Chapter 25 A Kind of Longing As Xiao Tao said, after Xiu Yu entered the palace...

As Xiao Tao had said, the day after Xiu Yu entered the palace, she didn't even see the emperor. That evening, as the sun set, she watched it as she had the day before, but now she was the only one watching. Without Xuanye by her side, she felt a sense of forlornness and loneliness amidst such a beautiful scene.

"Master, the sun is setting soon. Be careful of the wind. You might get cold." Xiao Tao put a fox fur coat on Xiu Yu and said, "Go back to the house and rest."

Xiu Yu smiled calmly, but there was a hint of helplessness in her eyes: "You are absolutely right, he really won't come."

Xiao Tao helped Xiu Yu up, and the master and servant walked into the warm room together.

"My lord, don't worry. Even if the emperor doesn't come today, he will definitely come tomorrow." She raised her eyebrows, like a fortune teller.

Xiu Yu turned her head to look at Xiao Tao and couldn't help asking, "Didn't you say that after he appeased one, he had to appease that. How could one day be enough?"

"Master, please don't forget that the emperor is the emperor after all. Moreover, the emperor today is no longer the child who needed a regent. Now, the court is in the hands of the emperor alone. He actually has the capital to do what he wants and get what he wants. If I were..." Xiao Tao was about to say "If I were the emperor", but suddenly realized that this was in the Forbidden City, the place where the emperor really lived. She said this probably because she felt that the head on her neck was too firmly fixed.

Xiu Yu asked sweetly, "If you were...what would you do?"

"It's a pity I'm not." Xiao Tao took Xiu Yu's arm and lowered his voice, "But if I were, I would find a way to be with you all the time, Gege. No matter whether it's messy or not, let it be messy. Feeling happy and blessed is what matters most."

Xiu Yu was amused by Xiao Tao and laughed out loud: "Fortunately, you are not! If you were, the world would be in chaos."

Xiao Tao sighed deliberately and said, "What you said seems to be true." She glanced at the time on the Western clock and said, "Master, you haven't had dinner yet, aren't you hungry?"

"Now that you mention it," Xiu Yu gently poked Xiao Tao's head and said with a smile, "I'm really a little hungry. Let's eat!"

At this moment in Chengqian Palace, Xuanye was sitting upright, and Nianhulu Yanlan was standing beside him, serving him dishes one by one.

"According to our ancestors' rules, Your Majesty, no matter how much you like a dish, you cannot eat too much. So, I don't know what you actually like to eat." As she said this, Yan Lan picked up a piece of beef and placed it on Xuanye's plate: "This beef is braised quite well."

"Please sit down." Xuanye used to think that women were like clothes to him. He would wear the ones he liked more often, and the ones he disliked less often. However, he had always been a patient man. Treating those who treated him well was probably instinctive. So, he believed that he always behaved well in front of his women, speaking softly and gently, and never losing his gentlemanly demeanor.

But today, Xuanye actually felt a little awkward. Niohuru was still Niohuru, even the way she laid the dishes had barely changed. Yet, he felt strangely irritated, wishing dinner would be over quickly, night would fall, the night would end, and the sun would rise.

After all, it was still a matter of routine. In the warm room of Chengqian Palace, Xuanye lay on his bed, eyes closed, resting. Yan Lan looked sideways at her man, curling her long hair with her right index finger. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Yesterday was the day of the selection, and you didn't go to see it?"

"What are you looking at?" Xuanye said casually, "Is there anyone prettier than you?"

"Of course there are." Yan Lan moved closer to Xuanye and said, "I heard that a young princess from outside the Great Wall is the most outstanding among the girls in this year's selection. I also heard that..."

The matter turned to Xiu Yu. Xuanye finally opened his eyes, glanced at Yan Lan, and said, "You've heard a lot!" He was really not in the mood today, and he was tired of dealing with things. He simply threw a bombshell into Yan Lan's ears, letting her digest it on her own, without the mind to think about other things. "I have discussed it with Mama. Once the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculates an auspicious day, I will enthrone you as the Empress of the Central Palace and move you to Kunning Palace. Are you willing?"

In fact, after the late Empress passed away, rumors circulated in the palace that the daughter of the Niuhulu family would sooner or later become the Empress. However, this matter was too sensitive, so Yan Lan could only secretly think about it in her heart and wait silently, and this wait has lasted until today.

"Your Majesty..." Yan Lan immediately put aside everything she wanted to know. What she had always wanted since the day she entered the palace was finally coming to her.

Xuanye smiled and said, "There's no need to express gratitude. A queen should behave like one. You still need to learn a little before you can take the position of Empress."

Yan Lan sat up, bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Lan Er will definitely live up to your arrangements."

