Xu Ganxue was sitting in front of his desk, carefully looking at the paper umbrellas with poems or paintings. Qiyue stood behind his father with a smile, and the moon incense curled up in the jade duck.
"Father, you've been watching for a day, have you made a decision?”Qiyue took the tea that the servant girl handed over and respectfully placed it in her father's palm.
"I wonder if Father's thoughts are the same as Qiyue's?”Xu Ganxue stroked his white beard and smiled as he took a sip of tea.
"Qiyue has little talent and knowledge, not even one ten-thousandth of father, how dare she speak nonsense?”Qi Yue seemed to have seen through the meaning behind her father's smile, so she lowered her head and replied.
"Father's daughter is not as talented as a man. Why don't we write down the first, second, and third place on a piece of paper and exchange them to see if our hearts are connected?”Xu Ganxue laughed.
"Interesting." Qi Yue covered her mouth and replied.
The father and daughter then wrote down their first and second names on the paper, exchanged a look, and laughed.
" Hehehe, as expected, father and daughter are of the same mind." Xu Ganxue stood up with his hands on the table." Qiyue, your appreciation of poetry and painting is already on par with mine."”
"Father, you're making fun of Qiyue again." Qi Yue smiled like a misty rain.
"Nalan Rongruo, Nalan Rongxie, Third Master Huang…Hmm, there are many talents in the Nalan Residence, hehe.”Xu Ganxue smiled and said," However, this Third Master Huang isn't his real name. Do you know which family Qiyue is from?"”
"I don't know. I only know that this Third Master Huang is with Cao Yin. Perhaps I can go to the Cao residence and ask.”Qi Yue replied.
"Nalan Xingde, Nalan Xingde. He is truly young and promising. In the past, he was known for his literary talent and was famous throughout the capital. At first, Father did not believe that a mere sixteen-year-old child could have such a great reputation. He originally thought that it was flattery from people below the pearl. A youth from the Man Family actually had a much more solid foundation in Han studies than many Han Family Young Masters. It was rare!”Xu Ganxue was overjoyed.
"Qiyue doesn't think that the Manchu people will lose to the Han people in terms of Sinology. Father, I look at Nalan Rong's words with the eyes of nature to observe things, with the tongue of nature to express feelings, not infected with the Han culture, so can be so real and moving.”Qiyue said softly.
"Well said." Xu Ganxue had always admired his daughter's way of judging poems. He carefully looked at the inscription on the umbrella cover and handkerchief and thought for a moment." Qiyue really has a unique eye. Should I give up my position, hehe?"”
" Father…" Qiyue said angrily.
"Hehehe…why aren't you giving Master Nalan an umbrella?”Xu Ganxue laughed heartily. How could he not understand his daughter's thoughts? It was just that Nalan Mingzhu had never advocated for a marriage between the Manchu and Han. Although Qiyue was loyal to Nalan, Xu Ganxue knew that this matter was very difficult. He was afraid that his daughter's thoughts would be transferred to Dongshui sooner or later, so he just kept silent. It was better to let nature take its course when it came to children.
"Yes." Qiyue quickly picked up the three umbrellas, knelt down to greet her father, and then hurried out the door.
" My daughter is already grown up…Hehe, I can't keep her anymore…" Xu Ganxue picked up the book on the table and smiled.
Ever since Ming Zhu mentioned the Lu family's young lady to Rong Ruo that day, Xie 'er and Rong Ruo's relationship had quietly changed. This kind of change was difficult to describe. The two were clearly in love, but there was pain in their hearts that was difficult to describe. Although the two knew each other, their footsteps were unknowingly walking further and further away.
The more familiar he was, the stranger he felt.
Rong Ruo paced outside the Leng Xiang Pavilion several times, wanting to knock on the door, but she still withdrew her hand, sighed deeply, and left silently. Xie 'er felt that Rong Ruo was outside the door several times, but she could not bring herself to open the door. The two of them were in a stalemate, each in pain. One was crying non-stop, while the other was sighing non-stop, repeatedly torturing himself and the other.
Xie 'er did not say anything because she wanted to cut off Rong Ruo's longing before entering the palace and gradually alienate him so that he could let go of her in peace and live his peaceful life in the Prime Minister's Residence. For his sake, she had to harden her heart at this moment…
Rong Ruo did not say anything because he did not have the courage or confidence to make a firm promise to her. What eternal life, what never to be separated, in front of the imperial power, they were all vulnerable. He did not even have the chance to resist. If he did not make a move, he would lose. His bet was too tragic. It was nine generations. How was he going to face the woman he loved, how was he going to lie to her, how was he going to save her? He was helpless…
The next day, the tits were restless, waking up the sleeping eyes of the morning sun, and a faint light slowly shone through.
"Young Master, there is a woman surnamed Xu waiting outside the residence.”Unknowingly, Ting Ming stood behind Rong Ruo and said.
