Chapter 150: Relocation

Chapter 150: Relocation

Ever since Chu Xu moved to Fuyun Pavilion, he initially found it hard to adapt. He would stay in the sleeping chambers until he was about to fall asleep before returning to Fuyun Pavilion. He seemed somewhat resistant to Baoge, and whenever Fan Xueyao tried to coax Baoge, Chu Xu would squeeze in, trying to do things to make Fan Xueyao laugh just as Baoge did. He was indifferent to Baoge and often ignored him.

Seeing this behavior, Fan Xueyao, fearing that Chu Xu might think Baoge was taking away her love, spent more time playing with him, reading to him, teaching him how to write and draw, and even cooking dishes and pastries for him. She showed him through actions that she still loved him.

Gradually, as Chu Xu began to feel more secure, his resistance to Baoge faded. He started to play with Baoge like before, taking care of him. However, he still preferred to stay in the sleeping chambers, where he conducted his daily activities. Fuyun Pavilion became merely a place for him to sleep at night.

Chu Nan had witnessed Chu Xu’s journey from being indifferent and rejecting Baoge to eventually caring for and sharing his toys with him.

He said to Fan Xueyao, "Xu'er has really grown and is behaving like an older brother now. Before, I wanted to admonish him, but he was still young, and I was afraid that being too strict might hurt him. Now, without saying anything, he knows to take care of and yield to Baoge."

Fan Xueyao merely smiled and subtly changed the subject.

In truth, she wasn’t particularly fond of the word "yield." While it seemed to reflect generosity and magnanimity, it often masked the hidden sorrows and grievances of the person doing the yielding. People are inherently selfish. Humans evolved from animals and aren’t born knowing concepts like righteousness, integrity, or yielding.

Care and attention are limited. A mother animal has limited energy and milk, often unable to nourish all her offspring. Thus, newborns push away their siblings to compete for the position with the most abundant milk. Only humans, from birth, are cultivated and taught to yield, to be tolerant, kind, and filial.

But Chu Xu was not yet five years old. He would have a long life ahead of him, filled with things he couldn’t do or say, requiring tolerance, humility, and forced restraint. Why rush to teach him these things so early?

Although Fan Xueyao tried to give Chu Xu a happy and pleasant childhood, time wouldn’t pause for her loving mother’s heart.

As autumn and winter passed, and after the first lunar month, February flew by in the blink of an eye. This year marked the seventh year of Fan Xueyao’s entry into the palace, and on the twenty-seventh of March, Chu Xu would turn five years old.

The day for him to move to the Prince's Residence was approaching unavoidably.

Fan Xueyao knew that the day for Chu Xu to move was nearing, and Chu Xu himself was aware of it too. For a long time, he had been feeling down and clinging to Fan Xueyao, wanting her to accompany him. Feeling heartache for him, Fan Xueyao decided to give him a memorable birthday, starting preparations a few days in advance and secretly experimenting with making a cake.

Making a cake in the current environment wasn’t easy. There were no recipes or ready-made ingredients, so everything had to be tried from scratch. Fortunately, she had the help of twelve palace maids at the stoves, beginning with experimenting on the cake base while watching the oven to prevent it from burning.

The first few attempts were always too dry and hard, but after continuously adjusting the proportions of eggs, oil, water, sugar, and flour, they finally baked a soft and sweet cake.

During those days, the imperial kitchen in the Fragrance Hall was filled with a sweet aroma, which tempted the nearby concubines. They secretly sniffed the enticing scent but felt too embarrassed to ask for a taste. They had to satisfy their cravings with the daily offerings of fragrant and crispy tea snacks and fruit-filled pastries from the imperial kitchen. However, having grown tired of the usual snacks, they couldn’t compare to the unfamiliar and extremely sweet aroma.

The smell was so enticing—what would the taste be like?

On the twenty-seventh, Chu Xu found out.

It was a taste sweeter than honey, a delicious taste.

Fan Xueyao not only baked a cream cake but also made layers, using a cake base as a divider and filling it with two layers of syrup-preserved peaches, cherries, and oranges. Although she couldn’t pipe the cream beautifully on the outside, she still lined it with preserved cherries and fresh fruit pieces and even drew a small portrait of Chu Xu using cherry sauce. Chu Xu was so happy that he clapped his hands, his little face flushed with joy.

He could recognize himself because the small figure in the portrait had a topknot, whereas Baoge always had a pigtail, which was different from his style.

"Is it delicious?" Fan Xueyao, looking at him happily jumping and laughing, felt joyful herself. She gazed at him lovingly as he used two silver skewers to pick up a large piece of cake to eat, her voice soft and tender.

"So tasty..." Chu Xu’s eyes squinted, his speech slightly unclear as he gave her a brilliantly bright smile. He picked the largest cherry and offered it to Fan Xueyao to eat, knowing it was her favorite fruit.

