My mother told me more than once, "Xihe, when you choose a consort in the future, you must pick someone gentle who will always listen to you."
When she said this, my father would always look at her dotingly from behind. I could feel the sweetness and cloying affection between them.
My father is a very good - looking man, both imposing and gentle. He is exactly like the male leads in those romance stories I secretly read! But my mother said that those romance stories are all lies and I mustn't believe them.
My mother wants me to call her "mother" instead of "empress mother", because she says it sounds more intimate. However, my father won't let me call him "father". He insists that I call him "emperor father", saying that it sounds more imposing. Well, as a good child, I'll do as they say, though I'm quite bothered by the asymmetry of the titles.
"Xihe! Today is the day when your Aunt Ranwei comes back to visit. What are you doing hiding here alone?" A kind and cheerful female voice rang out in the air, and I was quickly pulled into a warm embrace. "Oh, my dear Xihe, you're getting more and more beautiful. Come, go to the banquet hall with mother."
I smelled the unique fragrance on my mother's body and finally looked up with a small face and asked, "Mother, did you steal some osmanthus cakes again?"
My mother looked surprised. "How did you know?"
I pointed to the front of her luxurious robe. "There are still some crumbs here and here."
The corner of her mouth twitched. She patted her robe and said, "Keep your voice down. Don't let your emperor father hear it."
Lately, mother's appetite has been getting worse. In the past, she would eat some vegetarian dishes when having meals. Now, she doesn't even want to touch the rice. Father is very worried about this. But actually, I accidentally found that mother doesn't really refuse to eat. She just secretly eats the snacks in the palace. Later, I told father about this, and father issued an ultimatum to mother, saying, "I don't care if you eat snacks, but if you only eat snacks and no rice, I will never forgive you." So mother firmly said that she would neither eat snacks nor rice, which made father so angry that he almost spat blood several times.
Well, actually, father is just concerned about mother, and mother is just deliberately playing the coquette because of his favor.
I'm already used to the way father and mother get along. Sometimes, I even feel envious when I see them playing around. In the romance books I secretly read, there are often descriptions of emperors having a harem full of concubines. But in father's case, there seems to be only mother.
Actually, I don't understand why men should have multiple wives and concubines.
In my heart, I yearn for a devoted love, just like... that of father and mother.
"Okay, mother, don't worry. I can keep this a secret. But can I not go to the banquet hall?" When I came back to my senses from my contemplation, I found that mother had dragged me a long way. I couldn't help but slow down and discuss it with her.
Mother blinked her beautiful eyes and asked, "Why?"
I hesitated for a long time and finally said, "Because I don't want to see that person..."
"Who?" Mother thought for a while and suddenly understood. "You mean Acheng?"
I nodded shyly, and my mind couldn't help but recall the first time I met him. It was at the racecourse on the outskirts of the capital three years ago. Father and mother invited aunt and uncle to a horse - racing competition. Brother and I were too young, so we were originally kept outside the racecourse, drawing circles on the ground. But Yu Chicheng was riding his little thoroughbred and running around recklessly in the racecourse, which made brother and me jealous. Every time we saw his radiant face pass in front of us, brother and I would feel more resentment. So the following conversation ensued -
"Xihe, do you think his face deserves a beating?"
"Yes."
"Then shall we beat him until he can't find his teeth?"
"Okay!"
Brother cooperatively raised his slingshot and put a glass marble on it. But I pushed his slingshot away and raised my own slingshot domineeringly. "I'll do it!"
After saying that, I shot a glass marble at his forehead. I only heard a pained cry of "Ah -", and brother and I smiled triumphantly and quickly hid in the haystack.
Then mother's voice came. "Yong Ziming, come out!"
Brother looked at me helplessly and stood up timidly.
"You're being naughty again!" Mother's face looked very grim when she questioned him. On the other side, Yu Chicheng was covering his forehead with his teeth clenched, and blood was oozing out between his fingers.
Seeing that the situation was not right, brother immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake obediently. "Your subject didn't do it on purpose. Your subject knows his mistake."
I felt a bit guilty seeing that brother was willing to take the blame for me. But thinking that the matter was serious and I didn't know how mother would punish brother later, I stood up from the haystack and shouted, "Mother, this has nothing to do with brother. It was me who disliked him and attacked him!"
Brother and I are twins. We looked similar when we were young, but our personalities were very different. Brother was active, just like mother, never able to sit still for a moment. I liked quietness and was as calm as father. So whenever something went wrong, the first person people thought of was brother. Even if it was me who came up with the bad idea, it was always brother who took the blame. Because of this, brother was beaten a lot when he was a child. Brother always said that his skin was thick and he was not afraid of being beaten, but it was different for me as a girl. So I grew up happily under brother's protection without a care. But in this situation, I just didn't want brother to take the blame for some reason.
Father slightly raised his eyebrows, obviously not expecting this. Uncle and aunt glanced at each other, suddenly understood, and laughed out loud. "Cheng'er, you're not seriously hurt. Don't be so petty with your sister. Let your little thoroughbred be played with by your sister for a while. Be a real man."
But Yu Chicheng covered his forehead, glared at me angrily, lifted his robe, and made a beautiful dismount. He easily jumped over the railing of the racecourse. When he walked beside me, he bumped into me hard and whispered in a low voice, "Yong Xihe, I remember you!"
Before I could react, brother had already run over the railing of the enclosure on his little feet to lead the pony away.
I watched as several imperial physicians rushed over in a hurry with their medicine chests. I just coldly snorted at Yu Chicheng who was grimacing in the grass and said, "What's so great about you." Then I turned around and left.
I was only ten years old that year.
Later, I found out that Yu Chicheng and I were just fated to be enemies. I really don't know why I was possessed to hit him that day, nor do I know why he could hold a grudge against me for so many years because of such a small thing!
Just thinking about the box of caterpillars he sent me from thousands of miles away when I was eleven makes my whole body shiver. I secretly warned myself that this person has too strong a sense of revenge and I mustn't make friends with him.
"Just because you hit him last time?" Mother's gentle words pulled me back to reality.
I pursed my lips and nodded.
Mother couldn't help but show helplessness in her eyes. "Then shall I tell them that you're not feeling well and won't go?"
This time I nodded happily.
Mother added, "But there will be your favorite crystal shrimps at today's banquet..."
I immediately looked at mother with a pitiful look. Finally, mother had no choice but to touch my head and say, "Okay, mother will steal a few pieces for you."
My eyes immediately lit up. I looked at her excitedly. Mother touched my head lovingly again and said, "You really drive me crazy."
...
I managed to skip the welcome banquet for aunt. Thinking that it would be boring to go back to the palace now, I just wandered around the palace. Before I knew it, it was getting dark. I took a small path and was about to go back to the palace when I suddenly saw that solitary and desolate figure that had appeared in my mind thousands of times.