Chapter 18 018 "Only after you passed the exams after the New Year will I believe you weren't..."
Have you ever seen the Emperor?
As she snuggled into bed at night, Luo Fu leaned against Xiao Yu's chest and inquired about the news. Ever since she learned that morning that she would be going to the palace with her family for a New Year's Eve feast, Luo Fu's excitement had been impossible to suppress.
Xiao Yu put his left arm around his wife and looked down slightly to meet her bright, sparkling eyes. She looked at him with a bolder, more lively, and more vibrant gaze than she had during their honeymoon in October.
The last time they slept together was on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month. His wife looked at him with shyness at the intimacy that was about to take place between them. This shows that what makes his wife so happy tonight is the matter of going to the palace.
"I have seen it. When I was seven years old, I went to the palace for the first time with my father and mother. I followed other sons of nobles and paid my respects to the emperor from afar, but I did not have the opportunity to listen to his teachings. The same thing happened the next few times I went to the palace on New Year's Eve. When I was twelve years old, the emperor went to the Western Garden to escape the summer heat and specially ordered the sons of nobles and officials to accompany him. I was questioned by the emperor once because I declined to participate in the martial arts competition and hunting."
Emperor Yongcheng was the founding emperor, and the noble families in the capital were all military officers who had been granted titles based on their military merits. Most of their sons followed the military path, making Xiao Yu an outlier among them.
Luo Fu asked curiously, "Didn't you learn martial arts? Why aren't you participating?"
Xiao Yu: "My main focus is on studying. I am not skilled in martial arts, so why should I pretend to be an expert and humiliate myself?"
Luo Fu: "But we can't refuse the Emperor's request, can we? Is the Emperor angry?"
Xiao Yu: "For summer retreats and leisure activities, why would His Majesty concern himself with such trivial matters? Knowing that I am engaged in literature, he has granted me permission not to participate in the martial arts competition."
Luo Fu: "From what you've said, the Emperor seems to have a very good temper."
Xiao Yu was bolder. If it were her, even if she didn't know martial arts, she would have tried to put on a show instead of refusing to give face to the emperor's arrangement.
Xiao Yu remained noncommittal, but Emperor Yongcheng ten years ago was indeed an impeccable founding emperor in the eyes of his ministers.
“From the age of twelve to nineteen, I was able to meet the emperor once or twice a year. Sometimes I would just pay my respects, and sometimes the emperor would ask about my studies. After I failed the imperial examination at the age of twenty, I went to study at Songshan Academy. I did not return to the capital for more than two years, so I did not have the opportunity to meet the emperor again.”
Luo Fu: "Songshan is quite close to the capital, why don't you come back for the New Year?"
Xiao Yu: "My father was unhappy that I failed the exam. Instead of wasting time traveling back and forth, he thought I should bury myself in my studies."
Luo Fu touched her husband's chest tenderly. Studying is important, but it doesn't have to be to the point where he can't even come home for the New Year.
Just as Xiao Yu was about to end the conversation by holding his wife's hand, he suddenly heard his wife ask, "How is the Emperor's appearance? Is he particularly majestic?"
Xiao Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "The last time I met His Majesty, he was sixty-two years old, and his hair was already white. Now it should be even whiter, with obvious wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes. His face was thin and his figure was imposing. He was indeed majestic and awe-inspiring."
Luo Fu calculated that the Emperor should be sixty-five years old this year. After New Year's Eve, he would be another year older, making him sixty-five or six. No matter how majestic he is, he is still an old dragon.
"Where is the Empress? Have you seen her?"
"Yes, but only a few times, and we hardly spoke."
Emperor Yongcheng valued the young men of noble families highly and would inspect their horsemanship and archery skills every two years. Empress Gao lived deep in the inner palace and occasionally hosted banquets for the female relatives of various families.
Are there any other concubines in the palace? How many princes and princesses does the Emperor have?
"The Emperor and Empress are a loving couple. Although they have several concubines, it is said that none of them are favored. The Crown Prince, Prince Qi, Prince Shun, Prince Fu, and Princess Kangping are all born to the Empress."
Luo Fu thought to herself, it seems that the Empress is living a relatively comfortable life in the harem. A contented Empress is certainly easier to get along with than a concubine who is busy vying for favor all day long.
