Peach Blossom.

Since Tian Le's home was quite far from Chen Ji's residence, and the two of them had to walk, after sending Tian Le home, it was already two o'clock in the morning when Chen Ji walked back.

Walking alone at night, Chen Ji felt a little bored and recalled what Tian Le had said.

"You have already married the princess, who is the most noble woman in Qi State. You cannot show any second thoughts, or your life will be difficult."

Thinking of this, Chen Ji couldn't help but smile. He thought Tian Le probably didn't understand Si Rong.

Although he and Si Rong were ordered to get married, they were just sleeping in the same bed but having different dreams.

On the wedding night, he actually had no interest in Si Rong. Si Rong was considered to be pretty, but she was still far inferior to Tao Ye.

However, in order to show his loyalty to the current emperor, he took the initiative to touch Si Rong. Si Rong did not reject him, but she did not show the shyness that a woman should have on her first night.

The two of them didn't say a word the whole night.

It was like completing a task, but the wedding night was really boring.

During their honeymoon period, he sometimes lived in the study and sometimes in Si Rong's room. No matter whether he went or not, Si Rong would not ask the reason.

He really wanted to know what Si Rong's attitude would be if he did not come back all night?

So he continued wandering the streets, passing by the gate of his brother's former residence, the Grand Marshal's Mansion, passing by the wall of Princess Si Yao's Mansion, passing by the window of Meixiangxie Taoye's room, until dawn in the east, he slowly walked back to his current residence - the Duke of Qiao's Mansion.

Many servants in the yard were sweeping dead leaves and feeding birds and fish. When they saw him, they quickly made way for him and bowed to him.

He walked forward silently towards Si Rong's living room, and saw from afar Si Rong sitting under the eaves in a daze, with her maid Xiaoying accompanying her.

Walking further, he noticed that although Si Rong's face looked dull, her eyes were always looking in one direction.

He silently approached the master and servant from behind, and followed Si Rong's gaze. It turned out that Fang Qing and several other maids were chatting and laughing in the yard.

A maid said to Fang Qing: "Madame Ma's child must be very pretty."

Another maid touched Fang Qing's belly and joked, "Let me guess, is it a boy or a girl?"

Fang Qing pushed the maid's hand away, her face flushed with shame: "Oh... stop messing around..."

Hearing the maids' laughter, Si Rong also smiled softly.

Chen Ji was speechless. He just stood behind Si Rong, but Si Rong was completely unaware of him.

He had no choice but to cough.

"Lord..." Xiaoying hurriedly saluted Chen Ji.

Si Rong also stood up slowly and smiled at Chen Ji: "You're here?"

"Do you know where I was last night?" Chen Ji looked at Si Rong with a smile.

Si Rong was stunned for a moment: "Last night? Didn't you sleep in the study last night?"

Chen Ji couldn't help but smile. This was his wife, this was his home.

I think, if he had encountered some criminals last night and died outside, no one in his family would know about it.

Chen Ji said nothing and turned back to his study.

Si Rong was very confused. She felt like something was wrong, so she quickly told Xiao Ying to ask the guard who was on duty in the study last night.

Xiaoying asked the night guard in the study and then asked the guard at the gate, only then did she know that Chen Ji had left home at 3 a.m. yesterday and returned early this morning.

Si Rong felt very sorry about this, so she asked the kitchen to prepare some food, delivered it to the study personally, and knocked on the door.

After knocking on the door for a while, there was no sound from the room, so she pushed the door open a crack and looked inside. It turned out that Chen Ji was asleep on the bed.

Having walked all night, Chen Ji was very tired and slept very soundly.

Seeing this, Si Rong told the maid to stay outside the door and went in with the food box.

After entering, she closed the door again, put the food box on the table, walked to the bed and sat down, pushing Chen Ji.

Chen Ji opened his tired eyes and saw Si Rong.

"I'm sorry, I'm an incompetent wife. I'm here to bring you food. If you are willing to forgive me, please stand up and have a bite." Si Rong lowered her head, looking very sincere.

Chen Ji sat up, stared at Si Rong, and asked, "Do you feel wronged for marrying me?"

