After entering the palace, the two first went to thank Emperor An for his grace.
The young emperor was dressed in magnificent dragon robes. Handsome and dignified, he carried himself with an imposing air. Aside from the faint trace of worry between his brows, his expression was warm and amiable.
“The Empress Dowager is feeling much better today. She sent someone early this morning saying she wanted to see Princess Rui. You two should go see her now. After paying your respects to the Empress Dowager, Prince Rui, come back and keep me company for a while.”
The two thanked the emperor before following the palace attendants away.
Inside Ci’an Palace, the Empress Dowager was reclining on a couch, her eyes constantly drifting toward the entrance.
The moment she saw Xiao Yu, she smiled and beckoned her over before Xiao Yu even had the chance to bow.
“Yu’er, come quickly! I’ve been waiting for you two for ages. What took you so long?”
Xiao Yu and Xie Jin properly paid their respects to the Empress Dowager. Xiao Yu was immediately pulled to her side.
As for Xie Jin, his brows were gentle, and his gaze followed Xiao Yu wherever she went, making him appear every bit the affectionate newlywed husband. Unless one looked closely, it was impossible to notice the trace of coldness hidden deep in his eyes.
The moment Xiao Yu saw the Empress Dowager, her eyes grew warm with emotion. She was even more moved than when she had seen her own family.
She stepped forward and knelt beside the Empress Dowager, desperately holding back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
“Your Majesty, have you been well?”
“Princess Rui, Her Majesty has been in good spirits these past few days. She’s been waiting for you to enter the palace today! If you had come any later, I’m afraid Her Majesty would have stared a hole through the doorway waiting for you!”
Nanny An was the Empress Dowager’s trusted attendant and was also very familiar with Xiao Yu, so she could not help teasing them.
“Look at you, always running your mouth. When have I ever been that impatient? Yu’er and I haven’t seen each other for such a long time. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to miss her?”
“Yes, yes. This old servant spoke too much!”
Nanny An smiled as she helped Xiao Yu to her feet and brought over a small stool for her to sit on.
“Nanny An, I had someone bring you the cloud dumplings you like.”
“Would you look at that? Yu’er still remembers what you like. Every time she comes, she never forgets about an old woman like you!”
The Empress Dowager sounded a little jealous and deliberately shot Nanny An a look.
The bond between mistress and servant was truly rare within the depths of the imperial palace.
The Empress Dowager then stretched out her hand toward Xiao Yu.
“And what about mine?”
Xiao Yu smiled and took the Empress Dowager’s hand.
“Of course I brought something for you. I personally made yam cakes. They’re mildly sweet, refreshing, and easy to digest. Whenever you don’t have an appetite, eat one. I guarantee you’ll feel like eating afterward!”
Anxiang handed the food box she was carrying to Nanny An. A maid immediately placed one of the cakes onto a small plate and presented it to the Empress Dowager.
“Mm. Yu’er, you’re very thoughtful. But you’re newly married. You should leave cooking to the servants!”
The Empress Dowager finally seemed to remember Xie Jin standing nearby.
“Jin’er! You must cherish Yu’er properly. Don’t let the cooks in your residence sit around doing nothing. Look at her—Yu’er has already lost weight!”
After reproaching him, the Empress Dowager continued, “For all these years, your inner residence has been managed by a few old nannies. Yu’er, you should take charge as soon as possible. There will be many matters requiring your attention.”
Xie Jin lowered his head.
He knew the Empress Dowager was deliberately warning him.
Although he hated Xiao Yu, she currently had the Empress Dowager backing her. Unless absolutely necessary, he could not touch her yet.
Once there was a secondary consort in the residence, however, he could slowly begin making his plans.
While he was thinking, he suddenly noticed that the Empress Dowager had stopped speaking and was staring directly at his face.
She must have noticed something unusual.
The wound was simply too conspicuous.
Xie Jin had already applied the finest medicinal ointment, but it still looked frightening. Before entering the palace today, Jinniang had even carefully covered much of it with powder and cosmetics. Unless someone looked closely, it was difficult to notice.
“Hm? What happened to your face?”
Xie Jin lightly touched the wound. His gaze seemed to inadvertently sweep over Xiao Yu, his expression filled with guilt and helplessness.
“I drank a little too much on our wedding night and accidentally fell. A branch scratched my face. Yu’er already used the best medicine to help conceal it, but you still noticed.”
“How could you be so careless? A wound on the face must be treated carefully. If it leaves a scar, your appearance will be ruined!”
Xiao Yu quickly joined the conversation.
“Please don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him. I definitely won’t let it leave a scar.”
The Empress Dowager had already warned Xie Jin on her behalf, so Xiao Yu had achieved her purpose. Without drawing attention to it, she smoothly changed the subject.
