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墨書 Inktalez
When Qing Wu returned to the palace, Huo Yun'ai was still in the morning court.
Uncle Yu had received orders and did not accompany him into the hall to serve, but waited outside Ningxin Pavilion specifically for Qing Wu.
Seeing Qing Wu's figure appear at the intersection from a distance, Uncle Yu hurried over to greet her. While falling back a step to keep pace, he said in a kind tone, "Your Majesty has been quite busy these past two days. After handling matters yesterday, it was already past the lantern lighting time. I heard that you had gone to bed, so I didn't go out again. This morning, I have been unable to find a moment of leisure..."
His words were filled with difficulty and unease.
Qing Wu did not expect Uncle Yu to come all this way just for these few sentences and smiled, saying, "It's nothing."
Uncle Yu, after hearing her two-word response, recalled his master's earlier instructions and felt his heart lift again. Glancing around and seeing that besides Dou Mama there was no one else nearby, he cautiously said, "Miss, the master has been thinking about you all this time."
Qing Wu sensed his nervousness and sighed softly, saying, "If I truly minded, why would I come over so early today?"
As an emperor, even if Huo Yun'ai had the heart to do so, he could not frequently come out to seek her.
Just yesterday she had returned to Liu Residence. After days of rushing around, she was already extremely tired. Later, after reuniting with her family and laughing and crying together, she quickly ate something and went to bed. She only woke up this morning at dawn.
Originally, Huo Yun'ai had not scheduled her to come to the palace today. Yet she still came over early this morning.
She just did not expect that Huo Yun'ai's morning court had not yet concluded at this time. It seemed there were pressing matters that kept him from leaving.
Thinking of this, Qing Wu paused slightly in her steps.
She wondered what Zheng An was up to again.
After hearing Qing Wu's earlier words, Uncle Yu thought carefully and realized that the emperor indeed had not sent anyone to Liu Family regarding her coming to the palace today. It was merely before the morning court that he had cheerfully said, "She will surely come today," and then arranged things accordingly for quite some time.
He relaxed a lot at this point.
Thinking of the hardships His Majesty had endured, he silently hoped that the young lady would return soon. His anxious expression faded, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
In the midst of these thoughts, they had already arrived at the entrance of Ningxin Pavilion.
Uncle Yu noticed that the attendants in Ningxin Pavilion were all waiting there. To avoid drawing attention from those with ulterior motives, he bowed to Qing Wu and then stepped back.
As Qing Wu stepped into the courtyard, she immediately sensed something was off.
During her absence, it was clear that there had been some changes in Ningxin Pavilion.
The original corridors and pavilions had recently been renovated. The pond was now home to many koi fish, with one side planted with lotus and the other with water lilies. As the breeze blew, the branches of the weeping willow by the pond gently brushed against the water's surface, bringing a refreshing chill.
As she walked further, she noticed that a new room had been built next to the original bathhouse. Behind it was a bamboo grove, from which bamboo pipes could be faintly seen extending out.
A maid noticed Qing Wu's gaze lingering on that room and hurriedly approached to bow, saying, "Your Majesty knows that the young lady wishes to bathe daily, so arrangements were made to build this new room. It is more convenient than before."
It turned out that the newly constructed room had a new bathing pool directly built in. There were two pipes connected: one for draining water directly out into the bamboo grove, and another for filling the pool with water from outside.
"What about the original one?" Qing Wu asked as she headed towards the bathhouse where Huo Yun'ai had prepared a large bathing tub for her.
Just as the maid was about to respond, another palace maid rushed forward and said, "That room has been cleared out and turned into a resting place."
The bathing tub had already been removed, but the gauzy curtains and beaded curtain hanging inside were still there.
The room was furnished with a Consort Couch and two rows of bookshelves. On days when she didn't want to sit upright in the study reading, she could leisurely browse through books here. When tired, she could simply lie down on the couch to rest.
Qing Wu was both delighted and surprised.
She hadn't expected that, in just three months, he would take time out of his busy schedule to make her living space so comfortable.
Looking at the room where her clothes were kept, she noticed it had already been filled with many lightweight summer garments, some styles and embroidery patterns she had never seen before. It seemed that Huo Yun'ai had specially arranged for these.
There were so many changes here. Qing Wu was greatly astonished, going back and forth in each room, examining everything closely.
However, after Dou Mama looked at the newly built bathing pool, her expression changed slightly as she pondered.
She was an old hand in the palace. Even though the masters had not held a Grand Wedding yet, many things were known to these elder maids over the years.
That pool was so large; it clearly wasn't meant for just one person but could accommodate two for a bath.
What could His Majesty's intention be...
The more Dou Mama thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She looked at Qing Wu, who was gazing at the bathing pool with surprise, and after much contemplation, she ultimately said nothing.
Forget it.
His Majesty should be a man of integrity...
Perhaps she was overthinking it.
Having achieved a broad understanding, it is likely to make it more convenient for the young lady to use.
