When Di Shengyue arrived at the main hall, Prime Minister Gao was already chatting happily with Xiao Yinxue.
Looking at the smiling Xiao Yinxue, the corner of Di Shengyue’s mouth also unconsciously curved upwards.
“Princess, what are you so happy about?” Di Shengyue quickly walked to Xiao Yinxue’s side, sat down in the seat beside her, and naturally put her arm around Xiao Yinxue’s shoulder.
Xiao Yinxue struggled slightly, a faint blush spreading across her face, and she whispered, “Grandfather is watching.”
Di Shengyue, however, held Xiao Yinxue even tighter, saying, “It’s perfectly proper for me to hug my wife, and besides, Grandfather isn’t an outsider.”
“Who are you calling Grandfather?” Xiao Yinxue lowered her eyes, her cheeks rosy, and said, “Don’t be so shameless.”
Prime Minister Gao watched the couple’s natural interaction, a hint of a smile in his eyes. At this age, all a person desires is the happiness of their children and grandchildren.
“I heard you went to see the Empress Dowager a few days ago. Is the Empress Dowager well?” Prime Minister Gao asked Xiao Yinxue about the Empress Dowager.
“Yes, Grandfather, the Empress Dowager treats me very well,” Xiao Yinxue replied. “She even sent me a valuable dark chrysanthemum a few days ago.”
“In that case, go and spend more time with the Empress Dowager when you have time,” Prime Minister Gao said, instructing someone to hand a box to Xiao Yinxue. “This is a pearl ginseng from Yaoguo. Give it to the Empress Dowager when you enter the palace.”
Di Shengyue looked at the pearly white ginseng in the box, her eyebrows slightly raised.
Pearl ginseng was a rare treasure from Yaoguo, extremely hard to come by.
Old Prime Minister Gao had clearly gone to great lengths for Xiao Yinxue.
“Thank you, Grandfather.” Xiao Yinxue took the box and placed it beside a small dish that still held half a piece of lotus cake.
Di Shengyue looked at the small dish on the table, the corner of her mouth curling into a slight smile, and said, “Princess, you just made me worry and fear in front of Grandfather for a long time. Shouldn’t you compensate me now?”
“What compensation do you want?” Xiao Yinxue raised an eyebrow and looked at Di Shengyue.
“Princess, I also want to taste the lotus cake,” Di Shengyue subtly indicated the lotus cake on the table with her eyes.
Xiao Yinxue then handed the small dish to Di Shengyue and said, “Here.”
“Princess, feed me,” Di Shengyue’s mouth curved slightly, her deep-set eyes gazing at Xiao Yinxue.
“Don’t you have hands yourself?” Xiao Yinxue subconsciously glanced at Prime Minister Gao, and when she saw that he was still looking at the two of them, she felt a wave of embarrassment, giving Di Shengyue a fierce glare.
“Princess, don’t you understand my intentions?” Di Shengyue lightly tapped Xiao Yinxue’s forehead with her fingertip.
“This Princess certainly does not,” Xiao Yinxue gave her a sidelong glance, picked up a piece of lotus cake herself, and put it in her mouth.
With Grandfather here, Di Shengyue wouldn’t dare to do anything improper anyway.
“My Lord, news from the palace.” The butler walked into the main hall with a serious expression.
Old Prime Minister Gao also sobered his expression and walked to the doorway to listen carefully to the butler.
Taking advantage of this moment, Di Shengyue cupped Xiao Yinxue’s head with one hand and kissed her on her rosy lips.
Xiao Yinxue was stunned by her sudden action, her eyes wide.
Her quick-witted eyes subconsciously glanced in the direction of Prime Minister Gao. Seeing that the Old Prime Minister was speaking seriously and not looking their way, she relaxed slightly.
Immediately, a trace of slight shyness and annoyance stained her eyes.
Those beautiful, limpid eyes were filled with charming shyness, creating a unique allure that made Di Shengyue’s heart flutter.
Her tongue gently parted Xiao Yinxue’s lips, sweeping all the lotus cake from her mouth into her own.
She was actually becoming bolder!
Xiao Yinxue resentfully bit the tip of Di Shengyue’s tongue. The bite wasn’t severe, but the slight pain only made Di Shengyue more excited, and she deepened the kiss heavily.
She didn’t let go of Xiao Yinxue until she could no longer taste the sweetness of the lotus cake.
Di Shengyue contentedly licked her lower lip, her attractive eyes narrowed, filled with teasing: “Does the Princess actually like playing hard to get? But I like this method of feeding.”
What playing hard to get! This Di Shengyue is so good at twisting facts!
Xiao Yinxue felt both shy and annoyed.
