sbdcsierra Chapter 261 Entering the Palace
Chapter 261 Entering the Palace
Thinking of this, Uncle Zhong called upstairs.
"Um... Ziguang, you don't need to pick out anything too fancy, just something decent will do."
Long Chuqing: ......? ? ?
Let's keep it simple. Miss Long is already so beautiful even without makeup; if she were to dress up, wouldn't she be even more radiant and captivating?
What if His Majesty takes a fancy to Miss Long and wants her to enter the palace to serve him?
No, no, no...
Our prince only has eyes for Miss Long, we can't let His Majesty snatch her away.
It would be bad if this matter caused the father and son to drift apart.
When Xiao Han arrived at Qiushui Pavilion, Long Chuqing had already gone upstairs to change her clothes.
"Your Highness..." Uncle Zhong bowed to Xiao Han as he approached.
"Hmm... Where's Chu Qing?"
"Miss Long is changing her clothes upstairs! She'll be down in a bit."
Xiao Han nodded, walked to the stone bench, and sat down to wait.
Long Chuqing changed into a light blue wide-sleeved dress, with the collar and cuffs adorned with exquisite dark patterns made of blue silk thread, which was neither ostentatious nor lacking in a luxurious sense of layering.
Zi Guang styled her hair into a simple yet elegant updo. Considering that it was not appropriate to wear a phoenix hairpin when entering the palace, the phoenix transformed into a regular hairpin. She also wore the white jade hairpin that Xiao Han had given her, along with a pair of simple jade earrings.
Feng Yu transformed into a bracelet and wore it on her wrist. She wore no makeup, only a light touch of lip rouge, and then went downstairs wearing a white windproof cloak.
"Chu Qing." Seeing Long Chu Qing walking downstairs, Xiao Han came forward to greet her.
"Your Highness, let's talk as we walk!" Uncle Zhong suggested.
While Long Chuqing was changing her clothes, Eunuch Yu sent someone to urge her again, mainly because there was still some distance between the Prince's residence and the palace, and he was afraid that His Majesty would be annoyed if he waited too long.
During the distance from Qiushui Pavilion to the front living room, Xiao Han told Long Chuqing about the emperor summoning him to the palace yesterday and mentioning things about her, so that she would have a clear understanding of the situation.
If Emperor Sukang knew that Xiao Han had told the parties involved about their chat, he would probably exclaim: "Good heavens, a grown son is like a bird that cannot stay at home! He betrayed his father so easily!"
"I don't know what Father Emperor's intentions are. Perhaps he wants to use this opportunity to observe you. You need to be careful..." Xiao Han gave a series of instructions.
Long Chuqing scoffed, "Why are you more nervous than me? It's just a meal. What's there to be careful about? You're talking as if your father is some kind of monster."
Xiao Han sighed inwardly: Chu Qing, your mysterious background is best left unasked by the Emperor. But if he does ask, how will you answer? This is what I worry about. Alas...
"Just figure out a way to gloss over the questions you don't want to answer; the most important thing is to get back safely..."
"Isn't that your home? It's not a den of dragons or tigers, what danger could there be! Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
As they spoke, the two arrived in the living room.
Eunuch Yu stepped forward and bowed to Xiao Han: "This servant greets Your Highness."
"No need for formalities..."
Uncle Zhong introduced: "Sir, this is Miss Long."
When Xiao Han and Long Chuqing walked side by side just now, Eunuch Yu noticed her and guessed that she must be the doctor that His Majesty wanted to see.
He bowed slightly to Long Chuqing.
The group walked towards the gate of the mansion.
"Your Highness, to prevent His Majesty from waiting too long, this servant will lead Doctor Long into the palace first."
“Hmm,” Xiao Han nodded slightly.
"The slave retire."
"Dr. Long, please..." Eunuch Yu bowed slightly and gestured for him to enter.
Since Emperor Sukang invited her to a banquet on the grounds that Long Chuqing had saved Prince Yu, Eunuch Yu addressed her directly as "Doctor".
Long Chuqing gave Xiao Han a reassuring smile, then followed Eunuch Yu into the palace carriage.
Xiao Han stood upright at the door, watching the carriage disappear into the distance until it turned the corner.
Qing Tong noticed Xiao Han's worry and gently comforted him, "Your Highness, it's just a simple palace banquet. Miss Long should be able to handle it. You don't need to worry too much."
Yes... Chu Qing is so smart, and Father Emperor isn't an unreasonable person, so what am I worried about?
"You're right, I was overthinking it."
"Your Highness," Uncle Zhong came out, "Lunch is ready, please go back and have your meal!"
Royal Palace
The empty palace path gradually widened, with gusts of cold wind blowing from time to time, carrying the chill and loneliness unique to winter.
The sunlight shone on the glazed tiles of the roof, giving them a golden glow and adding a touch of warmth to the chilly winter day.
Long Chuqing was wearing a thick cloak and didn't feel cold, but the soles of her shoes were already soaked with cold.
Eunuch Yu led Long Chuqing along the palace path, taking small, quick steps, his hands tucked into his sleeves, the fabric rustling as he moved.
"This old man's walking posture is quite comical, like a penguin, haha..." Fei Feng laughed.
Because of the cold weather, Grandpa Yu was dressed quite warmly, and his small, quick steps made him look just like a penguin hurrying along.
“Look closely, the other eunuchs are pretty much the same!” Feng Yu said.
There were eunuchs sweeping the floor nearby, as well as other eunuchs hurrying past the two of them.
On the way, they also encountered palace maids with double buns, carrying gilded boxes and wearing pale yellow skirts. Their skirts swept across the steps as they walked up the corridor toward the inner palace.
Feng Yu said, "The architecture is pretty much the same as the palaces of other dynasties, except that the palace servants' clothes are slightly different. There's nothing much to see."
“Yes!” Fei Feng said, “Especially in winter, without the accompaniment of green leaves, it seems even more empty and desolate.”
"However, I saw several very handsome guards in that patrol team that just passed by! They were wearing full armor and looked particularly imposing."
Feng Yu said, "This is a unique view of the palace; you can't see it anywhere else! Hehe..."
“I saw it too.” Fei Feng chimed in, sounding deeply agreeable: “Especially the one leading the team, he must be the head guard, right? He has an upright posture, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and is very masculine.”
“Great minds think alike,” Feng Yu echoed.
Long Chuqing was speechless: "Do you two think this is a tourist attraction or a show? You have no manners at all, and you're even admiring and commenting on other people's work."
"Besides, what do you mean there aren't any elsewhere? Doesn't the Prince's mansion have guards too? Aren't Xiao Han and Qing Tong and the others quite handsome?"
Fei Feng said, "Qing Tong and the others don't wear armor."
Oh... it's a problem with the armor!
“Look how serious you are,” Feng Yu said righteously, “The weather is so cold, we’re just trying to liven things up for you! So you won’t be nervous when you dine with the emperor later.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Fei Feng echoed.
"Come on, I'm not nervous at all!" Long Chuqing said dismissively, "Isn't the emperor still a human being? It's a small matter, don't panic."
Lunch was set out in the Yicheng Hall next to the Imperial Study, and the two of them soon arrived outside the hall.