Chapter 93: Every time the Sixteenth Prince gets sick, it's because of Concubine Ling's deliberate actions
Concubine Ru frowned slightly. The palace was in turmoil, with incidents happening every other day. She was always feeling uneasy.
Father Xu nodded: "Let's listen to He's story."
"Jin Xing, go and guard outside." Concubine Ru ordered. After Jin Xing left, she lowered her voice and said softly, "Father, I'm not saying this to mourn you. It's just that the emperor's favor cannot be guaranteed to last forever, and the current situation in the capital..."
Among the concubines who were punished recently, several had been favored by His Majesty before, but were brought to the bottom in an instant. Although they had made big mistakes first, His Majesty's ruthlessness was truly shocking.
She seemed to be favored now, but she knew clearly that it was all because of the child Youyou's hard-working character who won the favor of His Majesty, the two queens, and several princesses and princes. As a mother, she was able to benefit from this and was promoted to a higher position, living a more respectable life than before.
But whether it is towards concubines or princes and princesses, His Majesty is not a loyal person. He has never been seen to favor any of them all the time.
The ups and downs of the fate of people in the palace are just a matter of a moment. She has seen it too many times over the years.
So, maybe one day, His Majesty's sudden fatherly love for Youyou will fade away, just like before, when he no longer cares much about her and her son.
In this palace, no matter whether you are a concubine or an heir to the throne, the treatment of the favored and the unfavored is very different. And whether in the palace or in the capital, there are many people who flatter the powerful and look down on the weak.
If her parents were not in the capital, she would have nothing to worry about. Even if she returned to her old life, she would not be too worried. It would just be a little harder. She only needed to take care of herself and take good care of Youyou and Shiqi, and she would be able to live a good life.
But if her parents were in the capital, they would inevitably worry about her and the children.
There is an even more serious matter. Your Majesty has been slow to appoint a crown prince, several princes have been fighting each other, and the situation in the capital is complicated. If my parents stay in the capital, they might be accidentally dragged into this chaos, which would cause trouble and even endanger their lives.
My parents are old, and my father will be able to retire peacefully in two years. There is really no need to get involved.
It would be better to return to your hometown, be surrounded by your children and grandchildren, and spend your old age in peace.
Ru Fei only said half of her words, but both Xu's father and mother understood what she meant. Xu's father nodded and said, "That's what I meant. Your Majesty mentioned it before, and I had already declined the offer on the pretext of being old. But Your Majesty asked me to discuss it with you again, saying that you would be happy if your mother and I could stay in the capital."
Concubine Ru sighed: "If possible, I would like you to stay in the capital so that we can see each other more often. But with the current situation in the capital, it is better for you to stay away."
Mother Xu held Concubine Ru's hand and sighed, "Tinghe, I will leave you alone in the capital again. I feel really bad about it."
Ru Fei pretended to smile casually: "Mother, you are wrong. My daughter is not alone now. I have Shiqi and Youyou."
Mother Xu thought of her two lovely and well-behaved children and nodded with a smile: "Yes, our Tinghe is a blessed person, with both a son and a daughter."
Father Xu saw the sadness in his daughter's eyes and said with a smile, "You don't have to be sad. His Majesty said that your mother and I can stay in the capital as long as we want, and he also allowed us to come to the palace often to accompany you."
Mother Xu said, "I have discussed with your father and decided to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with you and the children before leaving."
Hearing that there was still so much time left, Concubine Ru hugged Xu's mother's arm and smiled happily.
Mother Xu pushed her with pretended disgust and teased her, "You are already a mother, but you are still like this. Be careful that Shiqi and Youyou see you and make fun of you."
All three couldn't help laughing.
Father Xu laughed for a while and suddenly said, "By the way, Tinghe, the three-courtyard house where your mother and I live was suddenly given to me by His Majesty today. Look, this is the title deed."
After saying this, Mr. Xu took out a land deed from his pocket and showed it to Concubine Ru.
