After the banquet for the top scholar, the news that the Third Prince had obtained the Emperor's private seal spread like wildfire both inside and outside the palace, earning him a reputation for precociousness, which made Consort Ning quite unhappy.

After all, Liu Yan was known for her precocious talent. Seeing that Liu Yan was exceptionally gifted, the Third Prince couldn't help but overshadow her son and steal Liu Yan's thunder.

Liu Yan has already gotten married and been granted the title of Duke of Donghai. Because of his youth, he has not yet achieved any outstanding results that have attracted attention. He can no longer rely on his intelligence to make his presence known to Liu Heng.

Having a more intelligent younger brother is undoubtedly a disadvantage for Liu Yan, who already lacks sufficient resources.

Furthermore, since Liu Yan established his own residence and got married, Consort Ning could no longer see her son every day as before. Soon, just like the Empress before her, she discovered a disadvantage in the joy of her son finally becoming independent and able to develop his own power: her influence over her son was decreasing, and she was somewhat unable to supervise his actions outside.

In fact, without Consort Ning's constant help in discussing and planning, Liu Yan also made a foolish decision on his own.

He was too eager for quick success and wanted to gain the support of powerful families. He openly pleaded for the families in court, but was scolded by Liu Heng instead. This matter eventually reached Consort Ning's ears, which angered the usually calm and composed Consort Ning so much that she smashed the cup in her hand.

Naturally, Liu Yan was reprimanded by Consort Ning again. Liu Yan learned his lesson from this setback and stayed in the Prince's residence, no longer daring to make rash moves.

After admonishing her son to be patient, Consort Ning was still worried about Liu Yan's future. Although he came from a prestigious family and had a father-in-law in a high position, Liu Heng's current measures were aimed at suppressing these families, so he couldn't help him much at the moment.

The Third Prince, however, had an uncle who had entered the cabinet at a young age and whose future was limitless. Furthermore, the Third Prince's mother was a favored concubine, making His Majesty naturally treat him with even greater favor. The Third Prince's unique advantages made Consort Ning very uneasy.

Fortunately, the third prince is still young and has not yet put too much pressure on Liu Yan. Moreover, there are endless possibilities for him in the next ten years or so.

Perhaps it's time to do something.

Consort Ning held the teacup in her hands, watching the hot water inside create wisps of steam.

She knew that His Majesty didn't have much affection for her and had long since lost interest in vying for favor in the harem. Previously, she didn't care much about who His Majesty favored; even with the Consort enjoying exclusive favor, the only one she found irritating was the Empress. However, given the current situation, the Consort continuing to enjoy exclusive favor wouldn't be good for them.

Liu Yan had an elder brother who was named crown prince at a young age, and his mother was the empress. He was the legitimate eldest son of the empress, with the patriarchal system and etiquette as his backing. He also had a younger brother who was even more intelligent than him, and the third prince had a powerful maternal family to support him. His mother was also the emperor's favorite. Naturally, he was very favored by the emperor.

As a result, Liu Yan, sandwiched in the middle, became the least noticeable and was overshadowed.

For Consort Ning, she endured half her life, humbling herself before the Empress, all in the hope that her son would be successful and surpass his brothers, both to prove her worth and to allow herself to rise above others.

Liu Yan was indeed obedient and well-behaved from a young age, and he put a lot of effort into his studies, so he did not disappoint her. Just when she thought he had married a woman from a high-ranking family and was finally able to display his talents outside the palace, another outstanding third prince suddenly appeared in the palace.

If Liu Kang continues to hold the position of Crown Prince, not only will he block Liu Yan's path, but even if Liu Yan achieves outstanding results in the future, it will probably not be as effective as the Empress Dowager's influence and will not change His Majesty's high regard for the Third Prince.

With the Third Prince around, it becomes even more difficult for Liu Yan to rise to prominence. That means all her efforts over the years, including Liu Yan's, will likely yield even less result.

No, she couldn't let herself and Liu Yan's efforts go to waste, or let all their scheming go down the drain.

Consort Ning made up her mind and had the already cold tea taken away.

She vividly remembered what her grandfather had once told her: "This world is cold and indifferent. Anyone who gets ahead is always standing on top of others."

We watch him build his magnificent mansion, we watch him host lavish banquets, and we watch his mansion crumble—this is the way of the world. Nothing lasts forever, only change occurs.

Inside Yanqing Palace, Lin Yuqiao remained undisturbed by the outside world and continued living her life as usual.

She lay on the couch, gently rubbing her baby, and was overjoyed to hear her son call her "Mother" for the first time.

Guai Guai speaks much faster than Meng Meng did back then, and she'll be able to call me "Mama" in a month before she turns one.

