58 Crude and Unworthy

The next morning, Yan Qiu Yue once again woke up alone. At least this time she wasn't burdened with a heavy bridal headdress, but her feelings were nonetheless bitter. Just what about her was her husband dissatisfied with? Could it be that he was still angry because of Wei Hong Sheng entering her chambers? But she'd been honest with him about it! She had no reason to feel guilty nor hide the truth, therefore she did neither of those things. Yet it had now been a whole day that she hadn't seen Wei Tian Ao at all.

With a sigh, Yan Qiu Yue sat up. Just as she was about to call her maids in, she turned and noticed something was different this morning. Unlike the day before, the space next to her looked... used? The wooden headrest was in a different position and the blankets were scrunched up in some areas. Yan Qiu Yue typically did not move much in her sleep. Someone had certainly been there last night.

She thought for a moment and recalled that Zhi Lan had been on night duty previously. Yan Qiu Yue called her head maid in. "Did the prince-shizi come in last night?"

"Yes, he arrived very late and told us that he didn't want the two of you to be disturbed. He only left about an hour prior."

"He...slept in here? With me?"

Zhi Lan tilted her head in confusion. Would her mistress not know that best? She had no idea what her master and mistress had done last night, as Wei Tian Ao had slid the doors closed after he entered the bedchamber.

"I assume so, Madam."

Yan Qiu Yue naturally had no memory of his presence next to her. She hadn't thought of herself as a deep sleeper, but if her husband had merely laid down next to her without touching her, it was believable that it wouldn't have woken her up. It was his right, of course, as her husband and master to sleep wherever he wanted, but... The whole affair was rather strange.

"Did he say that he would be accompanying me to pay respects to the emperor and empress?" Yan Qiu Yue massaged her temple with a hand, willing herself not to dwell on things that had already occurred and could not be changed. Since the emperor had decreed their marriage and they were both now part of the royal family, it was a must that they go into the palace the second day after marriage. Wei Tian Ao had ditched her and made her pay respects to his parents on her own, but surely he wouldn't snub the emperor?

Zhi Lan bit her lip. "He...did not say specifically, but he did go to the palace so surely he will meet you there."

"All right. Let's hope so." Yan Qiu Yue shook her head helplessly before calling in her other maids and getting dressed for the day. She briefly stopped in to greet her mother-in-law first.

As usual, Princess Rui looked regal but as cold as a statue. "You're going into the palace soon?" she asked after Yan Qiu Yue had greeted her.

"Yes, the carriage is being prepared now."

"Good. I hear that my son returned to the estate late last night. Did you get to speak with him?"

Yan Qiu Yue froze. She hadn't even tried to wait up for him. Was she supposed to? She tried to put on a neutral expression as she replied, "I did not. I tried to wait, but unfortunately fell asleep..."

"Fine. You cannot be expected to stay up all night waiting for him every night. It would not do for your health to be affected."

Though the words were kind, Princess Rui's expression made it feel as if she was being sarcastic--that she fully expected Yan Qiu Yue to stay up until Wei Tian Ao returned. As if it was her own fault that her husband came home late! Even so, Yan Qiu Yue understood her place. "Still, this daughter-in-law has not gotten to see him since our wedding. I shall endeavor to stay up later tonight to catch a glimpse of him."

"Naturally, it would be good if the two of you could have a good talk." Princess Rui answered, taking a delicate sip of tea. "The sun is getting high in the sky. Go on to the palace now and do not keep the esteemed ones waiting."

"Yes, mother-in-law."

"We are one family. Or are you trying to keep your distance from this princess?" It was unlikely that Princess Rui really wanted to be intimate with her daughter-in-law, but appearances had to be kept. It wouldn't do for Yan Qiu Yue to act as if she was intimidated.

"Then... Thank you, Mother. This wife will not be polite."

"Mm." Princess Rui hummed in response before waving her hand, dismissing Yan Qiu Yue. Just as the latter was about to leave, however, the princess spoke once more. "Tomorrow will be the third day since your marriage and we will prepare carriages with gifts to bring back to your paternal home. You will have to be back here in the afternoon, so make preparations to leave early. No need to greet me in the morning tomorrow."

"Thank you, Mother, for your grace." Yan Qiu Yue curtsied lowly, then finally left.

It was a lonely ride to the palace. She'd never come here alone before, always accompanied by her family. Yan Qiu Yue had thought that she would be coming to the palace with her husband this time, but who knew that she'd have to make the journey by herself?

The carriage stopped far from the main hall, which meant that Yan Qiu Yue would have to go the rest of the way on foot. Sometimes sedans were brought for particularly esteemed guests, but she was merely the wife of a princeling. It took the better part of half an hour to walk to the main hall and the entire way, Chu Hua and Li Mei tried to reassure their mistress that her husband would certainly be there for her. Yan Qiu Yue half-believed the two of them but was sure in her heart that the only reason for his presence would be that he couldn't blow off the Holy One.

She did not see Wei Tian Ao all the way up to when she reached the doors of the main hall and so awkwardly entered on her own once a steward called her in. The whole time she waited to be admitted, she thought of what excuses she would give for her husband's absence. "How mortifying that I have to utilize my creativity in this way!" she seethed to herself.

Upon entering the hall, she curtsied and kowtowed, performing the full greeting. It was only after she'd completed it that the empress said some nice words like "There's no need to be so polite! You are Our niece! It is so hard to watch our juniors kowtow to Us."

"Then stop me sooner!" Yan Qiu Yue thought. On the outside, she smiled brightly and returned, "Your Highness is too benevolent, too kind. This humble one must obey protocol and show you all the respect that you are due."

"Come closer and let this empress take a good look at you."

