eurekapd Chapter 569 Miss, if you don't get up now, it will be too late to serve tea!
Chapter 569 Miss, if you don't get up now, it will be too late to serve tea!
As dawn broke, Lin Jingchuan returned to the bridal chamber, exhausted and pale.
The room was in a mess, with a broken phoenix crown on the floor.
Zhao Qingzhi sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes red and swollen, her wedding dress crumpled in a mess.
The two looked at each other, and an awkward silence filled the air.
After a long while, Lin Jingchuan finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "I'm sorry to have wronged you."
Zhao Qingzhi felt a surge of hatred, but she knew that if she made a scene now, she would only be the one to suffer.
When the newlyweds served tea, Prince Yong claimed to be ill and did not come out; only the old Princess Yong sat in the main seat.
With a cold expression, she waited for Zhao Qingzhi to kneel down and serve tea properly, but hesitated to accept it.
"The tea has gone cold."
The maidservant quickly changed her into a piping hot one.
"You have no manners, what if you burn this princess?"
Zhao Qingzhi kept her head down, remaining silent, and held the teacup steadily.
Despite the Empress Dowager's various attempts to make things difficult, she still couldn't find anything wrong with the drink and could only reluctantly take a sip.
Lin Jingchuan, who was watching from the side, was already simmering with anger. Seeing his mother like this, he could no longer hold back.
He stepped forward and stood in front of Zhao Qingzhi.
"You go out first."
After everyone left, he turned his head and looked directly at the old Princess Yong.
"It was you, Mother Consort, who made me marry this person. Now that I've married him, what trouble are you trying to cause?"
"I'm making a scene?" The old Princess Yong exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Look at what our palace has become since she arrived! You're not even listening to me anymore because of her?"
The mother and son started arguing on the spot, and Lin Jingchuan felt powerless.
How did he say?
Should I tell Mother that Xingyao is not your biological daughter at all?
He and his father had long ago discovered that the midwife who delivered Xingyao had tampered with the baby, switching Xingyao with the real daughter of the royal family.
The real girl had died many years ago.
Xingyao was still an infant when she was brought into the Prince's mansion; she was innocent.
Lin Jingchuan knew that it was precisely because Xingyao knew about his background that she had those inappropriate thoughts about him.
But she would never admit it.
And that cruel truth was something even the mother could not bear.
On the other hand, Zhao Qinghan woke up and wanted to get up to wash, but was pulled back into bed by a pair of strong arms.
"What are you doing? The bride can't be late for serving tea!" Zhao Qinghan struggled to sit up.
Chu Chenyu hugged her tighter and whispered in her ear, "It's okay, your parents won't get up that early. Don't worry, sleep a little longer."
"You're talking nonsense!" Zhao Qinghan's cheeks flushed red. "What if the elders say I don't know the rules?"
Chu Chenyu kissed her forehead: "The Chu family doesn't care about those formalities, so don't worry."
It wasn't until the dowry maid from the Zhao family couldn't bear it any longer, fearing that her daughter would be mistreated by her mother-in-law for being late in serving tea, that things continued.
After urging them twice from outside the door, there was finally some movement inside.
"Miss, it really can't be any later!" The old woman outside the door was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet.
Chu Chenyu reluctantly let go of her hand and affectionately pinched Zhao Qinghan's nose: "Alright, alright, get up, or your nanny will be worried sick."
Zhao Qinghan blushed and got up, asking the maids to come in and help her with her washing and grooming.
Chu Chenyu also got up and dressed, tying her belt as she laughed, "Your nanny is quite dedicated, even more nervous than me."
In the front hall, Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze, Chu Yueshu and Ying Qing, along with Chu's parents, were already seated.
The whole family sat together in a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.
When Zhao Qinghan entered the room and saw this scene, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Not only did she make her parents-in-law wait, but she also made the Duke and his wife wait for her. If her grandmother found out, she would definitely give her a scolding.
"I'm late, please forgive me, father-in-law and mother-in-law! And to my eldest sister and brother-in-law, and my second sister and brother-in-law, it's really—"
Zhao Qinghan quickly stepped forward, bowed, and apologized, her face full of fear.
Chu's mother quickly got up to help her, saying, "Oh dear, child, what are you talking about, crime or not?"
She patted Zhao Qinghan's hand affectionately, "Our Chu family comes from a merchant family, so we don't have such strict rules. Don't be so formal."
Chu Chenyu followed her in and, seeing his wife's nervous expression, couldn't help but tease her, "I told you it was nothing! Look how nervous you are."
He cupped his hands in greeting to Gu Junze and Ying Qing, who were seated at the head of the table: "Brother-in-law, don't you have to go to court today? And brother-in-law, aren't you going to the Imperial Guard either? How come you both have the leisure to watch the show here?"
Chu Yueshu rolled her eyes at her younger brother and said reproachfully, "Isn't it all because of you? Your wedding is such a big event, of course they have to stay home with you."
Gu Junze smiled faintly and said, "His Majesty is considerate and has granted me this leave."
Yingqing smiled and chimed in, "Yes, it's my brother-in-law's wedding, so of course we brothers-in-law should be there to support him."
The atmosphere in the hall was relaxed and harmonious, and Zhao Qinghan's tension gradually eased.
Father Chu suddenly spoke up: “It’s quite a coincidence. Our daughter is named Ruohan and our daughter-in-law is named Qinghan. Both of our names contain the character ‘Han’. Although the characters are different, the pronunciation is the same. It’s like we’re from the same family.”
Mother Chu nodded and said, "That's right! Ruohan's 'Han' means tolerance and cultivation, and Qinghan's 'Han' means dawn. Both are good characters."
Zhao Qinghan felt a warm glow in her heart. Although she had never lacked food or clothing in the Zhao family since she was a child, her grandmother was strict and the rules in the mansion were strict. There was never a time when she could relax and laugh like this.
Seeing that the tension in his wife's eyes had completely disappeared, Chu Chenyu nodded in satisfaction and said to his family, "You see, I told you my wife is the best."
"You rascal, you kept talking about it before we were even married, and now that you're married, you're still showing off," Chu Yueshu said with a smile and a hint of reproach.
Zhao Qinghan felt a warm glow in her heart. Apart from her two married sisters-in-law, the Chu family had no other brothers or sisters, and her father-in-law had no concubines, so there wouldn't be any of the messy affairs in the inner quarters.
This feeling of being valued by her in-laws and the harmonious atmosphere made her feel more at ease than ever before.
Chu Chenyu leaned closer and whispered, "See? I didn't lie to you, did I? People from the Chu family are all very easy to get along with."
Three-day homecoming
An ordinary nanmu horse-drawn carriage came to a stop. Chu Chenyu jumped off first, then turned around and reached out to carefully help Zhao Qinghan down.
He gently tidied the stray hairs that had been ruffled by the wind at her temples, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness.
Zhao Qinghan looked up at him slightly, her face flushed with the shyness of a newlywed, her complexion rosy, as if she had been bathed in honey.
Seeing how loving their daughter and son-in-law were, and how much the Chu family valued the marriage, Zhao and his wife were more satisfied with the match and their attitude towards Zhao Qinghan softened considerably.
A commotion arose from the street corner.
A long procession of honor guards marched in, with a large number of guards, flags waving, and an impressive sight.
The emblem of the Prince Yong's Mansion is particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.
Passersby stopped to watch.
This pomp and circumstance made the Chu family's lonely carriage look like a poor relative's.