Duo Fu understood, stepped forward with a smile, and took the silk ribbon from Wen Xi’s hands.
“Your Highness, let this servant handle such minor tasks. How could we dare trouble Your Highness to do it yourself?”
As he spoke, he squatted down in front of Rong Xun and nimbly tied the purple silk ribbon.
Seeing this, both Rong Xun and Wen Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
After putting on his court attire, Rong Xun lowered his head to adjust his clothes, then stood up and walked over to Tantai Si.
The two men’s garments were quite similar, and both were blessed with handsome appearances.
From a purely external standpoint, they looked exceedingly well-matched.
Standing together, they truly resembled a pair of jade-carved immortals.
Duo Fu bowed deeply to the two of them.
“Your Highness, Prince and Princess Consort, you may proceed to the front hall for breakfast.”
Tantai Si did not move right away. He turned his head to glance at Wen Xi, and then looked at the mammary-nurses and maidservants tidying up the bedding in the inner chamber.
His gaze flickered.
“Duo Fu, find a couple of quick-handed pages later to attend to the Princess Consort.”
Wen Xi was momentarily stunned.
Duo Fu chimed from the side, “This servant acknowledges the order. It will certainly be handled properly today.”
Though he had not served the Prince for very long, he was, after all, a eunuch who had followed the Prince for more than ten decades.
Judging by today’s situation, his master did not particularly fancy this Princess Consort, but he did not treat him poorly either.
Henceforth, matters concerning the Princess Consort required his closer attention.
Upon hearing that Tantai Si intended to assign pages to him, a wave of emotion stirred within Rong Xun’s heart.
He quickly took a step back and bowed to the Prince.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Tantai Si’s expression remained tranquil, his inner thoughts completely unruffled.
“Let us go have breakfast.”
Rong Xun nodded, pacing along behind Tantai Si.
The group of maidservants and eunuchs trailing behind followed them one by one.
Inside the bedchamber, Mammy Wang pulled back the bedding and examined it closely.
The surface was clean and untainted by any suspicious traces.
Her eyes widened in realization as she turned around to rummage through the bedside drawer.
Only a single drawer was unlocked.
Mammy Wang found the jar of medicinal ointment she had deliberately placed there the previous night.
Taking it out, she saw the surface was neat and intact, bearing no signs of use.
“Mammy, is something amiss?”
Qing’er walked over and asked in a soft voice.
“The Prince and the Princess Consort did not consummate their marriage last night at all!”
Mammy Wang shoved the small celadon medicine jar into Qing’er’s hands.
She let out an annoyed huff.
“Truly a good-for-nothing concubine-born son, incapable of even pleasing the Prince. All that preparation and teaching went to waste.”
“What should we do then?”
Qing’er clutched the medicine jar tightly in her hands.
She and Mammy Wang had been specifically planted by the Marquis’s wife by Rong Xun’s side to keep watch on him.
Every little disturbance had to be reported back.
There is no rush for now.
Mammy Wang pondered for a moment.
“I’ll find an opportunity to speak with the Princess Consort. After all, they are young, and he might simply be shy.”
If all else failed, reporting back to the Madam at the Marquis’s estate later would not be too late.
Only the maidservants serving the meal remained in the front hall.
Rong Xun and Tantai Si sat facing one another in silence.
The breakfast consisted mainly of light porridge and small side dishes, along with several pastries that Rong Xun had never seen before.
However, he was generally accustomed to eating wheat-based noodles in the morning and struggled with drinking porridge.
Rong Xun reluctantly managed half a bowl of porridge and a few bites of vegetables before putting down his chopsticks.
The maidservant serving the food made not the slightest sound throughout the entire meal.
Once Tantai Si finished breakfast, the two of them left the estate, boarded a carriage, and headed toward the palace.
The Prince’s carriage was exceptionally luxurious, and Rong Xun shared the same enclosed space with Tantai Si.
He felt as though the air had grown remarkably thin.
Sharing a space with someone who was essentially a familiar stranger left Rong Xun at a complete loss for conversation.
He could only stare boredly at the intricately patterned carpet.
“When we enter the palace to pay our respects later, you do not need to kneel.”
Tantai Si, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and spoke.
Rong Xun was taken aback for a moment before realizing that Tantai Si was teaching him the proper etiquette.
When meeting the Emperor, whether one was an official or a commoner, kneeling to pay respects was mandatory.
This was a detail preserved in the original host’s memories.
