Chapter 212 A Series of Good Things

This winter is colder than last year. After two heavy snowfalls, the entire capital city was covered in white.

Shangguan Jin heard that the snow in the outskirts of Beijing was knee-deep.

In the residential areas north of the city, many houses collapsed under the weight of heavy snow due to years of neglect.

When the weather gets cold, life becomes a little harder for the beggars in the capital.

Empress Xu of the palace took the lead and instructed the ladies of each household to set up a place to distribute porridge near their respective residences.

The beggars in the capital finally had a slightly better life.

The Duke of Dingguo's mansion also set up a porridge distribution shed at the back gate.

It was Dongmai and Aunt Xin who were watching over it.

The beggars of the capital city love to come here.

"The porridge is thick and sticky. After drinking a big, hot bowl of it, my body feels warm."

"Yes, unlike some families where the porridge is so thin you can see your reflection in it."

"The key is that even though we're drinking here, they don't rush us to leave. Just like with Chun Bu Wan, they even give us bowls to use and let us finish eating while it's still hot before we leave."

......

Shangguan Jin didn't manage these matters; they were all handled by Dongmai and Aunt Xin.

She was only concerned about the charity hall in the suburbs of Beijing.

Knowing that everything was alright, the house hadn't collapsed, and the children had warm clothes and food for the winter, I felt relieved.

If the capital is like this, what about the even more bitterly cold north? What will it be like there?

I wonder if Shen Huaichen is all bundled up like a bear right now...

Despite the cold winter, the New Year's gifts from Marquis Changsheng were still delivered on time.

As always, the feast was lavish; it was Shen Zhong who sent back the food from the Shen family's side.

"Grandpa said he won't be back until spring this winter."

However, there should be good news before the Mid-Autumn Festival next year, so please keep an eye on your wife.

"Besides, these are little trinkets that Master asked me to bring back for Madam to play with."

Looking at the two boxes that Shen Zhong handed over, Shangguan Jin was speechless.

It feels like Shen Huaichen sent back marbles and other trinkets instead of pearls and gems...

"When...when are you going back to the North?" Shangguan Jin asked.

"The usual rule is to stay in the capital for three days and then leave."

"Master said we don't need to bring him anything," Shen Zhong said honestly.

Shangguan Jin also knew that she couldn't bring anything with her.

If something of unknown origin suddenly appears next to Shen Huaichen, wouldn't that be pushing him into a fire pit?

But it's not good to bring nothing at all...

"I won't bring it for him, but I'll bring some for you. Take some of the medicines from various pharmacies in the capital back with you."

Also bring some food that keeps well.

"Go and prepare the winter wheat."

Dongmai smiled and agreed.

When Shen Zhong finally left, he took a cartload of medicinal herbs with him...

From this winter until the beginning of spring, nothing particularly significant seems to have happened in Chongqing.

Not only is the border safe, but all parts of Chongqing are also enjoying favorable weather and abundant harvests.

Emperor Xiao Jing was very pleased. It was rare for Dayu to have such a pleasant start, and it seemed that the farmers would have a good harvest this year.

Shangguan Jin was also happy, as this was her third year here.

So far, things aren't too bad for her; she seems to have completely adapted to this life where someone serves her washing and grooming as soon as she gets up.

As April approached, the peach blossoms at Bao'en Temple were at their peak bloom, a piece of news spread.

The Queen Consort of Qin gave birth to the King of Qin's first son, and both mother and child were safe and sound.

Emperor Xiao Jing was very pleased and immediately ordered that a reward be bestowed upon the child, and also appointed him as the heir apparent to the Prince of Qin.

This reward infuriated Empress Dowager Zheng and Consort Zheng in the palace.

The Crown Prince of Qin was not born to a woman from the Zheng family...

However, the Princess of Qin kept a low profile and immediately began preparing to marry the Prince of Qin's concubine after completing her postpartum confinement.

In May, Zheng Mengli, the eldest granddaughter of the Duke of Anguo, entered the Prince of Qin's residence.