"Little darling, come on, shout it again!"

Although it wasn't the first time, Lin Yuqiao was still deeply moved to hear her son speak clearly. It wasn't just that this time her son called her "Mama" first, unlike Mengmeng who called her "Dad" first.

The fact that her son called her "Mom" brought her an even stronger sense of responsibility. Since she had brought him into this world, no matter how much effort and dedication it took, she would protect this little life and ensure his healthy growth.

"mother."

Because she was full and in a good mood, Guai Guai was happy to give her mother face and shouted at her loudly, so loudly that she spat out a few drops of saliva.

"My adorable little chubby boy, Mommy loves you so much!"

Holding the chubby baby in her arms, Lin Yuqiao pressed her face against his little belly, her maternal love overflowing. She teased the little boy, making him giggle uncontrollably, revealing his chubby little neck, which was rarely seen otherwise.

Although breastfed babies are often chubby when they are young, Guai Guai is much chubbier than Meng Meng was when she was a baby. He has been fed various meat porridges and steamed vegetable and potato puree as complementary foods. He can eat a small bowl at every meal, and even Liu Heng has to marvel at Guai Guai's good appetite.

In particular, on one occasion, Guagua was scolded by her good-natured brother for "disrespecting written words" because she tore Mengmeng's book. While she was throwing a tantrum and crying, her wet nurse brought over a bowl of fragrant fish porridge.

Liu Heng thought that Guai Guai would definitely ignore him, but to his surprise, the wet nurse didn't bring the bowl over for a long time. Guai Guai, who was crying, continued to wail and waved to the wet nurse. At first, the wet nurse didn't react, but Guai Guai, seeing that she hadn't brought the food, became even more anxious and started pounding the bed and crying loudly.

Seeing that Guai Guai was eating even while she was crying, Liu Heng jokingly teased Lin Yuqiao, "It's clear that Guai Guai is just like you."

Mengmeng listened from the side and nodded in agreement. That's right, her mother has several snacks every day, and she orders the dishes for dinner in the afternoon. She always says that she's getting fat, but she would rather carry her baby around the palace in the afternoon as exercise than eat a little less for dinner.

"Hmph, it would be better if you were like me."

When her husband and son teased her about being a foodie, Lin Yuqiao said she didn't care at all. In fact, she was quite glad that her daughter, Guai Guai, wasn't like Meng Meng and had taken after Liu Heng in every way.

Liu Heng was always diligent in his duties, and he had many thoughts every day. He was very thin, and his waist was almost as big as hers.

In addition, he never had any appetite and would never take a third bite of even the most delicious food. No matter how much effort Lin Yuqiao put into supplementing his diet, he never gained weight. If the imperial physician hadn't said there was nothing wrong with him, she would have started to worry about his health.

Mengmeng has never been fat since she was an infant. Her eating habits are a real worry for her; like Liu Heng, she seems to have little appetite for anything.

Although she eats anything and seems easy to feed, she eats very little. No matter how much you try to persuade her, she won't eat more than three snacks a day.

"It's okay, I was like that when I was a kid too."

Lin Yuqiao was worried that Mengmeng was too thin, but Liu Heng didn't think there was a problem. He comforted Lin Yuqiao, who was jumping around trying to find something Mengmeng liked to eat.

After his explanation, Lin Yuqiao finally understood that Mengmeng's inability to gain weight was simply due to his bad genes.

She's always liked plump, round people, especially chubby little kids—she's completely powerless against them. Having a skinny, wiry husband was already tough enough, but now she has a little stick-thin son to rely on, making things even more difficult.

"Mengmeng is still so young and frail. If she were to fight, she would fall over with just a push."

Besides being too thin and lacking firmness, Lin Yuqiao was also worried that Mengmeng would have a weak immune system and be prone to illness. And boys are naturally rough and tumble; if he continued to be this thin, he'd be too frail. Even if Mengmeng were a top student, she wouldn't be happy if that happened.

"How could that be? When she gets older, Mengmeng will have a teacher to teach her riding and archery in her classes."

Because starting too early would at least affect a child's leg development, Liu Heng would arrange for Mengmeng to learn horseback riding and archery when he was eight or nine years old. This was also a compulsory course for princes in the palace. He had practiced horseback riding and archery diligently back then, and when he accompanied the late emperor to the Qiu Di, he never lost to his other brothers.

"Oh, then I'm relieved."

So Mengmeng isn't just going to study academics, she'll also be getting some martial arts lessons! Lin Yuqiao felt instantly relieved after hearing Liu Heng's explanation.

Looking at Liu Heng's lean and flat stomach, Lin Yuqiao suddenly realized why this guy, despite being so thin, still had some muscle; he had clearly worked out.

