Chapter 24 Strategy Plan "Ma Ma is right." Xuanye's words were not...
"Ma'am is right." Xuanye wasn't just saying this; he knew that everything his Imperial Ma'am said and did was genuinely for his own good. Since he was a child, the two of them had depended on each other for survival. In Xuanye's heart, the Imperial Ma'am was like heaven!
Xiaozhuang also understood how clearly her grandson knew the priorities of things. He had already mastered the art of "balance" in the previous dynasty. The harem was not much different from the previous dynasty, so he should also know how to strike a balance.
But Xiaozhuang was also a bit afraid. After all, this was the first time in over twenty years that Xuanye had personally brought a concubine to see him, and the first time he had ever knelt down to her, the imperial maternal mother, over a concubine. The Qing Dynasty had suffered countless previous failures, and she couldn't risk Xuanye following the same path as her father, Tamar, ever again. Never again.
When Xuanye saw Xiaozhuang's eyes grow darker, he knew the old ancestor was once again considering his affairs. Honestly, if he repeatedly challenged the ancestral rules and Mama's authority for Xiuyu, Mama would do anything for the sake of the Qing dynasty.
Xuanye lowered his head slightly, gently rubbing his right thumb and index finger together. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Madam, Hesheli has been gone for some time, and the Empress's position cannot be left vacant for too long. I'm thinking of asking the Imperial Observatory to calculate an auspicious date, and then making Yanlan the Empress, moving her into Kunning Palace, and then making my cousin the Imperial Consort... What do you think, Madam?"
Xiaozhuang looked at Xuanye's serious expression and said with a smile, "It's amazing that you reacted so quickly. You've already appointed an empress and a concubine, but what are you going to give your Yu'er Princess?"
Xuanye's move is certainly the best option to stabilize the court and the harem, but if he does not fight for Xiu Yu at all, then what he says about favor and love will really become false.
However, what Mama said was actually quite right, 'Only by knowing how to pamper someone can a relationship last!' Xuanye thought so and replied, "My grandson wants to give a few more concubines. I want to give those who have been with me the longest, including Bing Xiuyu, a concubine first. What do you think, Mama?"
It was a little out of the ordinary, but not too much. With the empress and imperial concubines already appointed, it wouldn't be that shocking to appoint a young lady who had just entered the palace as a concubine. Empress Xiaozhuang was satisfied with Xuanye's painstaking arrangement. "Grandson, you have indeed grown up and thought things through. Mama has nothing to say."
"Thanks to the Royal Mama's guidance." Xuanye was so happy that he didn't forget to praise Xiaozhuang. In fact, after all, if the Royal Mama was calm, she would be able to protect Xiuyu to some extent. If he couldn't detect something in time, she would be there to help him. It would also be good for Xiuyu.
Xiaozhuang took a sip of tea from the teacup and then glanced at Xuanye. She had watched this grandson grow up, and the little thoughts hidden in his eyebrows and eyes could not escape Xiaozhuang's eyes.
"Don't worry. If you restrain yourself and use the art of 'balance' well, Mama will at least take care of your Yu'er. After all, she is the apple of my grandson's eye! If her life is good, and you, my grandson, are happy, Mama will naturally be happy too."
There were things, some words, that Xuanye still had to make clear in front of Mama. "Mama, Yu'er is more than just the apple of my eye. To be honest, before I met her, I didn't even know what it felt like to be moved. That day, when I saw her on the street, that feeling..." He frowned slightly, recalling the first time he saw Xiu Yu: "It was as if I'd been waiting for her for so long, and now she's finally back! Mama, do you understand what I'm saying?"
A heart-pounding feeling? Xiaozhuang hesitated. She, too, had been young once, revered as the most beautiful woman on the Khorchin grasslands. Back then, a dashing young man on a majestic horse had surely made her heart flutter. But so much time had passed, and she had endured so many ups and downs in her life that she had long forgotten the thrill of her youth.
The emperor was extremely busy, a fact Xiu Yu was well aware of. Bored, she simply borrowed Xuanye's pen and paper and began writing and drawing on the desk. The drawings she made were detailed diagrams of a telescope.
Xiao Tao brought in tea and, looking at Xiu Yu's serious expression, smiled and said, "I knew you weren't good at embroidery. You'd rather work on 'drawings'!" She walked over to Xiu Yu, put down the tea, and whispered in her ear, "Are you working on a plan again?"
Xiu Yu rolled her eyes at her and said seriously, "Since the emperor is interested in telescopes, I might as well make a set of pictures to please him. You say..." Xiu Yu hesitated and swallowed the words she was about to ask.
