Chapter 96 096 Yangmei Brings Good Fortune
The day after Xiao Yu gave his advice was April 30th, the last day off before the Dragon Boat Festival. The Luo sisters, Luo Fu and Luo Lan, had already arranged for their families to go to Ganquan Town together to deliver festival gifts to their parents on this day.
Hongge loved going to his maternal grandparents' house outside the city. Although it wasn't as grand as the Marquis's mansion, his grandmother grew vegetables and raised chickens in the backyard. Hongge loved helping his grandmother weed, catch insects, feed the chickens, and collect eggs. He also loved sitting in his grandfather's lap watching him play chess with other old men. It would be even better if he could play with the children in town.
"Dad, why are you walking like that?"
As they walked out after breakfast, Hongge suddenly noticed his father's awkward walking posture, as if he was deliberately not bending his knees.
Luo Fu laughed and said, "Your father took a big tumble outside and scraped his knee in two places. It's scabbing over now, and it hurts when he bends his knee."
Hongge, unaware of the details, was quite worried about his father and grabbed his hand, wanting to see for himself how badly he was injured.
Xiao Yu: "...I'll show you after you get in the car."
Hong-ge'er: "Aren't you going to ride a horse?"
Luo Fu: "Riding a horse hurts too."
Xiao Yu: "..."
Because the Luo sisters liked to sit together, Xiao Yu specially prepared an extra carriage today. After the two families met outside the city, he politely invited Pei Xingshu to ride with him.
Pei Xingshu assumed that his brother-in-law was being particular about the early summer sun, and since he also wanted to talk to Xiao Yu, he tied the reins of his horse to the back of the carriage and sat in the side seat of Xiao Yu's carriage.
Once the carriage was far from the city gate and the endless stream of pedestrians had disappeared, Pei Xingshu remarked with emotion, "Yuanzhi's clever remonstrance at yesterday's court assembly, which used a small detail to illustrate a larger point, was truly insightful and thought-provoking. His loyalty to the emperor and love for the people are truly admirable."
Xiao Yu: "When I was being carried out by the Imperial Guards the day before yesterday, I think I saw my brother-in-law."
Pei Xingshu: "...I didn't know that the official who committed the crime was you when I went out with my colleagues."
Hsiao Yu: "When I was lying on the ground and couldn't get up, I wondered if my brother-in-law would come and help me up."
Pei Xingshu: "...I thought that when Yuanzhi went to the Imperial Study to offer his advice, he had already disregarded life and death. He was not afraid of death, so why would he care about such a small bump or bruise?"
After exchanging a few playful words, the two brothers-in-law smiled at each other. Xiao Yu said, "To be honest, if we are in a similar situation again, brother-in-law, you don't need to help me or say anything on my behalf. I have a clear conscience towards the country, but I have a guilty conscience towards my family. Rather than let my brother-in-law offend the emperor and his officials for my sake, I would prefer that my brother-in-law stand firm in the court and protect my family on my behalf."
Pei Xingshu didn't say anything useless to tell Xiao Yu to be careful with his words, after all, when Xiao Yu was taken away by the Imperial Guards for the first time during the palace examination, he, as his brother-in-law, was sitting just a few steps away.
When they arrived at Ganquan Town, Pei Xingshu got out of the carriage first. Just as he was about to go to the carriage behind to help his daughter, he suddenly heard his brother-in-law's voice above him: "Brother-in-law, please help me."
Pei Xingshu: "..."
Because of his knee discomfort, Xiao Yu sat down in the main room of his father-in-law's house and didn't move. He listened to his brother-in-law talking with his father-in-law for a while, and watched Hong Ge'er running around in the backyard. This child seemed to resemble his grandfather. When visiting the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, he was an impeccable young master of a noble family. But when he came to town, he could get along well with the farm children. It was as if he still retained the rustic spirit of his ancestors.
"Grandfather, Uncle, look! I've found another egg!"
After a series of clucking chickens, Hongge ran over excitedly, holding a light yellow-brown egg in his right hand.
Luo Dayuan smiled and said, "Man'er is really amazing. I'll have the kitchen get this egg for you to steam into egg custard later."
