Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 124 Recognizing Relatives

At the same time, Fengluan Palace.

"Queen, what are you going to do?"

Chu Yunxiao looked at Xu Zhouye, who was changing clothes in front of him, with a puzzled look on his face.

"Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and I have to pay my respects to the Queen Mother." Xu Zhouye sighed slightly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.

He turned his head slightly and looked at Chu Yunxiao, a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, as if he was blaming the other party for forgetting such an important thing.

Chu Yunxiao felt a little guilty when he saw him look at him like that.

It’s not his fault that he didn’t remember. It’s just that he spent a wonderful night with the queen last night, and now he is still reluctant to leave. His mind is full of his queen, so much so that everything else is thrown out of the window.

"Your Majesty, are you not going?" Seeing that Chu Yunxiao did not respond for a long time, Xu Zhouye couldn't help but frowned and asked.

Chu Yunxiao finally came back to his senses and said quickly, "Of course I have to accompany the Queen." Before he finished speaking, he quickly stood up, walked to the side, picked up a snow-white cloak and put it on Xu Zhouye, and carefully adjusted the collar and cuffs.

"It rained yesterday and the weather is a little chilly today. The Queen is afraid of the cold, so don't wear too little." Chu Yunxiao gently reminded her, his eyes full of deep concern.

This action made Xu Zhouye feel warm in his heart, but it was soon replaced by a question: "Your Majesty, how did you know that I am afraid of the cold?"

Chu Yunxiao was slightly startled, and then a faint smile appeared on his face. "The weather has been getting colder in recent days, and it's even a little chilly at night. When the Queen falls asleep, she subconsciously clings to me for warmth. Besides, it rained heavily yesterday, and the cold was biting. The Queen even asked someone to change the bedding on her bed. How could I not know?"

Before Xu Zhouye could respond, Chu Yunxiao continued, "And..." At this point, he glanced thoughtfully at the person in front of him, his eyes full of deep meaning, "During last year's autumn hunt, I saw from a distance that the Queen had wrapped herself up tightly. I guess she was afraid of the cold."

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye was stunned for a moment.

He had indeed been present at last year's autumn hunt, participating alongside many other young men from aristocratic families. That was the time he and Chu Yunxiao met again, not long after they had parted at the Marquis of Dongping's mansion.

However, at that time, he was so focused on showing off his talents in the hunt that he paid no attention to the emperor on the platform.

He never imagined that the emperor was secretly watching him at that time.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhouye felt an itch in his heart, and an indescribable feeling surged in his heart.

Unable to suppress his inner urge, he jokingly said, "Your Majesty, you have put so much thought into winning over the ministers in the court that you even pay so much attention to these minute details!"

Facing Xu Zhouye's teasing, Chu Yunxiao simply smiled and replied calmly, "That's because I'm quite interested in you, so I'm paying extra attention to you."

"It was just a hobby before, but what about now?" Xu Zhouye raised his hands and wrapped them around the emperor's neck, a smile on his face. "What is it now?"

Chu Yunxiao felt his breathing suddenly stagnate. He lowered his eyes involuntarily and stared deeply at the person in front of him with a beautiful smile.

Then, he slowly raised his hand, gently pinched Xu Zhouye's jaw, and rubbed it lightly with his fingertips. He slowly moved his hand to Xu Zhouye's slender wrist, guiding the other's palm slowly towards his heart.

"The Queen knows the answer to the question."

The short sentence struck Xu Zhouye's soul directly. His palm paused, and the strong and rapid heartbeat was clearly transmitted into his ears through his skin, which made him feel an indescribable feeling.

Xu Zhouye raised his eyes and met his gaze. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a very faint but extremely moving smile.

The two of them just looked at each other quietly, without words, a glance was enough to express their love for each other tacitly.

*

In order to take care of the sick King Yue, Chu Heyuan did not use a sedan chair when traveling. He was very kind and walked beside the King Yue, chatting with him from time to time to relieve the boredom and embarrassment along the way.

"By the way, why is Eleventh Uncle not here?" Chu Heyuan said as he subconsciously turned his gaze towards Shi'an, a hint of curiosity and confusion in his eyes.

Shi'an shook his head gently, his face also showing confusion, and responded slowly: "Perhaps he went to the Cining Palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager first."

Chu Yunyi, who was standing by, suddenly chuckled, attracting their attention. His lips curled up slightly, and he said with a half-smile, "Your Eleventh Uncle won't be coming."

Chu Heyuan turned his head in confusion, "Why?"

"He said it was... boring and didn't want to come." Chu Yunyi replied lightly.

"Is this right?" Chu Heyuan was a little surprised, "Eleventh Uncle really has personality..." Can my father and grandmother tolerate this reason?

After all, it’s an annual family dinner, and you can’t even find a decent reason to refuse.

Just as Chu Heyuan was filled with suspicion, Chu Yunyi seemed to see through his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes and explained with a smile, "Actually, it's better for Eleventh Brother not to come. Every time he comes, he always argues with your father about various things. If he were here today, I'm afraid this palace banquet would not be able to proceed peacefully."

