The next day, there was no morning court session. Pei Zhan had just returned from the northwest, and the emperor had granted him leave, so Fu Zhen slept deeply until broad daylight before waking up.
Pei Zhan opened his eyes under Fu Zhen’s prodding and saw unfamiliar floral carvings on the canopy. Frightened, he scrambled up, only to turn his head and see Fu Zhen leisurely watching him with her head resting on her hand, which reminded him of the events of last night. Patting his chest, he lay back down and turned to face her: "Your bed is really big."
Fu Zhen raised an eyebrow: "Big enough for you?"
Pei Zhan unexpectedly blushed deeply and responded playfully, "You’re mocking me."
Fu Zhen pinched his chest slightly: "I’m praising you."
Pei Zhan’s face turned even redder, and he dragged the quilt over his head.
Zi Yan, hearing their voices, entered the room, deliberately avoiding looking at the bed: "Madam has sent someone over. If the Young Madam is awake, I am to assist you in getting up."
Fu Zhen poked her head out of the canopy: "Why is Madam looking for me?"
"She didn’t say. When she heard the Young Madam was not up, she instructed not to rush."
Fu Zhen paused, then retreated her head, exchanged a glance with Pei Zhan, and both of them simultaneously tidied their clothes and got off the bed.
Mrs. Pei, after all, had experience. As a woman, she was more attentive than men and had vaguely guessed the truth last night when both Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan came late.
But since they had a previous fallout, it was hard to ask directly, so she waited until morning to send someone to Fu Zhen’s room, intending to invite her to the main house for breakfast.
Who would have thought the person sent over would report back that Pei Zhan had stayed in Fu Zhen’s room overnight? Who could understand her joy and excitement at this news?
When Fu Zhen came to pay respects, the joy on her face hadn’t faded.
Of course, she wasn’t an overbearing mother-in-law. Since she was aware that they had consummated their marriage the previous night, what more was there to say?
She immediately had the prepared bird’s nest, milk soup, and various dishes Fu Zhen usually loved to eat all brought out.
"Eat more, eat slowly!"
Mrs. Pei couldn’t stop smiling. Picking up her tea, she joyfully said, "Next month, your father-in-law and I plan to stay at the countryside villa for a while, and Mu Ger will come with us. We’ll leave the General’s Mansion to you two. When you have good news, just send someone to inform us, and we will hurry back!"
Fu Zhen choked on her tea and, despite priding herself on having thick skin, couldn’t help but blush at these words.
Fortunately, after handing her a handkerchief, Mrs. Pei didn’t say anything further.
After breakfast and returning to the room, Pei Zhan had just returned as well.
It turned out that after Fu Zhen left, Pei Yu had called Pei Zhan away. This father, who all day seemed only concerned with romance and leisure, uncharacteristically gave him a serious lesson in the ancestral hall, telling him how to be a good husband and, in the future, a good father.
"So you had breakfast in the ancestral hall?"
Fu Zhen was incredulous but felt a warm feeling inside.
Pei Zhan nodded: "Right there, beneath my great-grandparents’ memorial tablets."
Fu Zhen didn’t know what to say and simply handed him her cup for a rinse.
After drinking some tea, Pei Zhan sent Guo Song to the palace to submit a greeting petition. Receiving the emperor’s reply, the couple then took a carriage to the palace.
The emperor was in the Imperial Study. Upon entering the hall, the couple first saluted. As the emperor behind the desk called them up, Fu Zhen paused when she saw the emperor absorbed in painting.
The old man, who had been coughing and looking decrepit with age just the previous month, now seemed to be surprisingly revitalized, getting better each day.
His biological son, abandoned as bait, was outside the palace suffering mental anguish, yet he still had the leisure to paint here.
"Why haven’t you spoken since you arrived?"
The emperor behind the desk didn’t even lift his head, his words slow and deliberate, still projecting that same controlled demeanor he had for decades.
Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan exchanged a glance. She said, "Your Majesty, we originally came into the palace to pay our respects and wish for your well-being, but seeing you so energetic and vigorous, we realize there’s no need to say those words."
The emperor raised an eyebrow at her, not forgetting to dip his brush in ink, "I don’t think so. Since you’ve entered the palace, you must have something else to say."
Fu Zhen opened her mouth to deflect, but the emperor continued: "Soon the Minister of Rites and the Imperial Censor of the Imperial Censorate will have an audience with me. If you have something to say, speak now, lest you make the trip for nothing."