Chapter 116: Since Meng Yan is her mother, then he is her father
When Doukou spoke, everyone in the palace was shocked and delighted.
Meng Yan ordered the palace maids to help her comb her hair and dress, while she hurriedly sent people to Shoukang Palace and Baohe Hall to deliver letters.
A moment later, the Queen Mother arrived.
As soon as Empress Dowager Jiang entered the main hall, she ignored everyone else and went straight to Doukou. She hugged the child and said in a trembling voice, "Good child, Doukou, call me Empress Dowager."
Doukou blinked her eyes, opened her mouth, and for a long time she tugged at Meng Yan's sleeve, "Mom, I'm so scared..."
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. This is the Empress Dowager who loves you the most. She even gave you candy. Have you forgotten?" Meng Yan comforted Doukou while saying to Empress Dowager Jiang, "Don't be anxious, Empress Dowager. The child has just started talking and can only say these two words. But now that the princess has started talking, she will gradually get better."
Empress Dowager Jiang was filled with both sorrow and joy, her eyes red as she nodded and choked with sobs, "You're absolutely right. I was impatient and frightened the child. Poor my eldest son, my only child, and yet he has such a problem. I worry day and night. If this child continues to be like this, how will I face her father a hundred years from now!"
Meng Yan was busy offering her seat and ordering the palace maid to serve tea.
Empress Dowager Jiang then held the little princess on her lap and hugged her while talking to her.
When the concubines in the six palaces heard the news, they came one after another. Regardless of whether they were sincere or not, they naturally prepared a lot of nice words to suit the occasion. Flattery was heard everywhere, and the tables in the palace were piled with gifts.
Concubine Liang and Lin Yanrong were also caught in the middle, but they just watched coldly without saying a word.
Half an hour later, Lu Haozhi also hurried over.
The concubines stood up and bowed to him. He waved his hand and strode to Empress Dowager Jiang. He smiled and said, "My son had just finished discussing the war situation in the southwest with several ministers when he heard this good news. He hurried over, but he is still a step too late."
Empress Dowager Jiang nodded and smiled, "The Emperor should prioritize state affairs, and that's as he should."
Lu Haozhi said, "I am Princess He'an's uncle. I am also happy that the princess can speak." As he said that, he pinched Doukou's cheek.
Unexpectedly, Doukou didn't smile, but stared at him with her big black eyes.
Lu Haozhi was baffled. What was wrong with this little girl? She was always unhappy when she saw him. She had ruined several good things in a row, and he wasn't angry at all! Besides, Meng Yan was her mother, so he was her father. How could a girl be so disrespectful to her father?
But when he thought of Meng Yan as her mother and himself as her father, Lu Haozhi became happy again and said, "Talking to Princess An is a great joy. Rong An, tell the Imperial Household Department to fetch the phoenix headpiece inlaid with gold filigree and rubies. I will give it to the princess as a reward."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.
This piece of head ornament originally belonged to the late emperor's sister, Princess Baoyi. Before her death, the princess sent all the hairpins, combs and jewelry she used throughout her life to the palace. Now they are kept in the Imperial Household Department.
The emperor bestowed this gift on Princess He'an, and the underlying meaning is bound to make people think too much.
Empress Dowager Jiang glanced at him without saying a word.
Meng Yan stepped forward and bowed. "On behalf of the princess, I thank the emperor for his grace. However, the princess is still young and does not need such jewelry yet. I dare to ask the emperor to take this item back for now and reward her when she is older."
Lu Haozhi looked at her and smiled slightly, "The princess is young, so what is there to be afraid of? As her mother, you can keep it for her for the time being. This can be considered as me adding to the princess's makeup in advance."
The so-called adding makeup means adding some money and jewelry to a daughter who is about to get married.
Meng Yan was shocked. Doukou was only four years old now, and it was more than ten years too early for Lu Haozhi to add makeup to her.
Empress Dowager Jiang said, "Yan girl, you should keep this gift from the emperor for the princess. The child grows fast and will be able to use it in the blink of an eye."
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor had already spoken, so Meng Yan had no choice but to kowtow and express her gratitude.
The concubines saw this, some were envious, some were jealous, and some turned a blind eye.
However, with the Empress Dowager and the Emperor present, no matter how many plans everyone had in mind, they had to put on a good show, try their best to joke and please the two of them.
Inside the Changchun Palace, there was a bustling atmosphere.
Lu Haozhi continued, "Recently, the war in the southwest has eased, and my mother has just returned to the palace. I plan to hold a family banquet in two days to welcome her back. What do you think, my mother?"
Empress Dowager Jiang held the child in her arms and smiled, "I'm just an old woman returning to the palace, just like returning home. I'm not a soldier returning from a victorious battle, so there's really no need to make a big fuss. But the palace hasn't been lively for a long time, so it's not a bad idea to use this event to make it lively."
Lu Haozhi smiled, "Since the Queen Mother says so, then I will give the order."
After chatting and laughing for a while, as the sun was setting, Empress Dowager Jiang stood up and said, "It's getting late. I wanted to treat Miss Yan to a meal, but now that I'm having a vegetarian meal today, it's best to go back. The Emperor can stay and spend some time talking with them."
Seeing that the Empress Dowager openly sent the Emperor to Changchun Palace, the concubines had long lost their temper. They just smiled, bowed and left.
After leaving Changchun Palace, Concubine Liang and Lin Yanrong walked behind.
Lin Yanrong followed Liang Chengbi closely, acting humbly and saying with lowered eyebrows, "My Lady, the errand is done."
Liang Chengbi didn't even look at her, but snorted. Even if she heard him, she spoke lazily after a long while, "You saw what happened just now. The drama you designed actually earned Changchun Palace a lot of face! The Emperor personally bestowed the title of Grand Princess on her. What's next? Make that little girl the Grand Princess? Wouldn't the Grand Princess's mother naturally become the Empress?"
Lin Yanrong's heart tightened, the queen's position should clearly be hers!
She smiled and said, "Your Majesty is so angry that she's confused. That little... princess is only a little old, and she's the daughter of a prince. She has done nothing for the country, so how could she become the eldest princess?"
Liang Chengbi sneered, "Is this palace confused? Lin Yanrong, I think you are the fool. Is the emperor doing that for that little girl? It's for Meng Yan! The palace always says that a mother is honored by her son, but don't you know that a son is honored by his mother? To bestow so much honor and favor on Changchun Palace, this palace... this palace..."
Lin Yanrong's face was filled with gloom after hearing this. It seemed that there was less and less room for Lu Haozhi and Meng Yan to get involved.
Liang Chengbi continued, "You heard it, the Emperor is going to hold a welcoming banquet for the Empress Dowager. Go back in the next two days and think about how to make it happen, so that you can please the Empress Dowager. The Emperor is a filial son. If you win the Empress Dowager's favor, he might even take a look at you."
Lin Yanrong nodded in agreement, and the two of them went their separate ways.
After everyone dispersed, Changchun Palace suddenly became quiet.
Meng Yan didn't know how to respond to Lu Haozhi, so she went to the small kitchen under the pretext of asking him to prepare a few dishes that the emperor liked to eat, and then left.
Only Lu Haozhi and the little princess were left.
Lu Haozhi sat on the chair, touched Doukou's little head, and saw that there was no one around except Rong An, so he whispered, "Doukou, be good and call me daddy."
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