Upon hearing Gu Yan say in the carriage that he could not help her cousin leave the palace, Yun Xiangye frowned tightly and did not want to pay any attention to him.
Upon returning to Qingfeng Garden, Yun Xiangye, fearing that her daughter would cry if she did not see her, hurried into the room but did not find Nuonuo.
Yun Xiangye grew anxious in an instant: “Nuonuo, Nuonuo…”
Gu Yan followed Yun Xiangye inside and asked, “Is Nuonuo missing?”
Yun Xiangye nodded, “I can’t find Nuonuo or Run’er. Nuonuo…”
Gu Yan called over other maidservants and learned that in the afternoon, Xiao Jingru had come to play with Nuonuo. Nuonuo, unable to see her parents, had cried inconsolably, demanding her mother. Xiao Jingru then took Xiao Nuonuo to look for her mother.
Yun Xiangye hurriedly made her way to the Wansheng Garden.
Before even reaching the garden, Yun Xiangye heard Nuonuo’s crying.
“Nuonuo, be good, don’t cry. Grandmother is here.”
Xiao Jingru said in a childish voice, “Didn’t you want your mother? This is your mother. Don’t cry. Good children don’t cry. Let’s play together.”
Nuonuo cried even more sorrowfully in the arms of the Princess Royal, “Mother, mother.”
Yun Xiangye quickly entered the Wansheng Garden and bowed to the Princess Royal, “Mother-in-law.”
Seeing Yun Xiangye return, Xie Zhixuan promptly handed the sobbing Xiao Nuonuo in her arms to Yun Xiangye, “Nuonuo has been crying terribly today. I asked Run’er, but does Nuonuo not have a wet nurse?”
Yun Xiangye replied softly, “Mother, Nuonuo does have a wet nurse, but she is from Yongxing City and does not speak the official language. She also has two children at home and is unwilling to leave Yongxing City…”
After speaking, Yun Xiangye gently comforted Xiao Nuonuo in her arms, “Nuonuo, be good. I’m sorry. I spent a little longer talking with your cousin’s aunt after seeing her. I promise I won’t leave you alone at home for so long again.”
Xiao Nuonuo buried herself in Yun Xiangye’s embrace, looking utterly pitiful and aggrieved.
Gu Yan walked over to Xiao Nuonuo’s side, reached out to wipe away her tears, and said with great tenderness, “Let Daddy hold you.”
Xiao Nuonuo reached out to Gu Yan’s embrace.
Xie Zhixuan said, “It just so happens that Jingru is older now and doesn’t need three wet nurses anymore. Nanny Cao, from now on, you shall serve as the wet nurse for the eldest young lady.”
A woman around twenty-five years old who was by Xiao Jingru’s side stepped forward, curtsied, and said, “Yes, Your Highness, the Princess Royal.”
Xiao Jingru looked at Xiao Nuonuo, who had stopped crying in Gu Yan’s arms, and said, “Nuonuo, let’s go play!”
Seeing her parents, Xiao Nuonuo stopped crying. She blinked her eyes and looked at Gu Yan. Understanding her meaning, Gu Yan put down Xiao Nuonuo in his arms and let her go play with Xiao Jingru.
In Jiangnan, Nuonuo had no playmates. Now that she met Xiao Jingru, who was slightly older than her, she naturally enjoyed playing with her.
Xie Zhixuan looked at Yun Xiangye and asked, “I heard you just went to the palace?”
Yun Xiangye nodded, “Yes, I have a cousin who works as a palace maid. I originally wanted to enter the palace to beg His Highness for mercy, hoping that my cousin, who is nearly twenty-five, could leave the palace before the New Year.”
Xie Zhixuan smiled and said, “That shouldn’t be too difficult…”
Gu Yan quickly interjected, “Mother, Xiangye’s cousin is Aunt Ye, the chief palace maid by the Crown Prince’s side. She is highly trusted by His Highness, and the Crown Prince said he cannot bear to let such a capable palace maid leave the palace.”
Xie Zhixuan said, “Could it be that the Eastern Palace is lacking such a senior palace maid? Xiangye’s cousin is also your cousin. I will go and speak to Her Majesty the Empress about this matter. The girl is already twenty-five years old and should be released from the palace.”
Upon hearing Xie Zhixuan’s words, Yun Xiangye immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying, “Thank you, Mother-in-law.”
Gu Yan had said there was no solution, but Mother-in-law claimed it was not difficult.
Indeed, in such a vast palace, how could the Crown Prince lack a personal senior palace maid?
It was clear that Gu Yan truly did not care for his lawful wife. Three years of loving marriage had been nothing but a joke.
Xie Zhixuan hurriedly helped Yun Xiangye to her feet, saying, “Get up quickly. It’s just that these days I am extremely busy. I have to review the general accounts of several shops, especially since your aunt Xia Lian followed her husband to his external posting. The accounts of the Linlang Restaurant are now a complete mess. Ah, I’m afraid I won’t have time to enter the palace these days. We’ll have to wait a few more days.”
Yun Xiangye curtsied and said, “Mother-in-law, there’s no hurry. Please attend to your own matters.”
During the festive season, Xie Zhixuan was indeed overwhelmed with work. With the New Year approaching, there were many affairs to handle in the princess’s residence.
Fortunately, her daughter Jingyu was there to assist.