"Sweetie, how about we have chicken porridge tonight?"

Although it was only afternoon, after playing for a while, Lin Yuqiao pulled Guai Guai and said.

Hearing about the dinner menu, Guai Guai's mouth watered, and she nodded vigorously, touching her round little belly with her little hands, looking incredibly cute.

Lin Yuqiao gently bit her son's little hand, wiped away his drool, and gave him a rag rabbit she had sewn herself to play with.

To pass the time, Lin Yuqiao has a new hobby: sewing dolls.

After getting tired of fancy clothes, gourmet food, and jewelry, she rediscovered the satisfaction that comes from labor.

Although her needlework was mediocre, she could draw. She had a bunch of cute doll designs that she could draw. Qingming and the others helped with the finer tasks like cutting, while she was in charge of piecing and sewing.

The toys she made most often were teddy bears—simple and classic. She even made two or three specifically for herself. However, her son didn't particularly like them, shattering her hopes of seeing him sleep with a teddy bear.

Lin Yu-Chiao even released a waist support, a monkey-shaped doll stuffed with soft cotton, with long arms for easy tying around the waist.

At first, Liu Heng found it very awkward to see her leaning against the couch with that strange contraption strapped to her. Later, Lin Yuqiao used all her charm and persuasion to try it on him, even resorting to coaxing and pleading to get him to try it too. Initially, he was just unable to resist her nagging, but once Liu Heng tried it, he found it to be quite useful.

After court sessions, he would usually spend his time in his study reviewing memorials, discussing matters with ministers, or annotating books. By the end of the day, his lower back would feel uncomfortable. A lumbar support could alleviate this fatigue.

In order for Liu Heng to use in the Imperial Study, Lin Yuqiao specially made him a square and understated lumbar support, pure black, with a bearskin on the outside. Because it was too thick for her to make herself, she specially asked the people in the Imperial Wardrobe to make it and send it over.

She lives a leisurely yet fulfilling life. Although she is already a mother of two, she still looks like she is eighteen years old, with a pair of pure and lively eyes.

Soon after, Guai Guai turned one year old, and just like Meng Meng did back then, she received a naked photo of herself drawn by Liu Heng.

At her daughter's first birthday party, Lin Yuqiao learned that her third brother, Lin Yufeng, was also returning to Beijing. For many years, Lin Yufeng had been stationed in various locations, but if he passed this evaluation, he would probably stay in Beijing.

"That's great, finally the family can be reunited."

Li said excitedly.

Lin Yuqiao was also very happy. Among her brothers, apart from the most outstanding Lin Yucheng, the others were all quite good, each holding important positions in their respective fields. Now, all of Li's children were successful and were the envy of many. She, a second wife, had raised a daughter who was a concubine, a son who was a Grand Secretary, and her other sons were all high-ranking officials. She was practically a legendary figure.

That night, Lin Yuqiao clung to Liu Heng's arm in the tent, inquiring about her brother's situation beforehand.

"Is my third brother definitely going to stay in Beijing this time? Can you give me a hint?"

"Yes, that's right."

Liu Heng stroked her long hair and didn't hide anything from her. He told her directly, and when he heard her cheer with a "Yay!", the corners of his mouth also curved up.

"Lady Chen Lianghou is a blessed woman; all of your brothers are employed."

At first, Liu Heng only paid attention to Lin Yucheng among Lin Yuqiao's brothers, but he gradually discovered that the others were also quite good. Not only did they never cause trouble during their time in office, but they also all achieved outstanding political achievements.

Lin Yufeng, in particular, did a lot of practical things during his years in Jizhou and had an excellent reputation in the area. It was even rumored that when he returned to Beijing, the local people presented him with a letter of 10,000 characters to express their gratitude.

This is exactly the kind of talent he needs. Originally, Liu Heng didn't intend for the Lin family to attract too much attention. Now that Lin Yucheng has become a Grand Secretary, various forces are already eyeing him covetously. If he promotes Lin Yufeng as well, the situation will become even more unbalanced.

However, Lin Yufeng had an outstanding political record, and Liu Heng wanted to replace the Taichang Temple Minister who was not very capable, as this position required a capable official like him.

What Liu Heng didn't expect was that the more the Lin family pleased him, the more trouble the other imperial relatives would cause.

Not long after Lin Yufeng was appointed Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, someone braved the pain of rolling on a bed of nails to file a complaint in Fengtian Prefecture. The target was none other than the Empress's younger brother, Wang Hejun.

The Empress had two brothers from the same mother: her eldest brother, Wang Heqing, who was the Empress's maternal uncle, and Wang Hejun, who, through the Empress's connections, served as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.