During this end-of-year period, time passed by extremely quickly. With New Year’s Eve approaching, every corner of the palace was so busy that people were constantly rushing about. Song Jian could no longer openly slack off. Every day, the moment he opened his eyes, it was patrol duty, handling all kinds of major matters, minor matters, and trivial matters for his superior.
In the few short days before the New Year, Song Jian had run himself thin.
Xiao Yongning had come several times carrying Xiaosage to find him, but she never managed to catch sight of him. Whenever she asked, the answer was always that he was busy handling matters. Even when they occasionally ran into each other in the palace, he was always in a hurry.
The young man ran extremely fast, leaving behind only a voice that gradually faded into the distance:
“Wait~~~until~~~I~~~finish~~~”
Xiao Yongning clenched her fist.
No! As his friend, she had to help Lord Song seek justice!
Xiao Yongning carried the cat and headed toward the Imperial Study. However, before she even entered the palace courtyard, she saw a familiar person standing at the entrance.
Lu… Lu Yun?
Wasn’t that the Great Imperial Uncle’s attendant?
Xiao Yongning suddenly stopped in her tracks. Finished, finished, finished! Their Great Imperial Uncle had returned to the capital!!! And he had even entered the palace to meet the Emperor!!!
She frantically glanced around, hoping to slip away before Lu Yun noticed her. But, as luck would have it, Xiaosage, the little traitor, beat her to it with a loud “Meow!”
Lu Yun turned his head. “Grand Princess ?”
Xiao Yongning: “It’s not me, it’s not me, it’s not me!!”
Lu Yun happily said, “The Prince just said he has missed Your Highness the Princess very much after not seeing you for more than half a year. This little one will go report your arrival right away!”
Xiao Yongning stretched out her hand like the famous Erkang: “Don’t gooooo!!!!”
But it was already too late to stop him. Lu Yun had already run inside.
Not long after, Gong Defu walked out with a smiling face and said, “Your Highness, the Grand Princess, His Majesty said that since you are here, please enter quickly. The Prince has already been waiting for a long time.”
Xiao Yongning: “T_T”
Finished.
Xiao Yongning failed to stand up for her friend and even dragged herself into trouble. When she came out of the Imperial Study later, her whole person looked completely lifeless.
She floated ahead, while Xiaosage meowed behind her.
Wuwu, too scary.
That night, in the Tiancha Division dining hall, Xiao Yongning stuffed her mouth with pastries made by Yan Lili while pouring out her grievances.
Song Jian supported his chin and finally understood what she meant after listening for a long time.
“So what you’re saying is, this Great Imperial Uncle who just returned to the capital is a marriage-urging maniac. Not only does he urge His Majesty to marry, he also urges you and Xiao Da.”
Xiao Yongning slapped the table and said angrily, “That’s not all! Every unmarried younger generation of suitable age, he has to urge them all! And he uses every possible method to urge them! It’s outrageous!”
Song Jian had spent nineteen years racing through school. The words he had heard most often from his elders were, “don’t date too early.” Xiao Yongning was around the same age as him, so how had she already reached the point where she was being urged to marry?!
He said very fairly, “I think you’re still young. There’s no need to worry. The one who should worry is His Majesty.”
Xiao Yongning took another bite of pastry and said indistinctly, “Exactly, I don’t want to find a husband at all. Just thinking about it annoys me to death… My imperial brother will already be twenty-seven after the New Year and still doesn’t have any consorts. If he isn’t anxious, why should I be?”
Song Jian nodded very seriously in agreement. “Mm mm mm! Exactly!”
Xiao Yongning took another bite of pastry, then handed a piece to Song Jian for him to eat. While eating, she suddenly remembered something again. She lowered her face and said, “But tomorrow my Great Imperial Uncle is coming into the palace again. He comes every day. I don’t want to see him wuwuwuwu.”
After sadly whimpering a few times, Xiao Yongning grabbed Song Jian’s hand.
“Lord Song, how about you go in my place?”
Song Jian: “?”
“Ah?”
Xiao Yongning said with a serious expression, slowly saying, “You don’t know, my Great Imperial Uncle, he is face-blind!”
Song Jian also said seriously, slowly saying, “Face-blind, but can he also not tell gender and clothing?”
Xiao Yongning let out a “wow” sound.
“I’m hopeless!”
Song Jian quickly comforted her. “There is, there is. Just say you are bedridden and feeling unwell, so you cannot go over. His Majesty definitely won’t say anything, and your Great Imperial Uncle won’t say anything either.”
