Chapter 6 Paving the Way for the Third Emperor
Xuanye hesitated for a moment and said, "How about you agree to one of my requests on New Year's Eve?"
Xiu Yu was stunned. This kind of bet was like not even knowing what the request was, like Schrödinger's cat. She was a little reluctant to agree, but could she refuse the request of her "big brother"?
"Don't worry." Xuanye picked up a white chess piece and twirled it in his hand. "My request is not difficult for you, and it is definitely not something unreasonable that would make it difficult for you to make a decision."
"Okay, I agree." Xiu Yu pursed her lips, her pretty face slightly raised, and then she picked up the black chess piece and was about to place it on the chessboard when she suddenly realized, "If I win, what can the emperor lose to me?"
Xuanye said, "You may not win this time. If you win, I will do whatever you want."
Xiu Yu nodded slightly and finally placed the piece in his hand onto the chessboard.
Xuanye was a man of unwavering focus, whether it was dealing with state affairs or hobbies like these, which cultivated his temperament, once he began to work, he would devote himself completely to the task. But today, the person he was playing chess with was Xiu Yu, and while he played, he looked at Xiu Yu's expression, and surprisingly, he wasn't as focused as usual.
Xiu Yu could naturally feel the fiery gaze from Xuanye. She pursed her lips and spoke for the first time while playing chess: "Your Majesty, if you don't play seriously, I'm afraid Yu'er will make a request."
"Don't worry." Xuanye's face was still relaxed. "I'm also very good at multitasking."
Xiu Yu couldn't help it, so he rolled his eyes silently and stared at the chessboard again.
Although one was extremely serious while the other appeared relaxed, the game remained deadlocked. Black and white pieces battled each other, and time ticked by, yet no one was sure of a winner.
Liang Jiugong came in twice to refill the tea, and several times he wanted to tell the emperor: "It's getting late." But he hesitated again and again, and in the end he couldn't say it. If the old master asked about the emperor's whereabouts later, he would still have to work hard as a servant to make up a story for his master.
Xiu Yu felt that she had never played chess for such a long time. Today's competition was truly a match where she met her equal. She had been sitting for too long and couldn't help but stretch.
Xuanye saw that Xiuyu was really tired of sitting. He lowered his eyelids, placed the white piece in his hand at the key point of this chess game, and then said with a smile: "Yu'er, thank you for letting me."
Xiu Yu looked at the situation of the black and white pieces on the chessboard, and was slightly stunned. Then he raised his head and smiled, "The emperor is indeed an expert. Yu'er admits defeat."
Xuanye finally straightened his crossed legs, stood up, walked over to Xiuyu's side, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up: "You've been sitting for too long, want to go out for a walk?"
Xiu Yu hesitated for a moment, but finally let Xuanye pull her out of the study.
In the garden, the sun was shining all over the ground. Xuanye took Xiu Yu across the stone arch bridge and finally arrived at the garden gate.
Xiu Yu asked curiously, "Where is the emperor planning to take Yu'er?"
"Horseback riding." Xuanye turned his head and looked into Xiuyu's eyes, saying, "I heard that Princess Yu of the Sanguan Baojia family is a heroine on horseback. You've been sitting for so long, it's time to move around."
Do emperors always act on impulse? Xiu Yu couldn't help but complain inwardly, but he had no choice but to follow Xuanye's wishes.
However, there were already two horses waiting outside the garden, which seemed to be something the emperor had planned long ago.
"Is there really such a beautiful horse in the world?" Xiu Yu was so fond of the purple-fur horse when he saw it.
Xuanye stood beside Xiuyu with his hands behind his back and said, "Purple fur is rare in the world. The most beautiful horse in the world should be paired with the most beautiful person."
Xiu Yu stroked the horse's mane again and again. When she heard Xuanye's words, she immediately turned around and asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you want to give this horse to me?"
"Some people are truly lacking in modesty, believing themselves to be the most beautiful people in the world?" Xuanye joked, then immediately added, "It's a gift for you, indeed, but not now. Right now, I'll let you ride it."
"It turns out that the emperor can also be stingy sometimes." After playing two games of chess with Xuanye, Xiu Yu could probably feel that the emperor was tolerant and generous, at least towards herself, so Xiu Yu was not so restrained when speaking.
Xuanye laughed out loud: "Calling you a heroine on horseback makes you even bolder. To be honest, you are the first person in the world to call me stingy."
"It's just a horse." Xiu Yu's love for horses was inherited from her father. This love runs in her bones and will never change throughout her life.
Xuanye had already jumped onto the brown horse's back, turned the horse's head, and said, "I said I would give you a ride, and when the time comes, I will give it to you. How about running two laps first?"
"Okay!" Xiu Yu lifted his robe and mounted the horse, looking very heroic.
Xuanye had learned horseback riding and archery since childhood, so it was easy for the emperor to keep pace with Xiu Yu. Li Wei's garden had been well-chosen. Even now, the surroundings were still bleak from the winter air, which didn't hinder the two of them from galloping.
The two of them almost ran a full circle around the garden, their foreheads slightly sweaty. After dismounting, Xiu Yu continued to touch the horse's mane, his eyes full of admiration: "What a fine horse, one in a thousand, one in ten thousand!"
