From the very beginning, when Mo Xiujie first became Luo Nanchen's personal bodyguard, he noticed that Luo Nanchen would stare at the memorials presented by the Chamber of Imperial Etiquette for a long time every day.
At that time, he didn't dare to ask or even peek. It wasn't until later that Mo Xiujie found out that the memorials from the Chamber of Imperial Etiquette were all about the daily affairs of the Palace of Eternal Joy.
All kinds of trivial daily matters.
Matters about Lin Qiao, all kinds of trivial daily details.
Such daily and rather unseemly memorials that seemed so out of line with Luo Nanchen's dignity and strict - working style, every time they were presented, Mo Xiujie thought Luo Nanchen would scold the Chamber of Imperial Etiquette for their incompetence or perfunctory work.
But Luo Nanchen not only didn't scold, instead... the more detailed the memorials were, the more praise the Chamber of Imperial Etiquette received.
Moreover, Luo Nanchen would, based on what was written in the memorials, constantly shatter Mo Xiujie's perception with his actions.
Not only was his perception shattered, but he also had to act as the executor.
... running errands.
For example, if the memorial stated that the Empress Dowager was very interested in shuttlecock - kicking that day and had been hopping around the yard for a long time, Luo Nanchen would immediately order people to search for all kinds of interesting shuttlecocks in Yunjin and then send them to the Palace of Eternal Joy.
... Mo Xiujie himself would carry dozens of different kinds of shuttlecocks and deliver them to the Palace of Eternal Joy.
Another example was when the memorial said that the Empress Dowager ate very little that day and wasn't interested in any of the dishes sent by the imperial kitchen. Luo Nanchen would then search for all kinds of snacks from Yunjin and even Lin Qiao's hometown, Le'an Region, and send them all to the Palace of Eternal Joy.
... Mo Xiujie would carry a burden even bigger than himself on his back and deliver it to the Palace of Eternal Joy.
It was only the next day that they found out that the Empress Dowager was on her period and had no appetite.
Then, Luo Nanchen would go to the imperial kitchen himself to make a bowl of egg custard, and then ask an unknown little maid...
Or simply ask Mo Xiujie himself to deliver it to the Palace of Eternal Joy.
Anyway, no matter what delicious or interesting things there were, whether in Luo Nanchen's own name or not, they would all be sent to the Palace of Eternal Joy.
At that time, the naive Mo Xiujie simply thought that Luo Nanchen was just being filial.
Until an important figure appeared.
Meng Erliu.
The general who hadn't been demoted to the northwest at that time.
It was an ordinary evening. The eunuch from the Chamber of Imperial Etiquette carefully presented the memorial.
Luo Nanchen's expression was different from usual.
Mo Xiujie hadn't learned how to read people's expressions at that time and couldn't understand Luo Nanchen's look. He only remembered that Luo Nanchen's eyes immediately became very serious. He pursed his lips, said nothing, and stared at the memorial for a long time.
It wasn't until the sun had set in the west and the candles had been lit. The eunuch kneeling on the ground was shivering like a sieve. Luo Nanchen finally looked up and asked a question that Mo Xiujie still remembers vividly to this day.
"Did Meng Erliu really sit on the Empress Dowager's imperial concubine chair?"
At that time, Mo Xiujie didn't understand why Luo Nanchen's focus was so strange. As the emperor, shouldn't Luo Nanchen be concerned about the suspicion that the northwest general was having an affair with the Empress Dowager and plotting to usurp the throne? Shouldn't he be worried about the stability of his own throne?
Later, as Mo Xiujie grew up, he gradually understood that this was a kind of possessiveness.
Like this imperial concubine chair, and like Lin Qiao.
... Of course, he learned this word from Concubine Zou.
On the night when he saw the memorial, Luo Nanchen stood still for a long time. Then he stood on top of the Palace of Eternal Joy for the whole night.
Mo Xiujie, as Luo Nanchen's personal bodyguard, shivering from the cold, constantly sneezing and with a runny nose, naturally also stood there for a whole night.
Mo Xiujie thought to himself: I've really sacrificed too much for someone else's love...
At that time, Luo Nanchen was sixteen years old.
After that, almost every day, the name of another person besides Lin Qiao would appear in the memorials presented by the Chamber of Imperial Etiquette - Meng Erliu.
This name was like thunder to Luo Nanchen during that period. As soon as he heard it, he would habitually frown and flare up in anger, making the entire court tremble with fear.
And Meng Erliu himself was having an even worse time. Whether he was reporting his duties or handling affairs, he would be severely criticized by Luo Nanchen.
Later, what made Mo Xiujie even more certain that Luo Nanchen's feelings for Lin Qiao were not just filial piety was on the day of Luo Nanchen's seventeenth birthday.
In Yunjin, the seventeenth birthday was a person's coming - of - age ceremony, which was the first most important festival in a person's life. After that, only the wedding was as important as the coming - of - age ceremony.
Although Luo Nanchen usually didn't show his emotions and others couldn't tell his mood changes, on that day's grand ceremony of sacrificing to heaven, Luo Nanchen couldn't hide his excitement.
It seemed that he finally showed a bit of the high - spiritedness that matched his age.
All the civil and military officials bowed and congratulated him. The gifts were piled up like a small mountain in front of the Hall of Diligent Government. The whole of Yunjin was cheering and celebrating for Luo Nanchen, and gorgeous fireworks were set off in the sky above the capital.
However, until nightfall, no birthday gift came from the Palace of Eternal Joy.
Mo Xiujie watched Luo Nanchen, who had been excited since morning, pretending to look around at the scenery. But as the day passed, slowly his expression returned to being expressionless, and he became the strict, expressionless and majestic emperor of Yunjin again.
He was majestic, but he also looked a bit lonely.
He didn't look like a young man who had just had his coming - of - age ceremony at all.
When he walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the head maid had already made the bed and left. The Hall of Mental Cultivation was completely dark. This was Luo Nanchen's sleeping habit. After finishing the memorials in the Hall of Diligent Government and returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he didn't like to light the lamp but would just lie in bed directly because he thought it was troublesome.
Luo Nanchen walked in expressionlessly, ready to go to bed as usual.
Just as he stepped in, the candles were lit.
But this time, the candles were placed on a white cake - like object, exactly seventeen of them, not one less.
It was Lin Qiao, the Empress Dowager from the Palace of Eternal Joy.
Luo Nanchen and Mo Xiujie were both stunned on the spot.
Lin Qiao clapped her hands and walked over, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you - "
The Empress Dowager was singing some kind of tune... probably a folk song from the Le'an Region. Mo Xiujie could understand every single word, but when sung by the Empress Dowager, he couldn't understand it at all.
Although he really didn't understand it, the reason why Mo Xiujie stood there stunned wasn't this, but...
Damn it, he had also lived for seventeen years, so why didn't he have such a good - looking step - mother?
Then, the next scene of these two people refreshed Mo Xiujie's perception of life again.
... Luo Nanchen took a quick step forward and hugged Lin Qiao.
Mo Xiujie was stunned again.
And the Empress Dowager also reached out and hugged Luo Nanchen back, patting his back as if comforting a child.
Although this scene seemed like a kind and filial one, and Lin Qiao's eyes were very straightforward, and she was completely just here to give Luo Nanchen a birthday gift.
... The birthday gift should be that white cake with candles on it.
However, Mo Xiujie keenly sensed that things might not be as simple as they seemed.
Because his master, Luo Nanchen himself, had turned as red as two chili peppers at the moment he hugged the Empress Dowager.