Chapter 71: Being Partial is a Bit Too Much
The Ruyi Pavilion's painters were all gifted with deft hands. Xiu Yu, upon seeing the completed paintings, found them incredibly lifelike. The Fourth Princess was barely a hundred days old, a very active child, far from sitting still like adults. Yet, under the painter's deft hands, the little Princess's slightly mischievous expression came to life on the paper.
Xuanye felt that he had a good vision and that his decision to keep the Western missionaries was indeed the right one. After rewarding the painter and asking Liang Jiugong to send the painter away, he actually stretched out his right hand towards Xiu Yu, as if he wanted a gift.
Xiu Yu put the Fourth Princess into the rocking bed, turned around, patted Xuanye's hand, and said, "Your gift is for Little Fourth, why are you reaching out to me?"
"Aren't you the beautiful woman in the painting, looking like a fairy descending from the heavens?" Xuanye was unfailing in his praise. "It's already in the painting, shouldn't the 'initiator' be rewarded?"
"What reward?" Xiu Yu rubbed his arm. "I can't move it. It's so sore. You shouldn't ask for a reward, you should ask for a punishment!"
"Then..." Xuanye moved closer to Xiuyu, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and walked towards the bed. "I want my reward. You can punish me however you want. How about that?"
Does that sound like a deal? Xiu Yu's cheeks flushed. Seeing his expression, she knew what he was thinking. "It's still daylight. Do you have any government affairs to attend to?"
"The Battle of the Three Feudatories is finally over. I've decided to take a night off," Xuanye declared, his words unwavering. He removed the hairpin from Xiuyu's head, slowly letting her hair fall down behind her, then began to undo the knot. As he did so, he whispered in her ear, "Manchu clothing is complicated to put on and take off. I'll give you some Han clothing later. What color would you like?"
Xiu Yu clutched Xuanye's clothes tightly with both hands. Outside the warm room, the sun was about to set. If the news got out at this time, it would not take more than a few days. When they went to pay their respects to the ancestors early tomorrow morning, there would definitely be people who would be sarcastic.
However, seeing Xuanye's expression and the slowly falling curtains, Xiu Yu had no choice but to obey.
"Her hair is as beautiful as a cloud, her face is as beautiful as a flower, and she wears a golden hairpin. The hibiscus tent is warm and the spring night is spent." Xuanye stroked Xiu Yu's fair back, a smile on his face. "Playing chess across from me is not as interesting as this. No wonder the emperor has not been attending court in the morning since then!"
Xiu Yu lazily lay on the bed, glaring shyly at Xuanye: "How can a wise and holy ruler compare himself to Emperor Minghuang of Tang! If this gets out, aren't you afraid of what the scholars will say about you?"
"Am I afraid of the literati? The literati are afraid of me!" Xuanye is now the winner, and the winner naturally has a sense of pride: "Yu'er, believe it or not, from now on, as long as it is something I want to do, I will definitely be able to do it."
"Yes, you are destined to be a wise leader, and of course you have to accomplish many great things." Xiu Yu was exhausted by Xuanye's torment, and her upper eyelid had begun to fight with her lower eyelid.
Xuanye stroked her waterfall-like black hair, his voice becoming softer and softer: "Go to sleep if you are tired."
Perhaps those who become emperors are gifted. When Xiu Yu woke in the middle of the night, no one was around, only the faint light of a candlelight filtering through the curtains. She'd finished painting and spent the night together, so waking up at this hour would be surprising if she wasn't hungry. She raised her hand to part the curtains, only to find Xuanye sitting on the couch, frowning as he reviewed memorials.
Xiu Yu got out of bed, walked over to Xuanye, and said with a smile, "Didn't you say you wanted to rest for a night? Are you feeling uncomfortable because you can't finish reviewing all the memorials?"
Xuanye looked up at Xiu Yu, asked her to sit next to him, and then said, "We still have to finish the finishing work. Wu Sangui is dead, but what about the soldiers who followed him to fight? I can't just kill them all with a single decree. Aside from the leaders, the small soldiers are just trying to make a living."
Xiu Yu asked curiously, "Didn't we just hear about Wu Sangui's death today?"
Xuanye stretched his shoulders and said, "Subsequent resettlement is urgent. Gao Shiqi and the others didn't receive their salaries for nothing."
Xiu Yu nodded, feeling quite emotional. The so-called master of time management always has to borrow some time. Sleeping for four hours is just a dream.
*
The maple leaves have fallen in Xiangshan, signaling the arrival of deep autumn. Lately, Xiuyu has been living with Xuanye in Changchun Garden. With the war still raging outside, Xuanye hasn't officially put the garden renovation on the agenda. Bored in the garden, Xiuyu has taken up her brush, wandering through it and painting. She admits she's not particularly skilled in landscape architecture, and her designs are merely a way to pass the time.
It was almost noon when Tong Jia Zi Fu actually arrived at Changchun Garden in a carriage.
Xiu Yu was somewhat surprised. She handed the blueprint to Xiao Tao and walked over to her, bowing and saying, "Your Highness."
Tong Jia Zifu said with a smile, "We're not in the Forbidden City, so there's no need for us to be so polite. Is my cousin still handling government affairs?"
"Lord Suo and the others left not long ago." Xiu Yu and Tong Jia Zi Fu walked side by side towards Qingxi Book House.
