Drunk Bamboo

Strike while the iron is hot, Xie Yuzhu and Hua Qinfeng went to the palace every day to accompany the emperor in practicing calligraphy.

The emperor was delighted by Xie Yuzhu's praise every afternoon.

After a few days, Xie Yuzhu had gotten to know the emperor's temper better and was able to control himself more easily in front of him.

The emperor looked very kind when he smiled more.

Xie Yuzhu is eloquent, and Hua Qinfeng doesn't talk much, but he is good-looking and has no bad temper, so naturally the more she looks at him, the more she likes him.

After spending these days together, the emperor became more friendly towards Hua Qinfeng and Xie Yuzhu.

"After only a few days of practice, Feng'er's calligraphy is so vivid. Yuzhu has made great contributions. Feng'er has also put in a lot of effort, right?"

Hua Qinfeng complained quietly: "Every day, apart from practicing martial arts, she is always staring at me."

Xie Yuzhu slapped his hand in a stern tone, "Your Highness is practicing calligraphy so hard just to please your father. How could it be that I forced you to do that?"

In the eyes of the emperor, this was just a flirtation between a young couple, and he also joked: "Feng'er, if you practice more, your calligraphy skills will catch up with Yuzhu's."

Xie Yuzhu glanced at Hua Qinfeng and said, "If Your Majesty practices like this every day, he will catch up with me in no time. I'm just afraid that Your Majesty won't be able to hold on for a few more days."

Hua Qinfeng looked innocent: "..."

How would he answer this?

He looked a little embarrassed, not knowing how to answer.

The emperor laughed and said, "Hahaha, Feng'er looks very aggrieved. Yuzhu, please don't bully Feng'er in front of me."

Xie Yuzhu smiled and asked shyly, "How dare I? Your Majesty, tell me, do you bully me or do I bully you?"

Hua Qinfeng was stunned and shook his head: "No bullying, no bullying, we don't quarrel."

Such true feelings, such vivid, natural and unpretentious expression of true emotions, are a luxury, a desire and a rarity in the cold and indifferent imperial palace.

"Hahaha, the dignified King of Wind is actually henpecked. Who would believe it if I told anyone else?"

Henpecked?

Hua Qinfeng: "..."

The emperor stopped laughing and realized that he had lost his composure. He picked up the brush and started writing again.

Xie Yuzhu looked at Hua Qinfeng with gentle eyes and said softly: "The prince loves me, I understand. The prince also loves father, so he is willing to come to the palace every day to practice calligraphy with us."

The emperor paused with his pen in his hand and raised his eyes: "Yuzhu is right. Although Feng'er's handwriting is not very good, its charm and momentum are excellent, better than the prince and Ming'er."

Xie Yuzhu said: "Father, please don't praise the prince so much, the prince will be proud."

The emperor put down his pen again, with a hint of worry on his face: "Feng'er is straightforward, Yuzhu is steady and polite, your personalities complement each other, the more I see you two, the more you are a good match. I wonder how Ming'er and his princess and concubine will live in the future."

Xie Yuzhu explained, "Father has given a lot of considerations to the marriage. Miss Luo is gentle and well-behaved, well-read, and a perfect match for King Wen. They will surely live in harmony after marriage. Miss Xiao and King Wen are even more attracted to each other. They will live a happy life after marriage if things take their own course."

He sighed softly, "I think so too. Ming'er has been weak since her mother's womb. The Imperial Concubine once injured her body to save me, and she became even weaker after she became pregnant with Ming'er. I feel very distressed and have always favored Ming'er."

As he spoke, he looked at Hua Qinfeng with a somewhat complicated look.

The implication is that you know you have treated Hua Qinfeng badly over the years?

Hua Qinfeng naturally did not hear the implicit meaning of these words, but was stunned again when he met the emperor's eyes.

Perhaps it was because the emperor's attitude towards him had changed drastically in recent days, and he had not yet adapted to it.

