Today was a day of gentle breezes and bright sunshine, with the spring scenery at its finest.
The entire city's populace gathered along both sides of the streets, watching the Consort's grand procession slowly enter the imperial city through the Chengtian Gate.
After Xie Chongyuan brought Ming Hua into the palace, he handed her over to the enfeoffment envoy, who led her to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to perform the enfeoffment ceremony.
Although Ming Hua was somewhat nervous along the way, the instructing female officials had already explained all matters regarding the enfeoffment to her beforehand, and she was constantly guided by ceremonial attendants, so she did not show any timidity.
After she completed the enfeoffment ceremony, she went to the Hall of Ancestral Worship to pay homage to heaven, earth, and the ancestors, and had her name entered into the imperial genealogy. Finally, led by the female officials to Yilan Hall, where she would reside from then on, it was already dusk as the sun sank toward the west.
Yilan Hall featured jade-white steps and crimson courtyards, with emerald tiles and vermilion eaves, comprising a main hall and eastern and western side halls.
Within the courtyard of Yilan Hall were small bridges over flowing streams, winding paths and covered corridors, lush vegetation, and drifting floral fragrances. In the courtyard, a small pond shimmered with fine golden ripples under the setting sun.
The main hall boasted carved beams and painted pillars, arranged in orderly splendor, with beams of finest golden-thread nanmu, curtains of white jade crystal beads and mermaid silk, and a full set of huanghuali rosewood carved desks, tables, and seating couches.
The interior was resplendent and magnificent, a vision of beauty.
Behind the six-panel huanghuali rosewood screen in the inner chamber stood a huanghuali rosewood sleeping couch carved with lotus patterns, above which hung a crimson gold-embellished canopy embroidered with intertwining hibiscus flowers, shimmering and radiant under the candlelight.
After entering the main hall, Ming Hua first received the greetings and respects of the assembled palace attendants of Yilan Hall while seated on the huanghuali rosewood inlaid mother-of-pearl couch in the central room.
She kept her bright, delicate little face composed, adopting the bearing of a noble consort, and admonished those below her—words about remaining honest and dutiful, being loyal, and so forth—then rewarded each person with a gold ingot before dismissing them to their respective duties.
Everyone knew that the Consort seated above came from an eminent family with illustrious status. The news that the Emperor had personally gone to the Duke's mansion to receive the Consort today, and that she had entered the palace through the Chengtian Gate—the main gate reserved for the Empress's wedding—had already spread throughout the entire imperial city.
Now, beholding the Consort's breathtaking beauty, they were all the more confident that following such a mistress would bring them bright prospects. Each one was sincerely convinced and accepted their rewards with flattering smiles.
After the crowd dispersed, Ming Hua went to the inner chamber, attended by Qingyun and Nuanxue, and changed out of her cumbersome Di-fu Ceremonial Robe, removed the heavy Nine-Phoenix Floral Coronet from her hair, and changed into a snow-white palace gown of rouge silk embroidered with peony patterns. She then had her hair re-styled into a simple crossed-bun coiffure, adorned only with a pair of lightweight yet dignified gilded hibiscus-jade crabapple hairpins.
Though today's Di-fu Ceremonial Robe and Nine-Phoenix Floral Coronet were exceedingly magnificent, they were heavy and burdensome—wearing them for so long was quite tiring. After changing into her palace gown, Ming Hua was exhausted and immediately went to rest on the sitting couch beneath the latticed window.
Unexpectedly, she had only taken a few sips of the milk tea and bites of the honeyed milk cake that the young palace maids had brought up to tide her over, when Nuanxue—who had gone out with Qingyun to familiarize themselves with the layout of Yilan Hall—came in to report that the Emperor had arrived.
Hearing this, Ming Hua's heart tightened, and she hurriedly set down the honeyed milk cake she had only taken one bite of, preparing to step forward and receive him.
But just as she rose, she saw the Emperor walking in, having changed into a simpler dark-purple round-collar robe with cloud-scroll patterns, his hair bound with a silver coronet.
She stared at the Emperor, who, in his casual attire, bore less of the imperial majesty she had seen earlier today when he came to receive her in his black dragon robe, yet possessed instead a dashing, elegant charm like that of a wealthy young lord—handsome and spirited. She was momentarily stunned.
