Chapter 121: Yongning, you wouldn't want Mother Empress to know about this, would you?

In March, in the city of Beijing, willow branches swayed in the wind.

The air was filled with a faint, delicate fragrance; a gust of wind blew past, and petals danced in the air, making the Beijing city that had just awakened from winter appear all the more charming and moving.

The ice and snow melted, all things revived, and it was once again the season for animals to breed.

The Forbidden City was also a scene of peace and harmony.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Wanli Emperor sat upright in the Western Warm Pavilion, and under the service of Feng Bao, he happily completed the Vermilion Approval for the independence of Songjiang Prefecture and Tianjin Guard.

"Having reviewed the memorials of the ministers, My heart is greatly comforted; I grant the request for Songjiang Prefecture and Tianjin Guard to be placed under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court."

Feng Bao finished writing the Vermilion Approval, then happily put away the memorials and asked, "Your Majesty, is there anything else you wish to command? If not, this old servant will first send these documents to the Office of Transmission, and then issue the proclamation to all the prefectures and districts under heaven."

"Go," the Wanli Emperor waved his hand.

Feng Bao received the order, his smile as bright as a chrysanthemum, and turned to leave.

Once he was gone, the Wanli Emperor felt much more at ease; he tilted his head to glance at Wei Qing and said listlessly, "Wei Qing, it is March again; should I go find Zhang Yunxiu and have him take me out for a stroll?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, didn't you just go out seven days ago? If one walks by the river often, how can one not get their shoes wet?" Wei Qing's face turned bitter, flushing to the color of a pig's liver, and he shook his head repeatedly to dissuade him.

"Seven days already? It has been that long."

The Wanli Emperor rested his head on one hand, muttered to himself, and stared straight at the distracting spring scenery outside the window.

His heart felt as if a caterpillar were crawling over it.

His beloved concubine was pregnant and could not play as wildly as before, so the fun had been reduced by more than half.

At the mere thought of his beloved concubine's fiery almond eyes, her white, delicate neck, her melon-sized breasts, and her round, symmetrical, and elastic honey-buttocks.

The Wanli Emperor felt a heat in his lower abdomen, and his breathing turned directly into gasps.

After taking two deep breaths, the Wanli Emperor pouted and commanded Wei Qing, "Go, call Zhang Yunxiu to me; I have some matters to discuss with him."

"Ah, this... I am afraid that is not very appropriate," Wei Qing said with a troubled expression, his words stuttering.

"What 'ah'? I told you to go, so go quickly; if you talk any more nonsense, I will banish you to guard the Imperial Mausoleum."

The Wanli Emperor's expression changed violently; he knit his brows and shouted sternly. Wei Qing dared not defy the Wanli Emperor, repeatedly calling out "Yes, yes, yes," and ran off while clutching his crotch.

After about an hour, Zhang Yunxiu followed Wei Qing and walked into the great hall in a great hurry.

Seeing the Emperor, Zhang Yunxiu bent his body, cupped his hands in a salute, and a respectful voice erupted from his throat: "Your subject Zhang Yunxiu pays respects to Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities."

The Wanli Emperor waved his hand carelessly, leaned forward, and said with a smile, "Zhang Yunxiu, I have grown tired of staying in this palace; take me out for a stroll again."

"Your Majesty, there is nothing fun outside right now; it is not even as interesting as your Imperial Garden. Why don't I accompany you for a stroll in the Imperial Garden?" Zhang Yunxiu glanced at Wei Qing, saw him waving his hands repeatedly, and persuaded him, "Things are valued for their rarity; if you go among the common people too often, you will feel that there is nothing fun outside either."

"That is a fair point. Very well, you shall accompany me for a walk in the Imperial Garden."

The Wanli Emperor thought it was true, so he abandoned the idea of leaving the palace and beckoned Zhang Yunxiu to walk toward the Imperial Garden.

This Imperial Garden covered a vast area, fully several hundred mu in size, and was planted with all kinds of rare and exotic herbs. It was currently spring, and a hundred flowers were in full bloom, competing in beauty and splendor, indescribably gorgeous.

