Chapter 174 Let Go
At the end of July, the summer heat was at its peak, and the Imperial Garden was full of green and red. The water lilies and lotus flowers in Yueqing Pond were in full bloom at this season.
However, the small garden next to Zhaohua Palace has more colors than the Imperial Garden. After all, Jiang Yingli has collected many varieties. When Xiao Chenglan accompanied her back to the palace last year, she asked people to transplant them here. The flowers bloom in a staggered manner, and you can see them blooming all year round.
Now, the best blooming peony in her private garden is a kind of peony called Chuzhuang. The petals bloom layer by layer, which is very layered. The whole petal is white, with a gradient of peach pink from the middle to the tip, just like a beauty with snow-white cheeks and powdered face after putting on makeup.
Xiao Chenglan stopped in front of a cluster of first makeup, his eyes filled with endless memories, making his gaze look very gentle.
Jiang Yingli used to love wearing this hairpin the most.
He reached out and picked the best-blooming flower.
The sun is shining brightly today. At this moment in Zhaohua Palace, Jiang Yingli is strolling outside the palace with Lin'er in her arms.
"Your Majesty has arrived—"
When the message was passed, Qiuxia led the palace maids from Zhaohua Palace to kneel down to greet them. Jiang Yingli stood in the crowd holding Lin'er, looking towards the direction of the palace gate.
"Your Majesty has arrived."
Xiao Chenglan could see that she was in a good mood today, and his heart relaxed a little.
"Everyone, get up."
Xiao Chenglan walked over to Jiang Yingli, and Jiang Yingli brought Lin'er closer to him: "Your Majesty, look, now that Your Majesty is here, Lin'er is smiling even more happily."
The two-month-old baby in the cradle is smiling innocently.
Xiao Chenglan stretched out a finger, and Lin'er waved his little hands to grab him.
"Lin'er, father is here, call him father--" Xiao Chenglan taught him the pronunciation with a smile.
Lin'er naturally couldn't speak yet. He looked at the two people in front of him curiously, grinning and making "ho ho" sounds.
Jiang Yingli looked at him and smiled happily, and the smile on her face became more gentle.
Xiao Chenglan's gaze fell on her peaceful and gentle profile, lingered for a few breaths, and then looked at her black bun.
There is almost no decoration.
He reached out and pinned the flower in her hair. Jiang Yingli looked up at him, her smile carrying a lingering gentleness.
She hadn't seen what Xiao Chenglan was holding, so she asked curiously, "What did Your Majesty pin in my hair?"
"Your favorite hairpin flower at this time of year." Xiao Chenglan smiled and looked at Qiuxia: "Go get the bronze mirror."
"yes."
Soon, Qiuxia came back with a mirror and held it in front of Jiang Yingli.
Jiang Yingli handed Lin'er to his wet nurse Yunniang, then looked at the bronze mirror.
The person in the bronze mirror has snow-white skin, disheveled hair, and the new makeup in her hair is gorgeous and eye-catching.
Jiang Yingli looked at herself in the mirror and was stunned. She always felt a sense of strangeness.
But this strange feeling was fleeting.
She stretched out her fingertips to stroke the peony in her hair, a faint smile playing on the corners of her lips.
Xiao Chenglan was about to say something when he suddenly saw her pull the peony out of her hair and hold it in front of Lin'er in Yunniang's arms.
"Lin'er, look what this is? This is peony, a flower planted by your mother herself. Isn't it beautiful? Peony—peony—"
Lin'er reached out to grab the flower and tore off a few petals. Jiang Yingli picked them up from him and threw them on the ground.
The petals fell silently at Xiao Chenglan's feet.
He took a few steps back, his eyes fell on the broken petals, and his eyes suddenly became very deep.
"This flower is so fragrant, we should put it aside for now." Jiang Yingli seemed to sense something was wrong and handed the peony to Qiuxia.
"The imperial physician said that children shouldn't smell anything with a strong smell, otherwise they might choke. I haven't been applying scented lotion or powder lately, because I'm afraid it might choke Lin'er. I almost forgot about this flower."
Qiuxia took the flower, hesitant. After all, it was given to the Empress by His Majesty. She didn't know whether to take it or not.
After hearing Jiang Yingli's words, Xiao Chenglan waved his hand helplessly: "If that's the case, throw it away."
Qiuxia was slightly startled, raised her head and took a quick look, seeing that Xiao Chenglan looked normal and was not speaking sarcastically, she felt relieved and threw the flowers away.
"I seem to have let down your majesty's kindness in giving me flowers." Jiang Yingli suddenly spoke.