It wasn't until the Emperor drew near that Ming Hua snapped back to her senses with a faint blush on her cheeks. Flustered, she bent her knees in a curtsey and bowed, speaking softly: "May Your Majesty be blessed with peace."
Xie Chongyuan stepped forward, gently taking the young lady's fair, snow-white slender wrist in his hand, personally helping her rise, and said warmly: "Rise quickly. In private, there's no need for such empty formalities."
In western Guizhou, he had never stood on such ceremony with those close to him. Now, though he had become the supreme Emperor, he still interacted with those close to him in private just as before, without such empty formalities.
Though he had not yet developed feelings for the young lady before him, she was now his wife from this day forward—the person closest to him.
He had also already decided that he would be a good husband to this young lady, and between husband and wife, such empty formalities naturally had no place.
Ming Hua felt a tingling, numbing sensation spread from her wrist where Xie Chongyuan's rough, calloused palm held her. Unaccustomed to such an unfamiliar touch, the blush on her cheeks deepened as she softly replied: "This concubine obeys…"
Xie Chongyuan directly pulled the young lady to sit beside him on the couch.
Lowering his gaze, he noticed on the huanghuali inlaid mother-of-pearl small table between them, on a white porcelain plate, that piece of snow-white honeyed milk cake with a small bite taken out of it, still bearing a trace of crimson lip rouge. He asked gently: "Have you eaten yet?"
Ming Hua currently felt very shy and nervous before the emperor. She clutched her embroidered handkerchief tightly, hands folded together resting on her lap, sitting upright with unease. She gently shook her head and said softly, "To answer Your Majesty, not yet."
Xie Chongyuan glanced at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, then turned to Li Youfu, who was waiting at the side, and instructed in a deep voice, "Go and have the meal prepared. Tell the people in the Imperial Kitchen to be quick about it."
After saying this, he glanced at Nuanxue, who was also waiting at the side, and added in a calm tone, "You go along as well. Have the Imperial Kitchen prepare the dishes according to the Noble Consort's preferences, and inform them of her usual dietary likes and taboos."
"Yes!" Nuanxue had been standing at the side with a smile, watching how handsome the emperor was and how gentle and considerate he was toward her mistress. Upon hearing this, she accepted the order with an even brighter smile and followed Li Youfu out.
After giving his instructions, Xie Chongyuan pushed the plate of honey milk cakes a little closer to Ming Hua and said warmly, "The investiture ceremony today has indeed been quite lengthy and tiring. Were you very hungry just now?"
"It will take a while for the Imperial Kitchen to prepare the meal. Do continue eating some pastries to tide you over."
"Your servant thanks Your Majesty," Ming Hua picked up the honey milk cake that she had only taken a small bite from, and with some nervousness, held it with both hands and ate it slowly, bite by bite.
For the moment, she did not know how to interact with the emperor or what to say.
One should not speak while eating or resting. After finishing the honey milk cake in her hands, she picked up another and continued eating to mask her nervousness and bewilderment.
The young lady looked very well-behaved as she held the pastry and ate, her snow-white cheeks puffed out. Xie Chongyuan, for some reason, suddenly thought of the little rabbits he had hunted in the mountains before—the ones that had been clutching carrots and devouring them ravenously.
They really did look quite adorable.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his thin lips.
Then, he pushed the cup of warm milk tea that was still slightly warm toward the young lady and said with some amusement, "No matter how hungry you are, you shouldn't eat so quickly. Be careful not to choke. Have a sip of milk tea first to ease yourself."
Upon hearing this, Ming Hua paused for a moment and immediately flushed bright red, feeling as though her little face was burning. Was her manner of eating really that ungraceful?
She quickly took the cup of milk tea the emperor offered, took two very proper and elegant small sips, then demurely pressed the corner of her lips with her embroidered handkerchief.
For a moment, there was silence.
Xie Chongyuan looked at the young lady sitting there so prim and proper, and also felt the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
Apart from his own mother, he had never spent time alone with another young woman like this.
Facing this young Noble Consort he had just conferred, he—who was usually so imposing and aggressive toward the hundred officials in court—suddenly became at a loss, not knowing how to speak or interact with her.
Xie Chongyuan pondered for a moment, then looked at the arrangement of the hall and took the initiative to break the silence by asking, "Do you like the arrangement of Yilan Hall?"
