Du Xiuying placed her hand on Hua Liuli's palm. As Hua Liuli prepared to pull her up the tree, she lightly held onto Hua Liuli's delicate wrist and said, "You're not well, don't exert yourself."
After speaking, she released Hua Liuli's hand and imitated Hua Liuli's climbing motion, and climbed up the tree.
It turned out that when the brain believed it could do something, the hands and feet didn't necessarily agree.
"Sister Du, use your feet more forcefully," Hua Liuli directed from the side, "Yes, climb with your right hand up."
After spinning in place for a long time, Du Xiuying finally climbed up a distance. She looked up joyfully at Hua Liuli and said, "I can climb now."
"Sister Du is amazing," Hua Liuli made way to the side, "Keep going, only half the height left."
Du Xiuying glanced at her obstructive skirt, hugged the tree trunk with one hand, and tucked her skirt into her waistband. Gasping for breath, she continued to climb upwards. When she finally reached Hua Liuli's side, she was drenched in sweat.
She sat down, catching her breath. The cool breeze blew against her, seemingly dispersing the sadness in her heart. As she looked up at the little stars in the sky, she realized they were indeed quite beautiful.
Suddenly, she understood the meaning behind Hua Liuli taking her to climb the tree. Du Xiuying turned her head and looked at her, "Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?" Hua Liuli smiled and shook her head. "When I was young and in poor health, my father and mother didn't let me go outside. But my brothers secretly carried me and climbed trees, allowing me to see the world outside the courtyard. Gradually, I learned how to climb trees."
"Whenever my family members went to the battlefield, I would sit in the tree and wait for their return. Whenever I heard the familiar sound of horse hooves, I knew they had come back," Hua Liuli leaned against the tree trunk, looking up at the sky, "Yearning for and missing one's family is a natural human instinct, there's nothing shameful about it."
Du Xiuying fell silent for a moment, "Is Junzhu comforting me?"
"No," Hua Liuli smiled and shook her head, "I'm just advising you, cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh. When living, there will always be moments when things go your way."
Du Xiuying curved her lips, trying to make herself smile, but tears welled up in her eyes instead.
Her grandfather always told her that a noble person should be strong and not show their emotions.
As her grandfather's condition worsened, her feelings of reluctance grew stronger. Today, she didn't want to enter the palace, but her grandfather, who had been in a coma for a long time, suddenly woke up. He grabbed her hand and said that this was a historic banquet, and she should go and take a look on his behalf, to witness this grand spectacle.
"This is the land of Great Jin..." Her grandfather weakly opened his eyes wide, "You must look at it for me, see it prosper and flourish."
At that moment, she didn't want to go anywhere else. She just wanted to stay by her grandfather's side.
But her grandfather's grip was so firm, so earnest.
So she came, she watched as the Imperial Princes united and spoke with one voice, she saw the Emperor prioritize the well-being of the people, not caring about his reputation for benevolence. She saw the Crown Prince, the future Emperor of Great Jin, resolute in the face of the people's problems.
If only her grandfather were still healthy enough to see it with his own eyes, how wonderful would that be?
In the end, she couldn't bear the sadness in her heart, so she came out to quietly shed tears. Unexpectedly, Fushou Junzhu saw her.
Even more unexpectedly, she did something she had never considered before, sobbing silently as she leaned against the rough tree trunk.
The pain of losing loved ones was too agonizing. Tonight, she didn't want to be a noble person.
Hua Liuli reached out and embraced Du Xiuying, gently patting her back, allowing her to silently shed tears.
The Crown Prince quietly watched this scene. He withdrew his foot that was about to step forward and turned to glance at the attending eunuch following behind him. He whispered, "Don't make any noise, let's go back."
The attending eunuch silently shook his head in his heart as he saw the gentle and comforting Fushou Junzhu. His Royal Highness truly loved Fushou Junzhu with unparalleled love.