Tong Jia Zifu glanced at the stack of papers in Xiao Tao's arms and jokingly asked, "Why doesn't my cousin trust the Lei family so much that he hired the architects from the Guo Luoluo family to build the garden?"
"Your Highness, you're joking." Xiu Yu looked at the still somewhat desolate garden and said, "Yu'er's abilities are not enough to repair a garden."
"It's hard to say." Tong Jia Zifu looked at Xiu Yu with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Put this diagram on your cousin's desk. Who knows, he might actually ask someone to design something based on yours."
The two chatted casually and entered Qingxi Book House. Xuanye was a little surprised to see Tong Jia Zifu: "Cousin, why are you here?"
"Why is it written in your garden, 'Except the Emperor and Concubine Yi, No One Allowed'?" Tong Jia Zifu joked. Now that she was not in the Forbidden City, she felt much more relaxed. "I came here to congratulate my cousin. Zelan has given you a little prince."
"Really?" Xuanye's eyes lit up, but he wasn't surprised. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "You didn't come here just to tell me the good news, did you? There's no need to trouble the Imperial Concubine with the good news."
"Cousin, don't forget what you promised me. After Yu'er gives birth to the fourth princess, the next little prince will be brought to my Chengqian Palace to be raised." Tong Jia Zifu said as a matter of course: "I'm here to remind you, cousin, so you don't forget."
"That's what I told you." Xuanye said to Xiuyu, "She never comes to my house without a reason. She's either a traitor or a thief!"
Xiu Yu just sat aside, and when she was needed to respond, she would just respond. Anyway, this matter really had nothing to do with her.
Tong Jia Zifu curled her lips and said, "Even if your son is raised in my palace, he is still your son! Besides, I am not a bad person. The little prince is raised in my palace, so you can rest assured, cousin."
"As you wish!" Xuanye was naturally just teasing his cousin: "When you go back, take the little prince to your palace. Are you satisfied?"
"Thank you, cousin." Tong Jia Zifu stood up and bowed: "Then I will go back to the palace, cousin, you don't have to see me off."
Tong Jia Zifu came and went like a gust of wind, and Xuanye shook his head at the sight of her: "My cousin..."
Xiu Yu was somewhat curious as to why Xuanye did not go back to the palace with Tong Jia and Zi Fu to see the newly born little prince, but she hesitated to speak.
Xuanye lowered his head slightly, and while reviewing the memorial, he said, "Do you think I am being cold and indifferent if I don't go to see the young prince?"
"No." Xiu Yu denied it hurriedly.
Xuanye raised his hand to call Xiu Yu closer, then raised his head to look into her eyes and said, "Everyone thinks that in the harem, a mother is honored by her son. It is true that with a prince by her side, her status will be raised sooner or later. But in my heart, a son is honored by his mother." His eyes were burning, and his eyes and heart were full of Xiu Yu.
Xiao Tao stood silently by, unsure whether to be happy for his master or to warn him not to be deceived by the emperor's sweet talk. Proclaiming their affection while having children with others was probably a common problem among Qing emperors.
Xiu Yu smiled: "Yu'er understands."
"You, don't understand!"
Xiu Yu was really confused this time. Isn't this the emperor's usual trick - being affectionate to everyone he meets? What's there to not understand?
It was not until the beginning of the twelfth lunar month that Xiu Yu followed Xuan Ye back to the Forbidden City. In the Cining Palace, Xuan Ye accompanied Xiao Zhuang in watering the flowers while saying, "Madam, I want to ask Madam for a favor."
"Hmm?" Xiaozhuang was curious. "You are the emperor. What favor are you asking me to grant?"
Xuanye took the pot from Xiaozhuang's hand and handed it to the young palace maid standing beside her. Then he helped Xiaozhuang into the inner room and said, "My grandson would like to ask Mama to issue an imperial decree. From now on, any prince born in the harem will be raised by his own mother. Do you think this is possible?"
Xiaozhuang's originally smiling face immediately darkened: "Xuanye, you know why our ancestors set this rule."
"Grandson understands." Xuanye was not in the least bit anxious and continued, "However, the current situation is different from when our ancestors established the rules. There is really no need to worry too much. But the pain of separation between mother and child has been experienced by Mama, and so has this grandson."
Seeing Xuanye's drooping eyelids, Xiaozhuang twirled her Buddhist beads as she spoke, "Zelan gave birth to the Fourth Prince at the end of October, and now the Fourth Prince is already under Zifu's care. Did you calculate the timing to come and ask for this 'favor'?"
Xuanye never lied to Xiaozhuang: "Since Mama has seen through it, I dare not lie to you."
Xiaozhuang sat down, but did not ask Xuanye to sit down. She just looked up at him and said, "Is Concubine Yi pregnant again?"
Xuanye said: "Not yet, grandson is just in case."
Xiaozhuang snorted, "You really are prepared for a rainy day! Xuanye, your partiality is a bit too much, isn't it?"
"Grandson thinks..." Xuanye's thin lips formed a straight line: "Yu'er is worth it."
"Have you ever thought about what Zelan will think after I issue this imperial decree?" Xiaozhuang coaxed: "It's fine if I say it! But the people in the harem are not stupid. How could they not know that this is your intention?"
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