Chapter 346: A One-Day Tour of the Imperial Palace
The more magnificent the imperial palace, the more it highlighted the Emperor’s frailty and old age.
In reality, the Emperor did not want Princess Huiyun to visit him.
Princess Huiyun had always been different in his heart.
If the Emperor knew the term “white moonlight,” that would likely be exactly what it meant.
But the magical thing about a “white moonlight” is that even when the actual person arrives, it is of no use.
He loved the “white moonlight” in his heart, not the “white moonlight” herself.
Therefore, when he saw Princess Huiyun come down the mountain last time and injure Prime Minister Lu, the Emperor had already let it go.
He still loved the “white moonlight” in his heart—it was Princess Huiyun, but not Princess Huiyun standing before him.
The Emperor had originally intended to feign illness. As it turned out, he did not need to pretend at all. Once he lay down, he was truly sick.
In his state of extreme weakness, he saw Princess Huiyun again, but he looked past her to see the little girl behind her.
The girl was innocent and lively, with clean, clear eyes that were exactly like Princess Huiyun when she was a child.
Mianmian felt that the Imperial Great-Uncle’s gaze was strange.
The Imperial Great-Uncle’s appearance right now looked a bit like the wrinkled old grandmother in the village.
But when that old grandmother looked at her, her gaze was gentle. The Imperial Great-Uncle’s gaze, however, held a strange, fervent feeling.
Mianmian could not help but take a step back.
The Emperor had been taking medicinal pills for years; it felt as though many parts of his internal organs must have calcified.
This appearance was a bit like a corpse that was still alive. It was actually quite terrifying. There were large patches of age spots.
In that sense, it seemed the medicinal pills really did prolong life. First, they turned a person into a corpse, then they maintained the vitality of that corpse…
Mianmian had no intention of giving him any spiritual spring water; she was not crazy.
Although Princess Grandma was not very bright, she had said one thing well: minding one’s own business allows one to live a long life.
Mianmian was not a saint either; giving spiritual spring water to everyone she met would only harm herself.
To prevent being barred from carrying a small knife when entering the palace, she had brought Little Tree along in her arms. After all, this was a high-risk area for accidents.
Although Little Tree liked to sleep in the winter and was a bit lazy, it would listen if she called it out.
Little Tree was the most useful; it was like Mianmian’s secret guard. Plus, it could be carried with her.
Princess Huiyun had originally thought her Elder Brother was feigning illness, so she had just come to take a look. After all, now that she had come down from the mountain, she had to follow the social customs of the world below, and she also wanted to take Mianmian to see the place where she had lived as a child.
She had not expected that her Elder Brother was actually sick. She felt a bit regretful, worried that it would scare Mianmian.
Her Elder Brother’s near-death appearance had even startled her.
“Elder Brother, are you alright?”
Princess Huiyun was a bit flustered. Although she did not shed tears, she had spoken a sentence of concern.
But her appearance was simply too much of a bonus. Some women could say something as mundane as “Have you eaten?” and you would be moved, imagining having a son and a daughter, the boy named Eagle, the girl named Oriole…
The Emperor had feigned illness so well that he had made himself truly sick. He was exhausted, did not want to get up, and felt that lying down was better for his whole being.
But he could not truly just lie there. Thus, his mood was also one of anger and annoyance.
He wanted to kill people, and he really did kill. In any case, some people deserved to die.
But because of Princess Huiyun’s words, he felt eighty percent better, regained his spirits, and even sat up.
Princess Huiyun did not want Mianmian to stay in this environment, so she spoke up to send her away.
“Eunuch Yan, take Mianmian out for a stroll. She told me many times at home how curious she was about what the imperial palace looked like. I will stay and talk with my Elder Brother.”
Since Princess Huiyun had said so, the Emperor naturally nodded. However, his gaze remained fixed on Mianmian’s retreating figure.
Princess Huiyun’s feelings for her Elder Brother were very complex; there was affection, but also an irrepressible sense of disgust.
Of course, she did not dare to provoke her Elder Brother’s anger, because her Elder Brother’s personality had been eccentric and unpredictable over these years, and the reason so many of those nephews had died had everything to do with him.
Princess Huiyun running off to the temple was, in no small part, because of her Elder Brother.
The siblings were decades old; chatting about family matters, there really was not much good to say. The Emperor’s life was an unchanging absurdity. It was mainly Princess Huiyun’s life that had changed.
“I heard you have moved into Erlang’s home. Are you not accustomed to it? That place is too small. Let me gift Erlang a mansion. Come to think of it, you have acknowledged Erlang, and I, his uncle, have yet to bestow anything upon him.”
The Emperor sat up, with Eunuch Duan supporting him at the side. His body was half-bent; this posture was difficult, but to serve others and become someone above others, one naturally needed some skills. One must endure the bitterness of bitterness to become a person above others.
Princess Huiyun sat on the edge of the bed, holding a hand warmer.
“Erlang has perhaps suffered too much, so he cherishes his blessings. Although the mansion he lives in is not large, I see that their family is living quite well. Mianmian is very attached to me and will not let me leave, so I stayed a few more days. We do not need any rewards; as long as your health is robust, our family will have someone to rely on. Lasting for a long time is better than anything else.”
The Emperor was just speaking casually; he truly had no mind to bestow anything upon anyone right now.
