Chapter 83 083 The Royal Family Removes Mourning Clothes
The Empress Dowager passed away on May 19th of the first year of the Xianping era. In fact, after the former Crown Prince committed suicide by drinking poison, the Empress Dowager aged noticeably, as if her eldest son had taken away half of her life. Later, the late Emperor, with whom she had spent her life, passed away, which was equivalent to taking away the other half of the Empress Dowager's life. Although Emperor Xianping and Empress Xie were very filial, and the imperial physicians in the palace tried their best, they still could not prolong the Empress Dowager's life.
Human aging is like an autumn leaf. When there is no wind, it seems to hang steadily on the branch all winter, but as soon as a wind comes at night, when you look again the next day, that autumn leaf has already fallen somewhere.
The same was true for the emperor and empress, and also for the old Duke of Dingguo, who died in the same year as the empress dowager.
But while a group of high-ranking officials lamented their own aging due to the deaths of the emperor, empress, and colleagues, a group of ambitious low- and mid-ranking civil and military officials were hoping to rise through the ranks and take their place.
Leaving aside distant examples, Luo Fu could sense the ambition and drive in her brother-in-law Xiao Lin and brother-in-law Pei Xingshu. Although Xiao Yu was promoted by Emperor Xianping to the position of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince (a third-rank official), this position only involved teaching the Crown Prince and had little to do with the intrigues and power struggles in officialdom. His main post remained the fifth-rank Director of the Censorate, and his attitude towards officialdom was no different from that of the previous emperor.
If it were Luo Fu, who had just married him, she would definitely be basking in the glory of Xiao Yu's youth and talent. But Luo Fu knew very well that with Xiao Yu's temperament, his future career would not be smooth sailing. So Luo Fu had long since stopped hoping for Xiao Yu's promotion. As long as he didn't cause trouble, she would be content if he stayed in one position for his entire life, just like her father-in-law.
This thought gave Luo Fu a composure and serenity that set her apart from other young officials' wives. In addition, since no officials in the capital would try to curry favor with or curry favor with Xiao Yu, those officials' wives did not need to flatter or target Luo Fu for the sake of their husbands' careers. This saved Luo Fu from a lot of unnecessary verbal disputes when she went out to socialize.
But what Luo Fu liked most was going to accept Princess Kangping's invitation.
On August 21st, after nearly three years of mourning for the late emperor and empress dowager at the mansion, the first thing Kangping invited Luo Fu to do was to go horseback riding outside the city.
Princess Kangping's travels were as grand as ever, with luxurious carriages and guards on all sides. However, her mount had changed again. It was the same horse from the Western Regions that Emperor Xiao Yu had bestowed upon her, but this one had golden hair and was even rarer. This showed how much Emperor Xianping doted on his only sister. Without Kangping having to ask, a Ferghana horse was delivered to her residence.
After getting off the carriage and mounting his horse, Kang Ping looked Luo Fu up and down and snorted, "It's been three years since I last saw you, and you haven't changed at all."
Luo Fu smiled and said, "Your Highness may not have changed, but the imperial majesty emanating from you has become even more dazzling and eye-catching, making it even more difficult for me to look directly at you."
The autumn sun was dazzling, making the light golden Akhal-Teke horse beneath the princess and her gold-embroidered silk robes gleam. Luo Fu's slightly narrowed eyes proved that she was not flattering her.
Kangping smiled and asked, "Why don't you call me Princess, but Your Highness instead?"
Luo Fu looked at him with pity and whispered, "I'm afraid His Highness will be saddened if he hears about 'the Eldest Princess'."
Because the late emperor had passed away, the former princess became the eldest princess. Due to their different statuses, the elaborate funeral rites when the late emperor and empress dowager passed away prevented Luo Fu from having the opportunity to comfort the eldest princess in person. However, whenever Luo Fu thought of her close friend losing her dearest parents one after another, she felt heartbroken for the eldest princess.
Kang Ping looked up at the blue sky above, the same sky over the capital that had hardly changed since she could remember, and said with a slight smile, "It's been two or three years. I've let go of what I needed to let go of. You can call me whatever you want from now on, don't worry about it. Let's go. I haven't left the house in three years. If I don't move around, my bones will rust."
