Chapter 85: Domineering White Moonlight 4 She always listens to Xie Jingchuan the most,...
Concubine Xiao's expression faltered, and she frowned as she spoke, "Yesterday, the wife of Minister Chen of the Ministry of Personnel came to the palace and cried for a long time in Qixia Palace, saying that her daughter had been wronged at Princess Fu'an's flower-viewing banquet."
"I saw her crying and couldn't explain why, so I wanted to ask you, Princess, what happened that day?"
Before Ali could speak, the Queen Mother said to her, "You little girl, why are you so quiet listening to the Imperial Concubine? I didn't sleep well last night. Please use some strength to loosen me up."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Ali lowered his head, not daring to be careless.
This interruption forced Concubine Xiao to ask a few questions with concern: "Did the Empress Dowager sleep well last night? Should we send for the imperial physician to take a look?"
The Queen Mother waved her hand, the Buddhist beads on her wrist tinkling crisply. "It's an old ailment, and the imperial physician couldn't find anything. I left Ali here with me last night, and it's probably better now."
As she spoke, she touched A-Li's head, her expression loving: "It's all thanks to this girl laughing and making noises in Shou'an Palace these years. I feel much more at ease seeing her."
Ali smiled and sat closer to the empress dowager.
Concubine Xiao's gilded peony-embroidered hairpin swayed slightly, a smile barely reaching her eyes. "It's all thanks to the Empress Dowager's guidance that the princess has grown up to be so intelligent and well-mannered."
Even someone as slow-witted as Ali could sense that something was amiss in these words.
She raised her eyes quietly and saw that the empress dowager had a gloomy expression. She didn't dare to say anything for fear of getting herself into trouble.
"Grandmother, Mother," Xie Jingchuan stood up and bowed. "It's almost time for school. Imperial Tutor Yao hates students being late. Please allow me and the princess to take our leave first."
He has an elegant figure, bright eyes, speaks slowly and steadily, and his every move and gesture reveals the nobleness of a royal family.
The empress dowager was extremely satisfied with her grandson. Although she did not like Concubine Xiao's exclusive favor, she rarely made things difficult for her for the sake of Xie Jingchuan.
Seeing Xie Jingchuan say this, the Queen Mother nodded and said, "Forget about it. Go ahead."
"My Lady, you should kneel down as well."
"Yes." Several people stood up and left.
Xie Jingchuan supported Concubine Xiao and walked in front. The crowd of attendants outside the palace separated Ali and Mingshuang behind them.
Xie Jingchuan looked at Concubine Xiao, frowning slightly. "Your Majesty, you still don't look very well. I got two thousand-year-old ginsengs a few days ago and have sent them to your palace. Please ask the imperial physician to prepare some medicine. It will be good for your health."
As the two of them crossed the palace gate, Concubine Xiao's expression remained stern. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. This is probably the state of my health. I won't be able to recover no matter what I do..."
"Mother," Xie Jingchuan said solemnly, his throat tight, "The palace has the best doctors and the best medicines. You will definitely get better."
When Concubine Xiao gave birth to him, she suffered from severe labor and hemorrhage, and she almost passed away. Since then, her health has not improved.
The prince, who has always been mature and prudent, only acts like a teenager in front of the imperial concubine, his eyes full of admiration.
Concubine Xiao just curled her lips and didn't say anything until she got into the sedan chair.
Ali had walked up behind the lost Xie Jingchuan and pulled his drooping arm, saying, "Your Highness the Imperial Concubine is truly a cold beauty."
Xie Jingchuan looked at her: "Why do you say that?"
Ali looked at the sedan chair going away, hiding behind him and whispered, "Except the emperor, the imperial concubine is cold to everyone." Even her own son Xie Jingchuan is the same.
Xie Jingchuan's eyes were filled with a hint of uneasiness and sorrow, and he sighed, "My mother is naturally distant and aloof, and she has been suffering from illness for many years. It's inevitable that she is depressed. As a son, I only regret that I can't bear it on her behalf."
He turned around and Ali was no longer by his side.
