The next day, Su Jingxuan and Zhou were brought into the palace and saw Su He's exquisite portrait.
"This should be the last portrait of my great-aunt in her life!" Su Xuerong said softly.
The couple stared at the portrait, speechless for a long time. Su Jingxuan's eyes immediately reddened, and he said in a hoarse voice, "It's...it's my aunt..."
In his childhood memories, his young aunt was always so cheerful and lively, but one day she suddenly never came home again...
Su Xuerong suddenly asked, "Father, why is it that my aunt was registered as a member of the Wang family after entering the palace?"
Su Jingxuan was taken aback: "Your Majesty..."
Suddenly, a handsome young man appeared in the depths of his memory. He would often wait for his aunt to go fishing together early in the morning, and then send her back in the evening.
“Perhaps she used the surname of her beloved…” Su Jingxuan said softly.
Su Xuerong understood.
Su He had no desire to become a concubine in the palace; she loved this young man surnamed Wang.
Zhou visited Yuan'er again, and the couple had lunch with Su Xuerong before leaving.
Xiao Yuan deliberately did not appear at lunchtime, and returned to Cining Palace from the Imperial Study in the afternoon.
Yuan-jie has already woken up from her afternoon nap and is crawling around on the couch in the warm pavilion.
Su Xuerong, however, sat on the couch in a daze, looking preoccupied.
Xiao Yuan changed into casual clothes and warmed himself up before coming in. He picked up Yuan Jie'er and pricked her with his stubble.
Yuan'er has been really into this game lately, and she always giggles whenever Xiao Yuan's stubble pricks her little face.
Then Xiao Yuan tossed her high into the air, making her scream with excitement.
Su Xuerong was soon amused and exasperated by the two of them.
At first she was a little worried, but later she found that Xiao Yuan was very careful with Yuan Jie'er and would not let her be in any danger.
Later, I just let them argue.
Now, whenever Yuan-jie sees Xiao Yuan, she rushes towards him, making indistinct noises like "da da..."
Su Xuerong quickly corrected, "Call him Father Emperor..."
Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "We'll teach her that title when she's a bit older. Let her call me 'Daddy' first..."
"Da da..."
Su Xuerong looked at Yuan Jie'er and her heart melted.
It's a pity she missed Yuanjie's first birthday at the end of last year; she celebrated it in Quanzhou instead.
Zhou told her that when Yuan'er was celebrating her first birthday, she picked up a calligraphy brush, which made everyone very happy.
“Who knows, our Yuan’er might be a talented woman in the future,” Su Xuerong said with a smile. “So from now on, we still need to teach her to speak properly.”
Xiao Yuan teased her, "She's just a little kid, why are you in such a hurry to train her? Wouldn't it be better to let her play for a few more years?"
He lacked opportunities to play since he was a child, and Yuan'er is a girl, so why make her live such a tiring life?
Su Xuerong said irritably, "She is a princess, so naturally she should be taught from a young age."
Xiao Yuan said, "It's alright, it's not too late to teach him after he turns three."
Seeing that the two of them were having a great time, Su Xuerong didn't bother to say anything.
Xiao Yuan played with Yuan Jie'er for a while, and then dinner was served.
Yuan'er has started eating soft foods now. Stewed mutton and radish are her favorites, followed by mashed pumpkin puree.
Su Xuerong then let Yuanjie use a small wooden spoon to scoop up the food herself, resulting in food spilling all over the table.
Xiao Yuan watched from the side and laughed heartily, while Su Xuerong was somewhat amused and exasperated.
After finally getting Yuan'er to finish her dinner, Xiao Yuan told the mother and daughter to wrap themselves up like rice dumplings and go out to digest.
The sky was overcast, and it started snowing soon after.
The two women walked around the covered walkway with the child for a while. Yuan'er started to yawn, so Su Xuerong asked the wet nurse to take her back.
Xiao Yuan took Su Xuerong's hand and said, "Shall we walk a little further?"
Su Xuerong also felt that she was a little full from dinner, so she let him hold her hand and continue walking forward.
“Before entering the palace, Consort Miao must have had someone she loved…” Xiao Yuan suddenly said.
Su Xuerong looked at him in surprise.
Xiao Yuan turned around and stared at her in the dimly lit corridor: "She didn't actually die from a serious illness, but... died in childbirth."
Su Xuerong's breathing became somewhat sluggish.
"My grandfather's harem had over a hundred concubines. So many wanted his favor, and that's why Consort Miao became their target..." At this point, Xiao Yuan sighed slightly, "The more women in the harem, the more dangerous it becomes..."
Su Xuerong gripped his hand tightly: "Was my difficult childbirth an accident or caused by someone?"
Xiao Yuan shook his head: "The only information we can find is that she died of a serious illness. Today, Lin Gong found out at the Imperial Hospital that Consort Miao had a record of pregnancy and a difficult childbirth. We can basically conclude that she died in childbirth."
Su Xuerong suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
This harem is simply a cannibalistic den of demons. In her previous life, she was like that, and so was her great-aunt, who became a victim in the hands of those conspirators.
Seeing her downcast mood, Xiao Yuan put his arm around her shoulder: "My mother also lost all hope for life here..."
Su Xuerong remembered that Xiao Yuan had told her about his mother's past.
Consort Cui's father was a Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, and her family had been a scholarly family for generations.
She was originally betrothed to the eldest son of another scholar in the Hanlin Academy, but was unfortunately selected by the imperial concubine selection and made Consort De.
However, after entering the palace, her relationship with Emperor Xiao Yuan's father was not good, and she was gradually neglected after giving birth to Xiao Yuan.
Consort De was not one to vie for favor. As she watched young and vibrant newcomers enter the palace each year, she gradually grew indifferent to worldly matters.
Even so, she still became a victim of the infighting among the women in the harem.
The Empress and the Imperial Concubine were locked in a power struggle, but the Empress tried to frame Consort De, which angered the late Emperor, who then banished the innocent Consort De to the Cold Palace.
When Consort De passed away in despair, Xiao Yuan was only eight years old.
"So, you should now know why I am unwilling to take on a large harem?" Xiao Yuan said.
Su Xuerong's heart softened, and her previous depression gradually dissipated.
The two walked along the corridor for a while before returning to the warm pavilion's sleeping quarters.
As he lay down, Xiao Yuan said, "Once our child is born and the weather warms up, I'll take you on a trip to the south, to Quanzhou."
Su Xuerong was overjoyed: "Really?"
During this time, she also saw how hard Xiao Yuan worked and how busy he was, so she felt that he would not leave the capital for the time being.
But little did they know that he already had a plan.
The thought of Quanzhou filled Su Xuerong with longing.
In her previous life, she was imprisoned in the cold palace and longed to one day go to a place farther than the Great Zhou Dynasty, so that she could fly freely like a bird.
Having been given a second chance at life, she had originally planned to do the same thing: once maritime transport was permitted, she wanted to travel to other parts of the world on merchant ships.
Xiao Yuan looked at the light flashing in Su Xuerong's eyes and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He still understands her, and he would never treat women like his father and grandfather, imprisoning them and keeping them from ever seeing the light of day again.
He wanted to give Arong a different kind of free world.
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