Chapter 5: Meeting her again and inviting her to the palace
After all, it was only their second meeting, and Xiu Yu felt it would be bad if she showed too much complaisance. After hesitating for a moment, Xiu Yu untied the purse from her waist, handed it over with both hands, and said, "Does the emperor like this purse of Yu'er?"
"Did you embroider this yourself?" Xuanye held the purse in his palm, which still had a faint scent of powder on it.
Xiu Yu replied, "This was embroidered by Yu'er when she was at home. If the emperor likes it, you can take it."
Xuanye looked at the lotus on the purse and could not help but praise it: "It is a work of art beyond measure, truly a work of art beyond measure! Princess Yu'er has a pair of skillful hands."
'Actually, I'm a clumsy handyman...' Xiu Yu thought to herself, but she said, "Your Majesty, you're too kind."
Of course Xuanye was not polite and tied the purse directly around his waist.
Xiu Yu's cheeks actually felt hot when she saw Xuanye's action. She had spent her entire past life building bridges and had no experience in love. To ease the awkwardness of the moment, Xiu Yu simply lowered her head and poured herself a cup of wine.
Xuanye clapped his hands twice, and a group of servants came forward, pulling the dragon boat across the ice. "This garden originally belonged to Li Wei, Marquis of Wuqing, during the previous dynasty, and was named 'Qinghua.' I think it has a very good foundation, and I like it very much. Unfortunately, the Three Feudatories War is not over yet, and the people's lives have not yet fully improved. Now is not the time to renovate the garden."
Three hundred years later, Xiu Yu, a worker by trade, habitually flatters her future "boss": "The emperor cares deeply about the people, and this is a blessing for the people."
"Do you like this garden?" Xuanye's eyes were full of anticipation.
The shy look on Xiu Yu's face had disappeared. Since he asked this question, she simply looked around the garden carefully. She was a road and bridge professional, and although she was not very good at landscape and architecture, she believed that her aesthetic taste was still good.
"Although this garden looks desolate now, if it could be renovated a bit, it would surely be a masterpiece in the capital!" Xiu Yu extended her right index finger and made a lovely "one" sign. She commented carefully, and because of her long-standing profession three hundred years later, her attention was mostly on the bridge. "This bridge in particular is truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship! The three words 'Tsinghua Garden' are quite appropriate."
"One day I will renovate this garden and of course add some new scenery, and then I will give it a new name." Xuanye raised his wine glass. As an emperor, it was rare for him to personally toast a little princess.
Xiu Yu naturally picked up the wine cup with both hands and said with a smile: "Yu'er toasts to His Majesty."
"It's not a matter of respect." Xuanye gestured for Xiuyu to drink from the wine together with him. "Actually, before I met you, I was worried that you wouldn't trust Liang Jiugong and wouldn't come with him."
"I won a jade pendant from you." Xiu Yu raised her eyebrows slightly, her eyes gleaming with joy. She loved to 'win,' even if this 'win' was tinged with Xuanye's concessions. After the dragon boat had circled most of the lake, Xiu Yu's initial nervousness eased. She added, "Besides, this is the capital, at the feet of the emperor. Who would dare impersonate the emperor? Are you itching to have your head chopped off?"
Xuanye laughed heartily at Xiuyu's amusing words. After he finished laughing, he remembered something important: "Princess Yu will be eighteen after the New Year. Coming from outside the Great Wall to the interior of the Great Wall, I think she must be a little uncomfortable with the new year. New Year's Eve is coming in a few days. Do you miss home?"
"Even if I miss home... I can't go back." Not only can she not go back to her home outside the Great Wall, but she can't go back to the home she'll be living in three hundred years from now. Thinking of this, even after seventeen years, Xiu Yu still has a melancholy in her eyes: "It's pointless to think about things that can't be done. It's better to do something that can be done right now."
"That's well said!" Xuanye praised sincerely: "People, it's best to live in the present. In that case, if the princess has no plans for New Year's Eve..."
"Your Majesty." Xiu Yu had a rough idea of what Xuanye was about to say, but she was still a reserved princess. Even though she would soon be entering the palace with this man, she still knew what she should and shouldn't do. "After the New Year, I'll probably be carried into the palace in a sedan chair. Then..."
"You misunderstood." Xuanye's lips curved up, and he found Princess Xiuyu of the Guoluo family even more adorable. "I was just worried you'd feel lonely on New Year's Eve. Besides, we won the battle this year, and there will be fireworks in the palace on New Year's Eve, which will be very lively. I thought that this excitement might dilute the longing in your heart and make you feel less lonely."
Xiu Yu felt her cheeks getting hot when Xuanye said she had misunderstood. She lowered her eyelids slightly and said, "On New Year's Eve, I'm afraid it will be difficult for a concubine to enter the palace."
"You, just dress like this. I've always wanted to bring someone into the palace, and it's never been impossible. Don't worry, I'm a gentleman, and a gentleman will never do anything mean. Before we become legitimate, you're just a friend I met while playing chess. I'll be careful not to let anyone get the slightest handle on you."
