Chapter 37 [37]
【37】/First release
When Xiao Lanchun heard the words "Zhen Fei's misfortune", the blush on her shy face just now faded away and her expression became serious.
"Why do you suddenly ask this?" She stared at Lu Zhiwan.
"This..." Lu Zhiwan was also a little nervous at her sudden solemnity. He spoke carefully, "Didn't those people outside always call me a witch concubine? They also said that if His Majesty continued to dote on me like this, I might become the second Zhen Fei... So I asked about Zhen Fei, uh, to learn from her?"
Xiao Lanchun looked at her in surprise: "You didn't know about Concubine Zhen before?"
Lu Zhiwan twitched the corner of his mouth and thought to himself, if I already know, why would I ask you?
But seeing Xiao Lanchun's reaction, she could only make up a story: "My princess should know that I was originally the daughter of a small county magistrate in Yuezhou Prefecture. Our area is remote and isolated from the outside world. Everything in the capital is like the moon in the sky—you can see it, but you can't touch it. So, I only know a general idea of Zhenfei's affairs, not the details."
At this point, she acted embarrassed and looked at Xiao Lanchun eagerly, "I'm asking you because I think you, as a royal relative, must know more secret details than outsiders."
Seeing her mention her humble background so honestly, Xiao Lanchun secretly praised herself in her words. While feeling happy, she also felt a little ashamed.
Previously, when she and Concubine Gu were chatting together, they often made a fuss about Lu Zhiwan's background, using vulgar and contemptuous words such as "from the country", "bumpkin", "farm girl", "wild sparrow"... They used all these vulgar and contemptuous words to accuse Lu Zhiwan without exception and chatted with gusto.
Now that they were in front of the real person, and the other party was so frank about his background, it seemed that they were narrow-minded and mean before.
Xiao Lanchun uncomfortably took a sip from her teacup, then put it down again. She offered solace in a stiff voice, "You don't have to be so self-deprecating. A hero's origins are not judged by their merits. Our Daxing's founding empress wasn't some noblewoman from the capital, yet she remained empress her entire life, sharing a loving life with the Emperor Taizu. It shows that birth isn't that important."
Lu Zhiwan was slightly surprised. This little princess could comfort people? Now it seemed that she was not as hateful as described in the original novel.
"Then would the princess be willing to tell me about Concubine Zhen?" she asked while the iron was hot.
Xiao Lanchun hesitated for a moment, then glanced around to make sure there were no outsiders in the hall before nodding and saying, "Alright, it's been so many years since those things happened."
After taking two sips of tea to moisten his throat, Xiao Lanchun began to tell the story of Concubine Zhen.
"Over twenty years ago, the late emperor traveled incognito to Heluo and met a winery maid named Wei Zhenniang. This woman was charming and a fine winemaker, and the late emperor fell in love with her at first sight. After spending some time with her outside the palace, he became reluctant to part with her and brought her back to the palace. Upon her return, His Majesty favored Zhenniang exclusively, even ignoring the objections of his ministers and making her an Imperial Noble Consort, second only to the Empress."
"It's not uncommon for people to have partialities. But Concubine Zhen was jealous and cruel by nature. Not only did she not allow the late emperor to favor other concubines, she also persecuted those pregnant with heirs. Since she entered the palace, no heirs have been born in the harem. In the first few years, the late emperor kept her at his side, awaiting good news from her pregnancy. But year after year passed, and Concubine Zhen still had no good news. Seeing that Your Majesty was getting older and had no children, the court officials urged the late emperor to put the country first. The late emperor began to waver and began to visit the harem."
"Soon after this, good news came from two concubines, and everyone in and outside the court rejoiced. However, Concubine Zhen cried bitterly, quarreled and argued with the emperor, and attempted suicide several times. In the end, she even forced the emperor to force the concubines to drink safflower, causing them to miscarry the unborn child..."
"Fortunately, evildoers will always be punished by heaven. A year or two later, Concubine Zhen was struck down by an epidemic and died of a serious illness. The late emperor was also a sentimental man. Not long after Concubine Zhen's death, he also fell ill and could not afford to live. He did not regret bringing Concubine Zhen into the palace, but only regretted that he had no children to inherit the throne..."
Hearing this, Lu Zhiwan couldn't help but interrupt: "Since there are no children, then what is His Majesty...?"
