Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Promotion
Seeing her straightforward response, Li Cheng assumed she was convinced. He then took the tranquilizing soup and fed it to her.
After everything was tidied, he lowered the curtains and lay down beside her again, his arms carefully avoiding touching her lower abdomen.
Seeing his frightened look, Liang Hanzhang couldn't help laughing and grabbed his hand: "Your Highness, there is no need to be so careful. I am not as weak as you think."
The prince looked embarrassed, and still didn't dare to put his hands on it completely. He said:
"I heard that frequent touching is bad for the fetus." Although he had been busy all day, he had asked Li Fut to look up some books about pregnancy, as he remembered some descriptions of this.
After lying there for a while, he opened his eyes again: "I'm afraid you encountered an evil spirit in the nightmare. When I'm free tomorrow, I will go to Huangjue Temple to get a peace amulet for you and your child, to protect you and your child's safety."
In fact, he had been preparing for his trip to Jiangnan these past few days and didn't have much free time. If he handed this matter over to his servants, he was afraid that their sincerity would be lacking.
He is not a Buddhist, but he still feels a little uncomfortable if the matter is related to her and the baby in her belly.
Huangjue Temple is a royal temple with many eminent monks. It is said that there is a monk named Liaowu in it who has boundless magical powers. Every year, a large number of pilgrims come here to visit.
Li Cheng had doubts about Master Liaowu's so-called boundless magical powers, but since he was admired by so many people, he must be no ordinary person.
It wouldn't hurt to go and have a look.
Liang Hanzhang looked at him in the dark, smelling the refreshing scent of soapberries on the man's body, and her nose felt inexplicably sour.
In her impression, this man has always been gentle and considerate. To this day, she has never heard him say a harsh word to her.
If he had treated her a little worse, scolded her a little more, Liang Hanzhang wouldn't have felt so bad. But he was so good to her.
She also sensed the man's joy at the birth of the child. He was the crown prince, second only to the emperor, and if all went well, he would be the heir apparent. He had been longing for a child.
Unfortunately, he placed his hopes on her, and this pitiful wish in life was likely to be in vain. Because, ever since Liang Hanzhang heard about the pregnancy, he had been thinking about aborting the baby.
She forced herself to suppress the bitterness in her eyes, and unconsciously moved her head closer to him, closed her eyes and fell asleep again.
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Before dawn the next day, Li Cheng opened his eyes from the dark bed. He first lay on the bed and thought about the important matters of the day, then glanced at the person who was sleeping soundly next to him, got up quietly, put on his coat and went out.
Li Fu had been waiting outside the door. Li Rong glanced at the hourglass on the Duobao Pavilion, ordered the palace maids to bring in hot water and other things, and raised his hand to ask Li Fu to help her get dressed.
After the prince's ochre-yellow dragon robe, the gold-threaded Liuhe boots, and the twelve-beam crown on his head were all put on, Li Cheng glanced at the bed before leaving and instructed the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice who were guarding beside him: "Watch carefully. If the queen has not woken up at noon, go and call her. Don't let her sleep in and miss breakfast."
The two had originally been assigned to the outer courtyard to do some housekeeping work, but Fengyi had mentioned to him last night that he was used to being served by these maids and wanted to keep them by his side.
Li Cheng was still thinking about selecting some capable maids to be placed in her courtyard. She was pregnant now, and having only two maids around her was not enough. Besides, the maids were old and might be too tired to keep watch at night. This was not a long-term solution.
Since she had proposed it, the prince simply agreed. He thought to himself that she was worried about her pregnancy, so he'd go along with these little things if possible. Once he finished preparing for the next few days, he'd personally select a few capable people to put by her side.
In short, it can't be something like the vernal equinox or the summer solstice.
When putting on the clothes, Li Fu habitually hung the exquisite jade pendant around his waist. Li Cheng looked down and saw it, pondered for a moment, and waved his hand and said, "Don't wear this."
Li Fu was half squatting, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but look up at him in surprise.
The prince looked away and said in a faint voice: "I will not wear this jade pendant in the future. Just find a box to put it in."
Last night, Liang Hanzhang had been groping him, trying to find the jade pendant he always wore around his waist. He had already taken off his coat, so the pendant was naturally not on him.
However, this action did remind him that since he already had someone in his heart, it would be unreasonable for him to continue wearing the jade pendant.
