Chapter 284

Chapter 284

Luo City, Imperial Palace.

On the twentieth day of the seventh month, the officials were on a day off, and Tong Sui could finally take a breather. Taking advantage of the morning sun not being too harsh, she brought Chengzu and Yining to the Qu Pool.

Indulgence in pleasure wasn’t appropriate for anyone—whether they were the emperor and empress or the imperial princes and princesses. But after finishing government affairs and studies, strolling through the imperial gardens became a form of balanced relaxation.

There was a waterside pavilion by the pool where one could sit and enjoy the scenery. In the pool, red carp swam back and forth, and in the distance, mandarin ducks frolicked in groups of three or five.

Six-year-old Chengzu used fish food to lure the red carp closer, while the one-year-old Yining, held by the wet nurse, stood by the shore, watching intently.

Tong Sui asked the palace servants to set up a wicker chair in a sunny spot. She leaned back, facing the lake, basking in the warm early-autumn sun.

With Xiao Zhen away, all the memorials from various regions had to be reviewed by her. It was truly exhausting. Even on her day off, government affairs kept creeping into Tong Sui’s mind.

"Duckies are here!" Yining suddenly pointed at a few mandarin ducks swimming over and said.

Chengzu replied, "Those are mandarin ducks, not ducks."

Yining insisted, "Feed the ducks, feed the ducks."

Chengzu: "..."

Tong Sui’s gaze shifted over to watch the two kids, engrossed in feeding the fish and mandarin ducks, her eyes filled with amusement.

After a while, Tong Sui heard the young palace maidens outside the waterside pavilion joining in a commotion, looking up at the sky. Even Chengzu and Yining tilted their heads back.

"Mother, come quick, there are wild geese!"

Tong Sui finally left the comfortable wicker chair and walked over to the siblings.

Chengzu looked at his mother expectantly. "Mother, can you shoot a wild goose?"

His tutors had told him stories of generals shooting wild geese, and that the empress also possessed the divine archery skill to hit a wild goose.

Tong Sui looked up at the high-flying flock of black geese and said regretfully, "Mother can hit a target a hundred yards away, but these wild geese are flying too high—at least five hundred yards."

Chengzu couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Tong Sui smiled. "If you can get them to come down, I’ll shoot one for you."

Chengzu looked at the flock of wild geese again and realized he didn’t have the ability to do so. Since there was no way, he decided not to think about it anymore.

Yining pointed at the mandarin ducks in the water and said, "Shoot the ducks!"

Tong Sui: "...The ducks in our pond are counted. If we shoot one, there will be one less. If we shoot them all, we won’t be able to see the ducks anymore."

It’d be a shame to shoot such beautiful mandarin ducks.

Suddenly, a sparrow fluttered across the lake and disappeared into the trees on a small island. The three of them turned their heads to see what was happening.

A little later, Tong Sui grabbed her golden bow and, with the Crown Prince and Little Princess tagging along, started hunting for sparrows nearby. She aimed for the wings and shot one sparrow for each sibling, then stopped.

While the two siblings huddled together, watching the sparrows from the pavilion, Zhang Wengong arrived, hurrying toward them with a joyful expression. He carried a letter in his left hand and tucked two long, narrow boxes under his right arm.

Chengzu was the first to react, shouting excitedly, "Dad wrote to us again!"

When Xiao Zhen left for the expedition, Yining was only eight months old. Now, over half a year later, Yining no longer remembers her father, but Xiao Zhen sends at least two letters to the palace every month. After the war, he also brings back some lightweight gifts. After many such instances, Yining has come to understand that letters from this person called "father" are a cause for happiness.

Chengzu ran toward Zhang Wengong, and the little princess giggled as she chased after him.

The letter needs to be shown to the Empress. Chengzu skillfully took the long box handed to him by Uncle Zhang and led his sister to a nearby resting bench to open it. The box was sealed with a strip of seals to prevent the courier from accidentally opening it while riding and, of course, to prevent theft or tampering with the contents.

Tong Sui first examined the writing on the envelope. It was written by Xiao Zhen on the twenty-fifth of July and sent from Hongzhou via an urgent four-hundred-mile courier service.

"Mother, there are pearls and a painting!" Chengzu called out to his mother.

