Chapter 694 Consort Song's Thoughts

The more Xie Shang sweet-talked her, the more suspicious Jiang Fenghua became. She relaxed her mind and wondered if Xie Shang wanted to gain some benefit from her.

It seems that he benefits her more. After all, he is the emperor. No matter what secrets Xie Shang is hiding, what difference does it make if she finds out? She doesn't suffer any of the eight sufferings of life and still eats, drinks, and has fun.

Just then, the eldest princess and the eldest prince started arguing outside the door: "Mother, Father, get up, it's dawn."

Granny Wang quickly came over to stop her, "Young Master, don't disturb the Emperor and Empress's rest. It's rare for the Emperor to have a day off."

"The sun is already high in the sky, and the day's work begins in the morning. Father and Mother shouldn't oversleep." Xie Ziyan slept very well last night and was full of energy, showing no signs of catching a cold.

Upon hearing the noise, Jiang Fenghua quickly got out of bed and then smelled the strong smell of alcohol on her clothes, as did Xie Shang's. She said, "We can't appear in front of the children like this."

"I have ordered the water to be drawn for bathing and changing. I want to take a bath with Ruan Ruan."

Jiang Fenghua quickly said, "No, you wash it yourself, I'll wash it myself." Xie Shang was a wolf in sheep's clothing; she couldn't afford to offend him, so she could only avoid him.

After saying that, she went out first and saw Xie Ziyan and Xie Hongyou with Xie Hongyuan waiting outside. As soon as they saw her come out, they pretended to be pitiful: "Why is Mother only getting up now? We have already had breakfast."

Her face was full of smiles as she kissed each of their little faces. "Yan'er, You'er, Yuan'er, you are the best of the best."

Xie Ziyan said, "Yue'er is up too. Her wet nurse is feeding her. Every time Father Emperor comes, Mother Emperor stays in bed."

Xie Hongyou asked, "Is Father Emperor bullying Mother Emperor again?"

Jiang Fenghua was full of questions. When had Xie Shang ever bullied her? Had they misunderstood something?

She quickly said, "From now on, Mother will not stay in bed late anymore, and will get up early to exercise with you."

"Does Mother know how to box?" Xie Ziyan asked.

Jiang Fenghua then demonstrated a couple of moves, which drew admiration from them. "Wow, Mother, you are even more heroic than Xiaoxue'er. Yan'er wants to learn too."

“You can learn slowly when you grow up, there’s no rush. Just have fun now,” Jiang Fenghua said.

Xie Shang emerged from the bedchamber, his eyes filled with majesty. "When your father was your age, he had already begun learning the basics. If Yan'er wants to learn, your father will teach you."

Xie Shang wanted to pick up Xie Ziyan.

"Father, you stink!" Xie Ziyan said bluntly.

Xie Shang glanced at Jiang Fenghua, who hadn't changed her clothes or taken a bath either. "Your mother and father smell the same, so why doesn't she stink?"

"The Empress Dowager smells good, but the Emperor smells bad," Xie Hongyou said.

Xie Ziyan nodded vigorously, "Mother always smells good."

After breakfast, Xie Shang gathered several young soldiers in the courtyard to practice their basic skills. Consort Song and Gao Qingtong also arrived with the Second Prince and the Second Princess.

The two women, with their child in tow, bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects."

The second prince and the second princess followed suit, saying in soft, sweet voices, "Greetings, Father Emperor."

Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "No need for formalities!"

Xie Ziyan waved to them warmly when she saw them arrive, "Rui Rui, Huan Huan, come practice martial arts together."

The two were still a little scared when they saw the emperor, so Song Qing quickly gave the second prince a push, "Second Prince, go ahead! Your father is teaching you martial arts." She couldn't wait for her son to have more contact with the emperor.

Xie Hongrui, however, dared not, and immediately hid behind his mother. No one knew what was wrong with him, as he usually liked to play with them.

Xie Shang frowned slightly after hearing this. "The child is too young. He can just stand aside and play. There's no rush to train him. When he turns three, we can have a martial arts master slowly teach him the basics."

Song Jing was slightly taken aback, then quickly replied, "Yes."

These words sounded to Song Qing as if the Emperor didn't want to teach her son. In fact, Xie Shang was also thinking about the child. The child was too young and his bones hadn't fully developed yet. Practicing too early would be harmful to his health.

She didn't understand, and naturally felt some resentment. Why could the Empress's child be allowed to have a child, but her child couldn't? The Second Prince was also the Emperor's child.

Gao Qingtong felt embarrassed and quickly said, "Your Majesty, I will take the Second Princess to pay her respects to the Empress." She knew that Song Qing did not want to go, because with the Emperor present, she would not miss any opportunity to let the Second Prince see the Emperor.

Gao Qingtong didn't want her daughter to practice martial arts. She thought it was enough for a girl to learn to be gentle, generous, and proper. Why suffer like that? She only hoped that the second princess would live a peaceful life and marry someone who truly cared for her. She didn't ask for high-ranking officials or powerful figures, but only someone who would be good to her daughter. So learning those things was useless.

The best thing is for her daughter to be able to read, write, know manners, and understand reason. She only hoped that her daughter would be ordinary, not outstanding. An outstanding woman is not necessarily happy.

Gao Qingtong led the Second Princess away. The Second Princess glanced at Princess Yan with envy in her eyes. She also wanted to go and play, but she was afraid that her mother would be unhappy.

Jiang Fenghua had just bathed and changed when Gao Qingtong brought the second princess in. She smiled and said, "Little Yanhuan is here."

"Huanhuan greets the Empress Dowager."

Jiang Fenghua helped her up, "Mother has some sweet cakes here, Huanhuan, would you like some?"

Xie Yanhuan glanced at Gao Qingtong again, and only after receiving a nod did she say, "I want to eat."

Jiang Fenghua had Hongxiu bring some sweet cakes to the Second Princess and then asked her to take the Second Princess to play before saying, "Consort Gao, don't be so strict with the Second Princess. Children are naturally playful, and playing will make them happy."

Gao Qingtong smiled and said, "The Second Princess has been shy since she was a child. She usually plays with the First Princess. Just now, I saw His Majesty teaching the First Princess martial arts in the courtyard, so I didn't dare let the Second Princess disturb her."

Seeing that she was not vying for anything, Jiang Fenghua said, "Let the Second Princess get closer to the Emperor. The Emperor is also the Second Princess's father."

Gao Qingtong added, "His Majesty said that children under three years old should not practice martial arts, otherwise it will damage their bones. I also do not want the Second Princess to practice martial arts. It is enough for her to learn more characters. Learning needlework is also mentally taxing."

Lianye brought in fruits and snacks. "That's true. If a child practices martial arts too young, his bones will become deformed, which is not good for his growth. But Consort Song doesn't think so. She's practicing with the Second Prince on the side. It seems that Consort Song is teaching him even more seriously than the Emperor. The Second Prince is already stronger than others, and he's exhausted. It breaks my heart to see him like this."

Gao Qingtong glanced at Jiang Fenghua and said indifferently, "Consort Song has high expectations for the Second Prince. I heard that the Second Prince has to recite his lessons every night before he can go to sleep."

Jiang Fenghua frowned. "She's trying to force the child to grow too fast. Can the child withstand her torment? Don't exhaust the child."

“As long as she doesn’t feel tired, she assumes the child won’t be tired either.” Gao Qingtong sighed. “Actually, it’s not surprising that she would act this way.”

Jiang Fenghua asked, puzzled, "Why do you say that?"