The Daily Life of Influencing the Empress [Transmigration into a Book GL] - Chapter 9

“Where are we?” The Empress, seated in her sedan chair, suddenly heard the sound of a flute. But she recalled that the Imperial Music Bureau was not located here.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, Qixiang Palace is just ahead,” Chun Chan, who was by the Empress’s side, replied immediately.

“Qixiang Palace?” That was where Minor Gentleman Lu lived. The Empress mused that it had indeed been some time since she had visited Minor Gentleman Lu.

The sound of the flute continued, likely played by one person. The volume was low, yet the clear and beautiful melody could be distinctly heard.

“Your Majesty,” Chun Chan, who had been with the Empress for many years, saw the Empress pause and cautiously asked, “The Imperial Garden is not far ahead, and the flowers there have all bloomed. We hear the Gentlemen from all the palaces plan to hold a flower viewing event together. Would Your Majesty like to go and see?”

“That is acceptable,” the Empress nodded faintly.

She walked two steps forward, and the sound grew closer, as if right in front of her. The Empress narrowed her eyes and asked, “Where is that coming from?”

Chun Chan looked and pondered. “Reporting to Your Majesty, that direction is Changchun Palace.”

“Changchun Palace,” the Empress repeated the name. Suddenly, the name felt both strange and familiar. It was from a long time ago, and she didn’t remember it clearly.

“Your Majesty,” Chun Chan added, “I hear the scenery by the lakeside pavilion over there is quite lovely. However,” Chun Chan cleverly avoided the sensitive topic, changing the subject, “But it doesn’t matter. If Your Majesty goes to the water pavilion, it’s still quite a distance from Changchun Palace!”

“It seems I haven’t been there in a long time,” the Empress said. Some distant memories became clearer. She remembered that there was a pavilion next to Changchun Palace. The pavilion was situated in the middle of the water, connected by a very long corridor.

“I recall,” the Empress muttered to herself, “The pond was planted with many red lotuses. When summer arrived, they could cover the entire pond.”

Unfortunately, it was spring now, so they probably wouldn’t be visible.

“Let’s go take a look there,” the Empress instructed. “Strolling through the Imperial Garden all the time is dull.”

“Yes,” Chun Chan immediately replied. “Proceed with the carriage—”

“No need,” the Empress stopped her mid-sentence. “I want to walk down there.”

“You will accompany Me, and the others will stand guard here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Chun Chan agreed.

Few people came to this area, yet the scenery was beautiful. Back when Emperor Guangzong, the Empress’s grandmother, was on the throne, she was completely devoted to a performer, even insisting on establishing him as the Emperor Consort despite widespread opposition, causing chaos in the palace and the court. If not for the Empress’s mother working hard to govern, coupled with Xiao Qingjin saving the day, the state of Wen might have fared poorly.

The favored Emperor Consort back then lived in Changchun Palace, which was closest to this location. After the Empress’s mother ascended the throne, Changchun Palace was abandoned. Later, when the current Empress ascended, she bestowed the palace upon the Yu clan, but the Yu clan was later deposed, and the place was abandoned again. Yet, the pavilions and towers remained.

In truth, this was originally a lovely location. After all, the Emperor Consort of the founding Empress, Wen Yao, once lived here. Of course, had it not been for this reason, Emperor Guangzong would not have gifted it to her beloved.

The water pavilion, the bamboo forest, the green willows, and the red lotuses—purely in terms of scenery, few places in the palace could surpass this spot. Although it was now desolate, the bamboo was still growing vigorously, and the willow branches still played in the water. Undisturbed, it possessed a unique, quiet beauty.

The Empress walked step by step toward the water pavilion. Chun Chan followed closely behind. The music grew clearer. The Empress walked two more steps and stopped.

“Chun Chan,” the Empress looked ahead. The pavilion was heavily covered by vines. “Do you think the person playing the music is in that pavilion?”

“Would Your Majesty like to go and see for yourself?” Seeing the Empress intrigued, Chun Chan seized the opportunity. “However, few people come to this place. Perhaps this servant should go ahead first, which would be more convenient if there are any issues.”

The Empress flatly refused. “Since someone else has walked there, what harm is there in Me walking a little further?”

“Yes,” Chun Chan agreed, and naturally did not try to stop her further.

Inside the water pavilion.

There was a stone table, four stone stools, a pot of tea, and four teacups. Zhiyan stood a distance away from the table, her gaze fixed on the surface of the pond, her eyes slightly narrowed, looking thoroughly relaxed and content.

Xiao Yunlan sat upright, quietly watching the girl opposite her. She hadn’t expected that the girl could not only climb trees but also play music using a willow leaf.

When she watched historical dramas before, she knew the sound of music played on a leaf was usually added in post-production. She never thought a leaf could truly produce such a wonderful sound.

In the girl’s hands, it was not just a leaf, but a exquisitely crafted flute.

“Miss,” sensing someone approaching, Zhiyan immediately withdrew her gaze and quietly spoke to her.

“Shh,” Xiao Yunlan whispered back, then quickly glanced at the girl. She sighed in relief when she saw that the girl was completely unaffected.

Seeing her Miss show no tension, instead wearing a confident expression, Zhiyan immediately closed her mouth and turned her gaze back to the pond water, while keeping an eye out in her peripheral vision.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow entered her sight. Zhiyan almost lost her composure, tightly pinching the corner of her clothes to maintain her usual demeanor.

“That’s a beautiful tune.”

As the song finished, the Empress was the first to applaud.

“Your Majesty,” Xiao Yunlan turned and saw the Empress standing before her. Startled, she instinctively wanted to shield the person behind her.

But the Empress had already noticed, and besides, the girl was too large a person for her to conceal.

“This subject pays respects to Your Majesty,” Xiao Yunlan seemed flustered.

“Mother,” Wen Ping suddenly called out. Whether the Empress was shocked or not was unclear, but Xiao Yunlan was completely startled. This was entirely different from the script they had discussed. Unsure of the Empress’s reaction, Xiao Yunlan felt anxious and entirely lost.

“Mother?” The Empress, however, didn’t look angry. Instead, she laughed. “Have you seen Me before?”

Wen Ping immediately nodded, then shook her head, her voice small but audible. “I haven’t met you.”

“Then how do you know I am your Mother?”

“I saw your portrait at Father’s place,” Wen Ping replied.

“Your father?”

“My father was Minor Gentleman Yu,” Wen Ping answered immediately, then lowered her head. “He passed away long ago.”

“Minor Gentleman Yu,” the Empress softly repeated the name. The long-forgotten memory suddenly became quite clear.

The Yu clan member, her first man. They had shared a brief period of happiness back then, but the world changed, and those times were long gone. And this child…

The Empress looked lost in thought.

“You,” the Empress wanted to ask how she had been all these years, but seeing the short stature and tattered clothes, she understood everything without asking.

“How old are you this year?”

“Replying to Mother,” the child’s voice was slightly tender, “Daughter is nine years old this year.”

“Nine years old,” the Empress repeated, as if reminiscing about something. “You’re not small anymore.”