Chapter 97: Xiaozhuang's Concerns and the Forefathers' Long-term Considerations
The gathering began with a bang and ended happily. Empress Xiaozhuang, after all, was old. After finishing her meal and mingling with the younger generation for a while, she left Yikun Palace and returned to Cining Palace to rest. Tong Jia Zifu wasn't particularly fond of the crowds either. After she and Xiu Yu and the others saw off the old ancestor, she returned to Chengqian Palace with Yinzhen.
As darkness fell, after putting Yinzhen and Yinzhen to sleep, Xiuyu returned to the warm room. Xuanye was sitting cross-legged on the couch, reviewing memorials. Seeing Xiuyu finally return, he closed the last memorial, stood up, walked over to Xiuyu, put his arm around her shoulders, and said, "If you don't come soon, I'm afraid I'll have to go see Duke Zhou soon."
"I see that you are clearly handling government affairs." Xiu Yu let down her long hair, and a tired look still appeared on her face.
Xuanye turned around and put his arm around Xiuyu's waist, saying, "Little Eleven was sick when we returned from the border, and he's only recovered today. You were so busy preparing so much food, I'm exhausted for you."
"Yinzhen is fine. I'm happy no matter how tired he is." Xiu Yu and Xuanye sat on the bed together.
Xuanye stroked Xiuyu's long hair, his eyes filled with growing love. "It seems like only seven days have passed, but I feel like these seven days are truly eternity. With our ancestors here, I can't always be by your side, and I'm thinking of you even when I'm holding court."
Xiu Yu leaned on Xuanye's shoulder, a hint of helplessness in her smile: "I also feel that these seven days are really long, but fortunately we have the ancestors to support us, otherwise, it would be really difficult to make it through."
"Yu'er..." Xuanye looked into Xiuyu's eyes, "We..."
Xiu Yu lowered her eyelids, avoiding the burning gaze: "Your Majesty, I am really too tired, aren't you tired?"
"Proper exercise can help relieve fatigue." Xuanye's twisted theory came up again. He had already embraced Xiu Yu and slowly lay down. His soft lips pressed against Xiu Yu's forehead and nose tip, and then he lingered on her rosy lips.
Xiu Yu felt helpless, but she had to put her arms around Xuanye's back and respond to him slowly.
This exercise, which is beneficial to physical and mental health, did not last too long. After all, Xuanye knew that Xiu Yu was really tired recently.
Lying in Xuanye's arms, Xiuyu's heart finally settled down: "I'm tired, let's sleep?"
"Go to sleep. I'll watch you sleep." Xuanye lowered his head and kissed Xiuyu's forehead. "Even though this calamity has passed, I hope there will be no more calamities in our future, and that our children will grow up healthy and happy."
Xiu Yu closed her eyes and murmured, "I only hope that my children can grow up healthy and live a peaceful life, but I'm afraid that's impossible. You run into people who want to kill you every time you go out. How can you live in peace?"
"That's..." Xuanye said with a hint of embarrassment: "That's not bad. But..."
"But I accept my fate." Xiu Yu snuggled into Xuanye's arms again. "I can enter the palace and be your concubine in this life. You also turned those drawings I drew into reality. I shouldn't ask for anything else."
"We're just getting started." Xuanye smiled and said, "We still have a long time to spend together. Whatever you want to do, I will find a way to make it a reality. I mean what I say."
"Well, let me thank the emperor first." If she wasn't so tired, Xiu Yu would have definitely given in and made a few requests, but she was really tired and fell asleep in a short while.
Seeing that Xiu Yu was fast asleep, Xuanye held his right hand in the air, traced her eyebrows and eyes with his index finger, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and fell asleep as well.
After Yinzhen recovered from his illness, the Qing Palace ushered in the new year. This year's celebration was actually quite hasty, but the usual banquets and fireworks were still held.
On New Year's Eve, Xiaozhuang was visibly tired after the family dinner. When she returned to the Cining Palace, she couldn't help but complain to Su Moer, "I'm really getting old. I just stayed up a little late, and my body can't take it anymore."
Su Moer poured Xiaozhuang some tea, smiling, "Gege has been quite busy lately, and it's normal for you to feel tired."
Xiaozhuang motioned for Su Moer to sit down beside her and said, "In the past, we were so busy, we couldn't count the days when we worked ourselves to death until dawn. But have you ever felt like this? No. So, as people get older, their health deteriorates day by day. You have to accept your age."
Su Moer said, "I am here to accompany the princess. The princess is old, and I am old too."
"You're not old!" Empress Xiaozhuang didn't give Su Moer any face at all. "Look at Xiu Yu, Zi Fu, and the others. They're all young and beautiful. You could pinch their faces and you'd squeeze water out of them. My great-grandson has grown up so big. If we don't age, wouldn't we become monsters? Tell me, do you want to be a monster, or do you want to grow old normally?"
"Then I think it's better to grow old naturally." Su Moer said with a smile.
