Chapter 128 Emperor Xianping's chest hurt even more!
Emperor Xianping's cold lasted for more than half a month before he finally stopped taking medicine. He recovered, but his haggard appearance remained, and he looked older than ever.
It was late October, and a light snow had fallen in the capital, leaving only a thin layer on the ground. A cold wind blew, stirring up fine ice crystals.
Emperor Xianping braved the wind and snow to reach the central palace.
Empress Xie, who was reading in the inner palace, received the news and ran out to greet him, looking at Emperor Xianping with a worried expression: "Your Majesty has just recovered from a serious illness, how can you still be so careless about your health? If you want to see me, just send someone to let me know."
Emperor Xianping laughed and said, "It's all better now. This little breeze won't bother you. Let's go inside and talk; it's cold here."
After saying that, he took Empress Xie's warm hand and walked inside.
Empress Xie personally poured Emperor Xianping a bowl of hot water. The tea was refreshing, but it was getting dark, so it was best not to drink too much.
Emperor Xianping picked up the book Empress Xie had placed on the warm couch, skimmed a few lines, and discovered it was a collection of biographies of scholars from the previous dynasty, recently compiled by the Hongwen Academy. He then casually put it back and began chatting with Empress Xie. As they talked, Emperor Xianping brought up the Crown Prince's marriage: "He will be of age next year, and I plan to bestow a marriage upon him after his coming-of-age ceremony. Do you have any preferred candidates for the Crown Princess?"
Empress Xie: "In the past two years, I have indeed been paying attention to the daughters of officials in the capital. There are several who are very pleasing in appearance and temperament. Your Majesty, what kind of wife do you wish to choose for the Crown Prince?"
Emperor Xianping thought for a moment and said, "Beautiful and dignified, knowledgeable and reasonable, like you, she can be a good helpmate to the Crown Prince."
Meeting her husband's teasing gaze, Empress Xie smiled and said, "Then let's choose from the families of civil officials?"
Emperor Xianping waved his hand: "Choose three from each of the civil officials and noble families. In any case, in addition to the principal wife, you should also bestow two concubines upon him."
Empress Xie actually hoped that her son could marry a loving wife with whom he would grow old together, just like the late emperor. However, she could not say this to her emperor husband, as it would be seen as complaining about Emperor Xianping having too many concubines.
After that came mealtime and washing up. When the palace maids took off Emperor Xianping's golden crown to comb his hair, Emperor Xianping ordered them to leave and handed the comb to Empress Xie.
It was a sign of affection between husband and wife to exchange hair, and Empress Xie did not object to this task.
The light was soft. Emperor Xianping looked at his haggard face in the mirror, then at Empress Xie with her long, flowing black hair, and sighed. He said, "Before my hair turns completely white, let the painter paint a picture of us in harmony tomorrow. If it's too late, I'm afraid future generations will think you are my princess."
Empress Xie exchanged a glance with the emperor in the mirror and comforted him, "Your Majesty, please don't say that. You've only been ill and haven't fully recovered yet. You'll be back to your best in a few more days."
Emperor Xianping smiled, his gaze falling on Empress Xie's face: "I still remember what you looked like when you first came to the capital at the age of fifteen. Do you remember me?"
Empress Xie certainly remembered, because Emperor Xianping had simply aged, and the outline of his features hadn't changed much from when he was young. She saw that face almost every day, and with a little recollection, she could recall Emperor Xianping in his twenties. He was the fourth son of the founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, younger than the crown prince, more refined than Prince Qi, and more handsome than Prince Shun. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts, enjoyed reading poetry and appreciating calligraphy and paintings with her, and treated her with gentle care.
For her, who had married into the capital far from her homeland with only four maids, this prince husband was far beyond her expectations.
A young girl's feelings are easily changed. After only three months of loving companionship, Empress Xie developed feelings for her prince husband. However, one evening when she had her period and her husband was in high spirits, and he stayed overnight in the front courtyard and summoned a maidservant to serve him, Empress Xie's nascent feelings, which had not yet deepened, froze like a spring pond suddenly encountering the cold winter.
It turned out that he was just like the prince she had imagined on her way to the capital; he wouldn't only have her as his wife.