The emperor had not yet said a single word. When Yan Qiu Yue rose and stepped forward, she saw that he seemed to be detached, his eyes on the door. He didn't seem to mind the empress taking control of this meeting, so Yan Qiu Yue did as she was bid and came forward to take the empress's hands. "In the past, this humble one has only been able to see you from afar at banquets. Now I see that your majesty the empress is even more radiant up close."

"What a sweet mouth!" the empress beamed and had her maids bestow down some nice things.

The two of them chatted a little bit and then the emperor finally opened his mouth. "Is Wei Tian Ao not coming? Is he sick?"

Yan Qiu Yue's heart lurched. At this moment, all the excuses she'd thought up flew out of her head. "That is--"

The doors were flung open and a steward bellowed, "Announcing Prince Rui-shizi!"

Three pairs of eyes flicked towards the entrance of the hall. Wei Tian Ao was dressed in dark green and black layered brocade robes. After stepping into the hall, he knelt down. "Wei Tian Ao greets royal uncle and royal aunt. Many apologies for my lateness, but there were matters in the Ministry of Justice."

The emperor's eyes were somewhat cold, but he nodded nonetheless. Wei Tian Ao had spent most of his life in Northern Xi and couldn't be expected to possess the same thoughtfulness and manners of his peers. Emperor Yong Le looked down upon this wild child who was his nephew, but he was known for being a kindly elder. He couldn't show his disdain openly. "You have been busy assisting. One fears that you will be even busier once you enter the ministry as an official!"

"Your Majesty has been so good as to allow this lowly one to enter the Ministry of Justice. This lowly one must not let royal uncle down!" Wei Tian Ao declared.

"Good, good! These are the words that We most want to hear." the emperor laughed. The empress let go of Yan Qiu Yue's hands, letting the latter join her husband. Yan Qiu Yue kept her head down as she walked to Wei Tian Ao's side. The emperor had someone bring stools for the two to sit on, which was a great honor. Courtiers sometimes had to stay standing for an hour or two if they were not favored.

As Yan Qiu Yue sat down, she stole a glance at her husband, but his expression was normal. Here was a thick-faced one. As he spoke flowery words to the emperor to pay respects and thank him for bestowing this marriage upon them, Wei Tian Ao didn't look at her once.

After mere minutes had passed, Wei Tian Ao rose. "This one is loathe to leave in such a hurry, but there is a matter in the ministry and I could only spare a few minutes."

Yan Qiu Yue's eyes widened. Was he...about to simply leave? Without being dismissed by the emperor? Should she say something to stop him? But was that overstepping? Which was worse, being blamed by her husband or allowing the emperor to be offended?

Wei Tian Ao stopped and gently patted her shoulder. "Wife, you will stay and keep our royal elders company, won't you?" Even while saying this, he did not look her in the eye.

"I..."

"Go ahead! We know the Ministry of Justice has many matters at this time. You are dismissed." The emperor said while laughing, but his eyes showed no mirth. Still, he was able to get a word in before Wei Tian Ao left. This allowed him to preserve some face as the sovereign. Wei Tian Ao bowed and said his goodbyes in a very polite, ingratiating manner rather unlike his abrupt departure. The action was full of dissonance.

Yan Qiu Yue kept a weak smile on her face as she endured the emperor and empress's probing afterward while cursing Wei Tian Ao for his rudeness in her heart. Luckily the emperor and empress were nice people; perhaps they would overlook this matter once.

"Prince Rui-shizi is still new to Eastern Wei. As his wife, you must be patient with him and guide him on the right path," the empress advised. In other words, he must be educated so as to not have a repeat of today!

"This one is crude and unworthy, but shall endeavor to follow royal aunt's advice..." Yan Qiu Yue replied while crying on the inside. She felt utterly mortified. Finally, she was dismissed and felt as if a weight had been lifted from off her chest. After exiting the main hall, she walked slowly with her maids back to their carriage in an attempt to regain her calm and ease her nerves.

"A-at least Prince Rui-shizi came!" Chu Hua said, trying to cheer her mistress up. She and Li Mei hadn't gone into the hall with her, but they had soon found out what happened. They were incensed on their precious young miss's behalf, but what Yan Qiu Yue needed at this moment wasn't mutual anger but sympathy and kind words.

"I almost wish he hadn't..." Yan Qiu Yue muttered. She felt a headache coming on.

"Hong Sheng greets elder sister-in-law!" A cheerful voice rang out. Here was something else to worsen Yan Qiu Yue's headache. She fought a grimace and turned to see Wei Hong Sheng standing several paces away with a group of servants and attendants.

Yan Qiu Yue wanted nothing more than to ignore him and walk off, but they were still in the palace. There were eyes everywhere and after what had just happened, she couldn't afford to make Prince Rui's household look even worse. She bowed her head and curtsied. "Brother-in-law. I trust you are well?"

"Certainly, but it seems the same cannot be said of you." He made a show of craning his neck to peer around her. "Elder brother isn't with you?"

Obviously!! "He had matters to attend to in the Ministry of Justice..." Yan Qiu Yue said through gritted teeth.

"That's no good, how could Elder Brother leave his new bride alone? Poor sister-in-law. I shall apologize on my brother's behalf."

"I cannot accept your apology, younger brother-in-law! You are too kind."

"Not at all, not at all."

Yan Qiu Yue thought that Wei Hong Sheng, for some reason, appeared positively gleeful. She was not in the mood to indulge him. "I will not disturb you further," she stated plainly. Yan Qiu Yue curtsied and then turned away to leave the palace once and for all. Thankfully, Wei Hong Sheng did not stop her. His grin was blinding, but what she didn't see was his tightly clenched fists that had long turned white from being drained of blood.