Marrying Gold and Jade

On the first day of arriving in Kyoto, it was around noon, the sun was high in the sky, and Xu Jinxuan walked in front of her, followed by a huge procession.

Lin Yu sat in the sedan chair prepared for the prince and went all the way to the palace gate.

It was so absurd, but Master Shen remained silent.

Lin Yu leaned out of the sedan chair and saw the towering palace gate that reached into the blue sky, making the originally grand ceremonial procession seem insignificant.

The imperial city was heavily guarded, but after their identities were verified, the group was quickly let in.

Lin Yu heard Grand Tutor Shen say to Xu Jinxuan, "You will be crowned in two days. His Majesty wants to postpone the coronation so that you can stay in the palace for a longer period of time. The Chonghua Palace where Empress Ling lived before has now been vacated for you."

"The welcoming banquet will be held tomorrow. At this moment, His Majesty is waiting for you in the Qianqing Palace."

At this point, he turned his head and looked at Lin Yu, "As for Miss Lin, you can stay here temporarily..."

"She lives with me." Xu Jinxuan had no objection at first, until the Grand Tutor mentioned Lin Yu.

"Even if Your Highness wants to marry Miss Lin tomorrow, this is not in accordance with etiquette."

"In your opinion, how many things have I done that are in accordance with etiquette since I was born?"

Master Shen said nothing more.

When they were about to go their separate ways, Xu Jinxuan turned around and said, "Wait for me at Chonghua Palace."

Lin Yu knew that she was going to meet her father, and the sedan chair that was supposed to belong to Xu Jinxuan carried her all the way, swaying for half an hour before finally arriving at Chonghua Palace.

When Zhu Lian Qing Dai helped her get out of the sedan chair, a group of palace maids knelt in front of her.

Six palace maids and six eunuchs said in unison: "Your servants (slaves) respectfully welcome Your Highness back to the palace."

This is awkward.

They all followed the rules and lowered their heads, and didn't even see who got out of the sedan chair.

At this time, Lin Yu looked at Qingdai for help.

Qing Dai cleared her throat and said, "Everyone, get up. The Fifth Prince hasn't come yet."

The leading palace maid raised her head first, and when she saw Lin Yu, her expression became a little complicated for a moment.

But seeing that she came in a sedan chair, and hearing that the Fifth Prince had chosen his future princess outside the palace, the man cleverly asked, "Is it Miss Lin?"

Lin Yu nodded slightly, and she bowed again, "Your servant Tanfang greets the young lady. The young lady has been exhausted from the journey, so why not take a rest in the palace first, and then make plans after His Highness returns to the palace."

After all, people in the palace are people in the palace, and they are always careful in what they say and do. Even though she came in Xu Jinxuan's sedan chair in a rather unruly manner and the marriage was not even planned yet, this group of people were still respectful.

Lin Yu was also calculating from time to time. On the way, he only asked the family members around him to speak, while he himself looked at the furnishings and arrangements of Chonghua Palace, and also looked at the group of palace servants behind him.

"This is the west side hall of Chonghua Palace. You can take a rest here, young lady."

Lin Yu sat down and said the first sentence since entering the palace: "You work carefully, you deserve a reward."

After saying this, Zhu Lian took out a silver ingot from her sleeve pouch and handed it to Tanfang.

The steady maid did not refuse, and took it with both hands and said, "I will take my leave first. If Your Highness returns to the palace for dinner, I will come back to inform the young lady."

Qingdai stepped forward again and exchanged pleasantries. After the side hall door closed, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Among them, Qingdai's mouth was the heaviest. She relaxed her stiff back and turned around and said, "The people in this palace are so rigid. They are all like fake people!"

No matter how big the Lin family's business is, it is just a merchant family. There are not many rules in the family, and people just treat each other with courtesy on a daily basis.

Along the way, she heard so many words "servant" and "slave" that her ears were callused.

Lian Zhulian also raised his hand and tapped his shoulder, "Now you know, you have to be more careful in the future."

Lin Yu dared to relax a little only after closing the door. Seeing that it was getting dark outside, he wondered whether Xu Jinxuan and the emperor would have dinner together today as they had not seen each other for more than ten years.

He looked around the furnishings in the side hall again and heard from Grand Tutor Shen on the way that this was the former residence of Empress Lingfei.

That Lingfei must be Xu Jinxuan’s biological mother.

The palace had not expected that Xu Jinxuan would bring herself here. The side hall was fully equipped with tables, chairs, and beds, but it was still lacking a dressing table.

"Compared to our home, the furnishings in the palace are just like this."

It was Qingdai who said this, and Lin Yu nodded in agreement.

It turned out that her own boudoir in Yaoguang Courtyard was not worse than that in the palace.

Tanfang led her into the West Hall, and Lin Yu did not go out to look anywhere else, just waiting for news from Xu Jinxuan.

About half an hour later, Tan Fang knocked on the palace door again: "Miss Lin, the chief steward Liang who is with the Queen is here."

The three of them had to sit up straight again, and Qingdai stepped forward and opened the door of the palace.

Compared to Tan Fang, this Manager Liang obviously had a higher status and his position was not clear. He even looked Lin Yu up and down.

"Please change your clothes, young lady, and follow me to pay my respects to the Queen."

Lin Yu had just arrived and had no idea what kind of person the queen was, or what her past was with Xu Jinxuan, or even with Xu Jinxuan's mother.

Qingdai was sharp-eyed. When she saw the clothes held by the maid behind the steward, she said, "Those are spring clothes. They are so thin. It's already winter now."

It was clear that everyone in the palace had changed into winter clothes, but the palace clothes sent to Lin Yu were not that.

As we walked along, we knew how big the palace was. It was so cold, and changing into such thin clothes, it must be intentional.

Liang had been in the inner court for many years, and had not seen such a straightforward person for a long time. He glanced at Qingdai with a little surprise and said, "You must not lose your manners when meeting the Empress. Miss Lin is of a different status, so it is not appropriate for her to wear the clothes of a palace girl. The Empress specifically instructed me to choose a dress that the eldest princess left in Kunning Palace."

Such thin clothes were left over by others.

Everyone around her knew that Lin Yu would not wear other people's clothes, no matter whether she was a princess or a palace maid.

Seeing that the situation was a bit stalemate, she felt that the silver she had just handed to Tanfang was not wasted, so she stepped forward and said, "Manager Liang, please wait a moment. I will help the young lady change her clothes."

The eunuch hummed again, "Hurry up", then turned around and walked out of the hall.

Tan Fang then said to the others in a concise manner: "The Queen is very strict about rules, and so are the people around her. Young lady, you must not neglect them."

"You will be wearing the cloak on the way, and you can take it off before entering Kunning Palace."

Lin Yu had a bad feeling and suddenly said while changing clothes: "I heard that the Fifth Prince's biological mother and the Empress were close friends?"

Of course not, she made it up.

Tan Fang looked strange for a moment when she heard this, and she knew that she was asking about the relationship between the Queen and Chonghua Palace, so she just said, "There is absolutely no such thing."

This shows that Lin Yu’s perception was correct, the Queen was deliberately making things difficult for her.

Moreover, while Xu Jinxuan is away.

"I understand."

The rules in the Queen's Kunning Palace were stricter. Zhu Lian Qingdai was left outside the palace gate, holding the cloak she had taken off.

Lin Yu shuddered slightly and followed the steward Liang into the hall. He thought there would be a charcoal brazier in the hall, but when he reached the eaves, he was stopped again.

"His Highness the Seventh Prince and Minister Du's daughter are talking to the Queen. Please do not disturb them at this moment."