Xiao Yongning took out a small handkerchief to wipe her tears.
“You’re right. Then I’ll trouble you, Lord Song.”
Song Jian: “……”
Wait.
Xiao Yongning hugged the remaining pastries and ran away, shouting as she ran:
“Lord Song, fly bravely! Xiao Ba will always follow!”
Song Jian stood up.
“Me? I’m going?!!”
From outside the Tiancha Division came Xiao Yongning’s drifting voice:
“My imperial brother dotes on you the most! You go tell him, it’ll definitely be fine~~~~”
Song Jian fell silent.
Dotes on?
—
The next day.
Not long after Xiao Yinghuai finished court, before he had even eaten breakfast, Gong Defu came to report:
“Your Majesty, Prince Yu requests an audience.”
Prince Yu was the Great Imperial Uncle who made people “tremble at the mention of his name.”
Xiao Yinghuai frowned, his footsteps even speeding up.
“Just say that I am busy.”
Gong Defu hesitated.
“But… Prince Yu said he has important matters to discuss with His Majesty.”
The Great Imperial Uncle was the elder brother of the late Emperor. When the late Emperor was still alive, he had always treated him with great respect. Although Xiao Yinghuai was impatient, he truly could not disregard this Great Imperial Uncle’s dignity.
After silently walking for a while, he still waved his hand.
“Summon him.”
Prince Yu was already over sixty years old. His hair was white, but his body was still quite strong. He was a spirited little old man. He quickly followed Gong Defu into Yanning Palace.
Xiao Yinghuai was currently having breakfast in the Eastern Warm Chamber.
Prince Yu: “Your Majesty—Your Majesty—Your Majesty—”
Xiao Yinghuai raised his eyes and saw the little old man about to kneel and perform the ceremony. He hurriedly stood up.
“Great Imperial Uncle, there is no need for formalities.”
Prince Yu: “Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
The little old man stood up and immediately said, “Your Majesty, you now…”
Xiao Yinghuai directly interrupted him.
“Great Imperial Uncle, accompany me for some breakfast. Defu.”
Gong Defu hurriedly prepared bowls and chopsticks for Prince Yu.
The little old man could only thank him again.
“Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
A single breakfast temporarily silenced the little old man’s nagging about marriage, but only for as long as they were eating.
As soon as Xiao Yinghuai stood up, the little old man also stood up.
“Your Majesty.”
Xiao Yinghuai: “……”
He slowed his pace. When he had the chance, he had Gong Defu send someone to call Xiao Yongning, and also sent someone to summon Xiao Da into the palace.
Gong Defu quietly acknowledged the order. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
—
Inside the Imperial Study.
Prince Yu was given a seat and tea, but he had no time to care about either of them. The moment he opened his mouth, he started talking nonstop.
“Your Majesty, I am already someone whose body is half buried in the ground. Who knows when I might close my eyes and leave this world. Speaking selfishly, before I leave, if I cannot see you establish an Empress and Consorts, how should this old minister explain himself to the late Emperor after going below?”
Xiao Yinghuai took a long while before calmly saying:
“While alive, why worry about matters after death.”
Prince Yu did not hear clearly. He sipped his tea and continued.
“Back then, when the late Emperor had just ascended the throne, he immediately welcomed an Empress. The country cannot be without a ruler for even a day, and you cannot be without an Empress for even a day…”
Xiao Yinghuai supported the side of his face.
“My Empress position has been empty for six or seven years. Why can I not be without an Empress for a day?”
Prince Yu could not answer. He hurriedly pretended to choke on his tea.
“Cough cough cough cough…”
After the young Emperor before him forgot about this matter, he began persuading again.
“This old minister sees that there are many suitable unmarried women in the capital. Why doesn’t Your Majesty, after the New Year, have the Ministry of Revenue select some candidates to enter the palace…”
Xiao Yinghuai let it go in one ear and out the other. He called out:
“Gong Defu.”
“Eh, eh, Your Majesty, this old servant is here.”
“How come Yongning still hasn’t arrived?”
“This old servant will immediately send someone to urge her again.”
Xiao Yinghuai raised his finger slightly, looking like his patience had reached its limit.
The little old man continued:
“If there is a woman who can enter His Majesty’s eyes, that would also be a happy occasion…”
“Your Majesty!”
The little old man was interrupted for the nth time.
Song Jian walked in. He blinked while looking at the people inside the Imperial Study, scratched his fingers, and said:
“Grand Princess said that she is feeling unwell today. Probably… probably she cannot come over…”
Xiao Yinghuai: “?”
