Chapter 83 The Princess Wants Warmth, Not Thorny
Inside Ci'an Palace, warm fragrance wafts through the air.
Expensive snacks were brought up in a continuous stream and piled up into a small mountain on the small table in front of Jiu.
Ajiu picked up a piece of cloud cake and stuffed it into his mouth, squinting his eyes happily.
The Queen Mother looked at her and asked casually, "I heard that the Prince Regent was unwell a few days ago. Is he feeling better now?"
Ah Jiu answered vaguely while chewing the cake: "The flower on Brother Xiong Xiong's head is still covered by the gray net, but it is not as dark as before."
The Queen Mother was confused, but she grasped the key point—she was still not fully recovered!
She was so distressed that she asked many questions about Xiao Yu's diet and daily life in a roundabout way. Ajiu answered them one by one with her unique "theory of flowers and plants".
Although the Queen Mother and the palace maids beside her were stunned by what they heard, they roughly pieced together the conclusion that "the Prince Regent has been in a bad mood recently and has been in trouble."
"Oh, my little Ah Jiu, why do you look a little thinner? Is it because Chu Xuanyi didn't feed you enough?"
Ah Jiu shook his head honestly: "I'm full. The chef in the adults' house doesn't cook as deliciously as the chef in Xiong Xiong's house."
This one sentence almost made Chu Xuanyi, who was standing next to him, faint.
Xiao Yu's expressionless face softened for a rare moment.
The Queen Mother smiled even more happily. She stroked Ajiu's head and changed the subject, seemingly casually asking, "Ajiu, I want to ask you, does your fierce brother usually have any young and beautiful sisters who go to see him?"
Xiao Yu's brows immediately furrowed. He understood that the Queen Mother had ulterior motives and was using Ah Jiu's mouth to find out about his romantic affairs!
Jiu tilted his head and thought seriously: "There is no sister, only adults, and many uncles wearing black clothes and with expressionless faces."
"Pfft..." Several noble ladies sitting nearby couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The Queen Mother glared at them and then asked in a gentle and persuasive manner, "Then... what kind of sister would you like to be your princess consort?"
This is clearly urging you to get married!
Xiao Yu's face turned completely dark.
"My dear, you follow the Prince Regent every day. What kind of girl do you think is worthy of him and can become the Prince Regent of our Great Qi?"
She paused, then added, "Look, the daughter of the Zhenguo family, a daughter of a general, is so heroic and valiant, isn't she a good match?"
Ajiu still had half a piece of osmanthus cake in her mouth. Hearing this, she swallowed it hard, then tilted her head and thought about it seriously.
She was not thinking about the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, nor the regent princess.
What she was thinking about was the beautiful, slightly wilted pink flower on her brother Xiongxiong's head.
"No." Jiu shook his head, his expression as serious as a little adult.
"Why not?" The Queen Mother was stunned.
Ah Jiu stretched out his little finger and explained seriously, "The little pink flower on Brother Xiong Xiong's head needs a place where it can get some sun. It needs to be warm and fragrant so that it can bloom happily."
Her little hands drew a sun in the sky and then a fragrant flower.
Then, she changed the subject and her face turned serious.
"I saw the older sister of the Duke of Zhenguo from a distance once. She had a huge thorn on her head... so sharp and hard! If the two of them got close together, Xiongxiong's flower would get pricked! It would hurt!"
The study fell into an eerie silence.
The Queen Mother and the old nanny beside her opened their mouths and looked at each other in confusion.
"Grown...Grown a thorn?"
Ah Jiu nodded confidently and even stretched out his little hand to gesture: "Hmm! A big, hard, black thorn! It grows on the top of my head and it will prick anyone who gets close! It's very fierce!"
“Puff—”
Finally, a lady couldn't help laughing and covered her mouth with her handkerchief, but it was too late.
The empress dowager glanced at her fiercely, and the noble lady immediately lowered her head and remained silent.
But the atmosphere in the hall has been completely ignited.