As soon as Zhang Yunxiu stepped into the Imperial Garden, a refreshing floral fragrance drifted into his nasal cavity with the breeze.

Looking out, pavilions and terraces stood in rows, and the trees were green and the water clear to the bottom. The warm sunlight fell from the canopy, sprinkling upon them to form patches of light in a well-ordered pattern.

If viewed from the sky, the entire Imperial Garden would look like a fairyland on earth.

Zhang Yunxiu was intoxicated by the sight.

Because the Wanli Emperor had been here many times, he found it dull and merely walked along the small path in the flower garden perfunctorily.

The group followed the Wanli Emperor for about twenty minutes.

Suddenly, they noticed that under a two-zhang-tall jujube tree in the garden, a crowd of palace maids with panicked expressions had gathered.

On the jujube tree, a young girl wearing a lotus-colored pleated skirt with woven gold phoenixes had her eyebrows raised and was using her tender, scallion-like fingers to gently hook a bird's nest on a branch.

"Princess, Princess, please come down quickly; do not scare us servants."

"Yes, Princess, please spare us; if the Nanny finds out, she will surely beat us to death. Please have pity on us and spare us poor wretches."

Under the tree, several palace maids looked panicked, spreading their hands and moving their feet as the girl moved.

"Yongning, what are you doing?!" The Wanli Emperor grew anxious, squeezed into the crowd in a few steps, and shouted at the girl above, "Come down to me quickly; if Mother Empress finds out, you will certainly not have a good end."

The palace maids were startled and hurriedly performed a salute to the Emperor.

Princess Yongning, who was in the tree, was shaken by this shout and nearly fell; she frowned and complained to the Emperor below the tree: "Bad Imperial Brother, you nearly scared me to death."

"It is you who nearly scared your Imperial Brother to death!" The Wanli Emperor said with a flushed face, then waved his hand, "Come down quickly, it is dangerous up there."

"Imperial Brother, there are three birds in the nest up here; I will share one with you later." Yongning smiled playfully and made a face at the Wanli Emperor below the tree.

"Really?!"

The Wanli Emperor became interested and clamored to climb the tree to take a look.

Zhang Yunxiu and Wei Qing, who were on the side, hurriedly held him back; as they struggled, Princess Yongning tucked away the bird's nest and slid down from the branches.

Once she landed, she clapped her hands lightly, tilted her neck, and like a victor, took the bird's nest from her bosom: "Imperial Brother, look, how beautiful these three birds are." The Wanli Emperor squeezed forward and took a look inside.

Three little birds whose feathers had not yet fully grown opened their mouths and chirped loudly.

"Are they calling like that because they are hungry?" The Wanli Emperor asked tentatively.

"Probably," Princess Yongning nodded slightly.

"Then quickly have the Imperial Kitchen get them something to eat."

"We brought some rice balls ourselves; we don't need the Imperial Kitchen."

The brother and sister squatted on the ground, feeding the chicks with a few words here and there; their earnest appearance made one feel that the two were just seven or eight-year-old children.

Taking advantage of the time they were talking, Zhang Yunxiu asked Wei Qing: "Is that Princess Yongning? The one Liang Bangrui was previously betrothed to?"

"Yes," Wei Qing replied.

"That is good, otherwise a fresh flower would really have been stuck in cow dung," Zhang Yunxiu let out a long sigh of relief.

This young girl was innocent and lively, with a baby face, and had not been influenced by the rules of the palace at all; it was truly rare.

It seemed that the Wanli Emperor and Li Taihou had protected this girl extremely well, keeping her untainted by the world and as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

Wei Qing nodded along and chimed in, "Indeed, Empress Dowager Li and the Emperor both treat Princess Yongning like the apple of their eye; they fear she might break if held in their hands, and melt if kept in their mouths."

"In the past, even if Princess Yongning made some small mistakes, the Emperor would never scold her."

"It is just Zhang Jing's bad luck," Zhang Yunxiu said with a chuckle.

