Consort An nodded, "Tian Yue, you are no longer a child."
Xue Tian Yue trembled and bowed, saying, "Yes, Mother Consort, your son remembers."
Consort An was about to say more, but Xue Xing Chen interrupted, "Consort, Tian Yue is simply happy to see his aunt. Let's forgo such formalities!"
"Your Majesty, Tian Yue will be the Crown Prince, the future successor. Such disregard for etiquette should be curbed, lest we be ridiculed by the world?"
Xue Xing Chen was startled. Consort An glanced at him and asked, "Your Majesty, am I wrong?"
"I..."
Xue Tian Yue suddenly interrupted Xue Xing Chen, saying, "Mother Consort, your son will be mindful from now on. The banquet has already begun."
"Yes, Tian Yue is correct," Xue Xing Chen said.
Consort An looked at Xue Tian Yue, her gaze questioning. Xue Tian Yue simply walked to the side and sat down.
Seeing Xue Tian Yue's actions, Consort An was so angry she almost broke her fingernails. After much effort, when the officials were all present, she brought up the matter of establishing the Crown Prince, only to have her good son interrupt her. Truly, her good son.
After several rounds of drinks, when no one was paying attention to Xue Xing Yue, she said softly, "Feng Wu, let's go out for a walk!" She felt like she would suffocate if she stayed here.
Feng Wu nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."
Leaving the main hall, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that all the discomfort she had experienced in the hall had dissipated.
"Your Highness." She looked up at Feng Wu and asked, "Is there something?"
Feng Wu nodded.
"What is it?"
"Meng Jiang Ming wishes to see you."
She blinked in surprise, "Who is Meng Jiang Ming?"
Feng Wu replied, "The heir of the Duke of Ning's mansion." She added, "He will be your future consort."
Xue Xing Yue then remembered, so he was her future consort, "He wants to see me?"
Feng Wu nodded, "Yes."
"Where is he?"
Feng Wu said, "He is outside the Luoyu Palace now, and Feng Jiu is entertaining him."
"Entertaining?" How could she not remember her Feng Wei being so kind?
"After all, he is the future consort, so your subordinate will certainly entertain him with all her might." Feng Wu said with a smile, assuring that she would make the future consort unforgettable.
"Take me to see him," Xue Xing Yue said.
"Your Highness, please follow Feng Wu."
Xue Xing Yue arrived at Luoyu Palace. Before she could enter, she heard Meng Jiang Ming's voice from inside, "You... what did you give me to drink?"
Feng Jiu looked at Meng Jiang Ming, smiling brilliantly, "Of course, it is the Luoxue tea I brewed."
Meng Jiang Ming frowned, thinking to himself that the tea tasted a bit off.
He put down the teacup and asked, "When can Princess Ming Zhu return?"
Feng Jiu replied, "Seize the day, the banquet has not yet ended. You will likely have to wait a bit longer."
Meng Jiang Ming felt some resentment. His good aunt had stopped him from coming to the imperial palace for fear of him causing trouble at the banquet, but she likely didn't expect him not only to come but also to be in Princess Ming Zhu's palace.
"How much longer?" Meng Jiang Ming asked impatiently.
"This subordinate does not know. Seize the day, you can have tea and wait."
Have tea? This tea tasted like horse urine. He found it disgusting, let alone drinking it. He wondered how Princess Xing Yue could have such a strong palate to be able to drink this kind of tea.
Thinking of this, he still felt that his gentle cousin was better. If it weren't for Princess Xing Yue's interference, he and his cousin would have long since become husband and wife.
Now, he couldn't defy the imperial decree. If he wanted to be with his cousin, his cousin would have to become a concubine, and he truly couldn't bear to do that.
It was all Princess Xing Yue's fault for choosing him among so many handsome scholars in the court.
It was said that everyone who had seen Princess Xing Yue described her as large, robust, dark, and strong, not at all like a woman. Thinking about having to share a room with such a person in the future, he felt he might as well just hit his head against a wall and die.
Thinking of the jokes his scoundrel friends had made during the day, he became increasingly angry.
Therefore, he had come here to tell Princess Xing Yue that marrying her was something he couldn't defy the imperial decree for, but after that, they would mind their own business. Forcing him to consummate the marriage was a dream, and he must take his cousin as a concubine.
"Your Highness, your subordinate will go in first and brief this Young Master Meng."
With that, without waiting for Xue Xing Yue's reply, he walked in directly.
"You are Meng Jiang Ming?" Feng Wu asked, walking in and looking at Meng Jiang Ming.
Feng Jiu looked at Feng Wu, his eyes questioning. Soon, the two reached an understanding.
"You are back," Feng Jiu said, stepping forward respectfully.
Hearing Feng Jiu's words, Meng Jiang Ming knew that this must be Princess Xing Yue. He raised his head, and the moment he saw her, he almost dropped the teacup he had just picked up.
This... this is a woman? He swallowed hard. To avoid losing composure, he drank the entire cup of tea. Suddenly, he felt that the tea was not that unpalatable, at least much better than the Princess Xing Yue in front of him.
"Your subject, Meng Jiang Ming, greets Your Highness." Meng Jiang Ming stood up and bowed to Princess Xing Yue.
"You are too kind, Young Master." Feng Wu sneered inwardly. Meng Jiang Ming's expression had been clearly visible to her. Such a person was not worthy of Your Highness.
"Why is the Young Master not looking up?" Feng Wu asked, seeing Meng Jiang Ming looking down.
Meng Jiang Ming kept his head down. He really didn't want to look up. His tastes weren't that extreme, but they weren't that bad either.
"Young Master." Feng Wu emphasized.
Meng Jiang Ming gritted his teeth and raised his head. Looking at this Princess Xing Yue, who could barely be called a woman, his heart sank. He must have committed sins in his past life to be tormented by this androgynous Princess Xing Yue in this life.
"Your... Your Highness..." Meng Jiang Ming stammered.
"Did you need something from Your Highness?" Feng Wu asked.
Meng Jiang Ming couldn't hear what Feng Wu was saying at the moment. His mind was filled with the image of Princess Xing Yue with her masculine yet feminine appearance.
However, he quickly recovered. Since it was like this, his request was not excessive.
"Your Highness, since the imperial decree has been issued, your subject cannot defy it. However, your subject has a childhood sweetheart, a cousin, and I beg Your Highness to allow my cousin to join the household."
Upon hearing this, Feng Wu was enraged. Without anything happening yet, he was already thinking of taking his cousin as a concubine?
As Feng Wu was contemplating how to discipline Meng Jiang Ming, someone interrupted her, "This consort agrees."
Meng Jiang Ming continued, "Not only that, Your Highness, your subject cannot consummate the marriage with you."
"This consort is also very willing."
Meng Jiang Ming was taken aback. Was this Princess Xing Yue a bit foolish? She agreed to such terms? He looked up and saw a woman standing beside Princess Xing Yue.
His gaze faltered. The woman was wearing a crimson palace dress, her face fair and beautiful, her eyes clear, like a clear mountain spring, seeming to flow into one's heart.
"You..."
Xue Xing Yue stepped forward and said, "Young Master Meng, this consort is Princess Xing Yue."
"You..." Meng Jiang Ming pointed at Feng Wu again, stuttering incoherently.
Feng Wu said coldly, "I am Feng Wu, one of Your Highness's Feng Wei."