Zhao Mingxi moved closer to the big bead, giggled, and her eyes curved like crescent moons.
Empress Dowager Pu's eyes were red, and she murmured, "Ying'er, Ying'er..."
Aunt Zhang was startled and quickly called out softly, "Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Pu seemed to wake up from the past and smiled, "This child is so cute. He looks so much like Hou'er when he was a child. When I see him, I think of Hou'er when he was a child."
Princess Nanyang was initially puzzled by her incompetence, but it turned out she was calling him "Hou'er." The Empress Dowager was most compassionate to the weak, and her greatest love wasn't for the clever princes and grandsons, but for the ignorant Liu Zhaohou...
Suddenly, another pretty little face appeared in Nanyang's mind. The Queen Mother should be called "Ying'er"? But why did she deny it?
Princess Nanyang was full of suspicion, but she didn't show it on her face and just laughed.
Xu Lanyin had heard from Xu Qingyan that the Empress Dowager only had two elderly people around her: Nanny Zhang and Eunuch Guo. They were both older, around sixty years old, and the Empress Dowager had used them for her own good, yet hadn't yet given them a proper retirement. Furthermore, they both likely had seen Pu Ying as a child. Nanny Zhang had also been a maid in the Pu family, having followed Empress Dowager Pu into the palace. If the Pu family had any spies, Nanny Zhang was the most likely to be one.
Xu Lanyin noticed that when Madam Zhang and Eunuch Guo looked at Zhao Mingxi, their eyes shrank slightly, then disappeared in an instant. Having a blank expression was a skill that palace servants had developed over time.
However, Eunuch Guo was still as usual, and Nanny Zhang also seemed to be normal. However, her head was slightly more tilted than before, and her lips were slightly tighter...
Others may not notice it, but Xu Lanyin, a psychologist with many years of experience, still noticed it.
Liu Zhaohou laughed triumphantly and said, "Grandmother, doesn't he look a lot like my grandson?"
Empress Dowager Pu's eyes never left Zhao Mingxi. She smiled and said, "Yes, yes, very much like him."
Liu Zhaohou smiled again and said, "In the future, I hope my wife will give birth to a son like this."
His words made everyone laugh again, and Empress Dowager Pu's thoughts were pulled away from the past. She looked up at Princess Nanyang and Xu Lanyin, and said to Eunuch Guo, "Little Guo, go and give him my jade Buddha hand as a reward."
Eunuch Guo went to the inner hall and brought out a half-foot-tall Hetian jade Buddha's hand on a red sandalwood frame. Another young eunuch brought out a jade ruyi, which was a gift from the Empress Dowager to Xu Lanyin.
This Buddha's hand was clearly priceless, completely different from the Buddha's hand pendants or jade ruyi (ruyi) often given as gifts to ministers and their families. Even the Princess of Nanyang was stunned, secretly thinking the Empress Dowager was treating Zhao Mingxi like Pu Ying. It also reinforced her belief in Empress Dowager Pu's unwavering gratitude and her unwavering favor towards the Pu family, even remembering a girl who had died decades earlier.
Xu Lanyin quickly stood up and kowtowed to thank him for the reward, and also thanked him on behalf of Zhao Mingxi.
Eunuch Guo smiled and said, "Young Master Zhao is blessed. This Buddha's hand was given to him by the Empress Dowager from Master Wuwei decades ago."
After hearing this, Xu Lanyin kowtowed again.
Zhao Mingxi was a little fat, and Empress Dowager Pu was a little tired. She didn't want others to notice her difference, so she returned the child to Mother Qian.
When people grow old, they love to reminisce about the past. The two old ladies talked about the time when the late emperor was still alive, and Empress Dowager Pu invited them to have lunch. Xu Lanyin went to the side hall to feed her child before eating.
After dinner, they bid farewell and left the palace. Empress Dowager Pu then said to Princess Nanyang, "Next time you come to visit me, bring Yin and Xi with you."
Princess Nanyang smiled and said, "Yes, if they were in the capital, I would bring them here. Oh, it would be a great blessing for Xiao Ming to be favored by the Empress Dowager."
Xu Lanyin has been in the palace for so long, but she has never had the chance to listen to people's true feelings.
Upon returning to the Xu household, Xu Lanyin, Mama Qian, and Zhangqi took Zhao Mingxi and Xu Lanyue to a carriage through the back door, claiming they were going to the manor outside Beijing for a few days. Xu Lanyin had already mentioned wanting to visit the manor, and the servants didn't think it was unusual.
Xu Lanyin, Chai, and Xu Lanyue all had fields and farms outside Beijing, but they did not go to these three farms. Instead, they went to a farm that Zhao Wu asked Li Luo to secretly purchase.
Chai went directly to the Princess Nanyang's Mansion.
After sending the servant away, she told Princess Nanyang and Prince Consort Chai about Zhao Wu's stay in the Wen family.
Princess Nanyang cursed, "Wen Yan is so abominable. For the sake of a title, he actually wants to kill my brother's family."
Prince Consort Chai also said, "Duke Wen is completely clueless. He only knows how to make elixirs and act like an immortal. He even tolerates his son doing such a thing. It must be the end of his luck. Humph, he deserves it."
Princess Nanyang was shrewd, having spent so many years in the palace. Considering the Queen Mother's inappropriate behavior and irrationality, Xu Lanyin's unusual behavior in the palace, and the Wen family's indifference to the murder of their eldest son and his family, she felt there might be another reason. She then asked, "Is this all Zhao Wu's life story?"
Chai was stunned by the question. Although she felt that even if she revealed Zhao Wu's true background, Princess Nanyang would definitely support the Queen Mother and Zhao Wu's family, and would not support the Pu family, who were framing the royal bloodline, she still felt it was best not to say anything for now. She said, "Mother, I know that if I tell you the truth, you will stand on the side of justice and not tell anyone. However, I think it's better for you not to know for now..."
Before she could finish her words, Princess Nanyang waved her hand and said, "Alright, stop talking. Some things are better known later than earlier. I just want to ask, when was Zhao Wu's mother's death anniversary?"
Chai replied, "Forty-eight."
Princess Nanyang's expression turned serious, and she said, "I understand. Both the girl and Zhao Wu are good children. If you need my help with anything, just tell me."
Chai agreed, stood up and bowed to her before going home.
As the carriage entered the Xu family's front yard, Ding Gu came up to it and quietly reported, "The eldest aunt has taken my brother and the second daughter to the country farm to play. I just heard that the Wen family has been surrounded by the army, and the adult males have been arrested and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. The master asked Ji Zhu to come back and tell the lady that he has something to do and will be back later today."
"So soon?"
Like Chai and Xu Lanyin, they all hoped that the Wen family would step down, but they were also afraid that the few people in the Wen family who knew about it would shut up in advance.
At this time, the dusk was heavy, the sun had already set, and the dark clouds in the western sky were only rimmed with a circle of gold. The evening in the countryside was extremely beautiful.
This place is not like the capital, which is calm, beautiful and peaceful.
Xu Lanyin was holding Zhao Mingxi and playing in the yard. The child's giggles sounded like the sound of nature.
There were three servants in the village, all of whom were disabled. Two of them were a couple in their forties, and the other was in his fifties.
Hearing that pleasant voice, everyone sitting in the outer courtyard started laughing.
PS: Someone said that the generational order was wrong, Liu Zhaohou is one generation older than Chai Jun. It is indeed Qingquan who made the mistake, and I will correct it. . .
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