The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 674 Metaphor
"What other mysteries surround Princess Ruyi's identity? Isn't she the child of the Emperor and the Empress?" Ayu said to Tuanzi. "She was a child who was finally found after a lot of trouble. They must have sorted out all the information before bringing her back, right?"

If the child is found but the wrong one is found, wouldn't that make the royal family look incompetent?
Do you want to complete this task? You'll be rewarded with some points. If you do, don't do it openly; just let people know her real identity to avoid her holding a grudge.

"Do you know who she is?"

I don't think she's the child of an emperor or empress. Genetically speaking, she really doesn't resemble one at all.

[By the way, I also heard some people gossiping that the princess and the queen have very similar eyes and ears, and even some similar temperaments. But I think that's completely wrong. Their eyes are different types, let alone their ears.]

[He still has this temper—]

“I don’t think the Empress is a bad-tempered person, but I’ve also heard some things that say she used to have a terrible temper and liked to punish the palace servants. All the concubines in the palace used to be punished by her.” Ayu said with a sigh, “I don’t know whether to sympathize with the Empress or with those concubines. They only had one husband. It seems that none of them were wrong, but none of them were happy.”

[This is still considered good. The current emperor only has about ten palace women, and most of them are only in name. Didn't you study the history of the Great Chang Dynasty? In the past, emperors had hundreds of concubines.]

"You just said that Princess Ruyi's temper is similar to the Empress's, which made me think of something. Could it be that she deliberately acts arrogant and domineering in order to make everyone think that she is similar to the Empress?"

After all, when this princess pretends to be fierce, she always seems like a fox borrowing the tiger's power.

Never mind all that. She bullied our people; we can't let her get away with it like this.

Zai is the commander of the Astrology Department. Everyone here is under Zai's protection, or in other words, under his protection. How can we let some incompetent fool bully them?
The two chatted via spatial means for a very short time. In Princess Ruyi's view, it was only about ten breaths before Ayu turned to look at her: "Princess Ruyi, you've been in the palace for so long that you've probably forgotten the rules for official duties in the capital. Anyone who wants to move around must ask permission. Even as a princess, there are many places you can't just wander around in. Our Astrology Department is small and not everyone can enter! Today, Your Highness came to our Astrology Department and beat people without cause. You even coveted our diligent subordinates and tried to kill them to silence them. I will report this matter truthfully to the Imperial Clan Court, send a copy to the Grand Secretariat, and submit it to the Imperial Household Department. Please, Your Highness, have some self-respect!"

Princess Ruyi: "Little girl, don't try to fool me! I, I, I'm not afraid at all!"

“Well, if the princess could speak without her trembling voice, she would be even more credible.” Ayu looked at Liufang, whose face was swollen, and couldn’t stand the princess at all. “Besides, the princess injured our people, so we can’t renege on the medical bills.”

Princess Ruyi was about to say something when her words disrupted her thoughts. In a daze, she left behind an IOU for 200 taels of silver and slunk away like a thief.

About fifteen minutes later, Xie Zhen came running over, panting, followed by about ten people.

I expected to see a mess, but instead I only saw Ayu and the others drying ancient books in the yard.

She wore the smoky blue bottoms with a lively feel, while the top was the Commander's regular uniform with a crescent moon pattern, which made Ayu look like a little adult with composure.

"Commander, what's going on? Where is Princess Ruyi?" Xie Zhen asked hurriedly. "I was on my way to submit an official document to the Hanlin Academy, but then I heard that Princess Ruyi had caused trouble with some people, so I hurriedly asked a few colleagues to come over. Has she already left, or did she never come at all?"

For a moment, Xie Zhen was completely baffled.

He hadn't expected that someone would cause trouble at the Astronomical Bureau. His identity might be nothing to others, but they would never provoke him, let alone a princess who had only been recognized by him for a few years.

Ayu: "It's nothing serious. Oh, speaking of which, there is one thing. She'll probably send someone to deliver the money soon, and you'll be in charge of receiving it."

"Give money? What kind of money?" Xie Zhen was a little confused. He could understand each word individually, but why was it so hard to understand when put together?
"None of that matters anymore. But your apprentice seems to have been quite frightened. Go and comfort him. I don't quite understand how he feels. Perhaps a man would have more to say to you." After putting down the ancient book in her hand, Ayu left the courtyard and went to another small room.

