Chapter 70 Tang'er, Happy Birthday
Xiao Heng took her to a small island called Tinghe Island.
If you want to enter the island, you have to take a boat across the river.
So, Xiao Heng rowed the boat in front, and Liu Yuetang sat behind him, holding her chin with her hands and looking at the lake.
Gently ripples appeared on the water surface, sparkling and glittering in the sunlight.
Xiao Heng rowed the boat leisurely, his wide sleeves fluttering freely and unrestrainedly.
On a whim, he leisurely recited a line of poetry: "A boat full of autumn colors, spreading out across ten miles of lake light."
Then, a gentle voice followed behind him: "The God of Waves left me to watch the setting sun, releasing the ripples."
A gentle shimmer floated in Xiao Heng's deep eyes. "This scene and this feeling are just like the poem."
Liu Yuetang tilted her head lazily and stared at him deeply, "I never thought that the emperor could row a boat."
Xiao Heng turned his head and said in a deep voice, "It was Queen Mother Wen Yi who taught me."
"When I was outside the palace, I heard that Empress Wen Yi was both virtuous and talented, gentle and demure, a virtuous empress rarely seen in a thousand years."
Xiao Heng smiled faintly, a sense of melancholy rising in his heart: "But I would rather she be more selfish."
Looking at the shore, Xiao Heng didn't want to talk about this matter anymore, so he said, "We're here."
He slowly stood up, and after getting ashore, he reached out and helped Liu Yuetang over.
Tinghe Island is as its name suggests.
Except for a waterway for ships, lotus flowers are planted everywhere.
On the island, there is a luxurious and peaceful wooden house and a towering tree. The shadow of the tree falls on the roof, emitting tranquility and warmth from the inside out.
Liu Yuetang walked forward with a smile and said in surprise, "There's actually a house here."
Seeing her smile so bright, like a spring flower blooming, Xiao Heng asked, "Do you like it?"
Liu Yuetang nodded. "I never imagined that such a peaceful and elegant place could exist in the bustling palace. I can imagine how pleasant it would be to brew a pot of tea there, sit by the window, smell the elegant lotus fragrance, and watch the clouds roll by in the sky."
Xiao Heng stepped forward, took her hand, and said gently, "It's a pity that you have to return to the palace tomorrow, otherwise I could stay here with you for one night."
Then he said seriously, "I promise you, I will live here with you next year, okay?"
Liu Yuetang was just saying it, but she never thought that the emperor in front of her was serious.
However, she also understood that the emperor's favor was like floating clouds, and she never knew what would happen next year and she would lose the emperor's favor again.
By then, not to mention this small house, even the palace won’t be accessible.
Just as she was thinking, Liu Yuetang suddenly felt a chill on the back of her hand. She lowered her head and saw that Xiao Heng was wearing a bracelet on his wrist.
She was startled.
In fact, the bracelet was rare and exquisite. Liu Yuetang even thought it should be a heavenly thing in the book.
It is like the purest clouds and moonlight between heaven and earth, transparent and warm without a trace of impurities.
The bracelet is engraved with a blooming plum blossom pattern and a bright crescent moon.
Xiao Heng looked at her and said softly, "When I first saw you, you were smiling brightly in the plum garden, like a fairy in the moon, and I couldn't take my eyes off you."
"So, I asked the Imperial Household Department to use the finest jade to make this bracelet."
"Tang'er, happy birthday."
Liu Yuetang was slightly startled: "Your Majesty, do you know that today is my birthday?"
"The Imperial Household Department keeps records of the concubines' birthdays."
As soon as he said that, Xiao Heng regretted it.
As expected, the starry sky in the woman's eyes dimmed slightly.
He quickly said, "I promise you, I will remember your second birthday."
Liu Yuetang's eyes reddened, and she hugged Xiao Heng with tears in her eyes: "Thank you, Your Majesty. This is the first time I have received such a precious gift."
Xiao Heng chuckled and patted her back: "Every year from now on, I will prepare a birthday gift for you."
"Come with me." Xiao Heng took Liu Yuetang's hand and walked under the tree.
