Chapter 103: Second Southern Tour Officials Go South, Cao Family Welcomes Them...
After Xiaozhuang left, Xuanye suffered from a headache, and the best doctors in the Imperial Hospital were helpless for a while.
Whenever the emperor walked in the Forbidden City, he would either unknowingly walk to the gate of the Cining Palace, or gaze at the Cining Palace from a distance, and he would always miss it.
Xiu Yu saw it all and became anxious. He proposed a southern tour for the first time, firstly to inspect the river works and secondly to relax.
In the Yikun Palace, Xuanye jokingly said, "The Southern Tour will cost the people money and time. You proposed it. Aren't you afraid of becoming a scoundrel concubine who brings disaster to the country?"
"If anyone thinks my proposal will bring disaster to the country, then I will bear the blame." Xiu Yu raised her eyebrows and asked, "Are you going or not?"
"Go." Xuanye made the final decision, stretching out his arms to pull Xiu Yu into his arms. "It's a rare opportunity for you to bring disaster to the country. I should seize this opportunity and go on a proper southern tour!" He then instructed Liang Jiugong, who was waiting outside the warm room, "Liang Jiugong, pass on my oral order. I will go on a southern tour in five days, and have Cao Yin meet me!"
This time it was Xiu Yu's turn to be surprised: "How come you seem to have thought of this a long time ago? Five days from now, it's already decided?"
"Yes, the Emperor, once he's spoken," Xuanye said unfazed. "Besides, with Liang Jiugong and the others already preparing, I can leave tomorrow. It's just that my childhood companions, pitiful as they are, will probably be in a state of panic after hearing my order, as they rush to prepare for the arrival of the Emperor."
"Cao family..." Xiu Yu was somewhat shocked. She knew it was the Cao family of Cao Xueqin, who was now enjoying honor and favor.
But Xuanye explained, "When Cao Yin was young, he was often beaten for me. His mother was also my wet nurse. Now he has been sent to Jiangning to be the weaving master, so he is capable of welcoming you."
Xiu Yu stopped thinking about Cao Xueqin's grandfather and brought the subject back to the topic: "I still feel that my proposal is exactly what you want."
Xuanye lowered his eyelids: "Or, it would be more appropriate to say that you said it for me." Xuanye's gaze gradually became distant: "I stay here, always thinking about going to see the ancestors again. If this goes on, I won't be able to leave..."
Xiu Yu gently held Xuanye's shoulders.
"Let's stick to the old rules. Let's take you and the children with us and head south. We should go slowly and there's no rush."
Xiu Yu Yanran: "Then... Yu'er would like to thank the emperor on behalf of Kejing and the others."
The official purpose of Xuanye's trip south was to inspect river works, but in reality, he was more interested in relaxing. Therefore, the carriage traveled very slowly, and when he arrived in Zhengding, he stopped in compliance with the imperial order.
Walking on the city wall of Changle Gate, Xuanye looked at the thousand-year-old ancient city not far away and said to Yinqi, "Zhengding has many ancient temples, including the Zhao Yun Temple. Let's go see it later."
"Son, I heard there are stone tablets erected by successive dynasties in the backyard of Longzang Temple. Are you planning to erect one?"
"Look at what they have erected." Xuanye said seriously, "Father, this time we are mainly here to worship Buddha, to worship the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Buddha, for you, Ukuma Ma."
Xiu Yu was holding Ke Jing's hand and looking at the thousand-year-old city wall. When she heard Xuanye say this, her mood became a little heavy.
The streets of the ancient city became very quiet because of the arrival of the emperor and his concubines. Although sugar figurines, green rice dumplings, and even hot steamed buns were placed on the street stalls, there were indeed no ordinary people to be seen.
Xiu Yu jokingly asked, "Did the emperor disturb the people?"
Xuanye said, "After all, there was an accident back then. I am afraid it will happen again, so it is better to be safe."
Ke Jing got a string of candy figurines, but there was no one to sell them, so she had to put them down again: "Father, without the people, it's boring. I don't even know how much silver to give to buy them."
"Then give me more." Xuanye handed the string of sugar figures to Kejing again and signaled Liang Jiugong to pay the silver.
Ke Jing said, "Okay, I'll just treat this as self-service."
Xuanye came here mainly to worship the Buddha and Bodhisattva in Longzang Temple. The group walked all the way from the main gate and worshipped as they went. Xuanye believed that he had never been as pious as he was today.
Walking in the last garden of Longzang Temple, looking at the steles erected by emperors of past dynasties, Xuanye said, "I should also erect a stele like this."
Xiu Yu was a little curious: "Do emperors like to erect monuments everywhere?"
"I can't really say I like it," Xuanye said, reflecting on his inner thoughts. "I can probably say I enjoy writing about my feelings about a place, and I just happened to have this opportunity to do so."
"Your Majesty is being modest." Xiu Yu disagreed. "I think there's a sense of comparison going on here. At least a comparison of calligraphy to see who has better writing skills?"
"Comparing calligraphy..." Xuanye looked at the inscription on the stele and said, "Emperors throughout the dynasties weren't just emperors; there were indeed many calligraphers. Take Song Huizong, for example. How can I compare with calligraphers like them? If future generations were to evaluate me, I'd probably only give them a passable rating."
