Chapter 112 Chapter 112 "It's really strange." ...
Prince An did not act rashly, but remained remarkably patient.
It was not until the beginning of October, on the day of Frost's Descent, that the Crown Princess gave birth to a baby girl in the Eastern Palace, who was named "Qingnv" by the Queen.
Qingnv, the goddess of frost and snow, is pure and cold, and naturally carries the queen's great hopes and blessings.
The Crown Princess held the baby in her arms and burst into tears.
Compared to the festivities in the Eastern Palace, the candles in the Purple Palace remained lit throughout the night. Furthermore, upon hearing that the Crown Princess had given birth to a daughter, the Sage summoned the Imperial Physician that very night. The exact circumstances were unknown to outsiders, but only vague whispers suggested that the Sage seemed to be riled up with anxiety and rage.
Three days later, early morning court.
The emperor, sitting high on the dragon throne, unexpectedly did not throw away the memorial from the censors who advised against adoption. He wanted to recall Shangshu Ling Xie Juyuan, who was in mourning for his mother in his ancestral hometown of Boling, and ordered him to return to Chang'an immediately.
When these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court were shocked.
Mourning is a great etiquette of human relations, and it will never be easily taken away unless it involves the survival of the country.
Now that the border war has just ended, although the political situation is still undecided due to the succession, the emperor is in good health, the kings are old and have few children, and even if people are a little restless because of the death of the crown prince, it is far from the point where the mourning period for important officials needs to be interrupted.
But after a brief uproar, the hall quickly fell into a strange silence, and no one in the court spoke out to refute.
This is because everyone knows that Xie Juyuan's return to Chang'an is equivalent to the saint's approval of the adoption.
Everyone in Chang'an knows that Xie Juyuan is a man of foresight, and his daughter is married to Xiao Xuan'an, the prince of Prince An.
Not long ago, the Crown Prince's Consort successfully gave birth to a healthy grandson for the Prince An's Mansion. If the Saint intends to adopt the Prince An as his heir, then the status of the second daughter of the Xie family will naturally rise, and she will jump from the Crown Prince's Consort to the future Crown Princess.
As the grandfather of the future emperor's grandson, Xie Juyuan would be the one that no one wanted to offend easily.
What's more, the sage summoned him back to the court, which clearly meant that he wanted to support Prince An's lineage and pave the way for future adoption.
Five days later.
At the full moon banquet for the grandson of Prince An, there was a huge hustle and bustle in front of the palace, and the noise was far greater than that of ordinary banquets.
Although the Jingguo Mansion was divided, Xie Juyuan and Xie Huaiqian were blood brothers. Princess Shoukang and Sheng Puzhu attended the full moon banquet at Prince An's Mansion.
At the door, Princess An came to greet them personally.
"Greetings." Sheng Puzhu saluted Princess An.
Princess An moved aside and knelt down to salute Princess Shoukang.
She was dressed the same as usual today, with a gentle smile on her face like a warm spring breeze, and her words and actions were measured and measured. She led them inside in a friendly manner.
In the inner courtyard of Prince An's Mansion, Xie Qingshu was lying on the couch, her face showing the joy of becoming a new mother. Ever since she got married, the conflicts between the two families intensified, and their relationship could no longer be the same as before.
"Sister-in-law." Xie Qingshu nodded to Sheng Puju, holding the child in her arms and wanted to show her, but Qin secretly pulled her away. She hesitated for a moment, but finally turned sideways and handed the child to the wet nurse.
"Mian'er is hungry. I'll let the wet nurse take him away first."
Sheng Puzhu smiled gently and handed her the longevity gold locket she had prepared for the child: "I don't know what you like, so I'll prepare it as usual."
Xie Qingshu pursed her lips and nodded: "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law."
She was much plumper than before her pregnancy, with rosy cheeks and an excellent complexion. She was surrounded by a group of female relatives. It was obvious that no matter how turbulent the outside world was, she was indeed well taken care of in Prince An's Mansion. Even if Prince An did not favor her, Princess An was an extremely generous elder, and Xie Qingshu did not suffer any injustice.
The two exchanged a few words indifferently. Qin was indifferent from beginning to end, and her eyes were even more obscure as she looked at Sheng Puzhu's lower abdomen.
Unfortunately, her flat and slender belly could not accommodate a child, and she was much weaker than before due to the exhaustion during the month of the prince's funeral.
The atmosphere of the full moon banquet was lively, with compliments and congratulations everywhere. The grandson of the emperor, known as "Mian'er", was personally carried out by Princess An to meet the guests. He was plump and white, and his cry was even louder. As the rumors said, he was indeed a very healthy child.