Why would things be different here with Tantai Si?
Curiosity naturally prompted him to ask.
However, remembering that curiosity killed the cat, he swallowed the words back down.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Better not to be overly curious; he would simply do as Tantai Si instructed.
After all, they were now spouses, and should he make any mistake, Tantai Si would lose face as well, so the man certainly wouldn’t lead him to his doom.
Noticing the undisguised curiosity on Rong Xun’s face, Tantai Si shook his head in internal disdain. Has the Marquis of Yong’an grown too old and lost his wits?
When looking for a substitute, he couldn’t even find someone clever. Whatever he thought was written entirely across his face.
To prevent Rong Xun from stirring up trouble for him, the normally taciturn Tantai Si rarely found himself saying a few extra words to Rong Xun.
“When we meet the Empress Dowager later, just accept whatever she gives you and express your gratitude. Answer whatever she asks, and under no circumstances should you speak more than necessary.”
“The Empress Dowager?”
Rong Xun’s face displayed confusion. In the original owner’s memories, there was very little concerning the imperial family, having only heard palace mammies mention it in passing.
“The Empress Dowager is not my biological mother. Just follow my lead and address her accordingly.”
Tantai Si seemed disinclined to converse further on this topic.
Rong Xun, however, was starting to piece things together.
In the original owner’s memories, the reigning Emperor Longxi of the previous era had the longest reign, yet throughout his life, he sired only four princes and one princess.
The second and third princes both passed away before reaching the age of one.
Aside from the legitimate eldest son born to the Empress of the Central Palace, who was the biological father of the current Emperor, only the late emperor’s youngest son, Tantai Si, survived.
Emperor Longxi had attained a child in his twilight years and doted on Tantai Si tremendously, as evidenced by his title.
The character “Chen” had always symbolized supreme nobility and power. Apart from the Son of Heaven himself, no one dared use it.
By bestowing such a title upon Tantai Si, while it brought boundless glory, it undoubtedly also provoked the envy and wariness of many.
Tantai Si guarding the borderlands for years without returning to the capital was likely due to this very suspicion.
The affection of a monarch was, after all, a double-edged sword.
Rong Xun had zero desire to meddle in the internal affairs of the royal family.
He merely nodded obediently toward Tantai Si.
“Yes, Your Highness, I understand.”
Hearing this, Tantai Si narrowed his eyes and gazed at Rong Xun.
Rong Xun felt his hair stand on end under that piercing look.
Realizing he had spoken improperly, he immediately corrected himself: “Your subject, your subject understands.”
Tantai Si remained unimpressed.
He leaned lazily back against the headrest behind him, his eyes lingering as if trying to see straight through Rong Xun.
“Your manners seem rather unpolished.”
It was not a question, but a statement of certainty, tinged with a definitive tone.
Rong Xun’s heart skipped a beat at the inquiry.
Before the wedding, Lady Chen had specifically called him over to give him detailed instructions.
He must not expose his identity, because once leaked, neither he nor the Marquis of Yong’an’s estate would escape unscathed.
To save his own skin, Rong Xun could only brace himself and lie to Tantai Si.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I was raised deep within the inner courtyards since childhood and rarely went out. Furthermore, my mother spoiled me, so my etiquette is indeed a bit lacking. I, your subject, will surely study hard and not bring shame upon Your Highness.”
“Is that so?”
Tantai Si watched the submissive figure before him.
His gaze then shifted to Rong Xun’s hands, and he closed his eyes and said no more.
Sometimes, success lay in the details, and failure too.
Seeing that Tantai Si remained silent for a long while, Rong Xun cautiously lifted his gaze to look.
The man had long since comfortably closed his eyes to rest, as if he had completely forgotten that someone like Rong Xun was even sitting there.
Rong Xun was ready to burst with frustration.
He began cursing and venting internally:
Why on earth did he have to transmigrate to this wretched place?
As if that weren’t enough, he ended up married into a family this complicated.
Every single day was spent walking on thin shells.
Now that he thought about it, being cursed at by those anti-fans in his past life was nothing at all.
Compared to his current circumstances, what a god-like existence he had lived back then.
Rong Xun wept inwardly as he reminisced about his former life.
Before his nostalgia could last much longer, however, the carriage came to a halt.
The personal attendant outside called out, “Your Highness, we have arrived.”
Recognizing the voice as remarkably familiar, Rong Xun followed Tantai Si out and saw that it was indeed the other person they had encountered at Wenhua House the other day.
