Chapter 15 Warming Her Heart
Seeing that the little princess had almost crawled to the edge of the bed, Meng Yan suddenly woke up from her dream, hurried forward and hugged her.
The little princess took the opportunity to dive into Meng Yan's arms, her two tender white hands tightly clutching her clothes, and she looked up at her and giggled.
Yunxiang smiled and said, "The little princess just woke up and ignored everyone who spoke to her. But when the queen came over, she rushed over to be close to her. It shows that she knows how to repay a favor."
Meng Yan held the child and sat on the edge of the bed. She touched the little girl's head and smiled, "You are good at coaxing people. What does a little girl like her know? Besides, she had such a high fever last night, how could she remember anything?"
Yunxiang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know that children can remember the smell of adults. Your Majesty took care of her all night, and the little princess remembers your smell!"
Meng Yan remained silent. The palace maids serving under her always only said nice things.
She looked down at the child in her arms. The little princess had shiny black hair and a delicate apple-shaped face with two dimples when she smiled. Although she was young, she already had the appearance of a beauty.
He was a good child who was loved by everyone. Why didn’t I care about him at all in my previous life?
After thinking about it, maybe it’s because I have never been a mother, and coupled with the influence of the plot in the book, I have no feeling at all.
It was because I had lost a child myself that I was touched.
The little princess's cheeks were slightly sunken. At this age, children are usually chubby, but she looked a little thin.
Thinking of last night when she had a high fever and cried until her voice was hoarse but no one paid any attention to her, Meng Yan felt a pain in her chest and hugged her small body tightly.
This time, no matter whether she can give birth to another child in this life or not, she will never let the child suffer any grievances again.
She will treat Doukou as her own daughter and raise her well.
In her previous life, Lin Yanrong was highly praised in the palace for her contribution to raising the little princess. Even the Empress Dowager, who had always looked down upon the concubines in the harem, personally praised her for being "beautiful and intelligent, with the demeanor of a mother."
But, does Lin Yanrong really love Doukou?
Meng Yan sneered in her heart. She remembered clearly that when the little princess was seven years old, there was a severe drought in the Zhou Dynasty, and the Guirong tribe in the north was eyeing them covetously.
Lin Yanrong proposed to the emperor that the seven-year-old Princess He'an be betrothed to a prince of the Guirong tribe to seek peace. Even though the princess was still young, the marriage could be arranged first.
Since ancient times, the fate of princesses who were married off to foreign countries has been extremely tragic. Doukou was the descendant of a meritorious official and lost her parents at a young age. She should have been well taken care of, but Lin Yanrong had the heart to let her marry off to foreign countries!
"Princess, as a princess of wealth and status, supported by the people, you should step forward in this critical moment."
She talks about being righteous, but why doesn't she stand up for herself? Isn't she calculating for her own future and favor?
I am sent to protect the country, but I don't know where the general is needed.
It seems that Lin Yanrong only regarded this child as a stepping stone to win favor and never truly loved her.
The book says she's intelligent, capable, and resourceful? But she's actually selfish, cold-blooded, and vicious!
Meng Yan died early in the cold palace, and it was unknown whether Doukou really went to marry into the Guirong clan after she grew up, but in this life, she would never let this child go down this path of no return.
Thinking of this, she hugged Doukou even tighter.
The four-year-old child's small body was like a small stove, warming Meng Yan's heart.
The little girl suddenly squirmed, raised her little head, and looked straight at Meng Yan. Suddenly, she raised her little hand, touched her face, and babbled:
"mother……"
The soft and sticky voice, like a mouthful of glutinous rice cake, went straight into Meng Yan's heart, making her heart soften like a pool of spring water.
"Doukou, from now on I will be your mother."
Meng Yan looked at the dark eyes of the little person in her arms and smiled lovingly.
After a while, she remembered something and felt a little strange. "Isn't Princess He'an mute? Why is she still calling me mother?"
Yunxiang, hearing her question, showed a look of pity on her face. "Your Majesty, you may not know. I heard from the princess's wet nurse that when Prince Yi's wife hanged herself, the little princess was right beside her. Since then, the princess has been unable to speak anything other than this word. The imperial physician said that the princess suffered from palpitations and fright, but she may recover as she grows older."
I see!
Meng Yan felt even more distressed, remembering that when she'd taken Doukou's pulse the previous day, she'd found no other symptoms besides a cold. Doukou must be suffering from a heart condition, she thought. And heart disease is always difficult to cure, so she was afraid it would take time for her to heal.
At that moment, Meng Yan ordered people to move the princess's old clothes and belongings from Lezhixuan to the main hall of Changchun Palace.
After Meipin was deposed, Le Zhixuan became vacant, and the people she had employed were sent back to the Imperial Household Department.
Ruizhu directed the dispatches outside for a while, then came back in to report, "Your Majesty, those who used to serve the princess are all kneeling outside the palace, waiting to be sent."
Meng Yan was feeding Doukou a bowl of milk and taro porridge and said nonchalantly, "Give them each twenty strokes of the cane and send them back to the Imperial Household Department."
Ruizhu was slightly surprised, but she never asked for the Empress's orders, so she turned around and went out.
After a while, there were screams of crying for parents outside, and someone shouted sternly, "Empress Dowager, please spare my life!"
Meng Yan didn't even blink, and just concentrated on feeding Doukou porridge.
Perhaps the milk porridge was very sweet. The little girl ate it happily, clapping her hands constantly and babbling. As expected, she couldn't utter a complete sentence except the word "mother".
Yunxiang, standing by, could not help but whisper, "Your Majesty, if this incident gets out and people start shouting and yelling, it will damage your reputation."
"Just spread it. Why should I be afraid of such things?" Meng Yan finished feeding Doukou the porridge, wrung out a towel, wiped Doukou's mouth, and replied calmly, "I want everyone in the palace to know what will happen to those who bully Doukou. Even if Meipin is putting pressure on them, since they are Princess He'an's people, they should do their best to protect her. Do you think I will use such a useless servant again?"
She really doesn't want to cause trouble in this life, but this doesn't mean she has to retreat and tolerate everything, especially since she still has to raise Doukou.
If she didn't do so, people would think that Concubine Meng was cowardly and that Changchun Palace was a place where anyone could bully her.
This section is particularly important as the new bride is about to enter the palace.
Thinking of the newcomers entering the palace, Meng Yan's heart moved slightly. What if she took some action now and prevented Lin Yanrong from entering the palace?
But as soon as the thought came to her mind, she dismissed it.
After all, Lin Yanrong is the destined heroine of this book. If she acts rashly, who knows how the plot will develop, which may not necessarily be beneficial to her.
In his previous life, whenever he encountered something related to Lin Yanrong, he would definitely be in trouble.
Forget it, forget it. I'd better stay away from her and have peace.
Meng Yan thought about it and asked Ruizhu to pass on the message to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ask her and Doukou to add a few more suitable palace maids.
In the Yikun Palace, Liang Chengbi sat dejectedly on the chaise longue, her face gloomy. She gritted her teeth and said, "Meng Yan, Meng Yan, you bitch! I will never let you go!"
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