The smile on Xuanye's face was like the warm winter sun, and it actually stunned Xiuyu, surprising her. Sitting across from him was the current emperor, the man who had been coaxed into submission since childhood. If he wanted anything, everyone would rush to help him. His words, however, didn't seem like something a king could say.
As a potential employee of the emperor's most powerful boss, Xiu Yu knew full well that to please him, one must give him what he wants. A smile graced her pretty face as she said, "In that case, Yu'er would like to thank the Emperor first."
She lowered her head slightly, a hint of smile on the corner of her mouth, her features truly picturesque. Thinking this, Xuanye felt the opportunity was too good to miss, and immediately said, "From now on, I'll call you Yu'er. It sounds more intimate."
Although Xiu Yu felt that it was a little inappropriate, he couldn't think of any better title, so he just said, "When it's just the emperor and I, it's up to you."
The dragon boat was forcibly dragged from one shore to the other by several servants. When disembarking, Xuanye, out of "gentlemanly" considerations, held Xiuyu's hand for the first time to prevent her from stumbling. However, Xuanye forgot that the lake was already covered with thick ice, so how could the boat be swaying from side to side?
The moment Xuanye held Xiuyu's hand, she looked into his eyes for the first time. Those eyes held the clarity expected of a twenty-three-year-old, and amidst the smile, there was something else, something else Xiuyu couldn't quite make out. Once they were off the boat, she pulled her hands out of Xuanye's grasp, the embarrassment on her face exacerbated by the growling of her stomach.
Xuanye pretended not to hear and took Xiuyu into a small room. Liang Jiugong had already added a brazier to the room and prepared breakfast on the square table above the couch.
"Usually, I'd just finished my training at this hour, so it's time for breakfast." Xuanye took a seat at one side of the square table and extended his hand, "There's no need to be so formal outside the palace. Yu'er, just treat me as the 'brother' you played chess with the other day. Be more casual."
"Your Majesty can say so, but Yu'er can't just do it." Xiu Yu sat down opposite Xuanye, looking at the exquisite food on the table. Her brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly smiled and said, "Your Majesty is still the Majesty after all. He can't just treat you as that. In my heart, I treat you as the brother I played chess with that day, okay?"
Xuanye nodded: "It's up to you. There's still a lot of time to come."
At breakfast, the emperor and a potential princess sat opposite each other, Liang Jiugong silently waiting on the side. After accepting the fact that Xiu Yu was a princess, Liang Jiugong sincerely felt that the emperor had excellent taste! The two of them sitting together were a picture of perfect harmony. If Xiu Yu had been replaced by any other concubine in the palace, Liang Jiugong would have shuddered at the thought, feeling a little "unbearable to watch." Indeed, in this world, "comparisons are the thief of anger"!
After Xiu Yu finished breakfast with Xuan Ye, he took her to the study next door, which had been simply tidied up. In the center of the study stood a chessboard. Xiu Yu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, do you still want to play chess with Yu Er?"
Xuanye did not answer Xiuyu's question, but said, "I finished reviewing the memorials last night. Fortunately, there is nothing important to do this morning. Playing chess can be considered a good way to pass the time."
These words were spoken lightly, but Xiu Yu immediately grasped the profound meaning within them: "I worked all night long yesterday just to have a good time with you today! You must understand what I mean. You must accept my kindness."
Xiu Yu thought to herself: This boss is hard to please. But she kept a warm smile on her face and said, "Well, let's follow the rules. This time I guess odd or even?"
"Okay." Xuanye opened a chess box containing black pieces. He placed them on the table next to Xiuyu as usual, took the box of white pieces, grabbed a handful of pieces and placed them on the chessboard. "Yu'er, please."
Xiu Yu pursed her lips, picked out two black pieces and placed them next to the pile of white pieces: "I guess double."
"Let's count together?" Xuanye had already driven Liang Jiugong out. Sometimes, even the servants who served him personally were annoying to have around.
Faced with the cordial invitation, Xiu Yu could only lower her head and count the white pieces on the chessboard with Xuanye. It was not known whether he did it on purpose or because he had big hands, but he actually grabbed a handful of them, and it was quite tiring to count them.
Xuanye counted to the second to last bean, straightened up, and raised his head. Coincidentally, Xiuyu also looked up at this moment. The two looked at each other again. Xiuyu was no longer embarrassed and just smiled and said, "An even number. Your Majesty will give way."
"It's an even number given by God, and you guessed it right again. I'm very happy." Xuanye lifted his robe and sat down, extending his hand to invite him in.
Playing chess with the emperor, Xiu Yu ultimately had to weigh the probabilities of victory or defeat. Does pleasing the emperor guarantee victory? Perhaps not.
Seeing Xiu Yu pick up a black chess piece and place it on the chessboard, Xuanye grabbed Xiu Yu's wrist and said, "How about we set the bet first?"
Was the plot twist happening so quickly? Xiu Yu still remembered this scene happening not long ago. She shyly withdrew her arm and asked, "What does the Emperor hope Yu'er loses to you?"
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