Extra: Yan Hong
There was a continuous drizzle outside the curtain. It was late autumn again. The curtains of the imperial carriage were wet by the rain. The rumbling sound came from the deep alley. The light drizzle was like cold tears. The palace gate is majestic and, from afar, looks like an ink painting with light ink and colors.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing a slender hand with white and soft fingers, cardamom-red nails, and an enameled purple gold bracelet on the wrist, which made the skin look even more jade-like.
"Princess." An old palace servant knelt by the roadside and whispered to the slightly opened carriage curtain, "Imperial Physician Sun is taking your pulse inside."
The curtain of the carriage moved, and a woman in light blue palace dress slowly got out of the carriage. She had delicate features and a calm expression.
Two maids came up from behind to hold an umbrella for her. A woman in her early thirties was holding a child of about six or seven years old. Although the child was still young, he was very handsome. When he saw her, he grinned and said, "Mother, I'm done with school."
Yushu smiled slightly and reached out to stroke the child's hair. "Go with mother to see the queen."
The child frowned slightly, seemed a little reluctant, and pouted and said, "Yong'er, can I wait for mother here?"
"No," Yu Shu said sternly, shaking his head, "Yong'er is a kind and filial child. The Queen is not feeling well, so you have to obey her."
The child pondered for a moment, and finally nodded helplessly, "Okay then." But there was still some reluctance in his expression.
Four years ago, the eldest princess married the country to her, and when the 800,000-strong army of Yanbei was stationed outside the Great Wall, she fought for the status of a vassal for Huai Song, which was weak due to years of civil strife. From then on, she left her warm homeland, sailed north along the Chishui River, and finally entered the Zhenhuang City. And these royal relatives also followed the princess, leaving their homeland and settling in Zhenhuang.
It has been several years since the fall of the Great Xia Kingdom, and now the Eighteen Prefectures of Hongchuan have been renamed "Yan". The new Emperor of Yan renovated the national palace, expanded the Shengjin Palace on the original basis, and opened up the southeast area to build a palace for the Princess Huaisong, which was called the Southeast Palace. He also allowed the Queen to participate in politics and command all the political affairs of the Huaisong vassal states. Huaisong officials below the third rank could be transferred without going through the court, so the outer court also called the Southeast Palace the small court of the old Song.
However, in the past two years, as the eldest princess' health has deteriorated, the Southeast Palace has become increasingly deserted.
Yushu's father was once a former subordinate of Huai Song. At the beginning of his surrender, he was a pillar of the Southeast Palace. However, over the past few years, the former ministers of Huai Song have gradually integrated into the court, and the emperor's inclusive policy has gradually eliminated the vigilance of these foreign ministers. Now when I come to the Southeast Hall again, it is so quiet that I can hear the chirping of autumn cicadas.
"Princess Xuan is here." Aunt Yun is already over sixty years old this year. She has become increasingly older in recent years, with a head full of silver hair and chicken skin. She walked over with a smile, bent down to tease Prince Yong, and said with a smile: "Your Highness Prince Yong is getting more and more handsome. When he grows up, he will definitely be a handsome man like Prince Xuan."
Aunt Yun had been with the Queen for many years and held a high position in the palace. Even Yu Shu had always been respectful to her. He smiled and asked, "Aunt, how are you these days?"
"Okay, okay, thanks to the princess."
"How is the Queen's illness?"
"Alas, it's still the same as before." Aunt Yun sighed. As she got older, she became more nagging. She said to Yu Shu, "He eats very little and doesn't like to take medicine. He's so old, but he's still like a child."
"Yong'er is not afraid of taking medicine!" Prince Yong at the side suddenly said loudly upon hearing this.
Aunt Yun was amused when she heard this. She stroked Prince Yong's head and said with a smile, "Your Highness Prince Yong is a real man. You must persuade the Empress when you go in later. Do you understand?"
"The Queen has woken up and asked who is outside?"
A eunuch suddenly came out. Upon hearing this, Yushu hurriedly nodded to Aunt Yun and walked into Zhaoyang Palace with Prince Yong.
The Zhaoyang Palace was still the same as before. Even though it was magnificent, Yushu always felt that it was too empty. He could hear the echo of his footsteps when he walked.
The queen was a quiet person and there were always very few people around her. Even in her bedroom, there were only a few eunuchs serving her.
Two second-class Hui people lifted the rain curtain of eastern pearls for Yushu, and the shining beads collided with each other, making a crisp sound. Yushu led Prince Yong inside, knelt outside the warm room, and said softly, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Queen."
After a while, a calm voice sounded slowly. If you listened carefully, you could hear some wheezing. "It's Yushu. Come in."
The hall was a little chilly, but a marble screen with carvings of mountains and flowing water added a touch of tranquility to the already empty bedroom. The queen was wearing a bright yellow Luan robe and lying on the couch with her hair combed meticulously. She did not have many red hairpins, only an emerald green Lantian hairpin, and a chicken blood stone the size of a fingernail adorned her forehead.