Huaping, Zhuzhu, and Qiaoqiao, watching this scene of mother and son enjoying themselves, felt both joy and a touch of sadness. They were happy now, but how many more days would they have like this? Once the first prince moved out, even as his biological mother, it would be difficult for them to spend such time together frequently. After all, the first prince was growing older with each passing day.

Fortunately, there was still the little prince. He was still young and could keep the lady company for a few more years. Otherwise, with the way the lady doted on the first prince, if he were to leave her side, she would likely fall into loneliness and desolation.

Fan Xueyao didn’t know how many more days they had together, until Chu Nan issued an imperial decree to renovate the Prince's Residence. She knew Chu Xu’s relocation day was near.

Fan Xueyao felt anxious. This was her first time being a mother, and Chu Xu was her first child. Now he was going to move and live elsewhere. It felt like a piece of her heart was being cut out. But this was the rule, and even Chu Nan, the emperor, couldn’t disobey it. Even if they delayed it for a short while, the move couldn’t be postponed for long.

She focused most of her attention on Chu Xu, playing with him every day, teaching him to read, and even personally cutting fabric to make him new clothes, pillows, and quilts. She wanted him to feel as if she was still by his side even after he moved to the Prince's Residence. Chu Xu, clinging to Fan Xueyao and acting spoiled, had become more childish despite usually being sensible. He was acting more like a spoiled child than even two-year-old Baoge.

No matter how much they reluctance, the Prince's Residence was finally renovated. Fan Xueyao went to inspect it herself. The Prince's Residence was a row of three-section courtyards running north-south. The front and middle courtyards each had a main hall and two side rooms, but the rear courtyard was different, with only a main hall that was five rooms wide. There were a few additional side rooms.

The rear courtyard, though slightly shallow, had a crabapple tree planted in front of it. In the center stood a glazed flower altar, its base made of multicolored glazed tiles in a double-layered Xumi pedestal, decorated with intertwined western lotus patterns and complemented by white marble. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and though the colors were bright, they were harmoniously balanced. Rocks were piled to form a small hill on the flower altar, and peonies, plum blossoms, crape myrtles, camellias, and rhododendrons were planted there. Beneath them grew Chinese onion lilies, exuding vitality and lushness. When the flowers bloomed in season, it would be a magnificent sight, a burst of colors. Undoubtedly, it would be a splendid view.

The yellow glazed tiles on the roof were newly laid, glistening in the sunlight, exuding grandeur and opulence.

The bright vermillion columns and the nanmu lattice windows were adorned with 'Fu Shou' characters and bamboo-patterned paintings. The newly papered walls inside the rooms were pristine white and clean, with all new furnishings. The room was furnished with everything needed, and various precious ornaments and displays were abundant. The room had clearly been well-ventilated; despite not having been inhabited for a long time, there was no musty or decayed smell.

Seeing such a residence, Fan Xueyao felt somewhat relieved, but at the same time, she became even sadder. The residence was prepared, and her son would soon move in.

Late at night in bed, she wept and, without a word, bit down hard on Chu Nan's shoulder. Chu Nan winced in pain but, fearing someone outside might hear, quickly stifled his reaction.

Feeling the dampness on his shoulder, he ignored the pain and kept gently kissing Fan Xueyao. "Be good, don't cry... What's worth crying like this for? He's not moving out of the palace, he's still here, so there's no need to worry about not seeing him. The First Prince will come to pay his respects to you every day. How many days will it be before you see him? Children grow up and have to leave their parents' side... Why are you crying like this?"

Fan Xueyao sobbed, slowly letting go, feeling both sad and wronged. "I've only just given birth to him, and he's already growing up? I wanted to hold him in my arms and cherish him for a few more years."

Chu Nan was both amused and did not dare to laugh, as she was quite emotional now, and any wrong move might make her cry again. "He's already five years old, so he's growing up. At his age, I was already studying under a tutor. You want to hold him for a few more years? Look at how big he is now, can you still carry him?"

Fan Xueyao, frustrated, bit him again. Chu Nan cried out "Aiyo, aiyo," exaggerating his pain to beg for mercy.

The Bureau of Astronomy and Calendar selected an auspicious day, and Chu Nan issued an edict for Chu Xu to move into his new residence. Chu Xu held back his tears as he sat in his small palanquin, surrounded by many familiar palace attendants, but he felt a deep sense of distance inside. He often looked back, and Fan Xueyao waved, signaling that she was right behind him and that he shouldn't be afraid.

Upon arriving at the new residence, as soon as Chu Xu stepped off the palanquin, he reached out for Fan Xueyao to hold him. Fan Xueyao bent down to pick him up and, once inside, sat him on the throne. She stood on her tiptoes to support him as Chu Xu nestled in her arms, clutching her clothes and resting his face against her neck, extremely affectionate.

