51 Attending the Sick
◎Wow, she's really a pretty girl◎
Fu Kang's health has always been poor, and it suddenly took a turn for the worse since the beginning of autumn. He had experienced this before, but it was especially bad now.
"Your Majesty has taken the medicine."
Rong Qianyu has always served diligently. Ever since the last smallpox outbreak, Fu Kang and Bai Yi's attitude towards her has completely changed. They've been worried she'd be inexperienced, but they didn't expect her to be so capable, capable of winning over the people, and beautiful and filial.
Although his own son is unreliable, he can still feel a little comforted after a hundred years because he has such a considerate daughter-in-law to take care of him.
She always took care of them without taking off her clothes, which touched them deeply. "You are a good child. You have worked so hard."
Rong Qianyu never complained about this. Every time Fu Kang praised her, she would just smile and say nothing more. "Your Majesty is the ruler, Qianyu is the subject. Your Majesty is the father-in-law, Qianyu is the daughter-in-law. This is all as it should be."
Fu Kang naturally liked her, but he had no confidence in his own body. "But I don't know if my body can survive the great defeat of Qianbei next year."
She patiently prepared Fu Kang's medicinal soup, and tried every bowl herself before feeding it to him. Illness comes like a mountain falling, and goes like a thread being pulled out, so it has to be treated slowly.
"Of course it will. Your Majesty was just a case of impatience and a cold. It won't be serious. When the army returns to the capital next year, we'll have to wait for Your Majesty to commend the soldiers."
The autumn wind gradually blew, and the setting sun cast its gentle afterglow on the trees outside the house. The golden leaves slowly fell down.
Fu Kang looked out bored at the withered yellow autumn leaves and said with a sigh, "It's autumn again."
Rong Qianyu followed his gaze and looked at the yellow leaves outside the window, then looked at Fu Kang and understood what was going on.
After feeding her the medicine, she found an excuse to leave and instructed the eunuch beside Fu Kang, "Order the trees outside the courtyard to be replaced with pine trees. His Majesty gets anxious when he sees yellow leaves."
She had been in Da Zhou for over a year. Perhaps a year ago, after experiencing something like this, she wouldn't have cared much about the yellow leaves, but now she paid special attention. Over the past year, it had been difficult not to change. In this palace, not changing meant death. Even if she didn't want to, she had to make changes.
Da Zhou is further north than Rong State, and autumn comes earlier here. There is a cool breeze in the morning and evening, unlike the gentle breeze in Rong State. When the weather is good, watching the sunset in the evening with the sky full of rosy clouds and the geese flying south is also a beautiful scenery.
She had been busy tending to the patient lately, working day and night, and it was a rare opportunity for her to watch the sunset. She waited patiently for the sky to darken before moving. "Pan'er, is Cui Rumei here?"
Rong Pan nodded, "Yes, I'm decocting medicine for Your Majesty in the back room."
Rong Qianyu specifically emphasized, "Tell people to be more careful. We should be prepared for the worst. We must not let her take advantage of any loopholes."
"Your Majesty said the same thing as Lord Xue," Rong Pan said. Xue Ji had come earlier and had also told Rong Pan to tell Rong Qianyu to be careful of Cui Rumei. He said this person had ill intentions and that it was best to be safe than sorry. Regardless, the safety of His Majesty was paramount.
She didn't say anything, but just smiled shyly, "He does understand me."
It was rare to see her so shy. Xue Ji was always the first to discover her thoughts and make the first judgment. Seeing her like this, Rong Pan was very curious and asked, "Madam, you..."
"No."
"Not yet?" Rong Pan looked like a spectator in a teahouse waiting for the next episode. He was so curious that he tried every possible way to find out, but the storyteller kept him in suspense and refused to tell him.
She drank the tea and listened to the book, but she was still confused about how the story would develop. She couldn't wait for the next episode, so she ran to her side and wanted to find out.
Rong Qianyu glared at her, but didn't complain. She waved her hand, not wanting her to bring it up again. "I'm conflicted, and so is he. There are many things we need to make sober decisions about."
Their relationship was now a delicate one, each adoring the other yet indifferent, each relying on a tacit understanding to express their affection for the other. Meeting was always a joyous occasion, but the disparity in their status and the stifling rules of imperial power had turned this affection into a slow, agonizing torture, leaving them feeling uneasy and anxious about what they would gain and lose.
"By the way, why didn't Taoer come today?"
Rong Pan laughed at her, thinking she only cared about attending to the sick and didn't ask about anything else. As if she was carrying a huge secret, she whispered, "The Fifth Princess has been very busy lately."