"Arrange for two imperial physicians to guard Grand Tutor Du's Estate. Use any medicine that can benefit Grand Tutor Du, regardless of its cost. If the Imperial Medical Bureau doesn't have suitable medicinal ingredients, they can come to Gu," the Crown Prince walked to the entrance of the Wuyang Hall and looked at the people inside, who were pouring wine and changing cups, "Gu remembers that some artists are capturing tonight's banquet? "
"Yes," on such important occasions, several skilled artists would be arranged to depict the scene from different angles, leaving a record for future generations to admire.
"Go and see how they are doing with their paintings. If there are any that are almost finished, bring them to Gu," the Crown Prince said, "Tell them that Gu will only borrow them temporarily and return them in a few days."
"Yes," the attending eunuch bowed and hurried off to find the artists.
Among the artists who were invited to work on the paintings, some were skilled at depicting scenery, others were skilled at depicting people, and there were also those who were good at quickly recording large-scale scenes. The attending eunuch took a few paintings that looked decent and hastily left.
The artists whose paintings were taken felt anxious and uneasy. Could it be that the Crown Prince was not satisfied with their works?
After crying to her heart's content, Du Xiuying felt much better. She noticed that her tears had soaked a large portion of Hua Liuli's shoulder and shyly said, "I'm sorry, I lost control."
"A beautiful woman shedding tears is like a pear blossom in the rain, what's there to apologize for?" Hua Liuli smiled and took out a piece of preserved fruit from her brocade bag, placing it in Du Xiuying's hand, "Here, let's replenish our energy."
"Thank you," Du Xiuying, who had never eaten snacks outside before, looked at Hua Liuli's sparkling eyes and unconsciously took a piece and put it in her mouth.
The sweet and sour taste filled her mouth. Du Xiuying felt a hint of sweetness filling her heart.
"After crying, does eating this make you feel better?" Hua Liuli swung her legs back and forth, smiling, "When I was young, there was a shortage of food on the border. But during the fruit harvest season, the locals would make preserved fruits from the excess fruit they couldn't finish or sell. When I was little and cute, beautiful aunties would always give me preserved fruits whenever I went out. My brothers said that if I went out a few more times every day, we could open a preserved fruit shop at home."
If someone else said they were cute when they were young, Du Xiuying would only think that they were not modest enough. But when Hua Liuli said it, she wholeheartedly agreed without any other thoughts.
"Later, when I grew a little older, my family went to the battlefield, and I sat in the military camp holding a bunch of preserved fruits, waiting for them to return," Hua Liuli picked a preserved fruit with a lot of nuts and fed it to Du Xiuying, "As long as there is enough sweetness in your mouth, no matter what terrible things you face, you can stay strong."
Du Xiuying remembered when she first saw Hua Liuli, sitting with her brother at a roadside stall, enjoying a bowl of noodles with relish, regardless of whether the customers nearby were noble or common.
At that time, she felt that the siblings from the Hua family were not refined, but now she realized that it was her own narrow-mindedness.
Her grandfather was seriously ill, yet he still cared about the well-being of the people. How could she judge others as noble or lowly based on their status?
She was wrong.
Her mother always told her that it's better to believe in what one sees than in what one reads. She used to think that her mother was resentful because she didn't want to marry and settle down. But now, she realized that her mother might have been advising her not to judge people as good or bad based on a unified standard.
Now she understood, and there was still time to change.
Savoring the sweetness of the preserved fruit, Du Xiuying softly said, "Thank you, I understand now."
"What did Sister Du understand?" Hua Liuli blinked her eyes, "I didn't say anything."
Du Xiuying smiled, "The preserved fruit you gave me is very sweet."
Hua Liuli untied her brocade bag and placed it in Du Xiuying's hands, "This whole bag is for you."
"Thank you," Du Xiuying earnestly tied the brocade bag around her waist, "I will make sure to finish eating it."
"After you finish, I'll give you some more."
"Hua Liuli, what are you doing here?" Yao Jiamin and Yao Wenying sneaked out for some fresh air and were startled to see Hua Liuli sitting on a tree branch with another girl, "What are you climbing the tree for in the middle of the night?"
"Because the moon looks more beautiful from the tree," Hua Liuli pointed to the nearby tree trunk, "Do you want to come up too?"
"I don't want to. What if someone sees us?" Yao Jiamin quickly shook her head, "I have my reputation to consider."