"Ahem... ahem!" Chu Xuanyi stepped forward, bowed to the Queen Mother, and, with an unfathomable expression, "translated," he said, "Your Majesty, what Ah Jiu said is not what ordinary people see. According to Taoist metaphysics, this is the 'appearance of Qi.' The so-called 'thorn' is actually due to the person's overly strong character, showing off his edge. His aura is as sharp as a knife, which conflicts with the prince's peaceful and stable Ziwei Emperor Qi... uh... flower. It is not conducive to the harmony of Yin and Yang and the peace of the family."
These words are vague and mysterious.
But the Queen Mother was the Queen Mother after all. She was stunned for a long while, and then slowly figured out a hint of truth.
To put it bluntly, it’s because their horoscopes are incompatible and their personalities are too aggressive!
Don't be thorny...
The daughter of the Zhenguo Duke was known for her decisiveness and strong character. Among the noble ladies in the capital, wasn't she a rose with thorns? Very strong!
The hall fell into a dead silence where one could hear a pin drop.
The ladies sitting with him looked at each other, trying to hold back their smiles, their shoulders shaking, and it was obvious that they were trying very hard to hold back their smiles.
The legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo has always been the object of their envy and jealousy. Now that she is described as "a big thorn", it is simply... gratifying!
Chu Xuanyi stood aside, feeling that he could no longer suppress the smile on his face.
He studied the pattern on the floor tiles desperately, only in this way could he stop himself from bursting out laughing on the spot.
Xiao Yu's face turned even darker.
What "peaceful and stable Purple Star Emperor Qi Flower"? Chu Xuanyi's mouth is getting more and more nonsense!
"Then..." The Queen Mother's interest was piqued. "Okay, Jiu, then tell me, what kind of 'flower' is worthy of our prince's 'flower'?"
Ah Jiu sniffed, a longing look on his face: "I want it to be like... I want it to be like the osmanthus cake made by Aunt Wang in the kitchen!"
"...What?" The Queen Mother was stuck again.
How does this have to do with food?
"It's osmanthus cake!" Ah Jiu counted on his fingers and explained seriously, "It smells sweet and fragrant, and it makes your stomach feel warm when you eat it! Brother Xiongxiong's flowers will definitely bloom very big and pink when they are inhaled by the sweet and warm smell, so beautiful!"
Fragrant...warm...
Osmanthus cake?
The Queen Mother quickly reviewed all the noble ladies of marriageable age in the capital in her mind.
The daughter of the Minister of Personnel is gentle and virtuous, and she is good at making tea, like an elegant orchid... Well, orchids are fragrant and warm.
The granddaughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, with a famously gentle temperament, like a flower that can speak... This one is also fine.
…
The Queen Mother looked at Ah Jiu, who looked innocent and was still struggling with what snack to eat next. She took a deep breath and said solemnly to the old nanny beside her, "Go, remove the portraits of the noble ladies from military families that you selected earlier."
"Please bring me the booklets of those girls from scholarly families with gentle temperaments."
"Mother, the affairs of state are very busy. I have important matters to discuss with the Imperial Master, so I will take my leave now."
After saying that, without waiting for the Queen Mother's reaction, Xiao Yu dragged Ajiu, who was still staring at the osmanthus cake, and strode out of the hall.
Ah Jiu staggered when he pulled her, but she still turned around and shouted to the Queen Mother, "Goodbye, Queen Mother! Remember to find Sister Osmanthus Cake!"
Chu Xuanyi felt as if he had been pardoned. He bowed quickly and followed him as if he was escaping.
After a while, the Queen Mother came back to her senses. She looked at Xiao Yu's departing back. Instead of being angry, she showed a meaningful smile.
"Look, this kid is shy."
She turned to the old maid beside her and gave a firm order: "Pass on my order. Three days later, a osmanthus feast will be held in the Imperial Garden. All the girls in the capital who have a temperament like 'osmanthus cake' will be invited to come!"
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