Chapter 47 Sudden Rain: "Does Your Majesty want to play matchmaker again?"

Xue Chan dragged the group along, and after circling around a few times, they got separated from Cheng Huaizhu and the others.

She walked slowly along Fuguang Pond, hoping to run into Xiao Yangjun and the others.

After circling around twice without encountering anyone, Xiao Yangjun and his companions came face to face. Judging from their demeanor and the palace servants behind them, it should be a princess.

The emperor had only two princesses who were nearly of age: one was Yulang, born to Empress Jiang, and the other was Baojia, the fourth princess of Consort Shen.

"You are Consort Xue's niece?"

The other person spoke first, but the slightly contemptuous look in their eyes displeased Xue Chan. She then remembered that Cheng Huaizhu had complained about Bao Jia making things difficult for her.

Xue Chan glanced at her briefly; she was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. She suppressed her displeasure, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your Highness, that's right."

Baojia, intrigued, laughed and said, "Lift your face up so I can see."

Xue Chan lowered her eyes slightly, remaining motionless in the face of these increasingly disrespectful words.

She had already heard Cheng Huaizhu talk about it before. This fourth princess of the Consort Shu was extremely pampered, which had given her a rather spoiled and willful temperament.

Seeing that there was no response after she spoke, Baojia's face immediately fell: "Didn't you hear me?"

Baojia didn't really want to see her, nor did she care whether Xue Chan was actually listening to her. She went straight to the point and said, "You disregard the princess. How dare you."

"?" Xue Chan was certain that she was being provocative. Her mind raced, trying to decide whether to endure it or...

"What's all the fuss about?"

A shout came from behind, and everyone turned around to see Yu Lang approaching with palace servants. They silently retreated to both sides.

Yu Lang first glanced at Xue Chan, then his gaze fell on Bao Jia, who was unhappy about being interrupted, and he was somewhat speechless.

She sighed inwardly and said, "The banquet is about to begin, please take your seats."

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and left in twos and threes.

Baojia snorted heavily and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Yu Lang called out to her.

Baojia raised her chin: "What, are you going to scold me or go to Father Emperor to complain about me? Let me tell you, I didn't do anything, and you can't complain."

“You didn’t do anything…” Yu Lang walked slowly to her with his arms crossed, his expression serious: “Baojia, today is an elegant banquet in the palace, with all the noble families present. You better rein in your spoiled temper and stop causing trouble.”

Baojia was somewhat indignant: "By blood, I am your sister. By status, I am a princess. What can I do?"

Zhao Yulang was also a little angry, and gave a slight sneer: "If you weren't my sister, I would have taught you a lesson long ago."

Before Baojia could even catch her breath, she was being scolded, and she immediately felt wronged: "Haven't you scolded me enough already? I didn't do anything to her, who's your real sister anyway!"

Yu Lang only glanced at her, and Bao Jia lowered her head weakly.

She didn't want to pay attention to her, but she still poked Baojia's forehead and warned, "The banquet is about to start, have more fun and less trouble. If you keep this up and it really gets to Father Emperor, I won't cover for you anymore."

Baojia simply gave a soft "hmm," glared at Xue Chan, and left, still muttering to herself.

"Just you wait."

Yu Lang glanced at Xue Chan, who had retreated to a distance, and frowned, saying, "Why aren't you leaving? Are you here to watch the show?"

Xue Chan said, "Of course we await His Highness's decision."

Yu Lang thought about it for a moment. If she ran away, he would catch her and give her a scolding. So he said, "Why do you always cause trouble every time you come to the palace?"

Xue Chan: "Does Your Highness really think I caused this trouble?"

Before Xue Chan could respond, she spoke again: "Forget it, go play your game and stop getting in my way."

"Yes," Xue Chan bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

Yu Lang stopped her again, unusually patiently admonishing her: "Baojia is a princess, young and spoiled. Although you are Consort Xue's niece, kinship is often not a factor in the palace."

Only the majesty of the imperial family.

"Baojia isn't deliberately targeting you, she's just... In short, it's good for you to stay out of things and act less impulsively."

Xue Chan smiled, knowing that what she wanted to say was that Consort Xue was only superior to Consort Shen because of her low seniority.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

The ripples that had barely begun were quelled, and the banks of Fuguang Pond remained peaceful.

After crossing the bridge, Xue Chan first met Xiao Yangjun, and then they went together to find Fang Youxi and Cheng Huaizhu.

"They're over there."

Xiao Yangjun pointed to the two people not far away and pulled Xue Chan to run in that direction.

