Chapter 36: The Auspicious Day Decided by the Emperor "You still said that my steamed buns would be exposed..."
"You said that my steamed buns would reveal their fillings, but look at yours, they have turned into steamed buns." Xuanye laughed at Xiu Yu while looking at the steaming buns in the tray, and a look of surprise finally appeared on his face.
Xiu Yu raised her head and looked at Xuanye, saying, "My filling isn't Bai Lu's. Where's yours?"
Xuanye's heart softened. After a tray of steamed buns burst open, he could see through the steam that the Chinese character "Xuan" (Xuan) could be vaguely seen. Even more surprising was the various shapes embellishing it. Honestly, he was a little stunned...
"You..." Xuanye looked at Xiuyu, his eyebrows and eyes full of tenderness: "How did you calculate it?"
"You know I calculated it, right?" Xiu Yu picked up the buns one by one, as if the 'picture' had never appeared. "Yu'er, am I bragging about myself? You could search the entire Qing Dynasty and find no one better than me at 'calculating'."
Beautiful things appear for only a moment, yet they are remembered for a lifetime. Xuanye felt a little regretful that the character "Xuan" was gone, but he had already kept it in mind, and that was enough.
Looking at Xiu Yu's playful and confident expression, Xuanye couldn't help but say, "Even if you brag, I believe it! My Yu'er is the most beautiful girl in the world. No one can compare to her."
Xiu Yu pursed her lips, suppressing a smile, and said, "Your ability to speak sweet words is probably unmatched by anyone in the world."
Xuanye watched Xiuyu take out the steamed bun they had steamed together and put it on a separate plate. He then took out all the buns from the tray. He put his arm around Xiuyu's shoulders and said, "Do you think anyone can hear my sweet talk? Haven't you ever asked about how I get along with my other concubines?"
"Who should I ask?" Xiu Yu raised her head slightly and looked into Xuanye's eyes. "If I ask you, will you tell me?"
"Of course!" Xuanye's face truly showed an expression of "a man of integrity is not afraid of his own shadow." "The relationship between me and them can be described in just four words..."
"Respect each other like guests?" Xiu Yu said these four words on Xuanye's behalf: "Is that what you wanted to say?"
Xuanye was stunned for a moment, frowning slightly, and asked Xiuyu: "Are you the roundworm in my stomach?"
Xiu Yu waved her hands quickly and said, "How disgusting! If I were really the worm in your stomach, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable hugging me now?"
Xuanye knew very well that Xiuyu understood that what he had just said was meant to treat her as a confidant, but after she said that, things seemed to change a little, but it was also quite interesting.
As long as she understood it in her heart, Xuanye continued, "It is true that we treat each other with respect. I have always felt that the relationship between me and the concubines would be like this. Nianhulu, Tonggiya... In fact, they have never been just my concubines. Behind each of them stands their family, and they also represent their family. Now that the late queen is gone, I will marry another one from the Hesheli family to put in the harem." As he spoke, Xuanye couldn't help but shook his head.
Xiu Yu understood Xuanye's frustration. She held his hand, turned to face him, and asked, "Well, I'm also from the Guo Luoluo clan! Don't you think I should treat you with respect?"
"You're different!" Xuanye said without thinking, "When I first saw you, I knew you were different from them."
Xiu Yu smiled and snorted, "Could it be because of my appearance?"
Xuanye was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud and hugged Xiu Yu tighter: "You! I want to say some sweet words to you, but you just don't accept them all, and insist on saying some words that make me, make me feel funny. But..." He looked at Xiu Yu, his eyes full of affection.
Xiu Yu naturally asked, "But what?"
"However, this is probably one of the differences between you and them." Xuanye said seriously, "You are different in my heart, and I hope I am different in your heart too. Don't just think of me as the emperor, okay?"
"But you are still the emperor after all." Xiu Yu's eyes were filled with helplessness. "Honestly, identity is something that is really helpless. It is determined at birth and it is difficult to change. It is like being branded with an iron, don't you think?"
"That's quite true." Xuanye touched Xiuyu's cheek and said, "I think you're just saying that. In your heart, I'm definitely more than just the emperor. If I were just the emperor, I'm afraid you wouldn't spend so much time on me."
Is that so? Xiu Yu was puzzled. Did she really not think the person before her was just the emperor? If she had thought it was just the emperor, what would the scene be like now? She was actually a little confused.
Xuanye raised his right arm, slightly bent his right index finger, and gently tapped Xiuyu's forehead, saying, "You're all stunned! Why don't you make some side dishes? The steamed buns will get cold soon."
"As you wish!" Xiu Yu asked with a smile, "What would you like to eat?"
"What's here?" Xuanye looked around. "Nori, eggs, making a soup?"
"Actually..." Xiu Yu wanted to say that she couldn't drink soup all the time, but after a moment's hesitation, she smiled and said, "Okay, I'll make you some seaweed egg drop soup."
Xuanye thoroughly understood how blessed it was to have a wife who could cook. The 'peach blossom' filling inside the steamed bun truly had the scent of peach blossoms, while the 'plum blossom' filling had the scent of plum blossoms. Of course, the scent of powder in between was uniquely Xiuyu's.
Xiu Yu looked at Xuanye's face which looked like he was enjoying it, smiled and shook his head.
"Why are you shaking your head?" Xuanye broke off half of the steamed bun and handed it to Xiuyu: "If you want to try more flavors, let's share it."
