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He Yu listened to Xiao Yao's words, fell silent for a moment, and then pounced over to ruffle Xiao Yao's hair. "Yes, just a nightmare."
"Really?" Xiao Yao turned around, surprised despite having guessed it.
"Yes..." He Yu smiled, "But it's nothing serious, just a nightmare."
"Mm." Seeing that He Yu's expression was normal, Xiao Yao felt relieved and didn't dwell on it. She simply pulled out some ropes from the box on the table, intending to pass the time. He Yu, seeing this, asked curiously, "Are you going to play with those ropes?"
"I guess so," Xiao Yao thought for a moment and said, "Not really; I'm just going to try it out first. If I succeed later, I'll show you."
"Okay." He Yu didn't ask further; he figured it was just something girls liked. As long as she enjoyed it, he would let her be. Watching Xiao Yao focus on braiding the ropes, He Yu picked up a book to read. It wouldn't be long before they had lunch, and both of them had only eaten a few snacks.
After braiding for a while, Xiao Yao called Yun Zhu in and asked, "Hey, is there only red rope? Are there other colors?"
Yun Zhu was caught off guard by Xiao Yao's question. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Um... It seems there are other colors in the prince's Storage Room..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao immediately looked at He Yu. He Yu frowned slightly. "I don't remember that."
Zhao Hezhong remembered and quickly picked up where He Yu left off. "Yes, the Servant remembers there were some other colors too. They came down with the fabric when Consort Chen sent them for the prince to make some decorative items. However, the prince hasn't really used them since then. They've just been kept in the Storage Room; the Servant checked ten days ago and confirmed it."
He Yu nodded in understanding and said, "Since the princess wants them, then go get them."
"Yes." Zhao Hezhong went to fetch the items while He Yu turned back to see that Xiao Yao had seemingly braided a very intricate knot and then twisted it into a shape resembling auspicious clouds before making a round knot in front. He Yu immediately understood. "Are you... playing with knots?"
"Yes! Isn't it pretty?" Since He Yu had already figured it out, Xiao Yao decided not to hide anything; it wasn't much of a secret anyway—there was no need to keep it under wraps before she had finished making anything.
He Yu took it over and examined it for a moment before smiling and saying, "Not bad; it's quite beautiful. There are people in the palace who make knots too, but none as detailed as yours. This would make a nice decoration."
"Exactly," Xiao Yao said with a smile. "I specifically designed it so it could be sewn onto clothes; it's really beautiful, right?"
"Very nice! Looks great!" He Yu patted Xiao Yao's head, encouraging her to keep going.
Encouraged by He Yu's words, Xiao Yao instantly felt motivated to continue her work.
However, at that moment, lunch was served, and Xiao Yao had no choice but to put down the work in hand and have lunch with He Yu.
Since they hadn't eaten breakfast, lunch was relatively more abundant. After a night of sleep and a morning of mischief, the snacks might be sufficient for Xiao Yao, but they were actually not enough for He Yu. Autumn is also a season that easily causes heatiness, so after some thought, Xiao Yao finally decided on steamed fish, braised pork ribs with radish, and a few vegetables. The choice of vegetables was left to Li Pei.
Xiao Yao noticed that He Yu was accustomed to soaking rice in soup, so regarding the seasoning of the soup, Xiao Yao requested the kitchen not to make it too salty, lest He Yu would only remember to drink water after finishing the meal.
After lunch, Zhao Hezhong brought over the ropes. When Xiao Yao saw them, she exclaimed in delight at the variety of colors—red, green, yellow. He Yu leaned over and asked, "How is it? Is it enough? If not, I can have someone find more."
"No need, this is enough for now!" Xiao Yao replied with a smile. "I'll try it out for a while first; if I need more, I'll let you know."
"Alright." He Yu patted Xiao Yao's head and smiled as he returned to his reading.
For a moment, the entire room was as tranquil as water. Yun Zhu and Yun Yue stood quietly in place, occasionally bringing tea to their masters.
One was reading while the other was weaving.
It truly had a sense of peacefulness about it, and there was no feeling of awkwardness.
Yun Bi entered holding some fruit and quietly placed it on the table. Xiao Yao was startled and looked up, smiling at Yun Bi. Yun Bi smiled back, set down the fruit, and stepped back to stand alongside Yun Zhu.
Time slipped by quietly; it was hard to tell how long had passed when He Yu put down his book and looked up to see Xiao Yao still busy. He reached out to grab a grape, peeled it slowly, and held it up to Xiao Yao's mouth. Without thinking, Xiao Yao opened her mouth naturally and ate the grape; her soft lips brushed against He Yu's fingertips, making him feel a slight tingle.
