"Ah... Xiao Bing, tell me, what married couple in the world doesn't sleep together? And now we have to sleep in separate rooms..."
"I only pulled her blanket over myself, and she got furious and kicked me out. Tell me, if all the women in the world were like that, how could anyone live...?"
"Emperor Consort, the fact that Her Majesty let you move into Qianqing Palace is already a huge concession. If it were anyone else, they'd probably be ready to be reborn by now. You should count yourself lucky."
As Xiao Bing spoke, a trace of helplessness showed in her eyes.
She was glad to see their relationship progressing, but this was too fast. Her Majesty had that kind of personality; she wouldn't be able to accept it.
"But maybe if you sneak over there tonight..."
Chu Ning glanced at Xiao Bing, his eyes lighting up.
"There's a chance?"
Xiao Bing looked around and lowered her voice. "Give it a try. Her Majesty won't kill you. She's even afraid of accidentally hurting you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have just kicked you out."
"So you want me to risk my life testing Qinglian's limits? Why don't you go?"
"I'm only a maid, but you're the Emperor Consort. Her Majesty definitely wouldn't behead you..."
As they chatted, they moved some things from the neighboring palace into Qianqing Palace.
There wasn't much, just a few articles of clothing and some books. Xiao Bing took care of everything and then helped Chu Ning tidy up his room.
"If you're staying in Qianqing Palace, Emperor Consort, you can call for me whenever you need anything."
"Really?"
The young woman nodded earnestly. "I serve Her Majesty, so I should serve the Emperor Consort too. Of course it's true."
"Then sneak Qinglian over here tonight. If you can't, you won't get any dinner tomorrow."
"Why does Mister always ask for such difficult things? If I could do it, I would have already."
"I can tell you're on my side. Xiao Bing, train hard. Once you surpass Qinglian, carry her over to my bed!"
Since Ye Qinglian had publicly acknowledged Chu Ning as her Emperor Consort in court, he was naturally free to go wherever he pleased.
His wife was thinking things over, so he wouldn't interfere in matters concerning the Great Zhou Dynasty. Ye Qinglian could handle them herself, and she could come up with a good solution.
So Xiao Bing suggested taking Chu Ning to the Bureau of Weaving to see the formal clothes he would wear for the upcoming Grand Wedding.
Along the way, the young woman did her best to fill Chu Ning in.
After serving Ye Qinglian for so many years, Xiao Bing knew a great deal—for example, Her Majesty's habits and personality, along with various ways to flatter and ingratiate oneself with her.
"Xiao Bing, I can understand everything else, but flattery isn't necessary. She may be the emperor, but she's also my wife. Get it?"
"But surely Her Majesty likes hearing those things?"
"Then it'd have the opposite effect. If I did that, she'd see me as a subject, not her husband. Understand?"
Xiao Bing nodded seriously, as if she understood.
"No wonder things are progressing so quickly between the Emperor Consort and Her Majesty. The Emperor Consort has his own special approach. I won't offer you any advice, then, but I can tell you about the other things."
"Good Xiao Bing! I'll give you a special dinner tonight!"
The two arrived outside the Bureau of Weaving.
The inside of the bureau was at its busiest.
The silkworm silk from Jiangnan had been soaked by the floods and was unusable, so they had bought silk at a high price from the neighboring Luohen Dynasty. They had to weave day and night without the slightest mistake, or the female officials, from top to bottom, would all lose their heads.
Time was incredibly tight, yet they still had to maintain quality. The whole place was in a frenzy.
A female palace official, who was in charge of the Bureau of Weaving, saw them arrive. Though she didn't recognize Chu Ning, any man who could move freely in the Inner Palace had to be the Emperor Consort.
"This subordinate pays her respects to the Emperor Consort and Palace Official Ye."
Chu Ning curiously took in everything inside.
Several hundred people were working not only on the two sets of formal clothes for the Grand Wedding, but also on all the other palace furnishings. Even the silk bedding for the bridal chamber was being made with the finest workmanship. Everything was mainly gold and deep red, exuding the royal family's dignity and festive spirit.
"Is the Emperor Consort here to inspect the formal clothes? This way, please..."
The two went inside and came to a luxurious outfit that was nearly finished. Gold thread had been skillfully worked into the edges, making it extravagantly ornate. Chu Ning couldn't help feeling tempted by it.
"Is this Her Majesty's?"
"Her Majesty's outfit is already finished. This one is yours, Emperor Consort."
"They're both Dragon Robes?"
"According to the dynasty's ceremonial rules, if a woman is empress, she wears a phoenix coronet and bridal robes. A man naturally can't wear an outfit of that same style, so yours is made according to the rules for Her Majesty's Dragon Robe. There are just some differences in the Dragon Pattern on the chest and around the edges. Her Majesty's Dragon Pattern is gold, while yours is dark gold, to distinguish the two."
Chu Ning didn't think there was anything wrong with it. The dynasty's rules were sensible, and the ceremonial rites were quite good. There was nothing awkward about them, and he didn't care about the color of the Dragon Pattern. He was just curious about how Ye Qinglian would look wearing hers...
Your Majesty, don't take off your Dragon Robe. I like you just like this...
Could that happen? Maybe it wasn't impossible! They could always try it on again sometime!
The others had no idea Chu Ning's thoughts had already soared into the heavens. They assumed he was admiring the clothes.
The female palace official smiled and said, "Some time ago, Palace Official Ye asked this subordinate to have some clothes made for the Emperor Consort to wear every day. But with the Grand Wedding approaching, the work was put on hold. Now that you're here, I'd like to ask what colors and styles you prefer."
Chu Ning came back to himself and asked curiously, "Are there any colors besides dark gold?"
"White, black, red, and so on. Whatever the Emperor Consort can think of, we can make."
"Black, then. It looks understated. A peerless expert like me should be a little more reserved and inscrutable."
The woman smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond, and simply nodded.
"Once we've finished the wedding clothes, we'll bring the Emperor Consort some styles to look over. You can choose whichever you like best."
"Good."
Xiao Bing smiled and said, "If the Emperor Consort really wants to become a peerless expert from beyond the world, why not start cultivating? For the Great Gan Dynasty, at least reaching the Celestial Phenomenon realm would make you a peerless expert."
"Heh, I'm already high enough. Calling me a peerless expert from beyond the world isn't much of a stretch."
Xiao Bing smiled without replying. Chu Ning glanced at her.
"Oh? You don't believe me?"
"I do, I do. Mister is a peerless expert from beyond the world."
"Damn, you clearly don't believe me at all. Fine, then. I'll give you a few pointers on that Great Evolution Heavenly Dao Chapter I gave you earlier. What do you say? What don't you understand?"
Xiao Bing froze for a moment, remembering the cultivation manual gathering dust in her room. She felt a little awkward.
Of course, she couldn't very well admit that she hadn't read it at all...
"Um... this servant is too slow-witted. I couldn't understand any of it."
Chu Ning sighed when he heard that.
"Fine. Since you've done so much to bring the two of us together, I'll personally give you some pointers, so my status as a peerless expert doesn't come crashing down in your eyes!"
"Let's go!"
Xiao Bing was stunned.
Wasn't that book just a joke? Was Chu Ning really going to give her pointers?
He couldn't be serious...
But the Emperor Consort had said it himself...
Fine, she'd play along. She couldn't let the Emperor Consort's kindness go to waste.
Before you continue