HLnovel Chapter 210 Medicinal Diet for Stomach Nourishment
Chapter 210 Medicinal Diet for Stomach Nourishment
Border town, General's mansion.
Xie Yuandao paced back and forth, clutching the two letters. With each step, his expression grew more solemn. His little Yuan'er was about to marry the Crown Prince, about to rise to prominence like a phoenix. With Yuan'er's help, the Xie family would become increasingly powerful. But did the Xie family need power? If it weren't for self-preservation, he wouldn't even deign to be a general, and he certainly didn't want his son scheming and plotting in the court.
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He threw the letter in his hand and sat down on the ground in a huff.
Xie Yuandao had served three emperors and witnessed countless concubines sitting alone in the deep palace, waiting for their beauty to fade. How could he bear to send his precious granddaughter to the inner palace? His little Yuan'er was so innocent and adorable, and her body was frail. How could she withstand the scheming and intrigue among the concubines in the harem?
As Xie Yuandao sighed, Lu Zhiyuan, who was thousands of miles away and pondering a deadly weapon, suddenly sneezed.
When Xie Chaoyun came in, she saw her father sitting on the floor, sighing repeatedly. She put down the soup, picked up the letter, sat down next to her father, and said softly, "Father, are you still worried about Yuan'er? Don't worry, Yuan'er is not an ordinary child."
"She is only fifteen years old and does not know the dangers of the palace."
"She has lived in the palace for seven years."
“That’s different.” Xie Yuandao stubbornly turned his face away: “Before, she stayed in the palace as a guest. She could follow the palace rules if she wanted to, or not if she didn’t. And as for the palace gate, she could come out whenever she wanted. If anyone dared to stop her from coming out, this old man would ride over on horseback with a sword and charge.”
Xie Chaoyun patted his back: "We can fight our way through now!"
"Yuan'er isn't your daughter, so why aren't you worried at all?" Xie Yuandao glared at Xie Chaoyun angrily. "Is the palace a place for people to live? She's the Crown Princess now, and in a few days she'll be the Empress. Is being the Empress something just anyone can do? Can my dear granddaughter really endure such humiliation? Write a letter, write a letter to that brat and tell him that my dear granddaughter, Xie Yuandao's granddaughter, will not be the Crown Princess. If he doesn't agree, I'll lead the Xie family army to defect to Southern Chu and rebel against his Northern Xiao dynasty."
“Father—” Xie Chaoyun looked helplessly at his father: “Why don’t you ask Yuan’er’s opinion on this matter? What if she wants to be the Crown Princess?”
"How old is she? Even if she was willing, she was coaxed by that brat."
“That was the Yuan’er of the past, the little Yuan’er you remember. The Yuan’er now is lucky if she doesn’t fool others.” Xie Chaoyun placed the letter in her father’s hand: “The Empress has decreed that we must return to the capital, and His Highness the Crown Prince has personally invited us. If Yuan’er is unwilling, we can quickly take her away from the capital.”
"Then let's go back to the capital." Xie Yuandao said impatiently, "That lousy capital, I wouldn't want to go back if it weren't for my little Yuan'er."
Xie Chaoyun coaxed, "Yes, yes, it's all for your little kitty."
Xie Yuandao poked her forehead: "The Empress Dowager of Southern Chu has passed away! This letter is from Southern Chu, take a look."
"The Empress Dowager of Southern Chu has passed away?" Xie Chaoyun opened the letter: "How could she have passed away so suddenly?"
"I reckon it was done by that new King of Southern Chu," Xie Yuandao said, stroking his beard.
There is no relationship between the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu and Xiao Yebai.
She was originally an unfavored concubine in the Southern Chu royal court. Her maternal family was of average power and she was always looked down upon. However, her father and brothers controlled the security of the Southern Chu capital, which was similar to the garrison of the Northern Liang.
After returning to Southern Chu, Xiao Yebai first made a deal with her father and brothers, then honored her as his mother, using her identity to return to the Southern Chu royal court and begin his struggle for the throne. No one knows how he navigated that path; all they know is that he succeeded.
