ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 78
Perhaps it was the deer meat that Grand Princess Chang sent to the palace yesterday that reminded the current emperor. He finally remembered his previous words and, amidst his busy schedule, took time to meet the adopted daughter recognized by his younger sister.
While this could be considered a good thing, the problem arose: Li Zhizhi had twisted her ankle yesterday and had not fully recovered. How could she enter the palace in this condition?
Xiao Yan frowned, displeased, and said, “He didn’t summon me earlier or later, but precisely at this moment. Aunt should not have sent him deer meat yesterday.”
Grand Princess Chang glanced at him sideways and said impatiently, “He is, after all, your biological father. Is that how you should speak?”
Xiao Yan replied with a calm tone, “Though he is my father, whether he feels like one is hard to say.”
The aunt and nephew exchanged words when, at that moment, Li Zhizhi, supported by a maid, came out from behind a screen. Xiao Yan fell silent, and Grand Princess Chang hastily said, “Why did you come out? Sit down, sweetheart.”
Seeing her nervous, Li Zhizhi reassured, “I’m fine, I just stretched my muscles. I applied medicine yesterday and used a cloth to soothe it. It’s not as painful now, and I can walk.”
“Don’t force yourself,” Grand Princess Chang advised, “Leg injuries are not a trivial matter. Just look at your elder brother, the crown prince.”
Xiao Yan: …
Li Zhizhi repeatedly assured that her legs were fine, walking back and forth a few times for the Grand Princess to see. Only after seeing her move normally did the Grand Princess slightly relax and say, “In that case, let’s enter the palace.”
She then ordered someone to prepare carriages and horses, taking Li Zhizhi, Xiao Yan, and others towards the direction of the imperial palace. On the way, the Grand Princess reminded Li Zhizhi of the taboos when facing the emperor, what actions and words to avoid, with great detail, almost wishing she could personally accompany her.
Li Zhizhi carefully noted everything, and in the end, the Grand Princess added, “The Emperor’s temper… is somewhat serious. He treats everyone the same way, so when you see him, don’t panic, just behave as usual.”
Li Zhizhi nodded, “I understand.”
Silence prevailed on the journey until they entered the palace. Li Zhizhi looked at the majestic and towering palace buildings, with jade railings and golden roofs. The crimson walls seemed as if they were about to press down, giving her a sense of extreme insignificance and a hint of awe.
She realized that this was the imposing aura of the imperial family, making Li Zhizhi even more cautious.
After passing through a palace gate, eunuchs approached, bowing respectfully to the Grand Princess and others. In a soft and polite tone, they said, “The Emperor is waiting for you in the Imperial Garden. Let this servant guide you there.”
Bowing slightly, the eunuch led the way. Along the journey, the Grand Princess held Li Zhizhi’s hand, comforting her as they passed through several palace gates and corridors until they finally arrived at the Imperial Garden.
From a distance, Li Zhizhi could see a figure sitting in a pavilion, facing them, holding something in his hand while occasionally speaking to those around him. The person nodded repeatedly, showing a respectful demeanor.
Li Zhizhi already knew that this person was probably the current Emperor Jingming. Approximately sensing someone approaching, he raised his head and looked in this direction. The eunuch leading the way was about to approach and report, but Emperor Jingming raised his hand and stood up.
Grand Princess Chang, accompanied by Li Zhizhi and others, approached and bowed, saying, “Younger sister pays respects to Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jingming waved his hand, saying, “Rise, no need for formalities.”
As Grand Princess Chang had mentioned, he was very serious, even his voice was tense, exuding an aura of authority. Li Zhizhi lowered her eyes and followed Grand Princess Chang to stand up, not daring to look around, only staring at the space in front of her.
Emperor Jingming ordered someone to provide seats, exchanged a few pleasantries with Grand Princess Chang, and his gaze swept over Xiao Yan, lingering on his leg for a moment. He asked, “How is your leg?”
Xiao Yan did not make eye contact with him and calmly replied, “In response to Father’s words, your son’s leg injury has not yet healed.”
Emperor Jingming said, “Is it getting better?”
The emperor’s tone was also calm, as if he were asking about not his son’s leg but a piece of wood or something else, devoid of any caring emotion, routine as usual.