Tong Sui came over and saw two pearl necklaces, one long and one short, laid in the box.

The last time Xiao Zhen sent two boxes of pearls from Jiaozhou, they were not the top-grade southern pearls accumulated in the imperial treasury, which were tributed by officials of Jiaozhou. Instead, Xiao Zhen, in disguise, bought these pearls from fishermen by the sea. It was not easy for the fishermen to collect the pearls, and they sold them at a low price to government merchants. Some were reluctant to sell, but Xiao Zhen, pretending to be a wealthy merchant, offered generous amounts of money and managed to buy several boxes, distributing them to relatives and friends.

The painting was of Teng Wang Pavilion, created by a renowned painter from Hongzhou.

After looking at the gifts, Tong Sui read the letter to the children.

Xiao Zhen said that he would depart for the capital on the twenty-eighth of July and would definitely return before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The exact date of return would be decided when they were closer to the capital.

Xiao Zhen mentioned that this time the gifts were prepared by Tong Gui in Hongzhou. The painting was commissioned by Tong Gui from a master painter and given to Chengzu. The pearls were collected by Tong Gui himself, following the pearl farmers to Poyang Lake. Thus, the pearls varied in size and shape—some round, others flat. The necklaces weren't particularly pretty, but it was the thought that counted. One necklace was for Tong Sui, and one for Yining.

There were some words in the letter that were not suitable to be read to the children, so Tong Sui kept them to herself.

"Second Uncle is really good," Chengzu said. "I want to hang this painting in my study, next to the painting of the Shu region's pixiu that was painted by Young Uncle."

Tong Sui listened with a smile. Not even A Fu could tell that she still felt a slight pain from the "second uncle" and "young uncle" references.

There should have been an eldest uncle...

On the eleventh of August, Xiao Zhen first returned to the capital with fifty thousand Southern Camp cavalry. The accompanying generals included Xiao Yan and Qi Ling, who had gone on the expedition with him, as well as Sun Dian, Xiao Ye, and Xiao She, who had not been able to return to the capital for their year-end reports the previous December. As for Qi Yun and Tong Gui, they needed to lead the Qianzhou army back first.

During this southern inspection, Xiao Zhen also made adjustments to the garrison troops in the southern regions. Sixty thousand Qianzhou troops were to be divided, with twenty thousand assigned to Lu Gong in Nanzhou and twenty thousand to Qiao Chang'an in Yizhou. Since Qianzhou was no longer a border region, it would be sufficient to have twenty thousand troops stationed within its borders.

Regarding the two hundred thousand surrendered soldiers from the Ling Kingdom, Xiao Zhen dismissed a group of elderly, weak, and young soldiers, distributing the remaining infantry across various prefectures. The water forces under Xie Jian and Pei Pingyuan were retained along the Yangtze River, while the remaining water forces were all transferred to Yangzhou and Minzhou to be trained as naval forces.

With the kingdom united, Tong Sui led the civil and military officials out of the city to welcome the victorious emperor. Since Yining was brought along this time, Tong Sui arranged for a carriage.

After the formal greetings between the sovereign and ministers and the rewards for the two armies, as Tong Sui was about to board the carriage with Xiao Zhen’s help, she noticed Zhao Jin smiling.

She looked over.

Zhao Jin immediately stopped smiling, and Xiao Yan, Xiao Ye, Qi Ling, and Sun Dian had various expressions, while Xiao She turned his head to avoid her gaze.

Inside the carriage, Tong Sui watched Xiao Zhen suspiciously as he held Chengzu in one arm and Yining in the other. Xiao Zhen was fully focused on coaxing the children and showed no signs of anything unusual.

Back in the palace, after calming the children, Xiao Zhen went to bathe.

Tong Sui had already entered the inner chamber. Even after many years of marriage and a long-awaited reunion, she still felt a flutter of excitement for what was about to happen.

Xiao Zhen walked over in his undershirt and saw Tong Sui sitting by the window, her cheeks flushed. He wanted to, but knew it wasn't the right time yet.

Xiao Zhen sat opposite her, wiping his hair with a towel as he said, "Last night, I dreamt that Father-in-law was sick. Is he alright?"

Surprised by his words, Tong Sui paused before responding, "Everything's going well. What did you dream of?"