However, seeing Xiao Yao's completely natural demeanor and recalling the events of last night and this morning, He Yu had no choice but to suppress his thoughts.
After swallowing the grape, Xiao Yao exclaimed, "So sweet! I want more!"
He Yu chuckled softly. "These are grapes newly offered from Tubo; they are very sweet. The emperor gifted us a basket which is kept in our Icehouse. You can have someone bring them whenever you want."
"How many are there?" Xiao Yao's eyes brightened.
He Yu glanced at the maids; Yun Zhu was the first maid to receive this basket of gifts aside from Zhao Hezhong. She immediately answered, "There should be about ten pounds or so."
There are quite a few, Xiao Yao pondered for a moment and said, "Take out a pound, divide it into two portions, and send them to the Pan Clan and the Cheng Family's courtyard."
The several maidservants exchanged glances, and Xiao Yao turned to look at He Yu with an inquiring gaze. He Yu smiled, "I can handle it; you can make the decisions regarding the inner courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Yun Zhu and the others no longer insisted and went to carry out the task.
The group of Servants who originally thought He Yu would be angry were surprised when He Yu remained silent, saying nothing at all.
Cheng Yuezhu sat in the courtyard in a daze when she saw Yun Bi, the head maid beside Xiao Yao, approaching with a basket. Yun Bi walked up to Cheng Yuezhu, bowed, and said, "This servant greets Madam Cheng."
"Get up," Cheng Yuezhu replied lazily. Although her words were polite, her tone was not pleasant. "Is the princess sending someone to relay a message to me?"
"Not exactly," Yun Bi smiled slightly. Facing Cheng Yuezhu's ambiguous tone, Yun Bi showed no sign of anger and continued, "The emperor has rewarded us with a basket of grapes from Tubo. The princess is kind-hearted and thought of the ladies in the back courtyard, specifically instructing this servant to bring some for Madam Cheng to taste."
"Then I must thank the princess," said Cheng Yuezhu, standing up and bowing towards the direction of the Central Courtyard. She then turned back and said, "Please convey my gratitude to the princess and prince."
"That is only natural," Yun Bi performed a half-bow and continued, "Then this servant will take her leave first; after all, there is still Pan Meiren waiting. If I delay too long, these grapes won't taste good anymore."
"Indeed, please take care, Yun Bi."
"Thank you for your concern, Madam. This servant takes her leave." After saying this, Yun Bi took a few steps back and left without looking back.
Left behind, Cheng Yuezhu sneered at the basket of grapes, knowing how much she wanted to throw them on the ground! However, she knew that this was not possible.
After all, the royal residence was quite small. If she were to throw away these grapes today, it wouldn't take until tomorrow for everyone in the residence to know about it. She didn't know what the princess would think of her then, but surely the servants in this household would see her as ungrateful. It might even spread outside the royal residence, damaging her father's reputation. She absolutely could not do that.
Miao Xin cautiously approached and looked at Cheng Yuezhu's expression before asking softly, "Mistress, what should we do with these grapes..."
"Wash them clean and place them on my desk!" Cheng Yuezhu said darkly and firmly. "Since we can't throw them away, we might as well eat them!"
With that, she turned and entered the room without looking back, leaving Miao Xin staring at a plate of grapes, truly unsure of what to do.
In the late afternoon, He Yu was suddenly called out by the son of Jian'an Marquis to go drinking.
Although He Yu was very reluctant to go, these young masters might not be of much use themselves, but the power behind them was not to be underestimated. After weighing the situation, he could only apologize to Xiao Yao. Xiao Yao amusingly touched his face and said, "Go ahead, I trust you."
"Yeah, sorry for the trouble," He Yu buried his head in Xiao Yao's shoulder and muttered.
"It's fine," Xiao Yao patted He Yu's head. "You're someone who is meant for great things; you can't always worry about these little issues. It's no big deal."
Hearing this, He Yu's eyes brightened, then he smiled bitterly, "I really didn't want you to suffer any grievances..."
"Husbands and wives are one entity; what grievances can there be?" Xiao Yao shot He Yu an unhappy glance. "You've endured much greater grievances than this over the years. What’s a little grievance for me? Don't think of me as too fragile. I'm not made of paper that will fall apart with a poke!"
"Yes, my Yao Yao is the strongest!" He Yu laughed as he playfully poked Xiao Yao's nose. "Alright then, I'll head out now. I estimate I won't be back too early tonight. If I come back late, I'll sleep in the study. You don't need to wait for me; make sure to rest early, okay?"
"Got it."
"And make sure to eat well for dinner. Don't just make do because I'm not around..."
"I know," Xiao Yao interrupted He Yu with a smile. "There are so many people watching me; what are you worried about? Hurry up and go."
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