Chapter 8: My dear friend, now that you are here, I feel at ease. Then I...
The palace maid named Xiao Tao clenched her hands and looked up at Xiu Yu.
Liang Jiugong said, "Princess, Xiao Tao was personally selected by the Emperor to serve you in the future."
Xiu Yu didn't think much about what Liang Jiugong had said, because Xiao Tao not only sounded like her disciple, but also had the same oval face. Xiu Yu had another thought in mind, so she simply asked the young palace maid, "Your name is Xiao Tao? The Tao next to the ear knife?"
"My dear princess, my Tao is indeed the Tao next to the ear knife."
Xiao Tao was submissive and submissive, a stark contrast to that little girl Tao Hong. Xiu Yu's eyes revealed a hint of disappointment. The resemblance between one person and another, at a different time and place, was unlikely, but not impossible.
Xiu Yu smiled and shook her head, then said to Liang Jiugong: "I haven't been selected yet, and the final result is still uncertain. The emperor has chosen a young maid for me so early, right..."
Liang Jiugong replied: "Princess, please ask the emperor in person about this matter. I am just following orders."
Xiu Yu nodded.
Liang Jiugong was, after all, Xuanye's personal eunuch. Today, New Year's Eve, was a significant occasion for the palace. If Liang Jiugong remained absent from Xuanye's side for the entire day, those within the palace would undoubtedly investigate, and ultimately implicating Xiuyu would be a disaster. Therefore, after Liang Jiugong carefully instructed Xiao Tao, he excused himself to Xiuyu.
Only Xiu Yu and Xiao Tao were left in the warm room. Xiu Yu was not the outgoing type, and Xiao Tao was a servant in the palace. When they first met Princess Xiu Yu, they didn't dare to say too much, so the two of them were quite awkward at first.
"You, entered the palace at a very young age?" Xiu Yu took the hand warmer handed to her by Xiao Tao, her eyes still fixed on Xiao Tao. How she wished she could see the shadow of her disciple three hundred years later in this little girl.
Xiao Tao replied, "I haven't been in the palace long. The Emperor thought I was clever, so he arranged for me to serve the princess. I heard that the princess loves playing chess, so if you get bored staying in this warm room, I can play chess with you."
"Oh?" Xiu Yu looked at Xiao Tao curiously. "Playing chess takes time to learn. Are you from a scholarly family?"
"Not really, it's just that my father likes these things, and I have been influenced by him since I was young. I just know the rules of playing chess." As he said that, Xiao Tao placed the chessboard on the square table.
Xiu Yu still had some hope. She lowered her head slightly, opened the lid of the chess box, looked at the black pieces inside, and said, "Since the emperor said you are clever, how about we try a different game today, Gomoku?"
Xiao Tao was pouring tea for Xiu Yu. When she heard the word "Gobang", she paused for a moment. She looked up at Xiu Yu and said, "Please tell me the rules of Gobang."
Although Xiao Tao's actions were completely different from those of her disciple, those eyes, and the deep meaning within them, rekindled Xiu Yu's hope. With her eyelids drooping and the corners of her mouth raised slightly, she picked up a chess piece and said, "If I teach you, from now on, I will be your master. Perhaps you will even be my last disciple."
Xiao Tao pursed his lips, and the right hand holding the teapot handle noticeably increased its strength. He replied, "I dare not. Please give me your guidance, Princess."
"I wonder how much longer you can hold back!" Xiu Yu raised her head slightly and began explaining the rules of Gomoku, letting Xiao Tao sit down across from her. Then, looking into Xiao Tao's eyes, she said, "It shouldn't be difficult, right? You're so clever, I'm sure you'll understand right away."
Xiao Tao replied, "Let's go down and see."
Gomoku is a must-have skill three hundred years from now, and as far as Xiuyu knows, it's still not very popular today. But Xiao Tao's play is more than just clever; she clearly understands the simple yet complex principles of Gomoku.
"Xiao Tao, we just met, so I shouldn't say this, but you do look a lot like an old friend of mine. The features and voice are almost identical." Xiu Yu began to take the initiative and 'attack': "My old friend was also my apprentice. He was quick-witted and proficient in Western mathematics, but he was more interested in history." As she spoke, she dropped the black piece in her hand and said with a smile, "I win!"
"How can a disciple defeat the master?" Xiao Tao squeezed the chess piece with her two fingers, and after a long moment, she finally mustered the courage to ask, "Master, what do you think of the Golden Water Bridge outside the Forbidden City?"
"It's really you!" Xiu Yu was inexplicably surprised: "Xiao Tao, is it really you?"
Xiao Tao raised her right index finger to her lips, making a 'silence' gesture. She also lowered her voice and said, "Master, although no one else can approach here without the Emperor's order, you still have to be careful. It's actually quite difficult to get around in the Forbidden City."
Xiu Yu's excitement was beyond words. She held Xiao Tao's hand and said, "I didn't expect it. I really didn't expect it! How come you're here?" After saying this, Xiu Yu's brows furrowed again: "Have you had a hard time these past few years?"
"It wasn't that hard. I can see Master again and stay with him. What happened in the past doesn't matter anymore." Xiao Tao looked at Xiu Yu's outfit and smiled, "Master, you're quite handsome."