"Wow! Are you going to Chengguan Pavilion by sedan chair today?"
Ali, who had been timid just now, took two steps at a time and ran to Xie Jingchuan's sedan chair with his eyes shining.
In the palace, the Crown Prince's sedan chair was second only to the Emperor's in specifications. When Ali looked at it, he felt that it was golden everywhere, and it was indescribably beautiful and luxurious.
Xie Jingchuan stepped forward and said, "Well, let's go now."
Ali was suddenly very excited and got on the sedan chair quickly regardless of the injury on his foot.
She sat in it, patted the gold-thread cushion beside her, and felt herself becoming more majestic.
Along the way, Ali kept his back straight, chin held high, and looked particularly proud.
Xie Jingchuan found it a little funny and asked her, "Are you happy like this, Ali?"
"Of course!" Ali nodded heavily. Seeing a group of palace servants walking up the palace road ahead, she immediately turned around and raised her head like a proud little peacock.
Just as he was feeling proud, Ah Li suddenly thought of something and grabbed Xie Jingchuan's hand without any manners: "When Master Yao sees us like this, won't he punish us by making us copy books?"
Usually they went there on foot and never in a sedan chair.
Xie Jingchuan's eyebrows were calm, somewhat surprised that she would think of this. Before he could reply, Ali turned around and muttered, "Even if I have to be punished for this, I accept it!"
Xie Jingchuan lowered the hem of her skirt that had been lifted up by her movements, glanced at her injured ankle, and agreed, "If there are extenuating circumstances, the Grand Tutor should give her a lighter punishment."
As they were talking, Chengguan Pavilion was already in sight. Xie Jingchuan helped Ali get off the sedan chair, and the two walked in together.
*
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. The silver bell in Chengguan Pavilion rang softly. Taifu Yao closed the book with reluctance and took a sip of tea.
"Today's class ends here. No additional homework will be assigned, but the Crown Prince and the Princess will need to review their lessons after class. I will randomly check on a few of them tomorrow."
Xie Jingchuan stood up and bowed respectfully: "Yes, students, please remember this."
Master Yao nodded and left with satisfaction.
Xie Jingchuan turned around and looked at Ali who was standing beside him. She was lying on the table with a depressed look on her face, her eyes closed, as if saying, "Don't let anyone disturb me."
He chuckled softly, "Before I went to Shou'an Palace to pay my respects, Mother said she was looking at the accounts of the Six Palaces of the Last Moon yesterday. It seems that the expenses of the Qingluan Palace have increased a bit compared to before, and a lot of precious porcelain has been lost."
Ali shuddered all over and suddenly woke up: "What else did the Imperial Concubine say?"
Concubine Xiao was in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, and she would always call Ali to talk because of the high expenses of Qingluan Palace.
Those porcelains were dropped by Ali when he was angry. No matter how much they were worth, as long as they were in sight, they would be destroyed.
Xie Jingchuan chose to keep it a secret at this time. Seeing Mingshuang had packed up A-li's things, he said, "You can go back to the palace and come to the library to pick up your princess later."
After saying this, he strode out of Chengguan Pavilion.
Although Ali didn't understand what he meant, the habit she had developed since childhood made her follow him obediently.
Xie Jingchuan obviously knew this and was waiting for her beside the imperial carriage.
"Why do you want me to go to the library?" Ali couldn't help but ask.
Xie Jingchuan helped her up, and the palace attendants slowly lifted the imperial sedan chair forward. "Just now, the Grand Tutor told us to study hard, but you forgot in the blink of an eye?"
Ali shook his head seriously: "It's not that I forgot, it's that I didn't hear it at all."
"Then we have to go to the library." Xie Jingchuan said calmly.
It sounded reasonable. Although Ali was not very happy, he still agreed: "Okay, I'll go with you."
She always listened to Xie Jingchuan's words, which were more effective than imperial edicts.
Seeing Ali's unconscious look, Xie Jingchuan remembered what his mother said in Shou'an Palace. If he let Ali return to Qingluan Palace, it would not be just his mother who would come looking for her.
