Chapter 26: The charcoal in the brazier is running low, and the room is very cold...
In the dim light of dawn, in Xuanye's study in his 'secret base,' Xiu Yu finally placed her brush on the pen holder. She glanced at the flowing words, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said, "Almost done."
At that time, Xiao Tao was sitting nearby, dozing off. When she heard her master's voice, she instinctively jumped up, bowed, and said, "Damn it, this slave, I actually fell asleep."
Xiu Yu felt distressed by Xiao Tao's somewhat instinctive reaction. She knew that if she hadn't suffered so much in the past due to this incident, she wouldn't be reacting this way.
Xiu Yu stood up and walked over to Xiao Tao, patting her delicate face. "Wake up," he said. "With me, no one will punish you for sleeping in anymore. From now on, you'll have your master to protect you, and your life will get better and better."
"Master?" Xiao Tao was indeed a little awake. She rubbed her eyes and smiled, "It's really Master!" The fear on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by a playful smile: "Actually, I have felt that these days are a little unreal. I am afraid that it is just a big dream, and you and we have never met again." She went to organize the paper and pen on Xiu Yu's desk, and actually said the truth.
Xiu Yu felt more and more that Xiao Tao was a really lovable little poor thing. She walked to Xiao Tao and held her wrist, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.
Xiao Tao still smiled: "Master, don't worry, I'm fine. As long as I know that being with you is not a dream, all the messy troubles in the past will really be over."
After hesitating for a moment, Xiu Yu still asked, "When you first entered the palace, you were not assigned to serve the emperor?"
"It's really not easy to be a servant by the emperor's side." Although Xiao Tao didn't directly answer Xiu Yu's question, this was still an answer: "The mistress of the harem..." She lowered her eyelids and whispered in Xiu Yu's ear, "She can't see the emperor all day long, and she doesn't have anything serious to do. She's really getting upset. She feels frustrated and takes it out on me, her servant."
Xiu Yu was just thinking about whether or not to help Xiao Tao's 'revenge'. She parted her lips slightly, but before she could say anything, Xiao Tao said, "But I can understand. Women who are not favored in the Forbidden City are all pitiful creatures."
Xiu Yu said gently: "You have always been a kind child."
"Of course not!" Xiao Tao was not modest at all. "But it was also thanks to the hardships I suffered when I first entered the palace. Later, I found a way to meet Liang Jiugong. After that, Liang Dazong arranged for me to enter the Qianqing Palace as a maid. If you think about it carefully, everything is destined. If it weren't for those hardships I suffered in the beginning, I might not have tried so hard to gain promotion, and now I wouldn't be by your side."
Xiu Yu said, "I now also feel that many things are determined by fate. Of course, human effort is also important."
Xiao Tao tidied up the desk and, noticing the haggard look on Xiu Yu's face, said, "You haven't slept all night. Go back to the warm room and rest. You should cherish the days before you're given a title. When you truly become a concubine, you'll have to pay your respects to one and another every day, and maintain those superficial 'friendships' between the concubines. I'm afraid it will be even more troublesome than when you created the map."
"I'm really a little tired." As he said this, Xiu Yu rubbed his right hand with his left hand: "I have never liked writing since I was a child. Writing with a soft brush is really too tiring."
"I see, your writing is pretty good," Xiao Tao complimented his master as he took off his fox fur coat and draped it over the gantry. He then tested the temperature of the hand warmer before handing it to Xiu Yu.
"My handwriting is pretty good!" Xiu Yu sat on the bed and couldn't help laughing at herself: "I think my handwriting is really ugly."
Xiao Tao helped Xiu Yu lie down and covered her with a blanket. Then he said, "As long as it works, it's fine. Anyway, I think your handwriting is beautiful, so no one's objection will be of any use."
Xiu Yu smiled and held Xiao Tao's hand: "How about lying down with me?"
"I'd better go prepare some breakfast for you, my master. Besides, I've already slept." She lowered the curtain and said, "Besides, if that person suddenly comes and sees me lying next to you, 'occupying' you, I'm afraid he won't be happy."
"I'm afraid that person won't come." Xiu Yu curled his lips slightly, but was afraid that his little disciple would see through his thoughts, so he quickly closed his eyes and said, "I'm going to sleep. You can take a rest if you are tired. You can have breakfast anytime."
Xiao Tao certainly knew what her master was thinking, but 'seeing through but not saying it out loud' has always been one of the rules of being a servant. She just raised her eyebrows, tucked in the corner of Xiu Yu's quilt, and left the warm room to prepare breakfast.
By then, the night was already dark, and catching up on sleep was of little use. Xiu Yu lay in bed for only an hour before getting up, walking barefoot to the round table and pouring herself a glass of water.
"The charcoal in the brazier is low, and the room is very cold. Aren't you afraid of freezing your bare feet?" It was Xuanye who spoke. He didn't know when he arrived, but he sat on the couch, meditating quietly, until Xiuyu came out of bed barefoot to drink water.
