Chapter 18
“Brother Yu, where did you go just now?”
As soon as she returned to the crowd, Yu Zhao heard a familiar friend ask her curiously. Her expression was indifferent, and she answered unhurriedly, “I went to admire the flowers.”
“Hahaha, with Miss Chun Yuan here, why did you go to admire other flowers?”
Yu Zhao curled her lips slightly: “It’s not the same.”
What she admired was a genuine daughter of a noble family, the peony of a nation.
“Y-Young General…”
Chun Yuan hesitantly approached.
The princess had ordered her to get Yu Zhao away, but as soon as she came over, Yu Zhao seemed to be attracted by something, completely ignoring her, and turned and disappeared from the spot.
Now that the other party had finally returned, she could only muster up her courage and approach her tremblingly.
Yu Zhao frowned imperceptibly, and spoke before Chun Yuan could: “I seemed to see the princess looking for you just now.”
“Ah?” Chun Yuan was stunned, and immediately, without caring about anything else, she lifted her skirt and ran back.
Yu Zhao watched her leave, and then thought of the equally silly and cowardly little princess, and couldn’t help but laugh in her heart – what was this, like master, like servant?
“Speaking of the princess, I heard that His Majesty seems to be interested in letting Ke Hui her fuma(imperial consort).” The friend lowered his voice and said to Yu Zhao mischievously: “Once you become a fuma, you can’t interfere in the court. I wonder if the new Number One Scholar is willing.”
Yu Zhao raised her eyes and looked at Ke Hui.
The other party was standing in the peach blossom forest at this time, reciting poems and composing lyrics with a rapturous expression. Although his compositions were not very good, his face was full of arrogance and pride.
Yu Zhao had always been fighting on the battlefield before, and had always kept a respectful distance from the court officials. Now, looking at him, she felt a strange sense of repulsion and disgust.
She lowered her eyes and said slowly: “Rather than the matter of marrying the princess, I am more concerned about whether the Hezhou examiner’s claim of favoritism and corruption is true.”
The friend was shocked, and quickly looked around, then whispered: “Are you crazy? That matter hasn’t been confirmed yet. If you talk about it rashly, and what you say is wrong, what if someone secretly holds a grudge against you? Don’t you know how eye-catching your current achievements are? Even the Emperor, that one, has been looking at you strangely lately. A slight mistake, and it could be a situation where your head rolls!”
Yu Zhao quieted down, and after a long silence, she shook her head: “Forget it, let’s admire the flowers.”
The friend deeply agreed, and laughed heartily: “Right, the spring scenery is beautiful, what’s the point of talking about worldly affairs, we should just enjoy the flowers!”
**
Bo Chi sprained her foot, and not long after Chun Yuan helped her back to the palace, she saw her own mother rush over with a female physician.
The female physician carefully examined the injury, left a few instructions, and then left them alone.
“Tell me.” Without outsiders, the Empress no longer maintained royal etiquette, and directly poked Bo Chi’s forehead with a finger, gnashing her teeth: “Where did you run off to make trouble again? Huh? You even managed to sprain your foot. Are you going to try to scoop the moon out of the water tomorrow?”
Bo Chi weakly corrected her: “The moon is in the sky.”
The Empress was immediately amused: “This palace is saying you’re silly, and you’re really being silly and arguing with this palace?”
Bo Chi “…”
Don’t make personal attacks like that QAQ
After all, she was the little daughter she held in the palm of her hand. The Empress scolded her a few times, but seeing her aggrieved, she couldn’t help but hug her and coax her: “All in all, this palace is just worried that with your temperament, you won’t have a good life after you get married. You reached the age of marriage ((jì jī)) last year, and the Emperor has been choosing a fuma for you since then. After much deliberation, he finally set his sights on this year’s Number One Scholar.”
*(jì jī or ji li) refers to a traditional coming-of-age ceremony for girls in ancient China, typically at age 15, when they would put up their hair with a hairpin, signifying they had reached marriageable age.*
“I heard that the Number One Scholar is a handsome man with literary talent. The Emperor thought that after you get married, you could play the qin while he writes poetry, you could play music while he paints.” The Empress said, becoming increasingly worried: “But has His Majesty forgotten? You don’t know how to write or draw at all, and you’ve never even touched needlework. If you get married in the future, what will you talk about with your fuma?”
Bo Chi obediently nestled against her.
The original owner was a vicious female supporting character in the plot, and also a pampered little princess. Relying on the love of the most powerful parents in the world, she completely let herself go.
This was a good thing for Bo Chi.
After all, she wasn’t even proficient in holding a brush. If she was really given a talented woman persona, she would embarrass herself on the spot.
Thinking of this, Bo Chi suddenly had a good idea. She raised her little head, rubbed against the Empress affectionately, and her voice was soft and coquettish: “Mother, then tell Father and ask him not to marry your daughter to the Number One Scholar.”
The Empress said helplessly: “You have to get married eventually. The Number One Scholar is gentle, elegant, and talented, and his ancestors were poor. After marrying you, he can only treat you wholeheartedly. But if it were someone else, I’m afraid they would not only be unfeeling towards you, but also neglect you in private.”
“He won’t.” Bo Chi retorted without thinking: “He(She)’s not that kind of person!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the boudoir suddenly fell silent.
The Empress slowly narrowed her eyes, smiling noncommittally: “So that’s it… so that’s it! I was wondering why you didn’t like the Number One Scholar, so you already have someone in your heart?”
Bo Chi came out of her arms and sat up properly.
She had planned to speak directly, and now she nodded firmly: “Your daughter admires the Young General Yu Zhao, and I ask Mother to help me.”
Hearing the two words Yu Zhao, the Empress’s expression froze, and she immediately frowned: “How can you, how can you like him!”
Bo Chi’s expression was calm: “The Young General fought for the country, and repelled the enemy country before reaching adulthood. Even with the tiger tally and military power in hand, he(she) is still single-minded towards the Emperor, and returns immediately upon being summoned. Such a loyal and righteous person, what’s wrong with your daughter admiring him(her)?”
The Empress was stunned, the coldness in her eyes gradually softened, and she sighed: “You’re right, up to now, Yu Zhao has been a loyal and capable minister.”
“Unfortunately… his(her) achievements overshadow his(her) master.” She gently stroked Bo Chi’s long hair and said softly: “Being close to the Emperor is like being close to a tiger. Yu Zhao has already made your father feel uneasy. At this juncture, whoever gets close to him(her) will bear a heavy risk. This palace doesn’t want you to get hurt, I just want you to live a carefree life, so…”
“No.” Bo Chi grabbed the Empress’s hand in return, her eyes clear as if holding a pool of moonlight: “It is precisely because Father is wary of him(her) that your daughter must marry him(her). Mother, have you forgotten? The iron law of this dynasty is that the fuma must not interfere in politics.”
The Empress’s face immediately changed: “You want to sacrifice yourself to remove Yu Zhao’s military power? No! This palace will not allow you to do this! Have you thought about the consequences? In this way, your father will be at ease, but your entire future will fall into Yu Zhao’s hands. Even if he doesn’t resent you, there’s no guarantee that he won’t bully you in private!”
“He(She) won’t.” Bo Chi’s eyes were soft, and she showed a shallow smile, repeating what she had said before: “He(She)’s not that kind of person.”
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