“By the way, didn’t you send a secondary consort to the Seventh Prince? Although the Seventh Prince married her, it is said he has not even touched her. I do not know who he takes after, he is famously devoted. But my Erlang’s relationship with the Seventh Prince is quite awkward. The Seventh Prince is so devoted, and Zhou Rongrong’s daughter, Jiang Yuluan, used to always follow me around when she was little, spending most of her time with me. I took good care of both of them, but who would have thought that good deeds would be met with evil retribution? Zhou Rongrong took my son away and abused him. The Seventh Prince is so devoted; I feel he will hold a grudge against my son because of his Mother-in-law’s death. Anyway, whoever you choose to inherit the throne in the future is fine, but you are not allowed to choose the Seventh Prince,” Princess Huiyun said domineeringly.
The Emperor smiled bitterly. In the past, whenever he heard people discussing the successor, he would be furious inside, feeling they were wishing for his death so he would abdicate sooner. Only his Imperial Sister would speak so self-righteously.
She was so self-righteous because of her personal preference for someone that she said he was not allowed to appoint the Seventh Prince. If others said it, it would be a capital offense, because others were all harboring ulterior motives and driven by profit. But when his Imperial Sister said it, it was just a direct dislike.
He did not like the Seventh Prince either, but for some reason, he had not heard of anything wrong with him in daily life; he had no impression of him at all. Yet, with so many sons, in the end, it seemed there were few to choose from. At first, he felt he had too many sons. Now, it seemed they were gone, not enough.
“Talking nonsense again. It is only because I indulge you that you have become so lawless. If I were no longer here, with your stubborn temper, how would you survive?”
Although the Emperor felt better, this time feigning illness had left him with lingering fears. It was too much like the real thing; he could not even tell the difference between truth and falsehood himself.
“That won’t happen. Elder Brother will definitely live to be a hundred. If anyone is to die, I will die first. If I were not the most noble princess, unable to live recklessly, I would not want to live. Elder Brother, you know, I am someone who cannot stand even a little bit of grievance. So, Elder Brother, you must live well.” After saying this, Princess Huiyun’s red eyes welled up with tears.
She thought of their Father. But the Emperor was full of emotion; only his Imperial Sister treated him with a sincere heart.
Outside the great hall. The road was clean and tidy, with no fallen leaves, as if someone had been constantly sweeping it. There was no dust even in the cracks of the stones; it felt as if someone had used a vacuum cleaner to clean it. However, there certainly were no vacuum cleaners here; it could only be manual labor, labor that rivaled a vacuum cleaner.
Eunuch Yan asked, “Where would you like to go and take a look?”
“Hmm, can we go to Godfather’s residence? Is Godfather used to living in the palace? Is it cold? Is the food to your liking?”
Attendant Yan Wenxin was stunned. “Do you remember Godfather?” He remembered that when he left, Mianmian was still a nursing baby.
Mianmian nodded. “Godfather took away Father’s water, which I gave him. After Godfather left, Elder Sister and Elder Brother always talked about you. Mother and Father would also speak of you. So, although it has been a long time, it does not feel like a long time. Later, we had Eunuch Duan inquire about your news and learned you were doing well. Father was very happy that day and drank alcohol at night, and then he was carried away by Mother again…”
Attendant Yan Wenxin smiled. When he smiled in front of the Emperor, there were rarely any wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Even when laughing heartily, it was the same. But at this moment, he only smiled slightly, yet wrinkles rippled one by one at the corners of his eyes.
“Your Father has a very average tolerance for alcohol; he even blushes when eating fish in vinegar.”
“My residence is in the northwest corner, which is a bit cool. I will take you to climb to a high place, and you will be able to see everything. Living in the palace is alright, though not so free; one must act according to the rules. You must either adapt to the rules or be able to set the rules. It is not cold; Godfather has a fur coat. The food is quite to my liking, even more so than in Jingzhou. I feel that I might have originally been a person from the capital; I am even accustomed to the river seafood here.”
Eunuch Yan led Mianmian all the way, walking upwards. They walked to the highest building.
There was a railing around it that reached just to her chest. Looking down was a bit scary; it was too high. If one fell down from here, one would certainly be gone.
But standing on it and looking at the entire imperial palace, one could not only see the palace but even see outside the palace; it felt like one could see the entire capital. This spot was excellent for viewing; it felt like the Emperor must often stand here and look down.
However, the wind was a bit strong, blowing her cloak so that it fluttered with a rustling sound. Below, there were many guards standing watch, wearing armor and also capes.
Only when she got here did Mianmian realize that wearing a cape over armor was not for the sake of looking cool. In the summer, to prevent the armor from getting too hot—since iron gets too hot when baked by the sun and can cause burns—wearing a cape on the outside was to keep cool. If it rained and the armor was drenched, it would easily rust, so a cape was needed. As for the items, it was for warmth; the armor was iron, cold and drafty, so a layer of cape on the outside could provide warmth.
It sounded cool, but it turned out to have a purpose. Looking at the rows of armored warriors at a glance, with the wind blowing and the capes flying simultaneously, the scene was actually quite good-looking. With so many guards in the palace, it felt quite safe. Just then, she saw someone changing shifts; she could not see their faces clearly, just them turning and alternating, and then another line of troops appeared, looking unchanged. The wind lifted the capes, day after day.
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