Cheng Huaizhu, standing behind the screen, picked up the things she had knocked over. A note fell out of her purse, on which was written a sentence.

May you be like a pomegranate flower, bright and beautiful.

Cheng Huaizhu didn't look at it much, quickly packed it up and returned it to Fang Youxi.

Fang Youxi examined it carefully, then put it away: "Thank you."

Cheng Huaizhu, being a bit gossipy, whispered, "Miss Fang is beautiful and gentle, could it be a gift from some young man?"

But then I thought again, the note was quite old, and the handwriting was somewhat familiar.

Fang Youxi just smiled and changed the subject: "They're here."

As soon as Cheng Huaizhu turned her head, she saw Xue Chan and Xiao Yangjun standing beside her. The group laughed and returned to their original spot.

The emperor rested his chin on his hand, glanced at Jiang Ce beside him, whose gaze was fixed on the person who had run away and then returned, and couldn't help but smile.

He tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, feeling that he had been very fortunate to have been given this marriage.

In such a wonderful season, shouldn't we grant a few more good matches?

"..." Consort Xue spoke calmly, "Does His Majesty want to play matchmaker again?"

The emperor patted her hand and laughed, "I just thought, with such a beautiful woman and such a lovely scene, it's time to set a question."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xu immediately brought out paper and pen.

The emperor picked up his brush and wrote down the key point of the year.

Elegant gatherings and banquets are nothing more than poetry contests, calligraphy demonstrations, and musical competitions.

Therefore, everyone quickly received the topic set by the emperor: "The Splendor of Spring".

Xue Chan, aboard the painted boat, pondered the question, lost in thought.

Pink peach blossoms and green willows, a river of spring water—all embody the spirit of spring. Our predecessors have already painted countless works of art; how can we capture the beauty of spring with ingenuity?

What you draw is neither important nor unimportant; what matters most is that it resonates with your heart.

She aspires to become famous worldwide, and she considers cultivating her artistic talent and refining her artistic principles as the foundation of her career. However, she also needs to seize every opportunity to showcase herself.

A window opened in the west wall, and the peonies on the flower stand were in full bloom. Beside them lay Cheng Huaizhu's unfinished poetry collection, the spring breeze swirling in through the window, turning the pages.

A peony petal gently landed on the curled pages of the book.

That is a poem by an ancient poet entitled "Three Poems on Spring Thoughts".

After a while, Xue Chan finished her painting, and Cheng Huaizhu immediately pulled Xiao Yangjun over to admire it, exclaiming, "It's wonderful!"

She raised her eyebrows and whispered to the group, "I just finished looking around, and I originally thought Baojia's painting was the best. With your work, we're sure to win first place today."

Xue Chan was the daughter of Xue Chenghuai and a student of Li Qingyan, which made her quite conspicuous. As soon as the painting was finished, it attracted many people.

Most of the girls, barely ten years old, cherished talent. Though they couldn't help but feel envious when they gathered together, they genuinely appreciated each other's abilities. They chatted amongst themselves, some discussing books, others admiring paintings, their laughter as beautiful as springtime.

Xue Chan became the center of attention, gradually drawing away the people who were originally surrounding Yu Lang and Bao Jia.

Baojia gripped the pen tightly, her lips pressed together.

Yu Lang's gaze lightly fell on her, causing Bao Jia to immediately lower her head.

All the poems, calligraphy, and paintings composed during the banquet were to be presented to the emperor, so that Consort Xue and the officials and their families could enjoy them.

Xue Chan sent Yun Sheng and Chu Tao to deliver the painting, while she continued to chat and laugh with everyone.

But the people hadn't gone far when they suddenly heard several claps of thunder outside, and the painted boat rocked violently in the strong wind. Several "plop" sounds echoed on the water, and immediately a palace servant cried out, "Someone has fallen into the water! Quickly, save them!"

Xue Chan raised her eyes and quickly ran to the bow of the painted boat. Because of the sudden thunder, everyone was in a panic, and the palace maids and servants who were delivering the books and paintings fell into the water for some reason. Some of the paper and paintings were scattered on the water.

Hearing the commotion, Yu Lang came out and immediately said, "Quickly, save them!"

While Cheng Huaizhu was still in shock, Xue Chan jumped into the water to retrieve the paintings and calligraphy.

"Qiao Niang!"

So she immediately jumped down as well.

The paintings and calligraphy were soaked in water, and she didn't know which ones were hers. But she didn't care about that and just did her best to retrieve all the paintings and calligraphy she could find.