Xiu Yu was a little confused for a moment, but she didn't forget to bow and said, "Greetings to the Emperor."
Xuanye had already walked over to Xiuyu and simply picked her up. "It doesn't matter whether you greet me or not. We're going hunting in the southern suburbs in a few days. If you dare to catch a cold at this critical moment, I'll see if I can forgive you!"
Instinctively, Xiu Yu put her arms around Xuan Ye's neck and said with a smile, "When did you come? Why didn't you wake me up?" Xuan Ye put Xiu Yu on the bed and personally pulled up the quilt to cover her feet. He yawned and said, "Xiao Tao said you had just fallen asleep not long ago. If I woke you up like this, I would be too unkind to you."
Xiu Yu raised her eyebrows slightly and said jokingly, "You really understand the concept of 'cherishing women'."
"You know, I've never hugged a woman like I did just now!" Xuanye simply embraced Xiu Yu and lay down on the bed again: "I went to Chengqian Palace yesterday and didn't sleep well last night. I'm still very tired now. You lie down with me for a while."
Xiu Yu deliberately asked, "Why aren't you comfortable living in Chengqian Palace? I heard that Master E's daughter is as beautiful as a flower. You must be very fond of her."
Xuanye frowned and said, "Why should I like a flower? The word 'like' is certainly related to appearance, but that's only the first time we met." As he spoke, he pulled Xiuyu into his arms, his heart instantly relieved. Then he said, "Come to think of it, I didn't find Chengqian Palace so difficult to live in before. I don't know what happened yesterday!" He turned his head to look at Xiuyu and asked, "What about you? Why didn't you sleep all night?"
Xiu Yu avoided Xuanye's probing gaze, raised her eyebrows slightly, and replied with a flickering look in her eyes, "Let's choose a seat. After a couple of days of getting used to it, it will be fine."
"Choosing a seat?" This seemed like an irrefutable reason. Xuanye sighed deliberately, "It's hard to believe I thought you were feeling disappointed because I couldn't come yesterday."
"I'm disappointed?" Xiu Yu instinctively wanted to reply, "How could I be disappointed?" But after a moment's hesitation, she deliberately lowered her eyelids and sighed, "You're right, I am a little disappointed, just a little bit." She deliberately stretched out her right hand, put her thumb and index finger together, and made the sign "a little bit".
Xuanye knew Xiuyu was trying to coax him with these words, but he just fell for it. He felt sweet inside and said, "One day, I will magnify this little bit of yours infinitely, and let you savor the taste of 'lovesickness' carefully."
Xiu Yu's smile grew wider, and he asked, "Could it be that Your Majesty has ever tasted lovesickness?"
How could he answer this question? Had he ever tasted the taste of longing? Last night, he lay beside someone else, yet his mind was still on Xiu Yu, drifting off to sleep by imagining her every smile and frown. Was this longing? This was probably what longing tasted like. But how could he say this in front of Xiu Yu, the object of his longing?
Seeing Xuanye was somewhat dazed, Xiu Yu simply put her arm around his waist and said, "Don't think about it anymore. Just treat it as a random question. Don't you want to rest for a while? You won't be able to rest for long. You'll have to get up again. Let's not talk about this nonsense for now."
"Well, we should probably take a break." Xuanye closed his eyes, but kept talking. "Hey, I didn't have time to ask you about Xiao Tao, the maid you've been with for a while now. Do you still feel like you've known each other for a long time? Do you think it's comfortable to have her around? How does she compare to your old lady, Lihua?"
Xiu Yu also closed her eyes and said, "You asked so many questions at once. Which one should I answer first?" She thought for a moment and said, "Let me put it this way. Would you choose an unsuitable maid to keep by your side? Xiao Tao has been able to serve you for such a long time. She must have extraordinary qualities. You gave me such a good girl. Yu'er should thank you."
"No need to thank me." Xuanye raised his hand and touched Xiuyu's cheek, and asked again: "How does she compare to your original Lihua? You haven't answered this question yet."
"Lihua..." Xiu Yu hesitated: "Lihua has grown up with me since childhood. I don't have a younger sister, so I treat her as my younger sister. As for Xiao Tao..." Ever since he met this clever girl, Xiu Yu has been cleaning up her messes. It's more like taking care of his own daughter than his younger sister.
Xuanye asked curiously, "Looking at the way you seem to be hesitant to speak, could it be that Xiao Tao is closer to you than your sister?"
"Whether we are close or not, time will tell." Xuanye's repeated questions completely extinguished Xiu Yu's remaining sleepiness. She simply sat up and said, "I see you don't want to sleep anymore. So get up! Will Yu'er accompany you for breakfast?"
"Okay! Stop squinting!" Xuanye held Xiu Yu's hand and motioned her to pull herself up.
Xiu Yu pursed her cherry lips and pulled him up, her face full of helplessness.
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