Chapter 41 The Youngest Princess is Here
Ji Jinyou calculated in her mind the time when Emperor Wen Zhao would go to court in the morning. It was probably five in the morning. Doesn't that mean she has to get up at around four o'clock?
But she is only three years old. Your Majesty, are you going to kill her? No, absolutely not.
Before Ji Jinyou could say no, the Imperial Concubine rolled her eyes and hugged Xiaojiu back into her arms: "Your Majesty, Xiaojiu is only three years old. Sleeping for six or seven hours a day is not enough. You are asking Xiaojiu to get up before dawn. This is a bit cruel."
I really don't know what your majesty is thinking. This is not pampering at all, this is clearly torturing the child.
Ji Jinyou quickly echoed, "Father, Youyou wants to sleep."
After saying that, he snuggled into the Royal Concubine's arms and yawned several times: "You Madam, I'm very sleepy."
The Imperial Concubine suppressed her laughter and patted the little girl to shake her: "Your Majesty, look, Xiaojiu is getting sleepy. If you have nothing else to tell me, I will take Xiaojiu back with me."
Emperor Wen Zhao originally planned to bring Xiaojiu to the court to see if Xiaojiu and Tongtong could reveal some important information about political affairs. However, both the old and the young disagreed. But then he thought, the child is so young, let's talk about it later.
Emperor Wen Zhao saw the little girl yawning continuously, her big eyes were full of moisture, and after blinking a few times, they closed. It seemed that she was really sleepy. He looked outside and saw that the sun was setting.
Then he said, "Go back. By the way, you and the Queen should pay more attention to the little prince of Yao Kingdom in the future."
The Royal Concubine agreed, bowed, picked up the little girl and left.
When they got outside the palace, she patted the little girl's butt and couldn't help laughing: "Okay, we're outside."
Ji Jinyou immediately stood up and looked back over the Royal Concubine's shoulder. Seeing that Emperor Wen Zhao had not caught up, she chuckled and said, "Your Majesty is the best."
The little elf has such a sweet mouth that the imperial concubine laughed out loud.
When Emperor Wen Zhao heard the Imperial Concubine's bright and charming laughter, he hurried to the window and looked out curiously. He saw the little girl Xiaojiu lying on the Imperial Concubine's shoulder, laughing so hard that her teeth were showing. He laughed angrily: "This clever little ghost is actually acting with me here."
The Royal Concubine carried Ji Jinyou out of Chongde Hall and headed straight to Fengyi Palace: "Xiaojiu, the Queen is not feeling well, shall we go visit her?"
It was still early, not yet time for dinner, and Ji Jinyou was also worried about the queen's feet, so he nodded: "Okay."
After saying this, he waved to Jin Xing who was following behind him, asked for a gardenia, and held it in his hand.
The two entered the Fengyi Palace, and Dangui went in to report.
The queen had a good sleep and when she woke up her headache was gone and she was in a better mood.
All the palace affairs were moved to the Royal Concubine, and no one disturbed her. She was free for a moment and was actually a little at a loss. Then she remembered Xiao Qi's past behavior and began to imitate her.
When Dangui entered to report, the empress was lying on the couch with her legs crossed, eating melon seeds and reading a storybook.
When she heard that the Imperial Concubine was coming, she acted nonchalant, ate another melon seed, and said, "Let her in."
But when she heard that Xiaojiu was here, she sat up straight, threw the unfinished melon seeds into the plate, hid the notebook under the pillow, wiped her hands and mouth, and then said, "Let them in."
As Dangui walked out, she smoothed her hair again. She must not lose her motherly demeanor in front of Xiaojiu.
Soon, the big and the small came in, bowed and greeted each other. The queen smiled gently and dignifiedly: "Hurry up and come and sit down. Xiaojiu, come here, mother will hug you."
The Royal Concubine smiled and handed Xiao Jiu to the Queen's arms: "Hold our fat baby, I promise all your worries will be gone."
The queen held the chubby girl in her arms. The heavy weight of the girl made her feel at ease.
