Chapter 120 The New Emperor’s Tutor Painted Your Portrait
Half a month later, Xie Zhao set out for the northwest. Outside the capital, Lu Tingwan came to see him off. The snow had stopped, but the wind was strong at the city gate, stirring up his fox fur coat.
"I wish you success on your journey to the northwest. Xie Zhao, thank you!" Lu Tingwan gestured, and two imperial guards came forward carrying a box.
"Thank me?" Xie Zhao was at a loss.
"Well, I have something to give you." Xie Zhao didn't understand why he should thank him. To him, he should be the one thanking Lu Tingwan.
"This is the gift I prepared for you." When the box was opened, a heavy bow with terrifying momentum came into view.
"Sunset Bow?" Xie Zhao's eyes lit up. He took a bow step forward, knelt on one knee, and grasped the bow with one hand. His movements were smooth and flowing, and he didn't seem to struggle at all like others. His voice was filled with surprise and admiration. "You made this?"
"I drew the blueprints, you've seen them. Cheng Xianzhi helped me find someone to make the bow." Lu Tingwan smiled faintly. "Do you like it?"
"I like it." Xie Zhao made the motion of drawing a bow. Lu Tingwan had made the artifact he had longed for and even gave it to him as a gift. Xie Zhao's thousand words could only be reduced to one sentence: "Jiang Yanli, thank you very much."
"What are you thanking me for? I should be the one thanking you. You are the only one who still remembers that my name is Jiang Yanli." Lu Tingwan smiled bitterly.
"Kyoto is a mixed bag. I know you have your own things to do, but I still hope everything goes well for you and you can be yourself." Xie Zhao looked at the figures standing solemnly on the city wall. Cheng Xianzhi kept staring at the two of them.
"I will," Lu Tingwan smiled, the cool breeze blowing across her cheeks, hiding a hint of envy on her face. "Let's go to the northwest, race horses and draw bows, and make great achievements."
"Be the real Xie Zhao!"
"Take care!" Xie Zhao straddled his bow and bowed in farewell. Lu Tingwan nodded, and Xie Zhao turned around and jumped onto the horse.
She waved at him in the wind. The army set off, the horses' hooves trampled out. The wind was strong on the city wall, the officials' robes were solemn, and Cheng Xianzhi stared at the man under the city for a long time.
The army went away, and the only figure stood at the foot of the city. After a long time, Lu Tingwan turned around and looked back at the people on the city wall. Their eyes met in the air. The carriage to the palace came. She withdrew her gaze, threw the emotions in Cheng Xianzhi's eyes into the cold wind, lifted the curtain and got on the carriage.
"Xie Zhao is gone, and it's time for Madam to put her heart at ease." The wind blew up her black hair, making it flutter wildly. Han Zhou felt sad in the bleakness.
Cheng Xianzhi felt a bitterness that was hard to understand, but he smiled and said, "Why? You can't bear to leave Xie Zhao either?"
Han Zhou shook his head, "In fact, my Lord knows better than anyone else that Xie Zhao has what Madam wants, and it's her freedom."
She was looking at Xie Zhao, and also at herself.
Cheng Xianzhi sighed, "She wanted to tell me that her choice was not wrong."
"Is it my fault?" He looked at the carriage and horses disappearing in the distance, and the axle rolled away his thoughts.
If he had not set up a plan to let Lu Tingwan know that Queen Mother Jiang was sacrificing the Lu family to save the king, Lu Tingwan would not have chosen to stay in Kyoto to look for clues of the conspiracy between Queen Mother Jiang and the Lu family.
At that time, Lu Tingwan had just returned from the execution ground, facing the destruction of her family and the death of her loved ones. She was heartbroken and determined to leave Kyoto after she came to her senses. Cheng Xianzhi had promised to let her go, but he no longer wanted her to leave.
This was the only way he could think of to keep her, so he set up a trap.
Desolation followed, and outside the city gates there was no one. Only his heavy and desolate sigh echoed in the emptiness, "Am I wrong?"
***
As the New Year came to an end in Kyoto, Gongsun Xue gave birth to a son in the Zhongshu Ling Mansion, but Concubine Rong's health had not recovered since the birth.
Li Tingfeng also passed away in the heaviest snowfall before the end of the year. He survived the winter of his twenties, but could not survive the winter of his thirties.
The whole country banned entertainment for three months, mourning flags were hung in Shanhaiguan and the northwest, and Kyoto was much quieter this year than in previous years.
Crown Prince Li Hongzhi ascended the throne and was named Hong Changnian.