Xie Zhen hurriedly said to his equally bewildered colleagues, "Thank you all for coming to help. Since there's nothing else for now, please go back first. Thank you in advance."

"Commander Xie, you're too kind."

Xie Zhen waved his hand: "Oh, I'm wrong. I'm not the Commander-in-Chief now, just a Deputy. The person you all saw just now is our new Commander-in-Chief. It's really inconvenient to introduce you all today. Let's meet again when there's an opportunity in the future."

"No problem, no problem." The group left with a mix of curiosity, bewilderment, and relief.

On the way here, they had some regrets. If they had really clashed with that princess, they were afraid of being retaliated against in the future. Fortunately, everything had been settled by the time they arrived. They could gain a favor and avoid trouble. Why not?
However, after arriving, a new question arose: although the Department of Astrology was an inconspicuous little place, it was possible that a young girl could be appointed as its commander, which meant that the power behind it was not to be underestimated.

We need to reconsider the role of the Department of Astronomy in the future.

At this moment, Ayu was in the small room watching Liufang lying on the bed. Tangyuan was applying medicine to her. This was prepared by Ayu herself, and naturally, she added Wanling Water to it. It wasn't much, but it was enough to reduce swelling and relieve pain.

"Sister Liufang, don't be so foolish next time. If there's someone you can't handle, just bear with it and find a chance to have someone call me. Don't suffer for nothing." Ayu was really heartbroken. She was just thanking someone, but then she beat them up like this without saying a word. She was really too mean.

Liu Fang said, "It's alright, Commander. I'm not in pain. I'll rest for two or three days and I'll be fine on my own. We servants aren't that delicate. Although I wasn't often beaten before, I've been beaten before. I know how to turn my head so that it looks serious but doesn't hurt that much."

Tangyuan said from the side, "You're so stubborn. Since you can focus your intelligence on how to get beaten without feeling the pain, why don't you think about how to avoid getting beaten in the first place? For example, you could become a high-ranking palace maid. That way, you'd have to consider the owner before beating the monk. Once your status is elevated, you won't get beaten anymore."

One of Tangyuan's survival rules in the imperial city is to try not to do anything that offends others, but never to suffer losses, especially not to let his master suffer losses.

To be a good subordinate, you must not only handle the tasks assigned by your superiors, but also ensure that your superiors do not have to worry about you.

Liu Fang looked enlightened: "I understand. Once I recover from my injuries, I will work hard to pass the assessment and strive to become a second-class palace maid as soon as possible!"

Second-class palace maids are the highest-ranking palace maids below personal maids. Personal maids usually follow their masters and are not necessarily known by other palaces, but second-class palace maids travel around and hold real power, making them more likely to be known by other palaces. They also have more influence and are less likely to be beaten.

What class are you in now?

Fifth class.

"..." That's going to be a long wait.

Tangyuan patted her on the shoulder: "Then, do your best."

Over there, Xie Zhen learned of Xie Guixin's ordeal from Aunt Pang and was completely dumbfounded. His apprentice was already twenty, how old was the princess?
How could she... how could she...

"Master, could you please not make your disgusted expression so obvious?" Xie Guixin felt deeply hurt. "I've already been humiliated enough."

Xie Zhen composed himself and quickly said, "Ah, you misunderstood. I'm just worried about you, my disciple. If you really marry the princess, it will be a few more years before she grows up, and you'll already be old and faded—that's not what I meant, don't glare at me. So, I still suggest you marry your fiancée as soon as possible. You've already dragged it out for three years, it's time to get married, lest things get complicated and another problem arises, and there might not be anyone to protect you then."

Thinking of the fiancée his family had arranged for him, Xie Gui felt utterly hopeless; there was no escaping it after all.

"I understand. I'll take two days off tomorrow and come back to work after the wedding," Xie Guixin said.

Before Ayu finished her shift, she heard Xie Guixin say that she was going back to get married. While congratulating her, she said, "Two days is not enough, is it? Getting married in a hurry is disrespectful to a girl. How about this, I'll give you ten days, so you can prepare properly."

"I've already chosen an auspicious day," Xie Guixin said. "It's the day after tomorrow, so I don't need any extra leave. I can get back as soon as possible."