Picked up from the trash? Or adopted by a royal family member?
Xiao Lanchun was still immersed in the afterglow of Concubine Zhen's story. When she heard Lu Zhiwan's question, she sighed in a reserved manner, "That's another matter."
Lu Zhiwan was listening to the story with great interest, so he quickly poured her a cup of tea and urged her earnestly, "Then continue. I'll tell you another fortune later."
Once the conversation started, Xiao Lanchun couldn't stop and decided to talk to the end.
She took a sip of tea and looked at Lu Zhiwan deliberately, as if to keep him in suspense. "Did you know that His Majesty really likes wild animals like civet cats and tigers?"
"I know." Lu Zhiwan nodded: "He also gave me a little leopard, which I keep in my back hall."
Xiao Lanchun: “……?”
Her relaxed expression suddenly became tense. She tensed her shoulders and looked out the door. "You still have a leopard? Is it locked up properly?"
"Don't worry, he's locked up." Lu Zhiwan soothed him, "Besides, our little Fugui is very well behaved and never bites anyone. If we have time after our chat, I'll take you there to see him."
Xiao Lanchun looked at the doting smile on her face when she mentioned the leopard, and her forehead twitched twice.
I suddenly understood why Concubine Zhao was favored. It turned out that she had the same unique hobbies as the emperor's cousin.
After confirming again and again that the leopard in the back hall had been locked up and would not run forward to attack anyone, Xiao Lanchun calmed down a little and talked to Lu Zhiwan about Xiao Jingting's life experience.
"Do you remember what I just told you, that there was a period of time when the late emperor entered the harem to favor other concubines?"
Lu Zhiwan nodded, "I remember, weren't there two concubines who were pregnant, but were drugged with safflower?"
Xiao Lanchun: "In fact, at that time, in addition to the two concubines, there was also a maid who swept the imperial garden, and she was also pregnant."
Lu Zhiwan's eyebrows jumped: "Could it be that this palace maid is pregnant with Xiao Jingting?"
"yes."
Xiao Lanchun nodded, her voice unconsciously lowered. "I heard this from my mother-in-law. She used to work for the Empress Dowager. When she was old enough to leave the palace, she came to my house to take care of my daily life."
Lu Zhiwan felt a little dizzy when he heard this, but then he thought about the past between the King of Liaodong and the Queen Mother. Maybe the King of Liaodong loved the woman in the palace so much that he couldn't see his beloved, so he invited the palace maids who had served his beloved to work in his palace, which was also a kind of consolation?
Shaking his head slightly, Lu Zhiwan looked at Xiao Lanchun: "Isn't it said that your Majesty's biological mother is the talented Xu?"
"Oh, that's what we say to the outside world."
Xiao Lanchun said softly, "But the maid's surname was indeed Xu. After being favored by the late emperor, she was afraid to speak out. Later, she discovered she was pregnant. Her belly was growing so large that she couldn't hide it anymore. Fearing the fate of the other two concubines, she ran to Fengyi Palace to ask the Empress Dowager for help. You know the Empress Dowager is kind-hearted. Seeing that Xu was already five months pregnant, she couldn't bear it and agreed to help her. She ordered Xu to be sent to a remote cold palace and secretly cared for her. She had originally planned to wait until the child was born and raised before informing the late emperor. But a few days before Xu's birth, a villain reported her, and Concubine Zhen learned of the matter..."
Lu Zhiwan's breath caught in his throat and he became nervous: "And then?"
"Concubine Zhen was furious and had a bitter quarrel with the late emperor. But Xu was about to give birth, so the safflower injection was useless. It happened to be the autumn hunting season, so Concubine Zhen suggested taking Xu with her to the mountains. If she could survive three nights alone in the forest, it would mean that the dragon fetus in her womb was blessed by heaven and could be kept. If she died in the forest, it would mean that heaven did not want to keep the child. It was heaven's will, and no one else could be blamed."
Lu Zhiwan: “…” People say no.
If she had initially thought Zhen Fei was a woman who seemed out of place in the feudal harem, pursuing a lifelong lover, and hadn't found her particularly hateful, then hearing her persecute a pregnant woman about to give birth—if she truly hated betrayal, she should have castrated the late emperor. Why would she throw an innocent pregnant woman into the mountains?