Pei Xingshu also offered a few words of praise.
Hongge'er subconsciously looked at his father and saw that his father was staring at his feet. Hongge'er immediately raised one foot at his father and said, "I was watching, I didn't step in chicken droppings!"
However, before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yu stood up and dodged away, his movements so swift that it didn't seem like he had injured his knee at all.
Luo Dayuan and Pei Xingshu: "..."
Inside the west room, Wang Qiuyue and her two daughters heard laughter and lifted the curtain to look out. After looking, they lowered the curtain again. Wang Qiuyue habitually scolded her two daughters for their most irresponsible son: "He complains that I always urge him to see a doctor. Now he doesn't want to come back even on his days off. When asked, he says it's his turn to be on duty and he can't get away. You two live in the city, so keep an eye on him for me."
Roland agreed verbally, but when his mother wasn't looking, he glanced suspiciously at his sister, feeling that she was helping their brother hide something from her.
Luo Fu did indeed keep it a secret. During the New Year, her brother dared not look her in the eye and was no longer the dejected man he had been after being abandoned by the princess. Luo Fu guessed that her brother must have regained the princess's favor. However, neither her brother nor the princess wanted to tell her, so Luo Fu pretended not to know.
.
On the third day of the fifth lunar month, Empress Xie invited Princess Kangping, Princess Shun, and Luo Fu to the palace to play cards.
In fact, Empress Xie was not very interested in playing cards, but Princess Kangping and Princess Shun did not like to discuss literature, chess, calligraphy and painting with her. Pulling Luo Fu to discuss elegance was also suspected of coercing her. So Empress Xie could only arrange a card game every month and invite the three of them to the palace to maintain their relationship.
Why so early this month?
Kangping, who arrived last, casually asked, "In the past, Fourth Sister-in-law would call them around the middle of the month."
Empress Xie smiled and said, "It's getting hotter and hotter. If it gets any later, you might not want to go out."
After the four of them moved to the card table, Kang Ping looked at Luo Fu sitting opposite her and laughed: "I heard that your Xiao Yu was thrown out of the palace by the Imperial Guards?"
Luo Fu feigned annoyance: "Why does Your Highness have to bring up such a sore subject?"
Kangping: "It's him who's embarrassed in public, not you. Aren't you used to it by now? Humph, if it weren't for his meddling, and if my brother really built a new West Garden costing ten million taels of silver, I could go there every year to live and enjoy myself."
When it comes to money, Luo Fu and the Princess are completely different people and can't agree on anything, so Luo Fu simply doesn't respond.
Empress Xie reminded Kangping, "Since the Emperor has changed his mind, sister, please don't bring it up again." If you really rekindle the Emperor's desire for pleasure, you will be betraying Xiao Yu's good intentions.
Princess Consort Shun dared not speak ill of the Emperor, but still wanted to interject a few words, so she asked Xiao Yu, "Was Xiao Yu badly hurt in the fall? Was he injured?"
Luo Fu smiled and told the three of them to lay down the cards. She stood up and imitated Xiao Yu's way of walking at home: "Don't be fooled by his tough exterior. He's actually very afraid of pain. It's just two scrapes. When I applied medicine to his skin that night, he grimaced as if he was being tortured. A couple of days ago, when he came back to my parents' house with me, he even had my brother-in-law help him get off the carriage. I couldn't bear to watch."
The three noblemen all smiled.
Kangping said, "Your Majesty was too lenient. Otherwise, if you had really broken his leg, how would he have been able to offer his advice the next day?"
Luo Fu sat back down and said gratefully, "Yes, I was terrified when he told me that he would continue to offer advice at the court the next day. I asked him if he really wanted to smash his head open. But he told me that the emperor was a benevolent ruler and that his anger was just a minor punishment. He said that the emperor would surely love all the people under heaven. As it turns out, he really does understand the emperor better than we ordinary people who are far away from him."
Empress Xie nodded with a faint smile.
Kang Ping recalled for a moment and said, "Fourth Brother is indeed kind and benevolent. If I had been the one admiring the moon on the bridge back then, and Xiao Yu had come to spoil the fun, I would have definitely had someone throw him into the water."