More importantly, her cousin, who measures everything with a ruler, was also here today. If she found out that she was climbing trees with Hua Liuli, she would definitely say that Yao Jiamin was a bad influence on Hua Liuli.
She wasn't afraid of her cousin, but listening to her constantly lecturing was a headache.
Just as she was thinking, the girl sitting next to Hua Liuli suddenly turned her head. In the moonlight, Yao Jiamin could clearly see the person's face.
"Cou... cousin?!" Yao Jiamin was startled and almost thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Her cousin, who never spoke loudly, never smiled openly, and was extremely proper in everything she did, was actually influenced by Hua Liuli?!
Hua Liuli was really toxic!
Her cousin, who was so mature and always followed the rules, was now like this!
Yao Wenying discreetly tugged at Yao Jiamin's sleeve, "Jiamin, is there something wrong with my eyes? I think the person next to Hua Liuli is Cousin Du."
Yao Jiamin's expression had become numb, "No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. That's really our cousin."
Yao Wenying took a step back in horror. What on earth had happened to their cousin?
"Jiamin, don't scream so loudly in the middle of the night. What if you scare Fushou Junzhu?" Du Xiuying reached out to support Hua Liuli, afraid that Yao Jiamin would startle her and cause her to fall from the tree, "We are young girls, can't we talk calmly?"
Yao Jiamin: "Huh?"
Well, it was always her fault anyway.
Du Xiuying's face showed a bit of embarrassment, "It's not Fushou Junzhu's fault. I thought of looking at the scenery from the tree, so I asked Fushou Junzhu to accompany me."
Yao Jiamin: "..."
Oh no, oh no, another one is done for.
In this instant, Yao Jiamin had the illusion that all the girls in the entire capital were being bewitched by Hua Liuli.
"Sister Du was just joking with you. It was actually me..." Before Hua Liuli could finish her sentence, Du Xiuying interrupted, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight. Why don't you come up and have a look?"
"Okay, okay," Yao Wenying agreed without hesitation, thinking about enjoying the moon on the tree with Hua Liuli.
Yao Jiamin felt like she was suffocating.
"Don't tell them," Du Xiuying whispered to Hua Liuli, "Jiamin is innocent and sometimes can't keep secrets. You are the future Crown Princess; it's not good for rumors like this to spread about you."
"Sister Du, the Crown Prince won't mind these things. How can I let you take the blame for me?" Hua Liuli didn't expect Du Xiuying to think so much.
"The Crown Prince may not mind, but the court officials might," Du Xiuying pursed her lips, "It's just a well-intentioned concealment, which doesn't count as lying. Besides, you did climb up here for me, did I say anything wrong?"
"Cousin Du, give me a hand," Yao Wenying was hopping around at the foot of the tree, unable to climb up.
Unable to bear it any longer, Yao Jiamin climbed the tree in three to two moves. She pulled Yao Wenying up onto the tree and said, "Little Cousin, have you gained some weight recently?"
Yao Wenying became nervous, "Did I?"
"Miss Yao has a well-proportioned figure and looks just right," Hua Liuli looked at Yao Wenying seriously, "If you become any thinner, you won't look as good."
Yao Jiamin looked at Hua Liuli suspiciously. She couldn't have won over her little sister using this kind of method that pleases little girls, would she?
"Really?" Yao Wenying touched her own face.
"Of course," Hua Liuli nodded earnestly, "Your skin is so fair, and if you're too thin, you won't look lively. Like this, you look radiant and beautiful."
Yao Wenying suddenly smiled brightly and happily chatted with Hua Liuli.
Yao Jiamin: "..."
Ha, shallow.
When the Crown Prince came out to find Hua Liuli again, he saw that the number of girls on the tree had increased from two to four.
The four of them had their heads together, chatting about who knows what, and they seemed quite happy.
The Crown Prince: "..."
He sighed, "Have someone guard this place. Intruders are not allowed."
Well, as long as his Liuli is happy.
Krish728
Author's Note:
Yao Jiamin: Among us, who else is not a traitor?
The Crown Prince: To live a peaceful life, a little greenery on one's head is necessary.