Isn't it just a common minor illness?

Xiao Zhen responded tactfully, "In any case, I'm a bit uneasy. Later, I'll take you to see your father first."

Tong Sui: "..."

Given how devoted the emperor son-in-law was, Tong Sui naturally didn’t object.

Xiao Zhen then walked to the wardrobe and helped Tong Sui pick out a set of plain cloth clothes that she had specifically kept for undercover trips, a light green blouse and a simple white skirt.

He continued drying his hair by the window as Tong Sui changed behind the screen. She glanced towards the window, feeling that it would be more in character for Xiao Zhen to suddenly pounce.

Just as she finished changing, she heard Xiao Zhen say, "Style your hair in a maiden’s bun. In my dream, you were still unmarried—Miss Aman from Taohuagou."

Tong Sui: "... What kind of dream did you have?"

Xiao Zhen: "A nightmare, but dreams are the opposite of reality. You don't need to worry too much. Perhaps we’ll hear some good news when we visit your father."

Tong Sui really couldn't think of any good news for her family, nor why she had to dress like a maiden.

But she still indulged Xiao Zhen's whim, and since he specifically mentioned Taohuagou, Tong Sui simply styled her hair in a bun that the girls of Taohuagou often wore.

Xiao Zhen walked over, stood behind her chair, and looked at her through the mirror, his fingertips brushing her delicate and rosy cheek, his voice hoarse, "So the Miss Aman is this beautiful."

Tong Sui: "..."

Their carriage had already stopped at the Qianyuan Hall, and the emperor and empress left their children behind as they departed the palace.

After ascending the throne, Xiao Zhen bestowed the title of Cheng'en Duke on his father-in-law Tong Youyu and granted him a ducal mansion in Dunhou Lane, near the North Market, for convenience. He also bestowed a baron mansion in Lüshun Lane upon Zhou Jingchun to facilitate visits between the two families. Their original homes could be kept for descendants or future family use, ensuring no waste.

The imperial carriage emerged from the eastern gate of the palace, and two li away was Dunhou Lane.

Before stepping out of the carriage, Tong Sui glanced at her outfit and, anticipating her parents' amusement, shot Xiao Zhen a look, "What are you really up to?"

Xiao Zhen smiled, "A plan that will make you laugh, cry, and end up hugging and kissing me passionately."

Tong Sui: "..."

Xiao Zhen directly carried her down from the carriage.

The Cheng'en Duke mansion’s gate stood open, and Tong Sui recognized the familiar gatekeeper, who greeted them without needing to announce their arrival.

Tong Sui simply gave up guessing.

Xiao Zhen stopped at the decorated ceremonial gate.

Tong Sui looked back.

Xiao Zhen smiled and pointed inside, signaling her to go ahead.

Tong Sui sensed a surprise awaited her. Could her second brother have returned with Xiao Zhen, or maybe even her younger brother Tong Shan from Shu?

Thinking this, Tong Sui entered.

Upon reaching the hall in the second courtyard, Tong Sui saw her parents sitting inside, her second brother Tong Gui, and her sister-in-law, nephew, and niece.

Tong Sui exclaimed happily, "Second Brother!"

Tong Gui looked at his sister's country girl outfit, which he hadn't seen for more than ten years, and wanted to laugh, but tears fell anyway.

He had returned to the capital secretly with his elder brother, sister-in-law, and nephew yesterday to prevent his sister from feeling embarrassed in front of the officials. It was better to be at home, where they could laugh and cry freely.

Just as Tong Sui was puzzled about why her second brother was crying, the curtain of the side room was suddenly lifted from inside, and a tall man with a black cloth headband tied around his head stepped out.

Tong Sui stared at the face, stunned, then looked over at her parents seated in the main chairs.

Her mother covered her mouth and nodded at her.

So, it really was him?

With blurred vision, Tong Sui cried and rushed into his arms, "Elder brother!"

Dressed in simple clothes with a wooden pin, dark eyes, and fair skin, he looked exactly as he did back then.

Even if Tong Rong might not recognize the founding empress of the Great Wei Dynasty right away, how could he fail to recognize his sister?

He lowered his head, one hand on her shoulder, the other clumsily but lovingly touching her head, "Don't cry, let's not cry..."

Yet big tears fell into her hair.