Chapter 236: Traces in the Snow
Emperor Lu Haozhi of the Great Zhou had been childless for many years, and the good news of Meng Yan's pregnancy came as soon as she was crowned empress. This meant that the Great Zhou dynasty would have a successor, and this was naturally a great joyous event that was celebrated by the whole world.
However, in private, everyone in the harem was whispering, saying that the queen was pregnant at the wrong time.
This principle is simple.
Although Meng Yan has been a noble concubine for many years, she actually has very little experience in managing the palace. When she was a noble concubine in previous years, due to various reasons in the past, her behavior was crazy and absurd, and she had a very bad reputation in the palace.
Although she had changed her ways over the past six months, living in seclusion, raising the princess, treating her kindly, and making great contributions to epidemic prevention, and folk scholars had written a book "Biography of Virtuous Women" about her, but after all, because of the events of the past few years, the people in the palace obeyed her on the surface, but in their hearts they did not really respect the newly appointed Queen Meng.
The harem of the Great Zhou Dynasty had been without a master for many years and was in serious trouble. Now that she had just ascended the throne, it was best for her to use her means to bring order to the harem, establish her reputation and power, and consolidate her foundation.
As expected, she was pregnant at the moment, so she had to let go of everything else. Even the sky falling was not as important as taking good care of the baby.
But in this case, she certainly had no time to take care of everything in the palace.
Palace affairs are complex and complex, from major tasks like teaching the princess to minor ones like changing the curtains in the Xiefang Palace. They all require coordination and care. In the past, when the harem was without a leader, no one could find fault even if it was chaotic. Now that the Great Zhou has an empress, the harem has someone in charge. Even if there is still chaos and disorder, people will not say that the empress is pregnant and lacks the energy, but only that Empress Meng is in name only and has no way of governing the palace!
If this continues, the good reputation that Meng Yan had previously accumulated will be completely wiped out. If any trouble occurs at this critical juncture, her position as queen will not be secure relying solely on the dragon fetus in her womb and the favor of the empress dowager and the emperor.
Although the Liang family has fallen, there are still many people in the former dynasty and the harem who are eyeing them covetously. The Meng family is now at its peak and is naturally the target of public criticism.
Needless to say, at today's court meeting, that group of sour and smelly officials were still writing to the emperor, requesting a selection of concubines on the grounds that the royal family had few offspring, the queen was pregnant, and there was no one in the harem to serve His Majesty.
What a mess...
Meng Changyuan, the Duke of Protector of the Country appointed by the Emperor, the fierce war god on the battlefield of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the uncle of the emperor and the elder brother of the Queen, felt a splitting headache as big as a bucket.
He would rather go back to the battlefield, put on his armor, recruit soldiers, shake his silver spear, and kill the enemy ten times in and out, rather than thinking about these trivial things all day long!
Before his father's travels, he'd spoken of his brother and sister. The elder brother, with his broad mind and uncanny strength, was a natural-born military commander, capable of determining the fate of nations. His unbridled temperament, however, prevented him from mastering fine art. The younger sister, though still young, possessed a meticulous and meticulous demeanor, her intelligence rivaling that of the civil officials and scholars. Unfortunately, she was born a girl, and being chosen for the Eastern Palace was uncertain whether this was a blessing or a curse. He urged him to take good care of her.
He was now willing to teach the delicate girl Doukou martial arts and military tactics because he saw that his sister was too busy to take care of her. He was afraid that the princess would neglect her care and teaching, and her studies would be delayed, which might cause trouble again.
I originally thought, how could a little girl like to wield swords and sticks, but after three days of novelty, she forgot about it.
It turned out that this girl was a good material for martial arts. Not only did she learn riding and shooting well, she even understood simple military tactics at a glance. She could recite the military classics more fluently than the Women's Virtue Classics. Her progress was even faster than that of the several generals' children he recruited last year.