Concubine Ru took a look and gave it back to Xu's father: "Since it was given by His Majesty, please keep it. It will provide you with a place to stay when you come to the capital in the future."
Father Xu waved his hand and said, "Keep it. When Youyou gets married or Shiqi gets married, you can give it to whichever child you want."
Xu's mother also said, "Yes, we can't help you much. This house was given to you by His Majesty for your sake. You can keep it."
Concubine Ru shook her head and said, "Your Majesty's gift should not be given away casually, so please keep it, Dad and Mom."
After hearing this, the two of them decided not to insist any longer.
Father Xu added, "However, the guards at the mansion are very strict. The imperial guard who brought us here said that this was specially arranged by His Majesty for the safety of me and your mother. I always feel that this matter is a little unusual. Your mother and I have never had any grudges with anyone, and you have also been kind to others in the palace. I really don't know why His Majesty did this."
Concubine Ru frowned slightly. Although she was kind to others, many concubines had been in trouble recently, some were killed, some were demoted, but she was the only one who was promoted, Seventeen was registered under her name, and Little Nine was favored again. All these could become reasons for people to be jealous of her.
She has been at the center of controversy these days. Someone might be trying to harm her and her two children, or her parents. Otherwise, why would His Majesty make such an arrangement?
She thought about it and told her worries to Xu's father and mother. When they heard it, their faces were also very solemn. Xu's mother asked worriedly: "What should we do?"
Father Xu patted her hands and comforted her, "Don't panic. Under the emperor's feet, even if someone has bad intentions, they dare not come brazenly. Moreover, His Majesty has arranged for people to guard the yard strictly. You and I should be careful, and nothing will happen."
Mother Xu thought the same and consoled herself: "My son is not competitive and has never offended anyone. He is still young at 17 and has such a background. We can't cause any trouble to anyone, so he will be fine."
The three of them discussed for a while and felt a little relieved.
Xu's father and mother stayed in the palace until the afternoon, and left early when the palace gates were about to be locked.
Concubine Ru was reluctant to leave the harem without permission, so she took her two children and sent the two elders to the gate of the harem. She ordered Jin Xing to make sure she sent them to the gate of the palace before she said goodbye reluctantly.
Mother Xu was reluctant to let her go, and forced a smile: "Your Majesty, please go back. We will come to the palace to pay our respects in a few days."
Ji Jinyou raised her head, looked at her mother, then at her grandmother, and said, "Mother, Youyou and brother will go see grandpa and grandmother off."
It was broad daylight, and with Jin Xing and a few others accompanying her, Concubine Ru was not worried. She nodded in agreement, gave a few instructions, and watched them walk away before she turned around and went to Fengyi Palace to thank the Empress. After leaving Fengyi Palace, she went to Chongde Hall to thank her again.
Concubine Ru was already very beautiful, and she was in a particularly good mood today after seeing her parents. She looked very cheerful and even more beautiful than usual. Emperor Wen Zhao was moved by her and said, "Stay with me tonight."
Looking at the emperor who was still tall and handsome despite being over 40 years old, Concubine Ru's heart skipped a beat. She took a small step back and said with a red face and stammering, "Your Majesty, I still have to go back to take care of Seventeen and Little Nine."
Emperor Wen Zhao held her hand and sighed helplessly: "Why are you still so afraid of me? I really suspect that when you gave birth to Xiaojiu, you gave all your courage to her. That little bastard is very bold in front of me. Not only does she dare to go along with my baby, she also dares to give my things away casually."
Concubine Ru could hear the doting in Emperor Wen Zhao's words and couldn't help laughing: "Your Majesty, are you talking about the chess piece that Youyou gave to her grandfather?"
Emperor Wen Zhao snorted and pretended to be angry, "No, I mean that the little bastard Xiao Jiu stole my inkstone and gave it to the little hostage of Yao State."
Concubine Ru only knew that Youyou went to see the little prince of Yao State again yesterday, but she didn't know about the inkstone. She was stunned when she heard this: "There is also this matter. This child, ah."
