Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

"Yes, yes!" Tao Xingjian, who had been holding his breath for a while, immediately responded enthusiastically, "The former Rong and Ning mansions were demolished by His Majesty last year.

"Let's use that space now! It will be completed in half a year!

"Now we have to consider how to build it..."

The Queen Mother could not wait any longer: "Tell the Ministry of Works to quickly produce the blueprints. I will come and give them the details!"

"That's great! Who in the world is more knowledgeable than the Empress Dowager?" Tao Xingjian left Emperor Zhaoming, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and went straight to the Empress Dowager and bowed:

"How to make it both pleasing to the eye and comfortable, practical and elegant? Only the Queen Mother can arrange it just right!

"I will go and urge the Ministry of Works right now!"

The Queen Mother smiled and said to Tao Xingjian earnestly, "Since Zhaoqing was a little girl, you have loved her the most.

"Although you spend more time with me now, I can see that you care about everything she does.

"The child is a good and grateful child. I'm sure she will remember your kindness.

"When you are old and can no longer serve in the palace, go to her house!

"I promise you! She will definitely take care of you until the end of your life!"

Tao Xingjian smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits, and he kept nodding and saying "hmm" over and over.

Emperor Zhaoming, who was left out, couldn't help but said sarcastically:

"That is!

"Zhaoqing's uncle is just this one!

"Ru Hai only has this one old classmate!

"If I don't respect him, who should I respect?!"

After saying that, he stood up with a dark face and bowed hastily to the Queen Mother: "My son has something else to do in the previous court, so I'll take my leave!"

He threw down his sleeves and strode away.

Tao Xingjian bowed cheerfully to the empress dowager, ran out happily with his whisk in his arms, and when he reached the palace gate, he turned around and waved to Daiyu:

"Don't worry! Take your time!"

He went there at a trot.

The mother and daughter sat opposite each other in the hall and burst out laughing.

The Queen Mother touched Daiyu's head lovingly and said, "You are nineteen now, a grown-up girl. It is time for you to get married! Look at your sister, her son is already three years old!"

Then he turned to Tanchun and asked worriedly, "Why didn't you bring the child with you? I haven't seen him for half a month. Have you gained weight? Is he not sick?"

Tanchun clenched her fists in annoyance: "Don't mention it..."

There was a lot of joy in the hall.

As soon as Emperor Zhaoming left Shoukang Palace, the displeasure on his face disappeared.

Tao Xingjian followed him out, laughing and whispering behind him: "How could the Queen Mother not allow it? She is eager not to let Zhaoqing leave the capital."

"What exactly did Lu Changqing say?" A cold light flashed in Emperor Zhaoming's eyes.

Tao Xingjian's face froze for a moment, and he snorted before saying, "It is said that the aristocratic families in Jiangnan have invited Master Cao to banquets more than a dozen times, and every time they have used beauty traps!"

Emperor Zhaoming murmured in a low voice: "More than a dozen times...he went every time..."

Tao Xingjian shut his mouth.

"From now on, for Zhaoqing's sake, he should come back to Beijing and live there for two months every year." Emperor Zhaoming said lightly, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was informing Tao Xingjian.

Tao Xingjian frowned slightly and closed his mouth even tighter.

In June of that year, Emperor Zhaoming appointed the daughter of the newly promoted Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Fan, as the new empress.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival in August of that year, Princess Zhaoqing married Cao Yu, the Governor-General of Liangjiang. Half a month after the wedding, Cao Yu went to Jiangnan again, and the princess moved back to the palace to accompany the empress dowager.

In the spring of the twelfth year of Zhaoming, Cao Yu, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, was transferred to be the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and Princess Zhaoqing accompanied him to take up the post.

In the autumn of the twelfth year of Zhaoming, Princess Zhaoqing returned to Beijing to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with the Empress Dowager and moved into the palace to live permanently again.

In the spring of the 16th year of Zhaoming, Cao Yu, the governor-general of Sichuan and Shaanxi, was transferred to be the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Princess Zhaoqing accompanied him to take up the post.

In the winter of the sixteenth year of Zhaoming, Princess Zhaoqing returned to Beijing to spend the New Year with the Empress Dowager, and then moved into the palace to live permanently.

In the summer of the 20th year of Zhaoming, the empress dowager passed away, and Princess Zhaoqing went to the imperial mausoleum to observe mourning for a year.