The palace servants gradually pulled people out of the water. Except for those who had sunk and could not be saved, they pulled up all the others that could be retrieved. Half of them were unharmed because they were pulled out in time.

"Miss Xue, stop trying to retrieve it, bring it up quickly!"

Xue Chan first helped Cheng Huaizhu aboard, and then, covered in water, boarded the painted boat herself. She searched for her own painting among the pile of books and paintings, but couldn't find it no matter what she looked for.

She collapsed to the ground, clenching her fists.

Yu Lang acted swiftly, having already arranged for people to prepare and lead them into the pavilion to change clothes.

After all the commotion, a palace servant brought in the badly damaged painting. Cheng Huaizhu quickly waved her hand, trying to hide the tattered painting.

"Bring it here."

After changing her clothes, Xue Chan, her face pale, walked up to the palace servant and trembled as she stroked the painting, which was so badly damaged that it was almost unrecognizable.

Cheng Huaizhu grabbed her hand: "Qiao Niang, this was an accident, don't be too..."

Xue Chan grasped her hand in return and comforted her, "I know, I'll just draw another one."

"Boom!"

Dark clouds loomed outside, and the palace servants hurriedly moved the banquet outside into the main hall.

Inside the Dongming Hall, the emperor helped Jiang Shiyu, who was kneeling and kowtowing, to his feet. He looked him over carefully and patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction: "Shiyu, you've finally returned to the capital."

Jiang Shiyu immediately bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

The emperor immediately stepped forward and told him to get up: "You and I are not only ruler and subject, but also relatives. You have protected the peace of the western border for me for many years. Why be so formal?"

Jiang Shiyu shook his head and smiled, "That's precisely why we must not be impolite. Her Majesty has taught me since I was a child to read and be polite. If I were to be impolite, I would have no face to face her."

“Therefore—” he then looked at the emperor and said, “Your Majesty, please accept this courtesy, otherwise I, Shiyu, will be ashamed and dare not rise.”

He first mentioned the deceased empress, and then insisted on it. The emperor sighed before withdrawing his hand to accept the respectful and humble bow.

After the ceremony, the emperor immediately raised his hand and said, "Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Then Jiang Ce led Jiang Yao to kowtow. The emperor looked at Jiang Yao, who was hiding behind Jiang Ce in fear, and asked, "Is this your daughter? I remember that when you brought her into the palace, it was the empress who personally named her."

Jiang Shiyu said, "Yes, it is indeed my daughter."

The emperor smiled at Jiang Yao and asked, "How old are you?"

Jiang Yao blinked, hesitant to speak. Jiang Ce whispered comfortingly behind her, "It's okay, don't be afraid."

"Your Majesty, she is eight years old."

The Emperor bent down, his smile warm and gentle. He looked at Jiang Yao, somewhat dazed, and whispered, "Eight years old, yes. She and my Minghui were born in the same year. If Minghui were here..."

Of the few people present, except for Jiang Yao, all remained silent, filled with sorrow.

Jiang Ce said, "Your Majesty must have a lot to talk about with Third Uncle, so I'll take Third Sister out to play."

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and smiled again, "Indeed, children her age love to play and make noise; it's boring for them to stay here. Then you should take her and let her play with the other children."

As soon as they left, the emperor sighed, and thinking of Jiang Shiyu's current widowhood, he spoke again.

"Your wife passed away a few years ago, leaving behind this daughter. You are only thirty now, and she is still young and needs her mother. Why don't I choose a suitable husband for you?"

Jiang Shiyu's eyes welled up with tears, and he smiled bitterly.

“In these past few years, I have lost my father, brother, wife, sister, and sister-in-law. I have truly endured too many separations. When people are away from home, who knows when they will be sent to the battlefield, their lives uncertain? Why should I trouble others and add to their sorrow? Now that my daughter is growing up by my side, I only feel comforted and not lonely. Moreover, she is able to protect the peace of the western border for Your Majesty, just like my second brother. I will have no regrets for the rest of my life.”

The emperor listened to his words, looked up at him, and remained silent.

After a while, he seemed to exhale.

"Shiyu, last year a new ruler ascended the throne in the Western Rong, and I heard that he is a very capable person."

"I summoned you back to the capital this time because I wanted to ask you..." He stood by the window with his hands behind his back, touching a knife at his side, "Having spent several years in the western border, you must know the situation better than I do. Is there a possibility that war will break out again?"

"Boom!"

A thunderclap shook the window.