The emperor was somewhat bewildered to see Xue Xiaoer, who had only been gone for less than an hour, return with three large boxes in his arms.
"Xue Xiao Er, are you here to ask me for a favor again, and you've come with gifts?" The emperor looked at Xue Qianyu with a smile.
There was no one else in the imperial study except for the emperor, his minister, and Eunuch Fu.
"Your Majesty, that is indeed my intention. These three are treasures from my father's treasury, and I am willing to exchange them for three pairs of ice silk gloves," Xue Qianyu replied.
The emperor rose with a smile and walked over, looking Xue Qianyu up and down: "Ice silk gloves? Don't you have a pair? What happened? Are they broken? You need three pairs now? You should know that the palace only has ten pairs in total each year."
Xue Qianyu calmly said, "That is precisely why I have found the three best items from my father's storeroom to exchange for them. Please take a look at these three items, Your Majesty."
The emperor beckoned, and Eunuch Fu came over, took the boxes, and opened them one by one.
The emperor was stunned when he saw these three things: "Aren't you afraid your father will beat you to death?"
Xue Qianyu shook his head, his face serious, and said, "I'm not afraid. He only has one son, me. If he beats me to death, who will take care of him in his old age? He won't have anyone to boast about. Besides, I believe His Majesty will not allow my father to beat me to death."
"Hahahaha..." The emperor laughed heartily; he liked children who spoke the truth.
I'm just taking advantage of the fact that I'm your only son, so what if you don't dare kill me! Go ahead and have another son if you dare!
He could already picture his brother-in-law sitting in the warehouse cursing in the street.
"Very well, I accept them. But you must promise me that whenever your father discovers these things are missing, you must send someone to fetch me immediately. I want to take the Empress back to her parents' home to see the excitement!" The Emperor promised Xue Qianyu.
Xue Qianyu forced a smile: "Yes."
The emperor instructed Eunuch Fu to take the items to his storeroom, and then asked Xue Qianyu, "Waiter, what do you need those ice silk gloves for? Tell me."
Xue Qianyu was silent for a moment, then said, "I will use it to give away."
The emperor became interested. Such valuable items were exchanged for gloves? "Whom are they for?" he asked.
Xue Qianyu: "May I tell Your Majesty later? I'm a little shy."
Emperor: ...Don't keep that long face, I believe you're just shy.
However, he didn't press the matter, and said with a smile, "Alright, I'll give you a year. By this time next year, I'll know who you gave the gloves to. If I forget, you should come and tell me. As the saying goes, 'A man pursuing a woman is like climbing a mountain, while a woman pursuing a man is like piercing a thin veil.' I'll give you a year to climb that mountain. Even if you haven't climbed it yet, remember to come and tell me so I can have a good laugh. You know, I love seeing my subjects unhappy; when my subjects are unhappy, I'm happy."
Xue Qianyu: "...Your subject obeys the decree!"
...
The next day, Xue Qianyu had someone load a cart full of things and go to find the messenger sent by Lu Zheng.
He prepared New Year's gifts for the Gu family, the Zhou family, and the Huo family. Of course, since the Gu family was the largest, he gave them the most gifts.
As for the gloves, they are usually delivered to the palace in March each year, so he can only ask Gu En to make the trip again next March.
He was really curious to know if, since he didn't leave his name this time, the man surnamed Li would still say that it was a gift from him.
If he still tries to impersonate him, well, then don't blame him for being impolite. He's the heir of the Duke of Rong, after all; he'll send him a grand gift for his trip to the capital.
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