Drunk Bamboo

Xie Yuzhu also ate dinner alone in Changfeng Courtyard. She asked Yunling to join her, but Yunling followed the rules and refused, so she gave up. Anyway, there would be plenty of time in the future to make Yunling change her stubborn mind.

After dinner, I sat in the yard for a while, enjoying the fragrance of the garden in the slow candlelight and bright moonlight.

There were no mobile phones, no televisions, no entertainment activities; no tools, no computers, no research instruments; no electric lights, no air conditioners, no convenient appliances... At night, there was only the flickering candlelight, which was dim and yellow, and even reading was very straining. It took her half a year to get used to it.

Now she can calmly enjoy the flowers and the moon by candlelight, and she admires herself very much.

Just after the Waking of Insects, the temperature in Zhongdu dropped rapidly at night. She felt cold, so she went back to the house. After washing up early, she sat at the desk and continued to write her "Poisonous Grass Book".

I don't know how long I had been writing. My eyes felt a little tired. I put down my pen and took a rest for a while. Then I heard the voices of servants greeting each other outside the door. Then the door was opened and Hua Qinfeng walked in wearing a blue dress.

Xie Yuzhu said softly, "The prince is back? I'll have someone bring in hot water for the prince to bathe."

Hua Qinfeng drank two glasses of water before he said, "I am used to taking cold showers and don't need anyone to wait on me. Don't let them wait for me at the door after you wash up in the future."

Xie Yuzhu said: "Yunling, follow the prince's instructions, and you go to rest. You don't have to accompany me tonight."

Yun Ling: “Yes.”

Xie Yuzhu closed his eyes and rested for a while. He only heard the sound of water pouring in the next room, and sometimes the muffled sound of metal colliding.

There is an annex on each side of the main room. One is a small bedroom with a bed, and the other is for washing and bathing. The annex is connected to the main room with a door. Because there is no soundproofing, the sound can be heard clearly.

Hua Qinfeng quickly washed up and returned to the main room, but instead of sleeping, he paced back and forth in the room.

Xie Yuzhu opened her eyes and remembered that although they were married, they had not slept together yet. She suddenly became nervous and said through the screen, "Your Highness, go to bed if you are tired. I am not sleepy yet. I need to read and write for a while."

"You read your book. I'm not sleepy."

After saying that, he walked back and forth in the room.

Xie Yuzhu put down the pen again. What was coming could not be avoided. She asked, "Does your Highness have anything to tell me?"

Hua Qinfeng took two steps to the desk and asked with his eyes wide open: "How did you know?"

He was only wearing a thin white undershirt, his hair was half loose, and he looked a little thinner than during the day.

Why did he seem to be getting fatter and thinner? Xie Yuzhu was puzzled. Was it her illusion? Was it because he had changed his clothes?

She looked away and said calmly, "The prince is pacing back and forth in the room. It's late at night and the footsteps are particularly clear. Is the prince worried about something?"

He dragged a wooden chair over, sat next to her, moved closer to her, and said with a smile, "Xie Yuzhu, I want to discuss something with you."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"There weren't so many people in the mansion originally. It was only because we got married that my father sent maids and guards from the palace. I'm not used to being served, and I don't like people kowtow to me all day long. You know, I've been in the west for a long time, and Chaoyang has been with me. There are only Mammy, Baiguo and Lao Liu in the mansion. The three of us have lived like this for years, and we are free and comfortable. When I'm not in the mansion in the future, you will have to live with Mammy and the others. Do you think there are too many people in the mansion now?"

Xie Yuzhu looked up at him: "The Xie family has rules, but unlike other noble families, there are servants everywhere. My father also taught us to be self-reliant. We do many things by ourselves at home. Your Majesty can do whatever he wants. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Hearing Xie Yuzhu's answer, Hua Qinfeng felt relieved.

"That's great! Now it's easier with your words."

Seeing Chaoyang being very wary of people coming from the palace these past two days, and Hua Qinfeng looking even more displeased, she could probably guess a little bit.

Xie Yuzhu asked nosy: "How is the prince going to deal with the people in the palace?"

"I have my own way. I have sent someone to tell my mother that she will summon me to the palace tomorrow. I ask her to take me back."

"Your Highness has made progress." Xie Yuzhu praised, then lowered her head to look through the "Poisonous Grass Sutra" she had written before to see if there were any problems with the writing.

