----2018/3/17 6:11:20|52328342----
Chapter 50
On June 23, Luo Cuiwei and Yun Lie entered the inner city together.
At Chenshi (7-9 AM), Luo Cuiwei and Yun Lie disembarked from their carriage at the Luoma Bridge at the East Gate of the Inner City and, following the custom, walked inside towards Hanguang Gate.
Today, the two wore similar wide-sleeved, curved-hem robes, both in black brocade with red cloud patterns, and both embroidered with gold and silver double threads.
The two walked side by side in the morning light, their tall and handsome figures complementing each other perfectly.
In the past, when Yun Lie entered or left the inner city, he never liked his attendants to be too close to him. The attendant waiting at the palace gate was also aware of this rule, so he did not rush to greet him, but instead bowed respectfully from a distance and led the way.
Yun Lie secretly shortened his strides, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he looked ahead. "So you can be nervous too."
"Who's nervous?" Luo Cuiwei stared calmly ahead, her steps steady and composed. "That's a joke. How could I be nervous?"
“I misunderstood,” Yun Lie turned to look at her, feigning sudden realization, “So walking hand in hand means you are completely at ease and have everything under control?”
Luo Cuiwei glanced down and saw that she was indeed clumsy and awkward. She could only clear her throat in annoyance and whisper, "Shut up! If you say another word, believe me, I'll dock five cartloads of your grain rations!"
Yun Lie smiled and reached out from under his wide sleeve to take her stiff, delicate hand in his. "Don't worry, I will protect you. If you don't know what to say or do, just look at me."
****
During this trip, the two were required to pay homage to the Emperor, Empress, and Yun Lie's birth mother, Jiang Ronghua, using the proper etiquette of the royal family, and to also exchange greetings with other members of the royal family.
To be honest, Luo Cuiwei had spent half a month in front of the Emperor during the hunting grounds of Quanshan in February, so she shouldn't have been nervous.
But back then it was an imperial tour, which to put it simply means a large group of people went with His Majesty to play; as long as they did not do anything inappropriate and just stayed quietly in the crowd, they usually did not attract much attention.
However, today's audience is part of the pre-wedding ceremony, which means that from this day forward, as long as Luo Cuiwei and Yun Lie do not intend to part ways, her words and actions will be scrutinized by everyone at all times for the rest of her life.
This was a completely different beginning for her, the true start of a new chapter in her life, which made her nervous.
According to the family etiquette of the Yun clan, when the princes and princesses' partners first met with their relatives, they would simply offer tea to their elders as a sign of respect and answer their questions about their names; with their peers, they would clink their cups together to show harmony.
Serving tea to elders is a simple matter, as it involves only the emperor's uncles, aunts, and their spouses, totaling no more than twenty people.
But when she got to her peers, Luo Cuiwei felt dizzy and numb.
After all, Emperor Xianlong had many children, and even he himself sometimes couldn't tell who was who. Luo Cuiwei and Yun Lie went to identify them one by one under the guidance of the official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but they still couldn't really remember many of them.
The last to arrive among their peers were naturally Yun Chi, Yun Pei, Yun Huan, and Yun tide.
Although Luo Cuiwei had a proper smile on her face, her mind was already a complete mess. She only glanced at Yun Lie beside her out of the corner of her eye and followed his lead.
Today, after all, it was in front of the Emperor and Empress, and it was a formal occasion for a royal family ceremony, so none of these people dared to make any rash moves.
In addition, during the previous three months, officials from the Imperial Household Department frequently visited Prince Zhao's residence to explain various etiquettes to Luo Cuiwei. With Yun Lie constantly by her side to ensure her safety, although she was so nervous that her movements were slightly stiff, she did not make any mistakes.
The greetings to the Emperor and Empress were what Luo Cuiwei was most worried about, but everything went smoothly. On the way to the palace where Yun Lie's birth mother, Jiang Ronghua, lived, she couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Seeing that she seemed to have returned from a trance, and her eyes finally regained some liveliness, Yun Lie smiled and squeezed her fingertips, saying in a deep voice, "When we get to my mother's place later, no matter what you see, don't be surprised. If you have any questions, we can talk about them slowly when we get back to the manor later."
His birth mother was only granted the mediocre fifth-rank "Ronghua" title after he established his own household, so she cannot be referred to as his "mother concubine".
Luo Cuiwei paused slightly, first glancing at the palace servants and officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices leading the way. Seeing that none of them turned around, she looked at Yun Lie with a puzzled expression.
Seeing that Yun Lie's smile had faded slightly and there was a hint of bitterness in his lowered eyes, she nodded blankly despite her doubts.
****
If the relationship between Emperor Xianlong and Yunlie was "neither too hot nor too cold," then the relationship between Yunlie's birth mother, Jiang Ronghua, and Yunlie was "extremely cold."
According to Luo Cuiwei's observation, the source of this indifference mainly lies with Yun Lie's side.
Although Jiang Ronghua clearly wanted to get closer to Yun Lie as mother and son, every enthusiastic word she uttered was met with Yun Lie's indifferent attitude.
After all the formalities had been completed, the official in charge of rites from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices withdrew.
Jiang Ronghua, dressed in her finest attire, sat regally in the main seat. Seeing that no one else was present, a slight frown appeared on her brow as she softly addressed the people below, "What are Your Highness's plans after the wedding?"
Although she was carefully made up, upon closer inspection, one could still see that her features were rather delicate, and her temperament was inherently gentle and graceful.
The slight melancholy she carries at this moment makes her appear even more frail and delicate.
Realizing that she was referring to Yun Lie, Luo Cuiwei kept her eyes down, sat upright, and did not intend to interrupt.
After a moment of silence, Yun Lie replied calmly, "I will inform Mother once I have a plan."
The implication was that he would inform her after he had made up his mind, and he did not intend to discuss it with her or accept her suggestions.
Jiang Ronghua, however, seemed completely oblivious to the distance and resistance in Yun Lie's words, and said earnestly, "In my opinion, Your Highness should find a way to stay in the capital as soon as possible; that would be the best option."
Since Yun Lie had led troops to garrison Linchuan for many years and had just returned in triumph, he was very likely to be granted a fiefdom after his wedding.
However, if the imperial edict were issued to grant him fiefdoms, it would mean that he would have to leave the capital and go to his fiefdom, which would be tantamount to losing his chance to become the heir apparent.
Yun Lie neither agreed nor disagreed with his mother's suggestion, only replying, "I will discuss this matter with Weiwei again, Mother, you don't need to worry."
Yun Lie had briefly mentioned this matter to Luo Cuiwei yesterday. Because it was a big deal, they had to focus on the wedding ceremony first, so they agreed to discuss it properly after the wedding.
Yet, for such a significant matter, he only wanted to discuss it with his wife, completely ignoring his mother's opinions. He seemed like an unfilial son who "forgot his mother after getting a wife."
However, Luo Cuiwei also understood that everything has a cause and an effect. Yun Lie's obvious resistance and estrangement from his mother must be because something happened in the past that caused an unresolved knot between the two of them.