She took off Xiaojiu's shoes, squeezed her little hands, and said with a smile, "Who says it's not true? Our Xiaojiu is a happy person."
"Youyou likes the Empress, so she gives her flowers. The flowers smell good, and the Empress smells good too." Just a few words could make the Empress happy. Ji Jinyou did not hesitate to say sweet words and even handed the flowers in her hand over.
The queen was indeed coaxed into laughing. She reached out to take the budding gardenia and kissed the little girl on the cheek: "Xiaojiu is so thoughtful."
"You little girl, didn't you say this to me before? Why are you telling it to the Empress now?" The Imperial Concubine laughed and patted the little girl's butt. The Empress also laughed and quickly reached out to protect it.
Ji Jinyou chuckled twice and sat down in the Queen's arms, avoiding the Royal Concubine's clapping hands.
As soon as she sat down, her eyes fell on the small table on the couch. When she saw the melon seed shells that had not been cleaned up yet, she was a little surprised. When she turned her head and saw a corner of the notebook sticking out from under the pillow, she almost dropped her jaw.
[Everyone, I thought the Empress was resting in bed, but I didn't expect that she was eating melon seeds and reading a storybook.]
Seeing this, the Queen showed a trace of embarrassment on her face. She quietly reached out and stuffed the notebook with a corner exposed under her pillow.
The Royal Concubine suppressed her laughter and rolled her eyes.
Everyone thought that the Queen never had any personal preferences, but few people knew that when she was a concubine, she was also a little girl who was obsessed with storybooks. Although her addiction was not as serious as that of Xiao Qi today, it was almost the same.
System: [Youzi, there is nothing to be surprised about. The queen is also a human being.]
Ji Jinyou: [I know, I'm just... just a little surprised. I thought only the seventh and eighth sisters would do such a thing.]
The Empress was always so dignified and generous in front of outsiders. She already had a filter for the Empress. Now that the filter was broken, she felt that the Empress was even more real.
Seeing that Youzi couldn't find the right words to describe it, the system thoughtfully continued: [Youzi, you used to think that the Queen was always high and mighty, but you didn't expect her to be so down-to-earth, right? ]
Ji Jinyou: [Yes, what I want to say is that you are down-to-earth. You are awesome. ]
The Queen and the Royal Concubine looked at each other, both confused.
They knew about the underworld, but this was the first time they had heard of this kind of atmosphere.
Could it be a title deed? But considering the context, that doesn't make sense.
The two exchanged glances for a moment, but neither understood, so they just listened quietly.
Ji Jinyou: [I hope that the Queen will read more storybooks and eat more melon seeds in the future, so that she can be happier and won’t be sad because of the cold treatment from His Majesty.] Then she won’t die in depression.
The system knew what she was worried about and comforted her: [The original plot has begun to collapse now, maybe everyone will be fine in the end. ]
[That would be great.] Ji Jinyou said, noticing the quietness in the room. She looked up at the empress and the imperial concubine, and saw that they were just sitting there without saying anything. She was very puzzled: [Why aren’t the ladies talking?]
The queen spoke at the right time: "I heard that Chongde Hall was very lively today. Tell me what happened."
"It's a long story, and I can't finish it in a short time. It's getting late. How about we have dinner first?" The Royal Concubine winked at her, indicating that Xiaojiu was there, so it was not convenient to talk.
The Queen understood and thought that those things must be related to the conversation between the baby and the bucket, so she continued with the Royal Concubine's words: "Look at me, I have forgotten what I am talking about. Dangui, serve the food. Don't let our Xiaojiu go hungry."
Ji Jinyou didn't want to stay here to eat, so she stood up from the Empress's arms, "Youyou agreed to have dinner with my mother."
The queen was reluctant to let the little girl go, but when she thought about talking to the imperial concubine, she touched the little girl's soft and chubby hand and said, "How about Xiao Jiu come to your place tomorrow?"
Ji Jinyou nodded: "Okay, Youyou will come to see the queen tomorrow."