Xiu Yu took the half of the steamed bun and said, "I am just joking. You have tasted all kinds of delicious food. This is just a steamed bun. Look at your intoxicated look."
"I am not only intoxicated by these steamed buns," Xuanye said as a matter of course: "What intoxicates me even more is the person who steamed the buns."
The heat from the steamed buns hadn't dissipated yet, but when Xiu Yu heard Xuan Ye say that, she felt her cheeks getting even hotter: "Eat well."
Xuanye nodded seriously and picked up a spoon to stir the seaweed egg drop soup. "Huh? You added so many ingredients to this soup? Are they all vegetables?"
"How can you eat a belly full of steamed buns!" Xiu Yu 'educated' Xuanye: "Didn't I tell you that a diet should be nutritionally balanced? Although steamed buns are filling, to be honest, they are not good for your health." As she spoke, she pouted and waved her hand, which was very cute.
Xuanye looked at the steamed buns on the plate, then at Xiuyu: "You, you can not only be a master to the imperial chef, I think you can also go to the Imperial Hospital to teach those doctors. They don't have the awareness you have now."
"There's no other way." Xiu Yu thought back to her days of feasting and drinking three hundred years later. It really seemed like a different world. "People outside the Great Wall eat too much meat, and when they get older, they need to take medicine to prolong their lives. To avoid this from happening in the future, I have to start from a young age."
"It seems to make sense." Xuanye pondered. "I think your idea is worth promoting throughout the Qing Dynasty. Perhaps it can even extend the lifespan of the people."
"Hey! You're right." To 'reward' Xuanye, Xiu Yu brought him some light side dishes. "You are truly one of the greatest cavalry emperors of all time. Expanding territory is no problem at all. If you can also ensure the health and well-being of your people, then you will achieve far more than simply being remembered in history."
"If it was truly beneficial, would I still take credit for your contribution?" Xuanye said matter-of-factly, "I am not the kind of emperor who would take credit for someone else's work."
"Whether you take the credit or not, the order ultimately comes from you, right? Besides, without you, no matter how good my method is, I'm afraid it can only be used on myself." Xiu Yu pursed her lips and smiled slightly, then added, "Besides, at this point, what's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. Why bother to be so clear about the distinctions?"
"That's well said!" After hearing Xiu Yu's words, Xuanye felt relieved: "Even I, the emperor, am yours, so naturally everything about the emperor is also yours!"
The next morning, when Xuanye went to pay his respects to Xiaozhuang, Xiaozhuang took a long time to exempt him from the formalities and let him sit next to her.
Xuanye sensed something was amiss and said with a smile, "Madam, you don't seem to be in a good mood today? Who made you angry?"
"Besides you, is there anyone else in this world who dares to anger me?" Xiaozhuang glanced at Xuanye and said, "I heard that the memorial from the Imperial Observatory has been delivered to you? Have you chosen an auspicious date for the empress's enthronement?"
So it was because of this… Xuanye picked up the teapot and personally poured some tea into the cup beside Xiaozhuang. “They did choose a date, but I think we’re still in the southern suburbs, so there’s no need to rush. So, I rejected it for now.”
"It's more than just a rejection!" Xiaozhuang glanced at Xuanye and said, "I heard that you even 'appointed' an auspicious date, August 29th. The date I mentioned was completely off."
"Ma..." Xuanye couldn't help but glare at Liang Jiugong.
Empress Xiaozhuang said, "Don't glare at Liang Jiugong! He's your personal servant, and he's really tight-lipped. Now that your decree has reached the Imperial Observatory, do you still want to keep it a secret?"
Xuanye felt somewhat guilty and said, "My grandson also checked the almanac. August 29th is a good day. Everything is auspicious!"
"You've found a good reason." Xiaozhuang snorted, "Not only should she be made queen, she should be made a concubine! Can't I see through your little tricks?"
"Madam, you are wise." Xuanye simply stopped beating around the bush: "The queen's position is Yanlan's anyway. It doesn't matter when she takes the throne or whether she does or doesn't."
"Do you think everyone in the palace is stupid?" Xiaozhuang shook her head and sighed, "Grandson, you personally issued an order to select an auspicious date. Wouldn't everyone be curious about what's so strange about this date? Do you think your Xiu Yu isn't prominent enough?"
Xuanye was not frightened by Xiaozhuang's words at all. He just replied respectfully, "This is my selfish desire. I believe Mama can understand me."
"How do you expect me to understand this?" Xiaozhuang hesitated. "You! Why can't you use all that cleverness you had in the previous dynasty in the harem? To show favor without giving special honors is the long-term solution. Don't you understand this principle?"
Xuanye lowered his head and said, "I understand the truth. But I think Xiuyu deserves this honor."
"You!" Xiaozhuang was so angry that she pointed her right index finger at Xuanye. "When you suffer a loss later, you will know that the pot is made of iron! Your decree has already been sent to the Imperial Observatory. Do you think I can still ask you to regret it? Oh!"
It turned out that Mama had no intention of asking him to change the date. Xuanye immediately relaxed: "Mama..."
"What title are you going to give her?" Xiaozhuang finally picked up the teacup and took a sip. She looked at Xuanye with a testing look in her eyes.
Xuanye did not meet Xiaozhuang's eyes, but simply said, "Given Xiuyu's character, talent, and beauty, she should at least be made a concubine."
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