"Father, you are being truly modest." Ke Jing praised Xuanye and said, "I think your calligraphy is among the best."
Hearing his daughter's praise, Xuanye was certainly happy in his heart, but he said: "Looking at your handwriting, can you tell whose handwriting is good and whose is bad?"
Kejing felt helpless when his father exposed his shortcomings.
After Xuanye took Yinqi and others to see the statue of Zhao Yun, he left Zhengding.
The carriage moved faster, and later the political affairs were officially put on the agenda. Xuanye and his companions abandoned the carriage and boarded the boat. Jin Fu and Chen Huang were already waiting on the boat.
Chen Huang had been busy with river management for years, and his brief conversation with Xiu Yu in the Qianqing Palace had given him a deeper understanding of the issue. At the time, he had assumed Xiu Yu was merely a sort of advisor to the emperor, but seeing her dressed as an imperial concubine today was a real surprise.
At the bow of the dragon boat, Jin Fu was introducing the recent progress of river management to Xuanye, while Xiu Yu and Chen Huang were standing not far away.
"Your Majesty, back then I..." Chen Huang could talk to Xiu Yu in men's clothing, but when facing the Empress, he was at a loss for words.
Xiu Yu smiled and said, "I just changed my clothes. Brother Tianyi can still be like he was in the Qianqing Palace."
"I dare not." Chen Huang lowered his head slightly, not daring to look into Xiu Yu's eyes.
Xiu Yu looked at the Yellow River and said, "Brother Tianyi is indeed a great river steward. Judging from the water, his river management has been quite effective."
Chen Huang also looked at Huang He: "As the Queen said, this is only a temporary solution, not a cure for the root cause. However, it is true that Brother Ziyuan and I will probably never be able to cure the root cause in this lifetime."
Xiu Yu Yanran: "Brother Tianyi seems to have accepted this inevitable thing. It's good that he's not twisted at all."
Chen Huang also laughed: "After all, I am not as clear-headed as Your Majesty. Your Majesty is still the most powerful."
While listening to Jin Fu talking about the results of river management, Xuanye glanced at Xiu Yu out of the corner of his eye. Seeing Xiu Yu and Chen Huang talking and laughing, he appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was turbulent.
After entering the cabin, Xiu Yu was the first to bow and say with a smile, "Yu'er, congratulations to the emperor. Great progress has indeed been made in river management."
Xuanye hummed softly, obviously in a bad mood.
Xiu Yu asked, "What's wrong with you? Who made you angry?"
"That Chen Huang, Chen Tianyi, is truly a commoner. He actually chatted and laughed with you, the imperial concubine, right in front of me, the emperor!"
It was actually for this... Xiu Yu felt amused: "Brother Tianyi and I were just reminiscing about what happened in the Qianqing Palace back then. Aren't you being a little stingy?"
"I'm being stingy?" Xuanye sat down, his face darkening even further. "Should I say that you two chatted well and laughed a lot?"
"Alright." Xiu Yu walked behind Xuan Ye, kneading his shoulders, and said, "You know very well that Chen Huang only has Huang He in his heart. Besides, you've known me for a long time. You know me better than anyone else."
Xuanye disagreed: "How many times have you met Chen Huang? How many times have you talked with him? Do you know that he only has the Yellow River in his heart? Yu'er, don't think too simply of others, and don't..."
"Don't put what?"
"Nothing." Xuanye said, "In short, from now on, stay away from Chen Huang to avoid unnecessary trouble."
In another cabin, Jin Fu was also lecturing Chen Huang: "You already know that she is the imperial concubine, yet you still have the audacity to chat with her under the emperor's nose. You are really brave!"
Chen Huang didn't care: "Your Majesty is a smart person, I think..."
"That's the Empress!" Jin Fu emphasized again: "She is the Emperor's favorite. You, just listen to me and stay as far away from the Empress as possible. No matter how smart the Empress is, or what good ideas she has, she can tell the Emperor. She must never go over the Emperor's head and tell you, a minister."
Chen Huang sighed, "Is this why the Forbidden City has so many rules?"
"This is strictly following the rules." Jin Fu stroked his beard. "To serve the emperor, one must be extremely careful. If you are not smart enough, getting close to the royal family will cause trouble."
"From now on, I'll avoid the Emperor and His Majesty. Is that all?" Chen Huang picked up a book from the shelf and began to dismiss the visitors. "I'll look into ways to tame the river. Brother Ziyuan, please do as you please."
Jin Fu knew that Chen Huang was a down-to-earth man who was solely focused on river management. He definitely wouldn't and couldn't possibly have any inappropriate thoughts about the imperial concubine. Even if he did, it would only be a thought. Thinking of this, Jin Fu let him go.
When the cabin door was completely closed, Chen Huang couldn't help but think of Xiu Yu. After all, there were not many people in the world who could speak the same language as him. Xiu Yu not only had a common language with him, but could even come up with methods that he couldn't think of.
However, she is the imperial concubine after all, an existence that is beyond the reach of these insignificant ministers.
Chen Huang sighed softly, knowing full well in his heart that Jin Fu was right.
In order to appease Xuanye's jealousy, Xiuyu went to the kitchen. Xuanye was reading a book when the aroma of snacks drifted into his nose from somewhere.
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