Chapter 234 Forcing the Emperor to Establish a Crown Prince
Madam Wu bent down, picked up Wei Xun's jade pendant, and handed it to Old Madam Zhao. "Grandma, take another look. Is this really something from the Northern Di Kingdom?"
Grandma Zhao took it in her hand, squinted her eyes and examined it carefully. "That's right, it's this carving. My son went to the Northern Di once before and said that he saw royal relatives wearing jade pendants like this on the road. Moreover, the color of the jade pendants was purer, which means that the person's rank was higher."
After saying that, he held the jade pendant up to the light to examine it.
"The jade pendant looks quite pure, without any flaws."
Du Wanchun and Wu Niangzi looked up together, their gazes both turning somber.
Madam Wu quickly took the jade pendant from Old Madam Zhao's hand and said with a smile, "This jade pendant seems to have been picked up by my husband. I guess he picked up the belongings of some high-ranking official."
Grandma Zhao believed it and laughed, "Your husband is so lucky to see something so valuable. He can probably sell it for a lot of money."
Madam Wu stuffed the jade pendant back into Wei Xun's hand and said with a smile, "I don't know, maybe no one will buy this jade pendant."
Grandma Zhao pointed to the market outside the village, "Go to Chang'an County, there should be people buying there."
Madam Wu looked up and smiled in agreement, "I'll try it next time with Wanchun."
Grandma Zhao smiled and nodded, then turned and left the Zhou family home.
Once Old Madam Zhao left, Madam Wu excitedly pulled Du Wanchun aside and said, "Wanchun, this jade pendant has always been on my husband's person. How could he...?"
She looked at Wei Xun as she spoke.
Wei Xun scratched the back of his head, still somewhat confused. "So I'm from the Northern Di Kingdom?"
Madam Wu frowned, biting her lip, at a loss for what to do.
Du Wanchun comforted them, saying, "Don't worry, we can investigate slowly. Maybe Brother Wei will remember in a few days."
Madam Wu lowered her head, her face full of worry, "I'm just afraid that I'm not good enough for him."
Upon hearing this, Wei Xun quickly pulled Madam Wu to his side and said, "Don't worry, no matter what my status is, you will always be my wife and I will always be your husband. There is no such thing as being too high or too low. As long as you have me in your heart, we are a match made in heaven."
Wu Niangzi was deeply moved, her eyes glistening with tears, and she hugged Wei Xun tightly.
Du Wanchun watched from the side, a relieved smile on her face.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Xiao Mianmian and Xiao Qing'er waved their hands and smiled.
Wei Xun helped Wu Niangzi into the house.
After buying the two plots of land from the Zhao family, Du Wanchun bought three or four more plots.
Wei Xun said he didn't want to be a freeloader at the Zhou family's house, so he helped with the farming.
Zhou Ruiyuan and the Third Prince are both in the capital, so Wei Xun is the only male heir in the family.
To be fair, Wei Xun was quite clever. He listened to Du Wanchun, took some silver, and found several young men in the village to cultivate those plots of land together.
Seeing how capable he was, Du Wanchun gave him and Madam Wu extra money.
With the money, the two of them were able to build their own house.
However, Du Wanchun still asked them to stay, saying, "Sister Wu, Xiao Mianmian is reluctant to part with Qing'er, so please continue to stay."
Now that Xiao Mianmian is six months old and still needs to be breastfed, Wu Niangzi's heart softened upon hearing this, and she decided to continue living with her family at the Zhou family's house.
The Zhou family's new residence is a small courtyard with three sections and a total of five or six guest rooms. Madam Wu, Xu Xiaomei, and Granny Zhuang live here without taking up much space, which actually makes the mansion more lively.
Days passed by, and Zhou Ruiyuan's imperial examination was about to begin.
Du Wanchun prayed silently at home.
The imperial examination began soon, and Zhou Ruiyuan topped the list as expected.
In the palace, the emperor was slightly surprised when he saw Zhou Ruiyuan's name on the list of candidates for the imperial examination.
Zhou Ruiyuan changed his name from the time he took the provincial examination, and the emperor always saw him under a false name.
He was quite happy to see that the top scorer was his adopted son's older brother, and said with a smile, "This Zhou family is indeed extraordinary; they truly produce many talented people."
An old eunuch standing nearby chuckled, "Indeed, this eldest son of the Zhou family is quite handsome. Your Majesty, he should be promoted."
After hearing this, the emperor sighed and said, "If my sons were still alive, they would probably be just like them, spirited and handsome."
"I will not have a headache over the selection of the crown prince."
Recently, Consort Duan has been pressuring him to establish a crown prince as soon as possible.
He didn't have many children in his harem, but he had several princes, none of whom were particularly capable.
Among them was a fifth prince named Liangquan, who was timid and cowardly but very obedient, and Consort Duan intended to promote him.
Consort Duan originally planned to have another child and then pretend that the child was born to a concubine in the harem, so that the crown prince could be made. However, she has been ill recently and her health is failing.
Sure enough, Consort Duan summoned the Emperor to her palace again. "Your Majesty, what have you thought? Although Prince Wu is timid and cowardly, he is not bad compared to your other good-for-nothing children. As long as the ministers in the court take good care of him, the country will not perish."
The emperor frowned. He knew that Consort Duan also wanted to control the next emperor, which was why he hesitated.
Consort Duan coughed violently, "Your Majesty, you must decide on the Crown Prince as soon as possible, otherwise, after I'm gone, and after you're gone, who will govern the vast Xuan Yue Kingdom!"
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