“Your son does not know.”
“Then have the imperial physician take another look.”
The father and son exchanged questions and answers, dull and uninteresting, devoid of any warmth. The dialogue came to an end, and immediately, Emperor Jingming called out the name of Xiao Rulei: “What are you hiding behind for? Come here.”
Since entering the imperial garden, Xiao Rulei had become very quiet, no longer the lively self. She had always been afraid of Emperor Jingming, and now, hearing him call her name, she lowered her head, taking small steps as she approached. Emperor Jingming furrowed his brow and said, “Am I going to eat you?”
Xiao Rulei had to quicken her pace and stand before him, head bowed, anxiously fidgeting with her sleeve. Emperor Jingming observed her for a moment, his expression unchanged, waving his hand lightly, “Go and play.”
Xiao Rulei immediately jumped with joy, rushing away. Xiao Yan signaled the accompanying guards, and Xu Tingfeng quickly followed.
At that moment, Lí Zhizhi suddenly heard herself being mentioned, “Is this the adopted daughter you recognized? Look up.”
Lí Zhizhi’s heart tightened slightly, and as instructed, she looked up. When she saw Emperor Jingming, she was somewhat surprised because he looked remarkably similar to Xiao Yan. Ignoring the age difference, their facial features and expressions clearly indicated a father-son relationship. However, their temperaments were completely different.
Perhaps due to years of holding a high position, Emperor Jingming appeared more majestic. His emotions were concealed, and he exuded an oppressive aura. His sharp eyes seemed capable of pinning people in place.
As an emperor beyond the prime of life, wrinkles adorned the corners of his eyes, a slight bulge at his brow, and silver strands in his otherwise black hair, revealing a touch of aging.
He scrutinized Li Zhizhi for a moment before asking, “I heard you’re a distant relative from the Li family, serving as a deputy minister. What’s your name?”
Li Zhizhi respectfully replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the humble maiden’s surname is Li, and my name is Zhizhi. My adoptive mother bestowed the courtesy name Cici.”
The Emperor casually inquired, “Zhizhi, which branch of the family is that?”
Li Zhizhi answered, “It is the lonely pine at the bottom of the stream, two thousand feet tall, earnestly waiting to watch the branches endure the cold of the years.”
“Lonely pine at the bottom of the stream, two thousand feet tall, earnestly waiting to watch the branches endure the cold of the years,” Emperor Jingming repeated once, then fell silent for a while. Just when Li Zhizhi was feeling uneasy, he suddenly looked at the Grand Princess and said, “Your adopted daughter seems quite impressive.”
‘Quite impressive’—these four words, for Emperor Jingming, already constituted high praise. The Grand Princess understood it well; this round had been successfully passed. She smiled and said, “Your younger sister has always had good judgment. It seems Your Majesty also agrees this time.”
A faint wrinkle appeared at the corner of Emperor Jingming’s eyes, resembling a subtle smile. Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but wonder if she had misread it.
At that moment, a palace servant approached and whispered, “Your Majesty, Consort Rong and Consort Chun seek an audience.”
Emperor Jingming nodded and said, “Let them come in.”
Consort Chun—Li Zhizhi chewed on these words. Not long ago, at the spring outing banquet, Xiao Man had schemed to have Zhao Shan’er pick flowers from Consort Chun’s garden. In a more distant past life, Li Zhizhi had been falsely accused of stealing flowers and was punished with a day of kneeling by Consort Chun.
She was contemplating when two rows of people approached from the end of the corridor not far away. The two leading ladies were both stunningly beautiful. One was dressed in ginger palace attire, with a mesmerizing appearance, cloud-like hair, and a golden phoenix hairpin. Her eyes were as expressive as rippling waves, and her figure was graceful.
The other lady wore a light blue dress, with a face as fair as snow, eyebrows like distant mountains, and a clear and refreshing temperament. Her movements seemed ethereal, resembling a fairy. She was none other than the Pure Consort, whom Li Zhizhi had encountered in her previous life.
The beauty in ginger palace attire was likely Consort Rong. Both women appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, and despite having completely different temperaments, each possessed her own unique beauty.