The two rode their horses for about twenty miles to the banks of the Yi River.
When they dismounted to rest, Kangping teased Luo Fu about her chestnut steed: "Why are you still riding this one? Do you want me to give you another one?"
Luo Fu: "Please don't, that would make it seem like I'm deliberately riding it to ask His Highness for a reward. To be honest, Your Highness, I've already bought a fine steed, which cost a hundred taels of silver, but this one was a gift from His Highness. I'm afraid that if I were to change to a new mount without permission, His Highness might misunderstand and think that I don't care about your gift."
When she emphasized that it cost one hundred taels, Kangping scoffed without hiding her disdain. After Luo Fu finished speaking, she said, "I do have a seven or eight-year-old horse that I can give you, but it was a gift from the late emperor. Now that the late emperor is gone, I can't bear to give it away. Keep it and let it grow old with me. When my brother bestows two more new horses upon me, I will give this one to you."
The Kingdom of Kucha sends horses every three to five years. Even if it takes another ten years, her twelve or thirteen-year-old Akhal-Teke horse can still be sold for two thousand taels of silver.
Luo Fu stroked the smooth fur of the Akhal-Teke horse and said happily, "Then I'll wait, Your Highness, you mustn't lie to me."
They handed their mounts to their guards, and the two of them strolled slowly along the riverbank, their backs to the autumn sun.
Kangping: "Actually, as the eldest princess, although I am widowed, I am considered married. I only need to observe a year of mourning for the Empress Dowager. However, my brother made my second and third brothers' families, as well as his consorts, observe a full twenty-seven months of mourning. In addition to attending court and governing, he will also observe a vegetarian diet for three years. I thought, if my three sisters-in-law have no blood relation with the late emperor and empress dowager, why should I, as their own daughter, be less filial to the late emperor and empress dowager just because I have been married? So I volunteered to observe a nearly three-year mourning period as well."
Luo Fu: "Others may have been bound by rules to stay for so long, but Your Highness and the Emperor are truly filial to the late Emperor and Empress Dowager."
Kang Ping gently poked her forehead: "It's just you and me here, how come you speak so succinctly?" He praised her, but he also brought up his brother.
Luo Fu said helplessly, "Your Highness and the Emperor have a close relationship. I was just afraid that you might accidentally let something slip in front of the Emperor. Anyway, I'm going to flatter Your Highness as well, so I might as well flatter the Emperor as well."
Having lived in the capital for a long time, especially after frequently coming into contact with imperial relatives, high-ranking officials and nobles, Luo Fu understood more and more what it meant to be cautious in her words and deeds. Ordinary people might get a little upset after hearing a few words that didn't suit their tastes, but they wouldn't make a big deal out of it. However, the more noble and powerful a person is, the less they can tolerate the slightest offense. Once they hold a grudge, they have the ability to punish you for such a petty matter.
Kang Ping already knew that Luo Fu was timid, so after teasing her, he brought up what she had seen and heard in the palace a couple of days ago when she reunited with the Emperor, Prince Qi, and Prince Shun.
"Your Highness is beautiful, but she is too aloof. She never suffered much in the Prince's mansion because of her personality. Now that Your Highness has three young and beautiful concubines, if Your Highness continues to be aloof, she will only push Your Highness further and further away."
“Consort Li is truly favored and has a good life. She conceived the Second Prince before my elder brother committed suicide, and when the Second Prince was only a few months old, she conceived the Second Princess before the late Emperor passed away. Both children are at the most adorable age. If I were the elder brother, I would also prefer to side with Consort Li.”
"Consort Lin is also quite lucky. The Third Prince was only a few months younger than the Second Prince, so he is about the same age as your Man'er."
Luo Fu did not correct the eldest princess's address. The emperor's heart is unpredictable. In order to prove that she and Xiao Yu both liked the auspicious meaning of Man'er and the second prince's nicknames, the couple always called each other "Hong Ge'er" and "Man'er". "Man'er" was mostly used when the family of three was together, because nicknames are originally used by close relatives to show affection.