Meng Changyuan was a good general, so seeing such a good talent, how could he not cherish her? He only lamented that the child was born a girl by mistake, otherwise he would have taken her to his side and taught her all his skills.
But even though he tried to restrain himself, he couldn't resist the urge to hide his skills while teaching, and he still taught the child a lot of real kung fu. Fortunately, as the girl's martial arts improved, her ability to tease cats and dogs also improved greatly, and her temperament was ten times more naughty than before.
Every time Meng Changyuan thought about this, he felt deeply regretful and felt sorry for his sister. It seemed that it would be better not to teach this princess...
Now, seeing that she was using the same tricks again in front of Noble Lady Bai, and was entangled with him, Meng Changyuan frowned and glanced at Noble Lady Bai.
She looks thin and frail, and doesn't seem to have any big ideas. I wonder how she's going to deal with it?
This matter could be big or small. On a smaller scale, it's just a child throwing a tantrum. On a larger scale, it could be the princess's aversion to studying...
Ahhhh!
It’s so fucking annoying!
He is worst at dealing with little girls.
Bai Yuxin's cherry-pink lips curved, and a gentle smile spread across her porcelain-white face. She touched the top of Doukou's head, leaned down, and looked her in the eye. Without replying to her previous words, she said softly, "The Empress knows that the princess has been studying hard, so she got up early this morning and personally went to the kitchen to prepare three pastries: rose bean paste rolls, goose oil pastry, and cypress leaf cakes. She told me to bring them to Xiefang Palace as a snack for the princess after school."
When little Doukou heard this, she forgot to pretend to cry. Two tears hung on her cheeks. Her black eyes stared at Bai Yuxin and she stammered, "...You, are you serious? Is auntie trying to fool me? Mother...my mother has her own child now and will never love me again..." As she spoke, her little nose twitched again, which was very cute.
It turned out that Princess He'an did not absolutely hate studying. She was just a little child. Seeing that her mother, whom she usually loved and relied on, suddenly had another child, she was afraid that the mother would no longer be the most precious one. She felt uneasy and jealous, so she deliberately did many tricky things to attract the attention of adults.
Although Doukou is young, she experienced great changes in her childhood and is more intelligent than ordinary children. In fact, she has long known that her current mother is not her biological mother. However, she lost her parents early, so she is naturally doubly attached to this mother.
Originally, a man who suddenly appeared and claimed to be her father often took her away at night, which was already very annoying. Now, her mother had a child.
Seeing her mother happy for the baby in her belly every day, Doukou knew that she should be happy for her mother.
But...it's still a bit annoying...
She deliberately acted recklessly in Xiefang Palace, hoping that her mother would look at her more, even if it was just a scolding.
Before entering the palace, Bai Yuxin was the eldest daughter in the family. She had several younger siblings, and the youngest was less than six years old when she left home. How could she not know what this child was thinking?
At that moment, she smiled faintly and said nothing. She took a moon-white handkerchief and wiped the tears from Doukou's face. Then she said, "When has my aunt ever lied to you? Look, isn't that a snack in that box? Isn't it the Queen's craftsmanship? You'll know after you taste it."
Doukou turned her head and took a look, and sure enough, she saw a mahogany carved lacquer food box hanging on the arm of Bai Yuxin's personal maid.
She jumped over and opened the lid of the food box. Sure enough, she saw three kinds of snacks inside. She took a piece of cypress leaf cake, took a bite, and a sweet smile appeared on her little face.
The cypress leaves were fragrant, sweet, crispy, and had a hint of sesame salt... It tasted different from the cypress leaf cakes made in the imperial kitchen. It was her favorite flavor, the taste of her mother...
Bai Yuxin whispered, "Princess, the Empress is pregnant and can't stand the smell of cooking fumes. She knows how hard the Princess studies and is afraid she won't go to school anymore, so she endured the nausea and made these snacks in the small kitchen. She was afraid the Empress Dowager would hear about it and worry and blame her, so she made them quietly without bringing many people. They're all for the Princess; not even the Emperor has the pleasure of having a piece."
