Chapter 50 Xuanye’s Secret “Are you curious?” Xuanye said deliberately…

"If I say no, will you listen to me?" Xuanye held Xiu Yu's shoulders and said, "I think you are not such an obedient girl. The more I don't ask you to come, the more you will come." He looked into Xun Fang's eyes, his eyes burning.

"That... isn't necessarily true." Xiu Yu shook her head. "I'm not that tactless. You didn't invite me over, so what's the point of me coming?"

She was so proud, scorning the grace others could only pray for. Perhaps this was what made her different. Xuanye thought so and said, "Of course I asked you to come. You can come whenever you want. This place will always be yours, yours and mine."

Xiu Yu looked around the warm room, thinking that she might leave soon, and felt a little reluctant. "Actually, your place is quite nice."

"Just fine, huh?" Xuanye, hands clasped behind his back, surveyed the warm room's layout alongside Xiuyu. "I put a lot of thought into this," he said. "Actually..." He hesitated, glancing at the opposite wall. "There's a secret hidden here, and I doubt you've discovered it yet."

"Then..." Xiu Yu was still curious and asked, "How long do you plan to keep this secret?"

"Are you curious?" Xuanye said deliberately, "I thought that if you were truly curious about my things, you would have discovered it long ago."

Xiu Yu walked to the wall, but couldn't discern any hidden meaning. Then, an idea struck him, and he went to the Duobao Pavilion. While studying it, he said, "I know the rules. This is your place, and I'm... a guest. Since you, the host, are away, how can I, a guest, touch your things?"

After all, it is the emperor's place, and there are quite a few good things displayed in the Duobao Pavilion.

Xuanye walked to Xiuyu's side, put his big hands on Xiuyu's hands, and they both held a glazed white porcelain bottle.

Xuanye asked, "There are so many things here, why do you think this one has a secret?"

Xiu Yu smiled and replied: "This porcelain vase is a bit too plain. It doesn't match the treasures in your Duobao Pavilion, right?" As she spoke, she turned to look at Xuanye, her eyes revealing confidence.

Xuanye was slightly stunned and said self-deprecatingly: "What I originally thought was to set the mechanism on the most common objects. It seems that if I encounter a thief like you with this approach, I am afraid that everything will be stolen." As soon as he finished speaking, he took Xiu Yu's hand and turned the glazed white porcelain bottle.

Then, just like those martial arts movies Xiu Yu had watched more than three hundred years later, the secret door in the wall slowly opened.

"I'll take you to see my private collection." Xuanye took Xiu Yu's hand and pulled her into the world inside the secret door.

Inside the secret door, there was a cello on the ground, a violin on the treasure cabinet, and various Western musical instruments, which really shocked Xiu Yu.

Xuanye looked at Xiu Yu's surprised expression and said, "You are not the only one in this palace who likes Western telescopes. Ever since I met Thomas Fat and heard the beautiful music played by the violin, I have found Western objects very interesting." As he spoke, he picked up the violin from the Duobao Pavilion and played a note casually.

"Everyone has their own strengths." Xiu Yu touched the strings of the cello and said, "Speaking of musical instruments, I prefer the guqin and bamboo flute. Playing them is like being in the martial arts world."

Xuanye's eyes lit up even brighter. "Could it be that you, Yu'er, also yearn for the life of the Jianghu?"

"Me too?" Xiu Yu sensed the meaning behind the words and raised her head to ask Xuanye, "Could it be that the Emperor's Third Brother doesn't like being the Emperor and prefers being a commoner?"

"Just thinking about it." Xuanye's words revealed a hint of regret. He glanced at the time on the Western clock and said, "It's time to go to breakfast. After all, you know this secret. I have permission. You can come whenever you want."

I thought she would be very happy to hear this favor, but unexpectedly Xiu Yu waved her hand and shook her head, saying, "I will not enter this place unless I am with you."

"What do you mean?" Xuanye held Xiu Yu's hand again and asked as he walked out.

Xiu Yu replied, "This is a secret room after all. It would be better if you come along when you are here."

Xuanye felt that Xiuyu hoped that he could stay with her more often, and her words were filled with tenderness: "Don't worry, Yu'er, my place is your place. I made this promise to you, and I will never regret it in this life."

Xiu Yu hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "Your Majesty, Yu'er has something to ask. I don't want to ask, but I feel uncomfortable if I don't ask."

Seeing her slightly serious look, Xuanye was really curious about what she wanted to ask.

Xiu Yu said, "You've taken good care of me, there's no doubt about that. But, is it simply because of Yu'er's looks? Or is it because Yu'er can ride a horse? Or can she take apart a telescope?"

Xuanye was also startled, then laughed out loud: "If I say that this is a feeling, a feeling that is hard to explain, would you believe it?"

"Then..." Xiu Yu lowered her eyelids and asked, "Do you feel the same way when you treat other people?"

