Chapter 33 Concubine Hui's Child Knelt Down
Emperor Wen Zhao had just walked out a few steps, before he even left the palace, when he heard Yi Wa and Yi Tong chatting again. They happened to be talking about Concubine Hui, and he immediately became interested.
He wanted to go back and listen for a while, but that would seem too deliberate, so he slowed down his pace, changed from big strides to small steps, put his hands behind his back, and moved out reluctantly.
After moving past the screen, he stopped moving and stood there sideways, with his ear against the screen, listening carefully.
When he heard Tong Tong say that Concubine Hui won his favor because she was good at flattering him, the corners of his mouth twitched. To say that he liked to listen to flattery, didn't that mean he was stupid?
He racked his brains to deal with so many government affairs every day, and had to compete with ministers in the court. He was almost exhausted.
When he returned to the harem, he wanted to find a place to rest and talk to someone, but the queen was busy with palace affairs or children all day and had little time to pay attention to him. The royal concubine licked him again and rolled her eyes, and she would not stop until she choked him to death.
Concubine Hui was different. She always said things that made him happy. What was wrong with him doting on her more? He just wanted to feel good. What was wrong with that? How could he be considered stupid?
Hearing Xiaojiu say that Concubine Hui's ability to speak was a great skill, he nodded continuously, expressing his deep agreement, and was very happy.
Look, this is the daughter he gave birth to. She is open-minded and has a big vision. If Xiaojiu was not a girl, he would have wanted to make her the crown prince.
Emperor Wen Zhao had not been happy for a while when he heard Tong Tong say that Concubine Hui's child was never born because he had a conflict with someone and died.
No, who is the person who has conflict with Concubine Hui?
Not only Emperor Wen Zhao, but also the Empress, Imperial Consort, and seven or eight princesses had the same doubts.
The system carefully flipped through the information in its hand: [The summary does not specify who it is, but judging from the meaning, it should be an important person. ]
Ji Jinyou analyzed: [Big shot, the ones higher than the concubines in the harem are the empress, the imperial concubine, and the two concubines. Who are they? ]
Yes, who is it? Everyone is anxious.
System: [I don’t know. As of now, the plot has not been unlocked.]
My heart was in my throat, and he was just pretending to be ignorant? Emperor Wen Zhao was so angry that he wanted to go back, pull out the guy who was hiding somewhere, and shake his shoulders to interrogate him in detail.
The seventh and eighth princesses were intrigued, but there was no follow-up. They wanted to pull out the barrel and give it a beating.
The Empress and the Imperial Consort were relatively calm. Frankly speaking, they both looked down on the fawning woman and did not care whether she was pregnant or not.
Ji Jinyou had already gotten used to the system being like this, so he stopped asking questions and looked up at the delicious food on the table, unable to help but sigh.
[Everyone, today's meal is so rich. I wonder what my mother is eating. It would be great if Your Majesty could call my mother to come and have a meal. Tell me, if I pack some for my mother to take back after everyone has finished eating, will the Empress allow it?]
The system encouraged: [Just ask. Anyway, our Youzi is so cute, who would have the heart to refuse him? I just don’t have hands, otherwise even if our Youzi wanted the moon in the sky, I could pick it down for you.]
Seven or eight princesses rolled their eyes in unison and said, "What nonsense are you talking about without hands?"
The Queen and the Royal Concubine looked at each other and felt sorry for the little girl. Such a young child was still thinking about her mother.
Yes, just like Tong Tong said, if you have the heart to reject such a lovely and kind little girl, you must have a very hard heart.
It’s just that the little girl is too smart, and she can’t be too deliberate when delivering the food.
The queen thought for a moment, then remembered the fifteenth prince, and told Dangui, "Your Majesty should not come back for dinner, as there are too many dishes to finish. Pack a little of each, make two portions, and send one to Miaoyunxuan for Rupin, and tell her that Xiaojiu is dining here with Your Majesty."
"Send one copy to Jingming Palace for the fifteenth prince. The child just moved out today and lives alone. I'm afraid he's not in a good mood."
