Chapter 99 Show off and compete with Ama
In the carriage, Xuanye looked Xiu Yu up and down, frowning as he asked, "Have you been reading storybooks again lately? Are you reading stories about brothels again?"
"Huh?" Xiu Yu was a little surprised. "How come the word 'support' only appears in brothels?"
Xuanye felt a little relieved. "It's good that they didn't see it. Kejing and the others hang around your room all day long. Don't let them see things that are not suitable for them to see."
Xiu Yu's lips curved slightly: "Don't worry, I am a mother after all, and I will never harm my own children."
While chatting like this, we arrived at Xiling.
Xuanye tightened the fox fur coat on Xiu Yu's body, then took her hand and got off the carriage.
"The yin energy inside the underground mausoleum is very strong. If you don't wear something thicker, you will hurt your body."
Xiu Yu bowed slightly: "Thank you, Third Master."
Xuanye nodded and signaled the servants to wait outside. He and Xiu Yu went to the underground mausoleum.
Standing in front of Shunzhi's tablet, Xuanye took the three incense sticks lit by Xiu Yu and said, "Father, the most important thing for me to do when I came to Xiling this time is to hope that your spirit in heaven can protect Mama." He paused slightly and continued, "Back then, you told me that you regretted not being able to see me clearly sooner and not being able to teach me in person. It was Mama who did this for you. Now, I have pacified the Three Feudatories, Taiwan has been recovered, and river affairs are progressing smoothly. My Qing Dynasty is already on the right track, and the road ahead will be mostly smooth. It was Mama who held my hand and walked through it step by step. Now is the time for me to be filial to you. I can't..." Having said that, Xuanye really couldn't say anything more.
Xiu Yuqing said, "The late emperor must have heard it."
Xuanye nodded, his heart calming down slightly, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. He continued, "Back then, Father doted on the Imperial Noble Consort, but I didn't understand. In fact, even after I became Emperor for a few years, I still thought, 'If I have the empire, I will naturally have no worries about finding beauties.' But now, I understand." Xuanye glanced at Xiu Yu, then said to Shunzhi's tablet, "Today, I will bring you the love of my life. She is the daughter of the Guo Luoluo family. She is different from your Imperial Noble Consort. Her paintings are better than those of the Lei family. My Southern Suburbs Firearms Battalion and the Imperial Academy are all in the hands of Yu'er. Isn't she much more capable than your Imperial Noble Consort?"
Xiu Yu felt her cheeks burning when she heard Xuanye say this. She gently tugged at Xuanye's sleeve and said, "Don't talk about this anymore."
"This is clearly the truth. Why shouldn't I say anything?" Xuanye inserted the three incense sticks in his hand into the incense burner before continuing, "Back then, Mama was right. Whether it's favoritism or partiality, you should always favor the capable. Otherwise, disaster will ensue. There's no disaster in the land under my rule now, which fully proves that my favoritism towards you is not a mistake. You're definitely not one of those evil concubines who will bring disaster to the country."
"The late emperor's imperial concubine wasn't a scourge to the nation." This was happening in Shunzhi's mausoleum. Now Xuanye was speaking well of her in front of Shunzhi's tablet, and was also openly and covertly disparaging Dong E. Of course, she couldn't let him do what he wanted. "I think this is probably destiny. It's God's will that the emperor inherit the late emperor's will and continue to protect the Qing dynasty."
Xuanye chuckled: "You are good at speaking well of me in front of my father."
Xiu Yu said, "After all, I am the daughter-in-law of the late emperor. I am not as good as you as a son. A son can speak ill of his father, but if a daughter-in-law speaks ill of him, wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?"
Xuanye didn't comment. He glanced at his father's tablet again, then put his arm around Xiuyu's shoulder and walked out of the underground palace. "Ever since my father's coffin was moved to Xiling, Mama has never come to see it. When I was young, I asked Mama all kinds of reasons, but every time I asked, I could see an indescribable emotion in her eyes, so I stopped asking."
Xiu Yu said, "Your Majesty was able to grow up under the care of our ancestor, but the late emperor was not so fortunate. I've also heard many rumors about our ancestor, Dorgon, and the late emperor. Whether true or false, those rumors always hindered the mother-son relationship between our ancestor and the late emperor."
"You've really thought it through." Xuanye held Xiuyu's frozen hand in his palm. "In fact, perhaps at the moment when Father was on the verge of death, he had already figured it out. It's just that he never opened his mouth to tell Mama that he was wrong. Perhaps he didn't think he was wrong either."
"How do you say it?"
"Father deposed my ancestor's niece for the sake of his imperial concubine. Then the Korchin grassland sent my ancestor's great-niece, the Empress Dowager, to be my queen. I know that my father has never touched the Empress Dowager." As Xuanye said this, he gradually felt that what his father did was really too ruthless and too disrespectful to Korchin.