The Queen ordered: "Dan Gui, send the Ninth Princess back."
Ji Jinyou waved her hands and said, "No need, Your Majesty. Just go with Jin Xing." The Queen agreed.
Ji Jinyou lay on the edge of the couch and slid down by herself, refusing the help of the imperial concubine. She put on her shoes by herself, saluted the two ladies, and then walked out of the door with her short legs, leaving with Jin Xing.
---
The Empress and the Imperial Concubine were the only ones left in the palace. The Imperial Concubine then spoke and told the Empress everything that had happened that day.
At last, he sneered and said, "He even dared to snatch the food that sister gave to Fifteen. He knew that sister valued Fifteen, but he still dared to take the lead in bullying him. It shows how crooked Thirteen's mind is."
The Queen sighed: "The child was originally a good child, but was corrupted by Concubine Li. I hope that your Majesty's discipline will teach him a lesson and help him get on the right track in the future."
"Some children are bad at heart, even if they are children." The Royal Concubine disagreed and added, "Fifteen is too obsessed with his reputation. If it weren't for Nine who caught him and reported him to me, who knows how much more he would have to suffer in the future."
Thinking of the chubby little girl, the queen couldn't help but laugh: "Xiaojiu is a child who loves to stand up for the weak and injustice. She really has a rare chivalrous heart."
The Imperial Concubine also laughed: "Who said it wasn't true? You are so young, yet you still like to meddle in other people's business."
The Queen then asked, "What about that little proton? Your Majesty, do you really intend to abolish him?"
Having accompanied Emperor Wen Zhao for many years, the Imperial Concubine knew him very well. She nodded and replied, "Your Majesty did not say it explicitly, but I guess this is your intention. You even specifically told us to pay more attention to it in the future."
