It was rare for Qin Moyuan to proactively inquire about something, so the Emperor didn't think much of it before replying, "These women were sent by the second prince to the Crown Princess. They are servants who used to attend to her."
The Emperor downplayed the situation, but Li Yue Shu, who had read the original book, knew that these women had not served Li Xiang Ru before, but rather the second prince Qin Ye Cheng. They had indeed been sent to Li Xiang Ru's side for a period, but that was because Qin Ye Cheng, seeing Li Xiang Ru's refusal to yield to him, sent these women to "enlighten" her, hoping to bring her into his household sooner.
In the original book, Qin Ye Cheng had said, "These people used to serve Miss Gu. They are very reluctant to part with her, and I am a kind-hearted person, so I specifically sent them over. The Crown Prince dotes on Miss Gu so much, he surely wouldn't bear to see her sad," and then presented them at their wedding banquet. However, it was obvious to everyone that these women were clearly intended by the second prince for the Crown Prince's bed.
Qin Ye Xiu was not foolish. If he accepted these women on his wedding day, it would not only be an insult to Li Xiang Ru but also a slap in the face to the Zhen Bei General's mansion! Just as he was about to say something, Qin Moyuan spoke first, "Since they share such deep affection for their mistress, it is a good deed for the second prince to fulfill their wishes."
At these words, Li Yue Shu almost couldn't suppress her laughter. Affection for their mistress? She hadn't expected this man to be so skilled at blatant falsehoods! Among the crowd, Wei Zi Miao watched Li Yue Shu's suppressed smile, a flicker of something in the depths of her gentle eyes. Was she so happy to see the Crown Prince and Li Xiang Ru in trouble?
Everyone was astonished, even the Emperor was surprised that his brother, who never meddled, would say such a thing. Regardless of whatever the Crown Prince did, A Yuan never bothered him before. He heard that the Crown Prince's attitude towards him had changed recently, so why was A Yuan bothering him again? The Emperor was confused, but this was clearly not the time to ask. He looked at Qin Moyuan, then waved his hand, "Since the Regent King has said so, Xiu'er, you shall accept these women on behalf of the Crown Princess. Do not delay the auspicious time for the wedding procession."
Hearing this, Li Yue Shu subconsciously glanced at the Emperor, her lips pressed together. His words were rather provocative towards Qin Moyuan. As expected, Qin Ye Xiu glared angrily at Qin Moyuan and said reluctantly, "This humble son obeys the decree!"
And so, the women were taken into the Eastern Palace, while Li Xiang Ru, blissfully unaware, joyfully waited at the Zhen Bei General's mansion for the wedding procession.
...
Li Yue Shu was merely an observer today, but with Qin Moyuan by her side, she couldn't keep a low profile even if she wanted to. However, with Qin Moyuan present, very few people dared to approach them.
The auspicious hour arrived, and Qin Ye Xiu led in Li Xiang Ru, who was wearing a red veil. With the veil covering her face, no one could discern Li Xiang Ru's expression.
"First bow to heaven and earth!"
"Second bow to the honored elders!"
"Husband and wife bow to each other!"
With a resounding "It is done," the male and female leads were officially wed. Li Yue Shu stood beside Qin Moyuan, smiling as she watched the festive scene. Qin Ye Xiu was not foolish; he would certainly not mention the matter of the second prince sending women to the Eastern Palace when he went to escort the bride. Therefore, Li Xiang Ru was still unaware of these events.
In the original book, Qin Ye Xiu had planned to keep this matter quiet until the next day, intending to find an opportunity to explain it to the Zhen Bei General's mansion and find a way to dismiss the women. However, Qin Ye Cheng would not let him have his way. As Li Xiang Ru waited in the bridal chamber, eagerly anticipating the groom to lift her veil, Qin Ye Cheng arranged for someone to "accidentally" reveal to her and the Zhen Bei General's mansion that Qin Ye Xiu had accepted several women into the Eastern Palace on their wedding day. Although Qin Ye Xiu eventually resolved the crisis, Li Yue Shu was curious about what Li Xiang Ru's expression would be when she heard about it.
Li Yue Shu was somewhat expectant, but she was even more eager for the good show Qin Moyuan had promised. The bride was escorted to the bridal chamber to wait, while the groom entertained guests outside. In this world, there was no strict separation of seating for men and women, so Li Yue Shu sat beside Qin Moyuan. The entire main table, except for her, was filled with members of the royal family. Even the surrounding tables were occupied by envoys from various countries and important court officials.
Except for the Emperor and Empress, everyone else was seeing Li Yue Shu for the first time, and their gazes were somewhat frequent. Li Yue Shu, however, was very composed, her demeanor of being neither humble nor arrogant as if she were facing a group of people at the pinnacle of power, but rather familiar faces from her village. Her reaction was observed by everyone, met with surprise or admiration, and varied thoughts.
But what surprised them even more was Qin Moyuan's attitude. Was this truly the cold, heartless, brutal, and ruthless Regent King they knew? He was serving food to a woman? He was deboning fish for a woman? And he was smiling radiantly at a woman?! Everyone looked utterly bewildered, even the Emperor wore an expression of indescribable complexity.
Even with Li Yue Shu's strong psychological resilience, she felt a bit awkward in this situation. She nudged Qin Moyuan under the table and whispered through a strained smile, "Control yourself, so many people are watching!"
Qin Moyuan placed the deboned fish into her bowl with extreme familiarity. During the period he was seeking Li Yue Shu's forgiveness, he had learned many skills, and deboning fish was something he could do with ease. He picked up another piece of fish, looked up, and calmly addressed the crowd, "Is there something written on my face?"
Everyone instinctively shook their heads, then quickly realized and began to eat their rice, not daring to look anymore, not even the Emperor. Seeing this, Qin Moyuan continued to pick at the fish in his bowl, as if he hadn't noticed any awkwardness in the atmosphere. Li Yue Shu: "..." She felt she was no different from a monkey in a zoo right now. Li Yue Shu lowered her head, silently urging herself to ignore the surrounding gazes and savor the dishes in her bowl. She had to admit, the chefs in the Eastern Palace were truly skilled. She wondered if she could poach them for the Liu Xian Restaurant!
...
While Li Yue Shu was contemplating how to poach talent from the Eastern Palace, the wedding banquet for Li Xiang Ru and Qin Ye Xiu was gradually drawing to a close. As time wore on and everyone began clamoring to play wedding games, the good show Qin Moyuan had spoken of had yet to materialize. Li Yue Shu looked curiously at the person beside her, her eyes conveying her question.
Qin Moyuan smiled gently and reached out to take her hand, "Does A Shu want to play wedding games?" Hearing the implied meaning in his tone, Li Yue Shu raised an eyebrow, "Of course, I've never seen what wedding games are like before!" And so, the two of them followed the crowd heading towards the bridal chamber for the wedding games.
Seeing that the Regent King was making a move, the number of people participating in the wedding games increased, and even the Emperor followed out of curiosity. Qin Ye Xiu, walking at the front, subconsciously glanced back at Qin Moyuan, his brow furrowing, a sense of unease lingering in his heart. This unease was finally confirmed as the group approached the bridal chamber.