All of a sudden, Su Wan'er turned her head and saw none other than Si Junlin standing there.
Su Wan'er immediately panicked and let go of Gu Jingtian. She bowed respectfully to Si Junlin to pay her respects.
Gu Jingtian frowned slightly. It seemed that Su Wan'er was extremely afraid of the emperor. He had always known that Wan'er was forced to marry into the palace as the queen. He and the Su family had always thought that Wan'er was just a bargaining chip for the emperor in the palace.
It was obvious that Wan'er had not had a smooth life in the palace these years. Thinking of the unruly girl who used to gallop on the battlefield when they were kids, Gu Jingtian felt a twinge of pain in his heart. She was the least likely to tolerate all the rules, yet she had ended up in the palace.
Si Junlin looked at the two of them. Since Gu Jingtian was related to the Su family, he was Su Wan'er's cousin. There was nothing wrong with their meeting. In a fit of pique, he flung his sleeve and strode back to the imperial study.
"Brother Jingtian, why did you suddenly come here?" Regardless of whether Si Junlin was angry or thought they had broken the rules, Su Wan'er missed her family very much. Since Brother Jingtian was here today, it must mean that there was no trouble on the battlefield.
"General Su couldn't get away, but the emperor asked us to provide support. Old General Su will march towards the southern border after passing by the capital." Gu Jingtian looked at the girl he had fancied since childhood. She had grown up to be even more charming, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Really? Maybe it's better for father not to come to the capital. Otherwise, you two will be going to Nanjing together." Su Wan'er was overjoyed. If her father could stop by and have a little reunion when passing by the capital, that would be the best.
"Yes, but this time when I came to the capital, your eldest brother specifically told me to come and visit you and see how you've been. Who would have thought that I'd run into you here, Wan'er. After all these years, you've grown up to be... even more beautiful."
"Sure enough, a deputy general is different. When we were kids, you always used to tease me about being ugly, but now you're being so polite." This kind of compliment was different from what others said. It was a sincere compliment from a family member. Su Wan'er suddenly felt a warm feeling in her heart.
"You already know?" Gu Jingtian was surprised. He had thought that she wouldn't know anything about the military affairs in the deep palace.
"Did that girl Qingcao tell you?"
"Of course. We were just talking about you a few days ago, and here you are." Su Wan'er thought that since she was the queen in the palace, she should invite her family member to dinner when he came. So she happily told the palace kitchen to prepare the meal.
"Wan'er... have you been well these years? Has anyone made things difficult for you in the palace?" Gu Jingtian thought that no matter from whose perspective, he had to ask. Even if it was for General Su.
Su Wan'er first thought of the argument with the emperor these days, and then of her longing for the battlefield but having no chance to show her skills.
But she always reported good news but hid the bad. She always hoped that her family would think that she was doing well here and not worry about her.
"Fine. Why wouldn't I be? I'm the most noble woman in the palace after the empress dowager. I eat well, dress well. And I'm... in a good mood." Su Wan'er showed the smile she had prepared.
"If you hadn't mentioned food, clothing and daily necessities, I would have believed you. You never cared about these things. Wan'er, tell Brother Jingtian the truth. Have you been unhappy in the palace?" If she was really doing well, why would she mention these things?
The two of them walked towards Su Wan'er's palace together. Qingcao unexpectedly came to greet them halfway. When she saw Gu Jingtian, her eyes suddenly lit up.
But for some reason, the first thing the girl did was to come up and pay her respects.
"Hehe, look at Qingcao. After staying in the palace for a while, she's changed so much. She doesn't even recognize who this is and still uses all these formalities to pay respects. You're going to embarrass Brother Jingtian." Su Wan'er joked unceremoniously. Qingcao had been the girl who had been on the battlefield and ridden horses with her since childhood. Who would believe that she was suddenly acting so formally?
"Yes, Qingcao, what are you doing?" Seeing the bright smile on Su Wan'er's face again, just like in the old days, Gu Jingtian also laughed. Fortunately, Qingcao was with her.
The three of them seemed to have returned to their childhood. They talked and laughed and walked back to the palace at ease. But when they got there, they saw Si Junlin sitting in the main hall with a dark face.
Naturally, since the emperor was of high status, all three of them had to bow. But Si Junlin kept a dark face and didn't let them get up for a long time.
Su Wan'er got impatient soon. Her family member had finally come, but Si Junlin was showing his displeasure here. Was he trying to make Brother Jingtian see that she wasn't doing well in the palace?
Regardless of whether it broke the rules or not, Su Wan'er stood up directly and loudly questioned Si Junlin, "May I ask Your Majesty, it's almost noon. Why have you come here?"
"Oh, I suddenly remembered that I transferred several good cooks to the queen's palace. Now I suddenly want to eat Huaiyang cuisine. Why don't the queen accompany me for lunch?" Si Junlin looked at Su Wan'er and then at Gu Jingtian standing beside her. He thought that if he hadn't come, Su Wan'er would have been chatting happily with this distant cousin and would probably have forgotten all about him.
Su Wan'er looked at him and held back her anger. Clearly, when she had injured Si Junlin yesterday, he had called her a shrew and then said that he would punish her by banning her from going out and that he never wanted to see her again. But now he suddenly wanted to eat Huaiyang cuisine and had to come here for lunch. This unpredictable and moody temper was exactly what Su Wan'er thought was so unreasonable about him.
"Does Your Majesty really have to have lunch here today?" Su Wan'er hoped that since her family member had come today, Si Junlin would give her some face. If he wanted to argue or make her apologize, he could do it another day, after Brother Jingtian and her father had gone on their expedition.
"Of course. I've already ordered the famous cook to prepare the dishes below. I also remember that you like the crab-yellow buns from Yangzhou. I've already asked someone to prepare them. Queen, please take your seat quickly." After saying that, he looked at Gu Jingtian beside him provocatively. Gu Jingtian also felt very disdainful. He thought that Si Junlin was just using this superficial act to deal with Su Wan'er, which showed that he didn't really care about Wan'er.
"But I would like to invite my family member to have lunch in the palace today." Su Wan'er continued to plead. The expression on her face could no longer be contained, and she even glared directly at Si Junlin.
"But Wan'er is the queen. Even if she wants to hold a banquet, she can't do it in the main palace. How about this? I'll invite General Gu to a banquet at the Nine Continents Clear Ripples tonight. I'll also accompany him. " This was clearly an attempt to drive Gu Jingtian away. Since Gu Jingtian was a subject, he naturally knew that the emperor's order could not be disobeyed.