Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The Welcoming Ceremony continued until after noon, and in the evening, the Emperor had arranged a Welcoming Banquet for the Eldest Princess.
Fortunately, most people were either in the Palace or at the Royal Post Station outside the Palace, so it wasn't far. Taking advantage of the afternoon break, I went home to rest and also to satisfy my hunger. I estimated that aside from He Yu and Xiao Mo Yi, not many of those who came to welcome her would have anything left in their stomachs.
Xiao Mo Yi had been kept an eye on by Wang Yan'er for breakfast, and as for He Yu, there was no need to mention it.
Zhao Hezhong followed He Yu into the courtyard, where Xiao Yao was giving two large cats a bath. It was more like playing with water; she scooped up a ladle of water and splashed it on Wuyun and Liujin. The two large cats happily played hide-and-seek with Xiao Yao, while the two children clapped their hands and laughed nearby. When He Yu entered the courtyard, he saw a scene of chaos: two children and two animals, none of whom were dry.
Yun Zhu stood to the side and immediately greeted He Yu upon his arrival, "Greetings, Lord."
Hearing Yun Zhu's voice, Xiao Yao and her two sons finally stopped. The two excited boys waved at their father, "Father! Father! Come here quickly! It's so much fun!"
Zhao Hezhong cautiously lowered his head to observe He Yu's expression, thinking that the lord might get angry. However, considering how doting He Yu was towards his wife, it was likely that nothing would come of it. Sure enough, He Yu did not get angry; he could only look at the three children helplessly before stepping forward and telling his sons, "Go change your clothes and give Cloudy Golden Flow a wipe down. It's almost August; don't catch a chill!"
In the end, they obediently went off with Wuyun and Liujin to their room.
He Yu then took Xiao Yao's hand and led her inside. Once inside, he began to fuss over her, "You're a mother now; you shouldn't be playing around so much. If you catch a cold from being too cool, what will you do? Your health isn't great as it is; you should take better care of yourself."
"It's just once in a while; what's the big deal?" Xiao Yao stuck out her tongue and changed the subject. "Did you receive news about the Eldest Princess?"
"Of course we did," He Yu said as he quickly helped Xiao Yao out of her wet clothes. Then he naturally grabbed a cloth from behind a screen to wrap her up and dry her off before covering her with a blanket. While doing this, he continued speaking, "Tonight is the Eldest Princess's Welcoming Banquet; we all have to go."
"Ah..." Xiao Yao exclaimed softly before weakly saying, "Can I not go..."
"No," He Yu rubbed his forehead and sighed helplessly as he sat down beside Xiao Yao. "Honestly, I don't want you to attend these chaotic banquets either; they’re smoky and messy without any good food. But there's no way around it."
Seeing He Yu's helpless expression made Xiao Yao feel that if she continued to hesitate, it would be overly dramatic. She said, "It's fine; I'll just accompany you."
"You always have this ability to take things lightly," He Yu teased as he pinched Xiao Yao's nose.
Xiao Yao smiled proudly. "That's called self-comforting. Anyway, whether I want to go or not, I have to do it. Might as well go happily and find something fun to do instead of complaining."
"That's true."
"Oh right! You must be hungry after such a long time! I completely forgot to call for lunch!"
"It's fine; the breakfast you brought this morning was filling enough. I'm not too hungry yet," He Yu said with a smile as he patted her shoulder while sharing what happened that morning as a joke. However, instead of finding it funny, Xiao Yao felt puzzled. "Don't those people's wives prepare these things for their husbands?"
"Preparation is useless," He Yu said. "Most of the noble families in the capital have many wives and concubines, who knows which man's staying in which woman's room? Naturally, no one thinks about these things."
"I see." Xiao Yao nodded, realizing that this was a society where a man could have many women. She had been pampered by He Yu for so many years that she seemed to have lost touch with what the outside world was like, which made her feel strange.
However, He Yu clearly did not want to continue discussing this matter. He patted Xiao Yao on the head and said, "Don't think too much. I will be with you for a lifetime." Xiao Yao felt touched, but before she could gather her emotions, He Yu had already changed the subject. "Alright, hurry up and change your clothes, set the table. I will go check on the boys."
"...Okay."
The lunch was not too lavish. Xiao Yao thought about how dinner would likely be served after the hour of the dog, and that there wouldn't be much food at the banquet. To ensure her family wouldn't go hungry, she planned to have an early meal later in the evening.