Du Xiuying placed her hand on Hua Liuli's palm. As Hua Liuli prepared to pull her up the tree, she lightly held onto Hua Liuli's delicate wrist and said, "You're not well, don't exert yourself."
After speaking, she released Hua Liuli's hand and imitated Hua Liuli's climbing motion, and climbed up the tree.
It turned out that when the brain believed it could do something, the hands and feet didn't necessarily agree.
"Sister Du, use your feet more forcefully," Hua Liuli directed from the side, "Yes, climb with your right hand up."
After spinning in place for a long time, Du Xiuying finally climbed up a distance. She looked up joyfully at Hua Liuli and said, "I can climb now."
"Sister Du is amazing," Hua Liuli made way to the side, "Keep going, only half the height left."
Du Xiuying glanced at her obstructive skirt, hugged the tree trunk with one hand, and tucked her skirt into her waistband. Gasping for breath, she continued to climb upwards. When she finally reached Hua Liuli's side, she was drenched in sweat.
She sat down, catching her breath. The cool breeze blew against her, seemingly dispersing the sadness in her heart. As she looked up at the little stars in the sky, she realized they were indeed quite beautiful.
Suddenly, she understood the meaning behind Hua Liuli taking her to climb the tree. Du Xiuying turned her head and looked at her, "Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?" Hua Liuli smiled and shook her head. "When I was young and in poor health, my father and mother didn't let me go outside. But my brothers secretly carried me and climbed trees, allowing me to see the world outside the courtyard. Gradually, I learned how to climb trees."
"Whenever my family members went to the battlefield, I would sit in the tree and wait for their return. Whenever I heard the familiar sound of horse hooves, I knew they had come back," Hua Liuli leaned against the tree trunk, looking up at the sky, "Yearning for and missing one's family is a natural human instinct, there's nothing shameful about it."
Du Xiuying fell silent for a moment, "Is Junzhu comforting me?"
"No," Hua Liuli smiled and shook her head, "I'm just advising you, cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh. When living, there will always be moments when things go your way."
Du Xiuying curved her lips, trying to make herself smile, but tears welled up in her eyes instead.
Her grandfather always told her that a noble person should be strong and not show their emotions.
As her grandfather's condition worsened, her feelings of reluctance grew stronger. Today, she didn't want to enter the palace, but her grandfather, who had been in a coma for a long time, suddenly woke up. He grabbed her hand and said that this was a historic banquet, and she should go and take a look on his behalf, to witness this grand spectacle.
"This is the land of Great Jin..." Her grandfather weakly opened his eyes wide, "You must look at it for me, see it prosper and flourish."
At that moment, she didn't want to go anywhere else. She just wanted to stay by her grandfather's side.
But her grandfather's grip was so firm, so earnest.
So she came, she watched as the Imperial Princes united and spoke with one voice, she saw the Emperor prioritize the well-being of the people, not caring about his reputation for benevolence. She saw the Crown Prince, the future Emperor of Great Jin, resolute in the face of the people's problems.
If only her grandfather were still healthy enough to see it with his own eyes, how wonderful would that be?
In the end, she couldn't bear the sadness in her heart, so she came out to quietly shed tears. Unexpectedly, Fushou Junzhu saw her.
Even more unexpectedly, she did something she had never considered before, sobbing silently as she leaned against the rough tree trunk.
The pain of losing loved ones was too agonizing. Tonight, she didn't want to be a noble person.
Hua Liuli reached out and embraced Du Xiuying, gently patting her back, allowing her to silently shed tears.
The Crown Prince quietly watched this scene. He withdrew his foot that was about to step forward and turned to glance at the attending eunuch following behind him. He whispered, "Don't make any noise, let's go back."
The attending eunuch silently shook his head in his heart as he saw the gentle and comforting Fushou Junzhu. His Royal Highness truly loved Fushou Junzhu with unparalleled love.