Hearing this, Chu Heyuan couldn't help but take a breath, his astonishment was beyond words.

He never expected that the eleventh uncle would have such a tense relationship with his father.

He couldn't help but turn his confused gaze to Shi'an, hoping to get more information from him.

However, Shi'an just touched his nose bridge, then shook his head helplessly, indicating that he knew nothing about the matter.

"It's normal that the Crown Prince doesn't know. This Eleventh Brother has never gotten along with your father since they were young, and they often quarrel and have conflicts." Chu Yunyi explained, "But despite the conflicts, your father still loves him very much."

Otherwise, he would not be allowed to act so recklessly and disrespectfully so many times.

"Oh, so that's the situation." Chu Heyuan nodded, indicating that he understood the reason, and stopped talking.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

After a long time, the group finally arrived at the Cining Palace.

As soon as we stepped into the main hall, the seats were already full.

"Have the Crown Prince and the King of Yue arrived?"

When everyone in the hall heard the noise, they all turned their eyes in the direction they were coming from.

Chu Yunyi was seen smiling and looking calm.

Pushed carefully by the guards, the wheelchair he was sitting in moved forward steadily and slowly.

When he approached the main seat, Chu Yunyi first bowed deeply and respectfully to the three people sitting there, and then turned the wheelchair and slowly moved towards his own seat.

Chu Heyuan, who was standing aside, looked quite at a loss at this moment. He stared blankly at the gazes that were cast at him like a tide. He felt his face burning hot and his heart was filled with embarrassment.

Because among them, there were not only the princesses and princes-in-law who came to visit him in the morning, but also many unfamiliar relatives whom he had never met or even heard of their names.

Even if I've seen it before, I can't remember it now.

He was only four or five years old when he moved into the Eastern Palace, and he didn't take these relatives seriously. Besides, these people couldn't often come to the palace and basically stayed in their own fiefdoms, so don't expect him to recognize them all at this moment.

Faced with so many people he didn't know at all, Chu Heyuan had no interest and really didn't know how to address them. Even if he wanted to force himself to call them out, he found it difficult to speak.

Xu Zhouye, who was standing above, keenly noticed Chu Heyuan's embarrassment. He quickly cast his gaze towards Chu Heyuan and spoke to his rescue, "Prince, please come over here quickly."

This call was like a life-saving straw, instantly bringing Chu Heyuan back to his senses.

He quickly collected his thoughts and bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor and the Empress who were sitting on the main seat. Then he walked quickly to stand beside the Empress.

Xu Zhouye smiled and gently patted Chu Heyuan's shoulder to comfort him. Then he raised his head and slowly glanced at the people below.

Then he slightly turned to face Chu Heyuan, pointed at the old man sitting in the first seat in the upper right corner, and softly introduced him to the Crown Prince, "Crown Prince, this is your father's ninth uncle. According to seniority, you should respectfully address him as Ninth Prince Uncle. Or you can call him by his honorific title - Prince Yu. As for the person sitting next to him, she is none other than Prince Yu's wife."

Chu Heyuan listened attentively to Xu Zhouye's introduction. When he finished speaking, his gaze slowly shifted, finally settling on Prince Yu. He smiled sweetly and called softly, "Uncle Ninth Prince."

Then he turned his gaze again and looked at Princess Yu. Just this one glance made the prince stunned.

This Princess Yu is a man.

After a brief moment of shock, he quickly came to his senses.

Although he was still a little surprised, his good upbringing made him subconsciously call out, "Aunt Wang." As soon as the words came out, even he felt a little awkward.

Isn't calling her "Princess" better than "Auntie"? How about "Uncle"? Hmm... so weird, eh!

Fortunately, Princess Yu didn't seem to care about it. Instead, she smiled and nodded in response affectionately.

After receiving the response, Chu Heyuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and at the same time, he felt a little curious about the Princess of Yu.

So, when no one was paying attention, he secretly looked up at the old prince and princess in front of him.

Although they were already in their prime, their appearances were well-maintained, looking far different from their actual age. If one didn't look closely, the few fine lines at the corners of their eyes would be almost imperceptible.

What did you use to maintain it so well?

Chu Heyuan pondered secretly in his heart, and admiration unconsciously appeared in his eyes.

It is truly remarkable that two men have been able to walk hand in hand through such a long time and stay together till this age. This deep affection and unwavering faith are truly admirable.

Shi An, standing by, quietly observed the changes in the prince's expression. Seeing the prince's confusion and enlightenment, he knew that the little prince had obviously not taken his words to heart.

He had already told the Crown Prince about Prince Yu and his wife before, so why was he still so shocked and stunned...

Alas, whatever.

The Prince of Yu and his wife rarely come to the palace on weekdays. They only show up occasionally at those crucial family banquets and solemn sacrificial ceremonies. It is normal that the prince has no impression of them.