Chapter 1090: Conquest (4)
At the time, the other young ladies all looked disdainful, thinking that things like making tea could be left to the servants. A young lady of a wealthy family, not knowing how to cultivate some useful skills, only knowing how to make tea, did she really think she was a servant?
Empress Dowager Jingxian was very satisfied.
Later, Empress Dowager Jingxian said to Emperor Yongle, "I think Qingzhen is a very good child. Her character can be judged by the quality of her tea. She is very steady and calm. She can spend her life with you. Whether it's stormy weather or a steady stream of water, she will be happy to endure it. This is very good and rare."
Emperor Yongle thought of Empress Dowager Jingxian's words and couldn't help but look at Empress Xiande again.
Empress Xian De was gently blowing on the petals floating on the surface of the teacup.
In the years since Empress Xian De entered the palace, she had indeed proven, as Empress Dowager Jing Xian had said, to be a peaceful person. She never asked many questions, never meddled in other matters, simply sat silently. It was as if, despite the passage of time, she remained the same, sitting in a corner, cup of tea, smiling faintly, unmoved by the vicissitudes of life.
Empress Xian De noticed Emperor Yongle's gaze and smiled slightly. "Your Majesty, let's not think about other things today. Since autumn has arrived, let's relax today, just like before, drink tea, play chess, play the zither, and write a little. Is that okay?"
"Okay." Emperor Yongle nodded.
He answered readily, a slight smile crossing his usually aloof, almost stern face, surprising Empress Xiande. Reflecting on her words, she hurriedly stood up, as if fearing Emperor Yongle would repent. "Then I will fetch the box of jade chess pieces Jingxing sent me. Since Jingxing sent them, the Emperor has only played against me once. Such good pieces were wasted."
Emperor Yongle laughed and said, "Just let Aunt Tao get it."
"I don't know where she is." Empress Xian De said, "I'm hiding. Your Majesty, please wait for me here." She lifted her skirt and trotted to the back.
Empress Xiande had always been chaste, gentle, and virtuous, but it was rare for her to be like this, revealing a girlish charm she didn't usually possess. Emperor Yongle looked at her, and as he did so, a trace of pity filled his eyes.
He frowned suddenly, coughed violently twice, and grabbed a handkerchief from his sleeve to cover his mouth. After a long while, he finally wiped the handkerchief away from his mouth. It was also clean, and nothing could be seen.
He held the handkerchief in his palm, and a hint of bright red appeared in the folds that were exposed.
Very eye-catching.
He paused, put the handkerchief into his sleeve, and smiled slightly as he looked at Empress Xian De, who came trotting out again with the chess box in hand.
Like nothing happened.
…
The following days were unusually peaceful.
It was as peaceful as the days of steady flow, where nothing bad ever happened. It was as if the dust had settled after a thousand trials and tribulations, and everything was peaceful and tranquil.
Xie Jingxing and Shen Miao had been in Longye these days, wandering around during the day or playing the qin and writing in the mansion. Occasionally, when Xie Jingxing was in the mood, he'd ask Gao Yang to practice, while Shen Miao and Luo Tan would study other things. At night, she and Xie Jingxing would discuss the military defense maps. One of them excelled at attack, the other at defense, and their calculations were both unique and in tune with each other. Xie Jingxing was domineering and hated the lingering tactics of strangling his enemies, but directness was also inherently risky. Whenever he argued with Shen Miao, he would act arrogantly and storm out of bed, and Shen Miao would simply ignore him. In the middle of the night, he would quietly slip back into bed, taking advantage of the moment when no one was around.
When Shen Miao challenged him with words, Xie Jingxing turned over and pressed her under him, using another way to "punish" her.
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