The last sentence made Doukou happiest, and the cake in her mouth seemed to be sweeter.
Bai Yuxin straightened her back and smiled as she continued, "Didn't the Empress sew your pen bag herself? She even made a few holes in it, just so the princess could use it while she was studying."
When Doukou heard what she said, she thought of the pen bag hanging around her waist. She was about to touch it, but suddenly she remembered the cake in her hand. She was afraid of getting oil on it, so she stopped.
She still remembered that the day before she was going to school, her mother called her over, smiled wearily, and tied a sky-blue brocade bag around her, saying it was a gift for her enlightenment.
I don't know what was embroidered on the bag. My mother said it was Mei, Lan, and Tongfang. Maybe it was.
Every day, she watched her mother sew needlework and heard the palace maids say that it was all for the unborn little prince. She felt very uncomfortable. It turned out that there was something for her in there...
Although she read the book in a disorderly manner, the pen bag was her most precious thing and she didn't even allow Chenchen to touch it.
She received needlework made by her mother earlier than her unborn younger brothers and sisters.
Thinking of this, Doukou's little heart suddenly felt at peace and warm, but also a little guilty.
She pulled Bai Yuxin's hand, looked up and said, "Aunt, I've memorized everything the teacher taught me today. Let's go back and recite it to Mother, okay?"
As for the Empress, she seems to be accompanying the Emperor at this moment.
Bai Yuxin pondered in her mind for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, but the Queen Mother is waiting for the princess. Let's recite it to her first and earn some rose pine nut candy, okay?"
Doukou naturally nodded in agreement. She was in a hurry to meet the Queen Mother and go back to Meng Yan, so she didn't practice archery.
At that moment, everyone was busy waiting for the princess to leave.
"Mr. Bai!"
Bai Yuxin was about to walk forward when she suddenly heard a deep voice calling her.
She took a shaky step and turned to look.
But he saw Meng Changyuan clasping his hands together, slightly bending his handsome body, and bowing to him.
"Thank you so much!"
Witnessing the interaction firsthand, Meng Changyuan was deeply impressed by the woman's delicacy and composure. He wasn't completely unaware of the child's problem, but his guidance was inadequate. While Consort Bai appeared frail and timid, she was actually shrewd and steady. With a few words, she persuaded the princess, and a palace turmoil was averted.
This is probably why men are always inferior to women.
He had long known that his sister had a close friend, a nobleman who was like a sister to him, and that she cared for him greatly. He had once worried about whether this person was truly kind, after all, he still remembered her blindly promoting others. Now that his sister was pregnant, she could no longer serve the emperor personally. What if someone took advantage of the situation and did something bad?
But after seeing this scene today, he felt at ease.
With this person by my sister's side to help her, her life in the palace will surely be much more comfortable.
Meng Changyuan just wanted to express his gratitude on behalf of his sister, but he racked his brains for half a day and couldn't come up with any suitable words. As a foreign minister, he had nothing to say to the concubine, so he could only bow deeply and say this.
Bai Yuxin looked at the heroic man in front of her, her eyes flickering slightly. After a moment, she smiled calmly and bowed, "Duke, you are so polite."
After saying that, she turned and left.
The skirt sways gently and the lotus steps are fragrant.
Walking out of Xiefang Palace, Bai Yuxin looked up and saw a vast sky above the yellow glazed tiles, as blue as a clear sky, and wild geese flying across the distant horizon.
The scene just now was like a spring breeze, which created slight ripples in the silent well, but then dissipated in an instant, and tranquility returned.
What happened today is nothing more than a fleeting trace for him.
Will he still remember it afterwards?
Probably not.
He thanked her, and that was enough.
Bai Yuxin got on the sedan chair and ordered her to follow the princess's procession to Shoukang Palace.
The wind blows across my cheeks, and my mood becomes more peaceful and open.
Within the red walls, there is a world of its own.
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