"Listen to me, it'll be ten days, it's settled." Ayu ignored his words and forcefully gave him a few more days.

Firstly, she thought that her brothers were getting married and would spend several days cuddling with their wives, not wanting to do anything else. She thought Xie Guixin must feel the same way.
Secondly, Xie Guixin has just experienced such a thing, so he must be feeling uneasy. Giving him a few more days off would be good for him to adjust.

Yes, she is such a considerate commander!

After finishing their shifts, staff in the imperial city don't necessarily have to rush home immediately. Some urgent official duties must be completed while they stay behind, and some who are naturally fond of official duties will not leave.

The hours of duty at the Hanlin Academy were similar to those at the Astrology Department, but the compilation was a complicated task that required a lot of organizing and searching. Fortunately, Qin Huai had a good memory, and he could usually finish the day's work in just half an hour, leaving the rest of the people with tasks that would take several days to complete.

For example, his superior originally intended to temper the young man's arrogance by assigning him to handle some old historical documents. However, the young man finished them on the same day, resulting in the superior having an enormous workload. The old books, which were thicker than his desk and required his handling, made the superior want to cry.

Qin Huai finished his shift early, turned a corner and arrived at the Astrology Department, where he sat in the small garden waiting for Ayu.

When Ayu saw him, she didn't run towards him with a big smile as usual; instead, she looked preoccupied.

He instinctively sensed something was wrong, so he stepped forward and asked, "Ayu, what's wrong? Did you have a bad day?"

Lu Yu, who had already taken on the role of Qin Huai's page and assumed his post, also looked at A Yu upon hearing this.

Ayu's unhappiness is a big deal. In his eyes, Ayu is someone who is always cheerful, as if there is nothing in the world that can make her unhappy.

Lu Yu had always regarded A Yu as his younger sister, the kind of younger sister who made him feel proud, so he asked, "Is it because you're not doing well at the Astronomical Bureau? People there are always undervalued, so they might have ulterior motives."

"Don't talk nonsense, that's not how it is." Tangyuan immediately said with dissatisfaction, "How can you just make things up without any evidence? Forget it, come here and come with me to the small kitchen to get two things."

Lu Yu: "Take what?"

"It's heavy, I can't carry it, let's go." Tangyuan walked straight ahead, not caring whether Lu Yu followed or not.

Lu Yu originally didn't want to go. He was already feeling very stifled as a pageboy. It wasn't because he was feeling stifled as a pageboy to Qin Huai, but because many people in the Hanlin Academy knew his identity and thought he had willingly fallen into depravity. Everyone's open and covert gazes were full of contempt, which made him feel stifled.

Sigh, now even a little girl can boss me around.

Strangely enough, he wasn't particularly averse to it. What did that mean? It meant that he was becoming more and more accustomed to the role of a pageboy, a realization that truly filled him with despair.

After the two left, Qin Huai asked, "Did I do something wrong that upset you?"

After much thought, this was the only answer: Ayu was not the type to take her anger out on others; she only addressed the issue, not the person.

"It's not your fault, but I don't know why, I just feel a tightness in my chest, like someone I don't like has spat on my favorite piece of meat." Ayu stared intently at Qin Huai, looking him up and down for a few moments, then changed her words, "It's not the meat or the spit, it's just—"

"It's like someone stole your steamed bun and stepped on it?" Qin Huai used a metaphor.

"Ah, yes, yes."

"Then tell me, what exactly is it that makes our little Ayu so unhappy?"

Ayu then recounted Princess Ruyi's story in detail, adding at the end, "I think she's really rude. And just because she's a princess, she thinks she can do whatever she wants. Even the imperial family can't act like that, right? I'm thinking of teaching her a lesson. Maybe I shouldn't go home now, but go complain to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager is such a reasonable person, she'll definitely criticize her. Don't you think so, Brother Ayu?"

After talking for a while without hearing a response from Qin Huai, Ayu stuck her head in front of him and asked, "Brother Ayou?"

Qin Huai: “…”

He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "So, I'm the meat that got spat on, the steamed bun that got stomped on?"

What did he do to get dirty?!
Ayu realized she had misspoke, chuckled for a while, then turned and ran away: "You misheard me, I didn't say that."

"Stop right there and explain yourself." Qin Huai strode after him.

"Hahaha……"

(End of this chapter)