Chai Yue had already risen and was having her hair done with the assistance of Bing'er and Xue'er. Seeing Fang Er enter, she couldn't help but playfully chide him.
"My lord, why didn't you call Yue'er when you woke up? The sun is already high in the sky."
"Hehe, my lord just saw how hard you worked last night and wanted you to sleep a little longer."
"Look, I stewed some chicken soup for you. It just came out of the pot. Qing'er said it smells delicious."
Fang Er smiled, placed the chicken soup on the table, walked behind Chai Yue, took the comb from Bing'er, and began to comb Chai Yue's hair himself.
At first, his movements were clumsy. After all, what man has ever fiddled with such things?
But he quickly found his rhythm. The hands of an eighth-grade craftsman were not to be trifled with. Combing hair was a matter of minutes.
Chai Yue watched Fang Er meticulously comb her hair in the mirror and felt incredibly happy. When her mother was alive, her father probably never combed her hair.
Suddenly, she remembered Fang Er's words from earlier and the passion of the night. She blushed and covered her face, not knowing what to say.
After dressing and washing up, the chicken soup in the bowl was no longer too hot. Chai Yue picked up the spoon and took just one sip before freezing.
Then, she put the spoon aside, held the bowl, and drank it all in one go.
When she set the bowl down, her eyes were red, and it seemed as if tears were about to fall, startling Fang Er.
"Yue'er, what's wrong?"
"Wuwuwuwu~~ My lord, Yue'er misses mother."
"When I was little and sick, mother would stew chicken soup like this for me to drink."
"But I've been married for so long and haven't gone to pay respects to mother. Am I very unfilial?"
Chai Yue threw herself into Fang Er's arms and burst into tears.
"Hey! I thought it was something serious!"
"Bing'er, Xue'er, go and prepare. We'll go pay our respects right away."
"Yes, master."
The two maids bowed and exited the room to prepare what was needed for the ceremony.
In the Imperial Palace, at the Liangji Hall, Li Shimin sat behind his imperial desk, looking at memorials. Suddenly, he threw a memorial aside.
"Little Dengzi, hasn't the Marquis of Liaodong arrived yet?"
"We received a report from the Hundred Riders Division last night saying the lad had already returned, but it's noon now and he still hasn't come to report on the military situation." Li Shimin was a bit anxious.
"What else has happened on the grassland after his return?"
The eunuch Deng Dengjie quickly stepped forward: "Replying to Your Majesty, the Marquis of Liaodong has not yet arrived."
"Send someone to look!"
Li Shimin picked up the next memorial with some displeasure.
"As you command!"
Deng Dengjie stepped back two paces, flicked his horsetail whisk, and turned to leave Liangji Hall.
About fifteen minutes later, Deng Dengjie returned to Liangji Hall: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards on their way to Fangjia Village met the Marquis of Liaodong."
"The Marquis of Liaodong said he was on his way to the palace."
Li Shimin froze for a moment, then smiled with relief: "Consider him thoughtful. Alright, go and wait aside."
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a guard entered Liangji Hall and reported to Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Liaodong drove away the pickup truck."
Li Shimin: "........... "
"Damn it, I waited half the day, and this brute comes, takes the vehicle, and runs off without even reporting the military intelligence?"
With an extremely displeased snort: "Go and chase after him and ask him what he's busy with!"
"Yes!"
The guard left. Fang Er hadn't gone far. There were many people in the city, and the pickup truck couldn't drive fast. Before long, they caught up.
"My Lord, the Emperor sent me to ask what you are busy with?"
Chai Yue nudged Fang Er's arm upon hearing this: "My lord, does your uncle still expect your report?"
Fang Er chuckled, turned to look at the guard, and took a piece of silver from his pocket, tossing it over.
"Brother, please relay to His Majesty that this Marquis is going to Xianling to pay respects to my mother-in-law."