Luo Fu: "...Fortunately, the Emperor was also there. Otherwise, it wouldn't have mattered if Xiao Yu had fallen into the water, but he would definitely have gone to the Censorate to complain about His Highness the next day. Then His Highness would have had a much worse experience than just a minor disappointment."
Kang Ping was the first to burst into laughter.
After the card game ended, Luo Fu and the other two took their leave of the palace. Empress Xie went to admire the several plates of flowers displayed in the hall, which was also a way to stretch her muscles.
Emperor Xianping arrived before lunch.
This card game was arranged by Empress Xie at Emperor Xianping's suggestion. Knowing that he was curious about Xiao Yu's words and actions before and after his remonstrance, Empress Xie took the initiative to talk about it, starting with Xiao Yu's knee injury.
Emperor Xianping unconsciously touched his knee, recalling Xiao Yu's composed demeanor in the main hall, and then the scene of him lying in front of his wife, repeatedly crying out in pain. He suddenly shuddered. Xiao Rong didn't seem like the kind father who would spoil Xiao Yu. How could he have raised Xiao Yu like this? He didn't even show any pain when he fell at the age of four.
When Emperor Xianping heard Xiao Yu praise him as a benevolent ruler in front of his wife after being thrown, he felt very pleased. At least he was indeed very lenient towards Xiao Yu.
Upon hearing Luo Fu and her sister's playful banter, even the usually stern Emperor Xianping smiled. Thinking back, he realized that Xiao Yu's mouth hadn't changed at all in the past ten years.
A few days later, the palace received bayberries from Kuaiji County in Yangzhou. Each one was the size of a lychee, bright red and juicy, with a sweet and sour taste.
The bayberries are delicious, but transporting them is troublesome. After arriving at their destination, the stale and spoiled fruit must be removed. Only nine baskets were actually delivered to the palace, and each basket could hold a maximum of four plates of bayberries.
Waxberries are meant to be eaten fresh, and Emperor Xianping had no intention of saving any to eat the next day. A dignified emperor wouldn't be so stingy.
He kept one basket, Empress Xie and the three concubines each had one basket, his sister had one basket, his second and third brothers each had one basket, and the remaining two baskets were distributed as rewards to the civil and military officials.
Xiao Rong received no reward, but Xiao Yu did—a plate of nine.
Each of the five children in the family will definitely get one, and Luo Fu will decide which four will be left, with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law each getting one.
Xiao Rong, who had no large bayberries to eat, looked at his eldest and second eldest brothers.
Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin: "..." Father, you, a dignified marquis, couldn't even bring home a plate of bayberries.
The four older children were filial and asked the kitchen to cut their food in half so that their grandfather and three uncles could all taste it.
Hongge'er was the youngest, and everyone told him to eat one by himself.
That's how it is with food. When everyone has enough, even the rarest things become ordinary. The smaller the portion, the more pitiful the meal feels. Ordinary things become incredibly delicious.
Back at Shensi Hall, Luo Fu started talking to Xiao Yu: "When I was little, I often ate bayberries at home, but I don't think I've ever tasted one this delicious. The sweet and sour flavors are just right. What should I do? I want to eat more."
Xiao Yu: "...There must still be some in the palace. Shall I go ask the Emperor for another plate?"
"He's being indecent again," Luo Fu pinched him.
Xiao Yu: "Come on, I'll take you to the market and pick out some of the freshest local cherries to satisfy your cravings."
The couple set off without hesitation, taking Hongge'er with them.
After eating cherries for three days in a row, Luo Fu finally realized something was wrong and called a doctor to take her pulse. Sure enough, it was a pregnancy pulse.
Xiao Yu was so happy that he exuded a subtle joy when he went to court.
When Emperor Xianping learned from Empress Xie that Lady Xiao Yu had suddenly developed a craving for sour fruit after eating the bayberries he had given her, and was subsequently diagnosed with pregnancy, Emperor Xianping suddenly felt that there was indeed some mysterious connection between him and Xiao Yu.
-----------------------
The author's note: The couple only has one son and one daughter, so they can't have any more children.
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com