In fact, the Queen was not afraid that the Fifteenth Prince would be in a bad mood. She took into consideration that the child ran away crying today, and Concubine Dun's eyes were also red when she left. Everyone in the harem is a smart person, so they can guess the general idea at a glance.
She was worried that those who flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak would treat the child badly and make him feel wronged. Although it seemed like she was just delivering a dish, she was also telling others that she valued this child and that he should not be bullied or neglected.
She really didn't like the boy before, but today she saw that he was a straightforward person who valued friendship. Especially today, he apologized to Concubine Dun on behalf of Concubine Shu. His sense of responsibility made people admire him.
His Majesty has just said that after the Double Ninth Festival, a crown prince will be appointed. If the eldest prince really takes the throne, he will need the assistance of his brothers in the future to jointly govern and protect the country. Fifteen is a promising child and is worth cultivating carefully.
Although the Imperial Concubine didn't know yet that His Majesty was going to appoint a crown prince, she felt that Fifteen was a man who could handle the important task. At least he was much better than her little Six who was always acting coquettishly and unreliable. She nodded and agreed, "Send more."
Dangui agreed and went to get plates and food boxes to put the dishes in.
Unexpectedly, the queen still thought about her mother. Ji Jinyou was very happy. She turned around and saluted to the queen to express her gratitude: "Thank you, your majesty."
The queen smiled and held the little girl's fat fist that looked like a steamed bun, and smiled so hard that she couldn't close her mouth: "Little Jiu, be good and eat your meal quickly."
Ji Jinyou kept staring at Dangui's hands, and felt relieved when he saw that she was picking up dishes that were not usually seen in Miaoyunxuan.
The Queen and the Imperial Concubine saw the little girl's big eyes following Dangui's hand, and guessed why she was like that, and couldn't help laughing.
When Dangui left with two food boxes, Ji Jinyou, in order to thank the empress and the imperial concubine, clumsily used chopsticks to pick up a portion of food for each of the two ladies and put it in their bowls, "Eat, madam."
"Oh, our Xiaojiu is so thoughtful." The queen smiled and held the little girl on her lap.
"Our little Jiu is so sensible that he knows to pick up some food for the Queen Mother and the Concubine Mother." The Royal Concubine said in a pinched voice, picked up some food and put it in her mouth, nodding as she chewed: "The food our little Jiu picked up smells so good."
The Royal Concubine's tone of exaggeration was so exaggerated that Ji Jinyou chuckled a little embarrassedly.
The seventh and eighth princesses were so frightened by the Royal Concubine's soft voice that their hair stood on end. They almost dropped their chopsticks. The eighth princess complained: "Mother, when will you talk to me like this? I will be a good boy."
The Imperial Concubine glanced at her troublesome one and rolled her eyes. "Look at you, you only care about eating for yourself. Have you ever picked up food for me? You still want me to be so gentle to you? Dream on."
The Eighth Princess immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks, stood up, picked up the soup basin in front of her, and pushed it across the table: "Here, mother, this big basin is for you."
Everyone laughed as they watched the eighth princess act cute.
Emperor Wen Zhao lay on the screen and listened for a while. He saw that everyone in the room started to eat noisily. Xiaojiu and Tongtong stopped talking, so he left with a heavy heart.
While walking on the road, he thought about how the atmosphere was solemn and depressing when he was there, but as soon as he left, the room was filled with laughter. Emperor Wen Zhao felt a little uncomfortable. Why did he feel like an outsider?
But now is not the time to think about these things. The most urgent thing is to go see Concubine Hui and remind her not to conflict with others.
---
Emperor Wen Zhao arrived at Luoxia Palace. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Concubine Hui waiting at the palace gate, looking up in anticipation.
When she saw Emperor Wen Zhao, Concubine Hui immediately came up to him with a smile: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Emperor Wen Zhao helped Concubine Hui up and felt relieved the more he looked at her.
Look, no matter when Concubine Hui saw him, her eyes were always full of admiration and she greeted him with a smile. She even blamed him for being so fond of her. Who could blame her? It's really...
