The Daily Life of Influencing the Empress [Transmigration into a Book GL] - Chapter 3

The Empress’s direct descendants were few; currently, besides the one Xiao Yunlan needed to save, there were only three others. The Empress had not established an Emperor Consort, and strangely, neither of her two gentlemen had children either. Xiao Yunlan had heard people mention that Gentleman Li had one daughter, Wen Qiyue. Gentleman Lu had one son and one daughter, Wen Qirong and Wen Qihua.

“System,” Xiao Yunlan suddenly realized something, “What is the name of the future Empress?”

The answer quickly sounded in her mind: [Question is beyond the scope. Unable to answer.]

“System,” Xiao Yunlan decided to ask all her questions at once, “What exactly can you answer?”

The System replied, [The content within the book.]

How could she not know what was in the book? She had read those thin pages about the Empress countless times. It seemed that no one had ever called the Empress by her name. Right, was an emperor’s name something anyone could casually speak? Xiao Yunlan felt helpless. Fine, she’d ignore the name for now.

“Miss,” Zhiyan called from outside the carriage, “We’ve arrived home.”

“Mhm.” Lifting the curtain, Xiao Yunlan stepped out of the carriage.

Zhiyan directed the servants to move all the items into the manor. Seeing Xiao Yunlan still standing in front of the carriage, she said, “Miss, please go inside. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything the Gentleman sent is moved in. And, I won’t forget the pear blossoms.”

She wasn’t spacing out because of that, but Xiao Yunlan merely nodded slightly, tacitly accepting the care.

“Miss,” as soon as they entered the house, Zhiyan found a beautiful vase and placed the bunch of pear blossoms in it. “Doesn’t it look lovely?”

“It looks very lovely,” Xiao Yunlan replied.

“If Miss likes pear blossoms,” Zhiyan looked at the bouquet, which carried a faint, pleasing scent, “we have some here at the Xiao manor.”

“Where are they?” Xiao Yunlan asked casually.

“They’re in the back garden, just a bit secluded. There are also peach and apricot trees. If Miss likes them, I’ll have someone loosen the soil around them tomorrow.”

“Zhiyan,” Xiao Yunlan tentatively asked, “How much do you know about His Majesty’s princes and princesses?”

“Princes and princesses,” Zhiyan immediately became interested. “Miss, you’ve asked the right person!” She patted her chest confidently. “I can answer whether Miss wants to ask about one or all of them.”

“Besides the children of Gentleman Li and Gentleman Lu, what do you know about the others?”

Zhiyan looked confused. “Does anyone else have children?”

It looks like this is a dead end, Xiao Yunlan sighed softly in her heart.

“Miss, I know now,” Zhiyan looked up, glanced around, and seeing that no one was near, whispered, “Miss, why are you still thinking about him?”

“Who?”

“Gentleman Yu,” Zhiyan said. “Although he was indeed… but now that the person is gone, he can’t make the Young Master angry anymore!”

“Stop,” Xiao Yunlan cut her off. “Does this Gentleman Yu have a daughter?”

“Yes, he does!” Zhiyan nodded.

“I don’t remember the past clearly,” Xiao Yunlan said. “Tell me about it properly again.”

“Yes.” Zhiyan immediately began, “Gentleman Yu was taken into the princely residence when His Majesty was the Crown Princess.” She paused right there to check Xiao Yunlan’s expression. Seeing no reaction, she continued, “When the Young Master was betrothed, His Majesty already had a child.”

Xiao Yunlan’s breath hitched. “Then back then, my brother…” A marriage granted by the Emperor, yet the wedding hadn’t happened, a child was already born, and a true love was present?

“Yes, indeed!” Zhiyan thought back and felt wronged for her Young Master. “But I heard from others that the Young Master handled everything properly and won the affection of everyone, high and low, as soon as he entered the residence!”

“What happened later?”

“When His Majesty ascended the throne, remembering that the Yu clan gave birth to the Eldest Princess, he was titled Gentleman. Later, Gentleman Yu’s father and brother were corrupt, so he was demoted to Minor Gentleman. Because of his family’s crimes, he became disheartened and died of illness.”

Zhiyan then said mysteriously, “I heard that the Yu clan tried to poison Gentleman Xu and was then given death by His Majesty.”

“What about his child?”

“The child?” Zhiyan said, “Although they are all born by His Majesty, how could a child of a man whom His Majesty dislikes be treated well? I heard she has been kept in the Cold Palace.”

“Now, when people talk about the Eldest Imperial Daughter, they’re referring to Princess Yue.”

“Miss,” Zhiyan added, “Even if you teach the princes and princesses tomorrow, you won’t see her.”

“It truly is karma,” Zhiyan said. “Gentleman Yu died, and his child is so miserable. Even if Gentleman Xu is favored by His Majesty, he still doesn’t have a child. This is all retribution for bullying the Young Master.”

“I really didn’t see that coming!” Xiao Yunlan clicked her tongue. Speaking so much in one go, she was quite suited to be a passionate youth.

Zhiyan justified herself, “I was brought into the manor by Madam. If anyone makes the Young Master or Miss uncomfortable, I just—”

“—Curse him every day to make him uncomfortable too.”

“That’s not necessary,” Xiao Yunlan smiled helplessly.