In five years, he eliminated those in the Southern Chu royal court who posed a threat to him, and killed those in the Southern Chu royal family who looked down on him, bullied him, or had bullied him and his mother. He climbed to that position by stepping over the corpses of those people, and he also fulfilled his initial promise.
He made that woman the most honored Empress Dowager in Southern Chu, treating her with the respect due to a mother. He bestowed titles and honors upon her father and brothers, allowing them to enjoy wealth and luxury. Logically, he wouldn't harm the Empress Dowager; something else must have happened in the Southern Chu palace.
As they were talking, someone came in and handed over a message from the Southern Chu royal court.
Xiao Yebai killed the Empress Dowager because she had ulterior motives. She had gathered some beauties from the common people and sent them to Xiao Yebai's palace, attempting to interfere in his bedchamber affairs as the Empress Dowager, thus provoking Xiao Yebai's resentment and inciting his murderous intent.
"Is it simply because the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu collected some beauties from among the common people?"
Xie Chaoyun frowned; the Xiao Yebai she knew was definitely not such an impulsive person.
The man looked at Xie Chaoyun, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
Xie Yuandao couldn't help but kick him: "Just say what you have to say, don't be so hesitant, aren't you afraid of bottling it up?"
The man chuckled awkwardly and said, "Those beauties and young ladies... no, they all bear some resemblance to the young lady. The Empress Dowager even bestowed the name 'Yuan' upon one of them."
"Yuan'er? You mean my Yuan'er?"
Xie Yuandao stood with his hands on his hips, spinning around in place: "What does this filthy affair of Southern Chu have to do with my precious Yuan'er? The Empress Dowager of Southern Chu is insane. Of all the beauties she could find, she had to choose one who resembles my precious Yuan'er. Just because she resembles my Yuan'er, he killed the Empress Dowager? What, does he have a grudge against my Yuan'er?"
"Judging from my daughter, it doesn't seem like there's any enmity between us." Xie Chaoyun smiled: "If there were enmity, the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu wouldn't have specifically chosen those who resembled Yuan'er."
The messenger said, "Miss is right! The newly enthroned King of Southern Chu seems to like our young lady. When he was a hostage in Northern Liang, he lived in the young lady's Ronghua Palace. He was able to leave the palace with the help of the young lady and the second young master. The paddy fields he cultivated in Southern Chu were also suggested by the young lady in their correspondence. He killed the Empress Dowager not because he hated the young lady, but because the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu had defiled the young lady."
Xie Yuandao pondered for a moment and said to Xie Chaoyun, "Let Yuan'er marry that scoundrel!"
Xie Chaoyun turned to look at her father, "Because of Xiao Yebai?"
Xie Yuandao snorted, his mustache twitching slightly. "My precious Yuan'er is too adorable. Compared to outside the palace, it's relatively safer inside. That brat is someone your second brother watched grow up, and he's a decent person. With the Xie family backing him up, he wouldn't dare bully Yuan'er. Southern Chu is ultimately no match for Northern Liang. Xiao Yebai is a cunning person; I'm afraid she'll harm my Yuan'er."
Xie Yuandao waved his hand: "Pack your things and return to the capital. I agree with the Empress Dowager's suggestion. Next month is an auspicious day, so the sooner the better."
An old rascal, an old rascal, he gets more and more rascal as he gets older.
They were against it just now, but now they've agreed.
Xie Chaoyun shook her head and brought over the meal. Her father had spent half his life in the military, leaving him with a serious stomach ailment. This prescription was given by Yuan'er; it wasn't the common, bitter medicine that was hard to swallow, but a delicious and visually appealing medicinal meal.
Yuan'er is meticulous and adjusts her behavior according to different seasons and times.
The soup bowl was opened, and a fragrant aroma filled the air. Xie Yuandao's eyes lit up: "A new recipe from Yuan'er? I've never smelled this before."