The guard took the silver, looking somewhat uncertain: "My Lord, shall I relay your words to the Emperor exactly as they are?"
"Go ahead!"
"Very well, thank you for the Marquis's generosity!"
After thanking him, the guard turned his horse and headed back to the palace.
Li Shimin heard the report, paused, and then smiled.
"Alright, consider him thoughtful. You may go."
After the guard left, Li Shimin picked up a blank piece of paper, quickly wrote a few lines, and then stamped it with his seal before beckoning Deng Dengjie.
"Take this to the Hundred Riders Division and have them deliver it to Xianling by express courier."
Princess Pingyang was the third daughter of Li Yuan, and her mother was Empress Dowager Dou.
She possessed exceptional talent and courage. In her early years, she married Chai Shao, who was then a Qianniu (Palace Guard).
In the final years of the Daye era, to support the uprising in Jinyang, she gathered the heroes of Guanzhong, launched an uprising at Sizhu, and led the "Niangzi Army" (Army of Ladies) to achieve great merit. She selected elite soldiers and met Li Shimin on the north bank of the Wei River, jointly breaking through Chang'an.
After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Princess Pingyang was enfeoffed.
In the sixth year of Wude (623 AD), she passed away and was posthumously granted the谥号 (posthumous title) of Zhao. She was the first princess of the Tang Dynasty to be granted a posthumous title and the only woman in Chinese feudal history to be buried with military honors, truly living a life of glory and dying with honor.
Due to her outstanding military achievements, Li Yuan decreed that she be buried with him at Xianling, accompanied by Empress Dowager Dou.
Li Yuan is also buried there now, so it's a reunion.
Xianling is located about seventy miles north of Chang'an, within the boundaries of what is now Sanyuan County.
Along the way, the pickup truck sped along the official road, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it, like a thousand galloping horses.
Chai Yue asked with some concern: "My lord, will my uncle blame us?"
Fang Er gripped the steering wheel and turned to smile slightly: "Don't worry, His Majesty is not such a petty person."
With Chai Yue's directions, the pickup truck stopped outside Xianling in about half an hour.
The soldiers guarding the mausoleum stepped forward to stop them. Just as they were about to speak, they realized the visitors were Chai Yue.
"Your subordinate has seen the Princess Consort."
Chai Yue raised her hand slightly: "No need for formality. My lord and I are here to pay respects to my mother today. Is it convenient?"
"This, does the Princess Consort have a written order or imperial edict?"
The soldier seemed troubled.
"This place is not only buried with Princess Pingyang, but Li Yuan and his wife are also here. Imperial mausoleums are not places one can enter at will."
"Even Li Yuan's granddaughter needs His Majesty's approval to enter."
Fang Er hadn't anticipated this, and Chai Yue, feeling guilty for not having visited for so long, had also forgotten about it.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from a distance.
The few people turned to look. They were dressed as members of the Hundred Riders Division.
The man from the Hundred Riders Division dismounted before Fang Er.
"Your subordinate, Gua Wang of the Hundred Riders Division, greets the Marquis. His Majesty has commanded me to bring you the hand token."
Gua Wang took out the paper written by Li Shimin from his怀中 (bosom/pocket) and handed it over with both hands.
Fang Er was stunned.
"Gua surname?"
He took the paper and, unable to suppress his curiosity, asked: "No, you say your name is Gua Wang? Is there a surname like Gua?"
Gua Wang seemed accustomed to people's reactions to his surname: "My surname is rarely seen. It's only found in my hometown area of Liangzhou, and even there, it's not common."
"The hand token has been delivered, I shall be taking my leave now. Marquis, you are busy."
After cupping his hands in salute, he mounted his horse.
"Wait, take this. Buy some wine to drink with it."
Fang Er tossed a corner of silver over.
"Very well, thank you for the Marquis's generosity!"
Gua Wang's hand moved quickly to grasp the silver, and after bidding farewell, he spurred his horse and rode away.
ps: Second update.