Chapter 55: Reverse Scale "You..." Xiu Yu still spoke in a tentative tone:...
"By then, □□ will be just around the corner." Xiu Yu blurted out without even thinking.
Xuanye asked curiously, "You know all this?" He crossed his arms, his gaze inquiring. "The abolition of the feudal system has caused a great deal of uproar both inside and outside the Great Wall. It's no surprise you've heard about it. But this little island..." Xuanye pointed his right index finger at Taiwan on the map. "Even ministers of the previous dynasty might not have guessed what I was thinking. How did you know this?"
Xiu Yu felt bad, but then an idea struck her. She glanced at the warship on the desk and said, "Apart from Taiwan, Yu'er can't think of another place where warships would be needed. Besides..." She steeled her resolve and spoke bluntly, "Taiwan originally belonged to China, but now it's occupied by the Zheng family. With the emperor so far away, they probably won't submit. If we don't fight, it'll be difficult to reclaim it."
"You..." Xuanye said with a smile, "With such insight, you really don't seem like a princess who just came from outside the Great Wall. Even Zi Fu and the others probably don't have your level of insight. Did Sanguanbao tell you this?"
Xiu Yu shook her head and said, "My father is a warrior, a rough man! He only cares about guarding the border for the royal family. As for other things..." She waved her hand, "He knows nothing about it, and he doesn't bother to think about it."
Xuanye lifted his robe and sat down, looking up at Xiuyu. Naturally, he still had questions in his mind: "You said your father was a warrior, and I believe you. But you, after coming from outside the Great Wall to the interior, have become wise? Can you even guess what I'm thinking?"
"How dare Yu'er?" Xiu Yu changed her tactics, sitting next to Xuanye, holding his arm, and coquettishly saying, "You placed me in your place, just think about how many 'secrets' you've openly kept there! It's because others can't enter. If you could, I'm afraid you, the emperor, wouldn't have any secrets even from the ministers of the previous dynasty."
Xuanye's private residence did indeed hold many of his secrets. These secrets weren't hidden away in a secret room like Western musical instruments, but rather were displayed openly on bookshelves and in the Treasure Pavilion, without the slightest intention of concealing them from public view. It wasn't surprising that Xiu Yu had been able to glimpse a few of them.
After figuring this out, Xuanye felt relieved: "Taiwan will definitely be recovered. This is one of the major issues I will definitely resolve during this reign. However, the Three Feudatories have dragged on for too long. When Wu Sangui's luck runs out, I'm afraid he will need some time to recuperate and recover."
Isn't it just that I don't have money? Xiu Yu naturally understood what Xuanye meant. She leaned close to Xuanye's ear and whispered, "Your Majesty, Third Brother, are you short of money?"
Xuanye's face froze. Being asked by his own woman if he was "poor" was a bit embarrassing. So he just smiled and said, "Whether I'm poor or not is my business. You don't have to worry about it." He patted Xiuyu's hand.
Xiu Yu hesitated. As one of the women in the emperor's harem, she understood the importance of giving the emperor face and refraining from speaking what she shouldn't. Furthermore, she was accustomed to acting before speaking. For many things, actually doing something was far better than making promises in advance.
Xuanye was also afraid that Xiuyu would continue to discuss his financial difficulties, so he looked at the food box on the table and said, "Did you bring any food?"
"Shang Zhixin has surrendered. I didn't congratulate you properly at noon. I'll make it up to you this time." Xiu Yu said, standing up and opening the lunch box.
The aroma wafted out of the food box. Xuanye was curious about what delicious food Xiuyu had cooked. He said, "I drank too much at noon and now I have a headache. I can't drink anymore tonight."
"I didn't bring wine." Xiu Yu first took out a soup bowl from the food box, "It's a hangover soup, just in case you have a headache when you wake up. But I can't guarantee that it will be effective." She put the soup bowl next to Xuanye's hand, but stood behind Xuanye, bent her arms, and rubbed Xuanye's temples with her thumbs.
Xuanye closed his eyes and smiled, "It's great that you're here. Why bother making a hangover soup?"
Xiu Yu didn't stop moving her hands, but she said, "If I had known you were like this, I really wouldn't have bothered with this."
"You..." Xuanye sighed, "You are really a person who is hard on the outside but soft on the inside. You are not willing to say a single soft word in front of me?"
"It's not you who's unwilling to speak softly, it's me who's clearly incapable of speaking softly." Xiu Yu thought to herself, adding some strength to her hand. "Then... if you want to hear soft words, why not tell me directly? Yu'er will find a way to satisfy your wish."
Xuanye was amused by Xiu Yu. "Never mind. What this palace lacks the most is concubines who can speak softly. But concubines like you are very rare."
"Since the emperor has said so, I will not change my mind." Xiu Yu stopped what she was doing when she saw Xuanye open his eyes, and sat back down beside him. "Yu'er, may I ask, are you relieved that Shang Zhixin handed over the letter of surrender?"