Emperor Wen Zhao was fickle in love, and both of them were disheartened by this. However, Emperor Wen Zhao's decisions on political affairs were always wise, and the two never questioned them.
The Queen nodded and said, "I was negligent in the past and didn't pay much attention to the child. I believe the child must have suffered some injustice. Since Your Majesty intends to do so, you and I should pay more attention to that in the future. Your Majesty is busy with government affairs and I'm afraid he will forget about it again after this period of time."
皇貴妃：“姐姐不必自責，管着這整個後宮的人都快把你累壞了，又哪裏來的心思去留心一個耀國來的小皇子。姐姐不必管，日後我多留心些就是。”
皇後沉默了。
其實也不完全是因為她忙，當年大盛和大耀兩國開戰，她娘家長兄死在戰場上。
未出閣時，長兄對她十分寵愛，兄妹二人感情深厚。
當年，得知兄長死訊，她直接哭到暈厥，大病一場，半年才好。
為此，她打心裏抵觸來自耀國的一切人和事。
可以說，她不曾留意過那孩子，某種程度上來說，是她刻意忽略了。
身邊人也都知道她懷念兄長，也就沒人敢随意在她面前提起耀國質子，免得勾起她的傷心事。
沉默片刻，皇後開了口：“也好，那這事你就多擔待。”
---
季瑾悠回到妙雲軒，還沒進門就大聲喊：“母妃，悠悠回來了。”
陛下賞賜的東西已經到了，如嫔正在清點，聽到小姑娘歡快的小奶音，她當即笑了，忙放下手裏賬冊，迎了出去。
見到如嫔，季瑾悠很開心，邁着兩條小胖腿蹬蹬蹬朝她沖過去。
“慢着些。”如嫔忙蹲下身去，伸手接住小團子，小姑娘沖勁兒太大，把她撞得一屁股坐在地上。
“娘娘。”金杏低呼一聲，急忙上前和另外一名宮女合力将母女二人扶起來。
季瑾悠有些不好意思，嘿嘿傻笑：“悠悠太胖了。”
如嫔被小姑娘逗得樂不可支，抱起小姑娘往屋裏走，拍拍她的小屁股，佯裝生氣：“不是和母妃說去逛一圈，怎麽這一圈逛完天都黑了。”
“母妃，悠悠見到了十五哥哥……”季瑾悠繪聲繪色地把她這一下晌的經歷講給如嫔聽。
崇德殿的事鬧得挺大，先前薛翊禮一身是血被從安抱着走了一路，後來十三皇子又一身是血被擡回宮，後宮裏早就傳遍了，如嫔也叫人打聽了一下，不過一聽和小九沒什麽關系，便也不感興趣，沒再多問。
如今聽小九跟她說，她才知道事情始末，摸摸悠悠小腦袋，有些擔心地嘆了口氣：“十四皇子到還好，可十三皇子不好惹，也不知道這事之後他會不會怪我們悠悠，要是回頭他找你麻煩可如何是好？”
“哼，悠悠才不怕他。”季瑾悠舉起自己的小拳頭：“他敢找我麻煩，我就再去告父皇，讓父皇再打他。”
小姑娘瞪着眼睛，奶兇奶兇的，如嫔看得忍不住笑，伸手包住小姑娘小拳頭，和她貼了貼臉，沒再說什麽，可心裏的擔憂卻沒減絲毫。
麗妃那人，心思歹毒，雖然悠悠今天做的沒錯，可在麗妃那裏，肯定是結下仇了，以後她還是要格外小心地好，回頭也要叮囑金杏她們，切莫讓悠悠一個人出門。
季瑾悠知道如嫔一向謹慎膽小，知道她在擔心什麽，她安慰道：“母妃，麗妃被父皇罰了禁足一個月呢。”
一聽這話，如嫔果然松了一口氣：“那就好。”
過了這一個月，等十三皇子的傷養好些，興許麗妃也就沒那麽記恨了。
季瑾悠見如嫔面上憂色淡去，呵呵笑了，又說：“母妃，父皇說讓外祖父和外祖母進京來看我們。”
一說這事，如嫔徹底把麗妃母子忘到腦後去，開心起來，抱着小姑娘狠狠親了一口：“梁公公先前送賞賜來時，同母妃說了，悠悠，是不是你同陛下說了什麽？”