After calming down a bit, she looked at Xiao Lanchun: "And Xu survived? And gave birth to a child?"
"It was born, but there were some twists and turns in the process."
Xiao Lanchun's tone was filled with amazement as she tutted her lips and said, "Three days later, when the Empress Dowager and Concubine Zhen's men rushed to the cave in the forest, they found Xu lying in the cave, barely breathing. She was covered in blood, and the child in her womb was gone."
"ah?"
"The child was born, but disappeared! Xu refused to believe anyone and only spoke when she saw the empress dowager. She cried out, 'Child... tiger... tiger...' Before she could finish her words, she grabbed the empress dowager's sleeve and died. Everyone saw so much blood on the ground and tiger footprints, and they all thought the prince had been eaten by a tiger at birth."
Xiao Lanchun spoke of this incident with eloquence, as if she were there herself: "The Empress Dowager was heartbroken. After returning home, she requested a position as a talented official for Xu. A few years passed, and everyone gradually forgot about the incident. Then, Concubine Zhen died, and the late Emperor was also bedridden. He wanted to choose a child from the royal family to succeed him. Then, a ranger in charge of the autumn hunting grounds reported that traces of wild people had been spotted in the grounds recently..."
Lu Zhiwan: "This savage...is His Majesty?"
"That's right. Isn't that bizarre?" Xiao Lanchun sighed. "My mother-in-law told me that when His Majesty was brought back, he wasn't even five years old. His hair was long and tangled, and he was dirty and black. He had no clothes or shoes, just animal skins wrapped around him. He had a big head and a big belly, and his body was skinny. Probably because the enclosures were patrolled regularly, he secretly learned to walk and could even understand people talking. But he was very fierce. When the rangers caught him, he opened his mouth and bit them like a tiger cub, leaving them covered in blood. I heard he even bit off a guard's finger..."
"Later, he was brought into the palace. The late emperor and the empress dowager, observing his age, appearance, and the faded peace and good fortune lock hanging around his neck, confirmed that he was indeed the child born to Xu. The emperor and empress, moved by the divine blessing, recognized him as part of the royal family and recorded him in the Imperial Book of Records. Perhaps their wish had been fulfilled, as the late emperor passed away that winter, allowing the five-year-old Majesty to ascend the throne."
Xiao Lanchun finished speaking in one breath, her mouth dry, and she hurriedly picked up the teacup to drink water.
After listening to it all in one breath, Lu Zhiwan felt like an earthquake was happening in his heart, with one wave after another rising.
Many things that I couldn't understand before, suddenly became clear to me.
Why does Xiao Jingting like cats, tigers, lions and leopards so much? It’s because he was taken away by a tiger when he was just born and grew up among tigers. They are all like his relatives and brothers.
Why did he avoid being close to others? It was simply because he had been raised naturally until the age of four or five, then suddenly captured and brought into the palace as a "savage." To him, humans were unfamiliar, brutal, and naturally hostile. Even after that, Empress Dowager Gu taught him how to be a human being and tamed him back into normal human society, the love and care he lacked in his childhood could not be compensated.
As for his eccentric and erratic temperament...
Lu Zhiwan lowered his eyelashes, feeling a little sad. He had such a rough childhood, and it was not easy for him to remain the same as he is now.
Green smoke curled up from the gilded incense burner with a crane pattern, and the inner hall was filled with silence.
After a long moment, Xiao Lanchun looked at Lu Zhiwan's expression and whispered, "Are you okay?"
Lu Zhiwan came back to his senses in a daze, and sighed: "I didn't expect that His Majesty would have such an experience."
"When my mother-in-law told me this, I was just as surprised as you are. But now that I think about it, raising him outside the palace for these few years was a blessing for Your Majesty. If Xu had given birth to him and brought him back to the palace, who knows what methods Concubine Zhen would have used to persecute him."
Xiao Lanchun said, "My mother-in-law said that Your Majesty is the descendant of the Purple Star, which is why he has such good fortune. If he were an ordinary child, he would have been eaten by wild beasts long ago."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiwan nodded softly.
There are all kinds of strange things in the world. Even traveling through a book can happen. It is no big deal for Xiao Jingting to grow up with a tiger beast.
After giving her some time to digest the past, Xiao Lanchun brought up the fortune-telling matter: "I've already told you what you wanted to ask. Now it's your turn. Help me calculate where I should go to meet Master Gu next time."
