Chapter 7 Concubine Shu
Changchun Palace.
When Concubine Shu saw Yun Wan, she was also stunned.
When his brother was alive, his wife was already incredibly beautiful, eclipsing all others. Unexpectedly, even after his brother's death for so many years, she remained breathtakingly beautiful, as gorgeous as a peach or plum, as pure as the moon, without a trace of haggardness on her face.
She is dressed simply but her fairy-like figure cannot be concealed. Perhaps it is because she is already a mother. Her figure is no longer thin and cold as it was a few years ago. It is now delicate and graceful, as graceful as a willow. Yun Wan has added a bit of soft radiance and tenderness to her.
Concubine Shu curved her lips and waved, "Mother, my brother and sister-in-law, you are here."
The two bowed and saluted. Concubine Shu stepped forward to help the old lady, her face full of joy: "Mother, please get up quickly. We are a family and don't need these empty formalities."
Shufei is the biological daughter of the old lady. She looks somewhat similar to the old lady, with bright facial features, gorgeous clothes, and pearls and jade wrapped around her hair. Her many years of being a palace concubine have made her every move graceful and elegant.
After exchanging pleasantries with the old lady for a moment, Concubine Shu gave Yun Wan a faint smile, then looked at Ah Sui standing beside her, her expression brightening slightly: "This must be Chang Sui, she's really clever, come and take a look!"
This was Ah Sui's first time in the palace. Facing the unfamiliar Concubine Shu, he was not shy and stepped forward to pay his respects: "Chang Sui greets the Concubine Shu. May the Empress be blessed with good health."
His small body was upright, like a young bamboo shoot just emerging from the ground after the rain. He imitated the behavior of adults, which made Concubine Shu feel curious and liked him very much.
"Calling her 'Empress' sounds unfamiliar. Just call her 'Auntie'." She lowered her voice unconsciously.
Ah Sui said in a baby voice: "Aunt."
Concubine Shu uttered an "eh" sound, feeling delighted. She took his little hand and asked, "Can you read and write?"
Ah Sui nodded: "I have learned 500 characters and can recite the "Rules for Disciples".
"Recite it to your aunt."
Asui cleared his throat and began to recite, shaking his head: "Disciples' Rules, Sage's Teachings..."
He recited it for a quarter of an hour without pausing or getting stuck, obviously he knew it by heart.
Concubine Shu was very satisfied with his fluent recitation, and the smile in her eyes became more and more bright. She then asked a few more questions, and Asui answered them one by one.
Concubine Shu sighed, "I really envy my sister-in-law. This child is so rare."
Yun Wan curled her lips with a faint smile, but pride could not be concealed in her eyes.
The old lady laughed heartily: "Sui'er has been smart since he was young, just like your third brother."
Concubine Shu also felt sorry for her brother's death. She sighed, "Mother should have brought Chang Sui here earlier. If Hui'er had been half as smart as this child, I would have been satisfied."
The old lady said sternly, "Your Majesty, you are joking. The Third Prince is extremely talented, how could Sui Ge'er compare to him? I heard that the Third Prince was even praised by His Majesty a few days ago."
Concubine Shu smiled helplessly: "A while ago, Hui'er wrote an article, and the emperor happened to see it. He said it was well written and had the style of a great scholar."
But in fact, only insiders knew that during that period, the emperor was very pleased and all the few princes and princesses were praised. The third prince was not the most special one.
Thinking of the mediocre Third Prince and seeing the smart and sensible Asui in front of her, Concubine Shu felt disappointed.
If only she had a biological child, he would definitely be like Asui, right?
No one knows a child better than his mother. The old lady saw her regret and reached out to pat Concubine Shu on the shoulder to comfort her.
Yun Wan's gaze moved between the two of them, taking in Concubine Shu's expression.
It was no secret that the third prince was not the biological son of Concubine Shu, but was born to a girl from the Xue family who entered the palace with Concubine Shu and was granted the title of talented person because of her humble family background.
After the death of the daughter of the Xue family, Concubine Shu begged the emperor to register the third prince under his own name and raise him personally.
Meeting her gaze, Concubine Shu suppressed her expression and said, "Brother, you have a long-term vision. Chang Sui's admission to the Hongwen Academy will only benefit him. I just wonder what your sister-in-law thinks."