Fan Xueyao called for the wet nurses and the palace maids and eunuchs to come; she had something to say.

Zhu Shi and Fang Shi led the way, followed by Lingxiang, Sanhua, and Xinxiang. Several eunuchs stood outside the door, waiting for instructions.

Fan Xueyao focused her mind, and many "voices" flooded into her head. After carefully distinguishing them for a moment, she didn't detect any ominous signs and slowly opened her mouth to speak. "In the past, we were all in one hall, and even though there were some minor mistakes, everyone was generally well-behaved. The service was attentive and appropriate. However, from now on, the first prince will move here, and I won't be able to watch over him all the time. I'm afraid you might become negligent."

Zhu Shi quickly said, "We wouldn't dare. The great blessing of serving the prince is such a tremendous fortune. This servant is constantly grateful in her heart. For the rest of my life, I don't want anything else, as long as I can serve the first prince well, I will have no regrets."

Fang Shi, the maids, and the eunuchs also expressed their loyalty.

Fan Xueyao nodded slightly and said in a faint tone, "This child is my heart and soul. If anything happens to him, I will risk my life to ensure that the person who harmed my child dies without a burial place. I will take away what they cherish most. I'm not afraid to let the emperor know what I've said. You'd better keep this in mind and hope you never witness the fulfillment of my words."

Everyone knelt down, wishing they could tear open their hearts to show Fan Xueyao.

After a few more admonishments, Fan Xueyao dismissed the eunuchs and young maids, leaving only the two wet nurses, along with Lingxiang, Sanhua, and Xinxiang, to speak with her.

"The first prince is of noble status and is the beloved of thousands. You should respect and fear him in your daily service. However, remember, you cannot always indulge him. If he seeks coolness, you cannot let him overindulge in iced drinks and cold foods. You must advise him against things he shouldn't do. Otherwise, there will be times when you'll be beaten and punished."

Although Fan Xueyao had a smile at the corner of her mouth, her expression was cold, instilling fear in those who saw her, especially those who knew her well.

Gently stroking Chu Xu's fuzzy head, Fan Xueyao's downcast eyes revealed a hint of pity. "Although the first prince has moved out, he is not without protection. Not to mention the Empress Dowager and the emperor's doting affection for him, I, his birth mother, am not weak. If any of you dare to take advantage of my absence and his young age to bully him, embezzle his provisions, or neglect his service, it won't just be a few beatings you'll endure."

"Yes! We understand! We will serve the first prince carefully and will not be negligent in the slightest," everyone said, their voices heavy with seriousness. Whether they had harbored any small thoughts about the first prince's move, those thoughts were now completely gone.

Especially the two wet nurses, Fang Shi and Zhu Shi, who had long since submitted to the Imperial Consort, only wanted to serve the first prince well, thinking of their future prosperity and wealth. Why risk angering the Imperial Consort and losing not only their riches but possibly their lives?

Especially knowing that the Imperial Consort was well-informed about their families outside the palace, they dared not entertain any rebellious thoughts.

On the day of Chu Xu's move, Chu Nan came to the prince's residence and, like Fan Xueyao, admonished the palace attendants. Though his words were not as blunt as Fan Xueyao's, his authority was more than sufficient. The words he spoke were spread by those who heard them, causing both envy and jealousy among the women in the rear palace.

In the past two years, the emperor had almost exclusively doted on the Imperial Consort, leaving the six palaces neglected to the point of nearly forgetting what the emperor looked like.

Empress Xu, seeing Chu Nan's deep affection for Chu Xu, felt a jealousy like a thousand ants gnawing at her heart. The emperor now treated Chu Xu like his own eyes, cherishing him deeply. The rear palace now only saw the Imperial Consort, fawning and flattering her.

With the emperor's attitude so clear, Empress Xu could imagine what others were thinking.

The emperor valued the first prince so much, and the first prince was intelligent and handsome. The position of Crown Prince would undoubtedly be his. If he were to become Crown Prince, wouldn't she, as Empress, become an obstacle?

With her position so precarious, it felt like she would soon be forced to yield her place to that lowly maid. Empress Xu decided to bet everything.

Fan Shi, you said that whoever harms your son, you'll take away what they cherish most. Then I'll harm you and make your soul watch as your two beloved sons are manipulated at my whim!

"Someone, come. I'm feeling unsettled and miss my family. Go to the Pu'an County Prince's Mansion and bring Zhao Shi into the palace to keep me company." She gave the order, oblivious to the flaw in her words. If she was unsettled and missed her family, shouldn't it be her mother who gave birth to and raised her, or her sisters who shared the same bed? Why would it be her second sister-in-law instead?

The maids were long accustomed to Empress Xu's frequent summoning of relatives and, upon hearing the order, proceeded to arrange the ceremonial procession and head to the prince's palace to deliver the edict.