Chapter 45 Birthday Gift Liang Jiugong handed over the handkerchief with both hands,...
Liang Jiugong handed the handkerchief over with both hands, lowered his head and said, "Master, Princess Yu doesn't want me to tell you. Do you want me to tell you?"
Xuanye glanced at Liang Jiugong, threw the handkerchief into his arms, and said, "Why didn't I know you had such courage before? Don't you always say 'Follow your master's lead'?"
As Liang Jiugong helped Xuanye dress, he said, "Your Majesty, you have wronged me. Princess Yu is the apple of your eye. Whether I listen to Princess Yu or not depends on your instructions."
Xuanye snorted and said, "After so many years of being by my side, I haven't improved in other areas, but my tongue has definitely improved."
Liang Jiugong scratched his head and pretended to be stupid: "Or, I don't listen to Yu Gege? Yu Gege..."
"That's all." Xuanye sat on the couch, Liang Jiugong helping him put on his training boots. He said seriously, "Yu Gege is also your master. It's only natural that you obey her."
Liang Jiugong knew his master's temperament well, so on the way to the training room with Xuanye, he let out a small glimpse: "Master, you really have good taste in finding Princess Yu. I think you've made a great profit."
"Huh?" Xuanye turned and smacked Liang Jiugong's forehead hard, then continued walking towards the training room. A cheerful tone etched into his voice as he spoke to Liang Jiugong, "This is the first time I've heard such a thing. Aren't all the girls in the world lucky enough to find me?"
Liang Jiugong immediately smiled and replied, "Master is right. The ladies in the six palaces have certainly made a profit from this."
Xuanye naturally had something in mind. Today was his birthday, and with the days approaching, he wanted to tell Xiuyu about it, but he felt that speaking in person was somewhat inappropriate given his status. Fortunately, Xiuyu was a smart person, and even if he couldn't guess, he still found out by asking.
When he returned to the warm room, Xuanye sniffed and couldn't help asking Liang Jiugong, "What's that smell? It smells so good?"
Before Liang Jiugong could reply, Xiu Yu came out and greeted him, saying, "Greetings to the Emperor, the Third Master."
Seeing that she had dressed up carefully, Xuanye felt even happier. He helped her up and said, "You look different today."
"I changed my rouge and my clothes." Xiu Yu raised her eyebrows, looking so cute and lovely.
"The rose-red cheongsam suits you very well." Xuanye held Xiuyu's hand and walked in side by side with her. "Why are you up so early today? Why don't you go practice with me?"
Xiu Yu smiled and said, "Isn't today your birthday? If Yu'er treats you the same as usual, wouldn't that be really naive?"
Xuanye finally stopped playing dumb and asked, "When did you know?"
"You've been hesitant to speak these past few days. I naturally know you have something to say, but you're too embarrassed to speak." Xiu Yu led Xuan Ye into the inner room. "But I must admit that I didn't do my homework. It was only after asking Xiao Tao that I found out that today is your birthday."
Xuanye laughed out loud: "You came from outside the Great Wall and have only been in the palace for a short time. It is natural that you don't know. If you knew..."
"So what if you know?"
Xuanye sat down before Xiuyu, and then said, "I see. I can't help but wonder if you are 'scheming'..."
Xiu Yu smiled and shook her head, noncommittal: "If you are scheming, you must have a purpose. What do you think Yu'er could be planning?"
"For..." Xuanye clasped his hands together, looking at Xiuyu with a smile in his eyes, and said, "For honor and favor, for a title, isn't what I can let you achieve enough?"
"Haha!" Xiu Yu was so amused by Xuanye that she laughed out loud: "As for these things, Yu'er is self-aware. There is no need to try to get them. They are mine and will always be mine."
Looking at her proud and confident look, Xuanye pursed his lips and nodded: "Yes, it's yours, all yours." He lowered his eyelids and murmured: "Even I am yours, let alone those things."
Xiu Yu was stunned for a moment when she heard Xuanye's murmur, but she finally pretended she hadn't heard anything and lifted the lid of the plate. Inside was a steamed bun with bean filling, decorated in various patterns. She pushed the plate toward Xuanye and said sincerely, "Yu'er wishes the emperor a happy birthday."
Xuanye had celebrated fifteen birthdays since becoming emperor, and especially after he took in concubines, he had received all sorts of gifts on his birthday, from rare treasures to embroidered purses. However, this was the first time he had ever received someone like Xiuyu, who steamed a plate of steamed buns for him.
"You..." Xuanye didn't know what to say. After thinking for a while, he finally said, "If you don't eat it now, it will get cold."
Xiu Yu sat beside Xuan Ye, picked up a steamed bun, broke it in half and gave it to Xuan Ye, saying casually, "There's a secret behind this. I got up so early, started by kneading the dough, and made all these dishes, but you don't seem very satisfied."
"I didn't say I wasn't satisfied." Xuanye quickly argued, "It's just that I didn't expect it."