In July, Zheng Mengli became pregnant, and everyone in the Duke of Anguo's mansion breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as there are children, that's enough. Who knows what the current crown prince will be like in the future...

However, Princess Qin was not nervous at all. While managing household affairs, she personally took care of the crown prince.

Also in August of that year, the heavily pregnant Consort Die Zhao suddenly gave birth prematurely.

Although the birthing process was somewhat arduous, with Empress Xu's presence, the child was successfully delivered.

The eighth prince was born safely, and both mother and child were safe.

This delighted Emperor Xiao Jing.

No new life had been born in the palace for a long time, and Emperor Xiao Jing became a father again.

However, what was even more surprising was that as soon as the Eighth Prince was born, Emperor Xiao Jing promoted Consort Die Zhaoyi's rank by one place.

She is no longer Consort Die, but Consort Die!

In addition, the Zheng family was also rewarded handsomely.

However, they were mostly gold, silver and jewelry.

Zheng Mengdie entered the palace and within just one year rose from a noble concubine to become the emperor's consort.

Let alone other families, even the Zheng family members have started to have doubts.

Could it be that Zheng Mengdie was particularly suited to survive in the palace?

It took Consort Zheng three whole years to be promoted from Consort De to Consort.

She was only promoted to Imperial Concubine after the birth of the King of Qin.

This made countless people, both inside and outside the palace, extremely envious.

There were all sorts of opinions.

Some say that the girls in the Zheng family know some seductive tricks.

Some say that Zheng Mengdie's success was due to the Empress Dowager's arrangements.

Furthermore, it's possible that Zheng Mengdie's entry into the palace was actually arranged by the Zheng family themselves, all for the purpose of vying for the emperor's favor.

After all, Emperor Xiao Jing hadn't entered Consort Gui's palace for many years...

......

Shangguan Jin was merely showing these things to the people in the manor.

It was lively, but it had nothing to do with the Shen family.

However, Shangguan Jin still comforted the Seventh Prince, worried that he might be disappointed because Emperor Xiao Jing liked the Eighth Prince.

"Your father..."

"Aunt, you don't need to try to persuade me, I'm fine."

The birth of my eighth child is a wonderful thing! My father won't be watching me all the time anymore.

I even went to see Xiao Ba with my father yesterday!

"So small, sleeping with its eyes closed, waking up to eat, and then sleeping again." The Seventh Prince gestured with a smile.

Shangguan Jin looked intently at the Seventh Prince, then asked with a smile, "Did your father take you there?"

"Yes, Father also held Little Eight and said that Little Eight was even smaller than I was at that age. When I was little, I would open my eyes and look at him as soon as he held me."

I told you, my little brother is still small, he needs to eat more so he has the strength to open his eyes.

"Aunt, was I this small when I was little?" the Seventh Prince asked.

Shangguan Jin nodded.

"You grew up to be this small too, but you were very obedient back then."

When your mother holds you, when I hold you, when your maternal grandmother holds you, you don't fuss, at most you just make a little whimpering sound.

Your wet nurses all say you're the easiest to take care of, you don't cause any trouble, and you're very easy to look after.

The seventh prince smiled and then fell silent.

Shangguan Jin could tell that although the Seventh Prince said he didn't mind, he was definitely still a little upset inside.

"Your Highness..."

"Aunt, I know that affection is the most elusive thing."

My father used to spoil me a lot.

"I'm a grown-up now, I shouldn't care about these things anymore," the Seventh Prince suddenly said.

Shangguan Jin sighed, just about to say a few words of comfort.

The Seventh Prince suddenly leaned his head against Shangguan Jin's shoulder.

"Aunt, I miss Mother Consort."

Hearing the Seventh Prince's nasal voice, Shangguan Jin almost burst into tears.

"Good child! Your mother is watching over you from heaven!"

"Yes, my mother must be watching over me from heaven, otherwise my aunt wouldn't have taken such good care of me," the Seventh Prince said, his voice choked with emotion.

Shangguan Jin didn't say anything more, but gently patted the Seventh Prince's back.