"This tree originally had no name because we didn't know what species it was. Later, Queen Mother Wen Yi asked me to name it. I saw many people's wishes engraved on the tree, so I named it Wu Yu."
"I hope that everyone who sees this tree will be safe and secure, and that all their wishes will be fulfilled."
"Wu Yu..." Liu Yuetang recited slowly.
"That's a good name."
Xiao Heng raised his hand and removed a hairpin from Liu Yuetang's head. "Don't you women value ritual the most? Come, write down what you wish for."
Liu Yuetang took the hairpin, her graceful eyes filled with a brilliant smile, "Yes, I will write it right away."
She was as happy as a child, and walked forward with light steps. The fine crystals hanging from her hair swayed gracefully, sparkling and glittering, making her snow-white face even more bright and charming.
Liu Yuetang was thinking about what to write when she suddenly turned to look at Xiao Heng.
"Did the Emperor also make a wish on this tree?"
Xiao Heng's brows were calm: "I never make wishes."
Liu Yuetang's beautiful eyes moved, "Then I make a wish that the emperor will not peek."
Xiao Heng agreed: "Okay."
He stood aside and waited for a long time but the woman did not put down the hairpin in her hand, so out of curiosity he stepped forward.
Unexpectedly, Liu Yuetang heard the footsteps. She quickly covered the words on the tree with her hands and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty is lying."
"You said you wouldn't peek."
Xiao Heng's eyes curved, and he chuckled softly, "Okay, I won't look, I'll just stand here."
As he spoke, he took a few steps back.
After a while, Liu Yuetang put down her hairpin, turned around and looked at Xiao Heng in the sunlight with a smile: "Your Majesty, I have finished writing."
Xiao Heng stepped forward and saw a few large characters clearly written on the brown bark.
——Xiao Heng is always happy in Chang'an.
The smile on Xiao Heng's face suddenly froze, and an indescribable feeling surged in his heart.
This was the first time he saw his own name after becoming emperor.
The words "Xiao Heng" on the tree were blurry and the lines were jagged and uneven.
But it was very beautiful, so beautiful that it made him stop breathing for a moment.
Xiao Heng's throat rolled: "Why write my name?"
"Because my wish is that the Emperor will be safe and happy every year."
Xiao Heng felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart and turned to look.
I saw the woman looking at me lovingly, her eyes, which were just melting with spring water, were filled with my figure, as if I was the only one in her world.
Xiao Heng raised his hand and took her into his arms. After a long while, he slowly said, "Then I wish Tang'er happiness and joy, and a harmonious time."
As the sun sets, the floating light sparkles with gold, and the graceful lotus flowers and the golden lake surface complement each other, creating an intoxicating beauty.
Xiao Heng and Liu Yuetang strolled under the sunset glow.
"Your Majesty, actually my birthday is not today." Liu Yuetang suddenly spoke.
"Not today?" Xiao Heng was surprised.
"Then why did you register today when you entered the palace?"
Liu Yuetang smiled faintly and explained in detail, "My aunt and mother gave birth on the same day. I heard from the nanny beside me that I was born at midnight on the sixth day of the eighth month. And my mother's eldest sister was born at midnight, which is the seventh day of the eighth month. But in order to let my eldest sister take the title of eldest daughter, my mother used her power to make the aunt and the midwife change their story and say that I was born after my eldest sister."
Xiao Heng frowned and looked at her with pity: "So, all of Tang'er's birthdays since she was born have been celebrated on the seventh day of the eighth lunar month?"
Liu Yuetang nodded: "Yes."
"I can't even celebrate my own birthday, Your Majesty. Isn't this very pathetic of me?"
Her almond-shaped eyes were slightly moist, and the mole at the corner of her eye looked even more delicate, making me feel pity for her.
Xiao Heng raised his hand and gently rubbed her cheek, his eyes full of pampering and heartache.
"It's all over..."
"From now on, it's up to you. You can spend the day with me whenever you want. It's all up to you."
Liu Yuetang smiled tearfully and said in a sweet voice, "As long as the Emperor is by my side, every day feels like my birthday."
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