At first, he wore the jade pendant just to remind himself of the humiliation he had suffered in the past, and to remind himself to look for the innocent little girl who had helped him many times.
He had the Azure Dragon Guards investigate for so many years, sending wave after wave of people. To this day, he still hadn't heard a single word about her.
Is she still alive? Does she know that the young man she had no intention of helping back then is now the crown prince of a country? From now on, no one can bully him at will.
However, when he reached a high place, he experienced what people say, "It's lonely at the top." What he missed most was the scene when the little girl secretly climbed up and took out the osmanthus cake from her arms and handed it to him.
The still steaming sweet osmanthus cake was greasy and sweet, but it was a treasure he would never forget in his life.
He knew that she was just a little maid who was sold to the Changsun Mansion, where she was lucky enough to meet kind-hearted mothers who loved and protected her.
But what about T? She was sold again, and where did she end up? Would she ever be able to eat a full meal again? Would she still be able to live healthily in this world?
Li Cheng looked at the jade pendant in his hand, his narrow eyes showing no emotion. After a moment, he handed the jade pendant to Li Fu and walked out.
Li Fu also stared at the jade pendant in his hand. He knew very well what this jade pendant meant to his master. The little girl back then was not only his prince's savior, but also his prince's obsession that he could not shake off.
He persistently sent people to search for her from north to south and beyond the Yellow River, but there was no trace of the little girl at all.
The reason why His Highness often hangs the jade pendant around his waist is to remind himself not to forget the kindness he received that day, and at the same time to urge himself to find the whereabouts of the little girl.
But now His Highness says he doesn't want to wear it anymore. Is he planning to give up after searching for it for so many years without success?
Li Cheng jumped onto the horse, clamped his legs tightly around the horse's belly, and flicked the whip. The brown horse then galloped towards the imperial city in the morning light.
From a distance, one could only vaguely see two horses, one in front and one behind, followed by a group of imperial guards also on horseback. On the horse in front sat a tall man, wearing a noble ochre-yellow robe, and looking radiant.
Perhaps it was because of the pregnancy or the tranquilizing soup she had taken yesterday, but Liang Hanzhang had no dreams that night and slept soundly until dawn.
She turned over and opened her eyes. The light inside the curtains was still dim and not bright enough. The person on the bed beside her was no longer there. It was cold and icy. She must have passed away long ago.
She smelled his fresh scent still lingering on the quilt, and sat on the bed in a daze, thinking about things.
Matrons Sun and Liu heard the commotion inside and hurried over to ask, "Madam, are you ready to get up?"
Liang Hanzhang yawned softly, opened his misty eyes, lifted a corner of the curtain, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What time is it now?"
Nanny Sun replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, it is just past the hour of Chen. If you feel sleepy, you can sleep a little longer. His Highness specifically instructed this before he left."
Liang Hanzhang shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She replied, "No, I'd better get up."
After breakfast, she had to follow the doctor's instructions and walk in the back garden for a quarter of an hour. Seeing that it was getting late and there were more important things to do today, she was too lazy to continue sleeping.
The maids helped her get up, dress, and wash. In normal times, she would never have imagined that she could live a life of luxury, command so many servants, and wear gold and silver every day.
She was once a humble member of Fengle Tower, yet now she has the maids of the Eastern Palace serving her. No wonder wealth and splendor are so captivating, and why ordinary people pursue great wealth and splendor.
She looked at the patterns on the clothes and thought to herself that she still missed the days when she wore coarse linen clothes. Although she was under the tyranny of Yan Guang and others, those days were at least stable and hopeful.
Unlike now, I can only enjoy everything that does not belong to me as a fraud, and deceive that man who is as upright as jade and as bright as the moon.
Over the years, she had become indifferent to the sufferings of the world and thought she had developed a heart of stone. However, she never expected that seeing such a person tainted by her and dragged down from the altar, her heart would still inevitably ache.
She admitted that she regretted her decision to come to the East Palace.
But what's the point of regretting it? Yan Guang threatened her brother's life. Even if she had to do it over again, she would still do it. Who made her and her brother be controlled by others?
Liang Hanzhang breathed a long sigh of relief, a rare glimmer of hope rising in her heart. If she and her brother were free someday, she would definitely find a place where no one knew her, where she could raise her own family, run her own shop, and live an ordinary life.
This is good. At least I am living an upright life, not just living in a false shell.
