Upon entering the Eastern Palace, Tao Qingyun gave a sly smile, and with a "smack,"...
The night before, Empress Tao was worried about Luo Zhaoxing's condition. The capital had been experiencing a lot of rain lately, and she herself had caught a cold and was feeling weak. Remembering her past friendship with Qiao Zheng, she resolved to treat her youngest daughter well.
In the dead of night in Kunning Palace, the candlelight flickered, and she stared at that candle for a long time.
She instructed her head maid, Qingpai, to bring a highly skilled senior imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital to the Luo residence that night, and then sent a female palace physician to stay and take care of the patient the following day.
Luo Zhaoxing's cold is gradually improving, leaving only a noticeable bite mark on her neck that has not yet scabbed over. In addition to the many palace skin care secrets brought by the female doctor, her brother also brings back many beauty-enhancing ointments for her from various medical clinics in the city after his shift.
Luo Ling simply said, "Whether it works or not, just buy it. Girls all love beauty, and scars won't look good."
Her brother remained as gentle and kind as ever, and not one for many words. But she had a vague feeling that at that moment, her brother's eyes seemed to be looking at another girl.
Pu Niang set out breakfast in the small dining room on the first floor of Tingyuxuan: a few refreshing side dishes, two bowls of glutinous white porridge, a plate of mutton crystal dumplings, and a small bowl of fresh chicken soup.
When Luo Zhaoxing saw an extra bowl and chopsticks on the table, she knew that Luo Ling had come to have breakfast with her today since she was free.
Pu Niang smiled and said, "Before dawn, the young master went to the kitchen and instructed the cook to make chicken soup and your favorite meat dumplings."
Feng Hua laughed from the side, "How could Miss possibly eat this early in the morning?"
Pu Niang laughed and scolded, pretending to cover her mouth: "I'm going to put egg white on your mouth! This is a token of the young master's affection. When the madam was still alive, she took care of everything, big and small. How would the young master know about these things? Now that the young lady is sick, the young master only knows to make sure she is well-nourished and cooks her favorite dishes."
Pu Niang is a native of the North. After spending ten wonderful years in Jiangnan, she has naturally developed a gentle and soft voice.
"What are you talking about? Why are you laughing so happily?" Luo Ling walked to the slightly open window and stepped into the house as she spoke.
Luo Zhaoxing had already stood up: "I'm telling you how hard you've worked, brother."
Luo Ling washed her hands in the bronze basin and took her seat. She glanced at the servants around her and said gently, "You may all leave."
She knew that there must be news from the palace.
A burst of laughter suddenly came from under the eaves in the distance.
You can tell who someone is just by hearing their voice.
They were all too familiar with each other.
But to Luo Zhaoxing's surprise, there was another person who came with Tao Qingyun.
After the Qin family's downfall, Crown Prince Jiang Yuanjun left the Eastern Palace and built a grand nunnery. Just when everyone thought he would do something for the Qin family again, he "behaved himself" and regained his position as Crown Prince.
But from the few words in her brother's letter, she learned that the Crown Prince had been secretly working for the Qin family all these years.
Everyone is doing their part for the Qin family in their own way.
Until a few months ago, Luo Yuan came to Jiangnan to pick her up. Luo Yuan said that his brother meant that ten years was too long and she should return to the capital.
The two entered the small dining room. Tao Qingyun was a step ahead of Jiang Yuanjun. He smiled and said, "Why haven't you had breakfast yet? I didn't come at this time on purpose."
The two people in the dining room immediately stood up and bowed.
Jiang Yuanjun quickly stopped him, saying, "Brother, I've told you many times, there's no need to do this when there are no outsiders around."
Luo Ling smiled but didn't say much. She only ordered someone to add more bowls and chopsticks and then asked the kitchen to prepare a dish of dandelion scrambled eggs and braised mutton.
These are all foods they love to eat.
Before long, two dishes were served one after another. Tao Qingyun rubbed her hands together, beaming with joy.
