Chapter 37 Compromise "Make her a concubine." What Xiaozhuang said this time...
"A few days ago, you said you wanted to make me a concubine." Xiaozhuang looked at Xuanye sternly and said, "Xuanye, Your Majesty, once you've spoken, you can't go back on your word."
Xuanye frowned: "Madam, I can see that you like Xiuyu very much."
"I like it, of course." A hint of helplessness shone through Empress Xiaozhuang's eyes. "Xuanye, most people in this world think those born and raised in the royal family have been blessed with luxury from the moment they're born. Wherever they go, they're followed by a phalanx of servants, waiting on them. It's truly glorious. But what people don't know is that behind this glory lies a sense of helplessness. Being an emperor brings its joys, but naturally, it also brings its share of hardships. This, perhaps, is the way of heaven."
Xuanye's smile was filled with bitterness. "Grandson understands what Mama is saying, but honestly, I don't want to talk about it, especially with Xiuyu. It's so unfair to her."
"Fair?" Xiaozhuang smiled at Xuanye. "How many things in this world are truly fair? Being able to make amends is already quite good! Yu'er is beautiful, a refined and insightful person. Your liking for her is probably destined. But since she's favored by you, naturally she'll get less elsewhere. You can't have your cake and eat it too."
"My grandson still... refuses to accept." Xuanye had always defered to Empress Xiaozhuang's wishes. He knew that everything his ancestors did and said was first for the benefit of the Qing Dynasty, and then for him, his grandson. He also always felt that as a filial grandson, no matter what his ancestors said or did, he would follow their will.
But this time, he really didn't want to listen to advice. Could it be that an emperor couldn't give the best things in the world to the person he loved?
As if she could see through Xuanye's thoughts, Xiaozhuang said, "Don't assume that being an empress, a noble concubine, or a concubine is a good thing for the women in the harem. These positions do have their benefits, but they can only truly be beneficial if given at the right time! If you can't figure it out, why not talk to Xiuyu? I think she might see things more clearly than you do right now."
Looking at Xuanye's back, Xiaozhuang finally shook her head and couldn't help but sigh: "No matter how much I teach him, he is still a sentimental person in the Aixinjueluo family! Oh, my thoughts for so many years..."
"It wasn't in vain." Su Moer came forward and rubbed Xiaozhuang's shoulders. "The emperor is just feeling awkward right now. When he figures it out, he'll know you're doing this for his own good."
"He knows it in his heart now." Xiaozhuang closed her eyes and took a break. "I hope, as you said, he can think it through. In fact, with the ability of the little princess of the Guoluo family, once she stays in the palace for a while longer and has a little prince, even if he is a little princess, she can afford to make him a concubine or even a noble concubine. What I don't understand is what Xuanye is so anxious about!"
Su Moer smiled and said, "The Emperor is still young after all, and he and Princess Yu are like newlyweds, so he might have been impulsive for a while."
"If we rush too far, it will be disastrous." Empress Xiaozhuang sighed with emotion: "The Qing Dynasty has finally gotten back on the right track. At this time, the helmsman cannot make any mistakes."
"You're overthinking it again," Su Moer said seriously, "The Emperor grew up in your presence, and you know his temperament best. In his heart, the country is always more important than love. Besides, I share your thoughts. Princess Yu is not a seductress, so she can naturally persuade the Emperor."
Xuanye knew very well that this time he would still listen to his ancestors and make Yu'er a concubine, but he had no place to vent the anger in his heart, so he rode on a tall horse, took his ten-force bow, and "charged" into the woods.
His horsemanship was excellent, and even the carefully selected guards who followed the emperor had a hard time catching up. When they reached the depths of the dense forest, when Xuanye bent his ten-force bow, the guards had already been left far behind.
However, he did not bend the bow for hunting. He shot out long arrows one after another, which hit the thick and strong, obviously "old" poplar trees in the distance.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Xiu Yu's voice came from far away, and when she rode her horse to Xuanye's side, she was still panting.
Xuanye put his right hand behind his back, forced a smile, and said to Xiuyu, "Why are you here? And you're riding a horse in your palace dress?"
"I was in a hurry to come find you." Xiu Yu jumped off her horse and told her purple horse to go eat grass. She was still holding her hands on her hips, trying to catch her breath.
Looking at Xiu Yu's appearance, Xuanye actually laughed. He also dismounted and walked over to Xiu Yu, gently stroking her back with his left hand. He said, "You are quite capable, wearing a Manchu dress and still being able to ride a horse. But, how did you find me?"