She had indeed not interacted with others for a long time and had no idea what was happening in the palace. "What's wrong? What are you busy with?"
Rong Pan laughed at her, saying she was oblivious to the world outside and only cared about Xue Jiming. "The Fifth Princess and the young master of the Huang Yun family have been getting close lately. It's a good thing, actually. If they really love each other, it would be nice to get married, so as to avoid any more trouble."
Fu Tao used to hang around her, and she always seemed to remember mentioning the young man from Master Huang's family. She hadn't expected them to actually be interested in each other, but the familiarity didn't leave a good impression on her. "You never know what's going on in life. Hopefully, this girl is almost sixteen. If they're truly in love, a marriage might be a good idea."
People say that they wish for a long life and to share the beauty of the moon together even though they are thousands of miles apart, but it is rare to have such a peaceful and stable life. I just hope that Fu Tao will be lucky enough to be able to stay with his lover smoothly.
A man in a green robe quickly ran into the inner room, "Master Huang, Master Huang, someone is looking for you at the door!"
Huang Song, the current head of the department, was busy dealing with these vast volumes of books all day, not even having time to eat. He looked up and asked, his face full of fatigue. "Who is it?"
"It was a woman wearing a bamboo hat. She didn't tell me who she was when I asked her."
Huang Song knew who it was when he heard this, and immediately became excited, "I'll go and take a look!"
Colleagues joked, "Could this be the young lady that Mr. Huang is fond of? She's here to bring lunch to her lover at noon!"
He had a smile on his face, and the more he spoke, the more he couldn't hide his smile. He didn't forget to defend Fu Tao, "Don't say she is thin-skinned, she can't stand your teasing!" Then he went out to meet people excitedly.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to straighten his clothes and wipe his face. The person who first came in to pass on the message joked, "Look, he knows who this woman is, and he's protecting her so we can't ask, and he's even tidying her up!"
"Not long after, he came out, dusty and exhausted. Fu Tao was waiting there, wearing a light yellow dress and a bamboo hat. What brought you here?"
Fu Tao took out a pair of shoes. The stitching was messy but the material was shiny. It was obviously a palace style. "I know you've been busy with official duties recently. Last time I saw you, your shoes were a little worn and you didn't change them. I embroidered a new pair for you."
"Princess..." Huang Song was very surprised, but he didn't dare to accept it. "I really can't bear your kindness."
"You deserve it!" Fu Tao said.
The little girl's round eyes showed him the sincerity he hadn't seen in a long time. She pointed to the basket and said, "I also made some cakes for you. Remember to eat them."
He had feelings for Tao. Ten years of living together had transformed their master-servant relationship into a brother-sister one. Fu Tao spent more time with him than even his own brother, Fu Hua, who was busy courting women. When a beautiful woman was in his arms, or needed his help with schoolwork or grievances, Huang Song was usually by her side.
Sometimes she hated Fu Nian for his lack of rules and disregard for hierarchy, and she was often jealous that Fu Nian had an older brother to support her. When she was bullied as a child, it was always Huang Song who stood up for her. But after all, he was a subject and could not lose his temper with the prince or princess. The two of them had depended on each other and supported each other until now.
Over time, this feeling is deeply buried in the heart and becomes the most irreplaceable existence for each other. Whether it is family affection or friendship, it is irreplaceable by others.
Huang Song asked, "Do you want to come in and sit for a while? We're almost ready for break."
Fu Tao asked shyly, "Is it okay?"
"Sure," Huang Song said, feeling relieved, fearing she would refuse. "They're just a bunch of rough old men, princess, I hope you don't mind."
"How could that be? I'm already very happy that you let me in."
The two entered the house, and everyone in the room cheered when they saw Huang Song holding a girl, "Wow, she is really a pretty girl!"
Mr. Huang, who has always been unromantic and somewhat serious, was able to bring back a girl, and such a bright and beautiful girl.
Afraid that Fu Tao would lose face, Huang Song came to her rescue, "Don't tease her!"
This statement made several of the hot-blooded colleagues around her envious, and they rushed to complain to Fu Tao, "Miss, you don't know this. When Master Huang heard you were coming, he was so happy that he ran out to greet you!"
"Really? He really ran away?"
"Yeah! I'm so anxious!!"
Fu Tao looked at others and they all nodded.
She smiled shyly, pretending to be extremely gentle in front of outsiders. She didn't look like someone who could climb walls and trees to read gay stories. "He was narrow-minded and didn't tell me. Thank you very much, everyone."
Several colleagues gathered around and asked questions, "Miss, what is your name, how old are you, are you married, and are you the sweetheart of Mr. Huang?"
Huang Song was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable, so he covered it up for her, "Don't ask anymore!"