"Hmm?" Rong Ruo sat in front of the window in a daze, looking at the closed door of the Leng Xiang Pavilion, and suddenly came back to her senses.
"A woman who looks like a fairy, Young Master. Hehe." Ting Ming scratched her head and laughed foolishly.
"Could it be Miss Qiyue? Please come to the study room." Rong Ruo said.
"Yes, Young Master." Ting Ming happily went to invite Qi Yue.
Qi Yue, who was dressed in a light-colored muslin dress, floated forward with two paper umbrellas in her arms and bowed. Rong Ruo saw that her complexion was better than before, and she looked even more beautiful and elegant. Her hair was casually tied up in a bun, and a strand of her long hair was slanted to the side of her right shoulder, falling down like a waterfall to her waist. She hugged the paper umbrella diagonally, like a lute, like a hibiscus emerging from the water. It looked like she had dressed up meticulously.
"Young Master Nalan greets me." Qiyue bowed slightly.
"Miss Qiyue, there's no need to be so polite.”Rong Ruo led her to a seat in the study.
"Before young master arrived, Qiyue took the liberty to casually take a look in young master's study. She saw that there was a complete collection of classics and history in the room, and it was clearly edited in three ways. He also saw that whether it was the paintings hanging in the room or the calligraphy he was practicing, they were all extraordinary and exquisite. He loved them very much. Seeing this study room, he was even more certain that Young Master Nalan had such talent.”Qiyue's melodious voice lit up the cold walls of the study.
"Miss Qiyue, you praise me too much. These paintings were all written by Rong Ruo in her spare time. If you like it, you can take it and play with it.”Rong Ruo smiled.
"Is Young Master Nalan speaking the truth? Then Qiyue would not be polite with Young Master.”Qi Yue smiled and walked into the room. She took out a painting from the painting tube." I want this one, okay?”
Rong Ruo nodded without hesitation and led her to sit down again to drink tea.
"Young Master Nalan, this tea tastes light at first. I don't think it's tea from here?" Qi Yue's delicate hand brushed the teacup as she carefully tasted it.
"Hehe. I'm not sure. Miss Qiyue was indeed a tea expert. This tea really didn't come from this place. Miss Qiyue, can you guess what kind of tea it is?”Rong Ruo saw that her tea was extraordinary and continued to ask with interest.
As Rong Ruo spoke, she refilled her cup. Qiyue held the cup and sniffed it again. She saw the tea in the cup was curly, fat and round, heavy and even. The color was sand green, and the soup was golden and rich like amber. It smelled like a natural orchid fragrance. She took another sip and felt that the taste was mellow and fresh. It was sweet for a long time and had a rhyme to it. She smiled slightly, already having an answer in her heart.
"Is it Min Tie Guan Yin?" Qi Yue smiled at Rong Ruo, her watery eyes flashing.
"I admire you." Rong Ruo stood up and bowed with a smile.
"Young Master, please sit down. Qiyue is just a small skill.”Qi Yue hurriedly said humbly, her cheeks instantly flushed red.
"Miss Qiyue is not only good at poetry, but she is also good at painting and calligraphy. Her taste is elegant. I didn't expect that she would have such a genius, haha. Rong Ruo is going to take you as her master." Rong Ruo praised.
When Qi Yue heard this, her heart skipped a beat. Wasn't the man in front of her the Nalan Young Master that she had been missing for the past two years? Two years ago, she had accidentally gotten a short poem about Nalanxinde from her father's friend. She fell in love with him at first sight and had been infatuated with him ever since. She thought that because of this mysterious talent, even if he was already seventy years old, she was willing to accompany him for the rest of her life. For the past two years, she had been searching for Rong Ruo's poems everywhere and had copied them neatly. She read them day and night and could not put them down. She didn't expect him to be so close to her today and even praise her so generously. She seemed to have waited a hundred years for this moment. But now, she was flustered and didn't know how to respond to his words…
"I don't deserve it." Qi Yue bowed her head and said goodbye. She suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit." Oh right, Young Master. My father and my friends have already chosen the top three of this cultural gathering. Young Master Nalan and your cousin have extraordinary literary talent and painting skills. They have won one or two. Qi Yue followed the promise that day and personally sent the paper umbrella to show her respect.”Qi Yue hurriedly handed over two paper umbrellas.
"If that's the case, it's really…Haha, Young Lady is too polite.”Rong Ruo respectfully stood up and took the umbrella." I've troubled you to make this trip."”
"I should." Qiyue stood up and thanked him." Young Master, why don't you stand up and see how Qiyue's cooking is?"”
"It must be extraordinary." Rong Ruo opened one of them. On it was the poem that Rong Ruo had written that day. It was accompanied by the orchids that Qiyue had hand-painted. It was elegant and complete. In addition, Qi Yue had painted it later, making it even more beautiful and moving.
" It's very beautiful…" Rong Ruo held the umbrella at an angle and carefully tasted it.
