Chapter 4 Xishan Qiu Enters the Palace? So hasty?

Grandma Qi slowly sat back down in her chair with her cane, and Zheng Tan went forward to help her.

"grandmother...."

She waved her hand to indicate that she was alright, and looked at the people who were still kneeling on the ground.

Seeing that spirited face, and then remembering her third son, whose tomb is now only a cenotaph, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Do you know that you are your father's only child?"

Jiang Ce lowered his head slightly: "Precisely because I am my father's only child, I must seek revenge even more."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Qi turned her head to wipe her tears, and after a long while, she sighed, "You child..."

Jiang Ce stepped forward, took her knees, and said, "Grandmother, don't worry, I am no longer the impulsive and easily angered ignorant child I used to be."

Jiang Yao knelt on the soft cushion of the daybed and reached out to wipe away Old Madam Qi's tears.

"Grandmother, don't cry. Second brother didn't mean to upset you. Ayao apologizes to you on his behalf. Please don't be angry."

Grandma Qi hugged Jiang Yao and said gently with a smile, "Good, with Yao here, Grandma won't be sad, nor will she blame your second brother."

"Alright, you can get up too."

Jiang Ce then respectfully stood up.

Grandma Qi asked him, "You know that Miss Xue has gone to the capital, right?"

Jiang Ce nodded: "I know."

"I know that this marriage was ultimately bestowed by His Majesty and the Empress without consulting your opinions. However, we cannot disobey His Majesty and the Empress's wishes. Whether you like it or not, you must treat them with respect and never act willfully."

He nodded and said softly, "Don't worry. I will never act recklessly and will definitely treat you with courtesy."

Grandma Qi carefully examined Jiang Ce, and seeing that he was well-behaved, she felt somewhat relieved.

"Alright, you've traveled a long way and must be exhausted. Go back and rest early."

"Ah Yao," she lowered her head, her eyes full of affection, "would you like to live with your grandmother?"

"good!"

Jiang Ce and Zheng Tan then left Yi'an Hall and walked through the covered walkway one after the other.

“I’ve taken care of your and Youyu’s courtyard. You two grew up together, so you can live together for now.”

Jiang Ce nodded and smiled, "Thank you, Sister Tan."

Zheng Tan said, "It's nothing, it's just that your elder brother has been sent by His Majesty to inspect the country, and we don't know when he will be back. Next month is Grandmother's birthday, so you must help me with the arrangements and entertain the foreign guests."

"Of course."

Zheng Tan then remembered, "When is Youyu coming back?"

Jiang Ce said, "His only remaining cousin passed away, so he went to attend the funeral. He probably won't be back until next month."

Speaking of this, Zheng Tan also sighed.

"Yu is only fourteen years old, yet he has no relatives or friends left. It is truly a pity that Heaven does not have mercy on him."

He was only four years old when his entire family perished.

Jiang Ce said, "But we still have our family. Third Uncle and Big Brother said that although Youyu's surname is Chen, she was raised and grew up in the Jiang family, just like a biological child."

Zheng Tan smiled and said, "That's true."

As they talked, the two left Yi'an Hall and said their goodbyes at the door.

"Sister Tan," Jiang Ce called out to her.

Zheng Tan stopped and turned around. Jiang Ce stood under the lantern, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

She knew what he wanted to ask, so she said, "Third Aunt was invited by the Prince of Nan'an to attend the Dowager Princess's gathering last month, so she is not at home. She will be back before Grandmother's birthday next month."

Jiang Ce smiled and said softly, "I understand."

A cold wind blew against them, chilling them to the bone.

"It's cold on winter nights, and you've just recovered from your illness, so hurry back home."

"good"

It was late at night, and a bright moon shone in the sky, casting a hazy, cool light.

Cheng Huaizhu put down the medicine bowl: "Going to the palace? Is it in such a hurry?"

Sitting beside Xue Chan's bed, Madam Zhou said, "This is an imperial decree."

Xue Chan coughed, and Cheng Huaizhu immediately said, "Look, she's not fully recovered yet."

Madam Zhou ignored her and spoke softly to Xue Chan: "Actually, you should have gone to the palace to express your gratitude, it was just a matter of time. But the Empress's urging must have its reasons."

Xue Chan met her gaze and lowered her head.

"I see."

Her trip to Beijing was both for her marriage and to gain fame.

Three days later, Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu entered the palace.

The palace maids led them toward the Funing Palace. The closer they got, the more nervous Xue Chan became.

Xue Chan's father lost both his parents when he was young, and his family was extremely poor at that time, while Consort Xue was still an infant.

Although they are aunt and niece, they are only ten years apart in age.