"If there is anything you find uncomfortable or dislike, feel free to have people rearrange it to your liking. Do not be reserved or constrained—treat this place as your own home."
This young lady had been pampered and cherished in the palm of her family's hands since childhood. Thinking of how reluctant and sad she had looked when bidding farewell to her family today, now that she was in the palace, she would probably have many things she was unaccustomed to.
At night, this young lady might even hide alone under her covers and cry secretly.
After spending time together today, Ming Hua had come to realize that the emperor was not at all the rough and ugly man the rumors made him out to be, nor did his temperament seem as unpredictable as the rumors claimed.
At least for now, to her, the emperor could be described as a graceful gentleman—a very gentle and considerate man.
Hearing his concern now, much of the nervousness in Ming Hua's heart gradually dissipated.
With a clear, sweet voice, she curved her lips into a faint smile and said, "Your servant thanks Your Majesty for your concern. However, your servant feels that everything in the palace is very nice, so there is no need to trouble yourself with rearranging anything."
Xie Chongyuan smiled faintly and said warmly, "You only entered the palace today, so you wouldn't be able to tell what's not good even if there were something. In the future, if you find anything unsatisfactory, you may rearrange it however you wish."
"Although this is the palace, you need not observe so many empty formalities and rules on ordinary days. Let us interact just like an ordinary husband and wife."
"Feel free to be at ease and casual. Do not restrain yourself—treat it as if you were still at home. If there is anything troubling you or any grievance, you may tell me directly."
Although these words from the emperor could not be taken entirely at face value, Ming Hua still felt very comforted in her heart upon hearing them at this moment.
She curved her lips into a smile and agreed, "Alright, your servant thanks Your Majesty…"
After saying this, the two fell into silence again, and Ming Hua did not know what else to say.
She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then noticed that the palace maids seemed not to have brought tea for Xie Chongyuan yet.
With this thought, she instinctively did as she would at home when with her elder brothers—she picked up a piece of honey milk cake and offered it to Xie Chongyuan, asking in a soft, sweet, and gentle voice, "Would Your Majesty like some? The taste is quite decent."
The moment Ming Hua reached out, a wave of embarrassment washed over her. Why was she making such an intimate gesture, as if she were about to feed him? It was simply too mortifying.
Xie Chongyuan ordinarily disliked these sticky, cloyingly sweet milk-flavored pastries, but seeing the young lady's tense and anxious expression, he couldn't bear to refuse. He took it from her hand and ate it, enduring the sticky, cloying texture.
Fortunately, a palace maid brought tea at that moment.
He hastily took it and gulped down several mouthfuls to wash away the sweetness in his mouth. Ming Hua also quickly picked up the milk tea on the small table and continued sipping it in small mouthfuls to conceal her discomfort.
The golden crow sank in the west, and the sky gradually darkened.
The twenty-four-branched gilded lotus lamps in the hall were lit one by one by the young palace maids, and the room was soon brightly illuminated.
After Xie Chongyuan finished his cup of tea, Nuanxue and Li Youfu finally entered with several young eunuchs carrying vermilion-lacquered sandalwood food boxes. They proceeded to set out the meal on the carved huanghuali rosewood dining table beneath the latticed window.
On the table were three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes: steamed goose with fresh bamboo shoots, honey-roasted chicken, a four-delicacy soup, tofu with minced lamb and scallions, and a five-treasure fresh vegetable medley.
These were all dishes Ming Hua had favored most in recent days, and the portions were just enough for two.
Xie Chongyuan and Ming Hua sat facing each other on brocade cushions beside the carved huanghuali dining table.
One does not speak during meals. Both ate in silence, heads bowed, yet the atmosphere did not feel awkward.
Ming Hua had been overly hungry earlier and too tense, having eaten several pieces of honey milk cake and a cup of milk tea. By now, she had long lost her appetite.
Having been tired all day, although the dishes on the table were all ones she usually loved, she had no appetite at the moment.
She unhurriedly ate a piece of steamed goose, then only picked at the light tofu with minced lamb and scallions, eating it with jade-green polished rice.
Xie Chongyuan had spent many years marching and fighting in wars. On the battlefield, he often ate extremely quickly in order to rush off to battle. Now that he was emperor, busy with state affairs, he still retained this habit. By the time Ming Hua was still nibbling at the tender white tofu like a little kitten, he had already nearly finished.
