The emperor glanced at his son, who looked somewhat aggrieved as he didn't respond, and then ignored the empress's words.
"Several chrysanthemums have bloomed in the Imperial Garden again. Shall I accompany Your Majesty for a stroll?" The Empress suggested, unwilling to send her son away.
"Father, Mother, your son is practicing calligraphy here." Although He Yanming was only eight years old, he was still quite perceptive. His father clearly had something to say to his mother, but it was inconvenient for him to be by his side.
"Good, practice your calligraphy well. I'll give you that inkstone that your father just acquired later." The Emperor was very pleased with his son's actions.
He Yanming watched his father and mother talking as they walked out, and he thought of the woman he had called "Mother Consort" for eight years. People inside and outside the palace said that his father doted on Consort Yun, and he thought so too.
It wasn't until later, when he saw his father and mother together, that he realized the way they looked at each other and the way they spoke was completely different from what he had seen between his father and Consort Yun before.
He's still young, so I don't know what words to use to describe it, but it just felt very natural and warm.
When the Empress Dowager met the Emperor, she was not the kind of person who would try to please him, and the Emperor did not shower her with gifts or favors.
Furthermore, after court, the Emperor would either go to the Imperial Study or to the Phoenix Palace behind the scenes.
Consort Yun would often send her trusted eunuchs to keep watch on the emperor before he even finished court, and she would try all sorts of ways to get him to her palace.
He Yanming remembered that sometimes when his father went to the palaces of other concubines, Consort Yun would either have some minor mishap herself or ask him to pretend to be sick.
The imperial physician was Consort Yun's man, so whenever she was faking illness or he was actually "sick," the emperor believed it to be true.
As a result, many people, including the Emperor himself, thought that he, the Ninth Prince, was physically weak and sickly!
Consort Yun taught him that whatever means were used, as long as the goal was achieved, that was fine.
She told herself to practice calligraphy and read books diligently, saying that it would please her father.
His mother told him to be upright and courageous.
What the Empress Dowager said was the same as what the Imperial Tutor had taught.
Actually, when Consort Yun was still his mother, he felt that some of the things she taught him were inappropriate and he didn't want to do them. He would feel guilty when he saw his father, but he didn't dare to say no or disobey her orders!
Now that I'm the mother's son, I don't have to do anything that requires lying or deceiving people anymore, which feels very relaxing.
However, whether it was when he called Consort Yun "Mother" before or now, the woman named Hong Xiaoduo is the only one who is fierce to him, and she did so in front of his father and mother without teaching him a lesson as a prince.
There's a saying that even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner, but that woman wasn't afraid of her father at all!
Hmm? Why think of that fierce woman? Calm down and practice your calligraphy!
On the way to the Imperial Garden, after hearing the Emperor's words, the Empress hesitated for a moment and asked, "The Imperial Observatory failed to calculate it? Then, Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?"
"Empress, why don't you just ask me directly, do you believe the Imperial Observatory or that girl now?" The Emperor looked at his Empress with eyes full of heartache. The years she spent in the Cold Palace had taken a heavy toll on her body and mind. After she came out, she became more cautious when speaking to him.
The Empress did not appear flustered by the revelation of her words: "After all, in the eyes of others, the words of the Imperial Observatory are more convincing when it comes to matters of natural disasters."
"Oh, so, Your Majesty, regarding this matter, do you believe that girl or the Imperial Observatory?" the Emperor asked with a smile, though he already had the answer in his heart.
"Your Majesty, I think the same way. Whoever Your Majesty trusts, I will trust too," the Empress replied with a smile.
The emperor raised his hand and gestured towards the empress, saying, "You know perfectly well what my answer is, yet you still ask this question on purpose."
"So, what does Your Majesty intend to do?" the Empress continued.
"What should we do? Although we haven't had much contact with that girl, we know her personality well. If she wasn't confident about the White Disaster, she definitely wouldn't have told me. And the expression on her face when she mentioned it clearly showed that she was saying, 'I've told you, whether you believe it or not is up to you.'"
She's a capable woman; she would never say something nonsensical or meaningless.
"I'm currently thinking about how to make thorough preparations for a white disaster without upsetting the person in the Imperial Observatory," the emperor said, expressing his dilemma.
The Imperial Observatory was responsible for observing celestial phenomena, calculating and compiling calendars, and divining good and bad fortune—a crucial role for the country and its people. However, the people in charge of the Imperial Observatory were not easily replaced, so this matter required utmost care.
"Your Majesty, why trouble yourself? You can talk to Prince Mu and ask him to help you come up with a solution," the Empress said, offering advice based on her understanding of the Emperor's predicament.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded and told the Empress that he thought the same thing. However, Mu Rongjing had been away from the palace for the past two days on business for him. This young man had many ideas and should be able to come up with the most suitable solution.
"You know, if that girl were a boy, how wonderful that would be," the emperor suddenly said.
The Empress sighed helplessly, "Her temperament is set in stone. She's a man, and she probably wouldn't want to stay in the capital either!"
"That's not necessarily true. If she were a man, and I offered him an official position, that wouldn't work. I would then select a suitable young lady from the residence of a high-ranking official and bestow her upon him in marriage. If that still doesn't work, I would grant his request to marry one of my princesses or any of the unmarried princesses he might like."
"If a man doesn't have enough high-ranking official positions, then he can make up for it with beautiful women. I don't believe he won't be tempted or unable to stay." The emperor thought that the main reason he couldn't keep Hong Xiaoduo was probably because women weren't very interested in becoming officials.
...
Hong Xiaoduo, who had just stepped off the carriage outside the capital, sneezed several times in a row. Rubbing her nose, she muttered, "First they hit me, then they scold me, and now they're thinking about me. Who's missing me? It must be those little brats."
"Young Lady Hong, could it be that you've caught a cold?" Lang Chuan asked as he drove the carriage, following the innkeeper to the stables.
Hong Xiaoduo laughed and said, "It shouldn't be, my body isn't that weak."
As soon as Uncle Tong arrived in Hongguo City, he immediately took the mushrooms to the yamen (government office).
He worked for Lord Wei and knew how to deal with the government.
Upon arriving at the inn, Lang Chuan immediately asked the innkeeper for two adjacent superior rooms. Hong Xiaoduo went straight into the room to rest for a while, and they would have dinner together when Uncle Tong returned.
Even knowing that Hong Xiaoduo was very capable, Lang Chuan still remembered the young master's instructions and decided to live next door to her so that he could help her if needed.
However, I had already discussed it with Uncle Tong before leaving the capital last time. We would take turns sleeping at night, and we would also keep an eye on the things in the carriage.
In short, the two of them arranged all the trivial matters on the road, and paid for all the accommodations and meals along the way. Whenever Hong Xiaoduo tried to pay, the two of them would get anxious and act as if she was making things difficult for them.
She could only laze around like a hands-off manager, eating as soon as she woke up, and setting off again as she got closer and closer to the place where she would meet up with Brother Quan and Tian Shu...
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