She looked at him with a calculating look.
Shufei entered the palace many years before her brother got married, so she was not very familiar with her brother's wife.
I thought that with Yunwan's beauty, she would remarry after her brother's death, but it turned out to be unexpected.
Shufei glanced at the white jade pear blossom hairpin on Yun Wan's head, and she understood in her heart that it seemed that it was true as the rumors said, Yun Wan still couldn't forget Feng Lan.
Concubine Shu's expression eased a little.
Yun Wan's attention was on Asui at the moment. Seeing that Shufei's pointed armor almost scratched his flesh, she became a little nervous.
Hearing this, she turned her head and seemed to express her inner feelings: "Although my heart is with my child, it is a great honor for Ah Sui to be able to accompany the Third Prince to study and enter the Hongwen Academy. I agree with the decision of the Queen and the Duke."
Yun Wan calmly pulled Asui in front of him and whispered, "Asui, why don't you thank the Queen?"
Ah Sui made a solemn face and crossed his hands in a serious tone, "Chang Sui thanks Aunt Shufei."
"Look at this kid..."
Everyone was amused by his name and the atmosphere became relaxed.
After having lunch in Changchun Palace, he originally planned to bring Asui to meet Concubine Shu to see what his personality was like.
After meeting, Concubine Shu liked Asui very much and decided to keep him for a day, saying that she would let the two cousins meet after the Third Prince finished his homework in the afternoon, so as to avoid being strangers in the Hongwenguan.
The old lady had no objection and hoped that her good grandson would please Concubine Shu and the Third Prince.
Yun Wan was worried at first, but then she thought about it and realized that Asui was Shufei's aunt, and it was reasonable for her to take good care of him. So she felt relieved and explained the situation to Asui.
Asui didn't want to stay in the palace, but he knew that it was his aunt Shufei who had the final say here. He didn't want to cause trouble for his mother, so he agreed readily.
There was a time limit for concubines and their families to enter the palace. After lunch, the old lady and Yun Wan left Changchun Palace after staying for half an hour.
The old lady usually lived a life of luxury and walked slowly, carefully supported by the palace maid Chuntang.
Yun Wan walked on the right side of the old lady. She was not a talkative person and did not have a close relationship with the old lady, so she was as quiet as when she came.
Chuntang on the other side thought for a moment and said, "Old Madam—"
Suddenly she caught sight of the imperial carriage in the distance and her expression changed drastically.
"It's the royal carriage."
When the emperor travels, outsiders should give way to him.
Yun Wan and the old lady also saw the luxurious sedan chair carried by palace servants several feet away.
The relief dragon pattern clings to the dragon head, with many palace people and majestic ceremonial guards.
Without a doubt, it was the emperor's ceremonial guard.
There was no way to avoid it, Chuntang led the two of them to kneel down like the surrounding palace maids.
The imperial carriage came closer and closer, and wherever it passed, people knelt down and held their breath.
At this time, the procession stopped, and the imperial carriage stopped in front of Yun Wan and the old lady. Then a majestic voice was heard from above:
"Mrs. Lu?"
Shocked at hearing her own name, the old lady bowed again, "I, Lu Xiao, greet Your Majesty."
Emperor Jingxuan: "Old Madam, please stand up."
The old lady stood up tremblingly, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Jingxuan was dressed in court robes and a crown, sitting high on the dragon chariot. He lowered his sharp eyes slightly and swept over the crowd. He looked at everyone with a majestic and awe-inspiring look. The emperor's aura was so overwhelming that people almost couldn't breathe.
He said calmly, "Did the old lady come out of Changchun Palace?"
The old lady didn't know what Emperor Jingxuan meant by this, so she said cautiously, "Your Majesty, that's right. I came to the palace to visit the Empress Shufei, and she invited us to dinner. After dinner, I didn't dare to disturb her too much, so I left."
Emperor Jingxuan nodded, his brows relaxed.
He retracted his gaze, raised his hand, and golden dragon patterns floated on his wide sleeves.
The chief eunuch Jiang Fusheng received the order, waved his whisk, and shouted "Move on!" at the top of his lungs.
The imperial carriage started slowly, and suddenly a spring breeze blew across my face, and wisps of fresh fragrance filled my nose.
Emperor Jingxuan narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Wait!"
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