As they approached, after exchanging greetings, Emperor Jingming arranged seats for them. Consort Rong seemed more outgoing, exchanging pleasantries with Grand Princess Chang, and then turning her curious gaze towards Li Zhizhi, saying, “I’ve heard that Grand Princess has taken in an adopted daughter. I presume this young lady must be her. Such appearance and temperament are truly rare in this world.”
She spoke with a smiling expression, and though it was flattery, it made the listener feel quite pleased. Grand Princess Chang was indeed delighted and introduced Li Zhizhi, saying, “Zhizhi, come and greet Consort Rong.”
Li Zhizhi stood up as instructed and respectfully greeted Consort Rong, “Greetings to Consort Rong.”
Consort Rong affectionately took her hand, smiling gently, “I have a younger sister at home around your age. However, due to our hometown being too far, we haven’t seen each other for several years. Seeing you now, I feel a sense of familiarity. In the future, if you have the time, you can come to the palace with the Grand Princess. We can spend time together.”
Li Zhizhi nodded in agreement. Compared to the warm Consort Rong, the attitude of Pure Consort seemed much colder. Her disposition appeared to be naturally reserved, as she exchanged only a few words with Li Zhizhi before quietly sitting on the side, holding a teacup without uttering another word.
Despite the apparent crowd in the room, Emperor Jingming wasn’t fond of idle chatter, Pure Consort remained silent, and Xiao Yan was even more uninterested in speaking. Therefore, at the moment, only Consort Rong and Grand Princess Chang engaged in conversation, occasionally allowing Li Zhizhi to join in, making the atmosphere less chilly.
They chatted for a while, and it seemed that Consort Rong recalled something. With a sigh and a smile, she said to Emperor Jingming, “Speaking of which, when I came to pay my respects to Your Majesty today, I actually have official business. Because I had such a pleasant chat with Grand Princess, I almost forgot.”
Emperor Jingming’s mood seemed acceptable as he asked, “What official business do you have?”
“Isn’t it the matter Your Majesty entrusted to me last time? Have you forgotten?” Consort Rong pouted, “It really makes me sad.”
Before Emperor Jingming could respond, Concubine Chun calmly interjected, “If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why make His Majesty guess? His Majesty is busy with state affairs, unlike us who have leisure time.”
Lady Rong covered her mouth and chuckled, “The one with leisure time should be Concubine Chun. I, following the imperial decree, practice calligraphy and painting every day in the palace. I’m so busy that I can’t even eat.”
After hearing this, Emperor Jingming seemed to remember something and asked, “So, how is your progress in learning painting that I assigned you before?”
“I haven’t disappointed Your Majesty,” Lady Rong showed a hint of pride on her face and said, “I’ve made some progress.”
Emperor Jingming nodded and said, “Let me see.”
Immediately, two maids stepped forward and carefully unfolded a scroll, revealing a painting of plum blossoms in front of everyone.
That painting is very concise, with a large blank space above, except for a plum branch diagonally protruding from the upper left corner, twisting gracefully, exuding an ancient and simple beauty. The branch is adorned with a partially blooming red plum, covered with a layer of pristine snow. A bird, seemingly appearing from nowhere, is poised to land on the plum branch, its wings slightly folded, while another bird tilts its head, seemingly curious about the plum blossom. The entire painting appears exceptionally lively and clever, brimming with charm.
In addition, a small line of elegant calligraphy is inscribed next to it: “The wind carries the faint fragrance away, and birds peep at the simple beauty approaching.”
Li Zhizhi’s expression suddenly became somewhat strange. Wasn’t this painting created by her at Shansetang? Later, she heard from Zhao Shan’er that it had been stolen by Xiao Man and now unexpectedly appeared in the imperial palace. Moreover, it was in the hands of the Emperor’s favored consort?
Li Zhizhi found it somewhat unbelievable, and Xiao Yan seemed to sense something, looking at her with a questioning look, as if asking what was wrong.
Li Zhizhi shook her head slightly, concealing her expression, and turned to observe the reactions of Consort Rong and Emperor Jingming. Consort Rong was self-satisfied, while Emperor Jingming carefully examined the painting, contemplating for a moment before saying, “This painting is indeed well done, and the poetic line is the finishing touch.”
“However,” he shifted his gaze to Consort Rong, saying, “I feel it may not be from your hand.”