Twin lotus blossoms
On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, twin lotus flowers bloomed as scheduled on the banks of Taiye Pond in Luoyang Imperial Palace.
Wu Zetian and Li Zhi stood side by side on the Nine-Bend Bridge, watching the two-colored petals slowly unfold in the morning light.
"Does Your Majesty still remember," she gently stroked the glass railing, "that in the first year of the Xianqing era, here you said that if we enjoyed three years of peace and prosperity, you would admire the twin lotus blossoms with me?"
Li Zhi took her hand and placed a warm lotus seedpod in her palm: "I remember more than just this."
He pointed to the waterside pavilion not far away, "That year you explained the new canal transport policy here, and willow catkins clung to your temples; I dared not brush them away for you."
(OS: So he even remembers such details. Indeed, even after a thousand years, the most unforgettable thing is still the stirrings of a young heart.)
The sounds of children's laughter and play grew louder as they approached.
Prince Hong led his younger siblings in a boat to pick lotus flowers. Taiping lay on the bow of the boat, trying to use the long-handled net specially made by Li Xian to scoop up the twin lotus flowers.
"Watch out!" Before Wu Meiniang could finish speaking, the little princess had already leaned half her body out of the ship's side.
Li Zhi strode forward and firmly grasped his daughter's dress by the back. His swift movement astonished the accompanying imperial physician.
(OS: This reaction speed is nothing like the emperors in history books who were plagued by illness!)
During the midday break, Wu Zetian organized reports of good news from various regions in the Water Palace. The reform of the Grand Canal reduced the loss of grain transported from Jiangnan to half, and the daily transaction volume of the five newly opened markets in the Hexi Corridor exceeded 10,000 strings of cash.
She was about to eat a grape when Li Zhi suddenly stopped her.
"Has the Empress forgotten Master Sun's instructions?" He handed over some warmed medicinal tea. "Those with yin deficiency and excessive internal heat should avoid raw and cold foods."
She stared blankly at the grapes between his fingers, and suddenly remembered that in the fourth year of Yonghui, he had also intercepted her cold wine that she wanted to drink, which led to rumors throughout the palace that "the emperor and empress are deeply in love".
(OS: The tenderness that history books never recorded is our true ending.)
As dusk fell, Li Zhi held a banquet beside the two-colored lotus.
When the attendant presented him with a gilded lotus-shaped cup, he suddenly rose and took the cup: "This cup is for my Empress."
The clear liquid in the cup reflected the image of twin lotus blossoms. "If it weren't for you, I might never have witnessed this peaceful and prosperous era in my lifetime."
Wu Meiniang raised her cup to clink with his, watching the two lotuses intertwine in the wine.
Di Renjie, sitting in the audience, smiled as he recorded: "The Emperor and Empress drank from the same cup, their light as the sun and moon shining brightly in the Purple Palace."
(OS: With this stroke of the historian's pen, he is no longer alone in court.)
That night, Wu Zetian wrote a preface for the "Xianqing Medical Canon" under the lamp.
Li Zhi quietly approached and placed a newly picked twin lotus flower between the pages of the book: "I will personally inscribe the title of this book so that future generations will know that this is a classic text compiled by you and me together."
Gazing at the two figures reflected in the glass lampshade, she suddenly added a subtitle—"The Sun and Moon Shine Together."
(OS: The destiny of Wu Zhou's absolute supremacy has been completely rewritten.)
——
【Observation Diary of Twin Lotus Blossoms】
Crown Prince Hong: Today, when Father and Mother admired the twin lotus blossoms together, their smiles were more beautiful than any line in the Book of Songs. I should record it... Wait, Third Brother, don't put the lotus leaf on Second Brother's head!
Li Xian: The stem structure of the twin lotus is truly marvelous! Your Majesty, I have already thought of three ways to improve the connecting rods of the grain transport boats... Xian'er, stop! That's not a Luban lock for you to play with!
Li Xian: Lotus root is delicious! Lotus pods are fun! Lotus flowers... uh, Taiping, don't do what I did and stuff the petals up your nostrils!
Taiping: (babbling) Daddy and Mommy, you're so cute! Brother, you're so silly!
Cheng Wuting: Your Majesty's skill in picking lotus pods surpasses that of my subordinates.
The new recruits are quite capable! Therefore, the military expansion plan I proposed this morning...
Di Renjie: (Interrupting) General Cheng, what we should be appreciating right now is the lotus blossoms, not the military bearing. (In a low voice) However, His Majesty is indeed three points more composed than last month.
Shangguan Wan'er: The way Her Majesty reviews memorials by the lotus pond should be depicted in "Portraits of Virtuous Empresses Through the Ages"... Ah! Your Highness, please don't throw the inkstone into the pond!
Sun Simiao: (Nodding repeatedly while feeling His Majesty's pulse) Yin and Yang are in harmony, and the meridians are unobstructed. It seems that the calming effect of the twin lotus is even better than recorded in medical books... (His hands are stuffed full of lotus seeds by Princess Taiping)
Li Zhi: (Suddenly chuckles) Meiniang, doesn't this lotus pond look like the small pond at Ganye Temple? Back then, when you hid behind the lotus leaves, the hem of your skirt that peeked out betrayed you long ago.
Wu Meiniang: (Her ears turn slightly red) His Majesty clearly said he was admiring the lotus flowers... Taiping! Don't pull on your father's jade belt!
Koi in the pond: (blowing bubbles) Puff puff (So many people are feeding them today) Puff
Finally, the twin lotus flowers were made into specimens and stored in a jade box, while Princess Taiping received a new toy—a squeaky rag doll lotus seedpod.
As for Li Xian, who always wanted to study the structure of the lotus stem, he was punished by his father, the emperor, to copy "On the Love of Lotus" ten times.
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