"Oh dear, when did I receive such treatment?" He took a bite of a meat dumpling, his words slightly slurred from chewing. "Since you didn't return to the capital, and the affairs of the Zhan family were too busy, your brother had to make do with what he had. A quick meal was enough to fill his stomach." He picked up a piece of dandelion and scrambled eggs with his chopsticks and murmured, "It's not as good as Aunt Xiao's cooking. But having grown accustomed to delicacies, a simple meal is welcome once in a while."
Lady Xiao Ci, wife of the Duke of Dingguo, was an excellent cook, and the late emperor, when he happened to taste her cooking, praised it highly. In their youth, her younger relatives climbed Penglai Island, galloped across the plains, went on spring outings, and in winter went to the snow-capped mountains to learn how to grill over a fire like primitive savages.
Whenever they played until they forgot the time and dared not go home, Xiao Ci would keep them and personally prepare a midnight snack. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and were settled for the night, he would send his servants to safely escort them home the next day, and they would part in high spirits.
The days of youth are, in fact, the most carefree time of one's life.
But in the past ten years, they have all lost the naivety and carefree spirit they once had.
In their youth, they had shared rain and done many "absurd" things together. Back then, amidst the spring blossoms of peach trees covering the mountains, they lay side by side on the grass by the lake, gazing at the cotton-like white clouds, talking freely.
Luo Ling was the eldest, and his elder brother was the most senior. When they came of age, whoever underwent the capping ceremony first would have the cap placed on them and given a courtesy name by Luo Ling.
Luo Ling chuckled and shook her head, saying, "No, how could I possibly be worthy of such a distinguished guest?"
Years ago, Luo's little star, innocent and carefree, eagerly asked, "What about me? And what about me? Who will crown me?"
She sat up and looked around.
Looking at her big, watery eyes, like stars in the sky, and her gaping front tooth caused by losing her baby teeth, the group couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Someone said, "You? Little Xing! You are a girl. When they come of age, they all go from being boys to men, and when they reach adulthood, they have to undergo the coming-of-age ceremony. Well, when you come of age, you will be fifteen years old, and girls will undergo the hairpin ceremony. At that time, someone will tie your hair and put hairpins in your hair, and you will go from being a girl to a woman."
"But we were all here at that time. If you had to choose one of your older sisters to do your hair and makeup, who would you choose?"
Years ago, Luo Jiaxiaoxing blushed upon hearing this and hid under a peach tree, looking down at her toes with a somewhat awkward expression.
"I... I still choose Sister Qin. She's like my older sister!"
Eight-year-old Jiang Yuanfu shook her head and chuckled, feigning annoyance: "Xiaoxing, am I not your older sister anymore?"
Zhu Ruo was also smiling.
Luo Jiaxiaoxing hurriedly explained, "No, no, it's just that I feel like Sister Qin is like my real sister. Everyone I meet says that we look alike, just like real sisters, so I said she looks like my sister."
The young man from the Chu family blinked, feigning doubt: "Huh? Where did your brother come from? Did he spring out of a rock?"
Young Tao Qingyun punched the Chu family's young man on the shoulder, "You guys who have been through the age that even dogs would dislike, and you're still joking about Xiaoxing!"
The young man kicked him into the lake.
The group burst into laughter.
A spring breeze swept by, and peach blossoms covered everyone's heads, including the red ribbon in the young man's hair, which fluttered in the wind.
Looking back now, among all these people, there was no one whose voice was so gentle and refined, patient and meticulous, except for the young crown prince.
However, they did not live to see the coming-of-age ceremony and coming-of-age ceremony they both longed for, and they went their separate ways.
So much so that since they had known each other since childhood, they had become accustomed to calling each other by their given names rather than their courtesy names.
Jiang Yuanjun looked at Luo Zhaoxing, who was eating congee. This morning, his father had summoned him to the Imperial Study to talk about the Star Gazing Tower and Xiaoxing's return to the capital. His father had ordered his mother to prepare many of the fine silks, satins, rouge, and face powders that young women in the capital currently favored, so that he could take them to the Luo family to visit Xiaoxing.
The Emperor said to him earnestly, "Crown Prince, what you need to do now is to keep Xiaoxing in the capital so that your teacher will return."