"I have seen several princes and princesses from afar, but I rarely had the opportunity to speak with them, so I don't know much about their appearance and temperament."
Xiao Yu succinctly summarized that he genuinely didn't know, and it wasn't just a way of brushing off his wife.
Ralph did not doubt him; even royal nobles, and dukes, were not so easy to approach.
Having learned enough from Xiao Yu tonight, Luo Fu lay back on her pillow, satisfied, about to savor the experience, when her husband caught up with her. He possessed a handsome, gentlemanly appearance, and even with his undisguised tenderness in his eyes, he didn't come across as frivolous or lustful. On the contrary, the more earnestly he provoked her, the more flustered and confused Luo Fu became, as if this was a natural thing between husband and wife, and her shyness and concealment were abnormal.
"Don't rush, go turn off the lights."
"Keep it, I want to see you."
.
After learning the rules and etiquette for entering the palace for four days with her sister-in-law Yang Yanzhen, on New Year's Eve of the thirty-first year of Yongcheng, before dusk, Luo Fu walked beside her second sister-in-law Li Huaiyun, followed by her mother-in-law, her sister-in-law, and several noble ladies lined up ahead. They slowly and respectfully passed through the vermilion palace gate and walked step by step along the deep palace road toward the central palace.
Upon entering the main hall of the central palace, Luo Fu dared not raise her head. When the female officials told them to kneel, Luo Fu knelt down obediently. Only when Empress Gao told her to dispense with the formalities did she stand up with a dignified posture. Any small movements such as reaching out to support herself or adjusting her skirt were inappropriate.
Empress Gao offered seats to everyone. Head wives like Lady Liao, wife of the Duke of Dingguo, Lady Xu, wife of the Left Prime Minister, and Lady Deng sat in the front row seats where they could be seen by Empress Gao at a glance. Daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law like Luo Fu sat in the second seats behind their elders.
Only after everyone was seated and lowered their bodies did Luo Fu dare to maintain a dignified posture while subtly observing the nobles' appearances while listening to the Empress Gao and the Crown Princess and Princess Consort chatting nearby.
Empress Gao was also in her early sixties. She didn't wear many ornaments in her hair, but she had an innate elegance and nobility. If the Queen Mother of the West or other goddesses in the stories Luo Fu heard when she was a child really existed, they would probably be like Empress Gao.
The Crown Princess and the three princesses were all around thirty years old, some graceful and dignified, others gentle and virtuous. On the contrary, Princess Kangping, who was given a seat next to Empress Gao, looked to be only in her early twenties. She was bright and beautiful, and dared to speak and laugh.
Luo Fu watched with great envy. This kind of princess was the luckiest woman in the world. She was loved by her father and mother, and no mother-in-law or sister-in-law dared to put on airs in front of her.
She was watching the play when she suddenly saw Lady Liao, the Duchess of Dingguo, who was chatting with Empress Gao, turn around and look at her. Immediately afterwards, Empress Gao, Princess Kangping, and the other royal daughters-in-law also looked at her. It really was her, not her two sisters-in-law beside her!
Soon, a palace maid walked over gracefully and said that the Empress had summoned her to speak.
As soon as the palace maid finished speaking, it was as if an invisible rope had been attached to Luo Fu, pulling her uncontrollably toward Empress Gao, who was seated in the main seat on the north side of the hall. However, Luo Fu kept in mind the rules and etiquette that her sister-in-law had taught her. Despite the sweat on her back inside her clothes, she did not take a wrong step. Only when she was kneeling five steps away from Empress Gao could Empress Gao and the few noble ladies closest to her see Luo Fu's slightly trembling hands.
No one was surprised; even young ladies from noble families would be nervous on their first visit to the palace, let alone a sixteen-year-old bride from the common people.
Empress Gao smiled and said, "No need for formalities, please rise."
Luo Fu straightened up again, continuing to politely lower her eyes.
Empress Gao examined her closely and nodded approvingly, saying, "She is indeed a pleasing beauty, worthy of the praise of the Duchess of Dingguo."
The Empress's voice was calm, which soothed Luo Fu's pounding heart. A smile unconsciously appeared on her lips as she softly said, "I am honored by the Duchess's kindness. I apologize for making you laugh, Your Majesty."
Empress Gao satisfied her curiosity and dismissed Luo Fu. However, in the eyes of the other women, Luo Fu had already received a great deal of respect by being specially summoned by Empress Gao and receiving a word of praise.