While Qing Wu was observing closely, two Maids approached, constantly inching closer to Qing Wu.
One of them mentioned how much material was consumed during the construction and how precious the items used were. Just the white jade alone required several carts.
The other remarked on how much effort His Majesty had put into this place. Li Gonggong and Uncle Yu ran back and forth here all day, just to supervise and ensure that everything was done with utmost care.
Dou Mama immediately turned cold and scolded the two to quickly step back.
She had always held authority in Ningxin Pavilion, and the Maids were somewhat afraid of her. Seeing her demeanor now, the two palace maids shrank back a bit, looking at Qing Wu with hopeful eyes.
However, Qing Wu completely ignored them and instead smiled at Dou Mama: "I would like to place a screen here. Which panel do you think would be suitable?"
Only then did the two palace maids realize that their earlier attentiveness was in vain, and they awkwardly retreated.
As soon as they disappeared, the smile on Qing Wu's face faded significantly.
Dou Mama angrily said, "Some people are truly perceptive. It's just a minor matter, yet they can still find out about it."
Previously, Qing Wu was merely a female official. Even though the Maids knew she would help manage the harem, they treated her with respect only because Liu Fangyi's rank was not high. After all, no matter how capable Qing Wu was, she was still just a female official. Without strong backing, she truly had little future in this palace.
Such eagerness to curry favor today was quite rare.
Initially, Qing Wu thought that it was due to Huo Yun'ai's repeated arrangements in Ningxin Pavilion that had caused those people to change their attitude and start flattering her. After hearing Dou Mama's words, she realized it was her own change in status that had stirred their interest.
So, everyone in the palace is quite shrewd.
Qing Wu had only gone to the Southwest Town Yuan Marquis Mansion, and although her lineage as a descendant of the Wen Family had not yet been made public, many people in the palace had already received the news and were stirring with excitement.
Although she was still pleased in her heart due to Huo Yun'ai's intentions, the sudden situation with the people in her courtyard made it impossible for anyone to continue feeling happy.
Qing Wu was secretly contemplating whether to change her staff. After all, this was her place of rest after a long day’s work. With affairs becoming busier in the future, if she had to be on guard upon returning, it would indeed be too exhausting.
Dou Mama had already seen through her thoughts and quietly advised Qing Wu, "There's no need to rush into changing people. With this old servant here, they won’t be able to meddle in your affairs. Instead, it would be better to take this opportunity to see who has ulterior motives. When it comes time to assign them elsewhere, you’ll have a reference."
Before leaving the capital, Qing Wu had already formed a rough idea about the assignments within the Six Bureaus. After leaving, she had discussed this matter with Dou Mama. Now, after some consideration, she slightly nodded in agreement with Dou Mama's words.
While the two were quietly discussing this matter, there was a soft inquiry from the door by Azalea: "Miss, it seems Deng Gonggong is looking for you."
After sending everyone away earlier, Azalea had closed the door and stood guard outside. Now she saw Deng Bu Wen wandering around the courtyard, glancing towards the room from time to time, which confirmed her suspicion.
Qing Wu did not expect Deng Bu Wen to come looking for her so early. She called Azalea inside and asked, "How long has he been here?"
"For about a tea's time. He hasn’t left and has circled around seven or eight times."
Deng Bu Wen was always very proper. If Qing Wu did not seek him out, he would not come to disturb her. This behavior showed an extreme desire to please.
Given Deng Bu Wen's usual conduct, he would not disturb Qing Wu right after she returned to the palace without having arranged things properly. It seemed he hesitated before coming over because there was something urgent he wanted to discuss with her.
Thinking of this, Qing Wu said to Azalea, "Call him in."
Three months had passed, and Deng Bu Wen had not changed much. It was just that his demeanor had become more serene, making him even harder to understand.
Dou Mama cautiously shifted closer to Qing Wu.
After greeting Qing Wu, Deng Bu Wen glanced at Dou Mama, his lips pressed tightly together, standing there like a wooden figure, neither moving nor speaking.
Qing Wu gestured to Dou Mama, indicating that she should step outside for a moment.
Dou Mama understood Deng Bu Wen's previous intentions but was worried about Qing Wu and thus did not leave. Now seeing that Qing Wu had actually agreed to Deng Bu Wen's request, Dou Mama hurriedly said, "Miss, you..."
"Didn't you say you wanted to make me some snacks yourself?" Qing Wu smiled and replied, "I can hardly wait."
Only then did Dou Mama reluctantly leave, looking back several times.
Deng Bu Wen did not expect that Qing Wu would truly feel at ease to be alone with him in one room and even sent Dou Mama away.
His gaze darkened slightly as he sighed softly, stepping forward respectfully to bow to Qing Wu. Then he said, "I apologize for overstepping," and leaned closer to Qing Wu's ear, whispering softly.
"The cause of your parents' deaths back then seems rather suspicious."
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