She was raised by Xue Chenghuai through selling his paintings and calligraphy. When she left home to enter the palace at the age of five, recommended by Princess Huayang, she was never seen again.

More than ten years have passed.

My thoughts drifted further and further away, and when I came to my senses I was already outside the Funing Palace. A palace maid went inside to deliver a message, and then a woman in her early twenties dressed in a robe came out.

Xue Chan asked, "May I ask how you should address me, elder sister?"

"This servant is the head maidservant of the Imperial Concubine, and my name is Yunyu."

Yunyu nodded respectfully and invited, "Your Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time. Please come into the palace with me, ladies."

After saying this, she and several palace maids led Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu into the palace.

The Funing Hall is not ostentatiously rich and exquisite; its interior is elegant and serene.

When Yunyu led the people into the palace, Consort Xue was playing with a parrot.

"Your Majesty, the two young ladies have arrived."

The palace maids helped Consort Xue sit down, and the two immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Get up."

Xue Chan then raised her head, and what came into view was a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

She wasn't stunningly beautiful, just pretty—a beauty that came from within, reminiscent of a lotus blooming on the banks of an autumn river.

Reflecting her beauty in the water, she blooms defying the frost. Her splendid attire and jeweled ornaments add to her vibrant and radiant beauty.

Xue Chan thought that if forgetting were possible, the first thing people would forget would be the other person's appearance.

If you meet again, what will be the first thing you remember?

She thought, it was a sound.

"Qiao Niang"

As beautiful as Consort Xue's face was her voice.

It is beautiful because it is full of emotion.

Upon seeing Xue Chan, her eyes instantly filled with tears.

Consort Xue's slightly trembling hand touched Xue Chan's eyebrows and eyes, which were quite similar to those of her deceased elder sister-in-law.

"So many years have passed..."

Over the years, she had long been accustomed to this deep palace. Only in her deepest dreams would she return to her childhood, recalling the time when she helped her brother sell paintings on Yuchuan Street.

With just one sound, the beautiful face before her eyes instantly overlapped with the blurry image in Xue Chan's memory.

This is her closest blood relative besides her father.

Consort Xue smiled and said, "Last time you were just a little child who would follow me around and pull me to fly kites."

"My brother broke his leg while working on flood control a few years ago. I heard he has a leg injury and can only walk with crutches. I don't know how he is now..."

Xue Chan's father had to resign from his official post three years ago due to a leg ailment.

She comforted her, "Although Dad's right leg is injured, he can sometimes walk faster than me with crutches. As for him, he's usually quite cheerful."

Consort Xue: "I know he's always been easygoing..."

"Your Majesty, I have brought you something."

Xue Chan beckoned, and Yun Sheng stepped forward to hand over the scroll. Yun Yu and she slowly unfurled it, one on each side.

In the depths of autumn, the mountains and countryside are a tapestry of distant peaks and deep valleys. A clear stream meanders through the landscape, its banks ablaze with fiery red maple leaves. An old man fishes with a rod, while a shepherd drives his calves home. Slender hibiscus trees sway gently by the stream, their fallen petals carried away by the water.

"This is Banzhong Mountain in autumn." Consort Xue looked at the long scroll and laughed, but as she laughed, tears fell from her eyes.

“The red maples of Jinchai Creek are still the same as before, unchanged.” Her finger stopped on the blue stone where the woman was sitting. “This is… the Wenxian Stone by Jinchai Creek. When I was a naughty child, I used to catch fish in this creek.”

Xue Chan looked at her and smiled gently: "This painting, 'Autumn Colors of Streams and Mountains,' was created jointly by my father and me. I hope that Your Majesty, though separated by thousands of miles, will feel as if you are returning home when you see this painting."

Home......

Consort Xue wiped away her tears with a smile. How long had it been since she had been home?

have no idea.

I've lost count of how many days and nights have passed.

It seems that since leaving, I've never gone back.

Even here, it has been more than a decade.

Consort Xue lowered her eyes and began to recall the place where she grew up. But she could hardly remember it anymore; what she could recall was only a fragmented and blurry memory.

She longed to ask: Is the hibiscus tree in the courtyard still blooming? Does the melon jelly from Cao's shop next to Jinqiao still taste the same as before? Has Mr. Cao, the storyteller next to Zuixianlou, finished telling "The Story of Ping'an"?

"Is everything alright?"

Xue Chan said, "It's all good, it's all good, everything is as before."

Consort Xue nodded, and everything remained the same.

Xue Chan was also choked up. She couldn't speak, as if there was an unripe grape stuck in her throat, which she couldn't swallow or spit out.