"Second brother and sister-in-law's three years of mourning have not been in vain. Their tempers are much gentler than before. I reckon that second sister-in-law will not dare to retaliate against you because of Xiao Yu's impeachment back then. You can rest assured."
Luo Fu smiled. After Emperor Xianping ascended the throne, he basically continued the previous emperor's policy of recuperation and development. However, he replaced a batch of officials in the capital and the provinces. The relatives of Prince Shun's wife were fine, but on Prince Qi's side, the brother of Prince Qi's wife, Duke Changguo Peng Jun, was impeached by the Censorate for forcibly seizing farmland and abducting women. He was stripped of his title and official position and sent back to his hometown to farm. Seeing that the situation was not good, Xia Qiyuan, the father of the new concubine Xia, the Minister of Rites, took the initiative to submit his resignation. Liang Bizheng, the father of the new concubine Liang, the Marquis of Pingnan, was not implicated because he was also Emperor Xianping's father-in-law.
Perhaps Luo Fu was always afraid of being retaliated against by Prince Qi and his wife, so the couple's arrogance was suppressed by Emperor Xianping, which Luo Fu was quite happy about. She only felt sorry for the old Minister Xia Qiyuan. According to Xiao Yu, Xia Qiyuan had always worked diligently in the Ministry of Rites and was a meritorious official.
"Third Brother has gotten even fatter. He's out of breath just walking from the Qian Yuan Palace to the outside of the Imperial City. Third Sister-in-law has also gotten fat; she's even got a double chin! Hahaha..."
Luo Fu: "..."
That's good; the eldest princess is still as carefree as ever.
As the sun rose higher, the two boarded a carriage and headed back. Kangping had been in high spirits today, and after returning to the city, he even took Luo Fu to eat at the most famous restaurant in the capital. The meal cost more than Luo Fu's newly bought mount.
After the banquet, the restaurant cleared away the plates and dishes and brought out a pot of fine tea, inviting the two distinguished guests to enjoy their meal.
Kang Ping slowly sipped his tea, and as he was about to leave, he casually asked, "Your silly brother got married, right?"
Luo Fu touched the sachet containing a thin roll of silver notes, and asked with a wry smile, "Does Your Highness want to hear the truth or a lie?"
Kang Ping: "...I never like to hear lies."
Narafu had no choice but to tell the truth: "My brother is not married yet."
Kang Ping: "...He's already this old, don't your parents urge him? Or do they know about the fact that he served me?"
Luo Fu quickly shook her head: "No, only my brother and I know about it. Your Highness knows, but I am a smart person and I will not reveal your secret. I don't know if my brother is crazy or stupid. Although he promised me that he would no longer have any delusions about Your Highness or even come to harass you, he also refused the family's pressure to get married on the grounds of his illness, and he is still unmarried."
Kang Ping frowned: "What illness does he have?" What illness could possibly silence the two elders?
Luo Fu: "...He said he's impotent."
Kang Ping: "..."
After a long silence and awkwardness, Luo Fu took out a thousand-tael silver note rolled into a small bamboo tube from her sachet, stood up and handed it to the princess opposite her: "My brother said that it is his blessing to serve Your Highness, not that Your Highness bought him, so he cannot accept Your Highness's silver note."
Kang Ping looked at the small bamboo tube, and after a while, he gently poked it with one finger.
A few days after the late emperor was buried in the imperial mausoleum, she thought of Luo Song. In fact, she was not tired of him yet, but she would get tired of him sooner or later. Kang Ping did not want to waste three years of Luo Song's time, so she sent her confidant with a thousand taels of silver to Luo Song and conveyed her message that she would not summon him again.
It was expected that Luo Song wouldn't accept her silver notes, but Luo Song actually used that excuse to refuse his parents' pressure to get married...
"Fine, let him take it or leave it. As long as you know I didn't bully him, that's enough."
Kangping put away the small bamboo tube and walked outside as if nothing had happened.
With the old score between her brother and the princess finally settled, Luo Fu breathed a sigh of relief.
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Author's Note: Here it is! 100 little red envelopes! See you at the second update tonight (probably late at night, everyone go to bed early!), [kiss]
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