Empress' Zhongshu Palace.
Prince Qi and Chu Mingcui entered the palace, and first went to pay respects to the Empress.
When Chu Mingcui entered the hall, she saw the Empress' face looked a little unhappy, sitting there with her hand on her chest.
Chu Mingcui was always tactful in front of the Empress. After greeting her for a while, the Empress was still sullen.
Chu Mingcui knew the Empress had something on her mind, so she smiled at Prince Qi and said, "Wasn't Your Highness saying you composed a new poem to recite to Prince Lu? Go on now."
Prince Qi didn't like writing poems, but Prince Lu enjoyed them. Prince Qi and Prince Lu were both born of the Empress, milk siblings, so in order to please this unfortunate younger brother, and to entertain him, Prince Qi had started learning to write poetry.
Now he had just composed a new one, and was eager to show off in front of Prince Lu. Hearing Chu Mingcui say this, he laughed and left.
After Prince Qi left, Chu Mingcui dismissed the attendants in the hall and sat down beside the Empress, asking, "Auntie, what exactly happened?"
Seeing her son had left, the Empress resentfully said, "The Emperor and I have been married for over twenty years. Since our grand wedding, he has never dined alone with me. But tonight, he actually ordered Yuan Qingling to dine with him."
Chu Mingcui was shocked. "Yuan Qingling? Wasn't she brought into the palace for questioning? How come she wasn't locked up?"
When Yuan Qingling entered the palace, she hadn't asked about it. She assumed that with the crimes Yuan Qingling had committed, even if she wasn't thrown into the dungeons, she would at least be confined first while they investigated and then stripped of her title of Princess of Chu, with the remaining punishment given in accordance with her commoner status.
The Empress Chu coldly said, "Lock her up? Now she's dining alone with the Emperor, just the two of them. Who knows what she'll say to him."
Chu Mingcui was slightly alarmed. Recently, Yuan Qingling seemed to have become much smarter. If she mentioned any of her suspicions to the Emperor, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She turned and looked at the Empress, a cunning light flashing in her eyes. "Auntie, are you feeling dizzy?"
The evening meal was set up in Feilong Palace, just one palace away from the study.
Yuan Qingling had hoped Prince Rui would dine with them too, at least to have one more person there to talk.
But when Eunuch Mu Ru led her to Feilong Palace, her hopes were dashed.
A small round rosewood table, if not for the place settings, Yuan Qingling would have thought it was a tea table. No, even a tea table would be too small for this. It could hold one dish at most.
With a table this small, even sitting face to face, they would be very close.
Emperor Ming Yuan now sat beside the round table, back straight, hands on his knees, looking at her with sharp eyes.
Perhaps he was trying to look gentle, but the aura of majesty had been there too long. He couldn't make that gentle expression, only a slight upturn of his lips before it froze, making people even more chilled to the bone.
Yuan Qingling slowly walked over, just about to bow, when Emperor Ming Yuan said, "No need for courtesy, sit down."
Yuan Qingling responded and carefully stepped to the table, gingerly sitting down.
"Don't be nervous, it's just an ordinary meal," Emperor Ming Yuan said, seeing her tension.
Yuan Qingling thought, how could she not be nervous? Even an ordinary meal didn't usually involve just the patriarch and daughter-in-law dining alone, not to mention you are the Emperor!
"Yes!" she responded.
On her way here, she had thought Emperor Ming Yuan summoned her to this meal because he definitely wanted to ask her something. Her guesses were actually the same as Cao Wenxuan's - asking about affairs in Prince Chu's residence, asking about Cao Wenxuan's activities, who he associated with, and so on.
She had also prepared appropriate responses in advance.
But Emperor Ming Yuan didn't ask. He just calmly told Eunuch Mu Ru, "Serve the dishes!"
Looking at the size of the table, Yuan Qingling wondered how many dishes could be served?
The first course was stewed soup.
Two exquisite small stew pots were carried in and placed before Emperor Ming Yuan and Yuan Qingling. The lids were removed, fragrance wafting out, going straight up Yuan Qingling's nose. Her appetite was immediately stirred, and she desperately wanted to drink it right away.
But she knew it wouldn't be so simple. Didn't the Emperor's meals need to be tasted for poison first, and then hand-washing and so on?
A palace maid came forward to pour the soup into a small bowl for her, placing a silver spoon inside, while Eunuch Mu Ru attended to Emperor Ming Yuan.
Yuan Qingling didn't dare move, waiting until Emperor Ming Yuan picked up the silver spoon and started drinking before she relaxed and reached for her own spoon.
She was just too hungry. With delicious food in front of her, the tense mood naturally dissipated. She thought that no matter what he asked later, she already had prepared answers, so there was nothing to fear.
She had just brought the spoonful of soup to her mouth when hurried footsteps sounded from outside. She put down her spoon and looked towards the door.
Eunuch Mu Ru's eyes flashed with annoyance as he quickly stepped out. Shortly after, his expression changed as he came back in and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress is feeling unwell and has fainted."
Emperor Ming Yuan's brows furrowed as he stood up. "My carriage!"
Yuan Qingling relaxed again. The Emperor was leaving, so she could eat casually now.
She really was too hungry to eat daintily and gracefully.
But Emperor Ming Yuan's eyes swept over her. "You come along too."
Yuan Qingling's eyes reluctantly left the soup to meet his. "Yes!"
She stood up as Eunuch Mu Ru brought out a cloak. Emperor Ming Yuan turned his back to Yuan Qingling and let Eunuch Chang attend to dressing him in the cloak, smoothing out the wrinkles in his robes.
Taking the chance while Emperor Ming Yuan and Eunuch Mu Ru weren't looking, Yuan Qingling hurriedly brought the soup bowl to her mouth and drank it down in two gulps. The scalding soup slid down her mouth and throat, burning all the way to her stomach. It brought tears to her eyes.
Emperor Ming Yuan turned around and looked at her in slight surprise.
Yuan Qingling's eyes were misted with tears as she forced out a smile, standing there awkwardly.
Suddenly, Emperor Ming Yuan asked Eunuch Mu Ru, "Did Prince Qi and Princess Qi enter the palace today?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, Prince Qi and Princess Qi entered the palace not long ago," Eunuch Mu Ru answered.
Emperor Ming Yuan slowly adjusted the sash on his cloak, seeming lost in thought.
Then he sat down again. "Summon the Imperial Physician to the Empress' palace. Let's continue the meal."
Yuan Qingling was slightly puzzled. She looked up at Eunuch Mu Ru, but he seemed to have relaxed.
What exactly was going on here? The Empress had fainted, yet the Emperor wasn't going to her?
What did this have to do with Prince Qi and Princess Qi entering the palace?
She didn't dare ask. She slowly finished her soup, then the stew pot was removed and dish after dish was served. She saw Emperor Ming Yuan only took two bites from each dish, never a third time with his chopsticks.
There was a braised pork elbow she quite enjoyed. Emperor Ming Yuan took one bite then told Eunuch Mu Ru, "This elbow is good, reward it to Prince Rui."
"Yes!" Eunuch Mu Ru took it out to have the eunuchs deliver it to Prince Rui.
Yuan Qingling knew the Emperor had this habit of rewarding leftovers from his meals to his officials. It was considered an honor that the officials generally felt immensely glory for.