Halfway through the banquet, the palace gave gifts. The Queen sent a pair of jade ruyi, and the Empress Dowager received a set of gold locks and gold bracelets. The sage did not send anyone expensive things, but wrote "Health and Longevity" with his own hands.
The word "Changsui" is extremely eye-catching, and it is not known whether it is a metaphor or an allusion. Everyone present knew that the prince was born that year and was named "Changsui".
Sheng Puzhu followed Princess Shoukang to drink tea in the flower hall. The hustle and bustle outside seemed to have nothing to do with them.
Xiao Xuan still looked like a cynical dandy. Holding a wine glass, he casually walked through the crowd and slowly came to Sheng Puju.
"Mrs. Sheng, what a rare guest." Xiao Xuan looked her up and down with a frivolous look.
Suddenly he sneered, "I didn't expect you would really come?"
His words were full of provocation. After all, the Sheng family and the second branch of the Xie family had a close relationship with the late prince.
"Your Highness, you are joking. If your family had not personally sent the invitation, I would not have come uninvited." Sheng Puzhu's face did not show much expression. She just met Xiao Xuan's gaze calmly.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xu'an sneered, moved closer to Xu, lowered his voice, and said in an increasingly harsh tone: "I guess Madam Sheng is very unwilling in her heart, right?"
He paused deliberately, his eyes slowly sweeping over the crowd of onlookers, and said word by word, "The frail prince who was so hard to support is gone just like that."
"Although...he wouldn't have lived long anyway."
"Prince, please be careful with your words." A flash of displeasure passed through Sheng Puju's eyes.
Xiao Xuan shook his head, his eyes filled with schadenfreude.
On the side, Princess Shoukang's face darkened in an instant. However, to everyone's surprise, it was Princess An who reacted faster than Princess Shoukang.
Her expression suddenly changed. She took a step forward and slapped Xiao Xuan'an hard in the face.
There was a crisp sound, which was not loud, but it was enough to make all the guests stunned for a moment.
Xiao Xuan'an's head tilted sideways after being hit, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief. "Mother! Why did you hit me? Was what I said wrong?"
Princess An's heart was beating wildly, and she was obviously very angry. Her hands were shaking as she pointed at her son, but she tried her best to keep her voice calm.
"Asshole."
"After a few sips of yellow liquor, you're already talking nonsense. Why don't you get out of here and sober up?"
"I didn't..." Xiao Xuan was about to say something but was ruthlessly interrupted by Princess An.
Princess An, who is always gentle and never seems to get angry, rarely loses her composure in front of guests. She even slaps her own son in public to stop him from talking without restraint.
Sheng Puzhu raised her eyebrows in surprise. Logically speaking, Princess An should have been in high spirits and it would be harmless for her to indulge her son's arrogance. After all, the saint was adopted from the clan, and there was no suitable candidate except Xiao Xuan'an. But why was she so abnormal?
"Xuan, you go down first."
"Be obedient."
Princess An forced a smile and stared at the red marks gradually appearing on her eldest son's face with complicated eyes before waving her hand tiredly.
Xiao Xuan covered his face, glanced at everyone with a sinister look, and finally snorted coldly and left.
"My son was rude and spoke out of turn after drinking. I'm sorry to have embarrassed the princess." Princess An said with a forced smile.
Princess Shoukang raised her eyes, with an unrecognizable smile on her lips. She did not respond, but elegantly picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Sheng Puzhu lowered his eyes with a calm expression, as if what had just happened had nothing to do with him.
As dusk fell, the hustle and bustle in the mansion faded away, and Princess An came to the front yard in a state of uneasiness.
In the study, Xiao Xuan sat by the window with a gloomy face. The clear red marks of five fingers on his cheek looked particularly glaring in the candlelight.
Princess An seemed to be blinded by the red mark, and her heart ached. She asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"
She reached out to touch him, but Xiao Xuan turned his head away.
He sneered, "How could mother feel pain? Haven't mother beaten me enough in all these years?"
Xiao Xuan'an, the resentment in his eyes was as real as substance.
Princess An was stunned for a moment, with a look of disappointment and helplessness: "Why do you have to fight for it?"
"Isn't it good to just be a leisurely, wealthy and idle king?"
"What does the Xiao family's world have to do with you?"
"You really think the Crown Prince is dead. The Sage is so magnanimous that he chose you as the Crown Prince. Don't be so delusional."
"Your father is insane. How can you believe his nonsense?"
Xiao Xuan heard this, as if he had heard a huge joke: "Shouldn't it belong to me?"
"Then please tell me, mother, what is mine?"