Xiao Tao was very clever. She understood Xiu Yu and was well versed in the palace's 'rules'. While she was grinding for Xiu Yu, she said, "My master wants to ask, when will the emperor arrive?"
Xiu Yu didn't plan to hide it, so she simply nodded.
Xiao Tao thought carefully for a moment and said, "In my opinion, the emperor may not come today."
Xiu Yu had just entered the palace and knew very little about its ways. She put down her brush, looked up at Xiao Tao, and asked, "How do you say it?"
Xiao Tao also put down the ink in his hand and earnestly explained to Xiu Yu the ways of the harem: "First, the emperor cares about the master, that's the premise. But in the harem, the emperor has more women than just the master. There are also many concubines who have been with the emperor for a long time! Among them is the daughter of the former important minister Ebilun, and the emperor's cousin." Xiao Tao counted them carefully on his fingers: "On the surface, they all seem to be friendly and non-competitive, but they are not easy to deal with. Easygoing people really have a hard time in this palace. To be honest, when you first entered the palace yesterday, the emperor spent the entire day with you, which was unprecedented. This matter was probably considered a "big news" in the harem. Even if it is just for you to live in peace and stability in this palace, the emperor should choose a concubine of important status to appease you today."
"That analysis makes sense." Xiu Yu's rationality overwhelmed her emotions, but a somewhat helpless look appeared in her eyes. "It seems that the most common thing the women in the harem do isn't embroidery, but probably waiting."
"For someone like you, the wait is long enough. But for others, whether they can wait is hard to say." Xiao Tao explained the facts: "It is not easy to remain favored in the harem."
"In that case..." Xiu Yu pursed her lips, set the drawing aside, picked up her brush again, and wrote the words 'strategy plan' on the paper. A cunning look flashed through her eyes as she said, "Then let's think about how to conquer this emperor and gain a firm foothold in the harem."
"Actually, you don't have to worry so much." Xiao Tao, the gossip-loving history buff, gave Xiu Yu a few spoilers: "You're favored! You've been favored throughout the entire Kangxi reign! There's no need to worry about that." Despite her words, her right hand honestly continued to grind. Back then, Concubine Yi was indeed the most favored of the harem, arguably the most powerful! But now it was her master, a completely inexperienced beauty. If she truly had no calculations, who knew if she could maintain Concubine Yi's former favor?
Xiu Yu dipped the ink in his hand and said, "If you think I don't need to worry, why are you grinding it for me?"
"Just in case of emergency." Xiao Tao said with a smile, "You are my only support now, so it's only right that you be cautious."
Xiu Yu held the brush, but hesitated to put it on paper. She raised her head, looked at Xiao Tao, and said, "You, you have served that master for some time, so you probably know what he likes."
"Actually, I can't really say I know." Xiao Tao was also puzzled. "The Emperor has always been a man who never shows his emotions. Even when he's eating, he can't take more than three chopsticks of each dish, for fear that others will know what he likes."
"Is that so..." Xiu Yu suddenly felt a pity for Xuan Ye. But she was having a hard time figuring out where to even begin her 'plan'. "Well, I'm sure he likes Western things," she said, jotting down notes on a piece of paper. "As for entertainment, I think he genuinely enjoys chess. Also, he likes gardens, especially those found in the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River." Xiu Yu wrote down everything she had just thought of, then said to Xiao Tao, "What do you think, was my guess right?"
"Other servants may not know this, but the Emperor may really like this garden in the Jiangnan water town." Xiao Tao said with a smile, "Master, you are really good at guessing."
"Of course." Xiu Yu was a little conceited. "He kept going back and forth to such a deserted garden left by a former marquis. It's obvious that he loves it very much."
"Master, you are an expert at building bridges. As for building a garden..." Xiao Tao said tentatively, "Although the trades are similar, they are actually not much different from each other."
"If we can't build a garden, then let's continue building a bridge." Xiu Yu held up the paper and smiled sweetly. "Let's make a pamphlet later and think about how to 'conquer' it."
"Then you must keep this booklet safe. Don't let anyone else see it except you and me," Xiao Tao warned repeatedly, "This concerns the most important master in the Forbidden City. If anyone else sees it, they'll accuse you of anything."
Xiu Yu frowned and said, "According to what you said, the booklet can't be made?"
"It's not impossible. I understand you, my master. You're certainly smart, but there are some things you simply can't remember without writing them down." Xiao Tao pondered for a moment and simply said, "Just hide it. It shouldn't be a problem if you hide it."
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