Xie Jingchuan lowered his eyes and hid his thoughts.
The library has existed since the previous dynasty. It is located behind the Chongwen Hall on the west side of the imperial palace. It is seven stories high and contains tens of thousands of books, many of which are incomplete or unique. There are imperial guards guarding the front of the library.
Xie Jingchuan was very familiar with this place. He walked leisurely through the rows of bookshelves, took out a few books, and placed them on the table by the window on the second floor.
A palace maid had already brought him writing materials. Xie Jingchuan sat down at the table and flipped through the books casually without asking about Ali's whereabouts.
As early as the two of them entered the library, Ali walked away on his own.
Thanks to Jingchuan, she is also a frequent visitor to the library, but she has her own books to read.
Ali wandered around and found a corner. There were only a few books on the bookshelf here. The palace servants were too lazy to clean here, so there was a thick layer of dust on the shelves.
She sneaked in and pulled out a few books from the second-to-last bookshelf with her hands behind her back.
These were the collections she asked Lan Xin to bring in from outside the palace. They contained all kinds of things, and they were erotic and bold, which always made her happy.
Ali squatted on the ground, searching quickly, wondering where he had seen it last time, but suddenly found that a few books seemed to be missing.
She counted again a few times in disbelief and confirmed that the two books were missing were a story about a lady from a noble family eloping with a playboy, and a particularly fascinating travelogue of mountains and rivers.
Ali squatted among the dusty bookshelves, feeling as if the sky had fallen.
That was the story she had just seen: a playboy from the Jianghu visited the boudoir at night and confided his true feelings to the lady. They were attracted to each other and agreed to meet at the city gate late at night ten days later to elope.
If Xie Jingchuan hadn't suddenly come to her, she would have watched the rest of the story!
Ali didn't give up and searched the surrounding bookshelves again, but still found nothing.
She stood there, feeling extremely anxious and worried.
It felt like the granary that I had hidden secretly was taken away by someone unknown, but because it was hidden secretly, it was not easy to ask openly.
So, Xie Jingchuan raised his head from the book and saw Ali who looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
He put down the book. "What happened?"
Ali thought about it again and again, then sat down across from him dejectedly, supporting his face with his hands: "It's okay."
This doesn't look like anything is wrong.
Xie Jingchuan looked at her a few times and didn't ask any further questions.
"This was just made by the imperial kitchen. Eat some first to fill your stomach." He placed the pastries on the table in front of Ali and raised his hand to pour a cup of tea.
Ali obediently picked up a piece of cake and put it in his mouth, still thinking about the missing book.
"The tutor asked us to review our lessons, so I just started eating here." She took a sip of tea to moisten her lips. Although she said this, she continued to eat.
Xie Jingchuan turned a page of the book and said, "I will tell you what the Grand Tutor taught me today in the evening."
Ali nodded.
Behind the library is a green lake. The breeze brings the fragrance of newly opened peach blossoms and gently stirs the pages of the books spread out on the desk.
Xie Jingchuan put down the book in his hand and rubbed his sore eyes. The peach blossoms outside the window were in full bloom. The pink and white petals floated into the window with the wind and fell on Ali's hair.
She was lying on the table, sleeping soundly, her long eyelashes casting fine shadows in the sunlight.
In fact, Ali has a sweet and clever appearance, but she usually puts on a vicious and domineering expression, which destroys this beauty.
"Your Highness." A palace servant came forward to add tea. Xie Jingchuan's expression changed slightly, and he signaled him to be silent.
The palace maid stood by with her back bent, watching the nose with her eyes and the heart with her nose.
Xie Jingchuan picked the petals from Ali's hair, and only withdrew his hand when he saw that she was sleeping very soundly.
The palace servant stepped forward at the right moment and, taking the opportunity to add more tea, lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. The princess didn't suspect anything just now."
Xie Jingchuan nodded slightly, and the palace maid quietly withdrew.
After a long time, he stood up and walked to Ali, gently covering her shoulders with his cloak.
The sunlight poured in from the window lattice, and Xie Jingchuan's figure enveloped Ali completely, making it airtight.
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