"Eat." Xiu Yu got up early, covered his mouth and yawned, saying, "You still have to attend the government meeting later."
Seeing the tired look in Xiuyu's eyes, Xuanye naturally felt distressed. "Next time, just give her a piece of jade or something. Don't get up so early. I feel so tired for you."
Xiu Yu shrugged and said, "Well, it seems that you prefer valuable jewelry to these plain steamed buns. Then..."
"Of course I like what you give me, no matter what it is."
Liang Jiugong and Xiao Tao were already waiting outside the door, leaving only Xuanye and Xiuyu in the warm room. Xuanye approached Xiuyu, gently kissed her delicate cheek, and whispered in her ear, "Thank you."
As expected, the emperor is the most capable person in the world. Xiu Yu felt a little embarrassed. She glared at Xuanye and whispered, "Eat quickly. Look at the time."
Xiu Yu's cooking skills are naturally impeccable. During the quarter hour of breakfast, the warm room was filled with warmth and sweetness.
Outside the warm room, Liang Jiugong and Xiao Tao stood guard on either side like two guardians. Liang Jiugong, smelling the fragrance wafting out, whispered to Xiao Tao, "Is this Yu Gege a fairy? I've been in the palace for some years, and I've never seen a master who knows how to cook as well as Yu Gege does."
Xiao Tao raised his eyebrows and said, "My master is a god-like figure. Cooking is nothing. She can..."
Before Xiao Tao could finish her words, the door to the warm room opened and Xuanye came out and asked Xiao Tao, "What can your master do?"
Xiao Tao bowed quickly, his eyes rolling as he spoke quickly, "My master can ride a horse and shoot arrows, and he's quite an expert."
Xiu Yu followed Xuanye and secretly gave Xiao Tao a thumbs up.
After sending Xuanye to court, Xiu Yu pounded his shoulders, stretched, and said, "I've finally finished my work so early in the morning."
Xiao Tao, who loves gossip, naturally asked, "Master, does the emperor like it?"
"He..." Xiu Yu hesitated for a moment before replying, "You said he doesn't like it, but he didn't say he doesn't like it. But if you say he likes it, I don't think he likes it that much."
"Is it so hard to judge?" This time, even Xiao Tao, the 'master of the Qing Dynasty', was a little puzzled. "I remember that when other concubines gave gifts to the emperor, even if he didn't like them, he would pretend to be very happy. Why is it that when it comes to you..."
Xiu Yu smiled and said, "It's hard to explain when it comes to me." She blinked, picked up a box of chess pieces on the tea table and handed it to Xiao Tao, saying, "He didn't say he didn't like it, so let's just assume he does."
Now that there was no one else in the warm room, Xiao Tao sat across from Xiu Yu, picked up the chess pieces from the flag box, and said, "Are you done with your gifts? No more gifts? No more cakes?"
Xiu Yu was a little amused: "In my opinion, whether the emperor eats the cake or not is secondary. It's you, a little girl, who wants to eat it!"
"Master, you are wise!" Xiao Tao smiled and bowed to Xiu Yu.
It was still cold in March. Xuanye usually touched the hand warmer when he was holding court. But today, he didn't know what happened. He felt warm all over and didn't need the hand warmer. Even the robe he was wearing seemed a little too thick.
After the hearing, he went to the Cining Palace to pay his respects to his ancestors as usual, but for the first time he did not use a sedan chair. On the way, he asked Liang Jiugong, "Is the weather getting warmer today?"
Liang Jiugong was very cold at the time, but guessing the emperor's intentions was his forte: "I think the emperor accepted Yu Gege's gift, and his heart was warm, and his body was warm too."
Xuanye glanced at Liang Jiugong. Although Liang Jiugong was very happy in his heart, he still said stubbornly, "It's just a meal. It's warm here and there."
Liang Jiugong was so smart that he wouldn't argue with his master. He just said, "Whatever the emperor says is what it is."
Xuanye put his hands behind his back, his spirits high. "I don't know what gift the Imperial Madam has prepared for me. It's impossible for her to just give me a random flower she grew like last year."
Liang Jiugong quickly followed Xuanye and said with a smile: "The flowers of our ancestors are at the top of her heart. She can cut off the treasure from the top of her heart and give it to you. This shows how much you are in her heart."
"Do I need to tell you that?" After all, he was a young man at heart. Thinking of receiving another gift from the Empress Dowager, Xuanye couldn't help but speed up his pace to the Cining Palace.
Liang Jiugong groaned inwardly and secretly vowed that he must practice his leg skills more, otherwise he would be in trouble if he couldn't keep up with his master's speed one day.
In the Cining Palace, Empress Xiaozhuang was actually watering her flowers with a jug. Su Moer, who was by her side, said, "These flowers are blessed to have the princess by their side. They bloom so profusely even in winter."
Empress Xiaozhuang reached out and touched the bright red petals, saying, "This flower is much more sensible than people. It will treat you the same way you treat it, without any deviation."
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