"Different." This time, Xuanye didn't hesitate at all, but instead became serious: "Yu'er, the first time I saw you, I felt very familiar. This is not a joke, it's a real feeling. Of course, I can't say exactly how much your appearance adds to the experience. However, I can be sure of one thing, you give me a very different feeling, a feeling I have never had in all those years."

"It feels like a lifetime ago?" Xiu Yu asked this question inexplicably.

Xuanye nodded: "You are right, it feels like a lifetime ago."

After breakfast and sending Xuanye to court, Xiu Yu sat on the couch in a daze.

Xiao Tao brought over a recipe book and asked, "Master, what are you thinking about? I see you've been stunned for a long time."

"Xiao Tao." Xiu Yu took the menu but did not open it immediately.

"Didn't you say you wanted to see a recipe?" Xiao Tao saw Xiu Yu hesitated and said with a smile, "If you don't want to see a recipe, how about embroidery or chess? Or drawing?"

"Neither." Xiu Yu shook her head. She wanted to discuss the "feeling like a different world" with Xiao Tao, but after hesitating for a long time, she still didn't dare to speak. "Forget it, I'll just look at the menu."

Xiao Tao's greatest strength was that she never asked a single question about anything others didn't want to discuss. This was true for everyone else, even her teacher, who was like a family member. She silently stayed by Xiu Yu's side, occasionally adding a little more tea to her cup.

Xiu Yu was initially confused. She couldn't understand why she'd used the phrase "as if in another world" to describe the feeling Xuanye described, and she vaguely felt like she'd forgotten something. But she was a sharp engineering student. While she wasn't a photographic memory, her exceptional memory was certified. How could she possibly have forgotten something?

Xiu Yu is Xiu Yu after all. She was distracted for a while, but finally she collected her thoughts and focused her attention on the recipe in her hand.

About half a quarter of an hour later, Xiu Yu patted the tea table, stood up and said, "Xiao Tao, go to the kitchen, Master will make you some candied haws."

"Ah?" Xiao Tao was surprised. He rolled his eyes and said jokingly, "Master, you really have something on your mind. Otherwise, why would you want to go to the small kitchen at this hour?"

"I made you candied haws, but you're not happy about it?" Xiu Yu quickly calmed down her complicated emotions, let out a long sigh, and said, "Let me make food. Master is in a good mood today, so you can order whatever you want. Master will make it for you."

Xiao Tao followed Xiu Yu to the small kitchen and couldn't help muttering, "Good mood? Clearly, it's a complicated one."

"Do you still want to eat?" Xiu Yu glanced at Xiao Tao. "You've become more obedient, so why are you still so naughty? Now that you're around me, your true colors are revealed."

Xiao Tao stuck out his tongue and said, "Master, you'd better hurry up. Even if you're quick, aren't you afraid that the Emperor will come again at noon?"

"He's coming..." Xiu Yu lowered her eyelids: "Come if you want to. He's coming for lunch anyway. I made it, and it's just right for him to eat it!"

On the other hand, in the Cining Palace, Nianhulu Yanlan, Tongjia Zifu, and several well-known ladies in Xuanye's harem were talking to Xiaozhuang at this moment.

After greeting and exchanging some indifferent words, Niu Hulu Yanlan finally got to the point of her visit: "Yesterday was the Emperor's birthday. I heard that the Emperor spent the night at Sister Tong's place?"

As Xuanye's cousin, Tong Jia Zifu had always maintained a neutral stance within the harem. She wasn't stupid, so she naturally understood what Niu Hulu Yanlan meant: "The Emperor's dinner was indeed served in the Zhongcui Palace."

"Then..." Niu Hulu Yanlan wanted to continue asking.

Tong Jia Zifu smiled again and said, "If you're curious about your cousin's daily life, why don't you ask him in person next time? I'm not a roundworm, so how can I tell you what he's thinking?"

Tong Jia Zi Fu's words truly stifled Nianhulu Yanlan, and her face immediately turned green. However, in front of Xiaozhuang and her "sisters" in the palace, she, the "future" queen, had to save face. Therefore, she still wanted to maintain a superficial peace and smiled at Tong Jia Zi Fu, saying, "Sister, you are right. I was rude."

Tong Jia Zifu stood up and bowed to Xiaozhuang, saying, "Grandma, Zifu still has some matters to deal with in the palace, so I will kneel down and pay my respects first."

Looking at Tong Jia Zifu's back, Niu Hulu Yanlan tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hand. She couldn't be anxious or angry, and could only suppress her anger.

Empress Xiaozhuang sighed, "Yanlan will stay, and you all should kneel down and pay your respects."

After all the beautiful women had left the Cining Palace, Niu Hulu Yanlan's eyes still turned red: "Grandfather..."

"Alright." Empress Xiaozhuang motioned for Nianhulu Yanlan to come forward and sit across from her. "You're going to be the queen, so you should have the dignity of a mother who rules the country!"