Chapter 47 – Meeting
Yuan Qing saw the three of them all looking sad, and was afraid that they might have misunderstood. So he said to them: “Don’t worry, Lin-xiaozhu’s days at the crown prince’s East Palace are very good. His Royal Highness likes Lin-xiaozhu very much. His Royal Highness keeps him in the palm of his hands and is still afraid of him not being well. His Royal Highness has never treated anyone else like this before. Lin-xiaozhu is the number one person in the crown prince’s East Palace.”
Lin Da Zhuang and the others listened to the little eunuch’s words, but they didn’t feel much relieved. They were still more on the concerned side. They all waited silently for Lin Jia Bao’s arrival.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng came back with Yuan Fu early in the morning. Upon arrival at Ping Le Courtyard, he saw Jia Bao standing at the gate of the courtyard and peeking his head out to wait for him. Xuan Yuan Han Cheng laughed lightly.
Ever since Jia Bao knew that he could meet with his family, he has been in a state of excitement. Xuan Yuan Han Cheng coaxed him for a long time last night before getting him to sleep. And today, he was craning his neck, eagerly looking forward to his arrival. This was a treatment he had never experienced before, and he became a little jealous just thinking about it.
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Lin Jia Bao was dressed up very well today. Shu Ya and Shu Qing knew that the little master was going to meet with his family today, and they specially dressed him up.
Lin Jia Bao was wearing a royal blue dress today, with beautiful embroidered patterns, and the cufflinks on the neckline were inlaid with gold threads. It made his skin look crystal clear and dazzling.
Lin Jia Bao’s hair was tied with a jade hairpin. The belt around his waist was dotted with gems of various colors. He looked very much like a young boy from a rich family.
Xuan Yuan Han Cheng couldn’t take his eyes away from Lin Jia Bao, “Darling is dressed so well today. The clothes from the Jinxiu Workshop* are not bad. Let’s get a few more sets made.”
[*T/N: 锦绣坊 jin xiu fang – literal translation is “beautiful workshop”]
“Yes.” Shu Qing and Shu Ya replied in unison.
The Jinxiu Workshop was a clothing-manufacturing workshop for the use of the imperial household. The workers in the workshop comprised of women from all over the country who had outstanding embroidery work. They specially made clothes for the emperor, empress, princes, and so on. Only people with high status in the palace were eligible to enjoy this treatment, whereas, ordinary concubines and nobles could only have their clothes prepared by the Clothing Bureau of the Imperial Household Department.
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Since having Lin Jia Bao by his side, Xuan Yuan Han Cheng has let Jia Bao enjoy the best in everything. The empress was the phoenix in charge of the harem, so she naturally knew what Xuan Yuan Han Cheng has done and understood his intentions. Therefore, she has never interfered with the needs of Ping Le Courtyard. In the eyes of the people within the palace, this held deep meaning. As long as one was not stupid, he or she would understand how much the empress and the crown prince loved Lin Jia Bao.
For Lin Jia Bao’s trip out of the palace this time, Xuan Yuan Han Cheng sent Yuan Fu along with him, and arranged for two guards to escort him. On top of that, there were the two secret guards that were already assigned to Jia Bao. The meeting place was in Fuyuan Building in the imperial city, which was also a property under one of his subordinates, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
Lin Jia Bao and Xuan Yuan Han Cheng got in the horse carriage, and the carriage slowly drove towards the palace gate and exited the palace smoothly.
“Today, baby can be reunited with his family for one day and have dinner with your family before coming back. How about it, are you happy?” Xuan Yuan Han Cheng entwined his fingers with Lin Jia Bao and spoke softly to him.
“Really? That’s great! I haven’t seen them for a long time. I really miss them. I have a lot to say to them.” Lin Jia Bao didn’t know which members of his family came to see him today.
“As long as you’re happy.” Xuan Yuan Han Cheng gave Lin Jia Bao’s little mouth a small kiss. Lin Jia Bao was not very used to Xuan Yuan Han Cheng’s kisses, and sometimes he had hearned to respond to him. Every time Lin Jia Bao took the initiative, it would make Xuan Yuan Han Cheng incessantly happy.
The horse carriage quickly came to a stop at the entrance of the Fuyuan Building. “Go ahead. I will have Yuan Fu follow you, and tonight I will come back to pick you up.” Xuan Yuan Han Cheng instructed Yuan Fu: “Serve [him] carefully, and don’t make any mistakes.”
“Yes. Please rest assured, Your Royal Highness.” Yuan Fu helped Lin Jia Bao get off the carriage. Then they entered the restaurant with the two guards following behind.
Lin Jia Bao followed Yuan Fu to Heaven Room No. 1. He couldn’t help pushing the door open with excitement. Lin Jia Bao finally saw the family he had missed in the past two years.
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
“Dad! Big brother! Big brother-in-law!” Lin Jia Bao ran up to them and hugged his dad. “Jia Bao misses all of you so much!”
“Jia Bao, we miss you too. Let Dad take a good look at you.” Lin Da Zhuang this big, sturdy man was also getting somewhat teary-eyed.
The family was very excited when they met, and it took a long time for them to calm down.
Yuan Fu and Yuan Qing took the opportunity to withdraw, leaving only the two guards to guard outside the door.
When the outsiders were gone, Lin Da Zhuang couldn’t wait to ask, “Jia Bao, how have you been in the past two years? How did you become His Royal Highness’s xiaoshi?”