The carriage drove straight into the imperial palace and stopped right at the gates of the Tiyuan Hall.
Ordinary princes and officials were naturally not permitted to bring their sedan chairs and carriages directly to this spot.
Yet Tantai Si was granted this exception, a special privilege bestowed upon him by Emperor Longxi.
Chongwen Hall was where officials normally attended court, but on account of the Prince’s grand wedding, the Emperor had explicitly granted all officials a three-day leave, leaving the hall completely vacant at this hour.
Tantai Si waved his hand, and Tang Jiu acknowledged the order, leading the driver and carriage away.
He was accompanied only by Duo Fu and a few eunuchs and maidservants.
Palace attendants crisscrossed the grounds in every direction, stopping to kneel in reverence whenever they caught sight of Tantai Si.
As this was Rong Xun’s first time stepping foot inside the imperial palace, the solemn atmosphere around him forced him to summon every ounce of concentration.
Ascending dozens of stone steps, they arrived at the main hall.
The Emperor and Empress were already seated upon the elevated thrones, awaiting their arrival.
“Your subject, alongside the Princess Consort, pays respects to Your Majesty and the Empress.”
Tantai Si offered a cupped-fist salute to the two figures above, his gesture extremely perfunctory, failing even to bend his knees.
Following his lead, Rong Xun imitated Tantai Si’s movements and bowed to the figures above as well.
“Greetings to Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress.”
When Tantai Si’s eyes landed on Rong Xun’s face, a flicker of surprise crossed his expression, though he quickly concealed it.
Taking advantage of the moment after his bow, Rong Xun stole a glance at the imperial couple on the high platform.
Reportedly, the Emperor was roughly of the same age as Tantai Si, yet a youthful innocence still lingered on his features. Wearing the imperial dragon robe, however, he lacked the full majesty of a true ruler.
The Emperor raised a hand with a smile and said, “Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt, please dispense with the formalities.”
Rong Xun was left with a sharp twitch through the veins on his forehead by that title.
He was, after all, a grown man.
Oh well, never mind.
To have the Emperor of a nation address him as Imperial Aunt, he supposed he was not entirely on the losing end of the deal.
The Emperor instructed his chief eunuch to fetch chairs for the Prince and his consort.
The chief eunuch acknowledged the command and, leading a young apprentice, personally brought over two soft chairs for the couple.
“Please be seated, Your Highness and Princess Consort.”
Rong Xun sat down, his peripheral vision catching a glimpse of the chief eunuch’s appearance.
Unlike Duo Fu, who looked amiable, this man had an unnaturally pale complexion and spoke in an eccentric, affected tone.
The sight of this eunuch made Rong Xun’s entire body feel uncomfortable, prompting him to immediately look away.
Once they were seated, the Emperor spoke again.
Most of what he said constituted everyday pleasantries, little more than expressing gratitude for Tantai Si’s years guarding the borderlands, thereby securing peace across the eight directions of Jing.
The Emperor poured his heart out in a lengthy speech, nearly moving himself to tears in the process.
From beginning to end, Tantai Si’s replies remained succinct and concise, leaving zero room for fault, though the invisible awkwardness between him and the Emperor was palpable enough for even Rong Xun to sense.
Despite being uncle and nephew, the two men appeared entirely unattached.
After chatting for a good while, the Emperor finally ran out of things to say.
He instructed attendants to present the prepared wedding gifts before Tantai Si and Rong Xun.
“These are the wedding gifts prepared by the Empress and myself for Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt.”
Tantai Si stood up to receive them, and Rong Xun also rose to take hold of his share of the gifts.
“Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
Tantai Si’s expression of gratitude was standard and proper, neither excessively appreciative nor overly cold.
Rong Xun echoed his thanks as well.
The Emperor waved a hand dismissively.
“Imperial Uncle, Grand Empress Dowager is waiting at the Qifeng Pavilion. You should hurry and take Imperial Aunt over there; do not keep Her Elder Majesty waiting too long.”
“Understood, your subject takes his leave.”
Tantai Si turned and left, bringing Rong Xun along with him.
The smiling Emperor instantly dropped his smile the moment the two turned their backs.
Nothing remained except an all-encompassing chill.
The Empress watched without offering a word, merely rising to bow to Tantai Si’s nephew.
“This concubine takes her leave.”
Tantai Yao waved a hand, and the Empress departed, supported by her maidservant.