Luo Fu herself was extremely content. After tonight, she would also be a person of great knowledge who had entered the palace and met noble people.
After the banquet began, singing and dancing filled the main hall. After the banquet ended, Empress Gao led a group of female relatives to Chengtian Gate to enjoy the fireworks together.
The palace was paved with neat rows of square stone bricks, which felt icy cold underfoot on a cold winter night. But the fireworks in the palace were more dazzling than Luo Fu could ever dream of. Luo Fu looked up and watched with a surge of emotion. She would occasionally glance at the Empress Gao, whose profile she could barely make out, and then look at the emperor and his ministers, who were too far away to see clearly but whose clamor she could vaguely hear. Luo Fu felt warm inside and didn't feel cold at all.
The palace banquet officially ended when the last firework went off.
As they walked in line towards the palace gates, Luo Fu finally started to feel cold, so cold that she wanted to stomp her feet. With great difficulty, Xiao Yu helped her into his carriage. As soon as Xiao Yu sat down beside her, Luo Fu threw herself into his arms, burying her hands in his. Unexpectedly, Xiao Yu's hands were also cold, so Luo Fu continued to reach into his sleeves.
Xiao Yu gasped for breath from his wife's coldness, but couldn't bear to pull her out.
"My feet are almost frozen," Luo Fu said, still shivering.
Xiao Yu had already made preparations in the car. He took out an old fox fur cloak from the low cabinet. He had been wrapping a hot water bottle inside the cloak. Luo Fu took off her shoes and put her feet inside. The heat from the hot water bottle flowed through her soles to her legs.
Luo Fu nestled close to Xiao Yu and said, "You're so thoughtful."
Xiao Yu took off his boots and stuffed them inside to warm them with his wife, saying with emotion, "I'm so glad I married you. If I hadn't gotten married yet, my father would have made me ride horses with them. We had to ride horses on the way to the palace, and after leaving the palace, they could ride in my mother's, my eldest sister-in-law's, and my second sister-in-law's carriages to warm up. I didn't have a carriage to ride in, so I could only continue riding horses and freezing."
Luo Fu sensed his resentment, looked up at him, and laughed, "So you've been looking forward to getting married for a long time, haven't you?"
Xiao Yu: "I didn't really look forward to it, after all, there's only one New Year's Eve palace banquet a year."
Luo Fu: "According to what my father said when he came to my house to propose marriage, they had already prepared the betrothal gifts for your marriage. So if you had passed the imperial examination three years ago, would your father and mother have arranged a marriage for you back then, so that you would have double happiness?"
Xiao Yu nodded. That was indeed the plan of the two elders. His father had even higher hopes, expecting him to pass the imperial examinations in three consecutive years.
A small lamp hung in the carriage, its dim light illuminating Xiao Yu's face, making him truly a gentleman of jade-like appearance.
Luo Fu's body had stopped trembling. She silently looked at Xiao Yu for a while and asked seriously, "If you were given two choices, one would be to pass the imperial examination three years ago and marry a young lady from a prominent family in the capital, and the other would be like this, failing the examination and marrying me at your father's behest. Which would you choose?"
Without hesitation, Xiao Yu replied, "I choose you."
Sweet as it may be, Luo Fu didn't believe it: "Which scholar doesn't yearn for passing the imperial examination with flying colors?"
Xiao Yu: "Indeed, but I have a chance to win the Golden List every three years, but I only have this one chance to marry you. If I miss it, you will marry someone else."
Luo Fu: "Opportunity is opportunity, but the choice I'm giving you is one that will definitely get you on the list."
Xiao Yu: "Then I'll choose you too, because if I want to be on the list, I can be on it every time."
Such a boastful tone! Luo Fu almost asked why he didn't pass the exam last time, but fearing it would dampen Xiao Yu's morale, she just snorted and laughed, hugging him tightly and saying, "I'll only believe you're not bragging if you pass the exam after the New Year."
Xiao Yu kissed his wife's eyes, which were shining with anticipation, and whispered, "I'll try my best."
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Author's Note: Here I am! Waaah, I couldn't write 10,000 words today, but the imperial examination is a big event, so I won't stay up all night to write. I'll try my best tomorrow!
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow! [kiss][kiss][kiss]
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