Xiu Yu simply sat down with his back against a tree, raised his head and looked at Xuanye, saying, "This place is really hard to find. Maybe it's because of the horse you gave me."
Xuanye sat down next to Xiuyu, put his longbow beside him, and said, "Why are you looking for me?"
"Didn't Liang Jiugong say that you ran into the woods in anger? Then I..." Her eyelids drooped. Xiu Yu was always too shy to say caring words.
Xuanye knew that he couldn't hide the matter of establishing the queen and conferring titles on concubines even if he wanted to. Moreover, Mama suggested that he test Xiu Yu's attitude and listen to her true thoughts.
Thinking of this, Xuanye simply said, "I came to this forest because I am a little unhappy."
"Who dares to make you unhappy?" Xiu Yu was curious: "Isn't that person afraid of losing his head?"
Who dared to upset him? The Empress Dowager? It didn't seem like it. If I had to name someone, it was probably him who upset him. As an emperor, he couldn't give his beloved girl the best in the world. Shouldn't he be unhappy?
"Yu'er, this year, I will make Nianhulu the queen." He simply didn't look at Xiu Yu. He was afraid to see her sad or lost.
Unexpectedly, Xiu Yu said, "I know."
"You know?" Xuanye asked, and then he understood: "Did Xiao Tao tell you?"
Xiu Yu nodded: "After all, I will stay in this palace for a long time in the future, so how can I not understand the situation clearly?"
"You..." This time it was Xuanye's turn to feel lost: "If I want to establish a queen, it will be you, don't you have any..."
"I'll never have this opportunity in my lifetime." Xiu Yu saw it clearly: "Born into the Guo Luoluo family, it's my fate, but to be honest, I like this surname very much."
"When you say that, you're asking me..." Xuanye didn't know what to say for a moment, so he just said, "I originally wanted to give you a concubine position, but the old ancestor meant to give you a concubine position for now..." As the dignified Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, when he said this, he didn't dare to look into Xiu Yu's big eyes: "I want..."
"You should listen to the old ancestor." Just as Xiaozhuang said, Xiuyu was indeed easier to accept than Xuanye: "After all, I'm new here. I'm very happy that you like to be with me. However, I'm not the only woman you have. There are many women in the harem who have been with you for many years. You can't count them on your fingers! You don't confer titles on those who have been with you for many years and have made no contributions at all, but you insist on conferring titles on me, who has only been here for a short time and has 'not made any contributions'. You are pushing me to the forefront of the harem? What's more..."
Xuanye wasn't surprised that Xiuyu thought this way, but honestly, he felt a little uncomfortable. "You don't seem to feel sad at all?"
"I don't want to commit any of the 'Seven Reasons for Divorce'!" Of course, this was a joke. Xiu Yu looked at Xuanye's dark face, took his arm, and held his right hand. "Besides, you and I have a long time to go together. When I have more experience, I won't accept it if you don't give me the position I deserve!"
This playful and adorable look really made Xuanye wonder what to do with her. "Forget it! I can't win against the ancestor anyway, and since you've thought it through so thoroughly, I don't have to...ah." He still felt a little unwilling.
Xiu Yu gripped Xuanye's hand a little too tightly; she could feel it trembling slightly. "How long...how long had you been practicing archery before I came?"
Xuanye raised his right arm, which was still shaking slightly. "You said that even though I'm the emperor now, I can't do what I want. My role as emperor is really meaningless."
"Who in this world doesn't feel helpless?" Xiu Yu sighed, "If we were to become an emperor who did whatever he wanted, it would be a sign of the country's demise."
"Is that so?" Xuanye pulled Xiu Yu into his arms and said, "I shouldn't say this, but sometimes I really feel that those who do whatever they want, even if they're emperors of fallen nations, have it pretty good. But they favor a 'witch concubine,' and you don't. When I think about it, I really do feel... guilty."
Xiu Yu was surprised: "What are you ashamed of?"
"I feel so ashamed of you." Xuanye lowered his eyelids slightly, looking at Xiuyu's profile, and felt more and more that it was too unfair to only give her the title of concubine. "I like you, and it's not just words."
Xiu Yu had to admit that love words were truly the sweetest words in the world. On a whim, she added, "I like you too. It's great for us to just like each other. Status is not important to me."
"I promise you, you will get everything you deserve. It's just a matter of time." Xuanye's eyes were clear, and what he said was sincere: "I am indeed still young and cannot act recklessly. Please wait a moment, I will..."
"You don't have to say anything." Xiu Yu shook her lips lightly, then simply held Xuanye's right hand and kissed it: "I know everything you want to say, and I believe it!"
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