"At that time, His Highness Prince Fu treated me extremely gently," Empress Xie said, adding what Emperor Xianping wanted to hear.
Emperor Xianping pressed further, "Am I not being gentle enough with you right now?"
Empress Xie smiled and explained, "When I first came to the capital at the age of fifteen, I needed His Highness Prince Fu's care and protection. Now that I am a grandmother, if the Emperor still treats me like a weak girl, wouldn't it be a laughing stock?"
Emperor Xianping smiled, recalling that Empress Xie, whom he had first met, had indeed been weak and timid at one point, and the way she looked at him seemed as if he might suddenly become a vicious person.
Emperor Xianping did nothing tonight except hold Empress Xie in his arms for a long time and call her "Qing'er" many times.
Empress Xie, whose given name was Xie Huaqing.
.
The following afternoon, Empress Xie had prepared herself in advance and soon received a messenger from the Qian Yuan Palace who informed her that the painter had arrived and that the Emperor requested her to move.
Recalling Emperor Xianping's words about his aging appearance last night, Empress Xie felt a pang of pity for her husband. Without needing to consult the imperial physicians, the concubines in the palace and the civil and military officials of the previous dynasty should all be able to see that Emperor Xianping, wounded during the northern expedition, was not destined for a long life, at least not as long as his predecessor.
Empress Xie simply locked her heart away from romantic love, but she had been married to Emperor Xianping for over twenty years, and it was not that she was indifferent to him.
In the main hall of Qianyuan Hall, Eunuch Xue personally waited outside before inviting Empress Xie to the western side hall, the location where the Emperor and Empress would be painting that day.
Eunuch Xue lifted the curtain and invited Empress Xie to enter first.
Empress Xie stepped inside and looked up to see Emperor Xianping sitting to the north, dressed in a light gold dragon robe. A few steps away, a blue-robed painter was kneeling with his back to her, mixing ink. Emperor Xianping had already looked at her. The painter only turned his head slightly when he heard footsteps. After a brief glance, he quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "This humble subject greets Your Majesty the Empress."
Empress Xie never interfered in state affairs, but she was very familiar with several literati favored by Emperor Xianping and several painters in the palace, especially the painters. Empress Xie recognized the face of each of them and their painting styles. Just now, when this painter turned his head, Empress Xie did not see him clearly and only felt that he was unfamiliar. But when he spoke and called himself a commoner, coupled with that somewhat familiar voice, Empress Xie quickly realized that something was wrong.
Empress Xie stopped in her tracks, glanced at the gentle-smiling Emperor Xianping, and then looked at the painter in the cloth robe: "No need for formalities."
Wei Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the hem of Empress Xie's red dress opposite him, and then stood up straight with a respectful expression.
At the age of forty-four, Wei Heng voluntarily abandoned the imperial examination path after passing the provincial examination and began to travel around like a hermit. This made him a bit tanned than when he was young, but without the constraints of the world, Wei Heng had an otherworldly air about him, just like Xiao Yu. Even in simple clothes, he looked like a hermit emerging from the mist.
Empress Xie had only seen two men like this: Wei Heng first, and then Xiao Yu. Luo Fu once praised the Crown Prince for his otherworldly air, but Empress Xie knew that the Crown Prince's royal aura was growing stronger, and no emperor could be associated with the ethereal and otherworldly nature of immortals. Although Xiao Yu was burdened by official duties, his eyes were clear and pure.
Because they had rarely met, even after twenty-five years, Empress Xie easily recognized Wei Heng upon their first encounter.
The three great joys in life are meeting an old friend in a foreign land, which is on par with the wedding night and passing the imperial examination. This shows how happy a person must be to suddenly meet an old friend in a foreign land.
Empress Xie, who was completely unprepared, was also unable to suppress this instinct.
But her instinct wasn't joy. The moment she recognized Wei Heng, looking at that familiar face that was no longer young, Empress Xie suddenly saw Wei Heng from twenty-five years ago, her grandparents standing beside him twenty-five years ago, and herself, only fifteen years old, standing beside them. It was as if the Xie family mansion in Jingzhou from twenty-five years ago had suddenly appeared behind Wei Heng, clear and within reach.
