Chapter 89 Chapter 89 What's the difference between wearing this and not wearing it? ...
It was the end of July, and the reunion day had not yet arrived, but the Zhao family held a family banquet after a long absence. In addition to the eldest wife and Feng, people from the Yongning Marquis's Mansion also came.
Zhao Huaishu took Xiao Wenyin by the hand and entered the mansion first. When the old lady saw them, her crying face was filled with smile again. Although she had lived with her sons in recent years, she always looked forward to her daughter visiting her. In terms of thoughtfulness and consideration, her son was never as good as her daughter.
Even her granddaughter smiled and held her arm affectionately, "Grandma, Wen Yin misses you so much."
"Grandma misses you, too." The old lady was amused by her cheerful and lively tone and caressed her furry little head lovingly. "It's been a while since we last met. Wenyin looks quite taller. In two years, she'll be a grown-up girl."
Zhao Huaishu and her daughter came specially to accompany the old lady. The mother and daughter supported the old lady on the left and right to help her take her seat.
As soon as the old lady sat down, she asked, "By the way, why aren't Han Yu and Wen Yi here?"
Feng also stretched her neck to look towards the door, missing her married daughter especially.
After a while, two beautiful figures appeared under the expectant gaze of everyone. It was Xiao Hanyu who personally supported Zhao Wenyi over. His cold face was a little nervous, which was very rare.
"This..." Old Madam Zhao raised her eyebrows and glanced at Zhao Huaishu.
Zhao Huaishu pursed his lips to suppress his laughter, and gestured for her to look at Zhao Wenyi's belly.
The old lady suddenly realized, "Is Wen Yi... pregnant?" After receiving a positive answer, she hurriedly asked when it happened.
"I was diagnosed with pregnancy last month, but it's still early. I wanted to wait until the pregnancy was stable before returning to the Zhao family to announce the good news."
The atmosphere in the Zhao family suddenly became lively. Feng took two steps forward, opened her mouth several times to speak but stopped herself, and finally burst into tears.
She had been separated from her husband for many years. Although Feng became much closer to Meng after the separation, she was still thinking about the married Zhao Wenyi. Unfortunately, Wenyi had just been married and it was not easy for her to come back to visit often. She was also afraid that frequent visits to the Marquis' Mansion would cause inconvenience to her, so she endured it. Unexpectedly, after not seeing her for a while, Wenyi became pregnant.
Seeing Xiao Hanyu supporting his wife with a nervous look, Feng burst into laughter.
Now she was completely relieved because her daughter Wen Yi had married a good husband.
The whole family gathered around, talking about Zhao Wenyi's stomach, and bursts of joking laughter could be heard from time to time.
Zhao Qingyi was secretly amazed. It was less than three months since the two got married, and the good news came so soon.
She thought of Zhang Wanyan again. She had been very busy these days since she came back and hadn't visited the Qiao family yet. She wondered if Wanyan was pregnant too?
Previously, Zhao Qingyi was very sensitive about being pregnant, but when she saw her cousin and Xiao Hanyu standing together, both with sweet smiles on their faces, she felt inexplicably lost.
Ever since Chu Yuanhe knew she had taken the contraceptive soup, the two of them had been very careful during sex, fearing that one mistake might happen...
Now, Zhao Qingyi actually envied her second cousin secretly. She had never been able to have a child of her own in her two lifetimes.
She subconsciously touched her flat belly, unable to imagine what she would look like if she were pregnant with Chu Yuanhe's child.
Her actions were very secretive and did not attract the attention of others.
Zhao Huaiyi and Meng Shi didn't notice it either. They only had warm and relieved smiles on their faces. The Zhao family hadn't had such a harmonious atmosphere for many years.
Meng immediately asked Aunt Huajin to go to the storehouse to get a pair of jade ruyi to bring some joy to Zhao Wenyi.