"Still." Empress Xiaozhuang held Su Moer's hand and patted it. "You followed me when we were in Khorchin. I was only in my teens at that time, and you were also a little girl in your teens, following me around all day, calling me princesses and princesses. Later, I became the concubine of the Han Dynasty, and then the Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty. Now you are the Grand Empress Dowager, and you are still calling me princesses and princesses. It is only because I am a master who does not care about anything that you can live a safe and stable life to this day."
Su Moer said, "I feel that calling you Gege is the most intimate. Wouldn't it be awkward for you to call you Grand Empress Dowager like them?"
Empress Xiaozhuang smiled and glared at Su Moer: "You, you are already old, why are you still so sharp-tongued! Why didn't I marry you out of the palace in the first place? Why did I put up with you all my life?"
Su Moer said, "I am willing to follow the princess for the rest of my life. I feel that I will never find a better job in my life than to follow the princess and be her servant."
Xiaozhuang became interested and asked, "Don't you regret not having a child of your own?"
Su Moer shook her head. "I watched the Ninth and Third Princes grow up. When Princess gave birth to the Ninth Prince, it was so difficult. When I think about it now, I still feel scared. I was able to watch two emperors grow up and ascend to the throne with Princess. My life is worth it."
"You, I don't know what to say to you. If you say you're stupid, the affairs of the former dynasty and the harem are as transparent as a mirror in your eyes. But if you say you're smart..."
"This servant is not smart at all." Su Moer saw that Xiaozhuang was already sleepy, so she got up to wash her handkerchief and said, "It is the princess who is smart. If someone else follows the princess, he will be like this servant."
Xiaozhuang took the handkerchief Su Moer handed over and wiped her face. "Everything between people is fate. It's you who will be with me all my life. This is destined in our fate, and no one can change it."
Su Moer helped Xiaozhuang sit down in front of the peep show. She took off her headdresses one by one and said, "This slave has decided to follow the princess. Wherever the princess goes, this slave will go. If there is an afterlife, this slave will come back to find the princess and be your maid."
Xiaozhuang looked at Su Moer, who had followed her for so many years, in the peep show. She bent her right arm, patted the back of Su Moer's hand, and said with a smile, "Your body is much stronger than mine. If that day ever comes... Xuanye will definitely treat you, the nanny who has been like a master to him, well. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Su Moer just smiled and said nothing.
Before going to bed, Xiaozhuang held Su Moer's wrist and said, "Would you like to accompany your princess today?"
Su Moer paused and said, "Okay, I will stay with you to celebrate the New Year."
"Whether to celebrate the New Year or not, you are already so old."
Xiaozhuang lay down on the inside of the bed first, and Su Moer lay down next to her.
But then Xiaozhuang said, "Tell me, is it good or bad for the Qing Dynasty that Xuanye appointed Yinreng as the crown prince so early?"
"Why are you suddenly talking about this, Princess?" Su Moer tucked the quilt into Xiaozhuang's arms. "The Crown Prince is intelligent, and the Emperor is cultivating him with great care. It can't be a bad thing, right?"
Xiaozhuang sighed, "The Crown Prince is intelligent, but Xuanye is being too hasty. Furthermore, the one standing beside Xuanye now is not Hesheli, but Xiuyu. It's hard to predict what the future holds."
"Princess, why are you worrying about this? The most important thing for you right now is to take good care of your health so that you can watch the emperor govern the Qing Dynasty."
"I'm just afraid that Xuanye's children are all too talented." Xiaozhuang expressed her deepest worries: "There's only one throne. If a few eyes covet it, disaster will arise! And then..."
Seeing that Xiaozhuang was hesitant to speak, Su Moer speculated, "Do you think that the Emperor is still in his prime and the Crown Prince is already grown up, which is not a good thing?"
"That's not a good thing." Xiaozhuang's worry deepened. "Xuanye ascended the throne at eight and took over the government at fourteen. He's not like his father... In the future, when the crown prince grows up, what will happen? Will fathers and sons fight, and brothers fight each other?"
"Should be, no way..." Su Moer was frightened by Xiaozhuang's assumption: "Now, the emperor holds the prince in the palm of his hand, you are overthinking it."
"I also hope I'm overthinking it." Xiaozhuang smiled helplessly, "I'm just afraid that every dynasty has its own tests. Now that the world is unified, Xuanye has accomplished everything he wanted to do. What other tests are waiting for him? The only thing I can think of is probably the throne. If in the future, Xuanye can pass the throne to Yinreng smoothly, it will be a blessing for our Qing Dynasty."
Su Moer advised, "Since you also believe that every dynasty has its own trials, then the emperor must bear what he should bear. You certainly don't want to see your great-grandchildren be neither civil nor martial! That would truly not be a blessing for the Qing Dynasty, but a disaster!"
Empress Xiaozhuang had to agree: "You are right. They can't be bad, but being too good is also a problem. If each of them has his or her own strengths and career, that would be perfect."
"You." Su Moer stood up and blew out the candle, then lay down and advised, "It's past midnight, you should rest and stop thinking about these things."
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