Concubine Hui looked at Emperor Wen Zhao with a shy look on her face, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear: "Your Majesty, I am pregnant with your child."
"I understand." Emperor Wen Zhao patted her hands and said, "Concubine Hui, you have worked hard. Let's go in and talk."
The two of them entered the palace together, and Concubine Hui asked anxiously, "Has Your Majesty eaten yet?"
Emperor Wen Zhao: "No, it was just put on the table. When I heard that you were pregnant, I came to see you immediately."
When Concubine Hui heard this, she smiled happily and said, "I haven't eaten either, so Your Majesty, why don't you stay and have dinner with me?"
Emperor Wen Zhao thought about the Chongde Hall, where the Empress had already given his portion away without saying anything about keeping any for him. He snorted in his heart and nodded: "I will stay with you today."
Concubine Hui was smiling happily as she prepared the meal. The two of them sat together and finished their meal in a tender and affectionate manner.
After the meal, Emperor Wen Zhao took Concubine Hui's hand and asked her in a subtle way whether she had had any conflicts with any concubines recently.
Concubine Hui said everything was fine, but she couldn't help asking, "Your Majesty, has any of my sisters come to you to complain about me?"
Emperor Wen Zhao saw her anxious look and tried to comfort her: "No, don't think too much. I just think that you are now a married woman. If you encounter any problems, please tell me and I will make the decision for you. Don't get into conflict with others directly. Put the child first. OK?"
Concubine Hui felt relieved, and she nestled into Emperor Wen Zhao's arms, hugged his waist, and smiled sweetly: "Your Majesty, you are so good to me. You are my heaven and my backbone. If it weren't for you, I don't know what to do."