Even Zhao Lanyan, who wasn't particularly close to Zhao Wenyi, came over. However, he was too embarrassed to ask his second sister, so he tugged at Xiao Hanyu and asked curiously, "Second brother-in-law, what does it mean to be pregnant?"
Xiao Hanyu was confused by his question, and scratched the back of his head with a red face. How... should I say this?
If you are pregnant, you are pregnant. What else can it mean?
Several elders were amused and giggled. Xiao Wenyin jumped out and stuck out her tongue at Zhao Lanyan, "Big cousin, you're so silly. 'Pregnant' means you'll have a nephew soon. And I also have a nephew... oh no, a nephew?"
Xiao Wenyin bent her little finger, looked at her cousin Zhao Wenyi, and then looked at her brother Xiao Hanyu. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether their child was her nephew or her niece, which caused another burst of good-natured laughter.
But Zhao Lanyan understood what he meant.
He also stood aside and counted on his fingers, "I have Jiao'er, the eldest nephew, and the one in my second sister's belly is my second nephew, and the third nephew..."
As she was counting, Zhao Lanyan suddenly ran over to Zhao Qingyi, her eyes sparkling, "Sister, how about you give me a third nephew? A niece would be fine too."
Zhao Qingyi was having dinner and almost choked when he heard this.
The group of people who had just surrounded Zhao Wenyi and asked about her well-being had just sat down. When they heard these words, they immediately became energetic and cast teasing glances at Zhao Qingyi.
It was Feng who smoothed things over, "Hey, kid...your sister isn't married yet."
The imperial decree to establish the empress must be approved by the cabinet and then announced to the public, which takes several days. After that, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory will calculate an auspicious date, and the woman's family will also have to prepare a dowry...
After going through so many complicated procedures, it would take at least half a year for the two to get married. During this period, for the sake of the woman's reputation, it would be inappropriate to have a child.
Although the family members have long known about their relationship, on the surface, they pretend to be stupid. However, Zhao Lanyan is still a child who has not grown up and speaks his mind.
Following his wife's signal, Xiao Hanyu quickly pulled his brother-in-law somewhere else to discuss the martial arts exam. Zhao Lanyan passed the exam this year, and in three years, when he turns sixteen, he will be able to take part in the exam.
The two of them had a lot in common when it came to martial arts, and soon they were chatting animatedly in a corner of the family dinner.
The elders present secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Qingyi coughed lightly and changed the subject, "Just now we were talking about Jiao'er, and now I remember that Yuxiu should have given birth, right?"
Meng quickly took over the conversation and said that Yuxiu had given birth to a daughter some time ago. The Zhao family sent someone to take care of her for Li Jiao's sake and also sent a gift when the baby was one month old.
Zhao Qingyi nodded after hearing this. This was good. With a son and a daughter by her side, her life would be complete.
The family was having a great time together, and they didn't adhere to any rules about not talking while eating or sleeping. They just wanted to feel comfortable. The family talked about many personal matters, and the old lady occasionally asked about what happened between the father and daughter in Zhejiang.
I thought this family dinner was over, but then the old lady seemed to remember something and asked, "I heard that envoys from the Western Regions will be arriving in Beijing today, and a princess is also coming with them."
Since the matter concerned state affairs, Zhao Huaiyi was the most sensitive to news and he immediately admitted that it was true. The envoys who came were from a small country in the Western Regions called Yueling. When Chu Yuanhe was conquering the northwest, Yueling had helped. This time they sent envoys to Beijing to borrow troops from Daliang in order to unify the Western Regions.
This is also one of the reasons why Chu Yuanhe has been busy recently. In addition to dealing with the Wang family and the Zhejiang officialdom, he also has to be cautious in negotiations with the Yueling Kingdom. After all, the unification of the Western Regions has advantages and disadvantages for Daliang, and they must be weighed.