“Has my cooking improved? This time, I added a little honey. It helps calm the body and reduce internal heat. How does it taste?”
The Empress Dowager patted Xiao Yu’s hand with her free hand and seriously savored the flavor for a moment.
“No wonder. I thought it tasted a little sweeter and lighter than before, without being too rich. You really are thoughtful!”
Seizing the opportunity, Xie Jin said he should go accompany the emperor.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and allowed him to leave.
Once he was gone, she stared intently at Xiao Yu, her expression filled with scrutiny.
“You and Jin’er were betrothed before you were even born and grew up together as childhood sweethearts. You should be inseparable now that you’re newly married. Why do I feel like something isn’t quite right between you two?”
Xiao Yu lowered her head, concealing the emotions in her eyes.
When she looked up again, her expression had become shy and bashful.
“How can you tease Yu’er like that? You have no idea how exhausting getting married is! I was so tired that my headaches returned. Brother Jin has stayed by my side these past few days and has been very attentive. I’ll be fine after getting some rest.”
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconvinced. But seeing that Xiao Yu did not appear to be lying, she lightly tapped her forehead.
“You… As long as you know what you’re doing.”
Xiao Yu naturally understood what the Empress Dowager meant.
Back then, the Empress Dowager and the late emperor had also been childhood sweethearts.
For men, having multiple wives and concubines was considered perfectly normal. Even childhood sweethearts who had grown up together could not escape the erosion of time.
Xiao Yu accompanied the Empress Dowager through lunch, waited upon her until she fell asleep, and chatted with Nanny An for a while before finally leaving Ci’an Palace.
Unexpectedly, Xie Jin had not yet left the imperial palace.
Xiao Yu was hesitating over whether she should wait for him in the carriage when she saw another carriage approaching from the distance.
It was entirely black, understated yet unmistakably luxurious.
There was only one person who could ride a carriage inside the imperial palace, especially one as distinctive as this—the Ninth Imperial Uncle, Gu Jiuci.
Although Xiao Yu had never met Gu Jiuci before, his blackwood and red sandalwood carriage was practically his symbol.
The carriage had been crafted from the finest ebony and red sandalwood. Rumor had it that numerous hidden mechanisms and concealed weapons had been built into it. There was only one such carriage in the entire dynasty.
Not even the young Emperor An possessed one.
Xiao Yu suddenly thought of the Gu Jiuci from the future who had been reborn inside her body.
She could not help feeling curious.
If the Ninth Imperial Uncle discovered that his future self was living inside Xiao Yu’s body, what kind of scene would that be?
“Hmph! You’re imagining nonsense again!”
Gu Jiuci’s cold voice abruptly interrupted Xiao Yu’s thoughts.
Seriously!
He wouldn’t even let her think about it.
How domineering!
The carriage stopped.
It was already too late for Xiao Yu to avoid him, so she could only step forward and curtsy.
“Greetings, Ninth Imperial Uncle.”
“Cough, cough… Princess… Princess Rui?”
A weak voice came from inside the carriage.
A slender hand with clearly defined knuckles lifted the curtain, and with the assistance of a guard, Gu Jiuci slowly stepped down from the carriage.
Everyone said that Gu Jiuci had always been frail and sickly, yet he possessed an extraordinarily handsome appearance.
There was not a single woman in the entire dynasty whom people considered worthy of standing beside him.
Moreover, he had once sworn before the late emperor that he would never marry for the rest of his life.
Xiao Yu secretly glanced at Gu Jiuci.
His complexion was deathly pale, yet his beautiful phoenix eyes shone as brightly as the stars.
He was like a priceless treasure hidden away from the world—naturally noble, restrained yet undeniably luxurious.
How had such an incomparably magnificent man died?
And how had he ended up being reborn inside her body?
The entire situation was truly unbelievable.
“Princess Rui is newly married. I was unable to attend and offer my congratulations in person, so… cough… allow me to congratulate you here.”
Gu Jiuci glanced at Xiao Yu and raised a hand to his lips as he coughed.
For some reason, the Princess Rui standing before him gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
“Thank you, Ninth Imperial Uncle.”
His status was extraordinary.
He was the emperor’s imperial uncle and also held the responsibility of overseeing the imperial court.
Although he had never officially been granted a title such as Regent, and rarely attended court unless necessary, the young Emperor An was deeply wary of him.
Perhaps because of this, Emperor An handled state affairs diligently and devoted himself wholeheartedly to governing the country and caring for his people. Only when faced with major decisions he could not resolve would he seek Gu Jiuci’s advice.
The officials of Eastern Lin—including Xiao Yu’s father, Xiao Xingzhi—did not dare form any personal connections with him.
The Ninth Imperial Uncle, Gu Jiuci, was truly an extraordinary existence.