Chapter 299: Princess Nanyang (Two chapters combined into one)
The retired emperor looked gloomy: I never thought that the bastard would want me to be a whetstone for his bastard son.
The retired emperor had been an emperor himself, and he believed that although he was not a wise ruler, he was not a foolish one either. As a fellow emperor, he could understand the thoughts of Emperor Yongjia.
Just as Xiao Zhen said, although everyone thought that the third prince was the only choice for the crown prince and was Emperor Yongjia's favorite son, Emperor Yongjia did not think so. He was in his prime and was not in a hurry to establish an heir. Therefore, what he really wanted to cultivate was the young prince.
However, before the crown prince is reinstated, the third prince cannot be wasted, and the emperor should be used as a whetstone for the third prince, just like when he asked the fourth prince to kill Xiao Zhen.
Xiao Zhen back then and the emperor today are both whetstones.
If he succeeds and escapes unscathed, then this son will still be useful, just like how Emperor Yongjia later reused the fourth prince. As long as the third prince can kill the retired emperor and successfully put the blame on Zhao Guanyue, then the third prince can still be used. Before the next crown prince grows up, the third prince can continue to receive his father's special favor.
He was not only the knife in Emperor Yongjia's hand, but also a target to attract fire.
And when the Third Prince's ambition cannot be satisfied by these preferences, he will become the next Fourth Prince, and if he falls, he will be doomed.
By then, the Seventh Prince had grown up, a young prince, pure and innocent, without any blemish...
The emperor felt a tightness in his chest, as if he had eaten a bunch of flies. Not only was it tight, but it also made him feel nauseous!
"Grandfather, since they want to murder you and frame your grandson, why not take advantage of their own tactic?"
The retired emperor actually didn't want to do this. He was worried that his old bones couldn't bear it. If something really happened to him, he would die!
However, Xiao Zhen and Zhao Shiqing both agreed with Zhao Guanyue's proposal, and the emperor had to swallow back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Then the three of them ignored him and gathered together to discuss countermeasures, leaving the emperor no chance to interrupt.
Fortunately, Wan Ruyi hadn't left yet. She was a good-tempered person. The emperor pulled her aside to talk and asked about her experiences over the years. Wan Ruyi told him about growing vegetables in the nunnery, how to grow cabbage and loofah, and how she grew cabbage and loofah in Tianshui Hutong. She also talked about how Aunt Ji taught her to make all kinds of noodles, how Xiuxiu taught her how to disguise herself, and how she learned needlework. She took off her purse and said, "This is the first purse I made. It wasn't very good, but now I can make better ones."
The Emperor suddenly felt like crying again: "Ruyi, can you please sew a purse for me and my father as well?"
"Okay, but Daddy, please wait. I'll make clothes for you after I finish making clothes for Ah Huang and Xiao Ye. It's getting cold, and they'll be cold without clothes."
The Emperor asked hurriedly, "Who are Ah Huang and Xiao Ye? Are they your close friends?"
Wan Ruyi: "Ah Huang is Ah Huang, and Xiao Ye is Xiao Ye. They are not my close friends, but they are very capable. They can guard the house and bite bad people."
"Guarding the house? Biting bad guys? Why does this sound like a dog?" The emperor was confused.
Wan Ruyi: "They are dogs, Dad. You are so stupid that you don't even know that Huang and Xiaoye are dogs."
The Emperor: Being as innocent as a child doesn’t seem so good either.
"Ruyi, do you like Qingqing?"
Wan Ruyi: "Yes, the Second Miss is the best girl, as is Xiuxiu and Lingbo."
"Then can you be Qingqing's mother?" asked the emperor.
Wan Ruyi blinked and asked, "Is it like Aunt Ji?"
Among the people she knew, only Aunt Ji's son had a mother. Zhen Wuduo didn't have one, Zhao Shiqing didn't have one, Xiuxiu didn't have one, Lingbo didn't have one, and neither did Niu Qiu, Chen Wangxing, nor the guards!
In fact, she had never seen Aunt Ji's son, but Aunt Ji talked about her son all day long, and Wan Ruyi knew him from Aunt Ji.
How could the emperor know who Aunt Ji was? "Yes, everyone has a mother, but many people's mothers are no longer around. For example, Qingqing's biological mother died a long time ago. If you like her, you can be Qingqing's mother."
Unexpectedly, Wan Ruyi shook her head and said, "The Second Miss is a good girl. I won't scold her, nor will I call her a bastard or a heartless person."
If the emperor had not lived in the mountains for those days, he would definitely not understand what Wan Ruyi was talking about. Fortunately, when he was in the mountains, he listened to Aunt Sun cursing all day long and chatted with those old men and women. He knew that "bastard" was a nickname that many mothers gave to their children.