If the Western Regions concentrate their forces to attack Daliang, war will break out again on the border, which will be costly and exhausting. However, if Yueling Kingdom voluntarily becomes a vassal of Daliang, they can trade with each other, which will also benefit the people's livelihood. However, the conditions for this need to be discussed in detail.
The old lady had a bad feeling. "If they were discussing serious matters, why would they send a princess? I also heard that the princess is only sixteen years old, unmarried, and very beautiful..."
Zhao Huaiyi looked embarrassed for a moment and subconsciously looked at Zhao Qingyi's expression.
Zhao Qingyi realized it belatedly and said, "...What princess?"
"The Imperial Guards have checked ahead of time, and the princess is here for a marriage alliance." Zhao Huaiyi said this with a guilty conscience. "However, there are many unmarried royal grandchildren and nobles in Daliang. At the very least, there are many young men from high-ranking families. It's definitely not Your Majesty's turn."
Looking at his father's evasive eyes, Zhao Qingyi understood, said "Oh" lightly, and continued to eat with his head down.
There was silence at the table for a moment. Mrs. Meng nudged him with her elbow and complained that her husband was bringing up irrelevant issues.
This is what the old lady is worried about.
Normally, she cared about state affairs but not about marriages and alliances. But when she heard that a princess was being sent from the Western Regions for marriage, she felt it necessary to inform her granddaughter in advance.
"Qingyi, you are now the queen appointed by His Majesty. You must pay attention to this matter."
Only Zhao Qingyi knew that Chu Yuanhe had promised never to take a concubine. She had never told these words to her family. The old lady's reminder was intended to let her weigh the pros and cons.
After all, she was destined to be the Empress, and the relationship between her and His Majesty was no longer simply a matter of love. It was bound to be entangled with the politics of the court and the entanglements of various forces. Today, a princess from the Western Regions came, and tomorrow, perhaps, it would be a noble lady from some high-ranking family...
If Zhao Qingyi couldn't get over it, it would not only add to her troubles, but might also affect the court situation. Between the interests of the country and the love between her children, the old lady hoped that she would choose the former. If the princess of the Western Regions wanted to marry the emperor and really entered the palace in the future, Zhao Qingyi would have to be on guard on the one hand, and also have to consider the face of both parties and not treat the other party harshly.
Zhao Qingyi understood what the old lady meant, smiled and said nothing, but the food in his mouth suddenly lost its taste.
Yes, Chu Yuanhe is the emperor, how can he really never take concubines?
It is far from enough for the Zhao family alone to serve the court.
Chu Yuanhe, a noblewoman from an aristocratic family, could refuse, but what about the princess of a neighboring country? If handled improperly, it would inevitably affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
It’s not that Daliang is afraid of a tiny country, but if the problem can be solved by taking a concubine, why bother with launching a large-scale military campaign?
So Zhao Qingyi didn't dare to take those promises too seriously. She knew that this day would come sooner or later, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. Before she married Chu Yuanhe, the princess was coming.
She is also very beautiful...
Zhao Qingyi fell into deep thought.
Zhao Huaishu noticed the tense atmosphere and handed the old lady a piece of fish with bones removed. He also placed another piece on Zhao Qingyi's plate. "It's still uncertain who the princess will marry. Stop worrying about it and eat quickly."
Everyone laughed and changed the subject again.
The old lady stopped talking and started chatting and laughing with her granddaughter Xiao Wenyin.
Zhao Qingyi had lost his appetite, so he ate casually, played a few rounds of mahjong with his brothers and sisters, and then stood up to say goodbye.
She was now used to living in the house outside. After bidding farewell to everyone, she left with Xiao Hanyu and Zhao Wenyi, leaving only Zhao Huaishu and her daughter to stay with the old lady at the Zhao family.
On the way back to the house, Zhao Qingyi was in a bad mood, with two maids accompanying her. Qiao Yue, who was usually the most talkative, could not think of any words to comfort her.
During the meal they talked about the princess' marriage, and the two maids heard it. They guessed that the county lady was upset.
