Chapter 52: If you really want to thank me, make me lunch today? ...
As luck would have it, these words fell into Xuanye's ears. The weather in the capital was already getting hot. He held a folding fan in his hand and walked over to Xiuyu with a smile: "Are you still reluctant to leave?"
Xiu Yu bowed and said, "It's not even time yet, and you're already chasing us away?"
"I didn't say I was going to kick you out." Xuanye put his arm around Xiuyu's shoulders, and together they looked around the warm room where they had lived together for several months. "But I know in my heart that you've moved to Yikun Palace today, and this place will become a memory for us both. If I come back someday, I won't have the same feeling I had these past few months. So, shouldn't I have come?"
Xiu Yu Yanran said: "If you say so, how can Yu'er dare to say that you shouldn't come!"
"And then..." Xuanye pulled Xiuyu to sit down, dismissed the palace servants, and said sternly, "I have hidden you for so many days. Although I say 'hidden', there are no secrets in the harem, so..."
Seeing him hesitant and unable to get to the point, Xiu Yu simply spoke for him, "So, you're afraid that if I walk out this door, they'll see the people you've been 'hiding' these days and all stare at me like a monster?"
"How can you say you were looking at a monster? After all, you were looking at fairies in the sky." Xuanye held Xiu Yu's hand and explained in detail: "You actually saw those women in my harem a few months ago. You even had a conflict with Yan Lan. Do you remember?"
Xiu Yu's eyes rolled and she said with a smile, "Well, it can't be considered a conflict, right? Even if it is, it wasn't Yu'er who started it first." She shook her head, vowing to wash all the dirty water off her body.
"Yes, it wasn't you who started it." Xuanye patted Xiuyu's hand: "Niuhulu Yanlan, her father is Ebilun, so it can be said that her family has a long history of learning. But after you met her, you can probably feel that she..."
"You don't have to say it." Xiu Yu held Xuanye's hand and said, "Yu'er is new here, I know what to do. I was really unprepared the last time I met the future queen, and there won't be another one. But..." She lowered her eyelids and smiled, "Yu'er is not a fool. If you can give in, I will give in. If you really go too far, I, the daughter of the Guo Luoluo family, did not come to this palace to be bullied. This point..."
"I understand that." Xuanye actually felt a little guilty. He knew better than anyone how much he had tried to smooth things over when things happened to the women in the harem. After all, Xiu Yu was one of the women in his harem, and he couldn't guarantee whether he would also try to smooth things over when it came to Xiu Yu's affairs in the future.
Seeing Xuanye's hesitation, Xiu Yu simply said, "Your Majesty, you have a lot of affairs to attend to during the previous reign. Even if I wanted to help, I couldn't. Besides, our ancestors have established rules. As for the harem, at least you don't need to worry about my affairs. You can rest assured about that. As for how I get along with your women, that's my business. I won't cause any trouble for you."
Xuanye was so taken aback by Xiu Yu's words that he didn't know how to respond. "It seems I don't need to explain everything to you. Little Tao has already told you everything about Yan Lan, Zi Fu, and the others, right?"
Xiu Yu sighed, "One is the daughter of a regent and a first-class duke, and the other is your cousin. How could I dare to provoke them? Once I leave your place, I will tuck my tail between my legs and become a new member of your harem. At worst, I still have one last resort: I will pretend to be sick and refuse visitors."
"Haha." Xuanye nodded and said, "What a great princess from the Guoluo family! This time, I can rest assured and settle you in the Yikun Palace."
Xiu Yu also calmed down and stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Yu'er always looks forward and never looks back at the past. Since you are here, would you please go to Yikun Palace with Yu'er?"
"Okay." Xuanye also stood up: "I will go with you into the Yikun Palace."
The Yikun Palace is the closest to the Qianqing Palace among the six western palaces. Because it contains the word "Kun", later generations believed that the owner of the Yikun Palace was the same as the vice-empress, and was responsible for assisting the empress in managing the affairs of the six palaces.
However, if you were to follow what Xiao Tao said yesterday, "There are many romantic people in the Yikun Palace!" I guess there wouldn't be that many benefits to living in the Yikun Palace.
As Xiu Yu was thinking this, he arrived at Yiku Palace unknowingly.
Xiao Tao had already arrived at the Yikun Palace before Xiu Yu and had already packed up. When Xuanye and Xiu Yu arrived, she was already waiting at the door with a group of servants. She bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, my master."
Xuanye exempted the servants from the formalities and took Xiu Yu's hand as they walked into the warm room.
After all, the Yiku Palace was the palace of the favorite concubine of the previous dynasty, and the layout of the warm room was incomparable to other palaces. Xuanye put in a lot of effort this time and rearranged the interior according to his understanding of Xiu Yu. So when Xiu Yu just entered the warm room, he felt a sense of familiarity.
"Do you like it?" Xuanye took Xiuyu in his arms and walked to the front of the Duobao Pavilion, pointing out each item to her: "Telescope, bird gun, bamboo flute, xiao, and the rest are just for show."
Xiu Yu picked up the telescope and said, "If you leave this thing with me, it will be mine."
