Chapter 123 Brewing Tea Around the Fire Cheng Qianyue felt that if she ignored the scene in the courtyard…
Cheng Qianyue felt that if the imperial guards standing watch outside the courtyard were ignored, they were having a pretty good time in the front courtyard. Besides, it was winter anyway, with heavy snow and cold winds outside, so people were spending more time indoors anyway.
There's a word for it, like hibernating in winter!
It's just that it gets a bit boring to stay indoors all the time. Cheng Qianyue understood a little why Yinreng liked writing and painting so much. It was just like her doing needlework now; she was just bored and had no other way to pass the time.
Moreover, her current relationship with Yinreng is almost like that of an old married couple.
Well, that doesn't quite sound right. She and Yinreng have been together for a very, very long time. If you count on your fingers, it will be her tenth year in the palace after the New Year. So they're practically an old married couple. Why is it only now that she feels this way? It's because before, Yinreng lived in Yuqing Palace, and she lived in Xiefang Palace. They never saw each other every morning when they opened their eyes like this, and they shared every meal and every meal together.
As Cheng Qianyue muttered to herself, she embroidered the handkerchief stitch by stitch.
Yinreng practiced his calligraphy for a while, then added a plum blossom petal to the winter-warming painting before coming out from his desk. Seeing the dark clouds gathering on the horizon, he thought it was going to snow again. As the clouds gathered outside, the light inside the room gradually dimmed. He saw Cheng Qianyue sitting on the kang (heated brick bed) embroidering a handkerchief and smiled gently, reminding her, "It's getting dark, don't do your embroidery, it'll strain your eyes."
Cheng Qianyue had just finished embroidering half of the bright red persimmons on the handkerchief when she heard this, she put down what she was doing and said, "I can't help but embroider this whenever I have free time."
Yinreng sat down and said, "I asked you to practice calligraphy and play chess with me before, but you wouldn't." It would have been a good opportunity to cultivate your character, but instead, she complained of hand pain halfway through writing calligraphy, and her chess skills were haphazard. She could make a few moves in Chinese chess, but she was quickly checkmated.
Cheng Qianyue lazily leaned into his arms, "I don't want to practice calligraphy because you always say my handwriting is bad. As for not wanting to play chess, it's just that I don't want to use my brain." A person's brain and energy are always limited, and she was too lazy to put her brain into it.
Yinreng sighed and said, "Fine, you can have some peace and quiet for now."
Cheng Qianyue lay in his arms for a while, then sat up again, her hands unable to resist touching the sewing basket. Yinreng grasped her hand and said, "I told you to watch your eyes." Looking out the window, he said, "It's snowing. I'll have someone bring a clay stove. Shall we brew some tea and enjoy the scenery?"
Cheng Qianyue was simply too idle. As soon as she heard there was something else to do, she perked up. Between brewing tea by the stove and embroidering a handkerchief, she would definitely choose the former. So she said, "Okay."
After a while, the small red clay stove, teapot, and other items were brought over. The two of them went out of the house and sat side by side in the side hall, watching the snowflakes falling softly outside.
Yes, the atmosphere was indeed atmospheric, but it was a bit cold. Cheng Qianyue regretted coming out a little. Although there wasn't much wind in the courtyard, and she was wearing many layers, including a cloak, the cold air still stung her face. But after the tea was brewed, Cheng Qianyue understood. No wonder people enjoying the scenery preferred to hold cups and drink tea; the steaming vapor was like having a humidifier in front of them.
Seeing her taking sips of tea every now and then, Yinreng asked with a smile, "What do you think of this tea? It's called Zhengshan Xiaozhong."
Cheng Qianyue casually remarked, "It's quite nice, it's warm and comforting to drink." Yinreng shook his head and beamed with joy upon hearing this. After drinking about a cup of tea, the oranges roasting on the stove were almost ready. Cheng Qianyue took one, peeled it, and ate a segment herself first.
Oh my god, it's so sour!
Cheng Qianyue's brows furrowed immediately, and she managed to swallow the orange segment. However, she didn't want to eat the rest. Sigh, her eyes flickered, and her mind turned to Yinreng. Hehe, since she was bored anyway, she wanted to tease him for some amusement. Composing herself, she squinted and handed the half-ripped orange to Yinreng, saying, "Your Highness, would you like an orange?"
Yinreng casually took it, broke off a segment of orange, put it in his mouth and chewed it a couple of times. His expression didn't change at all, and he even said, "It tastes good."
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself: This isn't right. Could it be that the segment she ate was more sour? She looked at him in disbelief. Just as she was staring at him, Yinreng looked straight at her and asked, "What's wrong? Do you think the one in my hand tastes better now?" As he spoke, he handed the orange back to her.
Cheng Qianyue, refusing to believe it, took another petal and put it in her mouth. Ugh, it was even more sour than the one she'd just eaten! Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but grimace from the sourness, but spitting it out was difficult, so she swallowed it whole. Meanwhile, Yinreng burst into laughter, his eyes full of amusement and mockery.
Cheng Qianyue immediately complained: What? I tried to make fun of you, but I ended up being the one being amused!
Yinreng glanced at her smugly and said, "You have to prove yourself right before you can fool others. Your expression just now betrayed you." He didn't know where she got the confidence from, sitting so close to him and still thinking she could deceive him.