"It's okay. I'm also worried that it might be bad for Lin'er if he hears it for too long." Xiao Chenglan responded.
Jiang Yingli looked up at him, a faint smile on the corner of her lips, and Xiao Chenglan also smiled faintly in return.
From a distance, they looked like a couple who respected each other.
Xiao Chenglan's smile froze instantly when Jiang Yingli lowered her head. When his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the petals scattered at his feet, his eyes grew even darker.
It seems that he still cannot adapt to the role of a parent as well as Jiang Yingli.
The end result of pretending not to care about the flower is that it will be thrown away, but the heart cannot deceive people.
"I have something else to do, so I'll go back to Changqing Palace first."
Xiao Chenglan turned around and walked out of Zhaohua Palace without looking back, his back looking a little embarrassed.
That night, Xiao Chenglan did not go to Zhaohua Palace again.
When the news that the emperor slept alone reached Wanshou Palace, Empress Dowager Xue was extremely surprised.
Ever since Su's death, the emperor began to favor Jiang Yingli and promoted her all the way. Now she is sitting on the throne of empress that she once wanted most, and she hates him so much that she grits her teeth and swallows her anger.
I thought that this couple would never be separated in this lifetime, but I didn't expect Xue Ning to have a good idea.
"Ning'er, how did you do it! In the past, my aunt drugged the emperor, and he remained indifferent even when a beauty was right in front of him. He only had eyes for Jiang Yingli. Now he has started to sleep alone!" Empress Dowager Xue became more and more excited as she spoke.
Xue Ning flipped through a page of scripture, smiling nonchalantly.
"Aunt, you don't understand. If you want to break up this couple, what's the point of relying on other women to seduce them? You have to let them let go on their own. Just wait and see, some people will go crazy sooner or later."
Empress Dowager Xue felt as if she had taken a reassurance pill.
Xue Ning had been possessed by a demon and had repeatedly contradicted him, but her family had supported her wholeheartedly. She felt that her family had been bewitched by an evil spirit.
Now she finally understood that Xue Ning was indeed a success. Although she didn't know why she could control things so accurately, as long as it worked, it was good enough.
**
Xiao Chenglan didn't expect that Jiang Yingli would come to Changqing Palace to find him, although she was still holding Lin'er.
Jiang Yingli has been in a good mood recently. Whenever she is with Lin'er, there is always a smile on her face.
When Xiao Chenglan saw her walking into the hall with brisk steps and a smile on her face, the anxiety caused by her sleeping alone was soothed by that smile.
"Your Majesty," Jiang Yingli bowed slightly, and Yunniang, holding the child, saluted. The palace maids in the hall also knelt before Jiang Yingli.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen."
Xiao Chenglan said casually: "Everyone get up."
He put down the memorial and waved to Jiang Yingli and Yunniang with a smile.
"Hold it here, let me take a look."
Yunniang didn't dare to walk up the imperial steps, so Jiang Yingli carried Lin'er over and walked towards Xiao Chenglan.
As soon as she walked up to Xiao Chenglan, she felt an arm around her waist. Xiao Chenglan had already hugged her, with some strength in his forearm.
She followed his force and walked onto the dragon throne.
Before Xiao Chenglan reached out to hug Lin'er, he first smoothed down Jiang Yingli's messy hair.
"Do you miss me?"
Jiang Yingli smiled and waved Lin'er, "Of course, Lin'er hasn't seen His Majesty for two days."
Xiao Chenglan got the expected answer, smiled faintly, and without saying much, reached out to pick up Lin'er and placed him in front of a pile of memorials.
"Lin'er, look, when you grow up, you will sit here like your father."
Lin'er looked around curiously with his little head and made very happy sounds.
"You look so happy. It seems you are born to be an emperor." Xiao Chenglan teased him, then waved his hand and nodded at Fulin who was standing behind Fu Wanshen.
"come over."
Fulin walked over with his head lowered.
Xiao Chenglan looked at the cheerful child in his arms and introduced him, "His name is Fulin. He wasn't very smart before, but he studied under Fu Wanquan for a few years. Now he's quite capable. He'll be with you from now on. He's been personally raised by your father, so you can trust him."
When Fulin heard that he would be given such an important position, he immediately knelt down.
"I thank you for your grace, and I will serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with all my heart!"
Jiang Yingli reached out and touched Lin'er's face, smiling, "Your father has been so worried about you that he started looking for subordinates for you when you were so young."
Lin'er didn't understand, but the sound coming from his throat became more and more cheerful.
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