When he finished, he noticed Ming Hua had barely eaten. He asked with concern, "Why are you only eating the tofu? Are the dishes prepared by the Imperial Kitchen not to your liking?"
Ming Hua shook her head, then set down her jade chopsticks, picked up a handkerchief to dab the corners of her mouth, and spoke softly to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, this concubine was greedy earlier and ate too much honey milk cake and milk tea. I don't feel hungry right now and only wish to eat something light."
Xie Chongyuan glanced at the young lady's slender little frame. Recalling how her waist had been small enough to grasp with one hand today, he picked up a few pieces of plump, tender honey-roasted chicken and placed them in her bowl, urging her gently, "You should still eat some meat, or where will you get the energy and strength…"
Speaking of strength and energy, Xie Chongyuan, for some reason, suddenly thought that tonight was, after all, their wedding night. A faint flush crept across his usually stern face—a fleeting trace of awkwardness.
Ming Hua did not dwell on his words. She only furrowed her delicate brows, looking at the greasy honey-roasted chicken in her bowl with some consternation.
The Imperial Kitchen had chosen too fat a chicken. Beneath the crispy skin lay a thick layer of rich fat. She had always detested eating such fatty things—just looking at it made it hard to swallow, and she felt like she might be sick.
In the Duke of Fuguo's residence, such a thing would never have been placed before her. She wondered how the palace cooks selected their ingredients.
By all rights, this was an imperial favor, and she could not refuse it.
But although the emperor appeared somewhat cold and stern, today he seemed to be considerate of her in every way. He truly did not seem like the capricious, ferocious person the rumors described.
Surely he wouldn't be angry over such a small matter, would he?
Ming Hua hesitated for a moment, then plucked up her courage and raised her head, looking pitiful and cautious as she ventured, "But the chicken the kitchen chose today is too fatty. It looks rather greasy. I—this concubine cannot eat such rich fat—I would be sick…"
Qianxi was the most barren land in Daqi, and the Prince of Qianxi's manor was not wealthy. In order to maintain troops and horses, the household's food and clothing expenses sometimes fell short of those of local wealthy merchants.
To lighten the tax burden on the people of his fiefdom, Xie Chongyuan, together with his mother and younger brother, would sometimes join the common folk and soldiers in clearing wasteland and farming, eating simple fare.
The three of them lived a frugal life, naturally incomparable to the lavish feasting of the Duke of Fuguo's residence in the capital, Shangjing.
Now that the palace had only the Empress Dowager and the emperor as its masters, although mother and son both occupied the highest positions, they still maintained their frugal habits, with no fastidious demands regarding food and clothing—also saving some expenditure for the national treasury.
The six bureaus and twenty-four offices of the palace followed the emperor and Empress Dowager in advocating a spirit of thrift.
Upon hearing this, Xie Chongyuan showed no displeasure on his face. He only muttered softly under his breath, "How delicate!"
After that, he picked out the fattier pieces of honey-glazed chicken from Ming Hua's bowl and ate them himself, then carefully selected leaner pieces with no trace of fat for her.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ming Hua saw that Xie Chongyuan was not angry at all, and had even picked out new dishes for her. Her expression relaxed, and she smiled with her eyes curving like crescent moons, suddenly feeling her appetite improve.
She then picked up the meat Xie Chongyuan had chosen for her and ate it in small, savoring bites.
Watching the young lady's delicate, charming face bloom into a radiant smile, the faint trace of impatience in Xie Chongyuan's heart dissipated like smoke.
Never mind. This soft, gentle young lady—by his imperial decree, she had been elevated to Noble Consort, leaving behind her loving parents to come alone to this unfamiliar palace. From now on, the only one she could rely on was him, a husband still quite strange to her.
Even if there was no affection between them yet, he should still fulfill his duty as a husband and do his best to cherish her.
After all, he was now the sovereign of the realm, and as his wife—the future mother of the nation—there was nothing wrong with her indulging in a bit of luxury.
In the end, she would be the only one in the harem. No matter how she had been pampered and spoiled at home before, he believed he could afford to keep her in comfort.
A young lady raised like a delicate flower in the Duke Fuguo's household could hardly be allowed to suffer grievances after marrying him.