This straightforward and naked flattery always made Emperor Wen Zhao laugh.
But at this moment, he couldn't laugh. After thinking carefully about Concubine Hui's words, he really couldn't hear much sincerity. Wasn't it just what Tong Tong said, flattery? Was Concubine Hui treating him like a fool?
Thinking about it carefully, Concubine Hui's magic potion is not as soothing as Concubine Huang's rolling eyes.
Concubine Hui hugged Emperor Wen Zhao's thin waist in a delicate manner, and continued to say nice things to him as usual, without noticing that the smile on Emperor Wen Zhao's face had disappeared.
文昭帝又聽了幾句甜言蜜語，把慧妃從懷裏拉出來，淡淡笑着：“你如今有了孩子，早些歇息，朕還有些奏折沒批，這就回去了。”
文昭帝常年忙于政務，陪她吃個飯就走的情況也時有發生，慧妃知道留不下，可還是撒嬌地說：“陛下，您就不能留下來陪臣妾一晚嗎？”
若是以前，文昭帝最喜歡慧妃這種撒嬌粘人的姿态，總是要好聲好氣哄幾句。
可今兒也不知是什麽了，他竟覺得有些煩，竟有些懷念起皇後的端莊大氣來，只撂下句朕忙，擡腳就走了。
那速度快的，等慧妃反應過來，他已經走出門去了，慧妃忙起身恭送。
等人走後，慧妃起身，喊了門口一直站着的貼身嬷嬷進來：“嬷嬷，我今兒可是有哪裏不對？或是那句話說錯了？”
慧妃自打進宮，每回陛下來她這裏走了之後，她都要和自己的貼身嬷嬷複盤一番，總結當日的表現，以便下回能更好地哄陛下開心。
嬷嬷細細想了一下，答道：“不曾啊，娘娘今兒一切正常。”
慧妃也覺得自己沒做錯什麽，捂着肚子納悶道：“那陛下為何好像突然不高興了？”
嬷嬷安慰道：“陛下不是說忙嘛，許是前朝有什麽煩心事，您別多想。”
慧妃還是覺得不對，低頭認真回顧自己的一言一行。
怕她多思傷神，嬷嬷又勸：“娘娘，方才老奴去崇德殿報喜的時候，那頭剛擺膳呢，老奴聽裏頭的動靜，皇後和皇貴妃帶着幾位公主都在，可陛下一聽您有喜，立馬就過來了，可見陛下對您的看重。”
慧妃一聽陛下為了見她，将皇後和皇貴妃都撇下，心中驚喜：“當真？”
嬷嬷點頭：“老奴何時騙過您，您快好生歇着，莫要再多想，安安穩穩生下皇嗣才是頂頂要緊的。”
“嬷嬷說的是，”慧妃點頭，又欣喜道：“方才陛下也說，讓我一切以孩子為重，可見陛下十分期盼我腹中孩兒呢。”
---
文昭帝回到崇德殿時，所有人都走了。
他喊來留在殿內服侍的小太監：“皇後可有留什麽話？”
小太監搖頭：“不曾。”
文昭帝揮手讓小太監退下，走到羅漢床前坐了，他望着空蕩蕩的屋子，輕輕嘆了口氣。他怎麽突然覺得有些凄涼呢。
呆呆坐了一會兒，他出聲：“梁全，去，把九公主給朕接來，陪朕下棋。”
梁全下巴都要驚掉，那麽小的孩子，她會下棋嗎？
驚訝歸驚訝，聖命難為，梁全只得應是，轉身往外走。
梁全剛走了幾步，文昭帝又喊住他，“罷了，這麽晚了，小九也該睡了。”
說罷起身，往書案那裏走：“去給朕煮一壺茶來，朕要批奏折。”
---
明珠宮，七八公主正圍在一個大浴盆前，給胖乎乎的小姑娘洗澡。
季瑾悠有些不好意思，說自己洗，可七八公主怎麽可能讓一個這麽小的孩子自己洗，待會兒嗆着水可怎麽辦。
兩人一個往小姑娘身上撩水，一個抓着小姑娘的頭發以防打濕，配合默契，很快就給小姑娘洗好了澡，随後給小姑娘擦幹，穿好寝衣，抱着回內室。
兩人也輪番去洗了澡，換了寝衣，剛準備就寝，思畫就進來禀報，說如嫔來了。
季瑾悠本來躺好了，一聽這話，一個咕嚕翻身坐起來，驚訝道：“我母妃來了？”
七八公主盛情邀請她留下住一晚，她想着要提醒七姐姐早睡，就答應了，讓跟了一天的金杏回妙雲軒和母妃說一聲。
金杏回來時，說母妃知道了，沒想到這麽一會兒功夫，母妃竟親自來了。
“快請進來。”七公主也有些意外，穿好外衫，抱着小姑娘去了外間。