"You don't have to scold her. If you become her mother, you'll have someone to talk to and play with. You can make clothes for her, and when she gets married, she can give birth to a child for you to play with."
The retired emperor wanted to say, "When you die, someone will visit your grave and burn paper for you." But after thinking about it, he thought Ruyi was so naive. What if she took it seriously and really died? So he held back and didn't say it.
Wan Ruyi was already happy: "Okay, okay, then the Second Miss will not call me Aunt Ruyi anymore, but Mother Ruyi!"
The retired emperor felt a pang of sadness. He owed his daughter a lot. He hoped that his daughter would be happy for the rest of her life. Instead of finding a son-in-law who was unreliable, irresponsible, and full of calculations, it would be better to find her a good daughter.
......
The next day, the emperor summoned many people at Wuji Temple.
Emperor Yongjia and the Empress, Prince Fu and his grandson Zhao Tingluo, Prince Lu and his son, and even Zhao Chen who was recuperating were carried over. In addition, there were Jiayi, Jianing, Jiarou, as well as Princess Jia'an who was not even allowed to enter the palace last time, Concubine Li, Concubine Meng, Concubine Qiao, and even Madam Wei who lived in the palace.
In front of the emperor, empress and royal family members, the emperor announced something.
"Forty years ago, my eldest daughter was lost among the common people. Now she has finally been found. Today, I allow her to return to her ancestral home."
As soon as the words "eldest princess" came out, everyone's face changed.
Princess Jiayi almost cried. I have been the eldest princess of the emperor for so many years, and today you say that your eldest princess of the emperor is someone else?
"Father, what about me?" she couldn't help but say.
The emperor looked at her and said, "You are my legitimate daughter. You were born by Empress Yuan. Your biological mother is Empress Dowager Zhong. Although Jiabao's biological mother is of low status, she is definitely my flesh and blood. She is your..."
The Emperor then looked at the other princesses: "...She is your eldest sister! It's a pity that she was taken away by a traitor as soon as she was born. A princess of the royal family was imprisoned for a full forty years. If I hadn't gone to Tongzhou this time, I wouldn't have known she was still alive!"
Although Princess Jiayi lost the title of the emperor's eldest daughter, the retired emperor reaffirmed her status as a legitimate daughter. Moreover, because the empress Wang was deposed, she was the retired emperor's only legitimate daughter.
Princess Jiayi's mind was at peace, but her eyes were red. "Father, my sister is so pitiful. Has the traitor been caught? He must be tortured to death!"
Everyone was shocked by the words of the retired emperor, except Concubine Li and Old Madam Wei. Although they were also shocked at this moment, their shock was different from that of others!
Concubine Li couldn't help but look at Madam Wei. Didn't that child die long ago? Could it be that besides that child, before Princess Jiayi, there was another woman who gave birth to a daughter for the Emperor?
By the way, the retired emperor said that the princess’ biological mother was a lowly person. I am from the Wei family, an old and aristocratic family, and I have absolutely nothing to do with lowly.
However, Old Madam Wei avoided Concubine Li's gaze. Only she knew that the child imprisoned in the nunnery had disappeared as early as last year.
Not only the child was missing, but also Xu Lin and his two sons.
She had never found out who took these four people away, but now she finally knew it was the emperor!
It seems that the emperor had already found out what happened back then. Since he was able to find out about this princess, he must also know that the one sitting on the dragon throne now is a fake.
Old Madam Wei bit her lips tightly. She had planned everything but she had never expected that the retired emperor already knew about this.
She had originally wanted to continue using Concubine Li, but now it seemed that Concubine Li's good days were over.
At this time, Zhao Shiqing came out supporting Wan Ruyi. Wan Ruyi was not only dexterous, but also learned etiquette very quickly. Zhao Shiqing only taught her once, and she was able to perform the etiquette properly. Although it was still a little awkward, in the eyes of everyone, her performance was already very good compared to her experience of growing up in the common people.
Emperor Yongjia remained silent. He was wondering what the retired emperor was up to.
Zhao Guanyue is obviously the biological grandson of the retired emperor, but he appears as his adopted grandson.
Then the eldest princess who appears as a biological daughter must be a fake daughter.
If it's fake, then what is her real identity?
Killer?
A forty-year-old female killer?
But the moment Wan Ruyi raised his head, Emperor Yongjia's doubts disappeared.
This Jiabao is real!
That face is somewhat similar to Jiayi, Jiaan and Jianing. They are obviously not born of the same mother, but they look like sisters at first glance!
"Mother! She looks just like me! She really does!"
Prince Lu burst into tears suddenly, and tears streamed down his face. Those who didn't know him would think he was Empress Dowager Qi's biological son.
How could Prince Fu let Prince Lu steal all the limelight? He also cried!