不然，這麽多年，陛下提都不曾提起，怎麽會突然大發慈悲竟然讓她父母進京來。
季瑾悠點點小腦袋：“悠悠幫父皇出主意，父皇問悠悠要什麽賞賜，悠悠說想見外祖母，父皇便答應了。”
果真是悠悠，如嫔鼻頭發酸，一時不知道說什麽好。
先前晚上哄悠悠睡覺，她想起年幼時，母親也是這般哄着她，無意提了幾句，沒想到這孩子竟然放在心上，還和陛下提起了。
見如嫔眼眶通紅，眼淚汪汪，眼看着就要哭，季瑾悠兩只小胖手捧起她的臉，嘿嘿笑：“母妃哭鼻子，羞羞臉。”
如嫔把臉埋在小姑娘肩頭，聲音哽咽：“悠悠，娘親的乖寶。”你怎麽這麽懂事啊。
季瑾悠用兩只小手抱住如嫔的腦袋，像她哄自己那樣，一下一下摸着，“哭吧，好好哭一場，心就不難受了。”
如嫔本來一直在忍着哭，一聽小姑娘這老氣橫秋的話，撲哧一聲又笑了，她掏出帕子擦了擦眼淚，“母妃不哭。”
說是不哭，可眼淚卻止不住地往外湧。
哎，母妃這是又想家了。為轉移如嫔注意力，季瑾悠指着桌上堆着的那堆賞賜，拍着小巴掌：“母妃，悠悠要數錢錢。”
“好，數錢錢。”如嫔抱着小姑娘到桌前，把她放在椅子上，眉開眼笑道：“這些以後都留給我們悠悠做嫁妝。”
原本她窮的叮當響，現在好了，可算有了些家底。
季瑾悠暢想一下她一直活到長大，活到出嫁，到時候娘倆不舍分別，抱頭哭泣的溫馨場面，光是想想就覺得格外美好，希望她和母妃能活到那一天。
她嘿嘿一笑，胖乎乎的小身子往那裝滿了銀元寶的箱子上一趴，兩只小手一摟：“悠悠的嫁妝，全都要。”
銥驊
“小財迷，都給你。”如嫔被逗得笑出聲。
金杏在一旁也笑得肚子痛，“我們小主子到哪都不會吃虧。”
季瑾悠想到今天陛下叮囑說，以後大家都要對小質子好一些，便說：“母妃，小質子哥哥受傷了，悠悠想去看看他，再給他送些東西。”
如今越來越好的處境，還有面前這些賞賜，全都是悠悠的功勞，如嫔自是随她：“成，悠悠想送什麽咱們就送什麽。”
季瑾悠拍拍小手：“那現在就去。”
---
皇宮偏僻的院子，院中，兩個宮女和兩個小太監塌肩垂首，靜靜站着等候。
屋內，薛翊禮坐在榻上，看着地上擺着的一箱箱吃穿用物，久久不語。
好一會兒，從安小聲問：“殿下，這是因為今兒這事，給您的補償？”
薛翊禮搖搖頭：“未必。”
大耀的境況雖說比前些年好了許多，可和大盛比起來，還是差了一些，若單單因為這件事，不大可能做出如此豐厚的補償。
先前在崇德殿的時候，他可沒看出文昭帝那老東西有多愧疚。
從安不理解：“那這些東西，還有外頭那四人，究竟是為何？”
薛翊禮試圖站在文昭帝的角度去琢磨，想着想着，突然笑了。
文昭帝這老東西，怕不是也聽到了小公主和那男子說的，以後他會滅了大盛？
只是奇怪了，依照文昭帝以往雷厲風行的鐵腕做派，他也該和那個蠢到家的十三皇子一樣，想辦法先殺了他，以絕後患才是，怎麽想出這麽個招數？
難道是因為他老了，手腕也溫和了？
還是說，因為他聽到小公主和那男子說的那些話，想先整頓這他這亂糟糟的後宮，把他先往後放一放？
亦或是，大耀如今的情形，比之以前，又好了一些，文昭帝忌憚大耀，這才迫不得已将他留下？
薛翊禮仔細一琢磨，覺得很有這個可能。畢竟，距離上回大耀使臣來訪，與他說起大耀的情況，已是兩年之久了。
從安見薛翊禮一直垂眸出神，還以為他今天流血過多人不舒服，擔憂地問：“殿下，你可是哪裏不适，傷口可是又疼了？”
薛翊禮回神，搖了下頭：“無妨，別擔心。”
從安突然想起之前的情況，疑惑問道：“殿下，你先前為何突然丢了棍子？”
大盛十三皇子明明不是殿下的對手，先前殿下一直占上風來着。
薛翊禮面不改色：“失手了，不知怎的，胳膊突然一麻，棍子就掉了。”
從安那麽緊張他，他可不敢讓從安知道是他故意傷的自己，不然從安要和他生氣了，說不定還要好幾天不理他。
而且這種陰謀詭計，既然文昭帝都信了，就爛在肚子裏好了，不必告知他人。
見他如此說，從安沒有懷疑，一想起那兇險的場面，仍舊心有餘悸，一陣陣後怕：“下回再有什麽事，小的可不離您左右了。”
薛翊禮裝傻，點頭：“好。”
從安又問：“殿下，那外頭那些宮女太監怎麽辦？”
薛翊禮已經想明白其中關節，淺淺笑了下：“既然是陛下的好意，那就收下吧，至少你我不用再為這些瑣事煩心，也能多些功夫讀書寫字，練練拳腳。”
從安想着上回自己生病，都是小小的殿下忙裏忙外照顧他，讓他愧疚又心疼，點頭道：“是，那小的就去給他們安排住處。”
薛翊禮躺回榻上：“我晚上要喝羊肉湯，讓他們去做吧。”
見自家殿下耍起派頭來了，從安笑着歡快應：“好嘞。”
從安出門安排，很快又回來，語氣驚奇：“殿下，那個最小的小公主來了。”