Chapter 13 You child, I'm afraid you'll have problems with love in the future…
The trip to Mount Li came to an end amidst these unexpected events.
Upon returning to the palace, the first thing Xiao Che did was to visit Consort Jiang in the Pixiang Palace.
Jiang Chenyu had been feeling dizzy and weak lately, and was also very sleepy. Emperor Wei Yuan had summoned the imperial physicians to examine her pulse several times, but they couldn't find anything wrong. The imperial physicians only said that she was weak recently and prescribed some nourishing and qi-regulating formulas to help her recover. There was nothing else seriously wrong with her.
Inside the Pixiang Hall, the bronze incense burner with auspicious beast design is releasing wisps of incense.
The woman was not adorned with pearls or jade in her hair, her black hair was loose, and she was only wearing a light gauze nightgown, half-lying on the chaise longue.
Even through the swirling smoke, the woman's breathtaking beauty could still be glimpsed.
The phrase "beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, beauty that could make the moon hide and flowers blush" perfectly describes this.
Although she looked sickly, her eyes and brows did not lose any radiance; on the contrary, they had a touch of the charm of a sickly beauty.
A casual glance upwards revealed a captivating allure.
The beaded curtain was lifted by Ji Le, Jiang Chenyu's personal maid. She had grown up by Jiang Chenyu's side since childhood and was a few years older than Xiao Che. She had served Jiang Chenyu before she entered the palace, and in terms of understanding Jiang Chenyu, she probably knew more than even Xiao Che.
Xiao Che smiled and nodded slightly at her. She hurriedly lowered her head in a fluster, her eyelashes trembled, and the back of her ears turned slightly red.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Chenyu, who was inside, sat up slightly and asked, "Is that Che'er?"
Xiao Che responded, "Yes," and quickly stepped into the inner room.
When he reached Jiang Chenyu, he bowed to her and said, "Che'er greets Mother Consort."
"Get up quickly. Yan Xiao said that many things went wrong during this Lishan hunt. Are you alright?"
Xiao Che paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's alright, Mother Consort, there's no need to worry. It's all been resolved."
He carefully examined Jiang Chenyu's face, his brow furrowing slightly: "As for Mother Consort, she still seems listless, her spirits still low?"
Xiao Che and Jiang Chenyu were very close since childhood. After all, Emperor Wei Yuan had so many children, while Jiang Chenyu only had him as her son. The mother and son were burdened by the curse of their bloodline and were out of place with the rest of the palace. They depended on each other for survival, so they were naturally very close.
When Xiao Che was a child, he fell into the water while saving someone. After coming out, he caught a cold and had a high fever for several days, almost losing half his life.
Jiang Chenyu stayed by his side without taking off her clothes, taking care of him. She knelt before the gods and Buddhas and prayed devoutly, willing to exchange ten years of her life for his safety this time.
Later, he did recover, but Jiang Chenyu fell ill. Emperor Wei Yuan was heartbroken and even took his anger out on Xiao Che, scolding him for getting sick in the water. He said it was bad enough that he was suffering, but he had also implicated Xiao Che's mother!
Xiao Che felt extremely guilty. It was from that moment on that the realization that his mother loved him more than her own life was deeply ingrained in his heart.
From then on, he loved her even more. Whenever she was sick or in pain, he would be especially anxious and heartbroken because of the vow that would shorten his lifespan.
Jiang Chenyu shook her head and said, "It's alright. I know my own body well. It's just that the weather has been getting warmer these past few days, and I feel lazy and sleepy."
Xiao Che nodded, feeling somewhat relieved: "Then Mother Consort must take good care of herself. If she feels unwell, immediately summon the imperial physician."
Jiang Chenyu laughed. The woman's face made it hard to tell her age. She had lit a lamp while reading, and the dim light reflected on her fair and delicate profile, giving it a subtle, jade-like luster.
The candlelight flickered in her eyes, creating a captivating shimmer.
The eyes of the Lanling people are lighter than those of ordinary people; they are not jet black, but rather more amber or brown.
Her eyelashes were long and thick, veiling a pair of light-colored pupils that were breathtakingly beautiful. When she looked at people, she could easily captivate them. It's no wonder that there were rumors that five out of seven parts of the Lanling people's bewitching power lay in these eyes.
Jiang Chenyu slowly smiled: "You're so talkative now, you're almost as talkative as your father."
"Che'er is just concerned about his mother."
"Good boy, I know my Che'er is the best boy."
Looking at the boy before her who resembled her so much, a hint of dazedness slowly crept into her expression. She murmured, as if lost in thought, "Your coming-of-age ceremony is just a few days away..."
After a prince comes of age and undergoes the coming-of-age ceremony, he is customarily required to move outside the palace and establish a separate residence.
In order to keep Xiao Che in the palace for a while longer, although Emperor Yuan of Wei had bestowed a courtesy name upon him early on, his coming-of-age ceremony was postponed again and again. Xiao Yan, on the other hand, had his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of sixteen. Usually, the more favored one was by the emperor, the earlier one would have his coming-of-age ceremony. Xiao Che was an exception.
The crown prince was only eighteen when he came of age, and if it weren't for the repeated urging from the ministers of Xuanlong, Emperor Yuan of Wei would probably have planned to postpone it.
Once the coming-of-age ceremony is held, the crown prince will have the power to participate in political decision-making, which is equivalent to having one foot on the dragon throne, thus making his position as heir apparent more secure.
This was certainly not a pleasant thing for Emperor Yuan of Wei, who always wanted to make the son of his most beloved woman the crown prince.
However, he had no other choice but to delay, and when he could no longer delay, he had no other option but to do this.