He stood up suddenly, his emotions boiling. "The Crown Prince is a descendant of a noble family, and he's the center of everyone's attention! The Third Son of the Xie family is dignified and respectable, a humble gentleman praised by everyone!"
"And you?"
"You just want your son to be a dandy, a playboy who indulges in pleasure and is shunned by everyone!"
Xiao Xu'an's voice was filled with long-suppressed resentment. "We're both of the Xiao family, so why is it that sickly Xiao Changsui was born with everything and is respected by everyone, while I don't even have the qualifications to compete?"
"You were planning to ruin me from the beginning."
"Why? Am I not the child you carried for ten months and gave birth to? Just because I carry your father's blood in me, you have always been extremely disgusted with me?"
Princess An was frightened by Xiao Xuan's expression and took a step back. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Her eyes were red and she couldn't stop crying.
As the night deepens, the candlelight flickers.
Sheng Puzhu was leaning on the couch by the window, flipping through a storybook out of boredom. Seeing Xie Zhiyan enter the room, she stuffed the storybook onto the large pillow behind her and stood up as if nothing had happened: "My dear, are you back?"
"Yeah." Xie Zhiyan took every little action of hers into consideration, slowly changed out of his court robes and went to the inner room to take a bath.
An hour later, the couple leaned side by side on the couch. Xie Zhiyan didn't read the book, but just stared at Sheng Puzhu's rosy lips, as if he could kiss her at any time.
"What do you think of me, my dear?"
"It looks good." Xie Zhiyan's voice was slightly hoarse.
Sheng Puzhu was stunned for a moment, glared at him, and then laughed out loud: "I think it looks good too."
Xie Zhiyan leaned very close to her, his hand casually resting on Sheng Puzhu's waist.
That delicate waist softened immediately after just a light touch.
Sheng Puzhu couldn't sit still, so she simply changed her position and lazily lay on the side of the bed, her long black hair spread out like clouds all over her back. She turned her head and frowned, "I looked at Princess An today and always felt something was strange."
"It's clear that she's extremely protective of Prince Xiao, but there's something strange about the relationship between them. It doesn't feel like the natural intimacy between a normal mother and son."
Xie Zhiyan nimbly hooked a strand of hair on her back with his fingers and played with it nonchalantly: "Princess An is Lu Siqing's biological aunt."
"I know this." Sheng Puzhu nodded.
Xie Zhiyan naturally understood what she wanted to ask, and his voice became a little deeper. "Then you know that the Lu family of Wuzhanghou Mansion was wiped out, and the person behind it was Prince An."
Sheng Puzhu raised his head, thinking for a while, then stood up and looked at him: "Prince An?"
"Yes." Xie Zhiyan had no intention of hiding anything. His slightly lowered eyes flashed with murderous intent. "When the late emperor was still alive, Prince An was favored. To gain that position, he personally exposed the neutral Marquis Wu Zhang for collaborating with the enemy."
Sheng Puzhu learned about what happened later. All the more than 300 members of the Lu family in Wuzhanghou Mansion died on the way to exile, except for Lu Siqing who was protected by his clansmen at the risk of his life.
It was not until the sage ascended the throne that the Wuzhang Marquisate was rehabilitated.
Sheng Puzhu nodded and murmured softly, "No wonder Princess An looked at Prince An with disgust today, as if she were looking at something filthy and dirty."
Xie Zhiyan couldn't help but touched the snow-white earlobe with his lips, biting it and rubbing it until it turned red. It seemed to be his hobby.
"The Anwang Mansion and the Lu family have a deep blood feud."
"If Princess An can see that Prince An is a 'flower', then she's really seeing a ghost."
Xie Zhiyan kissed her deeply and took her into his arms: "I heard that Xiao Xu'an offended you today?"
Sheng Puzhu opened her eyes brightly and said, "He didn't get what he wanted. Princess An slapped him in the face."
Xie Zhiyan chuckled when he heard this: "Next time he provokes you, you can ask Cangguan to beat him up."
"It doesn't matter. Xiao Xuan is just a paper tiger, all he can do is bluff."
Sheng Puzhu felt a little tired lying there, so she snuggled up in Xie Zhiyan's arms, sighing to herself, "It's really strange."
"The descendants of the Xiao family have always been thin and weak, but Xiao Xuan was born so tall and healthy." Her tone was full of innocent joking. "I can't help but wonder if he is Prince An's child."
The man half-lying on his side suddenly fell silent.
Sheng Puzhu noticed something was wrong and suddenly opened her eyes wide: "Is this true? Could it be that I am right?"
Xie Zhiyan neither admitted nor denied it.
He simply lowered his eyes and said meaningfully, "There is no concrete evidence."
"However, Xiao Xu'an doesn't look like him..."
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