bayedsolid Chapter 18 Princess Zhaoling's Visit
Chapter 18 Princess Zhaoling's Visit
On this day, Wu You and Li Lianhua's courtyard welcomed a special guest. The visitor was five or six years old, accompanied by dozens of people, making quite a grand entrance. This person was none other than Princess Zhaoling, the only heir to the throne in the palace.
“Princess Zhaoling has been frail since childhood, and the Imperial Hospital has been unable to cure her. Not long ago, the abbot of Baima Temple said that the princess has great fortune, but the palace has immense luck, and even a princess cannot withstand it, which is why her health has not improved. She needs to go outside to avoid this situation. His Majesty sent me, Zhang, to tell you this.”
Zhang Quangui greeted Wu You with a broad smile and explained the reason for Princess Zhaoling's visit.
Wu You stared speechlessly at the large group of people, then at the sickly little girl, and at Zhang Quangui, whose face was full of wrinkles from smiling: "Can't the White Horse Temple raise animals? Why did they come to my remote place?"
"It's not that the White Horse Temple is too close to the palace. The Emperor said that the princess is young and has no relatives by her side, so he's afraid she won't be used to it. Without an adult by her side, the servants won't be able to serve her properly."
Zhang Quangui explained earnestly, beckoning the palace servants to bring the princess forward: "Your Highness, this is Princess Fuhui, personally bestowed by the Emperor. You may call her Aunt."
Zhao Ling released the hand held by the palace maid and bowed to Wu You: "Zhao Ling greets Aunt. I will be troubling you in the days to come." The little girl was thin and frail, but she performed the greeting with great poise.
"Your Highness, you shouldn't be bowing to me. I should be bowing to you. Please get up. You must be tired from your journey. Sit down and rest." Wu You quickly stepped forward to help Zhao Ling to a seat next to him.
Zhao Ling struggled to get up: "Father Emperor specifically instructed that you and I are both princesses of the Great Xi Dynasty, and there is no distinction between us. There is no need for formalities. This was the first time Zhao Ling met Aunt. As a junior, I should naturally pay my respects to my elder. Aunt has not even taken her seat yet, how can Zhao Ling take her seat?"
Wu You pressed down on Zhao Ling's small shoulders to stop her from moving around: "Now that you're here with me, and I'm your elder, you should listen to me and sit down and rest."
Seeing that she couldn't break free and not wanting to refuse again, Zhao Ling looked at Zhang Quangui who was watching her. Seeing him nod gently, she sat down with peace of mind: "Then Zhao Ling thanks Auntie."
After settling the little girl in, Wu You stood up and said to Zhang Quangui, "Eunuch Zhang, you know I am not a member of the royal family, nor am I a relative of the princess. Besides, isn't the princess afraid of encountering danger while living away from home?"
"Princess, what are you saying? Since you've been included in the Royal Jade Tablet, you're naturally a member of the royal family and a relative of Princess Zhaoling. The more you spend together, the closer you'll become."
Zhang Quangui took out a roll of toilet paper from his sleeve and handed it to her: "Your Highness, you have been able to stay here alone for so long, so this place must be a place with excellent feng shui and must be safe. In addition, Princess Zhaoling is accompanied by two bodyguards, which can also ensure her safety."
Wu You took the paper tube from Zhang Quangui, opened it, and found it to be a letter from the emperor. After reading it, he realized it was a father's reluctance to part with his daughter who was away, and a request for Wu You to take care of Zhao Ling.
They also mentioned that Zhao Ling only needed to stay for three months, and as a token of gratitude, they would give her a thousand taels of gold as a reward. Seeing this, Wu You thought he could only agree, but he also needed to ask Li Lianhua's opinion.
“Eunuch Zhang, if Princess Zhaoling wants to stay here, she must obey my every command. However, I am not the only one living here. I need to ask him what he thinks. If he does not agree, you can build another courtyard, and I will go to see Princess Zhaoling every day.”
"If he has no objections, let Zhaoling move into the room next to mine with one of her personal maids. Everyone else should move a kilometer away and not disturb us. My two bodyguards will also stay there. For safety, Zhaoling's two bodyguards will stay with her and protect her secretly. What do you think?"
Wu You then passed the question to Zhang Quangui.
“It is natural for Your Highness to ask for your friends’ opinions, but wouldn’t it be too few people to stay here? These are all people that Princess Zhaoling is used to. Besides, these people can also serve Your Highness. It’s better to keep them here, otherwise I won’t be able to explain it to His Majesty.”
Seeing that Wu You only planned to leave one person to serve him, Zhang Quangui quickly tried to dissuade him from this bad idea.
Wu You quickly interrupted, "Now that you're out here, there's no need to be as disciplined as you are in the palace. This may be the first and only time the princess has spent so much time outside. Putting all that aside, everything else is minor. Your safety is taken care of by the secret guards, so relax."
"I don't need anyone to serve me. When you report to His Majesty, you don't need to report all of these things. You can say whatever you want about the rest. That's settled then. I'm going to ask Li Lianhua for her opinion. Don't worry about it. I'm going now."
Wu You clapped his hands and quickly slipped away, not giving Zhang Quangui a chance to persuade him.
Zhang Quangui, looking troubled, reached out Erkang's hand from behind.