Honor and Care

The temple name of Emperor Yongping was decided as Emperor Wuzong of the Fifth Dynasty of the Great Qi Dynasty.

A month later, Crown Prince Hezhao ascended the throne and initially named the reign "Wencheng". People in the court and the country called him Emperor Wencheng.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, the harem must be vacated for his concubines. When Li Qingping moved to Shoukang Palace, she lamented that they had gone through the same thing. But back then, Li Qingping was Concubine Ding, waiting to move into her new home. Now, she's just the Imperial Concubine Dowager packing up and leaving.

Fortunately, Li Qingping did not live in Shoukang Palace for too long.

Emperor Wencheng followed his father's example and allowed all the concubines and royal family with adult children to leave the palace and be raised in retirement.

Before his death, Emperor Wuzong issued an edict allowing Prince Dun Hexian and Prince Hua Hexuan to return to the capital. The two brothers had already arrived in the capital before the new emperor ascended the throne.

As a royal concubine who raised four children and all four children are still alive, Li Qingping does not have to worry about leaving the palace. The only headache is that the four children rarely quarrel - they are arguing about whose house Li Qingping should live in.

He Chang, relying on his status as the youngest brother, spoke louder and louder, with a sense of power that was determined to win: "Mother should naturally go to my Prince Kang's mansion! As the youngest son, I should be more filial to Mother!"

As soon as the words fell, Yu Xi opened her lips and sneered: "What kind of logic are you talking about, Ninth Brother? You want to honor us and we don't want it? If I were to say, my princess's mansion has the best flower garden in the capital. You can enjoy flowers and drink tea all year round. It's the most pleasant thing for my mother to come to my house!"

Yu Jin sat aside, peeling an orange for Li Qingping. She interrupted the siblings with a smile, "Stop arguing, you two. Your aunt has always loved peace and quiet. My princess's mansion is far from the bustling city, and the palace is staffed by the elderly, so it's much more comfortable than your palace with people coming and going."

He Xuan was not to be outdone: "There are hot springs in my palace! Plus, I brought back a lot of fun things from Yuzhou, and there are also Yuzhou chefs. Even if you don't leave your house, you can still experience the cultural customs of Yuzhou!"

Listening to the children's quarrel in his ears, Li Qingping was rarely distracted.

Wuzong's final words echoed in her ears. Li Qingping couldn't recall meeting him before her wedding. But did that matter? Not really. Ultimately, her marriage was determined by a simple imperial decree granting her a concubine. But thinking back, those first few years in the palace were indeed a happy and comfortable one. Wuzong only visited her once or twice a month, so Li Qingping didn't have to work so hard to please him, and the servants under her didn't dare neglect him. Life was blissful.

On the contrary, things started to get more complicated later on. The constraints of the backyard and the palace walls, and the calculations inside and outside the court, were really tiring.

But now everything is fine, I just want to enjoy my old age.

When she came back to her senses, she found that the four children were staring at her intently. Li Qingping propped herself up a little and said with a smile, "Have you discussed it?"

"No..." Yuxi leaned over and said with a smile: "After all, isn't it you, mother, who decides where to live?"

Li Qingping picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of the warm tea, moistened his throat and said, "That's perfect. Mother has an idea."

The children all fell silent, looking at her in unison. Li Qingping smiled and said, "I'll stay at each of your residences for a few months. There are twelve months in a year, so each of us has exactly three months, so there's no competition. So, Hexuan's residence has hot springs, perfect for winter; Yuxi's flowers and plants are well cared for, so I'll go there in spring when they're at their peak; Yujin's residence is quiet, so I'll go there in summer; and Hechang's residence will be in autumn. What do you think?"

The four brothers and sisters looked at each other and said, "We will all listen to you."

It was the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, and Li Qingping left the palace and went directly to He Xuan's Prince Hua's mansion.

The night before Li Qingping was about to leave the palace, Emperor Wencheng came to pay her respects.

In fact, Emperor Wencheng once considered having Li Qingping taken care of in the palace, and even suggested that she move into the Cining Palace. The reason was that there was no Grand Empress Dowager or Empress Dowager in the palace, and Li Qingping was the Imperial Noble Consort personally appointed by the previous emperor, and she was also the aunt of the new emperor. The new emperor asked Li Qingping to stay in the palace to help take care of the empress.

But Li Qingping refused.

"Even when the Empress was the Crown Princess, she has been assisting with palace affairs for many years. I am aware of her abilities and know she will not make any mistakes." Li Qingping said with a smile at the time, "Besides, the Empress is now the head of the Central Palace. As an old man, I am not qualified to take on the role, so I will not get involved in the affairs of the palace. I believe the Empress can make the proper arrangements for the harem."

Emperor Wencheng performed the proper ceremony for Li Qingping. He was the emperor now, and Li Qingping was neither his stepmother nor his biological mother, so he did not let him perform the full ceremony and quickly stood up.

"As for my aunt...since my father didn't give any order during his lifetime, and filial piety comes first, my aunt can only live in the garden this year. But He Xian and the others can visit her at any time to pay their respects." The first thing Emperor Wencheng said after he stood up was about Concubine Kegui.

Li Qingping smiled and said, "It's okay. The garden is closer than the imperial farm, so it's convenient for us to come and go. Let's take our time with this matter."

Emperor Wencheng looked at the white hair on Li Qingping's temples, his eyes full of respect: "Aunt is right. But I always feel that letting you leave the palace for retirement is a bit difficult for the Empress and I to adapt to the lack of elders in this palace."