Emperor Wen Zhao smiled and said, "This clever little girl is so naughty. I can't do anything about her."
Thinking of her own daughter's mischievous appearance, Concubine Ru couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing that Concubine Ru was no longer as nervous and restrained as before, Emperor Wen Zhao continued to talk about Xiao Jiu, and then talked to her about Seventeen. When talking about the two children, Concubine Ru completely relaxed and asked and answered questions with Emperor Wen Zhao, chatting for a long time, which was unprecedented.
After seeing off Father and Mother Xu, Ji Jinyou and Shiqi returned to Miaoyunxuan. As soon as they entered the door, they looked for Concubine Ru, "Mother, we are back."
Haitang came up to him cheerfully and said, "My young master, my young prince, a message just came from Chongde Hall saying that His Majesty wants to invite His Majesty to dinner."
Hearing the excitement in Haitang's tone, Jin Xing looked at her inquiringly. Haitang nodded. Jin Xing immediately understood that the queen was going to sleep with him tonight, and she couldn't help but smile.
When Ji Jinyou heard this, he pulled Seventeen and ran out: "Brother, let's go to Father's place to have dinner."
After several months, the queen finally had the chance to sleep with him, and he couldn't let the two young masters disturb her. Jin Xing and Hai Tang looked at each other, and hurriedly hugged the two children one by one.
Haitang said in a gentle voice: "My young master, the queen will stay in Chongde Hall tonight. Would you and the young prince have dinner in our palace?"
Ji Jinyou saw that Jin Xing and Haitang were both smiling. After a moment's thought, she understood what was going on and she stomped her feet in anger.
Seventeen didn't understand what was going on, and just thought that his sister was angry because the emperor and she were fighting for the mother. He reached out and hugged the angry little girl with her arms crossed into his arms: "Xiaojiu, it's a big deal for the mother to accompany the father, so your brother will accompany you."
Jin Xing also advised: "Yes, young master, His Highness the Seventeenth Prince is with you. Don't you love the golden silk cakes made by me the most? Can I make them for you?"
Ji Jinyou nodded her head: "Okay then." Otherwise, what else could she do.
After dinner, the two children played in the yard for a while, and then were taken by Jin Xing and Hai Tang to bathe and change clothes and go to bed early.
The next morning, after Ji Jinyou woke up, he found that Concubine Ru had not returned yet. She said that she had gone to Fengyi Palace to pay her respects to the Empress.
After the two children had finished their breakfast, someone came to Chongde Hall and said that His Majesty wanted to invite the Ninth Princess to play chess.
Ji Jinyou originally wanted to wait for her mother on the way to Fengyi Palace with Shiqi, but the emperor ordered that she had to go to Chongde Hall first.
As the little girl entered the palace with her short legs, she was stunned to see Lingpin and the sickly Sixteenth Prince. She complained in her heart: "Tongtong, tell me whether father is annoying or not. Yesterday he and Youyou competed for my mother. Today he called me to play chess early in the morning and didn't even let my Seventeenth Brother come along. Why did he call Lingpin and Sixteenth Prince to come as well?"
System: [Who knows? ]
Hearing the little girl's unhappy thoughts, Emperor Wen Zhao remained calm, stepped forward, picked up the little girl, put her on the couch by the window, and sat on each side: "Come, accompany your father to eat a few dishes."
[My annoying father, what's the point of playing this crappy chess game?] Ji Jinyou was dissatisfied. He picked up the white chess pieces with his two little hands, put one down with his left hand and one with his right hand, and started to mess around.
Emperor Wen Zhao glanced at the stunned Concubine Ling and the Sixteenth Prince, gave them a warning look, then picked up the black chess piece and began to make his move.
Ji Jinyou asked as he went downstairs: [Everyone, what is wrong with the Sixteenth Prince? Why does he get sick all the time?]
The system flipped through the pages and sneered: [The Sixteenth Prince is in good health. Every time he gets sick it is because of Concubine Ling.]