Xie Zhixuan looked at her daughter-in-law, Yun Xiangye. When she first learned that her son had married a merchant’s daughter, she did not think her status was lowly. Instead, she felt that someone had finally come to share some of her burdens.
“Xiangye… your family runs an embroidery workshop, correct?”
Yun Xiangye nodded, “Yes.”
Xie Zhixuan smiled faintly, “I imagine an embroidery workshop and a restaurant are not too different. I was thinking that before the New Year, you could start by managing the Linlang Restaurant to gain some experience…”
Gu Yan frowned beside them, “Mother!”
Xie Zhixuan held Yun Xiangye’s hand and said, “Mother believes in you. Just go and gain experience. This restaurant was left by Gu Yan’s maternal grandmother—it’s our family’s property. Whether it makes a profit or not doesn’t matter. It’s more about preserving a memory.”
Yun Xiangye replied, “Yes.”
Xie Zhixuan placed her fingers on Yun Xiangye’s wrist and said slowly, “Excessive anger harms the body. Your liver qi is stagnant and cannot be relieved, which will eventually harm your health. Did Yan’er upset you?”
Yun Xiangye looked at Xie Zhixuan’s fingers resting on her wrist and asked in surprise, “Your Highness, do you know how to take a pulse?”
Xie Zhixuan smiled faintly, “Yes, I have studied medicine since childhood. Your pulse is tight like a taut string. Prolonged stagnation will harm your body. If Gu Yan has upset you, just vent your feelings. It is most harmful for women to hold in anger.”
Yun Xiangye looked at Xie Zhixuan before her. Though she was her mother-in-law, she seemed like a caring and gentle elder sister. Yun Xiangye could not help but tear up.
However, Yun Xiangye also understood that no matter how good a mother-in-law was, she would ultimately side with her own son…
Yun Xiangye said, “Gu Yan did not upset me. It’s just that I am new to Chang’an, and meeting so many distinguished people has made me nervous.”
Xie Zhixuan chuckled softly, “Do distinguished people eat people? There’s no need to be nervous. We are all family.”
“Yes.”
Yun Xiangye replied, “Mother-in-law, Nuonuo is a bit timid. I saw Jingru seemed to have taken Nuonuo away…”
Xie Zhixuan said, “Go and watch over Nuonuo and Jingru. Gu Yan, you stay. Mother has something to discuss with you.”
Yun Xiangye curtsied and went to catch up with Xiao Jingru and Nuonuo. Xiao Jingru held Nuonuo’s hand, murmuring that she would take Nuonuo to find their grandmother.
Yun Xiangye dared not go against Xiao Jingru’s wishes and had no choice but to follow her to find Gu Yan’s grandmother.
In the Garden of Ten Thousand Flowers, Xie Zhixuan looked at Gu Yan and asked, “Did you make Xiangye angry?”
Gu Yan replied softly, “Yes.”
Xie Zhixuan frowned and said, “Xiangye is an orphaned girl. Why did you make her angry?”
Gu Yan explained, “It wasn’t my intention either. It’s just that I never found the right opportunity to tell her that I am the son of the Princess Royal. For the three years we’ve been married, she thought my family ran a medicine shop. It wasn’t until yesterday, when we were nearing Chang’an, that she learned of my true identity.”
Xie Zhixuan took a deep breath and said angrily, “You! How could you wait until she arrived in Chang’an to tell her such an important matter? No wonder she’s so upset. Didn’t you consider her situation at all?”
Gu Yan frowned slightly.
Xie Zhixuan continued, “I know when you married her, you were gravely ill, and marrying her may not have been your intention. But Yan’er, as a man, you must take responsibility. She is your wife and has given birth to Nuonuo for you. You must treat her well. If you dare mistreat her, I will not forgive you!”
Gu Yan replied, “Yes.”
In the Princess Royal’s residence, within the Ci’an Hall.
Wei Nian was attending to Madam Gu during the evening meal.
Wei Nian’s grandfather and Gu Yan’s grandmother were siblings, making Madam Gu her grandaunt.
Madam Gu said to Wei Nian beside her, “Nian’er, sit down and eat as well. I know your feelings for Yan’er. You never believed he truly married a girl from a small merchant family, but now you’ve seen Xiangye.
You should believe that Yan’er is truly married, and it’s time for you to return to the Duke of Wei’s residence and find a suitable match for yourself. After all, you are a young lady, and your marriage should not be delayed for too long.”
Wei Nian whispered, “Grandaunt, but that Yun Xiangye is just a girl from a humble background. How can she be worthy of being Cousin Yan’s consort? Someone from such a lowly family would only invite ridicule.
Yun Xiangye only married Cousin Yan for good luck back then. There was no formal betrothal or wedding ceremony. In fact, the Gu family doesn’t have to acknowledge her as their daughter-in-law…”
Madam Gu’s expression changed as she asked, “Not acknowledge Yun Xiangye as the Gu family’s daughter-in-law?”
Wei Nian said, “Yes. Yun Xiangye is three years older than Cousin Yan, and her appearance is plain and unremarkable. In Chang’an, she can barely be considered a beauty. Her background and demeanor are both common and vulgar. How is she fit to be the Gu family’s daughter-in-law? Since Yun Xiangye and Cousin Yan never had a proper ceremony or worshipped heaven and earth in the Gu family ancestral hall, why not make her a concubine…”
Yun Xiangye, who had followed Jingru and Nuonuo to the outside of the room, overheard these words and froze in place.