Cheng Xianzhi was busy with the six ministries and the imperial guards, while also overseeing the young emperor's daily life. Empress Dowager Jiang was determined to raise the new emperor, so Cheng Xianzhi used the will drafted by Li Tingfeng to leave the young emperor in Guangling Palace to be personally taught by the imperial tutor.
His biological mother, Concubine Rong, was promoted to the position of Concubine Dowager, but she became increasingly weak. The affairs of the harem were managed by Jinhua Palace, and naturally fell into Lu Tingwan's hands.
Since the day Xie Zhao set off for the northwest, she entered the palace and never returned to the Cheng Mansion.
He had met Cheng Xianzhi several times in the court. Xie Zhao sent a letter back from the northwest, which contained a sea buckthorn flower from the frontier and a goose feather.
He said that sea buckthorn flowers symbolize the struggle for survival in the midst of drought, just as people seek survival in this cannibalistic cage. The wild goose feathers are a friend's sustenance, and he wanted to tell Jiang Yanli that all was well in the northwest.
Lu Tingwan received the letter, put on the hair ornaments of Palace Master Lu, wore the Palace Master's jade pendant, and went to the main hall to serve Queen Mother Jiang in the garden.
Concubine Rong didn't celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival half a year ago.
In the second year of Hongchang, it snowed again in winter, and Li Hongzhi was two years old.
The laughter of Emperor Hongchang and his palace maids playing around could often be heard from Guangling Hall. He could run and walk, and the eunuchs and palace maids were always being dragged along by the young emperor to play. Cheng Xianzhi, the imperial tutor, was a strict teacher, teaching poetry and literature by example and maintaining a serious demeanor. Li Hongzhi was in awe of him.
Only after completing homework can he have his own fun. The young emperor was diligent. He had memorized the Four Books and Five Classics at the age of two and could not even hold a pen steadily.
The young emperor lost his father and mother, and Empress Dowager Jiang was also very concerned. She ordered the Imperial Food Bureau to make different pastries every day. Lu Tingwan was ordered to take them to Guangling Palace and report the new emperor's recent situation one by one.
Lu Tingwan entertained the children and was approachable, so Li Hongzhi liked her and loved being close to her. Cheng Xianzhi was serious and stern all day, so he respected her even more.
Li Hongzhi called out "Aunt Lu" in a soft voice. Lu Tingwan squatted down, her palace dress dragging on the ground. "Your Majesty, I haven't seen Aunt Lu for many days. Do you miss me?"
"I think the Grand Tutor said that Aunt Lu had to share the worries of the Empress Dowager, so she couldn't come to see me," Li Hongzhi whispered in her ear, "The Grand Tutor misses Aunt Lu too."
Cheng Xianzhi stood on the steps, the corners of his lips unconsciously raised.
"Who taught you this, Your Majesty? Did the Grand Tutor teach you?"
Li Hongzhi shook his head, his little head bobbing, "No, I discovered it myself. When the Grand Tutor was teaching me calligraphy, I saw him draw a small portrait of you."
"It's beautiful!" He emphasized, "He was smiling when he looked at your portrait. When I noticed, the Grand Tutor's face turned stern again."
"I'm a little scared." He covered his mouth with his little hands and snuggled into Lu Tingwan's arms.
Lu Tingwan glanced at him standing solemnly in the distance. He had deliberately kept a distance from her over the years, starting with that night two years ago. He no longer forced her to return to his house, nor did he send things to Jinhua Palace every now and then.
Han Zhou bowed and reminded, "Sir, there is news of victory from Shanhaiguan and the northwest."
"Send it to Hanzhang Palace. Wait until His Majesty finishes his snacks, and then we'll go together."
Han Zhou crossed his arms and asked, "If you don't want to be the Shangshu's wife, how long will you stay in Jinhua Palace?"
"Don't call her that," Cheng Xian said, descending one level. "She's not anyone's wife. She's just Lu Tingwan, herself. Otherwise, she'll be unhappy if she hears it."
Han Zhou spread his hands.
Lu Tingwan pushed Li Hongzhi away from her embrace and said patiently, "The Grand Tutor is not angry with Your Majesty. The Empress Dowager has sent some snacks for Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please eat and then study with the Grand Tutor. Is that okay?"
Li Hongzhi said "hmm" in a childish voice, and bowed respectfully to Cheng Xianzhi, "Taifu, can I have some snacks with Aunt Lu and Taifu?"
Cheng Xianzhi walked over, bent down, and took the young emperor by the hand. "Of course you can. Your Majesty is still young, and learning should be a combination of work and rest."
"What else is there to learn at this hour? Your Majesty is only two years old, and it is time for a nap." Lu Tingwan followed him into Guangling Palace.
"Aunt Lu," Li Hongzhi turned around and tugged at Lu Tingwan's sleeve, "Why don't you go back to live with the Grand Tutor?"