Hua Qinfeng glanced at the paper spread out on the table. It was full of drawings of plants and flowers, and some densely written words. His scalp tingled when he saw the words, and he immediately turned his face away, only to see Xie Yuzhu lowering her eyebrows and eyes to read seriously.

The candlelight illuminated her fair face, which seemed to be covered with a layer of white mist. The years were peaceful and quiet.

Hua Qinfeng was stunned for a few seconds, then he immediately looked away and said, "What you said this morning makes sense. If you have any questions, go to my mother. I can't make my father angry recently. I'm hoping that he'll be in a good mood one day and let me go back to the west."

"Your Highness has already figured out what to do, why are you still so worried? Are you afraid that I won't agree?"

"If you don't agree, it will be difficult for me to handle it."

He raised his head slightly and asked in confusion, "Isn't the key to this matter Queen Mother? As long as Queen Mother agrees, the maids and guards in the mansion can be sent back to the palace. What does it matter if I agree or not?"

"Xie Yuzhu, this is why I admire you. It was only the second day after you entered the mansion that Nanny and Lao Liu met you. They both supported you. Nanny said that if you don't agree with anything in the future, I can't do it."

The tall and mighty King Feng, who is feared by everyone, is actually afraid of the servants in the mansion and an old man with white hair. Who would believe it if others told them?

She lowered her eyebrows and smiled: "Your Highness is quite obedient to Madam."

"If she doesn't obey, she will follow me to the Western Frontier. She is old, how can she get used to the life in the Western Frontier? Mother asked me to be filial to Nanny, and Nanny should live out her days in Zhongdu."

"Since the living conditions in the West are not good, why does Your Majesty want to go there?"

"As a man, you should protect your family and country. Living a comfortable life is a waste of life. My martial arts are useless in China and are an eyesore. It's better to go back to the west and live freely. Even if I die on the battlefield, it's better than being... I won't say it anymore. You won't run into me anyway."

Hua Qinfeng waved his hands and spoke in a relaxed manner.

Xie Yuzhu looked at him and asked casually, "Your Majesty, you don't want to keep anyone in the palace. Are you afraid that there are people in there who are not good for you?"

He stared in astonishment, "You, how do you know? Did the maids even tell you this?"

Xie Yuzhu: How did you survive in the palace full of intrigue when you were so gullible?

Xie Yuzhu asked directly: "No one told me, I just guessed. It seems that I was right. Who wants to harm you? The crown prince or the fifth prince?"

The current emperor had only three sons and one daughter. The eldest prince, Hua Qinyu, was the current crown prince and was born to the queen. The third prince, Hua Qinfeng, was born to the deceased concubine Shu. The fifth prince, Hua Qinming, was born to the imperial concubine. There was also the eighth princess, Hua Qinyi, who was only ten years old. The others all died young.

The three princes are in the prime of their youth, the emperor is getting older, and there are factional struggles in the court. As a person in power, how can Hua Qinfeng escape from it?

He stood up, unwilling to admit: "No one hurt me, don't make blind guesses."

"I've married the prince, so I belong to the palace. Since the prince is going back to the west and wants me to protect him, I should know who your enemies are. I'll make preparations in advance so I can have a better idea."

These are the truth. Although Xie Yuzhu did not plan to live in the palace, her status as a princess was there. No matter where she went or what she did, she would eventually have to return to the palace and face people she did not want to face and deal with people she did not want to deal with. This was the price of freedom.

She knew from the beginning that her life would not be peaceful if she married to Zhongdu. If she did not marry King Feng, she would be locked up in the Xie family for the rest of her life, forever a weak and sick person who was protected by others, with no decision-making power and no freedom. After two years, she would get engaged and start a family, and then be locked up in another cage.

Marrying Hua Qinfeng, although the future is unknown, but at least she can make a choice. And Hua Qinfeng is more open-minded than she thought, and respects her more. She can enter and leave the palace freely, and her future is bright.

Hua Qinfeng was a little embarrassed and lowered his voice: "Everyone in the mansion wants me to treat you well and not scare you away..."

She said patiently, "I have seen the prince beat people with a mask on and act recklessly when drunk. What is there to be afraid of? Since I have married you, I will naturally not leave the palace."

"That's right. You even dared to lie to me. You are so bold. How could I forget that this marriage was granted by my father's order. No matter where you run to, you are my princess." Hua Qinfeng suddenly thought it through and stopped struggling. "In this case, I won't hide it from you. But, let's make a promise. Don't tell Nanny Chaoyang. They are the two most nagging ones."