Lu Zhiwan temporarily withdrew his attention from Xiao Jingting's life experience and pretended to be a highly experienced person. He first asked about Xiao Lanchun's birth date and then read her palm, talking about her life line, career line, and marriage line. Finally, he pinched his fingers and said meaningfully, "At the latest, you will meet at a funeral at the end of the month."
"Funeral ceremony?" Xiao Lanchun took a breath. "Who died?"
The old lady of the He family.
However, Lu Zhiwan didn't say it directly. He just said calmly, "The secret cannot be revealed. You will know it when the time comes. Princess, remember that most men like kind-hearted and helpful young ladies, and Minister Gu is no exception."
Xiao Lanchun frowned slightly and murmured, "Good-hearted...helpful...?"
Lu Zhiwan nodded lightly.
According to the original plot, at the end of this month, Mrs. He died of illness. Gu Rongyu went to pay his respects and happened to meet Xiao Ningning crying alone. She was exhausted and almost fainted. Gu Rongyu helped her in time.
When their eyes met, Gu Rongyu felt a different kind of pity and protective desire for this delicate girl with tears in her eyes.
Just then, Xiao Lanchun happened to see this scene and couldn't help but mock Xiao Ningning for pretending to be pitiful and hooking up with men. The more Xiao Ningning cried, the more ferocious Xiao Lanchun's bullying look became.
"Be kind, Princess, please be kind."
Before sending Xiao Lanchun out, Lu Zhiwan couldn't help but repeatedly remind her, "Don't always assume too badly of people based on preconceived notions. At least get to know them better before deciding on your attitude."
Xiao Lanchun: "..."
Why do I feel like she is pointing at me?
She pursed her red lips, stopped, and looked at Lu Zhiwan: "Before...before, I treated you badly. It was my fault. I apologize to you here. I hope you will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."
After saying that, she bowed to her.
Without waiting for Lu Zhiwan to respond, Xiao Lanchun turned around and ran away embarrassedly.
Xia He, who was standing by, was completely bewildered. Confused, she stepped forward to support Lu Zhiwan and asked, "Master, what's wrong with the princess?"
Lu Zhiwan smiled and said, "At this age, it's normal to feel a little awkward."
"Master, what you said, I don't know why I thought you were much older than the princess."
"She calls me her cousin, so I must be acting big in front of her." Lu Zhiwan said half-jokingly, glancing at the fading sun in the sky, and couldn't help but think of the ancestor in the Yangxin Palace.
After a moment's silence, she instructed, "The weather has turned cold recently. Ask the kitchen to stew a pot of bird's nest with rock sugar and snow pear. I will send it to His Majesty later."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xia He looked at her as if she had seen a ghost.
Lu Zhiwan: "What's wrong?"
Xia He: "Master wants to bring soup to His Majesty?"
Lu Zhiwan: "Isn't it possible?"
"Okay, okay." The little girl's face flushed with excitement. "It's just that this is the first time the master has brought soup to His Majesty, so I just find it strange."
"You say that as if I don't care about him at all."
“…”Isn’t it.
Xia He stared at her master with her large, clear eyes. To be honest, she still didn't understand how her master had won the emperor's favor. After much thought, she could only conclude that it was her master's beauty that conquered His Majesty.
Lu Zhiwan felt awkward being looked at by Xia He. He coughed lightly and urged, "Hurry up and go to the kitchen. I'll bring it over sooner if it's ready."
Xia He didn't delay any longer and responded with a crisp smile: "Yes, I'll go right away!"
Looking at the little girl's back as she left swiftly, Lu Zhiwan raised his hand and touched his chin, thinking to himself, is it true that she rarely cares about that man?
That shouldn't be the case. She is always as attentive to him as a grandson.
As for when he's not around—
Now that the boss is gone, who would still care about work?
***
In the evening, the sunset glows crimson.
Inside the Yangxin Palace, Xiao Jingting instinctively narrowed his eyes in vigilance as he watched Lu Zhiwan, smiling and gracefully serving the sweet soup.
The last time, the woman who brought him soup with a smile like this was almost killed by him.
That memory is not very good.
At this moment, the usually heartless woman came over with a bowl of soup, her eyes curved with a smile, her tone soft and gentle, "Your Majesty must be tired after a busy day of official duties. Try the bird's nest stew with rock sugar and snow pears that I specially ordered. It is nourishing and moisturizing to the lungs, and is perfect for the transition between autumn and winter."
