After the eldest sister-in-law of a fishing family became a widow, her disabled younger brother-in-l

Song Jinglan did not deliberately conceal the fact that Jiang Yuyue and her group had arrived at the palace.

When the palace servants heard that His Majesty had returned from his trip with a woman, and especially when they learned that there was a child who looked remarkably like His Majesty, their curiosity was at its peak.

As Jixiang led Jiang Yuyue toward Fengchi Palace, although the palace servants she encountered along the way were all extremely respectful and obedient, Jiang Yuyue could easily sense that most of them were secretly observing her. After all, she was the first woman the current emperor had brought into the palace since his ascension to the throne!

"Mother!"

As soon as he entered Fengchi Palace, Jiang Qimo took small steps and ran towards Jiang Yuyue.

After washing and grooming himself, he was now dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe, with delicate gold dragon patterns still faintly visible on the robe.

Jiang Qimo's appearance was inherited from Song Jinglan, and he naturally possessed a noble air. Although his face still had a touch of immaturity, his attire made him appear even more aristocratic.

"Young master, slow down!"

Xiaoliu hurriedly called out from behind, then quickly covered her mouth and whispered to Jasmine beside her, "Wait, shouldn't we start calling you 'Your Highness' now?"

"It's too early to say now."

Jiang Yuyue then hugged Jiang Qimo tightly, saying, "Since we haven't been officially appointed yet, you can address him as usual."

Jixiang, standing to the side, quickly smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, you don't need to worry about these details. Just call him whatever you like. Anyway, Young Master Mo is of His Majesty's blood. His Majesty has already set the date for the investiture. Changing the address early is no big deal."

Jiang Yuyue remained noncommittal. Although she did not question Song Jinglan's promises to her and her son, the matter was still unresolved. She was not worried about Song Jinglan, but about how the civil and military officials and the people would view her, a commoner who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

If the court officials object, would Song Jinglan really allow herself to ascend to the position of empress even if it meant losing all public support?

Even if Song Jinglan was willing to go to such lengths for her, Jiang Yuyue would not be willing to do so.

Jixiang was also perceptive. Seeing that Jiang Yuyue didn't speak, he didn't ask any more questions. He just quickly said, "Miss Jiang, please settle down here. His Majesty said that he was afraid you wouldn't be used to it, so he won't arrange for any other palace servants to come over. If you need anything, just send someone to tell this servant."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuyue nodded slightly, "Thank you."

After watching Jixiang leave, Jasmine noticed that her expression seemed a little off, so she stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Miss? Is there something wrong with you?"

"nothing."

Jiang Yuyue sighed slightly, "Perhaps I'm just a little tired. Go and prepare some water for me to take a bath."

She had already been delayed by her trip to the water town, and by the time the hot water in the hot spring relieved the fatigue of the past few days, it was already dark.

Jasmine and Xiaoliu stepped forward, holding the clothes, and asked, "Miss, which outfit would you like to change into?"

Jiang Yuyue took a closer look and couldn't help but gasp. It was not hard to tell that this was carefully prepared by Song Jinglan. She reached out and touched it and knew that both clothes were made of the finest brocade, and the robes were embroidered with flamboyant phoenix patterns. Every detail of the two clothes showed that the wearer was the empress.

"too exaggerated."

Jiang Yuyue still felt a little awkward. "We haven't been officially appointed yet, so let's not overstep our bounds. Go and get the clothes I brought earlier."

Xiaoliu was somewhat indignant upon hearing this, but Jasmine gestured for her not to say anything more before she went downstairs to find other clothes.

Even if Jiang Yuyue didn't say it, Jasmine could guess her concerns. After all, it was unheard of in Wanqi to make a merchant's daughter the empress, so it was only natural that her young lady would have such worries.

When she finished changing and returned to the palace, she found that Jiang Qimo had already fallen asleep on the bed. A palace maid rushed in to report, "Miss Jiang, His Majesty said that he has not finished reviewing the memorials, so he will not be coming for dinner."

Jiang Yuyue nodded slightly to indicate that she understood. She had seen how busy Song Jinglan had been before, and she knew how many important matters had been delayed in order to find her. It was normal for her to be busy dealing with the backlog of government affairs.

"Then let's eat by ourselves first."

late at night.

Song Jinglan put down the last memorial he was working on, and pressed his temples, which were throbbing slightly. He had been reviewing memorials for several hours in a row, and now he had finally finished dealing with all these matters.

"Jixiang, what time is it now?"

Jixiang, who was standing by, immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it is already past 1:00 AM."

1:00 AM (丑时)

Song Jinglan frowned slightly. "Did she come over and ask anything?"

Upon hearing this, Jixiang paused slightly, then replied hesitantly, "Miss Jiang hasn't sent anyone to inquire..."

He quickly added, "Perhaps Your Majesty had already sent someone to inform you, and Miss Jiang knew you were busy, so she didn't come to disturb you."

Although Jixiang's words made perfect sense, Song Jinglan felt quite frustrated that she hadn't even bothered to inquire about his situation. Jixiang, on the other hand, cautiously observed his expression. "Your Majesty, it's getting late. You have to attend the morning court tomorrow. Where would you like to rest?"

"Where else can we go? To Fengchi Palace."

Song Jinglan stood up and walked outside. It didn't matter if she didn't come; he would go to her.

There were no extra palace servants arranged in Fengchi Palace. As soon as Song Jinglan entered the bedchamber, he heard steady breathing. He looked at the bed and saw Jiang Yuyue sleeping peacefully, holding Jiang Qimo in her arms. The mother and son had fallen into a deep sleep.

Song Jinglan was initially a little unhappy, but when he saw this scene, his heart softened. This was the scene he had dreamed of for all these years, and now it had finally come true.

He gently removed his outer robe and lay down beside Jiang Qimo. As he faced Jiang Yuyue, he did not miss the slight tremor of her eyelashes.

However, seeing that she showed no sign of opening her eyes, Song Jinglan did not intend to point it out. He simply placed a light kiss on her forehead and then embraced both mother and child in his arms.

This was the most peaceful night's sleep Song Jinglan had had in many years.

The next morning, he got up early because he knew that a big show was about to take place in the court.

Song Jinglan hadn't deliberately tried to suppress the news that a woman had been brought back to the palace, and after a whole night of speculation, almost all the civil and military officials knew about it.