Xie Yuzhu said on behalf of Hua Qinfeng: "The prince knows that father has good intentions."

The emperor withdrew his gaze.

Xie Yuzhu gently spread out the rice paper, his eyes fell on the incense burner on the corner of the table for a moment, and said softly: "As long as we follow our father, he will protect me and the prince."

The emperor looked at her, then glanced at Hua Qinfeng who was quietly grinding ink, and opened his mouth slightly: "Of course."

Fearless and with a determined look in his eyes, Xie Yuzhu solemnly swore, "No matter when or where, the Feng Palace will stand with my father."

His eyes twinkled: "With you by Feng'er's side, I feel relieved."

This is a declaration of loyalty to the emperor.

The emperor said in a friendly manner, "We had dinner in Changle Palace yesterday, and the Queen said that she missed you and Feng'er very much. Let's go to Changle Palace and pay our respects to the Queen later."

Xie Yuzhu said respectfully: "Yes."

The emperor then said, "Take the tribute of blood swallows to the queen for me to reward her for her hard work in managing the six palaces. When you leave the palace, take some with you."

"Yes. Thank you, father, for the reward."

After waiting for a long time, Hua Qinfeng and Xie Yuzhu finally came out of the imperial study.

It was Eunuch Dong who sent them out.

Eunuch Dong: "In the past few days, the prince and princess have been in the palace every day to accompany His Majesty, and His Majesty is very happy every day. The prince and princess should come to the palace more often to accompany His Majesty. His Majesty likes to see the prince and princess as a couple in harmony."

"Your Majesty has few children. The Crown Prince is far away in the Yangtze River Basin, and King Wen is busy with his marriage. There is only the Eighth Princess left in the palace. She is young and cannot speak, so she cannot help Your Majesty with his worries. Now that the Prince and Princess have come to the palace to chat with us, we can have a moment of joy."

Xie Yuzhu, who had gained the emperor's trust, now had new doubts in his mind.

She lowered her voice and asked carefully, "Eunuch Dong, is His Majesty feeling unwell?"

Eunuch Dong stopped laughing immediately and signaled the palace servants behind him to retreat.

His eyes were alert: "Why do you say that, Princess?"

Sure enough, there is a problem.

Hua Qinfeng had excellent hearing and he pricked up his ears to listen.

Xie Yuzhu whispered, "Don't be suspicious, eunuch. My nose is more sensitive than that of ordinary people. When I entered the palace these few days, I could always smell that the incense burning in the study seemed to be mixed with some herbs, which had a soothing and analgesic effect. I was really worried about my father's health, so I couldn't help asking."

Eunuch Dong's expression eased and he said nervously, "My Lord and Princess, please do not let any other person know about this."

He asked anxiously, "Don't worry, sir. We haven't told anyone except you. What's wrong with father's body?"

He sighed, full of worry: "Your Majesty has had headaches for many years, and the prince and princess don't have to worry too much. The medicine prescribed by the imperial physician can relieve some of the pain, although it cannot cure it completely."

Xie Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Since father doesn't want outsiders to know, then the prince and I will pretend that we don't know. I'll have to trouble you to take care of father."

"That's natural."

After Eunuch Dong left, Hua Qinfeng was surprised and said:

"How come no one knows that my father has a headache?"

At this moment, a thousand thoughts flashed through Xie Yuzhu's mind.

"Just because the prince doesn't know doesn't mean others don't know. There is no such thing as an impenetrable wall. Since I can smell the difference in the fragrance in the study, others will also notice something strange."

Hua Qinfeng cares about this father.

"How can't the imperial physician cure a headache? Father should recruit doctors from all over the world. There will always be a way."

Xie Yuzhu spoke the truth: "Wouldn't that cause chaos in the world? Not just anyone can touch the emperor's head."

Both of them were silent for a moment.

Suddenly, Xiao Bingxin's voice came into his ears: "Greetings, Prince and Princess."