Xiao Yinxue, unable to take it anymore, fiercely kicked Di Shengyue’s calf several times, but she ultimately didn’t want to hurt her, so the kicks were very light.
Feeling that it wasn’t enough to vent her anger, she reached out and pinched Di Shengyue’s thigh hard a few times.
Only when she saw Di Shengyue’s expression slightly change due to the pain did she feel satisfied enough to withdraw her hand.
Di Shengyue smoothly grasped Xiao Yinxue’s tender little hand, gently stroked the back of it, and smiled, “Princess, you must be tired from pinching. Let me rub it for you.”
Xiao Yinxue felt better after venting her anger, so she let Di Shengyue continue.
“Princess, the flesh on the thigh isn’t soft; it won’t be comfortable for you to pinch,” Di Shengyue said, pointing to her chest area, a hint of teasing in her voice. “Next time, pinch here. This is soft enough.”
Xiao Yinxue followed Di Shengyue’s hand, and when she saw that delicate curve, her cheeks immediately flushed red.
She quickly pulled her hand back as if she had been burned, her eyes full of annoyance.
This Di Shengyue was flirting with her again!
Di Shengyue couldn’t help but chuckle at Xiao Yinxue’s current expression.
How could anyone not adore a Xiao Yinxue like this?
Old Prime Minister Gao had just finished speaking with the butler. As he turned around, he saw Xiao Yinxue’s deeply flushed cheeks.
“Yinxue, why is your face so red?” Old Prime Minister Gao asked.
Xiao Yinxue immediately felt her cheeks burn even hotter and stomped hard on Di Shengyue’s foot.
“Grandfather, you looked serious just now. Was there some news?” Di Shengyue lightly coughed, helping Xiao Yinxue change the subject.
“News from the palace,” Old Prime Minister Gao said. “The Princess of Wei State was favored by the Emperor the day before yesterday and was made ‘Consort Li’ yesterday. The Emperor is so infatuated with this ‘Consort Li’ that he refuses to leave her side for a moment. This morning’s court session being canceled already caused dissatisfaction among the officials, and now even tomorrow’s court session has been canceled. Many officials are now preparing to submit a petition, accusing Consort Li of bewitching the Emperor and demanding a ‘clear the ruler’s side’ action.”
Di Shengyue raised an eyebrow. The charm of this Wei State Princess was truly immense.
Although the Emperor was muddle-headed, he valued power immensely and had never missed court for any concubine before.
“‘Clear the ruler’s side’?” Di Shengyue sneered, saying, “It will just be a wasted effort.”
“Such a petition is only likely to backfire,” Di Shengyue said lightly.
It wasn’t that the Emperor loved Consort Li so much, but rather that the Emperor absolutely hated being controlled by others.
“You understand the Emperor quite well, not like someone who has just returned from the border,” Prime Minister Gao said, viewing Di Shengyue with slightly higher regard.
“If I don’t understand the Emperor’s thoughts by now, how can I protect Yinxue?” Di Shengyue said.
Having lived two lives, especially after experiencing imprisonment once, she had a certain grasp of the Emperor’s mind.
As they spoke, the butler entered again from outside, head lowered.
The butler spoke, “My Lord, Consort Rou has sent someone again.”
“Do not see them,” Old Prime Minister Gao’s face immediately darkened at the mention of Consort Rou.
“What is she here for?” Hearing that it was Consort Rou, Xiao Yinxue’s expression immediately turned sour. She pursed her lips, a trace of disgust appearing in her eyes.
Di Shengyue also knew a little about Consort Rou.
This Consort Rou was something of a legendary figure.
She was originally just the Empress’s head maid, but was favored and slept with by the Emperor purely because of her pleasing looks. Since then, she received continuous favor, rising rapidly in rank, and even disregarding the Empress.
The title ‘Consort Rou’ (Gentle Consort) seemed ironic, completely unsuited to her personality.
Consort Rou was arrogant and tactless, often clashing with the Empress, and only settled down after being punished several times by the Empress.
After the Empress’s eldest son passed away prematurely, she gave birth to the second prince and was subsequently promoted to a Consort.
“She’s seeking a backer,” Prime Minister Gao’s eyes glinted sharply, and he said, “The Third Prince and Fourth Prince both have the support of their mothers’ families. Her Second Prince only has the name of a prince, so naturally, she is anxious.”
“What is she dreaming of?” Xiao Yinxue scoffed, saying, “She and my Mother were fierce rivals back then, and now she actually wants to borrow Mother’s influence.”
“That’s why I say Consort Rou is superficial,” Old Prime Minister Gao did not discuss Consort Rou’s affairs further.