The next day, Xiao Yunlan entered the palace early and went to the Imperial Study. The instructor today was Grand Tutor Li, a man of average height and slightly plump, about fifty or sixty years old, a Fuzi (Mentor) who spoke constantly of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity.

“I greet Grand Tutor Li,” Xiao Yunlan performed a deep bow.

“Miss Xiao, please rise quickly,” Grand Tutor Li hurriedly said. “You are now also a teacher. How can I accept such a great courtesy from you?”

“Grand Tutor is too humble,” Xiao Yunlan said. “Father heard that the junior was coming to study in the palace and repeatedly instructed me to treat all the Grand Tutors with courtesy, especially Grand Tutor Li, who is immensely knowledgeable, and to learn from you with an open mind.”

“The Prime Minister is too kind,” Grand Tutor Li stroked his white beard and asked with concern, “I wonder how many bowls of rice Elder Xiao can eat now?”

Xiao Yunlan was stunned for a moment, then laughed, “Great-Aunt has a good appetite. She eats at least two bowls of rice per meal.”

Afterward, both of them burst into laughter.

It was Xiao Yunlan’s first time here today. As she entered the hall, she observed them while they, in turn, observed her.

Although the Empress only had three children, there were quite a few people seated in the hall. Children from princely residences, princess residences, commandery residences, and ducal residences, along with their study companions—in total, more than twenty people, big and small, were gathered in the classroom. Not to mention the crowds of palace servants waiting outside the door.

Xiao Yunlan was in no hurry to start teaching. They had to enter the study at the age of five, and even the youngest among them had been studying for a year or two. Not to mention that some of those seated were about the same age as Xiao Yunlan.

Seeing that the new teacher was so young, and even slightly shorter than themselves, the slightly older students naturally felt a sense of defiance. However, this Fuzi was named Xiao and looked so much like Gentleman Xiao, which forced everyone present to consider their actions carefully.

Xiao Yunlan stood quietly, not saying a word. In the beginning, those below could sit still, but gradually, they began to feel restless.

A girl in luxurious clothes, in her teens, nudged the smaller girl next to her. The smaller girl hesitated after being nudged, then weakly raised her small hand.

“Do you have a question?” Xiao Yunlan asked with a smile.

She stood up, slightly nervous, and after steadying herself a little, she asked, “Hello, Fuzi. I, I want to ask what you will be teaching?”

“That is a good question,” Xiao Yunlan smiled and let her sit down.

The girl next to her saw how disappointing her friend was and turned her head away in exasperation. Seeing this, the little girl bit her lip but said nothing.

“You are all members of the imperial family and nobility, and you have been in this study hall for some time. I assume you have acquired a lot of knowledge.”

“The Six Arts of the Gentleman are Rites, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics. Rites, Music, and Calligraphy are what you study daily. You learn Archery and Charioteering in the armory. Why don’t we study Mathematics today?”

“I will pose a question and see if you all can answer it.”

Xiao Yunlan chose the most basic elementary school math problem, yet it was still a challenge for them. It could be said that this was the only subject where Xiao Yunlan could truly command their attention.

Although Xiao Yunlan had studied classical texts extensively over the past six years, compared to Grand Tutor Li and other great scholars, the difference was vast. She understood the principle of using one’s strength to compensate for one’s weakness.

Sure enough, after pondering for a quarter of an hour with no answer, everyone looked dejected. Soon, they turned their hopeful eyes toward Xiao Yunlan.

“Miss,” Xiao Yunlan walked out of the Imperial Study feeling refreshed. Zhiyan outside was absolutely full of admiration. “How do you calculate these things so quickly?”

“Your Miss has her own brilliant methods,” Xiao Yunlan said mysteriously, but in her heart, she was preoccupied: The most important thing hasn’t been done yet.

The Empress had allowed Xiao Yunlan to stay in the palace. Xiao Yuntan had people clean out a palace yesterday. Although she was permitted to stay, Xiao Yunlan knew the inner palace was not a place she should stay long-term. However, how to get close to her target caused her trouble.

“Miss,” Zhiyan whispered, while watching the palace servants around them, “It’s so late. Why are you out of your bedchamber and running to this Cold Palace?”

What am I doing? If the mountain won’t come to me, I have to go to the mountain. Xiao Yunlan had observed that her brother, likely to avoid trouble, had placed her on the edge between the inner and outer palace. This place was secluded and quiet, and most importantly, far from the bedchambers of the Empress’s gentlemen.

This both avoided suspicion and made it convenient for her to sneak out. If she didn’t seize this perfect opportunity, there truly might not be another one.

Pushing open the familiar door, Xiao Yunlan looked around.

“Miss,” Zhiyan couldn’t help but tug at her sleeve. “It’s so remote here. Let’s go back. It’s not a good omen for you to be here.” Besides, it was so dark now, and the cold wind blew everywhere, giving off an eerie feeling.

“Wait.” Xiao Yunlan looked around using the faint light.

She pushed open another door, but there was still nothing, making her wonder if what she saw yesterday was just an illusion.

“Are you looking for me?” A voice suddenly came from behind, and at the same time, Xiao Yunlan’s mind buzzed wildly: [Target person is approaching you!]