Cheng Qianyue snorted indignantly, but quickly asked in confusion, "Is Your Highness very good at eating sour things?" She knew that Yinreng preferred salty food, but she didn't expect that he could tolerate such sour oranges. It was really strange.
Yinreng shook his head and said, "It's not that I can eat sour things, it's that I can endure them." He exhaled a long breath, his voice mingling with the white smoke, "To achieve great things, one must be able to endure small things." He slowly smiled again, picked up an open chestnut and tapped it on Cheng Qianyue's forehead, "If you think oranges are too sour, then eat this."
Days passed by, and soon it was New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve, the lockdown was still in effect, so the food delivered was more plentiful.
Cheng Qianyue was worried about Yinreng's mood that day, but seeing that Yinreng was in a good mood, he even shared a bowl of fresh meat dumplings with her that evening and listened to the firecrackers celebrating the New Year coming from Changchun Garden.
Cheng Qianyue was completely relieved, thinking that Yinreng had probably come to terms with reality.
But this peaceful and warm life didn't last long; suddenly, someone came from outside. It was the early morning of the fifth day of the second lunar month, and the night outside was darker than an inkstone. Cheng Qianyue was sleeping with Yinreng when she suddenly heard a faint knocking sound at the door.
Cheng Qianyue jolted awake, all sleepiness gone. Yinreng seemed to have woken up before her, patting her shoulder and saying, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."
After a while, Chen He's voice came from outside. He said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered you to go to Changchun Garden."
Yinreng cleared his throat and said, "I understand. Come in and serve me."
Soon the lights were lit in the room, and a group of people came in to help him get up and wash. Cheng Qianyue didn't know why the Emperor would send someone to summon Yinreng at this time, and she felt uneasy. But since the Emperor had summoned him, the father and son would inevitably have to meet. Thinking of this, Cheng Qianyue became worried.
The thought itself filled her with dread. Her family had been under house arrest for months, and the imperial decree to depose the second crown prince still hadn't arrived. She wondered if the emperor intended to do it in front of everyone!
Under Cheng Qianyue's worried gaze, Yinreng was already dressed, in what appeared to be his court attire. Cheng Qianyue's anxiety immediately intensified. She dismissed the eunuch and personally adjusted Yinreng's collar, pleading with him, word by word, "When you go out, Your Highness, please don't hold a grudge against the Emperor. No matter what happens, try not to lose your temper, okay?" The intense pleading in her eyes grew even more pronounced. "A while ago you said you could endure it, can you endure it this time too? Just for my sake, for the children, for our whole family."
Towards the end, Cheng Qianyue could barely continue. She knew that asking Yinreng to suppress his pride was putting him in a difficult position. But she had no choice but to say these words.
Yinreng looked at her pitiful appearance and smiled slightly. He said softly, "You're talking nonsense again." He cupped her face and kissed her, then earnestly instructed her, "Be a good girl and wait for me to come back, okay?"
Cheng Qianyue gave a tearful "Mmm," her eyes brimming with tears as she watched him leave with his entourage. She stood at the doorway, watching his figure gradually disappear into the night, and slowly closed her eyes.
At this moment, Ruoyun draped a cloak over her shoulders and said worriedly, "Master, the Crown Prince has left. Please go back to your room; it's still early."
Cheng Qianyue couldn't sleep at all. She slowly walked to the kang (a heated brick bed) in the inner room and sat down, rubbing her forehead with her hand. After a while, she said, "Ruoyun, you're twenty-seven this year. Leave the palace after this matter is over. You've been with me for so many years, and I've prepared your dowry and everything else."
Upon hearing this, Ruoyun knelt at her feet, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Master..."
Cheng Qianyue wiped away her tears and said softly, "Although the rule is that palace maids should serve until they are thirty, it's too late when they actually reach that age." She thought that although Ruoxia and the others were younger than Ruoyun, if they wanted to leave, they could be released as well.
To be honest, if she were still the Crown Princess, all the palace maids around her could find good husbands no matter how old they were. But seeing that the Crown Prince was about to fall, she figured her status as Crown Princess had probably been diminished, so she was releasing the few around her who were still under thirty as soon as possible.
Ruoyun said, "This servant is just worried that after this servant leaves, the servants below will not be able to take good care of you."
Cheng Qianyue smiled and said, "Isn't it all about experience? After a year or two, it'll probably be fine." As she spoke, she thought of when Ruoyun first came to her side and couldn't help but sigh at how fast time flies; so many years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Having made her arrangements, Cheng Qianyue waved to Ruoyun and sat silently, staring at the embers in the charcoal brazier. She didn't know how much time had passed before she glanced outside and saw that dawn was breaking. Was it time for the morning court session? A while later, when it was fully light, before she could even ask the time, Lin Quan'an approached and said softly, "The Imperial Guards have come to pay their respects, saying they are returning to Changchun Garden."
Cheng Qianyue hesitated for a moment and said, "Change my clothes, I'm going to see him at the front." As she said this, she stood up and realized that she was very stiff from sitting for so long. After she changed her clothes and met the person, the guards surrounding the front yard gradually left. However, she heard that the group of people surrounding the garden had not left yet, and that no one except those who were shopping was allowed to enter or leave the garden.
She exhaled and said, "Let's go back to Donglizhai first."
Several months have passed, and I still don't know how the children are doing.
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