Chapter 429: 12.37

Bai Yunyu clipped some stalks by himself in the Garden of Serene Harmony, accompanied by Meilan and a few other maids and eunuch. Meilan was a bit distressed because Master Bai said that he would take care of the garden by himself.

"Master Bai, let us do it for you. You can just sit and relax, enjoy the spring. I will bring tea and some snacks for you," Meilan said. But Yunyu shook his head while he focused on taking care of the garden.

"I can do it myself, don't worry. You guys can rest a bit. I know taking care of the palace can be very tiring," Yunyu said.

As a traditional culture, Ger men were taught similar to women in the ancient era, as they were trained on how to take care of children, playing guqin, flower arrangement, dress up, et cetera. But there were plenty of ger men that defied this rule, like going straight to the path of becoming a warrior or a scholar instead.

Since they were still a man nonetheless, they had a bit more freedom to choose their path, as they could become both a scholar, warrior or a traditional mistress of a household.

The ever so greedy and talented Yunyu wanted everything, so he learned flower arrangement, playing guqin, chess, but he also studied like a scholar and actually came as the third rank in the annual exam for scholars across the country.

But his true passion was in martial arts. He was well versed in both the art of war and also in fighting. Bai Yunyu was the first one to actually beat Huang Shu in a duel. However, he believed that Huang Shu wasn't really serious back then.

But Huang Shu admitted defeat, and that was the moment when Huang Shu became smitten by Yunyu's strength and beauty as a ger.

[Larva: Master Bai is so awesome! You are good in everything in this world!]

[Hehe, right? Although Ger is seen as a lesser gender to many people, I want to prove that Ger can do what a man and a woman can do.]

The servants saw their mistress was just busy taking care of the garden in serenity and silence. But for Yunyu, he was chatting a lot with Larva.

[Larva: Master! I've read in the world background that you're also a skilled martial artist and warrior! Please show me!]

[You want to see? Sure!]

Yunyu took a deep breath, and he suddenly jumped up high. The servants screamed when they saw their mistress suddenly jumped and did a somersault in the air before grabbing a branch. He was hanging on the branch and watched the garden, trying to find other flowers that he needed to trim.

"Master, Master Bai, please get down! You will get hurt!" the servants were screaming at him, thinking that he would fall anytime soon. But Bai Yunyu only chuckled heartily before he flung himself and did a spin in the air before landing elegantly in front of chrysanthemums that he needed to trim.

The servants felt like their hearts almost burst out of their chest with the sudden acrobatic. Even Meilan was scared, though, her fear wasn't about Master Bai suddenly falling, but she was afraid that Master Bai's robe might be torn and showed a bit of his supple skin to the servants here. 

But their fear was uncalled for because Bai Yunyu was fine as he continued taking care of the flowers in serenity again.

Though little did they know, the invisible Larva was swirling on top of Yunyu like a disco ball as it kept praising Yunyu to the moon and back.

[Larva: Oh my god! Master Bai is so cool! Larva is a big fan! Master Bai, can I get your autograph? Can you sign an autograph in my body? Uwaaaaa!]

[Hehe, calm yourself down. I can always show you many cool tricks later on.]

Larva got even more excited, but its excitement died down immediately when it saw a servant from another palace suddenly barged in and approached Master Bai.

The servant bowed her head deeply and said, "Master Bai, Her Majesty Empress Dowager wants to meet you. She orders you to come to her Palace of White Swan soon."

"Meet me?" Bai Yunyu frowned. She stopped his activity and turned his body. "Her Majesty wants to meet me?" Yunyu repeated the question. It was simply baffling for Her Majesty Empress Dowager to request his attendance.

"Is there something Her Majesty wants me to do?"

"This servant doesn't know, Master Bai," the servant said, and she excused herself.

Meilan and other servants approached Master Bai, who was still dazed for a moment. Meilan asked first, "Master Bai, Her Majesty's order is absolute. You cannot miss it…"

"Yes, I know," Yunyu said. He sighed and walked back to his palace. "Follow me, Meilan."

Bai Yunyu and Meilan entered his bedroom, and Meilan asked worriedly, "Master Bai, what does Empress Dowager want from you? It's obvious that she doesn't like you…"

"I don't know, Meilan. But it's important for me to attend. Empress Dowager still has the biggest authority after the Emperor," Bai Yunyu replied. "Go prepare my robe, just the simple one to signify my humbleness in front of her."

"Master Bai won't use the silk yellow or red?" Meilan asked. She felt that her Master already had cemented his position as the future Empress, so there was no need to be humble. But Yunyu refused and replied,

"Just give me a simple one. I don't want to look too obvious and flaunting. I come from a merchant family, not a noble family, and I have no backing either."

"Yes, Master Bai."

Larva materialized after Meilan left, and it looked worried, 'Master Bai, based on the world background, Empress Dowager Aixi never like you because of your identity as a ger!'

"Well, isn't that obvious already?" Bai Yunyu smiled as he brushed his hair by himself. He refused to wear any kinds of accessory or face powder because he was a warrior in the first place. Although he could, he just disliked the hassle.

So all he did was to wear a blue ribbon behind his long silky hair with jasmine flower decoration. The jasmine had a bell in it, so whenever he walked, there was a slight ring.

Meilan returned with a white hanfu with a bluish hue, so when Yunyu wore it, he looked more like a simple scholar than a future Empress.

"Okay, let's go."

**

Empress Dowager Aixi was sitting in her courtyard, watching the spring flowers with a small fan in her hand. The maid that she dispatched to inform Bai Yunyu had returned and reported, "Your Majesty, this servant has informed Master Bai. He said he will come soon."

"Good," Empress Dowager Aixi said. She ate a piece of dried fruit while staring at the garden. "I can't believe I will have a ger as my son's wife. Horrendous, simply horrendous and strange. How could you spend your precious first night with a man? My son has been truly blinded. The days he spent on the war has made him numb and unable to differentiate the beauty of a woman and... strange man that could give birth. How unfortunate."