The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

After all the ministers took their seats, they raised their glasses and expressed their congratulations to Master Jiang Wu.

Jiang Nansheng entered the Dali Temple from the Hanlin Academy, and within just half a year, he was personally appointed as the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple by the Emperor. This had never happened before.

Just now, the emperor mentioned the third prince who had just returned to the palace, which gave people the illusion that the Jiang family wanted to support the third prince.

Judging from the Emperor and Empress's performance today, they seemed to be happy to see the success. Even the usually domineering and overbearing Concubine Jing was particularly gentle today.

Master Jiang Wu held the wine glass in his hand with a gentle and elegant smile on his face, "...I am still recovering from a serious injury. The imperial physician specifically warned me not to drink alcohol before the scabs on the wounds fall off."

He smiled at Dong Gaozhan who came over with a wine jug to pour wine, and gently turned the wine glass upside down on the table. Then he picked up the teacup and said slowly, "Don't blame me, Master Dong, for replacing wine with tea."

Dong Gaozhan was once a colleague of Mr. Jiang Wuye in the Hanlin Academy. Currently, he serves as the Junior Secretary of the Zhanshi Palace and his official position can be said to have been rapidly promoted.

After laughing twice, he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, showing his heroic spirit.

"I never had the chance to drink with Lord Jiang when I was in the Imperial Academy... It was my negligence. I hope you will get well soon."

Master Jiang Wu smiled and nodded, "Of course, I will definitely drink with Master Dong by then."

Gu Jinchu peeled a handful of pine nuts and quietly put them into Jiang Wuye's hand. There was a smile in his eyes, which was particularly moving under the candlelight as bright as daylight.

Although the banquet on the table was exquisite and luxurious, it had already gone cold. There was no floor heating in the Qianqing Palace, and wind kept rushing in from all directions, making her fingertips feel cold.

Master Jiang Wu held Gu Jinchu's hand, placed both of her hands in his palms, and warmed her with his body temperature.

Although their location was not very conspicuous, they did not want to be seen. Gu Jinchu hooked his fingertips and stroked Wuye's palm, whispering: "I'm not cold, Wuye, please let go."

Master Jiang Wu moved slightly, his eyes flashed with bright spots, then he let go of her hand, reached out and picked up the pine nuts in the porcelain plate and put them into his mouth.

Then he said softly, "Be patient for a while. When we get back to Yuanyuan Hall, I'll have the servants set up a brazier so we can heat the pot and eat."

Liu, who was standing by, rested her elbows on the table, holding a handkerchief to cover her face, and whispered, "Fifth sister-in-law, have you eaten the yak meat that Fourth sister-in-law sent you?"

Seeing Gu Jinchu shook his head slightly, she continued, "A cook sent by my family can cut the beef as thin as a hair."

Gu Jinchu's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at Liu: "If the second sister-in-law doesn't mind, how about asking the fourth sister-in-law to come to Yuanyuan Hall to eat hotpot?"

Her fair face was filled with excitement, as if she had already seen the delicious pot in front of her, and the desire to eat it reached its peak at this moment.

"To be honest with you, my sister-in-law has the same idea... Jin's craftsmanship is unmatched." Liu said frankly after hearing this.

The two sisters-in-law talked about everything they wanted to eat, making their already empty stomachs even hungrier.

The prince and his wife were sitting in front of them, and although they couldn't hear everything clearly, they could get a general idea from their conversation.

The prince turned his head to look at Wang and said in a low voice, "I see that Chengliang is doing well recently. I am sorry that you have troubled me, Madam, during this period of time."

Wang reached out her hand and placed a piece of food on her husband's chopsticks. The dimples on her cheeks appeared and disappeared from time to time. She said softly: "The only thing I can do is to make your husband's family peaceful...

The Ninth Young Master and Brother Chen are of similar age, and I usually have them by my side, so my life is quite comfortable."

The prince patted her hands upon hearing this and said, "I respect you, Madam."

Wang nodded slightly, and while her two sisters-in-law were chatting animatedly behind her, she showed a hint of grievance at the right moment.

She also wanted to let the prince know how difficult it was for her, the eldest daughter-in-law and the sister-in-law, to work in the Jiang family's rear house.