"When you're young, you're always full of energy." Xiu Yu and Xuan Ye walked out of the underground palace together. The sun shone on her, and she finally felt a little warmth: "When the emperor was young, wasn't he also full of energy? But it wasn't about matters between men and women, but..."
"You want to talk about Wu Sangui, right?" Seeing Xiu Yu hesitate, Xuanye spoke for her, "I can now face my mistakes. From now on, this matter is no longer something that cannot be discussed."
"Your Majesty, you are quite capable." Xiu Yu praised sincerely, "It is always difficult for people to face up to their own mistakes, especially since you are the emperor who is high above us. For this reason alone, Yu'er admires you."
"Humans have seven emotions and six desires, so who is perfect? If you make a mistake, just correct it. It's just that my father didn't have the chance to change it." Xuanye turned around and looked at Shunzhi's underground palace, and sighed again in his heart.
Xiu Yu held Xuanye's hand and said, "I think the late emperor might be with his imperial concubine right now. They are living a life like gods, isn't that wonderful?"
"Yes." Xuanye looked into Xiuyu's eyes and said sincerely, "In fact, as long as you are with the one you love, whether in heaven or on earth, you will be as happy as a god. Just like me being with you right now, I am as happy as a god."
Xiu Yu curled his lips and said, "In a place like Xiling, you should be more restrained."
"I don't think there's anything to be restrained about." Xuanye held Xiuyu's hand and walked across the stone arch bridge. "Perhaps, my father also very much hopes to see me find a girl to accompany him for life. Perhaps he is smiling at me from heaven right now."
"You, really..."
"What is it really?"
"Nothing." Xiu Yu let go of Xuanye's hand and got on the carriage first.
Xuanye followed closely behind and sat next to Xiuyu. He blew a breath into his palm and said, "It's really cold today. It's even colder inside Father's underground palace. Don't let us get frozen to death later."
"It's not that easy to get frozen." Xiu Yu said as she poured Xuanye a cup of hot tea: "Fortunately, this tea is always warm. Drinking a little can warm you up."
Xuanye took the teacup, lowered his eyelids, and said, "Yu'er, I have an unwelcome request."
"Hmm?" Xiu Yu said, "Just say what you want to say. There's no need to bother about whether to invite or not."
"If you don't have anything important to do during the day, go to the Cining Palace and keep the Queen Mother company. If the Queen Mother wants to eat or drink something, you can make it for her yourself, okay?"
"Isn't this easy?" Xiu Yu said, "Serving the old ancestor is what we younger generations should do. Even if you don't say it..."
"If I don't tell you, you probably won't take the initiative to do this." Xuanye knew Xiu Yu too well. She was not afraid of trouble, but she would never cause trouble. It was common for concubines to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, but if they served there every day, it would be a bit conspicuous, and people would inevitably gossip about her behind her back.
"You do understand me quite well." Xiu Yu also poured herself a cup of tea and held it in her hand. "I know what you mean. You hope that the old ancestor can stay with you for a long time, but you are worried that God will not grant your wish, so you want to take good care of her. Don't worry, the old ancestor will be left to me."
Xuanye looked into Xiuyu's eyes and said, "Yu'er, thank you."
"What are you going to give me as a thank you?" Xiu Yu said playfully, "I think I already have one of your treasures. I don't have anything else to give you, right?"
"Uh..." Xuanye was suddenly caught off guard by Xiu Yu. For a moment, he really didn't know what to give as a thank you. "Well, you can have anything I have."
"Then I'll keep it for now. I need to think carefully about whether there's anything else you have that's worth asking for."
Xiu Yu was a person who kept her promises. After returning to the palace, she would go to the Cining Palace to pay her respects to Xiaozhuang during the day. After paying her respects, when other concubines left, she would stay, either talking to Xiaozhuang, or playing chess with her, or going to the small kitchen to make some strange snacks for Xiaozhuang.
At first, Xiaozhuang was not used to it. After all, so many years had passed, and she had long been accustomed to having only Su Moer by her side, and she felt more comfortable talking to her. But day after day, and Xiu Yu's cooking skills were really good, she gradually accepted it.
"I know. It was Xuanye who asked you to come to the Cining Palace to keep me company." It was early spring, and the trees in the courtyard had sprouted. Xiuyu had made milk tea for Xiaozhuang, and while chatting with her, she suddenly said, "He was afraid I might pass out at any moment, so he sent you, his precious child, here, right?"
Xiu Yu shook her head gently: "Don't say that, the imperial physician said you are in good health."
"I'm old," Xiaozhuang sighed. "No one can avoid aging. I have to accept my age, too. Just like the trees outside, they will wither one day. I'm not some immortal old demon."
"Grandfather, you..."
"Are you used to seeing the solemn old ancestor when paying respects on ordinary days, and are you frightened by this old ancestor now?"
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