Just as Wei Qing was about to reply, the Wanli Emperor suddenly turned his body and shouted at the two of them, "You two fellows, what are you whispering about over there? Why don't you hurry over and help Us choose a bird?"

"Ah, oh, this subject is coming right away." The two nodded, their footsteps swift as the wind, and in two or three strides they stepped forward and crouched down beside the Emperor.

It was the first time Zhang Yunxiu had seen Princess Yongning, and he could not help but steal a glance.

Princess Yongning happened to be turning her large, starry eyes to size up this young gentleman she had seen once before.

The two met eyes, and as if electrocuted, they shifted their gazes elsewhere.

"Zhang Yunxiu, you tell Us, which bird is better?" The Wanli Emperor had not noticed the change in the two at all; still immersed in his fresh excitement, he shouted with high spirits.

Zhang Yunxiu composed his expression, lowered his head to glance at the three birds, and pointing at the one chirping the most fiercely, said, "Your Majesty, this subject sees that the one in the middle is chirping the most joyfully; it should be the easiest to raise, so you should choose the one in the middle."

"Good, We shall choose this one in the middle." As the Wanli Emperor spoke, he reached out to take the bird in the middle.

"Good, Imperial Brother has finished choosing, so the remaining ones are all mine." Princess Yongning giggled and took the opportunity to snatch the bird's nest back.

"Hey, you taking two by yourself is not fair." The Wanli Emperor grew anxious and threatened her wickedly, "Yongning, you wouldn't want Mother Empress to know about you climbing trees to raid bird nests, would you?"

"Imperial Brother, what are you trying to do?!" Princess Yongning hugged the bird's nest, looked at the Emperor vigilantly, and subconsciously stepped backward.

The Wanli Emperor raised an eyebrow, rubbed his palms together, and chuckled, "If you let Us pick one more bird, We will agree to keep your secret; otherwise, hehe, don't blame Us for being ruthless."

"Imperial Brother..." Yongning called out softly, and wisps of mist began to brew in her dark, large pupils.

"Calling me anything is useless; are you giving it to me or not?"

"No!"

The brother and sister ignored everyone else, bickering just like siblings in an ordinary household.

This made things difficult for Zhang Yunxiu and the others.

They could neither retreat nor advance, standing frozen in place, not knowing what to say.

What business was it of outsiders to interrupt matters between siblings? Wei Qing raised his head and slowly looked in the direction of Zhang Yunxiu, who happened to be looking over as well; the two exchanged a glance.

Wei Qing nodded, then addressed the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the weather is clearly getting hot, and with a whole crowd of us squeezed here, it is quite noisy and unseemly. If the Empress Dowager were to see this, it would be bad for both you and the Princess."

"Why don't we return to the palace first, and discuss whatever matters later."

The Wanli Emperor feared Empress Dowager Li in his heart and felt a sense of dread, but he remained stubborn with his words, "Yongning, We advise you to obediently send the birds to Our sleeping quarters, otherwise We will certainly have a word with Mother Empress."

"Pfft, Imperial Brother is afraid of Mother Empress, but I am not. At worst, I will just get a scolding." Yongning made a face at the Wanli Emperor, took out the bird's nest, handed it to Zhang Yunxiu, blinked her large eyes, and said, "It is not convenient to raise birds in my Inner Palace, so you help me take them out and raise them well."

That's right.

The Wanli Emperor also just remembered that his palace was not suitable for raising such birds.

"You take Mine as well; when I have time, I will leave the palace gates to go see them." The Wanli Emperor then put the bird into the nest.

"This subject obeys the decree." Zhang Yunxiu had no choice but to take the playthings of this pair of siblings.

Wanli had originally felt that there was a lack of amusement in the palace, never expecting that he could raid bird nests. He turned to glance at Wei Qing and ordered, "Wei Qing, We command you to check all the treetops in the palace; if there are any bird nests, report to Us immediately."

"Oh, right, be discreet in your actions; do not let the Grand Eunuch or the Empress Dowager know."

"This old subject obeys the decree."

Wei Qing bowed, sticking his backside high up, and shouted respectfully.

(End of this chapter)