Si Rong quickly shook her head.

"Don't be afraid. Tell me the truth, is every day you spend with me a struggle?" Chen Ji pulled Si Rong's hand. Si Rong's hands were very cold, so he covered them with his own hands.

Si Rong didn't dare to look up at Chen Ji, nor did she dare to shake her head to deny, but two lines of bean-sized tears rolled silently from her eyes.

Chen Ji raised his hand, touched Si Rong's cheek, and wiped away the two lines of tears.

At this moment, Si Rong felt that Chen Ji's hands were very rough. After Chen Ji put down his hands, she saw calluses and scars on Chen Ji's hands, which should be the proof of a brave warrior.

Chen Ji still looked at Si Rong with a deep gaze: "Since you've come to apologize, why don't we talk it out at once?

You should know that at the emperor's enthronement ceremony, the person I wanted to ask for marriage was Tao Ye, but the emperor took the lead and betrothed you to me.

I am thirteen years older than you, and I have been divorced once, so I am really not worthy of you. But the emperor insisted on doing so, and I think you know the reason as well as I do.

Although I was reluctant to get married, I never went to see Tao Ye again after marriage. That was my respect for you... What about you?"

"I... I also want to work hard..." Si Rong started to cry again: "Actually... I don't want to be a rope to tie you down. I'm not born a princess. I just want to be an ordinary woman... live an ordinary life..."

Chen Ji raised his lips slightly, smiled softly and asked: "Do you know what a normal day is?"

Si Rong raised her head slightly, she seemed not to understand why Chen Ji asked that.

"Live your life with your truest self, that's the most normal. It's not about your identity, but your attitude. Eat when you're hungry, sleep when you're tired, laugh when you're happy, cry when you're sad... In that way, will you still feel tired? Will you feel wronged?"

These words touched Si Rong deeply, because she had been pretending every day during this period. She was afraid that Chen Ji would discover her disguise, and then she would have let Si Yuan down.

However, for an old hand like Chen Ji, seeing through this little trick is a piece of cake.

Chen Ji held Si Rong's hand tightly, saying affectionately: "We are actually the same kind of people. We lost our mother when we were young, lived in loneliness for half our lives, and could not get the love we wanted. I hope we can be honest with each other, because we are already husband and wife, because Tao Ye does not love me, and because Ma Da does not love you.

In this case, why don't we shift our focus to each other? Is it true that what we can't get is the best? Is it true that what we already have is not worth cherishing?

If I could understand your thoughts, if I could accept your true joys and sorrows, if I was willing to cooperate with you in fulfilling your filial duty to your father... in your heart, am I inferior to Mada?"

"No...no..." Si Rong cried again. She didn't expect Chen Ji to say such words. Every word touched her heart.

She leaned on Chen Ji's chest and burst into tears. She couldn't help but cry as loudly as before, but she didn't know what to say to express how she felt in her heart.

Chen Ji didn't say anything else. He struck while the iron was hot and dragged Si Rong to the bed, pressed her under him, and kissed her fiercely.

This time, he found that Si Rong was a little more proactive. Although she was still choking with sobs, he knew that she was happy at the moment.

From then on, Chen Ji would spend every spare moment with Si Rong. He would also often take Si Rong to visit famous scenic spots in and outside the capital, creating all kinds of romance and surprises.

Si Rong had only been in Beijing for a short time and found everything new and interesting. She was also a young and naive girl and was easily satisfied. She no longer envied anyone else and just focused on managing her and her husband's small life.

At the same time, Chen Liang, under the secret order of Chen Ji, quietly left Beijing on a fast horse and rushed to Yongchang to investigate Mrs. Bai and others who stayed in Yongchang.

Long before Si Rong got married, Si Yuan had already placed several spies among the maids and attendants who came with her as a dowry, so they knew almost everything, big and small, that went on in the Duke of Qiao's mansion every day.

On this day, Si Yuan was playing chess with Madam Han when an informant brought news saying that Chen Ji had taken Si Rong somewhere for fun again and that they were getting closer and closer.