"Wenyuan, please take a seat."
A first-class lady came forward and showed Yushu a seat. Yushu thanked her and sat down. Then the queen asked, "How is your family doing lately?"
Yushu replied respectfully, "Everything is fine."
"I heard that the princes have a new teacher. Can Yong'er still keep up with his studies?"
"Yong'er is young, and his talent cannot catch up with the other princes, but I have hired two teachers for him in the mansion, and now he can barely keep up."
The Queen suddenly coughed slightly, her face pale with a sickly look, and said, "You come from a family of scholars, so you naturally know how to discipline a child. But don't be too impatient. Yong'er is still young after all, so don't push him too hard."
Then the two of them began to chat about daily life. The relationship between Yushu and the queen has always been strange. Although on the surface the queen seemed to be very close to their palace, there was always a layer of distance between them when they talked. Even though she would bring her children in to pay her respects from time to time, in the end, it was just the same few things.
After chatting for about a cup of tea, there were suddenly three whip sounds outside. Yushu was startled and quickly pulled his son up. Then the pearl curtain was lifted, and the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, strode in.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the emperor."
"Yong'er pays respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."
The emperor raised his hand slightly and said in a low voice, "Stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor sat casually on the couch. The empress, who was ill, just bowed on the bed and asked with a faint smile, "Why is the emperor so free today?"
The emperor said, "I heard from Dr. Sun that you haven't been feeling well lately, so I came to see you."
"Your Majesty is so busy with all kinds of affairs, yet you still worry about my health. I really feel bad for you."
Yushu sat on the chair with his head lowered, listening to the awkward and polite words of the emperor and the empress. He couldn't help feeling a little awkward in his heart, and he didn't say anything at the moment, but just pulled the child to his side and pretended to be willing to listen.
The emperor talked to the queen for a few words, then turned around and asked her, "How is your family doing lately?"
"Thanks to the Emperor, everything is fine."
"The princes have a new teacher. Yong'er is still young, can he keep up with the lessons?"
Yu Shu was slightly stunned, thinking that they were indeed a couple, and nodded quickly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, I can barely keep up."
The emperor nodded, asked some other questions, and suddenly said to the eunuch Cao Qiu: "Bring the bow and arrow that the French tribute sent. Yong'er will be eight years old in the new year, and it's time for him to enter the military school. When Xuan Mo was here, he loved to wield swords and guns, and was especially skilled in bows and arrows. A tiger father will have a dog son. I believe Yong'er will not let me down."
Cao Qiu hurriedly bent over and ran forward, handing over a box. Yushu quickly stood up to thank the emperor, but he was a little worried. The emperor said he came to see the queen's health, but why did he bring a bow and arrow? Does he know that I brought Yong'er into the palace?
Over the years, the emperor had been very good to their palace. He had never left them out of various rewards and had never neglected them in the slightest just because the palace had no male owner. This has caused many people in the court and the public to secretly think about it, and every time the emperor talked about King Xuan, he used a very familiar tone, but as far as Yu Shu knew, the emperor and Xuan Mo had never met.
At once, many thoughts flashed through his mind. Yushu took the box. Yong'er beside him was a little happy. He also kowtowed twice and said with a smile: "The emperor is so good to Yong'er."
The emperor smiled, which was rare for him, and stood up and said, "I still have some state affairs to take care of, so I'll be leaving for now. You guys stay here and chat with the queen." After that, he left with the respectful farewell of the crowd.
As soon as the emperor left, the queen began to cough and looked a little weak.
Wen Yuan asked in a low voice, then took off the queen's outer robe and changed her into a plain nightgown. The Queen and Yushu chatted casually. Seeing that the Queen was obviously tired, Yushu stood up and left. The queen did not keep them, but ordered the servants to give her the prepared rewards, and then the maids escorted them out of the palace.
In the long and narrow red alley, Yushu was holding Yong'er in a carriage. The carriage was moving slowly, and drops of autumn rain were hitting the curtains. Yushu's thoughts were also a little dazed. She thought carefully and it seemed that she had met the emperor every time she entered the palace recently. Every time the emperor went to visit the queen when they entered the palace. In fact, it stood to reason that a widowed princess like her should not meet the emperor.
She suddenly felt a little uneasy. Thinking of the emperor's expression when he talked about her husband today, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.
She suddenly opened the car door and said to Jiang Wu, "Jiang Wu, is Your Highness good at archery?"
Jiang Wu was slightly stunned. He didn't expect her to suddenly bring up this matter. He quickly replied, "Your Highness is naturally skilled in archery and horse riding, but your Highness's swordsmanship is the best. Everyone in the capital knew about it. When it comes to archery, Her Highness the Queen is also very good at it."
Yu Shu frowned, a thought flashed through her mind, but it was only a flash, and she couldn't catch it.
She nodded and closed the car door.