After returning to the house, Qiao Yue said, "County Lady, I see you didn't eat much of your dinner. Do you want me to make you some more food?"
Zhao Qingyi refused, took off her hairpins and jewelry, and took a bath. She sat in front of her dressing table, looking at her face in the mirror, her mind still a little dazed.
There was only one sentence echoing in my mind: the princess who was married off was beautiful and in her twenties.
She is still quite beautiful and vigorous now, but in terms of age, she is not as old as the princess who married into the alliance. In a few years...
Zhao Qingyi unconsciously touched her face. Chu Yuanhe's love for her was actually somewhat superficial. Everyone loves beautiful women. Perhaps it was her face and her body that just happened to suit his preferences. Based on this, he gradually developed an interest in her, which led to the subsequent entanglement...
Zhao Qingyi did not blame Chu Yuanhe for being attracted to her beauty. After all, she had treated him the same way in the past.
If it weren't for that appearance, she might not have looked at him twice.
But because of this, she was not sure whether Chu Yuanhe would remain indifferent when he met the princess of Yueling Kingdom.
Just then, two maids were tidying up the bathtub behind the screen. Qiao Yue couldn't hold back her voice, "...I heard that people from the Western Regions all have high noses and deep eyes, and their eye color is different from that of people from Daliang."
"I've also heard that women in the Western Regions are naturally graceful, and even young girls in their teens..."
Qiao Yue compared her curves and said exaggeratedly, "That stature, that curve, is comparable to that of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl..."
Qiao Yue swore that she had no intention of causing trouble for the county lady. She was just obsessed with reading and writing storybooks recently and was curious about all kinds of men and women, so she spoke a few more words to Tan Yue.
Tan Yue tried to respond at first, but when she walked around the screen, she noticed that Zhao Qingyi was staring at the bronze mirror in a daze, so she quickly winked at Qiao Yue, asking her to stop talking.
Qiao Yue was horrified and quickly covered her mouth and lowered her head.
“…”
Zhao Qingyi watched the maid's every move through the bronze mirror and sighed deeply.
She became more and more greedy and more and more worried about gains and losses.
She actually cares about her appearance.
Did she take Chu Yuanhe too seriously?
Zhao Qingyi reminded herself again and again in her heart that she should just treat Chu Yuanhe as her mistress as before, and not care too much about her. As long as he served her well, she would not care what kind of woman he would like in the future.
If the other party falls in love with someone else and she can't bear it, she can still leave with the imperial edict.
After thinking it through, Zhao Qingyi felt a lot more relaxed. Chu Yuanhe didn't come that night, and she guessed it was because of the Yue Ling envoy's visit to the capital.
The next morning, Zhao Qingyi went out to inspect the shop as usual.
Last night she comforted herself that she didn't need to worry about it, but she went out and bought cakes and snacks from Zuixianlou and had them delivered to the palace.
Chu Yuanhe left her with a lot of disguised imperial guards. One of them carried a food box and went straight to the palace. Only after they had gone far away did she realize what she had done.
I couldn't help but whisper to the maid, "Am I... caring too much about him?"
If you suddenly send him something, given his personality, he will definitely think that she misses him. Wouldn't he be so proud then?
The maid shook her head almost like a rattle, "County Lady, this is human nature, it's a give and take."
Your Majesty has not had time to leave the palace these days, but he has sent people to deliver things to the county lady several times a day, either royal meals or various novel treasures. The county lady has only received food once in such a long time.
Zhao Qingyi's heart calmed down a little, and she knew she had to be reserved and not rush into things.
Chu Yuanhe had so many people around her, someone must have reported back that she already knew about the princess' marriage. Now she suddenly took the initiative to show her goodwill, what if Chu Yuanhe thought she was jealous...
That would be too embarrassing for her.
Last time, she made a lot of jokes because of a dancer, and Chu Yuanhe teased her a lot, saying that she was very jealous.
