"You're the pig!" Ling Xiao said angrily, but he had to put on a smiling face and act as if he were very kind to Prince Ning in front of the emperor. Zhang Yu watched them fooling around with A Hao in his arms, without participating, a faint smile on his face.
The six people in the courtyard laughed and made noise incessantly, while the high-hanging full moon continued to scatter its gentle light, enveloping everything in the courtyard, as if it were a gentle, silent, and eternally inclusive light that had remained unchanged for thousands of years.
·
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, time seemed to fly by. In the blink of an eye, the weather turned much cooler. But this year's first heavy snow came a little late, and by the time it finally arrived, the Lunar New Year was already close.
After learning some martial arts from Zhang Yu, A-Hao's health improved, and her daily routine became more regular. Perhaps for this reason, along with the medication, her life became much easier. She also felt less cold in winter.
It snowed late the night before. When Ahao woke up in the morning, she went to the eaves and saw a world covered in silver and white. She stood there for a while before washing up. Today is Laba Festival. Ahao cooked Laba porridge with rice, millet, glutinous rice, purple rice, red beans, kidney beans, cowpeas, peanuts, lotus seeds, walnuts and other dried fruits. Then she went inside to call Zhang Yu to get up.
Last night, Zhang Yu was discussing matters with others until late before resting. It's impossible for him to stop managing affairs, nor is it possible for him to truly stop attending the morning court. He will still go occasionally, just not frequently, about twice a month. When A-Hao entered the room, Zhang Yu was already awake.
Upon seeing Ahao return, Zhang Yu beckoned her closer, then pulled her into his arms and lay down. He embraced her with apparent tenderness, gently resting his chin on her head before closing his eyes. Ahao, as was her habit, nudged him gently and said, "Your Majesty should get up."
"Lie with me a little longer." Apart from tightening his arms a little, Zhang Yu made no other movements, showing no sign of wanting to get up. This was common, so Ahao nestled in his arms and talked to him, "Today is Laba Festival."
Zhang Yu responded softly, and Ahao added, "The New Year is approaching." Zhang Yu responded again, and Ahao continued, "Does His Majesty not return to the palace for the New Year?" Ahao hadn't brought this up for a long time, and seeing that Zhang Yu was still going to court, she felt much more at ease. However, with the New Year approaching, she couldn't help but bring it up again.
"Hmm." Zhang Yu responded indifferently, without any particular emotion, and not surprised that Ahao brought up this topic. Ahao was silent for a while, then said, "Many things during the New Year need to be handled personally by His Majesty, and no one can do it for him. It will be more convenient for you to go back."
"I've changed my mind," Zhang Yu said slowly. Ahao didn't understand what he meant and looked up at him for a moment. Zhang Yu lowered his eyes to meet her gaze and slowly finished speaking, "You used to say that I was a tyrant, but now I've changed my mind and am prepared to be a foolish ruler."
He was a tyrant because of his tyrannical and cruel acts of unjustly implicating innocent people. He was also a foolish ruler because he stayed in this Jingyun Nunnery for the sake of a woman, neglecting morning court and refusing to return to the palace. He spoke casually, as if discussing with Ahao how cold it was today and whether the weather would clear up tomorrow.
Stared at by Zhang Yu, and understanding his meaning perfectly, Ahao couldn't help but pause in surprise. His words were a joke, yet clearly contained a hint of mockery. Ahao felt her ears burning; she snuggled closer to Zhang Yu and deliberately asked, "Your Majesty, are you referring to the 'three meats and five abhorrents'?"
“Lust has clouded his judgment…” Zhang Yu touched Ahao’s lips with his fingers, looked into her eyes, and said with a light laugh. Seeing that Ahao wanted to run away, he tightened his grip on her arm, “Running won’t help. In any case, you can’t escape responsibility for this.”
This is clearly the work of a scoundrel.
"Alright." Ahao couldn't get off the bed and had to stay nestled in Zhang Yu's arms. She nodded and said with a hint of helplessness, "Since His Majesty has said so, then so be it. Let's stay here."
Those who had been stunned by those words, and those who had been asking whether or not to return to the palace, now seemed at ease. Ah Hao gently leaned her head against Zhang Yu's chest and whispered, "The historian will record this for you in the future, and it will be very impressive."
Zhang Yu burst out laughing.
·
This holiday season didn't pass by so easily after all.
On the first day of the New Year festival, the scene that Ah Hao had worried about—the officials kneeling to welcome the emperor back to the palace—still appeared. The nuns of Jingyun Nunnery seemed to have known in advance, and none of them came out to watch the spectacle.
The officials' pleas were too loud to ignore, neither pretending ignorance of what was happening nor disregarding the fact. Especially their wording… Ah Hao had been scattering some millet in the yard to feed the birds, watching them hop and skip closer.
"Your Majesty the Emperor and Empress are welcomed back to the palace!"
Another sound reached Ah Hao's ears. No matter how uncertain she was at first, with repeated hearing, it became increasingly difficult to misunderstand. But what was going on? Zhang Yu hadn't mentioned it to her at all.
Ah Hao was horrified. How could someone of her status have risen to the position of Empress in one fell swoop? Was Zhang Yu staying at Jingyun Nunnery all this time to force the ministers to submit? But he should have spoken to her, discussed it with her. Or perhaps Zhang Yu felt that if he spoke to her, she would not agree.