"Arrange for two imperial physicians to guard Grand Tutor Du's Estate. Use any medicine that can benefit Grand Tutor Du, regardless of its cost. If the Imperial Medical Bureau doesn't have suitable medicinal ingredients, they can come to Gu," the Crown Prince walked to the entrance of the Wuyang Hall and looked at the people inside, who were pouring wine and changing cups, "Gu remembers that some artists are capturing tonight's banquet? "
"Yes," on such important occasions, several skilled artists would be arranged to depict the scene from different angles, leaving a record for future generations to admire.
"Go and see how they are doing with their paintings. If there are any that are almost finished, bring them to Gu," the Crown Prince said, "Tell them that Gu will only borrow them temporarily and return them in a few days."
"Yes," the attending eunuch bowed and hurried off to find the artists.
Among the artists who were invited to work on the paintings, some were skilled at depicting scenery, others were skilled at depicting people, and there were also those who were good at quickly recording large-scale scenes. The attending eunuch took a few paintings that looked decent and hastily left.
The artists whose paintings were taken felt anxious and uneasy. Could it be that the Crown Prince was not satisfied with their works?
After crying to her heart's content, Du Xiuying felt much better. She noticed that her tears had soaked a large portion of Hua Liuli's shoulder and shyly said, "I'm sorry, I lost control."
"A beautiful woman shedding tears is like a pear blossom in the rain, what's there to apologize for?" Hua Liuli smiled and took out a piece of preserved fruit from her brocade bag, placing it in Du Xiuying's hand, "Here, let's replenish our energy."
"Thank you," Du Xiuying, who had never eaten snacks outside before, looked at Hua Liuli's sparkling eyes and unconsciously took a piece and put it in her mouth.
The sweet and sour taste filled her mouth. Du Xiuying felt a hint of sweetness filling her heart.
"After crying, does eating this make you feel better?" Hua Liuli swung her legs back and forth, smiling, "When I was young, there was a shortage of food on the border. But during the fruit harvest season, the locals would make preserved fruits from the excess fruit they couldn't finish or sell. When I was little and cute, beautiful aunties would always give me preserved fruits whenever I went out. My brothers said that if I went out a few more times every day, we could open a preserved fruit shop at home."
If someone else said they were cute when they were young, Du Xiuying would only think that they were not modest enough. But when Hua Liuli said it, she wholeheartedly agreed without any other thoughts.
"Later, when I grew a little older, my family went to the battlefield, and I sat in the military camp holding a bunch of preserved fruits, waiting for them to return," Hua Liuli picked a preserved fruit with a lot of nuts and fed it to Du Xiuying, "As long as there is enough sweetness in your mouth, no matter what terrible things you face, you can stay strong."
Du Xiuying remembered when she first saw Hua Liuli, sitting with her brother at a roadside stall, enjoying a bowl of noodles with relish, regardless of whether the customers nearby were noble or common.
At that time, she felt that the siblings from the Hua family were not refined, but now she realized that it was her own narrow-mindedness.
Her grandfather was seriously ill, yet he still cared about the well-being of the people. How could she judge others as noble or lowly based on their status?
She was wrong.
Her mother always told her that it's better to believe in what one sees than in what one reads. She used to think that her mother was resentful because she didn't want to marry and settle down. But now, she realized that her mother might have been advising her not to judge people as good or bad based on a unified standard.
Now she understood, and there was still time to change.
Savoring the sweetness of the preserved fruit, Du Xiuying softly said, "Thank you, I understand now."
"What did Sister Du understand?" Hua Liuli blinked her eyes, "I didn't say anything."
Du Xiuying smiled, "The preserved fruit you gave me is very sweet."
Hua Liuli untied her brocade bag and placed it in Du Xiuying's hands, "This whole bag is for you."
"Thank you," Du Xiuying earnestly tied the brocade bag around her waist, "I will make sure to finish eating it."
"After you finish, I'll give you some more."
"Hua Liuli, what are you doing here?" Yao Jiamin and Yao Wenying sneaked out for some fresh air and were startled to see Hua Liuli sitting on a tree branch with another girl, "What are you climbing the tree for in the middle of the night?"
"Because the moon looks more beautiful from the tree," Hua Liuli pointed to the nearby tree trunk, "Do you want to come up too?"
"I don't want to. What if someone sees us?" Yao Jiamin quickly shook her head, "I have my reputation to consider."