"How can I be your master if I'm not handsome?" Xiu Yu sighed softly, but a gentle smile always hung on the corner of her mouth: "With you here, my heart is at peace. Then I will come to the palace." After all, she is an eighteen-year-old little princess. Although in front of her apprentice, Xiu Yu is still arrogant and cute.
"Princess, you can't escape no matter what." Xiao Tao stood up and put away the chess pieces. "But it doesn't matter. With your servant by your side, you won't be afraid of anything. I'm not afraid, and neither should you."
"What's the point of being a slave or not!" Xiu Yu actually didn't like hearing this: "It's just you and me, and you're still like this?"
"There's nothing I can do." Xiao Tao's smile revealed a hint of helplessness, and he lowered his voice and said, "After entering the Forbidden City, the first thing I learned was to be cautious. I've also figured it out. It doesn't matter what you call me. Whether I call you Gege now or Master in the future, you will always be my Master in my heart!"
"You!" Xiu Yu couldn't do anything to this disciple three hundred years later, and he still couldn't do anything now: "It's up to you."
Xiao Tao looked at Xiu Yu seriously for a long moment before saying, "Princess, it's great to see you. I will stay with you forever. Please protect me, your disciple, forever."
Xiu Yu stood up and held Xiao Tao's hand, saying sweetly, "If you made trouble back then, I would have to clean it up for you. Now, just don't make so many troubles for me."
"No, no!" Xiao Tao waved his hands hurriedly: "I promise, I will be a good helper to Gege this time."
With Xiao Tao as her old friend, Xiu Yu's deepest loneliness vanished, and even the entire Forbidden City seemed endearing. Xiao Tao, after all, had been in the Forbidden City longer than Xiu Yu, and she took Xiu Yu on a tour of Xuan Ye's "secret base," a place no outsiders could enter. Even after dark, Xiu Yu didn't feel bored.
"Princess." It was already dark when Liang Jiugong finally came over to greet Xiu Yu: "The Emperor invites you to the pavilion for a chat."
Xiu Yu glanced at Xiao Tao and replied, "Isn't the Emperor afraid of letting me see people?"
There was a hint of venting in his words. Liang Jiugong bowed and replied, "Gege is, after all, a young lady waiting to be selected. It is not appropriate for her to enter the palace early. I hope you will understand the emperor's painstaking efforts."
"Alright." Xiu Yu said with a smile, "I was just kidding. Eunuch Liang, please lead the way."
The banquet at the Palace of Heavenly Purity wasn't supposed to end yet, but Xuanye, exhausted and desperate to see Xiuyu, pretended to be drunk. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, knowing her grandson's inner thoughts, issued an imperial decree to end the family feast early. This not only gave Xuanye some free time, but also relieved the other princes, beile, and beizi present. Playing alone was undoubtedly more enjoyable than a family feast that required the strict etiquette of monarch and ministers.
In the pavilion at the top of the "secret base," Xuanye, clad in a fox fur coat and with his hands clasped behind his back, waited for Xiuyu to arrive. He imagined Xiuyu still wearing the same clothes she'd worn when they'd played chess that day. When the red hue caught his eye, Xuanye's eyes lit up with a smile. He thought, this is what love is all about!
Xiu Yu walked up to the rockery, while Liang Jiugong and Xiao Tao naturally stayed at the foot of the mountain, waiting for their master to call them at any time.
Xuanye originally wanted to act like an emperor, but he couldn't help it. He simply walked out of the pavilion and met Xiu Yu halfway. He took her hand and took her back into the pavilion.
"The fireworks will start soon. It'll be nice to watch them from here." Xuanye knew Xiuyu hadn't brought her outer garment, so he personally put the fox fur coat he had prepared on her shoulders and said, "Aren't you girls more sensitive to the cold? You should pay more attention to keeping warm."
Xiu Yu could clearly feel her cheeks getting hot, but fortunately, it was still dark, so the Emperor in front of her probably couldn't see. She lowered her head slightly and said, "Yu'er thanks the Emperor."
At that moment, the first firework shot up into the sky. As it exploded, Xuanye's eyes focused on Xiuyu, whose cheeks were flushed. He could clearly feel his heart skip a beat, but he couldn't overstep his bounds. He clasped his hands, which were somewhat restless, behind his back and raised his head to gaze at the sky with Xiuyu.
Watching fireworks in the Forbidden City was Xiu Yu's first time, including in her previous life. So she was very happy, with a smile on her face.
Xuanye turned around and looked at Xiuyu's face in the light of the exploding fireworks. He thought he had finally found her, a girl he was willing to love forever. He suddenly felt that the selection was scheduled too late. It would be best if he could issue an order right now to keep Xiuyu in the palace, by his side, for the rest of her life.
When the midnight clock struck, Xiu Yu turned sideways, raised her head slightly, looked into Xuanye's eyes, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Happy New Year!"
Xuanye was originally embarrassed that Xiuyu noticed that he was not looking at the fireworks but at her. After hearing what Xiuyu said, he smiled and said, "Happy New Year."
The fireworks that rose and fell one after another would eventually fade away. When the surroundings fell into silence, Xiu Yu felt a sense of desolation. However, it was only for a moment, because Xuanye suddenly asked her, "You lost to me in chess a few days ago. Do you remember?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
