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The next morning, before Mu Junqi had gotten up, she heard a commotion outside. Annoyed, she turned over and shouted, "Someone come in."
Immediately, the palace door was pushed open, and Mur walked in with a big smile. After bowing to Mu Junqi, she said, "Your Highness, did we disturb you?"
Mu Junqi mumbled irritably before responding, "You know what's happening outside?"
Mur walked to the bedside with a smile and excitedly said, "Have you forgotten? Today is the day you and the Emperor return to your family for a visit. Since you're awake, let me help you get dressed."
Mu Junqi sat up in confusion and glanced at the doorway, saying, "Is the Emperor coming with us?"
In Yunyan Kingdom, there was a custom that on the third day after marriage, a woman should return to her family with her husband for a reunion dinner, also known as Congratulations.
However, Mu Junqi did not expect that as the Emperor's woman, she could enjoy this privilege. After all, there were countless women in the harem; if every woman who married into the palace were to return home, it would drive the Emperor mad. Therefore, this custom was practically useless in the palace.
Now being told she had to return home surprised her; she still couldn't believe it. Mur gently smiled and said, "Your Highness, it's true. The Emperor sent someone early this morning. The preparations are almost complete; after breakfast, you can head out."
Mu Junqi skeptically got out of bed. With Mur's assistance, she put on a peach-red palace outfit embroidered with flying phoenixes and trimmed with golden threads. A matching ribbon flowed down from her waist, tied with a deep red sash, giving her an air of nobility.
At that moment, Ziyue and a Palace Maid entered. They first bowed to Mu Junqi before placing down a basin of water and began assisting her with washing up.
Before long, everything was ready. Just then, Li Fusheng arrived at Jingxian Palace and called softly from outside the door, "Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to Tianming Palace for breakfast."
Mu Junqi looked at the woman in the mirror with her hair styled like a married woman and coldly smiled before walking out with the support of Mur and Ziyue.
Just as they went out, everyone knelt on the ground and shouted, “Long live the Empress, long live, long live!”
Mu Junqi remained silent, merely waving her hand to signal everyone to rise. She then walked directly to the Phoenix Palanquin and sat down. Only then did Li Fusheng speak up, saying, “Lift the palanquin.”
The group made their way to Tianming Palace. Before they even entered, they saw many people standing outside the hall, most of whom were unfamiliar palace ladies, including Consort Qian.
Mu Junqi looked at everyone bowing and smiled lightly. She passed through the crowd and entered Tianming Palace. After she went in, the other ladies began to whisper among themselves, saying she was arrogant and dismissive of others.
This only fueled their hatred for her even more. Consort Rong sneered and said softly, “She really thinks she’s the head of the harem. Just look at her appearance; one glance at that face makes me think she’s a flirtatious woman.”
This drew agreement from the surrounding ladies, while Consort Qian coldly watched Mu Junqi disappear, feeling even more resentful. Pear, standing nearby, said quietly, “Your Highness, it seems these palace ladies don’t favor her. It won’t be long before she learns what it means to overestimate herself.” After saying this, she smiled sinisterly.
Consort Qian’s expression remained unchanged, but inside she cursed Mu Junqi to a miserable fate. After hearing Pear's words, she left with a cruel smile. Once Consort Qian departed, everyone else dispersed.
Meanwhile, inside Tianming Palace, as Mu Junqi entered without greeting anyone, she saw Xia Ziqian standing respectfully to one side while Mo Xiao Li looked at her with a half-smile. Struggling to suppress her longing for Xia Ziqian, Mu Junqi slightly bowed and said, “Consort greets Your Majesty; may Your Majesty be blessed.”
Mo Xiao Li stood up and walked over to Mu Junqi's side, gently guiding her to a chair in front of Xia Ziqian. He said softly, “The Empress injured her hand yesterday; I heard you treated it. Since you’re returning home today, you should quickly tend to the Empress's wound.”
Mu Junqi raised her eyes slightly towards Xia Ziqian, hoping he would show even a hint of jealousy. Unfortunately, he remained inscrutable as always and respectfully replied, “I obey your command.”
Mo Xiao Li gently helped her sit down on a nearby chair and softly said, “My beloved consort should sit down quickly; it would be unfortunate if we miss an auspicious time.”
To outsiders, this appeared to be a loving couple; however, only Mu Junqi knew how strong his grip was. None of that tenderness reached his eyes. She sneered inwardly and instantly understood his reasons for acting this way.
Smelling the faint aroma of herbs, Mu Junqi felt as if she had returned to the past, recalling the scene of meeting Xia Ziqian for the first time. She still remembered that afternoon when she and Mur went out to play and accidentally got bitten by a snake, and Xia Ziqian happened to pass by and saved her.
Since then, she had been thinking about this man, firmly believing it was fate's arrangement. She sent people everywhere to inquire about him and finally learned that he was the imperial physician in the palace. Her heart sank at that moment; she thought she would be with him for life, but unexpectedly, fate played tricks on her, leading to her current situation.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her arm and couldn't help but cry out. Xia Ziqian quickly asked softly, "Your Highness, did I hurt you?"
Mu Junqi looked up at Mo Xiao Li, whose eyes clearly warned her. After a moment of hesitation, she replied, "It's fine."
Before long, everything was ready, and Xia Ziqian took his leave. However, Mu Junqi remained lost in thought until the person beside her coldly remarked as if mocking her, "The person has already left; what is my Empress still thinking about?"
Only then did Mu Junqi gather her thoughts and look at him with a cold smile, saying, "Since you know, why pretend to be so affectionate? It truly makes Consort feel disgusted."
After finishing her words, Mo Xiao Li exuded a chilling aura. He smirked mockingly and then pulled Mu Junqi in front of him, coldly stating, "No matter how my beloved consort thinks, what I have decided cannot be changed by anyone." After saying that, he pushed her away roughly. She accidentally knocked over a chair, hitting her injured hand and causing pain that made her break into a cold sweat. Nevertheless, she endured it and stood up.
Mo Xiao Li took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress his curiosity about her thoughts. He turned and walked to the dining area, then coldly said, "Hurry up and come eat; we wouldn't want to miss an auspicious time."
Mu Junqi gritted her teeth against the pain and walked step by step to the dining area. Then with a half-smile, she said, "Does the Emperor plan to accompany any woman he marries back to congratulate her?"
Mo Xiao Li could certainly hear the sarcasm in her words but chose not to respond. He lowered his head and continued eating his breakfast while Mu Junqi found it dull and had no choice but to sit down and eat with him.
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