He paused, then continued, "However...it's good that you can be reunited with your children outside. If you need anything outside the palace in the future, just let me know. I will definitely not let you suffer any injustice."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingping smiled and waved his hand, "Your Majesty, that's being a bit too formal. All I want now is a peaceful life. Having my children be filial is more important than any respectability."

She seemed to recall the past: "You are the eldest child among the three of us sisters. You were so small back then, and now you have become the emperor. Time flies."

Emperor Wencheng also felt a little nostalgic: "When I was young, besides my mother, my aunt was my closest friend. My mother has said more than once that you are a trustworthy elder. Otherwise, I would not have entrusted Hehuang to you."

Li Qingping sighed softly, "Now that you've all grown up and can stand on your own, I can rest assured."

Emperor Wencheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Aunt, I have something else I would like to ask you."

Li Qingping took a sip of the teacup, looked up at him, and motioned him to continue.

"I have been the Crown Prince for twenty-seven years, the legitimate heir to the throne, without the numerous rumors and gossips my father faced. But while the court is now stable, some veteran officials still have complaints about my new policies, and I don't know how to respond."

Li Qingping put down the teacup in her hand and said seriously, "As a woman in the harem, I don't understand the complicated affairs of the court. But Your Majesty is the emperor and should have his own considerations. As long as the old ministers are loyal, they don't have any ill intentions. They are just worried that the new policies will undermine the foundation. Your Majesty should communicate with them more and listen to their opinions. Perhaps you can find a solution that satisfies both sides. When Emperor Wuzong was in power, he often discussed state affairs with the old ministers. Only when the monarch and his ministers are united can the world be stable."

Emperor Wencheng nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

When Emperor Wencheng regained his composure, the two chatted about some family matters. As it was getting late, Emperor Wencheng finally stood up to take his leave. As he reached the door, he suddenly turned around and bowed solemnly to Li Qingping, "Aunt, please rest early."

Li Qingping smiled as he watched Emperor Wencheng's bright yellow ceremonial procession go away.

——

The next morning, Li Qingping walked out of the palace surrounded by his children.

"Why are you here too? It's such a hassle to get up so early." Li Qingping looked at Yu Jin, Yu Xi and Chang with a smile.

Yuxi snorted twice: "It's only natural to pick up my mother, I won't bother with that."

Li Qingping said, "Okay, okay." The autumn sun shone on her, bringing warmth. She looked back at the palace where she had lived for twenty-seven years. The red walls and yellow tiles were still majestic, but they could no longer hold her back.

The Imperial Noble Consort Rongyang went to the Prince's Mansion. Princess Hua, along with the children and the people in the backyard, greeted them at the door, and then took Li Qingping to Songshou Hall to take a seat and pay her respects.

The Hexuan family was relatively small. Besides Princess Cui, the wife of Prince Hua, there was only one concubine, one wife, one concubine, and two maids. Crown Prince Zaiyuan had also married in Yuzhou two years prior, and his wife was now five months pregnant.

Li Qingping had never seen anyone except the Princess of Hua, Concubine Wu, and the Crown Prince, and subconsciously looked at them carefully.

Li Qingping had risen from concubine to imperial concubine in the palace over the years, and her majesty remained unchanged. In addition, there were four large Buddhas next to her, which made those people nervous instantly.

"Are those your children?" Li Qingping asked, pointing to a few children he had never seen in the crowd.

He Yan smiled and said, "That's right."

Before leaving for Yuzhou, only Prince Zaiyuan and eldest daughter Minyan were born in the Hexuan mansion, so Li Qingping had never seen the other grandchildren. They were only mentioned in letters. However, because Hexuan's family was small, with few children, and those who died young, there were only a few unfamiliar faces at this time.

"Zaiyuan, Zaishi, Minyan, Minyun, Minyuan," he turned and called the children's names, "Come here and let grandma see you."

The five grandchildren came forward together to kowtow to Li Qingping and pay their respects.

Apart from Prince Zaiyuan, born to Princess Hua, the eldest daughter Minyan, born to Concubine Wu, is the oldest and is sixteen years old this year; followed by the youngest daughter Minyun, born to Princess Hua, is thirteen years old this year; the second son Zai Shi is born to Madam Luo and is eleven years old this year; and Minyuan, born to Concubine Wu, is the youngest and is only seven years old this year.

Although He Xuan is a little smaller than the other children, fortunately, they have grown up to be in good health.

Li Qingping accepted the gift with a smile, and then asked Yun Su and Yun Zao to distribute the gifts for the grandchildren. Except for the more generous gift from the prince, Li Qingping treated the others equally.

The women in the backyard also noticed this. They looked at each other and did not dare to raise any objections.

Li Qingping asked his pregnant granddaughter-in-law Qin some more questions and then asked everyone to go back, leaving only Yu Jin, Yu Xi, Xu and Chang.

"No matter where I am, as long as I move in, the children don't need to come and pay their respects every day. First, I like quietness, and second, I don't want them to go back and forth. If I want to see you, I will naturally send someone to invite you. Remember all this?" Li Qingping said first.

Of course the children agreed to her request.

Li Qingping nodded and said to his children with a smile, "You can all go back. I have Yunsu and Yunzao here to take care of you."

Yuxi is in her sixties, but she still acts like a spoiled brat in front of her mother: "Mom, are you sending us away right now? At least let your daughter have lunch with you!"

Li Qingping smiled helplessly: "Okay, okay, everyone stay for dinner."