Two lines of clear tears suddenly slid down Empress Xie's face, landing on Wei Heng's heart, and also on Emperor Xianping's heart, who was silently observing her.
Those tears turned into a shower of rain in Wei Heng's heart.
Whether Emperor Xianping summoned him to discuss poetry or something else, Wei Heng did not want to go to the capital, nor did he want to cause any trouble for Hua Qing. This was the reason he had cut off his own career years ago. Scholars and literati have refused imperial invitations throughout history, and Wei Heng thought that Emperor Xianping would give up on seeing him after being rejected. Unexpectedly, Emperor Xianping actually sent a troop of imperial guards to Yandang Mountain to "invite" him.
Having fallen into the hands of the Imperial Guards, Wei Heng completely lost his freedom and could only obey Emperor Xianping's orders. Emperor Xianping ordered him to stay temporarily at an inn outside the city, and Wei Heng had to stay at the inn. Emperor Xianping heard that he was also skilled in painting and ordered him to enter the palace to paint portraits of the emperor. Wei Heng had no choice but to follow the Imperial Guards into the palace. Under these circumstances, Emperor Xianping suddenly arranged for him to meet Hua Qing. Wei Heng...
Having been prepared, Wei Heng didn't lose his composure like his beloved. However, he understood the look in her eyes. She didn't still harbor feelings for him; she was just homesick, thinking of her grandparents who had become her deceased relatives after their parting years ago.
"Wei Heng is guilty, and we beg Your Majesty to punish him."
Turning around, Wei Heng knelt down before Emperor Xianping, kowtowed, and begged for forgiveness.
Emperor Xianping endured the pain in his chest and the anger ignited in his heart by Empress Xie's two lines of tears, but he could no longer hide his sarcasm as he asked, "What crime have you committed?"
Wei Heng: "This humble subject's fault is that it reminded Her Majesty the Empress of Jingzhou, and of the long-deceased Elder Xie and Madam."
Emperor Xianping looked at Empress Xie.
Empress Xie had wiped away her tears and met Emperor Xianping's gaze, which concealed his anger, and said, "Unexpectedly meeting an old friend has indeed stirred up my homesickness, but this has nothing to do with Wei Heng. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."
Emperor Xianping smirked: "So that's how it is. I thought... Never mind, it's my fault. I wanted to invite the great talent from Jingzhou to give the Empress a surprise, but instead it stirred up her homesickness. Wei Heng, you may dispense with the formalities."
Wei Heng kowtowed in thanks and returned to his seat as a painter.
Empress Xie then sat down next to Emperor Xianping. She understood her husband's thoughts, but she had a clear conscience. She first explained to Emperor Xianping that she had met Wei Heng a few times because of her mentor, and then took the opportunity to inquire about the cause of Wei Heng's death. Wei Heng bowed his head and answered her questions one by one.
After these discussions, Empress Xie had nothing more to say and looked at Emperor Xianping.
Emperor Xianping: "Then let's begin painting."
Because he wanted to paint a portrait of the emperor and empress together, Wei Heng moved the easel and other equipment to the position directly opposite the emperor and empress.
After asking Wei Heng if he would paint Emperor Xianping first, Empress Xie relaxed her posture, tilted her head, and chatted casually with Emperor Xianping: "How did Your Majesty know that Wei Heng is skilled in painting?"
Emperor Xianping said with a stern face, "Wei Ling mentioned that his uncle's painting skills are even better than his poetry skills."
While painting with complete focus, Wei Heng silently scolded his nephew and regretted leaving his landscape paintings from various places in the old house.
Empress Xie: "My grandfather also praised Wei Heng in the same way. Your Majesty still remembers the portrait of me, my grandparents and me that I treasure. It was painted by Wei Heng at my grandfather's request."
There's no way to hide it. Once Emperor Xianping sees Wei Heng's new painting, he'll remember that she has a painting in the same style. Rather than be questioned by Emperor Xianping, she'd better take the initiative and be honest.
Emperor Xianping: "..."
Damn it, my chest hurts even more!
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Author's note: This is truly a case of the second-generation rich kid bringing it on himself. [Clown]
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!
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