In the summer of the 21st year of Zhaoming, Princess Zhaoqing went to Guangdong and Guangxi to reunite with Cao Yu.

In the autumn of the 21st year of Zhaoming, Emperor Zhaoming was seriously ill. He urgently ordered Cao Yu to bring his family to the capital and personally granted him the titles of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Academician of the Wenhua Palace, and Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince.

The third prince was appointed as the crown prince and given the title of regent.

Soon, his condition gradually improved and he moved to the Yanjia Hall of the Taiji Palace to recuperate and no longer interfered in state affairs.

In the 26th year of Emperor Zhaoming's reign, Emperor Zhaoming allowed Cao Feng to retire, promoted Cao Yu to be the Minister of Revenue, and granted him the titles of Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.

He also granted Princess Zhaoqing the title of Princess Zhaoqing and her hometown Suzhou as her fief.

On the Lantern Festival of the 31st year of Zhaoming's reign, Emperor Zhaoming passed away.

His last will and testament: Cao Yu, Prince Kejin, Zhou Yan, and Ding Mingyi were appointed as regents.

Although the empress and himself were second wives, their love was as deep as the sea. Fearing that he would be sad when seeing the scene, he was granted residence in Qingyuan Temple, a separate palace in Zhongnan Mountain, and he did not need to come to Beijing unless necessary. The new emperor did not need to visit him frequently either.

Princess Zhaoqing added the words "Zhen Guo" to her name and ordered her to live in the imperial mausoleum and observe mourning for herself for one year.

He was accompanied by Tao Xingjian, the Grand Supervisor of the Palace Province.

……

……

When the new emperor ascended the throne, he announced that the reign title would be Qingyuan.

In order to avoid the taboo of this era name, Princess Zhaoqing of Zhenguo changed her title to Yongning.

……

……

In the third year of the Qingyuan period, Tao Xingjian passed away.

Cao Yu requested to retire, but the emperor did not agree.

In the fourth year of the Qingyuan period, Cao Yu requested to retire again and again, but the emperor still refused.

Princess Yongning came to the palace to persuade the emperor, and the emperor reluctantly agreed.

In April of the fourth year of the Qingyuan reign, Cao Yu and Princess Yongning retired to Gusu.

……

……

In the spring of the sixth year of Qingyuan, the Broken Bridge of West Lake in Hangzhou.

The two groups met head-on on the bridge.

Lin Daiyu, who is over fifty years old, still has charm, with an upright figure, graceful dress and an ethereal air.

On the other side, there were Xue Baochai and Jia Baoyu, who were dressed in plain clothes and looked haggard and emaciated.

There was only a little boy next to the two of them, carrying a book box.

Behind Daiyu followed Qingwen and Xueyan, who were dressed as women, two little maids, Chu Kan and Lu Changqing, and two guards.

"Princess Lin." Baochai recognized Daiyu first. She was surprised, but then she knelt down reluctantly and bowed her head.

Baoyu looked at Daiyu with complicated eyes. After a while, he bowed and said, "I heard that Princess Zhaoqing has been promoted many times, and now she is Princess Yongning, the guardian of the country."

Daiyu looked at the two of them, her eyebrows slightly raised: "You two, are you here to cruise the lake too?"

"I teach here." Baoyu turned around and pointed to the book box on the boy's back.

Baochai stood up straight and stared at Daiyu. After a while, she spoke slowly and concernedly, "Sister Lin, it's been decades since we last met. How have you been doing in the palace?"

"Sister Bao, time makes people grow old. I'm fine, and you look fine too." Daiyu smiled.

Baochai raised her hand and touched the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, then lowered her eyes, coughed lightly, and sighed softly, "This is what it feels like to worry about children.

"I heard that Sister Lin has never given birth. She really looks younger than people like us."

Daiyu shook her head slightly, chuckled, and tilted her head to order: "Let's go."

Never look at Xue Baochai and Jia Baoyu again.

Everyone passed by the couple without even glancing at them.

At the moment when the two groups of people were facing each other, Baoyu looked at Baochai calmly: "You and I have never consummated our marriage, which child are you worried about?"

Facing the spring breeze, Daiyu gently closed her eyes.

Cao Yu passed away three months ago.

When he was dying, he held Daiyu's hand and said only one sentence: I wish we could have peace in the next life, meet soon, become husband and wife, and have many children and grandchildren.

(End of the book)