"Could it be that the Lord of Heaven took pity on my filial piety and allowed my mother to appear, so that I can see her face again in my lifetime..."
The retired emperor secretly curled his lips. When the queen mother was alive, she could scare the two of you to death with just a dry cough. If she really appeared in person, the first ones to be scared to death would be you two bastards!
"Jiabao looks like her mother, Jiayi, Jia'an, and Jianing also look like her, and Jiarou also looks a little like her. Of the sisters, Jiabao looks the most like her!"
Emperor Yongjia said in a loud voice: "Your son congratulates father and sister on their reunion. Our ancestors have blessed us. Father and sister have great fortune. This is a blessing for the Zhao royal family!"
Everyone congratulated him in unison, and the emperor was very pleased.
"Your Majesty, Jiabao should be given the title of Princess. Furthermore, since Jiabao has no children, this goddaughter of mine should be registered under Jiabao's name. She was the adopted daughter of Prince Liang and is now Jiabao's adopted daughter. There is no conflict between the two. Her surname is Zhao, and she is a daughter of the Zhao family. She can be given the title of Princess."
"Yes, that's as it should be. My son will draft the decree when he returns to the palace." Emperor Yongjia said.
He probably guessed who Princess Jiabao's biological mother was.
The retired emperor just said that Jiabao's biological mother was of humble origin. Since she was of humble origin, she was definitely not a concubine in the palace, nor could she be a rich lady or a noble lady from a famous family. So even if this woman was not a prostitute, she was at least a slave!
Therefore, the greatest blessing for a princess who was brought back from the people and an adopted daughter of a princess is to find a husband of her dreams and have a good marriage.
For Emperor Yongjia, neither Wan Ruyi nor Zhao Shiqing posed a threat to him.
On the contrary, the more he gives to them, the more it demonstrates his kindness and tolerance.
Emperor Yongjia decided that since he was going to show favor, he would do it in a more beautiful way by giving more gold, silver and other valuables, and let the empress take care of it when he returned to the palace.
Thinking of this, Emperor Yongjia had an idea and said, "Since we are going to confer a title, why not include Guanyue as well? Guanyue is my elder brother's adopted son, so this title..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the Emperor: "Guan Yue is not in a hurry. He is still young, and your princes have not yet been crowned kings. He can wait a little longer."
Emperor Yongjia's heart sank.
Since Zhao Guanyue was the heir to Emperor Xiaokang, he should naturally be made a king. However, the retired emperor refused to confer the title on Zhao Guanyue on the grounds that the prince had not yet been made a king.
I did not confer titles on the princes because once they were conferred the title of king, it would mean they would have no chance of becoming emperor. I also wanted to use the title of crown prince to keep them hanging, so of course I could not rush to confer the title of king on them.
But Zhao Guanyue’s situation is clearly not the case!
If the emperor doesn't make Zhao Guanyue a king, does he still want him to be the crown prince?
dream!
Everyone had their own thoughts when they left, but Princess Jiayi refused to leave. When she learned that Wan Ruyi didn't even have a mansion, Jiayi invited Wan Ruyi to live in her mansion. Wan Ruyi was shocked. She had just become a mother, and she didn't want to be separated from her daughter.
She pointed at Zhao Shiqing and said to Princess Jiayi, "I live in Qingqing's house. Qingqing said that it is my home too."
Unexpectedly, just as she finished her words, Princess Jiayi grabbed Zhao Shiqing's hand and said, "I finally see you. You've grown taller and more beautiful. I've told you eight hundred times that I want you to come home. That brat Ah Zhen always finds excuses. I'll have a banquet in a few days, and you must come!"
The emperor coughed twice and said unhappily, "Jiayi, Xiao Zhen and Qingqing are cousins now."
Princess Jiayi said: "They are just cousins, not blood siblings. Do you want to grant the marriage directly, or seek the consent of Prince Liang's Mansion first?"
After that, she smiled and said to Wan Ruyi, "I'm sure the Imperial Sister has no objection, right?"
Wan Ruyi nodded: "No problem."
In fact, Wan Ruyi had no idea what she was talking about. There was nothing she could do. She was not familiar with Xiao Zhen. Xiao Zhen always wore a fake face when he came to Tianshui Hutong before. Therefore, until now, she had not connected Master Zhen with Xiao Zhen.
The emperor thought to himself, there are so many things going on right now, any one of them is more important than this.
"Alright, alright, I know what's going on. Go back home. I'm going to meditate."
Princess Jiayi rolled her eyes, but before leaving, she didn't forget to hold Zhao Shiqing's hand: "You must come, come with your mother."
The next day, the imperial edict was issued.
Wan Ruyi was named Princess Jiabao, and Zhao Shiqing was named Princess Nanyang.
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