"Thank you for your praise." Qiyue lowered her head shyly. She remembered something and walked to Rong Ruo's side. Her slender hand was like a green onion as she pointed at the umbrella and said," Did you notice anything different about the umbrella?"”
At this moment, Qiyue was so close to Rong Ruo that she could even hear his breathing. They held the umbrella handle and covered the umbrella cover together. It was as if this small umbrella had covered her entire world. Qiyue's heart skipped a beat, and her face unconsciously heated up.
When Rong Ruo heard this, she quickly got closer to take a look out of curiosity. Sure enough, she saw a line of small words carved on the umbrella handle. Rong Ruo looked over and unconsciously got close to Qiyue's shoulder." Master Nalan…" Qiyue was momentarily dazed and her eyes actually filled up for no reason.
" No…no…no…" Rong Ruo read the small words carved on the umbrella handle word by word.
Rong Ruo looked back with a smile, but unconsciously met Qiyue's tearful eyes, puzzled.
" Cousin..." Xie 'er suddenly pushed the door open and went in. She saw Rong Ruo and Qiyue standing close to each other, hiding behind the umbrella. Qiyue was shocked and staggered, falling out of the umbrella in a few steps. Xie 'er looked around and saw that her face was blushing and her eyes were filled with tears. She looked like a pear blossom that had just been dewy.
Xie 'er felt a pain in her heart, and two streams of tears flowed down her face. She suddenly turned around and ran out of the door.
" Cousin..." Rong Ruo saw this and knew that there was a misunderstanding. She threw the paper umbrella and chased after him.
Seeing Rong Ruo like this, Qiyue looked at the paper umbrella she had painstakingly made overnight, which he had thrown away in an instant. Tears silently flowed out of her eyes. She stood rooted to the ground in a daze, her heart aching.
In the end, he still failed to live up to the beauty's wishes.
The Empress Dowager's phoenix eyes were slightly closed as she faintly looked at the palace maids in the palace. A hundred fragrances filled the air, and the entire simple, solemn, and elegant Peaceful Life Palace seemed even more solemn and peaceful.
"Imperial Grandmother, the weather has turned from summer to autumn. Mu 'er personally made white fungus and red dates porridge to moisten Imperial Grandmother's lungs. Autumn is easy to dry, so Imperial Grandmother has to pay more attention to her phoenix body.”The Empress ordered Cui Huan to hand over the glass cup.
"Mu 'er, you're here so early.”The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and the armor embedded with sapphire stones sparkled. She smiled kindly and said," Sit down."”
"Mu 'er specially rushed over before Imperial Grandmother had her breakfast.”The Empress picked up the silver spoon and cooled the porridge before bringing it to the Empress Dowager." Imperial Grandmother, quickly eat it while it's hot. See if it doesn't suit your taste."”
"Yes, I am. Mu 'er was the one who knew what was going on, hehe.”The Empress Dowager picked up the porridge and ate half a bowl before putting it down." It's smooth and delicious. Mu 'er's cooking is getting better and better."”
"As long as Royal Grandmother likes it, Mu 'er will send it over every day.”the Empress said happily.
"Let the palace maids do all this work.”The Grand Empress Dowager held the Empress's hand and saw that there were small scars on her delicate hand. How could she not know that the Empress often personally cooked for the Emperor and was extremely considerate? The Empress Dowager's heart ached as she gently rubbed her hand." Mu 'er, it's a blessing for the Qing Dynasty for the Emperor to be able to marry you as the Empress.”
"Mu 'er is ashamed." the empress said shyly.
"Haha." The Empress Dowager doted on the Empress. Although she did not get the Emperor's favor, she was obedient and sensible. She understood the big picture and was a rare good woman. The Emperor did not love her, but she, the Empress Dowager, loved her dearly.
"Mu 'er, Imperial Grandmother was just about to look for you to discuss something.”The Empress Dowager dismissed the attendants.
"What is it?" Seeing this, the Empress knew that it was an important matter and her expression became respectful.
"I'm sure you've heard that General Ao Lang, the second son of Ao Bai, won in one fell swoop and made the Tuerhu submit to the Qing Dynasty. According to the rules, they must marry a daughter of the royal family and reconcile the two tribes. It was said that King Zangci of the Tuerhu clan had a princess who was exceptionally beautiful and was also a heroine in his clan. "Imperial Grandma means…" The Empress Dowager paused slightly and carefully observed the Empress 'expression.
"Mu 'er understands. Tomorrow, go prepare the bedroom. Once the Mongolian princess arrives, the marriage can be held immediately. Imperial Grandmother did not need to worry about Mu 'er being unhappy. It was also a good thing to be able to marry a noble family for the Emperor and have children.”The Empress gently smiled at the Grand Empress Dowager.
"Mu 'er, it's rare for you to be so magnanimous.”The Empress Dowager was touched and felt sorry for him.
What a beautiful word. The Empress smiled bitterly, her eyes unconsciously looking out the window at the scattered Gao Tong.
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