Fu Tao pretended to be cool and aloof, and pushed him away with a loving look, saying, "My surname is Bai, my given name is Tao, and my parents and brothers all call me Taozi. I'm the fifth child in the family."
Seeing this fair-skinned girl being tricked into the hands of Huang Song, the rough guys were all more curious than the other. It wasn't exactly flattery, but they were excited because they hadn't seen a girl in years. "Miss Bai, your name is beautiful, elegant, and interesting. It really complements your good looks!"
"By the way, I made some snacks. Everyone, please have a try!" After saying that, he took out the cakes that had been prepared in advance. These were all made by Fu Tao himself, including white jade jelly, lotus cake, and jujube paste cake, with all kinds of colors and patterns.
When the food box was opened, everyone was shocked. They didn't expect that the little girl was so clever and skillful. Even Huang Song didn't expect it. He never knew how good Fu Tao was at cooking, but he just knew that she was not good at housework.
Several green men praised it and picked up a piece to eat. It melted in their mouths. The chef's cooking skills were indeed extraordinary. "Miss Bai is not only beautiful, but the snacks she made are also delicious. What a great craftsman!"
Afterwards, the two found a teahouse to sit and drink tea, listening to the story of the talented man and beautiful woman who knew each other and fell in love in the audience.
"You gave me shoes, and I have nothing to give you in return, so I'll give you this hairpin." Huang Song took out the white jade hairpin on his head and handed it to Fu Tao.
"Why did you give me the hairpin?" Fu Tao was somewhat grateful and roughly understood Huang Song's meaning, but he was still vaguely embarrassed to accept it.
Naturally, she liked Huang Song. He was her closest person since childhood. It would be good if she could have a good outcome in the future. Her parents doted on her and her brother was also quite nice to her. The only thing that made her unhappy since she was a child was probably Concubine Xian and her two children.
She always wanted to compete with Fu Nian. In the past, she wanted to be better at her studies and more sensible than her, but she just couldn't get rid of her laziness. Now, she wanted to be more valued than her and marry better than her. Although these were just trivial matters in the boudoir, she still wanted to fight for her status as legitimate and illegitimate child.
"Taozi, thank you. That snack is delicious. You must have worked hard."
She was so ashamed that she told him everything, "You don't need to thank me since we're so familiar with each other. I asked the imperial kitchen to make all of that. If you like it, I'll bring it back for you next time!"
"Ah?" Huang Song really didn't expect it.
Seeing his reaction, Fu Tao was a little afraid that he would be angry, so he asked cautiously: "You are not unhappy, are you? Actually, I can learn it too."
Huang Song quickly tried to smooth things over, "It's okay, it's okay. You don't have to learn. I love it. You can just buy it next time."
Hearing him say this, Fu Tao finally felt relieved.
"How is His Majesty's condition? Is it okay for you to leave the palace so frequently?"
"Father's old illness is not a big deal," she said, not paying much attention. She played with the hairpin and said, "Please help me put it on."
Huang Song stood up, found an empty space on her already heavy head, and inserted it straight in.
"Does it look good?" she asked.
Huang Song was very familiar with the classics, history, and literature, but he was very clumsy when it came to coaxing girls. "It's beautiful." He didn't know what to say for a moment and just stared at her in a daze.
"Really? Then I have to let everyone in the palace see it, except that Cui Rumei."
"Why do you dislike her so much? I heard she is a descendant of Cui family of Boling." Huang Song did not understand the disputes in their inner court.
"I don't know much about her. I just know that she lived in the entertainment industry a few years ago and has been with my brother for many years. I think she has been with him since she was fifteen. She had no official status before. It was my sister-in-law who asked for the position of the Crown Prince's concubine."
"Did the Crown Princess ask for it?" Huang Song didn't know what to say when he heard the news. The incident of the little princess falling into the water had caused a lot of buzz, and everyone thought that the two were at loggerheads. Unexpectedly, it was the Crown Princess who asked for it on behalf of Cui Cairen.
Speaking of this, Fu Tao perked up again, "If it weren't for my sister-in-law's request, she wouldn't be where she is today. Not only is she ungrateful, but she also keeps trying to trip me up. It's infuriating to see her like that."
"Is that so?" Huang Song didn't know what was going on and didn't know the grudge between them, so he just agreed with what she said.
"But this time she's here to take care of Emperor Father. It seems she has no good intentions. And there's another strange thing: Emperor Father seems to be in a hurry to marry Fu Nian off!"
"She's younger than you, why are you so anxious?"
"I don't know, but Fu Nian seems quite reluctant and has gone to my father to make trouble several times."
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