Lu Tingwan was slightly stunned and looked at Cheng Xianzhi with a questioning look, but seeing that he looked calm, this reaction did not seem to be something he had taught.
"Why do you ask, Your Majesty? But who told you what?"
"No, people in the palace say that husband and wife should sleep in the same bed. The Empress Dowager also said that Aunt Lu and the Grand Tutor are husband and wife, but why don't you live together?" He tilted his little head and looked at Lu Tingwan and then at Cheng Xianzhi.
"Aunt Lu is going to serve the Empress Dowager."
"But the Empress Dowager gave you leave, and you didn't return home. Minister Han said that the Grand Tutor was unhappy because of this. I don't want the Grand Tutor to be unhappy, and I don't want Aunt Lu to be unable to return home."
Lu Tingwan now understood that it was not Cheng Xianzhi who taught him, but Han Zhou.
"Pass on my order," Li Hongzhi said solemnly, "Aunt Lu is returning home with the Grand Tutor today and will be on leave for half a month."
"Your Majesty, this is no joke. Aunt Lu still has to serve the Empress Dowager. She can't..."
"I have made up my mind. There is no need to discuss it further." He put away his serious face and stared at the food box in her hand. "I am hungry and need a snack."
Lu Tingwan looked at Cheng Xianzhi. He had already opened the lunch box and took out a piece and handed it to him.
Li Hongzhi felt sleepy after eating snacks, so the palace maid took him to take a nap.
When the two of them came out of Guangling Palace, Cheng Xianzhi understood her difficulties and took the initiative to say, "If you feel embarrassed, don't bother with it. I will speak to His Majesty myself."
"He has the mind of a child."
She knew that Cheng Xianzhi had been burdened with so much gossip over the years as the Shangshu's wife, living in Jinhua Palace for so long. He naturally didn't care, and neither did Lu Tingwan.
He didn't pester her anymore, and Lu Tingwan became less wary of him, but she always felt like there was something between them, as if she was in a fog and couldn't see through it.
Cheng Xianzhi stayed for a moment before leaving without waiting for her reply. Lu Tingwan looked at the figure from behind, standing on the high platform. "I'll come back after three days of rest."
Cheng Xianzhi heard it, but did not stay. However, a rare smile appeared on his dull face.
It snowed again in Kyoto. Lu Tingwan stood under the eaves, wrapped in a cloak and admiring the snow. Queen Mother Jiang and the palace maids watched her from the windowsill.
"Palace Manager Lu has not returned to the Cheng Mansion for two years. How come he has to go back tomorrow on his day off?" The palace maid handed a hot water bottle to Empress Dowager Jiang.
"She is most afraid of the cold. Go and ask her to come in and stop standing there watching the snow." said Queen Mother Jiang.
She was afraid of the cold, but she also liked to appreciate the snow. The imperial city covered with thick snow was like an iceberg. Everything she saw was white, and all the hidden abysses seemed to be exposed. She could see more clearly in the snowy scene.
Lu Tingwan raised her hand to catch the broken snow, which soon melted into her palm.
"Palace Master Lu, the Empress Dowager is calling you over."
Lu Tingwan withdrew her gaze, shook off the snow on her body, and leaned towards Queen Mother Jiang to dispel some of the cold.
"My Lady."
"Zhi Er, how are you doing lately?"
"Your Majesty is diligent and loves to learn, but he is too young. He needs to get enough sleep every day, otherwise he won't be able to learn." Lu Tingwan found it very funny when he thought of him dozing off.
"When the late emperor passed away, he left a will, asking Cheng Xianzhi to teach the new emperor. He has to take care of the emperor's studies on one hand and the government affairs on the other. I have been much freer in the past two years." Empress Dowager Jiang meant something. Cheng Xianzhi monopolized power, and the Jiang family's status in the court was no longer as good as before.
"My queen, the wind is blowing." Lu Tingwan looked out the window at the plum branch leaning in and rolling in the wind.
"It's not the wind that's moving," Queen Mother Jiang raised her hand and asked the palace maid to cut it off, "it's your heart that's in turmoil."
"What the Queen said is a bit profound, Tingwan doesn't understand. Tingwan just suddenly misses home."
"Are you blaming me for not letting you go? I'll let you go tomorrow," Queen Mother Jiang said. "Don't spend New Year's Eve in the palace this year."
"Ting Wan is not talking about the Cheng family."
"Is that the Lu family?"
"Not really, it's the home of me and my mother." She smiled sternly, and the plum branches outside the window were cut off.
She persuaded him to stay, saying, "Your Majesty, please plant one in your bedroom. This winter plum blossom is growing well."
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