However, the prince did not realize Wang's intention.

When Master Jiang Wu saw the eagerness in Gu Jinchu's eyes when he talked about the pot, his heart immediately softened.

He pulled down her sleeve and asked her softly, "Are you too hungry to bear it?"

Gu Jinchu had attended a palace banquet in her previous life, so she knew that she would not be able to eat enough. So she put some food on the carriage on the way here.

However, after my second sister-in-law mentioned yak meat, the hunger in my stomach became stronger and stronger. I regretted not listening to Fifth Master and bringing in some snacks.

Master Jiang Wu took something out of his sleeve and quietly put it into her hand, just like he had secretly given her the pine nuts just now.

Gu Jinchu lowered his eyes and opened the handkerchief layer by layer.

It was an ox tongue biscuit. Looking at the black sesame seeds sprinkled on the pastry, she knew it was her favorite salt and pepper flavor.

Gu Jinchu looked at him in surprise and asked in a low voice: "Fifth Master, when did you take it?" Gu Jinchu's sparkling eyes were full of curiosity.

"When getting off the carriage..." Master Jiang Wu said softly.

Gu Jinchu lowered her head and found the handkerchief wrapped with the tongue biscuit familiar. It was like the one that was used to wrap the snack in the bridal sedan on the day she married Mr. Jiang Wu.

She gently broke off some and put it into her mouth, then estimated the time of the palace banquet in her mind and felt that it should be about the time.

Suddenly, she felt a gaze directed at her. Gu Jinchu slowly raised her head and saw Concubine Jing beside her elder sister looking at her with a smile.

Gu Jinchu frowned slightly, and then Imperial Concubine Jing said, "Isn't that Princess Anping sitting over there?" She chuckled and said, "Princess Anping should be called Madam Jiang."

Gu Jinchu nodded slightly, looked directly into the eyes of Imperial Concubine Jing, and replied with a faint smile: "I met Imperial Concubine Jing in Kunning Palace a few months ago. Her elegance is still as bright and charming as ever."

There was no fear in her eyes, but rather a hint of calmness.

"Mrs. Jiang is young, but she is very eloquent." Concubine Jing smiled, with a hint of displeasure in her eyes.

Madam Jiang spoke first, her words full of majesty: "Jin Chu is my daughter-in-law, I wonder how she has offended Imperial Concubine Jing?"

Without any greetings or courtesies, the Duchess's wife, dressed in the attire of a lady of the highest rank, looked at the Emperor's favorite concubine with a calm but determined expression.

Her confidence comes from the Duke next to her.

It had been a long time since Concubine Jing had been questioned like this in person, and her arrogant expression froze in an instant.

I thought to myself: Isn't it said that this Duke's wife comes from the family of the head of the Hanlin Academy? How can she be so rude and impolite!

After she recovered from her shock, she glanced at the emperor and empress sitting at the top, and then said with a smile: "I just saw that Madam Jiang hadn't touched her chopsticks yet, so I wanted to ask, is this palace banquet not to her liking?"

Concubine Shu turned around and said in a calm voice, but her eyes showed an unusual sharpness: "Concubine Jing was also pregnant, so don't embarrass a pregnant woman."

Imperial Concubine Jing looked at Emperor Jianyuan with a face full of grievance, "Your Majesty." Her voice was gentle, as if she had a thousand grievances and finally found an opportunity to vent them:

"I gave birth to two children for His Majesty, but the second prince is the only one left... But when I saw Madam Jiang's big belly, I thought of how I was almost in premature labor because of Concubine Hui."

As she said this, she burst into tears, looking so pitiful.

Imperial Concubine Chen closed her eyes, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed twice. "Today is New Year's Eve and the palace banquet. Does Imperial Concubine Jing have to bring up the past in front of so many people?"

Imperial Concubine Chen's helpless look was filled with a hint of pain: "Huipin made an indelible mistake back then, but she was tortured by you in the cold palace for nineteen years. What else are you dissatisfied with?"

Imperial Concubine Jing stretched out her hand and pointed her finger at Imperial Concubine Chen. "You killed your own sister with your own hands, and you still have the nerve to blame me!"