如嫔看着七公主懷裏的小團子，忙笑着上前，将人抱過來，沖七公主解釋道：“悠悠長這麽大，夜裏從來沒離開過我，我怕這孩子哭鬧，過來瞧一眼。”
方才金杏回去一說悠悠被七八公主留在明珠宮，她第一反應就是替悠悠高興，當即收拾了衣服讓金杏帶來，
可金杏一走，她在安安靜靜的屋內坐了一會兒，心裏就開始沒着沒落起來，思慮再三，還是放心不下，決定來看一眼。
七公主理解如嫔，畢竟小九這麽可愛，她們都舍不得，何況如嫔這個母親呢。
她笑着說：“如嫔娘娘，是我和小八冒失，就這麽把小九留下來了，讓你擔心了。不過小九可乖着呢，一點都沒鬧。”所以，可千萬別說把她接走。
季瑾悠其實更想回妙雲軒睡，可她還得提醒七姐姐，為了讓如嫔安心，她伸手摟住如嫔脖子，和她貼了貼臉：“母妃，悠悠就和姐姐睡一晚，明天就回去。”
小丫頭還算有良心，如嫔笑着拍拍小姑娘的小屁股：“好，那明兒一早母妃來接你。”
季瑾悠點頭：“好。”
見到人好好的，如嫔放下心來，又叮囑幾句，把小姑娘還給七公主，依依不舍地告辭離開。
還好，沒說要抱回去。七公主松了一口氣，抱着小九回屋，往床上一放。
八公主正趴在床上看話本子，見兩人回來，擡頭問：“如嫔娘娘來做什麽？”
七公主伸手把她手裏的話本子搶下來，往枕頭底下一藏：“沒事，就是來看看小九。”
八公主伸手去夠話本子：“我還沒看完呢。”
七公主按住她的手：“我也沒看完，我們先哄小九睡覺，待會兒一起看。”
季瑾悠躺在兩人中間，一聽這話，立馬翻了個身，眼急手快地就把七公主枕頭下的話本子掏了出來，抱着話本子往床上一趴，用圓不隆冬的小身體壓住了。
這一套動作行雲流水，堪稱迅猛，看得七八公主哭笑不得，兩人側身躺在小姑娘兩側，好笑地看着她。
八公主伸手摸摸小姑娘圓乎乎的小腦袋，故意逗她，“我們小九也愛看話本子，那你給姐姐念念好不好？”
七公主橫她一眼，念什麽念，小九還不識字呢。
季瑾悠側頭看着八公主，奶呼呼的聲音格外認真：“悠悠不看，姐姐也不看，太晚了，睡覺。”
小小年紀，說的話老氣橫秋，八公主被逗得哈哈直樂，輕輕掐了掐小姑娘的小臉蛋，“七姐你看，我們小九好兇哦，姐姐好怕怕。”
七公主卻反應過來，小九是在提醒她，她心頭一暖，感動得不行，伸手将小姑娘摟住，在她毛乎乎的小腦袋上親了一口，又親了一口：“好，七姐姐不看，我們早些睡。”
八公主也明白過來小九的用意，是的，七姐身體最重要，她立馬躺好：“小九說的對，我們要好好睡覺覺。”
七公主怕小姑娘硌得慌，伸手把話本子從小姑娘身體下拿出來，唰一下撇出去好遠，把燈一熄，躺回去，将軟軟糯糯的奶團子抱進懷裏揉了揉，“小九，你真是七姐姐的小福星，以後七姐姐絕對不熬夜。”
季瑾悠不知道她怎麽就成了福星了，不過七姐姐知道要早睡，總是好事，她一本正經點着小腦袋：“悠悠母妃說，熬夜會生病。”
七公主抱着胖團子又親了一口：“不熬不熬，堅決不熬。”
為了讓操心的小九放心，八公主也附和道：“七姐，往後我盯着你早睡，免得你整天帶着黑眼圈，醜死了，別到時候看上個如意夫婿，人家再嫌你醜。”
七公主擡腳踹她一下：“你才醜。”
八公主不甘示弱，回踹一腳：“你醜。”
兩個人隔着季瑾悠打起來，你一腳我一腿，你一巴掌我一拳頭，打得熱火朝天，最後還搶起了孩子。
季瑾悠被兩個不省心的姐姐你抱過來，我摟過去，叽裏咕嚕滾來滾去，咯咯咯笑個不停。
黑燈瞎火的，三個小姑娘鬧了好一陣子，才安靜下來，慢慢醞釀睡意。
季瑾悠和系統感嘆：【統統，我好喜歡七姐姐和八姐姐呀。】
聽着甜甜的小奶音說喜歡她們，七八公主不約而同湊過去親了小姑娘一口，在心裏默默說，姐姐也喜歡你。
【你看，姐姐又親我。】季瑾悠嘿嘿笑了兩聲，兩條小胖胳膊伸開，伸到兩個姐姐脖子底下，摟住她們。
系統：【因為我們悠崽可愛呀。】
七八公主腦袋往過湊了湊，三個小姑娘的腦袋挨在一起。
季瑾悠年歲小，很快就睡着了，小肚皮一鼓一鼓，睡得酣甜。
七八公主小心翼翼把小姑娘伸到自己脖子下的小胳膊拿出來，一人攥着一只小胖手，舍不得撒手，就那麽攥着，慢慢睡了過去。
睡得早，隔天清晨，七公主早早就醒來，晃了晃腦袋，只覺得渾身上下神清氣爽。
她伸手把睡得四仰八叉的八公主拍醒，和她分享自己全新的感受：“小八，睡好覺的感覺可真好。”
八公主伸了個懶腰，坐起來，睡眼惺忪打了個哈欠，“這可是我們小九的功勞。”
"Of course." The Seventh Princess nodded and said softly, "Let Xiaojiu sleep a little longer. Let's get up and go to the yard to move around."