His teacher taught him many etiquette rules, including those between a ruler and his subject, and between a father and son. He also taught him how to be a crown prince who cares about his people and the world.
On that snowy night, his teacher said to him, "Your Highness, the journey may be difficult. When you are caught between a rock and a hard place, calm down and think about where your ambitions came from. Your Highness, the crown prince is the foundation of the country."
Amidst the heavy snow, the teacher turned back to him and bowed again: "Your Highness, I am leaving. Please take care!"
He hasn't seen his mentor for ten years now.
Thinking of this, he came to his senses and saw Luo Zhaoxing pushing the plate of braised mutton in front of him: "Fifth Brother, have some food."
Luo Ling asked him, "What brings Your Highness here?"
Jiang Yuanjun smiled and said, "The palace has prepared a lot of food. My father sent me to see Xiaoxing. There's one more thing..." He subconsciously looked at Luo Zhaoxing as he spoke.
Luo Ling smiled and said, "It's alright."
"Gao Jian and Li Yuanda have been imprisoned."
Luo Zhaoxing, who was taking small bites of congee, twitched her eyelashes, then moved slightly closer to the table and picked up a small dish.
Luo Ling focused his mind, and after a moment seemed to feel a weight lifted from his shoulders. After a long while, he said, "It has been a long time, but it is not too late."
The atmosphere became heavy, and everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.
At this moment, Tao Qingyun suddenly said, "Guess what important thing I learned from my aunt today."
It turned out that Empress Tao had recently caught a cold, and he had brought a cage of crickets to the palace to keep his aunt company. Everyone in the court knew that he was the Empress's nephew. From afar, he saw Qingpai and his aunt whispering to each other.
"Shh—" He gestured for the palace maids passing by to be quiet. When they saw that it was the young master of the Marquis of Chengyi's family, no one dared to stop him when he walked under the eaves of Kunning Palace.
Unfortunately, he overheard his aunt and Qingpai saying in the palace, "His Majesty wants Xiaoxing to enter the Eastern Palace as the Crown Princess."
He was stunned for a moment.
A moment later, the palace maids who were sweeping and tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard saw Young Master Tao tiptoe out of Kunning. When he reached the gate, he turned back and made a throat-slitting gesture towards them.
The palace maids: "..."
He walked quickly and happened to meet Jiang Yuanjun, who was about to leave the palace and head to the Luo residence.
Seeing the three of them begin to eat breakfast slowly, Tao Qingyun smiled slyly and snapped her folding fan shut: "Let me tell you, your uncle intends to have Xiaoxing enter the Eastern Palace to be the Crown Princess of Old Wood."
The three of them immediately put down their chopsticks and looked at him.
"No!"
Luo Zhaoxing and Jiang Yuanjun spoke in unison and stood up one after the other. One was resolute. The other was surprised.
"I know, I know, I'm here to discuss this with you." Tao Qingyun looked at this one and that one, then got up and pressed them back into their seats.
“I am aware of this matter,” Luo Ling said suddenly after a long silence.
"What? You know about this?" Tao Qingyun's eyes widened immediately. "Could it be that your uncle summoned you to the palace for this matter at Liang Gou'er's coming-of-age ceremony that day?"
Tao Qingyun became anxious when she saw that he didn't speak: "What? Have you become a blockhead? Speak up if you have something to say, stop stammering."
Luo Ling then said gently, "His Majesty asked Xiao Xing if she had been betrothed during her years in Jiangnan. When I arrived, His Majesty was summoning Grand Secretary Liang."
Luo Zhaoxing paused in his grip on the chopsticks.
Tao Qingyun's expression changed upon hearing this, and she abruptly stood up.
"Could it be that Old Liang whispered something in your ear?" He paced back and forth in the room, then looked at Jiang Yuanjun: "Could it be that he wants to use your power to keep Xiaoxing and let the Luo family return to the capital?"
Jiang Yuanjun frowned as he recalled what his father had told him about his teacher that morning.
Tao Qingyun sneered: "Speaking of the Liang family, this reminds me of something interesting."
A note from the author:
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