Xiao Che said, "Mother, there is no need to worry. Father loves you so much that he will surely allow me to stay in the palace to continue to accompany you. He will not allow me to move out of the palace to establish a separate residence."
Jiang Chenyu's gaze fell on a point in the void, seemingly lost in thought, and she said calmly, "Perhaps."
She turned her gaze back to him and slowly smiled: "I heard from Yan Xiao that you are still clueless when it comes to love, and you haven't yet won over Princess Qinghe... Che'er, you really like her, don't you?"
Le Zheng brought in the tea and placed it on the table. He happened to overhear the conversation between the two people and paused, his hand holding the lacquer tray.
Xiao Che's expression was not good, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Yan Xiao's report to you was indeed very detailed."
"Don't blame him. He just cares about you and can't bear to see you so frustrated. That's why he wants me to give you some advice."
"Guidance?" Xiao Che twitched his lips, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Matters of love are not matters of scheming or strategy; how can one offer guidance?"
"Why not? Che'er, there's always more scheming in love than in relationships. Remember, if you like someone, you must make her feel heartache, pain, and even heartbreak for you. Only then will she find it hard to let you go."
Xiao Che frowned, a rare look of bewilderment in his expression. "Mother, I don't understand."
"Silly child, the more I give to you, the harder it is for me to let you go. If I've ever felt heartache for you, I'm afraid I'll never forget it for the rest of my life—you'll understand later."
"But if you truly love someone, how can you bear to let her suffer heartache and heartbreak because of you?"
Jiang Chenyu was taken aback, and couldn't help but scrutinize Xiao Che closely. In the end, she could only sigh softly: "You child, I'm afraid you'll suffer a lot when it comes to love in the future. You're so reluctant to let her go, so you'll have to suffer heartache and heartbreak for her in the future. Che'er, I don't object to you liking her, but love can only be an embellishment. Remember your mother's words, never take it too seriously, or even become obsessed with it."
After saying this, he said he was tired and asked Xiao Che to kneel down and pay his respects.
As Xiao Che walked out of the Pixiang Palace, seemingly understanding but not quite, he never imagined that this would be the second and last time he would see his mother.
Looking back on that visit later—
He remembered that when he left, he glanced back at Jiang Chenyu one last time, then looked up and noticed a painting hanging on the wall.
It is a landscape painting.
The style is quite similar to that of Liu Songnian of the Southern Qi Dynasty. Xiao Che knew that Jiang Chenyu had always liked Liu Songnian's paintings.
Even he could tell that the painting was a fake. No matter how well it was imitated, it was not Liu Songnian's original work. He didn't believe Jiang Chenyu couldn't tell.
When asked about it, she simply said, "It was a gift from Empress Cui. To express my gratitude, I naturally hang it day and night."
So it was a gift from Empress Cui, no wonder...
At the time, Xiao Che felt that Empress Cui's move was quite insidious. She deliberately gave him a fake painting to annoy his mother, but he couldn't find a way to criticize it. Even if it was exposed, he could claim that she meant well and didn't do it intentionally. After all, the fake painting was indeed very well imitated, and it would be difficult for anyone other than an expert to tell the difference.
If you choose not to expose them in order to avoid trouble, you can only endure the disgust and stay.
Xiao Che just didn't understand. If his mother was unwilling, there were naturally a thousand ways to avoid her temper. Why bother hanging this fake painting every day?
When asked about Jiang Chenyu, she simply replied indifferently, "I'm tired. It's better to avoid trouble."
"Besides, don't you think that although this painting isn't very good, the ink on it has a strange fragrance that is really quite pleasant? It's fine to hang it up."
As she said this, a strange expression appeared on her face, and her beautiful yet aloof eyes revealed a hint of allure.
A faint, lingering fragrance seemed to still linger around my nose, originating from that painting.
Xiao Che frowned, sensing something strange about the painting. He had the imperial physician examine it, but found nothing wrong with it, so he gave up on the idea.
Three days later, Emperor Yuan of Wei held a coming-of-age ceremony for Xiao Che.
The scale of the ceremony was even comparable to that of the Crown Prince.
The officials in the Censorate naturally had to submit their remonstrances.
But Emperor Wei Yuan didn't buy it. He even brought up a theory of astrology and ordered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to make up a few random things according to his wishes, taking advantage of the fact that the ministers couldn't understand such mysterious things as astrology.
The phrase "When Venus is in decline, he needs the protection of the Purple Gold Star" refers to Emperor Yuan of Wei, while the Purple Gold Star is naturally Xiao Che. This means that Emperor Yuan of Wei is showing signs of decline, and if he wants to be healthy, Xiao Che should not travel far.
Everyone knew perfectly well that this was a charade orchestrated by Emperor Yuan of Wei in order to keep his beloved son, and he was even willing to curse himself for it.
He's gone to such lengths, so naturally we can only go along with his wishes.
Cui Shoujie and others believed that as long as Emperor Wei Yuan did not lose his mind on important matters, they were not unwilling to compromise on such trivial matters.
Xiao Che was not surprised that he could stay in the palace, but I was still quite happy when I heard the news.
He couldn't wait to go to the Pixiang Palace, intending to tell Jiang Chenyu the news.
As soon as he entered the hall, he bumped into Ji Le. Upon seeing him, she rushed forward and grabbed his wrists tightly, saying, "Your Highness, this servant was just about to look for you... The Empress, she... the Empress wants to see you!"
Xiao Che frowned, looking at her reddened eyes, and felt a tightness in his throat. He heard himself speak in a hoarse voice, "What's wrong? Has something happened to my mother?"
Ji Le sobbed uncontrollably, "You...you'll understand once you come in with me..."
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