Just as she was about to shed tears, she heard Cheng Huaizhu sobbing.

Consort Gui and Xue Chan turned their heads, and Cheng Huaizhu was clutching her handkerchief, looking at the two of them with a moved expression.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her lips were pursed, and she blinked rapidly, on the verge of tears.

"Waaah... I'm so touched."

Xue Chan couldn't help but laugh out loud, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes fell to the ground with a "plop".

She poked Cheng Huaizhu with amusement: "I haven't even cried yet, but you're more heartbroken than I am."

Cheng Huaizhu sobbed and complained, "I was just touched. Can't I even cry? That's so petty."

The people in the hall were amused by her appearance, and the sorrow and bitterness that had filled the room instantly dissipated.

Consort Xue also pulled herself out of her grief and said to Yunyu, "I was so busy reminiscing that I forgot to serve tea."

The palace maids filed in, serving tea and various exquisite pastries.

The three sat together, and Cheng Huaizhu focused on eating her snacks.

Consort Xue pulled Xue Chan along, saying, "Let me take a good look at you."

"If my sister-in-law were here, she would be so happy to see you grow up like this."

Originally, Consort Xue wanted to bring Xue Chan to the capital, but her brother was unwilling to remarry and couldn't bear to leave his daughter alone, so she gave up the idea.

Consort Xue, recalling the past, looked sorrowful and embraced Xue Chan.

She thought of her mother and buried her face in her shoulder.

Consort Xue gently patted her somewhat thin back and said softly, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I will never let you suffer any injustice."

“I have already spoken to His Majesty and have granted you permission to stay by my side for a few days. You do not need to rush back to your residence before the palace gates are locked.”

After chatting for a while, the maids in light blue robes brought in dishes of food to the hall.

Delicate and crispy, with a good balance of meat and vegetables.

The millet porridge was cooked until hot and thick, and it was extremely comforting to eat. The sliced ​​cucumber and gluten, seasoned with cooking wine and Sichuan peppercorns, were pan-fried to resemble fried meat, and they were crispy and fragrant.

Consort Xue gestured to the palace servants to serve the two of them food: "I know there has always been a trend in the world to pursue thinness as beauty, but you are both young and at the age when you are growing. You must not follow this trend. Eat when you should, and good health is the most important thing."

She then turned to Xue Chan: "Your brother mentioned in his letter that you never like to go out, and sometimes you get so engrossed in painting that you don't even eat. How can that be?"

Xue Chan blushed, somewhat embarrassed. How could her father tell the Imperial Concubine everything, even revealing her secrets? Back home, Xue Chenghuai had never said anything about her, yet now, on his way to the capital, he was writing to the Imperial Concubine about these things.

When Consort Xue saw Cheng Huaizhu again, she was extremely courteous in every meal and drink, and ate with great relish, which made everyone feel happy.

"Huaizhu"

Hearing the Imperial Concubine's soft call, Cheng Huaizhu raised her head.

“I am at ease with Qiaoniang in the Cheng residence. You are close to her in age and relationship, so you must keep a close eye on her.”

Xue Chan smiled helplessly and said, "Your Majesty."

Cheng Huaizhu immediately agreed: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will keep a close eye on her eating and will not let her lose an ounce of weight."

Seeing that arguing was useless, Xue Chan could only cheer herself up and drink a bowl of delicious and tender perch and tofu soup.

After the meal, the palace servants cleared away the plates and dishes.

After eating and drinking her fill, Cheng Huaizhu was full of energy. She first dragged Xue Chan out like a whirlwind, and then pulled several younger palace maids to play together, laughing and having a great time.

While the group played outside, Consort Xue was preparing for the Winter Solstice banquet in the palace in a few days.

After a while, Cheng Huaizhu discussed with several palace maids about sculpting a snow lion for fun.

Xue Chan was too tired to play anymore, so she sat on the veranda and dozed off with her eyes down.

Yun Sheng knew that she was prone to drowsiness after eating, so he reached out and patted her head, nodding it repeatedly: "If you are sleepy, I will go and inform the Empress?"

Xue Chan nodded without saying a word, it was unclear whether she was dozing off or genuinely nodding.

Yun Sheng immediately informed Consort Xue.

The Imperial Concubine said, "Yunyu, help Qiaoniang to the warm pavilion in Chengming Hall to sleep for a while. If Huaizhu gets tired from playing, take her to Chengming Hall as well. It's cold, and she just fell ill, so don't let her catch a cold."

After Xue Chan fell asleep peacefully, Yunyu returned to Consort Xue's side.

She was still busy when someone outside sent a message.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wang from His Majesty's side has arrived."

"pass"

A note from the author:

----------------------