...
The concubines left the Cining Palace.
Shen Wei was drinking tea when Le You and Li Chengyou ran over from the backyard and both threw themselves into Shen Wei's arms.
Le You said in a soft voice: "Mother, Le You wants to sleep with you tonight."
Li Chengyou immediately retorted: "Father must be sleeping at Mother's place. If Father is not here, we can sneak over there."
Leyou pouted: "Okay then..."
She took her chubby little legs and ran to the Queen Mother, sitting in her arms. Le You hugged her arm and said, "Mother has Father to accompany her, so Le You will accompany Grandmother and make her happy every day."
The wrinkles at the corners of the Queen Mother's eyes were all widened with smile.
Shen Wei hugged her youngest son and asked curiously, "Where's Chengtai?"
Li Chengyou answered obediently: "Brother is reading. There are many books in the study of the Royal Grandmother. Brother wishes he could live in the study."
Shen Wei was a little worried. Her eldest son was working too hard and was engaging in involution at such a young age.
"Mother, you have to send someone to supervise at all times. The child is still young. Don't damage his eyes by reading." Shen Wei reminded the queen mother.
The Queen Mother smiled and nodded, saying in a friendly manner, "I have asked two maids to supervise him, and he is only allowed to read for one hour a day. The small kitchen has cooked fruits and soup that can improve eyesight, and Chengtai is allowed to drink them every day."
The empress dowager was very pleased that her grandson loved reading so much at such a young age without the need for supervision or encouragement from outsiders.
Shen Wei thought for a moment: "Mother, Chengtai is still young and cannot enter the Imperial College and Anguo Temple for the time being. Since he loves reading, why not hire a learned teacher to give him lessons every day."
The Queen Mother also had this idea.
Who can be chosen as Chengtai’s teacher?
Shen Wei had already thought about it. She told the Queen Mother: "Mr. Yang Xuanji is knowledgeable, upright, and has many students all over the world. He is also the teacher of my younger brother. Mother, do you think it is appropriate to invite him?"
The Queen Mother glanced at Chen Wei dimly: "You think far ahead. When did you set your sights on Yang Xuanji?"
Shen Wei smiled awkwardly and confessed the truth: "To be honest, mother. When Chengtai and Chengyou were just born, I planned to ask Yang Xuanji to be the children's teacher."
The Queen Mother's eyes showed admiration. Parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run.
But Shen Wei was too smart. As soon as the child was born, she had already decided on the teacher to be hired in the future.
The Queen Mother thought for a moment and said, "Yang Xuanji has a strange temper. I will issue an imperial decree in a few days to let him teach Chengtai. If the teaching does not go well, I will choose another teacher."
The atmosphere in the Cining Palace was peaceful, and Shen Wei and the Queen Mother got along well and were relaxed.
The Queen Mother looked at Shen Wei who was leisurely sipping tea, and asked again: "Do you feel wronged to be only given the title of Consort?"
With Shen Wei's status, it is not a bad idea to make her a noble concubine.
Chen Wei put down the teacup and looked at it in a positive way: "It is easy to fall hard when you climb high. As long as the emperor has me in his heart, the status and position are just passing clouds."
There is a long way to go, so there is no need to rush.
Besides, Shen Wei was still afraid of the emperor and did not dare to be too aggressive. The emperor favors her now only because he cares about the old relationship in the palace. There is still a long life ahead, and crises are everywhere. Shen Wei must not let her guard down.
The Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction. Shen Wei was neither impatient nor irritable. She considered everything carefully and always had a long-term vision. This quality was really rare.
If it weren’t for the queen’s great family background, the queen mother would have wanted to help Shen Wei take the position of queen.
After staying in the Cining Palace for a while, Shen Wei reluctantly said goodbye. Before leaving, the Queen Mother asked Madam Qian to go to the kitchen and get a large fresh pumpkin for Shen Wei.
"Pumpkin?" Shen Wei was stunned, thinking she had seen it wrong.
The Queen Mother said, "This is a golden pumpkin tributed by the Kingdom of Donglin. It was sent to the Kingdom of Qing with its vines and soil. Take it back to the palace and have the chef steam it and pour honey on it. It will taste very good."
Shen Wei silently took the big pumpkin.
Sometimes, Shen Wei really felt that the Queen Mother was raising her like a half-daughter.
This is also what Shen Wei deserves. During the three years in Donghua Mountain, she and the Queen Mother lived together day and night. She treated the Queen Mother sincerely, and in return, she was treated sincerely by the Queen Mother.
...
Shen Wei took the big pumpkin and left the Cining Palace in a low-key manner. Lanpin Xie Fanglan walked out from behind the stone lions, staring at Chen Wei and her group with her beautiful eyes.
"It seems that the rumors are false. The Empress Dowager Aunt doesn't necessarily treat Concubine Chen very well." Xie Fanglan gloated.
The maid was puzzled and asked, "Why did the master say that?"
Xie Fanglan mocked: "Giving a pumpkin as a reward is ridiculous."
If the Queen Mother really valued Concubine Chen, she would have rewarded her with gold, silver and jewelry instead of giving her a worthless pumpkin.
Xie Fanglan adjusted her expensive dress and walked into the Cining Palace with a proud look on her face. She is the niece of the empress dowager and they are of the same clan. The empress dowager will definitely make the decision for her and help her return to the position of concubine.
Walking into the front yard of the Cining Palace, the nanny asked Xie Fanglan to stop and she went in to report. Xie Fanglan was waiting boredly in the yard, thinking about how to complain to the Queen Mother. At this time, a soft voice came from the east of the yard.
"Brother, put down the red date cake. You can't eat it anymore." Le You chased after his brother breathlessly.
Li Chengyou ran faster than a rabbit with red date cake in his hand.
Leyou stretched out his chubby little legs to chase after him.
Without paying attention, he bumped into Xie Fanglan in the yard. Le You covered his forehead dizzily and apologized obediently: "My lady, it was all my carelessness—"
In order to meet the Queen Mother today, Xie Fanglan specially wore an expensive thin silk embroidered shirt with a wine red skirt with water patterns underneath. Leyou accidentally bumped into him and his big-sleeved shirt was almost torn.
Xie Fanglan pushed Le You in anger and said, "How uneducated you are! You ruined my clothes."
Leyou was only four years old and very small. He was caught off guard by Xie Fanglan's push and fell to the ground with a thud.
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