Madam Han congratulated Si Yuan: "Congratulations, Your Majesty. I didn't expect that Chen Ji would be won over by the princess so quickly. This is really cause for celebration."

Si Yuan raised his eyelids and smiled coldly: "Why do I feel that Rong'er was conquered by Chen Ji?"

"No way?" Madam Han picked up the chess piece, put her hand on her chin, and said with a puzzled look: "Where in his house doesn't our people live? If the love is fake, how can we not see any clues?"

"If the clues are so obvious, Chen Ji will not be Chen Ji anymore." Si Yuan looked at the chessboard, placed a piece, and even ate several of Mrs. Han's pieces.

Mrs. Han was very dissatisfied when she saw this. She grabbed a handful of chess pieces and put them all on the chessboard: "I don't want to play anymore! You set a trap while I was distracted. This is not fair!"

Si Yuan glanced at Madam Han and smiled: "You can't even afford to lose, you are so stingy."

Mrs. Han pouted and rolled her eyes.

Si Yuan took another look at the messy chess pieces on the board, his eyes swept over every square, his brows slightly furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.

Madam Han guessed what Si Yuan was thinking and suggested softly, "How about... reminding the princess?"

"It's nothing, what are you reminding her of? She is immersed in it and can't extricate herself. If we talk about it at this time, she will think that we are disturbing her hard-earned happiness."

"What should I do?"

"Chen Ji grew up reading military books and has been on the battlefield for many years, so he has many schemes and tricks. How old is Rong'er? She is trying to figure things out... How could she be a match for Chen Ji?" Si Yuan was still looking at the chessboard, smiling slightly.

Madam Han curled her lips and asked sullenly, "Knowing this, why did you marry your daughter to him?"

Si Yuan smiled helplessly and shook his head: "There is no perfect plan in the world. The best plan has failed, so we can only settle for the second best."

Mrs. Han had no choice but to slowly sort out the chess pieces on the board and put them away.

Si Yuan ordered again: "You don't need to worry about Rong'er's affairs. The most important thing right now is to arrange the prince's marriage."

Mrs. Han obeyed the order.

The last time Si Yuan pretended to faint, Madam Han had moved all the concubines left by Emperor Xiaozong to Empress Dowager Meng's Anshou Palace in the name of selecting new people to fill the harem. Then she said that preparing for the prince's wedding would cost a lot of money, so she "borrowed" a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry from various palaces.

Because these actions were tacitly approved by Empress Dowager Meng, although the concubines of Emperor Xiaozong were somewhat dissatisfied, they had nowhere to vent.

The prince's wedding is a national event. Coincidentally, the wedding date calculated by the Si Tiantai based on the birth dates of Si Xiu and Wang Yu fell on Si Yuan's birthday.

This was Si Yuan's first birthday after he ascended the throne, and it was of great significance. Therefore, all the government offices that had anything to do with this matter put in all their efforts and did their best to prepare for the official birthday banquet and the prince's wedding.

The Imperial Music Bureau was naturally no exception. The Imperial Music Commissioner instructed Tao Ye that this performance must be unique and win the favor of the emperor.

Tao Ye already had an idea about the performance and had been rehearsing for many days, but the addition of Shen Hui, the uninvited guest, made her feel uneasy.

After agreeing to Shen Hui's request for help, Tao Ye recalled that on the day of Si Rong and Chen Ji's wedding, there were many officials and their wives watching the ceremony in the palace, but it seemed that there was no Shen Hui, nor the Grand Tutor Shen Meng.

If Shen Hui couldn't even attend Si Rong's wedding, why would she dance at Si Xiu's wedding?

Tao Ye really couldn't figure it out. The more confused she was, the more worried she became. She felt that she needed to know more about the Shen family and the details of the prince's wedding, and perhaps she could figure out what was going on here.

She didn't want to bring trouble to the entire Taile Bureau for personal reasons.

When she thought about how to get the news, she thought of Chen Ji. However, it seemed inappropriate for her to meet Chen Ji now.

But apart from Chen Ji, she couldn't seem to think of anyone else who could help her.