"Of course it's yours." Xuanye picked up the bird gun. "But, if they come to visit you later, they might think you're a little weird."
"Strange...just be weird." Xiu Yu used a telescope to watch the palace servants bustling about outside the warm room. "Everyone has their own preferences. I'm like this here, and I'm sure other people have their own special preferences, don't you think?"
She is talking about the general! Xuanye put down the bird gun and held the bamboo flute in his hand: "Kunning Palace and Chengqian Palace were all arranged by them. Almost all of them moved the original palace objects with people, but they are not as particular as you."
"In that case, Yu'er thanks the emperor very much." Xiu Yu bowed to Xuanye.
Xuanye held her arm and helped her up: "If you really want to thank me, can you make lunch for me today?"
"It's a festival today." Xiu Yu was a little embarrassed: "Shouldn't you go and have dinner with the ancestors? It's not appropriate to stay here with me."
Xuanye smiled and said, "You prepare the food and come with me to the Cining Palace."
"You should have told me earlier." Xiu Yu was a little embarrassed: "As usual, we should eat rice dumplings today, but it's already this time. Where can you ask Yu'er to make some for you?" She spread her hands, indicating that even a good cook cannot cook without rice.
Xuanye said, "What's so special about zongzi? The chefs in the imperial kitchen have already prepared all kinds of filial piety to the Empress Dowager. You should prepare something unique."
Xiu Yu lowered her eyelids and murmured, "Do you really think I'm the reincarnation of the Kitchen God? Can I make any kind of exotic food?"
Xuanye put his arm around Xiuyu's shoulders, leaned close to her ear, and said, "How about this? I'll play a tune for you, and you'll cook something to please the Empress Dowager. Do you think this deal is a loss?"
"You..." Xiu Yu looked Xuanye up and down: "Can you play the flute?"
"I just learned it." Xuanye signaled Liang Jiugong to close the door, and then he actually started to play the flute in a very professional manner.
Xiu Yu's eyes were filled with curiosity. He waited until the end of the song, then applauded and praised, "I can't believe it. I really can't believe it."
"Congratulations on your move to the palace. I've just learned this." Xuanye twirled the bamboo flute in his hand, his eyes full of confidence. "Do you like it?"
"How dare you say you don't like it?" Xiu Yu said as he rolled up his sleeves. "Since this is business, it's a one-for-one deal. I'll think about what to cook to please our ancestors."
In the Cining Palace, Nianhulu Yanlan and Tongjia Zifu came to pay their respects to Empress Xiaozhuang early in the morning, and were now drinking tea and chatting with her.
Tong Jia Zifu said, "Today, when some of my servants were cleaning up Chengqian Palace, they found a few unfinished purses in a box. I think they belong to you, sister. I'll send someone to deliver them to you later."
Niu Hulu Yanlan smiled and said, "I have only embroidered half of it. I can't remember where it is. Please help me throw it away."
Tong Jia Zifu nodded and instructed the girl following her: "Write down what our future queen said."
Seeing that the two girls were about to get angry again, Xiaozhuang signaled Su Moer to refill their tea. "Today is a festival, and the emperor will be here to dine with me soon. You two should restrain yourself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xuanye brought Xiu Yu to the Cining Palace.
"My grandson brings Xiu Yu to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager and wishes her a happy Dragon Boat Festival." Xuanye was the first to pay his respects.
Xiu Yu bowed and said, "Yu'er pays respects to the old ancestor, greets the Empress, and greets Concubine Tong."
Niu Hulu Yanlan and Tong Jia Zifu also stood up and greeted Xuanye. Niu Hulu Yanlan smiled and said, "I have been in the palace longer than you, so you can just call me sister."
Xiu Yu Yanran said: "I dare not."
"Alright." Xiaozhuang gestured for Xuanye to sit down beside her. "We're all celebrating the festival together as a family. Let's not talk about those formalities today. Yu'er, please sit next to Zifu."
Xiu Yu said yes, and then sat down next to Tong Jia Zi Fu.
Tong Jia Zifu slowly waved her round fan, looked at Xiu Yu, and said, "We met once when you returned to the palace with your cousin that day. Now that we've met again today, I have to admit that your cousin has excellent taste. Princess Yu'er is very beautiful, and doesn't look like a princess from outside the Great Wall."
Xiu Yu smiled and said, "Tong..."
"Call me sister." Tong Jia Zifu looked at Xiu Yu with a probing look in her eyes: "Xiu Yu, can I call you that?"
Xiu Yu replied, "Your Majesty, you can call me Xiu Yu or Yu'er."
"Yu'er..." Tong Jia Zifu glanced at Xuanye: "Not everyone can call you that."
"Princess." Su Moer came in with rice dumplings. "The Emperor is here too. May I bring up all the food I prepared?"
Xiaozhuang nodded: "Have you made milk tea?"
"I cooked it!" Su Moer replied with a smile, "You woke up early today and said you wanted to drink milk tea, so how could I not cook it?"
Xuanye signaled Liang Jiugong to open the food box Xiuyu had prepared. He took out the wine jug on the top shelf and said, "Ma, before you drink your milk tea, would you like to try some of the wine Yu'er heated up?"
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