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Outside the imperial study, goose-feather sized snowflakes danced wildly in the cold wind.
Waves of chill swept over, and Xiao Ming couldn’t help but shiver. Every year at this time, he particularly missed the warmth of an air-conditioned room.
Here, the only ways to keep warm were burning charcoal braziers and hot water bottles.
After approving the memorial, Xiao Ming had Qian Dafu send it to the courier official. Now, both the army and navy had to receive his orders before taking an offensive stance.
Qian Dafu took the memorial but did not leave. Instead, he subtly said, “Your Majesty, it’s truly very cold today. I wonder if Imperial Consort can endure this northern weather.”
“Imperial Consort?” This term suddenly stirred a strange emotion in Xiao Ming’s heart. He glanced at Qian Dafu, who merely lowered his head, smiling obsequiously, as if he had mentioned it unintentionally.
Looking at the falling snow, Xiao Ming mused, “Cui Xue’er? Why would a Southern woman have a name with ‘snow’ in it?”
“Your old servant is foolish; I cannot guess that. Perhaps Your Majesty should simply ask Imperial Consort herself,” Qian Dafu looked around, as if worried about eavesdroppers. “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager asks your old servant about this every day.”
Xiao Ming nodded. He said, “I have my own plans. You may send the memorial to the courier official.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Qian Dafu replied and left.
Putting on a mink-lined cloak, Xiao Ming followed him out. For him, it was time to make contact with this Imperial Consort.
Previously, he deliberately showed indifference to Cui Xue’er simply to keep the Prince of Huainan engaged and fighting for him. Now that the overall situation was settled, if he continued this way, the Prince of Huainan might become discontent.
Although he was not afraid of the Prince of Huainan, he also did not want to continue internal strife at this moment. After all, the most urgent task now was to develop industry and recuperate.
As long as these people did not rebel, he would temporarily leave them be; he could easily deal with them in a few years.
Snowflakes, driven by the strong wind, beat against the ground with a “tata” sound. Xiao Ming went around three small paths and arrived at Cui Xue’er’s courtyard.
The palace maids and eunuchs guarding the courtyard were shivering from the cold. Suddenly seeing Xiao Ming arrive, they were so startled they almost jumped.
Then, these palace maids and eunuchs’ faces lit up with joy. One palace maid bowed to Xiao Ming and immediately ran into the courtyard, shouting as she ran, “Imperial Consort, His Majesty has arrived!”
Xiao Ming was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected his arrival to cause such a commotion, but after a brief thought, he became relieved.
Sometimes, he always liked to view things of this era from a modern perspective, but sometimes, the customs of an era were not changed by individual will.
Cui Xue’er had been in the palace for at least two months, and in these two months, Xiao Ming had never once visited. The palace maids and eunuchs serving Cui Xue’er naturally couldn’t hold their heads high.
Because in the palace, who was favored and who was influential, they probably didn’t suffer much scorn from other palace maids on normal days.
As he was thinking, a beautiful lady appeared before him, surrounded by palace maids. Unlike Fei Yuer’s heroic demeanor, this Imperial Consort was fair-skinned and beautiful, with a fresh, delicate charm typical of a Southern girl.
“I, your concubine, greet Your Majesty,” Cui Xue’er curtsied, a slight unease on her face.
Since ascending the throne, Xiao Ming had grown accustomed to a self-centered life. He felt no shyness towards the unfamiliar Cui Xue’er; instead, he was calm and composed.
After observing Cui Xue’er for a moment, he said, “The Prince of Huainan’s daughter is indeed a beauty.”
With that, he walked directly into the courtyard.
Cui Xue’er’s face immediately turned red. If it were an outsider, it would be tantamount to teasing her, but the person before her was her husband.
In the two months since entering the palace, she had gone from being afraid and expectant to now being calm and composed. Many times she thought she would end up like those consorts who lived out their lives in the palace, but she didn’t expect this Emperor husband to come.
“Does Imperial Consort find living in this temporary palace comfortable?”
Sitting down in the bedchamber, Xiao Ming pondered for a long time before only managing to utter this sentence. In his previous life, he was not good at flirting with girls, and he was equally bad at it here.
“I wasn’t very used to it when I first arrived, but I’m used to it now. And there are quite a few things in Qingzhou Province that Huainan doesn’t have,” Cui Xue’er’s voice had a gentle quality.
Facing Xiao Ming’s words, she did not appear timid but spoke gracefully and eloquently.
Cui Xue’er’s composed answers somewhat surprised Xiao Ming. He said, “That’s good. I have been busy with state affairs lately and haven’t had time to visit you. Imperial Consort, please don’t take offense.”
“Your Majesty is burdened with myriad duties. State affairs are far more important than a humble woman like me,” Cui Xue’er secretly glanced at Xiao Ming. Previously, she had only seen Xiao Ming from afar and not clearly. Now, upon closer inspection, she found this Emperor to be handsome and dashing.
Xiao Ming nodded slightly, then asked some questions about Huainan and shared some interesting anecdotes about Qingzhou Province.
In a blink of an eye, the sky outside darkened as the two chatted.
At this moment, Cui Xue’er had her personal maid, Mingyan, bring in the meal. Xiao Ming and Cui Xue’er had dinner together.
Outside the courtyard, Qian Dafu, who had gone out, had returned and was peeking inside, a smile on his face.
He said to the eunuch guarding the door, “At this hour, the Emperor isn’t returning, it seems he’s planning to stay here tonight.”
The eunuchs at the door looked excited. One eunuch said, “These past two months, this place has been like a cold palace. We were so worried; now we can finally look forward to something.”
Qian Dafu smiled. Like the Empress Dowager, he too had been worried for the past two months. After all, this red palace was nominally the residence of the Emperor and concubines, but it was also a barometer of politics.
Sometimes, the Emperor’s sudden warmth towards a concubine was merely to balance the power behind that concubine.
“Even if the Emperor stays here tonight, you all must not get arrogant afterward. Otherwise, see how I’ll deal with you. The Emperor is very strict; you must be careful,” Qian Dafu warned.
He had lived in the palace before, and sometimes conflicts between concubines were caused by these people’s gossiping.
After waiting for another hour, the candlelight in the bedchamber extinguished. Qian Dafu felt relieved; now he could finally give an explanation to the Empress Dowager.
The next day, Xiao Ming was woken by the sound of the wind rattling the windows. He glanced at Cui Xue’er, who was still sound asleep, and gently got up.
Last night, he had a few cups of white wine to warm himself. Then, he wasn’t sure how their conversation led to them ending up in bed.
However, he knew very well that he must have initiated it. Every man’s heart harbored a beast, and after an impulsive moment fueled by alcohol, it could very well turn into a beastly act.
Moreover, Cui Xue’er was a beauty, and she was his imperial consort. In this era, he had no moral hang-ups.
Nevertheless, since things had unexpectedly come to this, he felt somewhat relieved. After all, it wasn’t right to keep an Imperial Consort neglected forever.