“She told you this?”
Song Jian pursed his lips and nodded like a little chick pecking rice.
“Mm mm mm!”
Xiao Yinghuai: “……”
Song Jian was afraid the Emperor would not believe him, so he added in an obviously guilty manner:
“Subordinate is telling the truth, Your Majesty!”
Not long after he finished speaking, Gong Defu also entered.
“Your, Your Majesty, Prince Xian said that he is feeling unwell today. Probably… probably he cannot come over…”
Song Jian: “?”
Damn, how did these two people use the exact same excuse?
The Emperor’s gaze landed on his face. Song Jian instantly became guilty and could only lower his head, scratching his fingers.
Xiao Yinghuai said: “Understood.”
Song Jian’s eyes widened, and he quickly said:
“Then this subordinate will take his leave!”
He was just thinking that Xiao Yinghuai was being unusually easy to talk to. That shouldn’t be right. The next second, he heard the man say:
“Come back.”
Song Jian turned around.
Xiao Yinghuai slightly raised his chin.
“Come to my side. When Xiao Yongning and Xiao Da recover and can come over, you may leave.”
Song Jian: “……”
Oh no.
He could not help but use his eyes to ask Gong Defu: Did I get caught in someone else’s crossfire?
Gong Defu could not bear to look.
Song Jian moved to the Emperor’s side and honestly became a little mute with no sense of presence.
“Your Majesty, what do you think about what this old minister said just now?”
Xiao Yinghuai replied randomly:
“I do not think anything of it. What does Great Imperial Uncle think?”
Prince Yu: “……”
The little old man looked sorrowful.
“Every word this old minister said came from the bottom of my heart. You have been on the throne for more than six years. You should have established an Empress candidate long ago to stabilize the court. At the very least, you should welcome some Consorts into the palace. Now, now, this old minister truly cannot close his eyes even in death~~~~”
As he spoke, the little old man began shedding tears.
Song Jian stood with his hands behind his back, not saying a single word, completely acting like a well-behaved child.
Song Jian had known about Xiao Yinghuai having no Imperial Consorts for a long time. Chang Ying had mentioned it to him before, but he had not told him the reason. Song Jian only thought it was because of busy government affairs.
If the reason was like this, then it was actually understandable.
The little old man cried for a long time before Xiao Yinghuai finally spoke.
“Then, Great Imperial Uncle, why don’t you guess why I am unwilling to welcome suitable unmarried women from the capital into the palace?”
The little old man had two pools of tears in his eyes.
“?”
“Your Majesty is busy with government affairs, this old minister knows. But Your Majesty cannot devote your entire heart to state affairs.”
This question also made Song Jian curious. After hearing what Prince Yu said, he hurriedly pricked up his ears toward the Emperor.
Say it, say it, hurry up and say it.
Xiao Yinghuai glanced at the person beside him who almost wanted to stick his ears to his mouth.
Heh.
“It seems Great Imperial Uncle does not know the reason behind this. But that is normal. I have never spoken these words to anyone else.”
“Today, seeing that Great Imperial Uncle is willing to speak these heartfelt words to me, I will properly explain it to Great Imperial Uncle.”
Prince Yu raised his eyes, his heart tightening.
Their Emperor… could it be that he had some hidden illness?
Song Jian’s ears perked up even more. What he was thinking was the same—could it be that Xiao Yinghuai had some hidden illness in this area?
Xiao Yinghuai said:
“Great Imperial Uncle, listen carefully. I will only say this once.”
Song Jian: “O.o?”
“Your Majesty may speak freely.”
Xiao Yinghuai:
“I have a preference for men.”
……
……
The Imperial Study fell deathly silent.
The little old man thought he had heard wrong and vigorously dug at his ears.
Song Jian froze.
“??”
Xiao Yinghuai leaned against the chair behind him, slowly playing with a jade button in his hand.
“As Great Imperial Uncle has heard, I like men. I especially like those handsome, fair-skinned men. Does Great Imperial Uncle have any other questions?”
The Great Imperial Uncle had no questions. He simply remained silent.
Song Jian looked toward the Emperor.
Xiao Yinghuai also happened to raise his eyes and look at him.
“Does Lord Song have any questions?”
Song Jian’s eyelashes fluttered.
After a moment, his face suddenly turned red.
“……”
Xiao Yinghuai gave a faint laugh through his nose.
“Lord Song should be very familiar with this matter.”
Song Jian: “(//////)”
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
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Black lotus On DL Chapter74