After getting dressed and having breakfast, I saw Chunfen running towards me with a beaming look on her face, and I was so anxious that I almost tripped over the potted plants at the door.
Second Madam Sun Liu had always disliked her and scolded her, "You're so impulsive! How can you behave like that? Your Majesty is pregnant with the heir of the dragon. What if she gets scared?"
Liang Hanzhang stopped scolding and turned to ask Chunfen: "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Your Majesty, someone is coming from the palace! The eunuch Yang, who is beside the emperor, is waiting in the front hall!" Chunfen ignored the maids' scolding and walked over quickly to talk about the happy news.
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the people present changed. Unlike their joyful faces, Liang Hanzhang was puzzled. "Eunuch Yang, why is he here? Is it because of the emperor's instructions, or...something else?"
She clutched the corner of her clothes with her fingers, and a look of panic flashed across her eyes.
"Your Majesty, this must be a great joyous event, otherwise His Majesty would not have sent the eunuch Yang, whom he has always relied on, in person!" Madam Liu explained with a smile.
Liang Hanzhang suppressed his panic and asked in a trembling voice, "Madam, do you know what the happy event is?"
Madam Liu clasped her hands together in a gesture of "Amitabha Buddha," not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Oh, Madam, how could this old servant know? Madam, please go out and greet them quickly. Then you will know what the imperial edict is!"
That being said, the two maids had served the Emperor and Empress for many years, and had spent so much time in the Eastern Palace, so they could probably guess the contents of the imperial edict. It was most likely an edict to promote the Empress.
Liang Hanzhang listened and pondered for a moment. Judging from the two maids' reactions, it was probably a happy event. So, she felt relieved.
The group walked to the front hall, where Eunuch Yang, dressed in a cyan eunuch robe, was already waiting. He held the bright yellow imperial edict in both hands and greeted with a smile, "Empress Fengyi."
Liang Hanzhang knelt down to listen to the imperial edict, supported by the maid, but was quickly stopped by Eunuch Yang. He said, "The emperor is sympathetic and knows that your majesty is pregnant with the heir, which is inconvenient. He has specially issued an imperial decree allowing your majesty to listen to the imperial edict without kneeling."
Liang Hanzhang bowed and saluted on the side, "Mother Zhang, please listen attentively to the imperial edict."
Eunuch Yang's shrill voice echoed from the main hall: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: I, with the blessing of the Crown Prince, place the greatest importance on the succession of his descendants. The Crown Prince is respectful and gracious, with a gentle and kind disposition. Today, he has dreamed of a bear and a unicorn, and is carrying the auspicious sign of a unicorn. This is truly a blessing from Heaven and a blessing for the nation."
"In accord with the virtues of our ancestors and in compliance with public opinion, I hereby promote you to the rank of Fourth Rank Liangyuan. I bestow upon you the Golden Book and Jade Seal, and increase your rank and salary. You must further cultivate your virtues as a wife and prolong the imperial line. This announcement shall be made known to all, both at home and abroad. I decree this!"
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, everyone in the hall, except for Eunuch Yang, changed their expressions. Liang Hanzhang had heard the Crown Prince mention that he would give her a promotion. But she had never expected that she would actually be promoted to the rank of Fourth Rank Lady!
She was of such a low status, yet she was given such a high position. At this moment, Liang Hanzhang was horrified and could not express it in words.
The two maids were genuinely surprised when they heard the imperial edict. They had thought it would be a seventh-rank Zhaoxun, or at most a fifth-rank Chenghui. They hadn't expected it to be a fourth-rank Liangyuan! They had thought the title His Highness had given yesterday was just talk, but it turned out to be real!
Many young ladies from aristocratic families entered the Eastern Palace, but they might not be able to obtain this position. Unexpectedly, Feng Yi, who was of low status, got it easily.
It can be seen that both His Highness and the royal family attach great importance to the baby in the queen's belly.
The Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice were so frightened that their hands and feet were shaking, and they were so surprised and happy that they wanted to tell everyone. Thinking back to what they had done before, they wanted to slap themselves twice.
The Queen is more than just favored, she is practically the apple of His Highness's eye! If His Highness changes his mind in the future, the Queen can rely on the fact that she gave birth to His Highness's first child, and her status and position will remain unchanged.
Yet, even such a blessed queen didn't care about their repeated offenses. The two secretly resolved to be loyal to their master and never have second thoughts.
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