Given her personality, she really couldn't agree... Ah Hao was still holding a blue-and-white porcelain bowl that she used to hold grain, standing there blankly under the eaves. For a moment, she thought, Zhang Yu really is that kind of person.
Just like last year's Lantern Festival, when he took her back to the mansion to reunite with her mother, he prepared everything but said nothing before taking her out of the palace and back to the Song residence. Thinking of this, A-Hao suddenly realized that it was actually the last Lantern Festival she would spend with her mother. If it weren't for Zhang Yu, she wouldn't even have had this last Lantern Festival.
Bringing her back to the palace wouldn't be too difficult, unlike this situation. But it wouldn't be that easy… She had no birth or status, and the concubines of the harem, and their families, would never agree. Yet now, those ministers were kneeling outside, repeatedly saying they were welcoming the Empress back to the palace.
It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like only a short while, when Ahao felt someone walk up to her and take the porcelain bowl from her hand. She looked at the person; it couldn't be anyone else but Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu put the bowl down, gently took her hand, and said, "Ahao, let's go."
She actually followed him.
As she stepped out of the courtyard, Ah Hao hesitated for some reason, then tugged at Zhang Yu's hand, shrinking back slightly. Zhang Yu turned and hugged her, whispering, "Ah Hao, it's alright, I'm here." She then remembered the dream she had, where someone held her and told her, "I will always protect you," a dream that brought her peace of mind.
Ah Hao gradually calmed down. She looked up at Zhang Yu, whose eyes were filled with familiar tenderness, as well as encouragement and affirmation. A single glance contained so much unspoken words; she understood, this was probably their tacit understanding.
"Mmm." Ah Hao responded to Zhang Yu, then squeezed his hand again and said, "With His Majesty here, there's nothing to fear." Zhang Yu smiled, put his arm around her shoulder, and led her toward the entrance of Jingyun Nunnery.
Those kneeling there were his subjects, whom Zhang Yu knew all too well. But for Ahao, it was different. Some she recognized—Prince Ning, Xia Mingzhe, Nie Zhiyuan… and many others were complete strangers.
They might be unwilling, Ah Hao wanted to, but they hadn't expected Zhang Yu to be even more forceful than they anticipated, even though this was beyond her expectations. Although Zhang Yu was clearly a domineering person, once he made up his mind, he wouldn't easily change it.
Zhang Yu stood there, holding Ahao's hand, while below him were ministers bowing in greeting. Prince Ning knelt on one knee at the very front. Once they had come out, the other ministers fell silent, and he said in a firm and powerful voice, "The New Year is approaching. We respectfully request Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress to return to the palace to celebrate the festival together."
Ah Hao felt Zhang Yu gently scratch her palm, as if reminding her not to lower her head, though she was still trying to withstand the pressure and didn't do so. Then, she heard Zhang Yu say unhurriedly, "I have my own arrangements." He seemed not to have considered their words.
Prince Ning continued, "Tomorrow is the New Year's Eve. I urge Your Majesty and the Empress to return to the palace immediately to enjoy this reunion." He lowered his head, but his words remained firm, setting a timeframe and hoping they would return right away. Ah Hao glanced into the distance; the Emperor and Empress's entourage were present.
"Then I'll go back tomorrow."
After speaking, Zhang Yu did not linger and returned to Jingyun Nunnery with Ahao. This made his relationship with Prince Ning seem even more like a coordinated effort, but this was no small matter; it had been planned in advance and communicated beforehand, which was quite normal. Most of the ministers were also aware of this.
Ahao was led by him towards the courtyard, and Zhang Yu did not immediately offer an explanation. Ahao felt that she should perhaps ask for an explanation. This was a big matter, and closely related to her; in any case, it would have been better to inform him in advance. However, Ahao did not discuss this with Zhang Yu.
It wasn't until they were back in the courtyard that Zhang Yu spoke to Ahao. He called out to Ahao first, and only after she responded did he take her hand and say, "After we pass away, let's choose a place we like so that our descendants can be buried together. Whether you prefer the mountains, the streams, or any other place, it's fine."
There are bound to be other people in the imperial mausoleum, people he might not like, but he's already thought so far ahead, even considering his own funeral arrangements. But who said they wanted to be buried with him? Who said they wanted to have children with him? Ah-hao thought to herself, at least she hadn't said that.
“No.” Ahao glanced at Zhang Yu and saw his brows furrowed. He lowered his head and smiled. “I haven’t thought about such a distant matter. If I agree now, I might change my mind someday. It depends on His Majesty’s behavior.”
She spoke in a half-serious tone, which made Zhang Yu's handsome eyebrows rise. He gestured for A-Hao to look up at him, and Zhang Yu looked at her with a half-smile, asking, "What if you don't perform well?"
"Remarry?" Ah Hao thought seriously and asked in return.
Zhang Yu's brow twitched, a smile playing on his lips. As he spoke, he uttered four words: "Whoever she marries, he will kill."
·
Zhang Yu ultimately did not move back to the palace. Ahao assumed he truly intended to return home for the New Year, given his promise. However, Zhang Yu said he would be leaving in the spring, and that a few months was insignificant. He did return briefly, but returned after only half a day, seemingly having entrusted matters to Prince Ning.