Xuanye took a sip of the soup from the bowl, then shook his head and said, "I knew his surrender letter would arrive sooner or later, and now that I've finally received it, I shouldn't have lost my composure like this."
"What about you?" Xiu Yu was naturally confused.
Xuanye smiled and said, "Perhaps we have been too tense over the years. Once Shang Zhixin surrenders, Wu Sangui will be trapped. I can finally rest a little easier."
Hearing Xuanye's words, Xiuyu couldn't help but shake his hand, saying, "You've truly had it tough, huh..." Three hundred years later, a Qing Dynasty drama revealed that Kangxi had a difficult time in the early days of abolishing the feudal system, even considering relinquishing his throne. Now that the real culprit was right before her eyes, her gossip fueled her desire to know the truth.
Xuanye saw the hesitation in Xiuyu's eyes and asked, "Do you have something to say?"
"I told you not to be angry." Xiu Yu raised her head slightly.
Xuanye stood up and took out the snacks Xiuyu had prepared for him from the second layer of the food box. He said, "Since you took the trouble to prepare the food, I am not angry."
"You..." Xiu Yu continued in a tentative tone, "Have you ever thought about retreating outside Shanhaiguan?"
That incident was a "stain" in Xuanye's life. When Xiaozhuang brought it up to criticize him from time to time, he always tried to shut Mama up. Now that he was asked about it by the princess who had just entered the palace, Xuanye's face naturally turned black.
Xiu Yu felt that it was not good, and she thought that she had touched the boss's sore spot this time... But she was not one to say soft words, and the question was out of her mouth, like spilled water, which could not be taken back.
Xuanye saw Xiuyu remained silent for a while, sighed, and asked with a smile, "In the harem, apart from Mama, no one knows about this, and no one dares to ask about it. Only you asked about it... Aren't you afraid?"
"Yu'er is a little curious." Xiu Yu clasped her hands together, and restrained herself somewhat: "If... you don't want to talk about it, then I won't ask."
Xuanye said, "It's not a secret, but it's a bit embarrassing to tell it. If someone else asked me, I'm afraid I would chop off that person's head."
Xiu Yu said sweetly, "You are a benevolent ruler, not a tyrant. I don't believe you would chop off someone's head for this matter."
Xuanye did feel a little relieved by the compliment, and the awkwardness in his heart naturally dissipated, not to mention that it was Xiu Yu who asked the question.
"I won't hide it from you. I was young and hot-headed back then, and I issued the decree to abolish the Three Feudatories in haste. When Wu Sangui rebelled, I was indeed panicked." As if the soup bowl still contained wine, Xuanye picked up the bowl and took another big sip.
Xiu Yu gently held her cheek with her right hand and listened attentively.
Xuanye continued, "At that time, the Three Feudatories were unstoppable, and most of the country fell into the hands of the bandits. Do you think I should blame myself?"
Xiu Yu replied, "Sometimes, what appears to be a bad thing on the surface may not actually have a bad ending. Looking back now, the decision you made back then was a good one."
"But I was indeed panicked at that time." Xuanye recalled seven years ago, kneeling before the portrait of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, confessing his unfilial behavior while contemplating retreating beyond the Great Wall and abandoning the Han Chinese kingdom. It truly seemed like a lifetime ago. "Thankfully, the Empress Dowager calmed my mind, which is why I've been able to get to this day."
Xiu Yu analyzed the situation from the perspective of someone three hundred years later: "You were indeed too young back then. Who doesn't make mistakes when they're young? Even a saint would have a hard time."
Xuanye held Xiuyu's hand and said, "Maybe Mama has similar ideas to yours. She always brings this up to sober me up when I'm losing my composure. Now, besides me, the old ancestor, and Mama Su, there's another person who knows about this. You've found my weakness and are planning to blackmail me."
Xiu Yu replied, "I'm an upright person. How could I use your shortcomings to threaten you? Besides, I don't think it's a weakness at all. On the contrary, the more you mind it, the more you'll take it as a warning. Actually, I don't need our ancestors to remind you all the time; you'll probably always think about it, right?"
"Whether I want to or not..." Xuanye smiled carefreely, then said to Xiuyu in a serious tone, "Yu'er, I trust you, so I have no reservations about you. Now that you have entered the harem, I hope that you can be like Mama, and give me advice whenever I lose my awe."
Please! You are the emperor, the boss! Shouldn't it be "Even if I am wrong, I am right!" When a subordinate dares to point fingers at the boss, it must be because they think the monthly salary is too high!
Xiu Yu thought so in her heart, and said honestly: "The ancestor can give you advice because she is the ancestor, your royal mother. Yu'er is just..."
"Are you worried that I won't be able to handle your 'discipline'?" Xuanye quickly understood Xiuyu's concern. "I'm not a fool. I know clearly who is good and who is bad. I also believe that you know your limits and know when to say the most effective words."
"You really think too highly of me!" Xiu Yu couldn't help but complain in her heart, but she could only say: "Anyway, Yu'er has lived up to you."
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