More importantly, her cousin, who measures everything with a ruler, was also here today. If she found out that she was climbing trees with Hua Liuli, she would definitely say that Yao Jiamin was a bad influence on Hua Liuli.
She wasn't afraid of her cousin, but listening to her constantly lecturing was a headache.
Just as she was thinking, the girl sitting next to Hua Liuli suddenly turned her head. In the moonlight, Yao Jiamin could clearly see the person's face.
"Cou... cousin?!" Yao Jiamin was startled and almost thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Her cousin, who never spoke loudly, never smiled openly, and was extremely proper in everything she did, was actually influenced by Hua Liuli?!
Hua Liuli was really toxic!
Her cousin, who was so mature and always followed the rules, was now like this!
Yao Wenying discreetly tugged at Yao Jiamin's sleeve, "Jiamin, is there something wrong with my eyes? I think the person next to Hua Liuli is Cousin Du."
Yao Jiamin's expression had become numb, "No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. That's really our cousin."
Yao Wenying took a step back in horror. What on earth had happened to their cousin?
"Jiamin, don't scream so loudly in the middle of the night. What if you scare Fushou Junzhu?" Du Xiuying reached out to support Hua Liuli, afraid that Yao Jiamin would startle her and cause her to fall from the tree, "We are young girls, can't we talk calmly?"
Yao Jiamin: "Huh?"
Well, it was always her fault anyway.
Du Xiuying's face showed a bit of embarrassment, "It's not Fushou Junzhu's fault. I thought of looking at the scenery from the tree, so I asked Fushou Junzhu to accompany me."
Yao Jiamin: "..."
Oh no, oh no, another one is done for.
In this instant, Yao Jiamin had the illusion that all the girls in the entire capital were being bewitched by Hua Liuli.
"Sister Du was just joking with you. It was actually me..." Before Hua Liuli could finish her sentence, Du Xiuying interrupted, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight. Why don't you come up and have a look?"
"Okay, okay," Yao Wenying agreed without hesitation, thinking about enjoying the moon on the tree with Hua Liuli.
Yao Jiamin felt like she was suffocating.
"Don't tell them," Du Xiuying whispered to Hua Liuli, "Jiamin is innocent and sometimes can't keep secrets. You are the future Crown Princess; it's not good for rumors like this to spread about you."
"Sister Du, the Crown Prince won't mind these things. How can I let you take the blame for me?" Hua Liuli didn't expect Du Xiuying to think so much.
"The Crown Prince may not mind, but the court officials might," Du Xiuying pursed her lips, "It's just a well-intentioned concealment, which doesn't count as lying. Besides, you did climb up here for me, did I say anything wrong?"
"Cousin Du, give me a hand," Yao Wenying was hopping around at the foot of the tree, unable to climb up.
Unable to bear it any longer, Yao Jiamin climbed the tree in three to two moves. She pulled Yao Wenying up onto the tree and said, "Little Cousin, have you gained some weight recently?"
Yao Wenying became nervous, "Did I?"
"Miss Yao has a well-proportioned figure and looks just right," Hua Liuli looked at Yao Wenying seriously, "If you become any thinner, you won't look as good."
Yao Jiamin looked at Hua Liuli suspiciously. She couldn't have won over her little sister using this kind of method that pleases little girls, would she?
"Really?" Yao Wenying touched her own face.
"Of course," Hua Liuli nodded earnestly, "Your skin is so fair, and if you're too thin, you won't look lively. Like this, you look radiant and beautiful."
Yao Wenying suddenly smiled brightly and happily chatted with Hua Liuli.
Yao Jiamin: "..."
Ha, shallow.
When the Crown Prince came out to find Hua Liuli again, he saw that the number of girls on the tree had increased from two to four.
The four of them had their heads together, chatting about who knows what, and they seemed quite happy.
The Crown Prince: "..."
He sighed, "Have someone guard this place. Intruders are not allowed."
Well, as long as his Liuli is happy.
Krish728
Author's Note:
Yao Jiamin: Among us, who else is not a traitor?
The Crown Prince: To live a peaceful life, a little greenery on one's head is necessary.