Although the tone was smiling, who knows if he would get annoyed if he got too jealous?
The maids saw her expression changing from time to time and couldn't figure out what she was thinking.
Until they passed by a clothing store, Meng Jiawen happened to be inspecting the shop. Seeing the three of them from afar, he waved and called out, "Cousin!"
Zhao Qingyi finally came out of his thoughts and bowed to his cousin.
As early as when he was in Qiantang, Meng Jiawen had a lot of questions to ask, but unfortunately, he was busy matchmaking for his cousin and was unable to talk to her on the way back to Beijing. Now that he finally got the chance, he certainly would not let it go. As soon as he walked over, he keenly noticed that something was wrong with his cousin.
Meng Jiawen subconsciously looked at the maid. Tan Yue didn't dare to say anything. Qiao Yue squinted her eyes, made a mouth shape, and mentioned the four words "princess of marriage".
Their family members kept to themselves and kept each other informed. Meng Jiawen had also heard the news about the princess' marriage not long ago.
This made Meng Jiawen even more curious about the relationship between his cousin and His Majesty, so he simply asked his maid to bring Zhao Qingyi into the tea room of the shop.
While serving tea to Zhao Qingyi, Meng Jiawen signaled Qiao Yue to come out. Among the two maids, Qiao Yue was the most talkative and she explained the county lady's concerns in just a few words.
Meng Jiawen suddenly realized and remembered that day in Qiantang when his uncle tried his best to match his cousin with His Majesty. He felt that he needed to help his cousin and make sure that his cousin could capture His Majesty.
As long as these two are inseparable, even if ten or eight more princesses come to marry into the royal family, they will never have the chance to interfere.
Back in the tea room, Meng Jiawen personally served tea to his cousin and asked about her recent situation. When he learned that she was fine, Meng Jiawen felt relieved and felt that he could get down to business.
He waved his hand, and the owner of the clothing store came over with a smile, holding an exquisite sandalwood brocade box in her hand. She walked past Meng Jiawen and handed it directly to Zhao Qingyi, telling her to open it after returning to her room.
After the matter was settled, Meng Jiawen did not stay long. Before leaving, he passed by his cousin and gave her an encouraging look.
When Zhao Qingyi looked at him in surprise, he cleared his throat and said, "Well, cousin only has one heart to help you. As for this idea... it was her idea."
Meng Jiawen ruthlessly pushed the shopkeeper's wife out.
The shopkeeper was an experienced person and quite knowledgeable and interesting. She smiled and said that the good things in the brocade box came from foreign countries and were the most precious treasures in her shop. She would not give them to ordinary people.
Zhao Qingyi looked confused and didn't understand what the shopkeeper was up to.
After inspecting the shop, she took the thick account book back home. She was so focused on counting the accounts that she forgot about the brocade box until she remembered it before going to bed.
After opening the brocade box, Zhao Qingyi was stunned. With two slender fingers like green onions, he picked up a few...thin cloth strips in the brocade box?
No, what is this?
Why are there a bunch of pearls and gems on it, such a mess?
If you were giving her jewelry, there would be no need to string it together with a cloth strip. Why is there a gauze dress underneath?
Zhao Qingyi shook open her gauze dress, her almond-shaped eyes slightly widened, filled with disbelief.
...So transparent?
She faced the candlelight and placed her palm behind her gauze dress. Although it was hazy, one could still vaguely make out her palm lines.
This... is there any difference between wearing it and not wearing it?
Zhao Qingyi was completely confused and didn't understand what these things were used for. Soon she found a thin picture album from the bottom of the brocade box. After unfolding it, a beautiful picture of a beauty caught her eye.
Zhao Qingyi understood instantly.
The graceful woman in the album is wearing... these messy things.
Suddenly, a heat surged to his head. Zhao Qingyi slammed the album shut and sat there blankly, his snow-white face flushed red.
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