Xiao Jingting glanced at the exquisite carved jade bowl in her hand. The thickly stewed snow pear bird's nest was steaming hot and exuding a faint sweet aroma.
But no one knows whether this seemingly sweet soup is mixed with other things.
"Why did you suddenly think of bringing me soup?"
"The weather is getting colder. As your majesty's concubine, it is my duty to care for you." Lu Zhiwan smiled softly and handed the bowl to him: "Your Majesty, would you like to try it?"
"Why don't you take it quickly? My hands are sore from holding it..."
Xiao Jingting glanced at her trembling wrist lightly, and said with his thin lips: "Let it go for now."
When Lu Zhiwan heard this, he quickly put it on the table.
After waiting for a while, he saw that Xiao Jingting had no intention of eating, and he couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Why isn't he eating? Isn't he hungry? Or does he just not like sweets?"
"This bird's nest stew with rock sugar and snow pear is so delicious. If he doesn't eat it now, it will get cold... If he reheats it, it won't taste as good as it does now."
"Well, we can't waste food."
"Your Majesty, won't you try it?" she said softly.
Xiao Jingting put down the memorial in his hand and looked at her with raised eyebrows: "Do you really want me to eat?"
"This is not nonsense, otherwise why would I send it to you?"
"Eating dessert is such a hassle. If I had known, I wouldn't have sent it to him. It would be better for me to eat it myself than to be rejected by someone I'm trying to please and get myself into trouble."
Although she was complaining in her heart, she spoke softly: "Your Majesty is working hard on government affairs. I see it with my own eyes and feel pain in my heart. I can only send you some soup and water to express my gratitude to Your Majesty."
Xiao Jingting looked at her trying to put on a sincere expression, and twitched his thin lips slightly.
More than half a year has passed, and her acting skills are still as poor as ever, with no improvement at all.
Forget it. It was rare that she suddenly had some conscience and sent him some soup today, so he gave her some face.
He picked up the bowl of sweet soup with his slender fingers, picked up the porcelain spoon, scooped a spoonful, and slowly put it into his mouth.
"Your Majesty, how does it taste?" Lu Zhiwan asked expectantly.
"Fine."
Xiao Jingting said calmly, and caught a glimpse of her happy expression with her eyebrows bent, and his black eyes flashed: "Why are you so happy? It's not you who did it."
Lu Zhiwan was stunned for a moment, then smiled awkwardly and said, "With my skills, what I make is not sweet soup, but poisonous soup. Even if Your Majesty dares to drink it, I won't have the courage to serve it to you."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingting glanced at her and raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "At least you have self-awareness."
Lu Zhiwan smiled dryly and pinched her fingers, without saying anything more, and continued to watch Xiao Jingting drink the sweet soup.
From her perspective, the man's eyelashes were exceptionally long, and covered with a layer of light warm yellow under the candlelight, which inexplicably added a sense of quiet beauty.
"He's still very pretty when he's not talking...especially from this angle, he looks a bit like little Fugui drinking milk, so cute."
"I don't know if he had milk to drink when he was little. Did he grow up drinking tiger milk? Well, tigers are mammals, so they should have milk, right?"
"Ah, for a newborn baby to grow up safely in the wild is truly a miracle... It's truly not easy..."
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when the man put down the porcelain bowl.
It was only when Xiao Jingting turned sideways and called her name expressionlessly that she finally came to her senses: "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Jingting stared at her without saying a word, then stood up with one hand on the table.
His tall figure was like an impenetrable wall of steel, instantly blocking out most of the candlelight. He leaned slightly towards Lu Zhiwan, and a thick shadow enveloped her.
Lu Zhiwan suddenly panicked: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"
He remained silent, took a step forward, and the distance between them became closer.
Lu Zhiwan subconsciously stepped aside, but his waist hit the edge of the imperial desk and he had nowhere to retreat.
A strong aroma of ambergris wafted from her nose. She raised her head and met the man's deep black eyes that seemed calm but had undercurrents. A dangerous aura spread silently, and her heart was hanging in her throat.
Xiao Jingting stared at her for a long time before he said in a calm voice, "What did you and Xiao Lanchun talk about today?"
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