Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

The next morning, Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu were waiting in Fengqi Palace.

When the Crown Prince led the Crown Princess towards them, the Emperor and the Empress smiled at each other with relief.

At noon, Emperor Shenwu hosted a banquet, and the emperor and empress bestowed countless rewards on the newlyweds.

In just half a day, Princess Wu could sense the Crown Prince's deep and unusual affection for his father, the Emperor, and his mother, the Empress Dowager. He was especially obedient to the Empress, and this realization made the Crown Princess feel a momentary discomfort.

Last night's wedding night had been nothing but standard for the Crown Princess. Raised in the inner chambers, she'd never seen a pig run, nor had she ever eaten pork. The Crown Prince had simply followed ancestral teachings and performed the Zhougong ritual with her, without any hint of infatuation or any particular emotion. This left her feeling a bit frustrated. In the middle of the night, Wu stared at the sleeping Crown Prince—her husband—but couldn't close her eyes. She wanted to reach out and hug him, but she couldn't move a finger. She could only stare blankly at him. It took an unknown amount of time before the Crown Princess finally fell half asleep.

The Crown Princess remembered her mother's words, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has been carefully nurtured by Emperor Shenwu since he was a child. He has been by the emperor's side since he was a child and has seen all kinds of human hearts in the previous dynasty and the harem. You can be a little clumsy when dealing with His Highness the Crown Prince, but you must not play any ulterior motives."

The Crown Princess' mother's words inadvertently revealed the truth. Lan Qingwu had once worried about her eldest son. The Crown Prince was sharp and intelligent. In his high position, he had eyes that could see through people's hearts. He was very sensitive to the good and evil intentions of everyone. This characteristic doomed Crown Prince Zhou Chengchen to a difficult time in his life.

In the eyes of Princess Wu, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's proper behavior towards the Crown Princess was undoubtedly a sign of alienation and coldness towards her. Now, seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince being so accommodating and attentive to another woman, she felt sour in her heart. Although that was the Crown Prince's biological mother, since ancient times, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been the most delicate and difficult to balance relationship in the world.

The Crown Princess had just gotten married, and she carefully concealed her true feelings, acting as if she were graceful and elegant. For a moment, Emperor Shenwu, Lan Qingwu, and the Crown Prince were all delighted.

By mid-September, a major event had occurred at the imperial court. For months, the distant city of Haicheng had been reporting to the Emperor Shenwu. Piracy had been rampant in recent years, with soldiers and civilians along the coast losing their lives almost monthly. These pirates formed large groups, hijacking merchant ships and fishing boats along designated routes, committing murder, arson, and other atrocities. The supposedly vast ocean had become a convenient and ideal place for pirates to destroy and dispose of bodies. Passing merchant ships and ordinary fishermen suffered greatly, leaving them in dire straits. The piracy problem was becoming increasingly serious.

One after another, memorials requesting help piled up on the imperial desk in Qianzheng Hall.

The Emperor Shenwu had been preoccupied with state affairs recently, and Lan Qingwu, in Fengqi Palace, was also troubled by a slight frown. Ruping and Ruhan were also discussing with Lan Qingwu the maritime threat threatening Floating Cloud City in the south.

Ru Ping couldn't bear to see Lan Qingwu frowning: "Your Majesty, this is a matter of the previous dynasty. Besides, His Majesty has already ordered the troops near the two states to provide support. You really don't need to worry so much."

Ruhan felt that Lan Qingwu had never been this worried before, so he asked, "Could it be that your Majesty has other concerns?"

Lan Qingwu said, "The sea is boundless and vast, and pirates are rampant no matter how hard we try. Even if Liuyun City has reinforcements, as long as those bandits dive into the deep sea, where can we find any trace of pirates in the vast ocean? And the army can't stay in the sea forever and wait for them to come. In short, this is a protracted war."

Ru Han asked curiously, "Then how should we deal with them? They run away when we attack them, and come out to cause trouble when we retreat. Isn't there any good way?"

Ru Ping knew a little more: "That's not that exaggerated. His Majesty has been searching for islands in the deep sea for several years. He stationed troops on each island, which did have some deterrent effect on those pirates."

Lan Qingwu nodded: "This method is good, but it will take a long time. If we continue to march into the deep sea, I am afraid that the troops will be insufficient. Dispersing the troops will stretch the battle line, which is also a major weakness."

Ruhan poured Lan Qingwu a cup of fragrant tea and said, "Your Majesty, it's useless to worry about these things. I believe His Majesty will handle the war well."

Ru Ping also changed the subject: "These days, the Crown Princess has been coming to Fengqi Palace every day to pay her respects, and your persuasion is useless. This shows how filial the Crown Princess is."

Lan Qingwu's smile faded slightly. "Filial piety doesn't depend on how many times or when you pay your respects. She does this every day, and I just feel bad that she can't get enough rest."

Lan Qingwu was slightly helpless: "Maybe she thought I was just being polite to her."

Ruhan and Ruping looked at each other. In fact, they also felt sorry for Lan Qingwu for not getting a good rest in the morning. It would be difficult for Lan Qingwu to fall asleep again at night after serving Emperor Shenwu.

The concubines in the harem only paid their respects on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month, and it had been so for many years. After the eldest prince and his companions got married, Lan Qingwu gave the same instruction. He also gave the same instruction to his own daughter-in-law. However, the Crown Princess paid her respects every day without fail. Even if she had to wait in a side hall for half an hour, she would wait quietly without interruption. Gradually, other princes' wives also came to the palace to pay their respects, for fear that they would be outdone by the Crown Princess, their own daughter-in-law, and leave an impression of being undiligence and unfilial in the minds of His Majesty and the Empress. The other princes' wives could only get up before dawn, wash and dress, and go into the palace to pay their respects, never daring to slack off again.

In this way, the eldest prince's wife, who has a child, will have a very hard time.

However, the Crown Princess was secretly a little proud in her heart, thinking that she had set a good example. With His Majesty and the Crown Prince watching, they would surely praise her.

Who was the Emperor Shenwu? He had seen countless people, and from this one small matter, he saw through what kind of person Wu was. However, the Emperor Shenwu didn't take this matter to heart at all, and he thought about it for a few moments before tossing it out of his mind. After all, this was not something the Emperor Shenwu should worry about.

The Crown Prince hinted at it twice, but unfortunately the Crown Princess was so focused on being the leader of her sisters-in-law that she didn't understand the Crown Prince's true intention.

A few days later, it was the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and Emperor Shenwu was on holiday. In the early morning, he held Lan Qingwu tightly and they spent some time together. When the clouds stopped and the rain stopped, Lan Qingwu was so sleepy that she didn't even open her eyes and fell asleep. Emperor Shenwu also took the opportunity to take a nap holding the beautiful girl in his arms.

Although it was the day for the imperial concubines to pay their respects, Imperial Concubine Jiang and the others arrived late. Emperor Shenwu was staying at Fengqi Palace, and there was no morning court today, so even if the Empress wanted to get up early, she couldn't. So, at the hour of Si, the imperial concubines arrived at Fengqi Palace one after another.