The Eighth Princess agreed, touched Little Nine's little hand, went downstairs to put on her shoes, and after washing up, they went to the yard. The Seventh Princess walked around in circles while the Eighth Princess practiced boxing.
The two had just practiced for a while when it suddenly started to rain lightly, and they hurried back to the house.
Ji Jinyou woke up from a deep sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw her two sisters lying on the bed with their hands on their cheeks, staring at her.
The two sisters were pretty and looked at her with love in their eyes. Ji Jinyou was in a good mood and smiled with her little milk teeth. She turned over and sat up, and called "sister" sweetly.
The seventh and eighth princesses responded happily, hugged each of them and kissed them, then dressed Youyou. They argued about which little skirt she should wear, and finally decided by playing rock-paper-scissors.
After putting on the clothes, the two of them combed the little girl's hair and started arguing again about which pearl flower to wear. In the end, neither of them gave in and decided to let Xiaojiu wear whatever they chose.
Ji Jinyou sat obediently in front of the dressing table, letting them mess with her. When she had nothing to do, she chatted with the system: [Everyone, I can live for another 65 days today. ]
System: [That’s right.]
Yi Wa Yi Tong Ping Jing Jing started chatting again. The seventh and eighth princesses looked at each other and slowed down their hands.
Ji Jinyou: [Is there anything important happening today? ]
System: [I just checked, one thing is that Concubine Hui’s child is gone.]
Princess Qiba was stunned. She just found out she was pregnant yesterday, and she's gone today. It was too fast.
Ji Jinyou was also a little surprised and asked hurriedly: [Why is it gone? ]
System: [The Queen made him kneel down and he was killed.]
When the seventh and eighth princesses heard this, their faces changed at the same time. Before they could react, they heard Sihua report from outside that Rupin had come to pick up Xiaojiu.
The two princesses looked at each other and nodded. This was just right. They handed Xiaojiu over to Rupin first, and they went to stop their mother.
The two of them quickened their movements, put a pearl flower on the little girl's head, put on her little shoes, and then picked her up and left.
When they got to the outer room, they hurriedly greeted Rupin and put the child into her hands: "Madam Rupin, please take Xiaojiu to have breakfast here. We have some urgent matters to attend to and will be back soon."
After the Seventh Princess finished speaking, she told her personal maid Sihua to stay and serve her. The two of them walked out of the door quickly and headed straight for Fengyi Palace.
Seeing that there was still sporadic drizzle outside, Sihua hurriedly asked the little palace maid to chase after him with an umbrella.
Since the master had left, Rupin naturally couldn't stay. She carried Ji Jinyou out the door, and Jin Xing followed beside her holding an umbrella.
Ji Jinyou was interrupted just now and asked curiously: [Boss, do you know why the seventh and eighth sisters are so anxious? 】
The system said: [I don’t know.]
Ji Jinyou asked again: [Just now you said that Huifei's child was killed by the Queen, who made her kneel down as punishment. Where was she punished and when? ]
The system continued: [In Yu Garden, it was around this time.]
Ji Jinyou thought about it and said, "No problem. I want to go and have a look. I want to find a way to hold back."
The plot is now gradually unraveling, and the system unconditionally supports any behavior of the little girl: [Come on, Youzi. ]
Ji Jinyou struggled to get off the ground in Rupin's arms: "Mother, Youyou, walk by yourself."
Rupin tried to persuade her a few times but to no avail, so she had to let the girl go.
Ji Jinyou held Rupin's hand and walked forward. When they reached a fork in the road, she held Rupin's hand and walked towards the Yu Garden: "Mother, Youyou wants to see the flowers."