Especially since her lord husband would definitely drink when he went out. If he didn't have something in his stomach, it might lead to trouble later on. Xiao Yao always paid more attention to her family's health, and with Zhang Taiyi's monthly check-up, she felt a lot more at ease.
The two children had played quite energetically in the morning and were starting to feel drowsy after lunch. Xiao Yao asked Yun Bi to take the two kids for a nap.
After the children left, Xiao Yao thought for a moment and said to He Yu, "When we go back, I want to assign Yun Bi as the boys' maid. What do you think?"
She expected He Yu to ask why, but instead, He Yu smiled without surprise. "You and I are thinking along the same lines. Yun Bi is a good girl; she is steady and speaks little. She does things meticulously. When we return and have two children besides Nursemaid, we can choose a few clever maids to serve them, and then let Yun Bi manage everything."
"That's true," hearing He Yu say this made Xiao Yao feel it was quite suitable. "Yun Yue is more lively and does things in a rush; it's better for me to keep an eye on her closely. In comparison, Yun Bi is much steadier. Then it's settled."
"Alright, since you are in charge of the inner household matters, you and Yun Bi can decide." He Yu nodded.
"I can handle that." Xiao Yao said with a smile.
By evening, the family had filled their stomachs with some food again.
The two children knew that at such banquets there usually wasn't much to eat; aside from the dishes being mostly cold and not very tasty, they also had to constantly follow their father to pay respects and probably would have to toast drinks in a few years.
In front of Xiao Yao, the children were naturally innocent and harmless, but that didn't mean they were completely unaware of everything. They began learning various court etiquette rules at two or three years old, initially following Xiao Yao into the women's quarters. This area was not accessible to just anyone; those who could enter were either top nobles from the capital or primary wives of royal offspring or palace ladies.
As Xuanping Wang's only favored and pampered Primary Wife, Xiao Yao inevitably became a target for teasing during these times. Usually, as long as it wasn't excessive, she would just smile and say nothing.
At first, the children naturally did not understand what it meant. However, after several instances, they began to notice that their mother's mood was often not very good. Although Xiao Yao consistently adhered to the policy of not venting her frustrations on her children, after all, she was human; even the strongest self-control couldn't withstand repeated teasing from outsiders.
Even now that Xiao Yao had two sons, she still faced people being overly domineering about not allowing her husband to take concubines; they even sent away one of the remaining two Consorts from their household while the other was practically invisible. Xiao Yao repeatedly told herself that such matters were not worth worrying about; living life was something only she could truly understand.
But hearing such gossip time and again would put anyone in a bad mood.
Children are actually the most sensitive. They can keenly perceive even the slightest emotional fluctuations from their parents, whom they spend every day with.
Of course, perception does not equate to the ability to resolve issues. Children can only relay these matters to their father, He Yu. He has indeed heard such rumors before, but rumors are just that—rumors. The widespread gossip among the common folk is one thing, while having his loved one genuinely attacked in the palace is quite another.
He Yu was furious. Taking advantage of the series of banquets held in the palace, he dealt with several men associated with the external ladies, which significantly improved Xiao Yao's situation. After all, those who could gossip about such matters were merely the idle external ladies with nothing better to do.
The palace still had Consort and Consort Chen holding down the fort. Although Consort Ning was arrogant and willful, she looked down on competing with such an external lady for affection. After all, her current goal was to elevate her own son. What relationship did a prince's wife have with her? Her focus was instead directed towards Consort Chen and Consort.
The two sons had also learned well; whenever someone made jokes about Xiao Yao, they would quickly bring up even bigger scandals or embarrassments involving that lady or her children, effectively diverting everyone's attention.
In these households, which one does not have a multitude of wives and concubines, with various conflicts between legitimate and illegitimate sons?
For couples like Xiao Yao and He Yu, the gossip was merely about trivial matters. However, other external ladies' households were different; their stories were full of excitement—who's eldest son was an illegitimate child fighting with a legitimate son, whose legitimate son was disgracefully competing for women in brothels, and which concubine successfully rose to prominence.
These events could never unfold in Xuanping Prince's Mansion, but they certainly happened in other households; just one incident would be enough to fuel half a day's conversation.
Moreover, children speak without restraint; who could blame them for their words?
Comment 0 Comment Count