch.
As soon as the imperial edict of marriage was issued, the entire court was astonished. Many people suspected that the Emperor was sacrificing the princess to ruthlessly suppress the Young General. But as one of the parties involved, Yu Zhao showed no sorrow of being forced out of her position. She walked through the streets with a smile on her lips all day, her eyes filled with mirth.
After a while, even a blind person could see how happy she was.
In this way, two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Spring ended with the falling of flower petals, and early summer arrived with a gentle breeze.
Early in the morning, the sound of firecrackers rang out, and festive red lanterns stretched endlessly through the streets and alleys. Amidst the beating of gongs and drums, handfuls of lucky money were scattered from time to time, attracting the joyful scramble of the common people.
Bo Chi withdrew her hand, which was tightly held by the Empress, performed a solemn salute, and then, wearing this trailing red wedding dress, climbed into the bridal sedan.
Ten miles of red dowry, carriages lined up like a city, filed into the Princess Mansion.
The moon hung high in the sky, and the banquet was still in full swing, but Yu Zhao was not a good drinker, and stumbled back to the bridal chamber, dismissing the maids standing by.
Bo Chi heard the movement, and was about to lift the veil to help her, but just as her fingers moved, a force pushed her down, and through the thin red veil, kissed her lips.
The strong aroma of wine permeated her breath. Bo Chi was intoxicated and forgot everything, and vaguely wrapped her arms around Yu Zhao’s neck.
The wedding dress was peeled off layer by layer, the tassels on the hairpin in her black hair swayed, and her skin, white as congealed fat, gradually became soft and creamy, adding a touch of spring to this summer.
The next day, Yu Zhao, who had been practicing martial arts for years, woke up first.
She subconsciously embraced the person in her arms, her movements so practiced as if she had done it thousands of times, it had become her instinct, so much so that she herself didn’t notice it.
Bo Chi, who was being held, hummed, pushed her away habitually a couple of times, and mumbled something incomprehensible with her eyes closed.
Yu Zhao gradually woke up, looked down at her for a long time, and finally couldn’t suppress the sweet love in her heart, and carefully kissed her charming face.
After the successful sneak kiss, Yu Zhao smiled with pursed lips, got out of bed gently, and went to the training ground as usual.
When she returned after exercising, Bo Chi had just woken up, her black hair loose, wearing a loose inner garment, yawning and about to call Chun Yuan.
Yu Zhao was unhappy: “The first person you want to see when you wake up is not me, but her?”
Bo Chi was speechless: “I’m calling her to prepare the bathwater. You were nibbling and biting me all night, I need to take a bath, right?”
Yu Zhao was silent for two seconds, and turned around guiltily: “I’ll go and instruct them.”
After a while, the bathtub was filled with hot water.
Bo Chi was about to call Chun Yuan over, when she looked up and saw Yu Zhao sternly chasing away the busy Chun Yuan.
She was full of question marks: “Chun Yuan is gone, who will help me scrub my back?”
Yu Zhao said reservedly: “I can…”
“You can’t.” Bo Chi refused decisively: “I don’t want you.”
Yu Zhao was unhappy again, and looked at her expressionlessly: “Why?”
“You have the nerve to ask?” Bo Chi said angrily, crossing her arms: “Dare you say that you won’t start touching me while washing, turning a perfectly good bath into a mandarin duck bath?”
“…” Yu Zhao paused strangely for a while, and said in a floating tone: “I… probably won’t.”
“Heh.” Bo Chi, who had been pressed into the water and done, sneered, and said indignantly: “Big liar!”
Yu Zhao coughed lightly, and showed a serious expression: “How can you be so sure that I will do something that hasn’t been done yet? I promise you, I will definitely only help, and not do anything else.”
Bo Chi was full of suspicion, both disbelieving and hesitant.
Yu Zhao struck while the iron was hot and coaxed her a few words, finally successfully persuading Bo Chi, and happily obtaining the opportunity to scrub her back.
And then…
And then Bo Chi was pressed into the water and done again.
**
Bo Chi woke up hungry at noon.
This time, Chun Yuan finally had the chance to show her face, holding hot porridge and feeding her by the bed, smiling all the while: “Before the Fuma left, he specifically instructed the kitchen to keep the food warm at all times, and to send it over as soon as you woke up. In this servant’s opinion, the Fuma has you in his heart.”
Bo Chi’s waist and legs were sore, and she leaned against the pillow, feeling hopeless: “Where did he(she) go?”
Chun Yuan: “You mean the Fuma? I don’t know. He came out of your room and hurried out of the mansion, looking a little… um, a little guilty.”
Bo Chi was almost amused: “Of course he’s(she’s) guilty! I said no, no, but he(she) still—”
At this point, Bo Chi suddenly realized that Chun Yuan was still an unmarried girl, so she quickly changed her words, and said angrily: “In short, when he(she) comes back tonight, you are not allowed to let him(her) in!”
Chun Yuan was confused: “Not allowed to enter the room? But, but Princess, he is your Fuma.”
“I know.” Bo Chi curled her lips slightly, showing a smug expression: “Do you know why I married him(her)? It’s so that I can bully him(her) openly like this! Anyway, remember, no one is allowed to come in tonight. If someone is unhappy, you tell them that I am the princess, and he(she) has to listen to me!”
Chun Yuan carefully remembered.
When the news of the Fuma’s return came from the front courtyard in the evening, she hurried over.
Yu Zhao was talking to the momo(elderly female servant), who had come from the palace.
The Emperor and Empress doted on the little princess, and couldn’t wait for them to return to the palace after three days, so they sent this old momo over first, thinking that she could serve the princess and fuma, and at the same time, relay some unimportant news back, so that the Emperor and Empress would know the princess’s situation.
And this was obviously bad news for Yu Zhao.
Chun Yuan was young, loyal to Bo Chi, and very easy to fool. Even so, Yu Zhao did not allow her to stay in the room, so as not to be discovered.
In comparison, the old momo sent by the Emperor and Empress was even harder to fool. Those who could stay in the palace for a long time all had exquisite minds. If the other party discovered any clues, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t turn around and report it to the Emperor.
If it were before the marriage, Yu Zhao would have been fearless, without any attachments.
But now that she had the little princess by her side, she couldn’t help but be a little wary, worried that the Emperor and Empress would distance themselves from and dislike the princess because of this.
Just as she was smiling faintly, but frowning in her heart and thinking of a solution, Chun Yuan rushed over and said: “The princess will not see anyone tonight.”
The old momo was stunned: “This old servant was sent by the Empress to serve the princess. Why won’t the princess see me? Has this old servant done something wrong?”
Chun Yuan shook her head: “This servant doesn’t know either. I only know that the princess said that she will not see anyone. If certain people have any objections…”
She hesitated for a moment, but still said honestly: “The princess said that she is the princess, and you must listen to her.”
There was nothing wrong with these words.
The momo only thought that the princess already knew her intentions, so she didn’t say any more, and said honestly: “In that case, this old servant will naturally report back to the Empress.”
Yu Zhao, who was still urgently thinking of a solution on the side: “…”
The problem was solved just like that?
She was a little stunned, and then she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking softly in her heart – the princess is really tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Even when she always curses on the bed, as soon as she realizes that she has encountered a difficult problem, she will still help her without hesitation.
It seems that she still needs to be more careful in the future, and not be deceived by the princess’s superficial emotions.
Maybe the princess is just saying no, but actually likes it very much?
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