"Probably one in ten thousand or one in a hundred thousand." However, what Xuanye was looking at was not the purple-haired horse, but Xiu Yu who was touching the horse.
Although Xuanye had indeed completed all the accumulated government affairs overnight, staying out for a whole day was still a luxury. Apart from anything else, he really couldn't explain himself to his ancestors. So, even though he was reluctant to leave, he still got on the carriage with Xiuyu and took her back to the inn.
"I will send someone to pick you up on New Year's Eve." Xuanye got off the carriage first, held Xiu Yu's hand again, and helped her get off the carriage.
Xiu Yu raised her head and looked at Xuanye, throwing her long braid back. "I've agreed to something, and I've agreed to it. Third Master, don't worry. I will be there on time."
"Third Master?" Xuanye savored the words and actually found it quite amusing to be addressed that way. "This is the first time I've heard someone call me Third Master. It's a nice name."
Xiu Yu smiled coquettishly, bent her right arm, made a fist with her right hand, pointed at the inn with only her index finger, and said, "So, has Yu'er returned to the inn?"
Xuanye nodded and wanted to say something else, but considering that he was the emperor after all, he still smiled and watched Xiu Yu enter the inn.
"Master?" Liang Jiugong saw that Xiu Yu had long disappeared, but his master was still standing under the carriage, showing no intention of getting in. He couldn't help but remind him, "Master, it's getting late."
"Oh." This 'oh' was filled with a hint of disappointment. "After returning to the palace, go to the Cining Palace first to pay your respects to the old ancestor."
"Master, you need to do more than just pay your respects to the old ancestor, right?" Liang Jiugong saw Xuanye already seated in the carriage, and he himself sat in the driver's seat. "Master, you want to bring Princess Yu to the palace to celebrate New Year's Eve, but it would be better to get the old ancestor's approval."
Xuanye was clutching the purse Xiuyu had given him. When Liang Jiugong saw through his thoughts, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Drive your car carefully and be careful with your tongue."
The carriage sped away. Xuanye did not read in the carriage as usual. Although he held the book in his hand, he was thinking in his mind how to properly mention Xiu Yu to his ancestor.
In the Cining Palace, Xiaozhuang was watering her beloved flowers. Xuanye returned to the Qianqing Palace and hurriedly changed his clothes. He then asked Liang Jiugong to carefully hold the small portrait of Xiu Yu and follow him to the Cining Palace.
"Grandson pays his respects to the Imperial Madam." Xuanye lifted his robe and knelt on the ground: "Grandson is a little late today, I hope Madam will not blame me."
Xiaozhuang handed the pot to the young palace maid, and then Su Moer helped her sit on the couch, and then said, "You get up."
The tone of the old ancestor's words... Xuanye stood up with a warm smile on his face: "My grandson went out of the palace to see the world today, so I'm late."
"Took a look around the world?" Empress Xiaozhuang picked up the teacup and took a sip without raising her eyelids. "Did you go to the market?"
"Not really." Xuanye knew his ancestor's abilities well. If he lied, it would only cause problems. "My grandson has recently taken a fancy to the garden owned by Li Wei of the former dynasty in the northwest corner of the capital. Thinking that the people's lives will be better in the future and the national treasury will be full, my grandson decided to renovate the garden."
Xiaozhuang had many informants, so she was very clear about Xuanye's whereabouts. Seeing that Xuanye did not lie to her, her expression eased a little.
Xuanye gestured to Liang Jiugong to hand over the small portrait of Xiu Yu. He sat down opposite Xiaozhuang and slowly unfolded it. Then he said, "Not only did my grandson visit Tsinghua Garden, but he also met the selected girls sent to the capital by Guo Luoluo." He had something to say, so he had no reason to hesitate. He simply jumped straight in. "It's quite a coincidence. Didn't Mama send someone to show me the small portraits of the selected girls that day? After seeing them, I was deeply impressed by this Princess Xiu Yu. Who would have thought that not long after, I would actually meet Princess Xiu Yu. Isn't that a coincidence?"
Xiaozhuang saw the portraits of these beautiful girls earlier than Xuanye. To be honest, she was also impressed by Guoluo Luo Xiuyu. There were only a handful of Manchu princesses with such stunning looks. It was no wonder that her grandson, who was known for his ability to handle everything, was a little confused this time.
"Go on." Xiaozhuang still wanted to hear if her grandson was hiding something from her because of a woman. After all, for an emperor, being overly attached to a woman was not a good thing. The previous two emperors of the Qing Dynasty had already made a good example of this, and she did not want her grandson to follow in her son's footsteps.
Xuanye said, "Today we're going to visit that rather desolate garden. Since I have nothing better to do, I've asked Liang Jiugong to invite this Xiuyu Princess to play chess. Mama, guess who wins?"
"Of course my grandson won." Xiaozhuang habitually believed in her grandson's abilities.
Xuanye sighed, "Although my grandson won, it was a hard-fought victory. I originally thought that a girl of this beauty might not have ambitions, but this daughter of the Sanguan Bao family is quite intelligent."
"Oh?" Xiaozhuang was already interested in Xiu Yu, and when she heard Xuanye say this, she naturally became even more curious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