"Go to sleep." Xuanye finally patted Yanlan's hand and said, "Don't stay up all night because of this. Tomorrow morning, no matter how much makeup you put on, it won't be able to hide the haggard look on your face. If the Empress Dowager sees you, you'll look terrible."

That same night, Xiu Yu lay in that big bed, unable to fall asleep for half the night. She despised herself from the bottom of her heart. She had stayed up all night for projects and technical breakthroughs, but to do it for a man was really not worth it.

Quietly getting out of bed, Xiu Yu picked up the fox fur coat draped over the gantry and draped it over her shoulders. Then Xiao Tao asked, "Master, are you still awake?"

"Why haven't you slept yet?" It was late at night and Xiu Yu unconsciously lowered his voice.

Xiao Tao also got up from the couch and walked to Xiu Yu's side, saying, "I guess you didn't sleep well tonight, so I'm waiting for you to get up."

"You're really a clever girl." Xiu Yu smiled and glared at Xiao Tao: "Let's go to the study. If I don't sleep, you probably won't be able to sleep either."

Xiao Tao nodded and helped Xiu Yu walk towards the study.

At that time, Xuanye's belongings were still spread out on the desk. During the day, neither the master nor the servant paid much attention to them. Now, late at night, when everyone was quiet, Xiao Tao noticed the dictionary covered under a pile of papers and wondered, "Does the emperor still look up the dictionary when he has nothing to do?"

Xiu Yu followed Xiao Tao's gaze. She was also very curious. She carefully put the pile of papers covering the dictionary aside and saw that the dictionary was open to the page with 'Y'.

"Oh my god!" Xiao Tao covered her mouth after saying this. She knew that she and her master were the only two people in the study, but she still looked around and said awkwardly, "Master, I just said something wrong."

"It's okay, there's no one else around." Xiu Yu picked up the dictionary. She knew she would be given the title 'Princess Yi', and would eventually advance to 'Consort Yi'. The dictionary was open to the page with the character 'Yi' in it. Could such a coincidence really be possible? To be honest, Xiu Yu couldn't quite believe it.

"Master, you didn't stay awake all night in vain." Xiao Tao's eyes were burning with gossip. "So, your title wasn't just chosen randomly, nor was it chosen by the Ministry of Rites. The Emperor actually looked it up in the dictionary, just like naming a child."

Xiu Yu glanced at Xiao Tao, unable to hide the slight smile on his lips, but still stubbornly said, "I don't believe it. He is an emperor, busy with all kinds of affairs all day long, and he still has time to look up a dictionary to think of a title for a concubine? It's impossible."

"But there's no need to think about it." Xiao Tao knew her master was being stubborn, and she must have felt a sweet feeling inside. "The dictionary is open, the words are right here. This is a clear fact." After saying this, Xiao Tao lowered her voice and leaned close to Xiu Yu's ear, saying, "Master, there's no one else here. You can show your happiness openly. Your disciple won't laugh at you."

"You..." Xiu Yu glanced at Xiao Tao, but a smile was still on his face: "Are you laughing at your master?"

"How dare I laugh at my master's joke?" Xiao Tao waved his hands. "I'm just happy for you. The emperor treats you with much more care than he treats others."

Xiu Yu sat down on the armchair, put the dictionary back to its original place, and covered it with the papers again. He said, "It's better to put everything back to normal. If he sees me later, he'll think I've spied on him."

"This is probably the emperor's secret," Xiao Tao said casually. "He even hid a dictionary, mainly in his own place. Master, do you think the emperor is also hiding his little thoughts?"

"I don't know about that." Xiu Yu suddenly became arrogant: "This matter does have something to do with me, but it's not a big deal. It's just a title, what's the name? I'm still me."

"Whatever you say." Xiao Tao saw Xiu Yu spread a piece of paper on the desk, and she automatically started to grind it. "You can write whatever you want, and I promise I won't peek at it."

"How do you know what I'm going to do?" Xiu Yu picked up the pen and dipped it in ink. She did have some feelings that she wanted to write down, and it would be uncomfortable if she didn't write them down.

Xiao Tao replied, "If you don't want to say what's in your heart, then write it down."

In Chengqian Palace, Nianhulu Yanlan was already fast asleep, but Xuanye simply closed his eyes to rest. In the past, no matter which palace he was in, he always slept soundly, waking up refreshed. But ever since he'd experienced the feeling of Xiuyu lying beside him, he felt incredibly uncomfortable with someone else. Whether he counted numbers, sheep, or stars, Zhou Gong wouldn't come to him.

Later, he simply thought about his first meeting and last meeting with Xiuyu, how playful and dashing Xiuyu was in men's clothing, how gentle and gentle she was in a Manchu dress, and the corners of his mouth gradually raised. This time, Zhou Gong finally arrived. Dreams, even in imagination, are sweet.