Chapter 49: Extra Chapter 1 (Revised)
"Your Highness, look at him, he's so small, and his little face is so soft."
A newborn baby lay in a smooth-polished stroller. This was Ye Jianshan's son, named Lan Ge'er.
As soon as the news of Jiang Song's pregnancy came out, she became the most concerned person in the Chen family, and everyone wished the child would be born tomorrow.
The emperor was so pleased that taxes were reduced by half, just to welcome his great-grandson or great-granddaughter.
The crown prince was so excited he almost fainted. In just two short years, he not only rekindled his old love, but also had a successful son, and now he even has a grandson.
This is like a dream, it makes me so happy I don't know what to say.
Even Ye Jianshan's status is inferior to that of the child in Jiang Song's belly.
That evening, Ye Jianshan complained to his wife, "Look how happy Grandpa and Dad are. They weren't this excited when I came back. Humph, this little brat is already ahead of me even before he's born. What will happen when he's born? Honey, I'll always be number one in your heart, right?"
Jiang Song would have answered yes immediately before, but he hesitated today. After having a child, the child's father is indeed not that important anymore.
Ye Jianshan saw Jiang Song hesitate and asked, "Huh? Wife, you're not going to end up like Dad and Grandpa, are you?"
"No way, you're definitely number one."
"I believe it."
Ye Jianshan never imagined that one day he would be competing for affection with an unborn child.
But with the news of the pregnancy, Ye Jianshan felt much less pressure.
Previously, his duties at court and his daily life were overseen by his grandfather, the Crown Prince, and his mother, Ye Yun, which put him under considerable pressure.
Now, both the Emperor and the Crown Prince have new expectations, thinking every day about what to do after their grandson is born.
He had no interest in paying attention to him anymore, and Ye Jianshan now had a chance to show his skills.
But when the child was actually born, Ye Jianshan's expectations for him were no less than those for anyone else.
He always felt like an outsider, and he matured mentally from a young age, wanting to grow up quickly to protect Ye Yun.
His childhood was perfect, and he hoped that his son could have a carefree childhood, not be overwhelmed by responsibilities, and that he would always be there to protect him no matter what he did.
He only hopes that his child can have a happy childhood.
The birth of Chen Jinlan was met with a courtyard full of people waiting. The Ye family and the Chen family all came, eagerly anticipating seeing Brother Lan.
The little guy is quite bold; he opened his eyes right after birth. Aside from crying a bit when he was first born, he's been incredibly well-behaved after drinking his milk and won't cry no matter who holds him.
The child eventually ended up in the Empress's arms, but she complained that the Emperor didn't know how to hold a child and wouldn't let him hold him.
The emperor was so angry that he snorted and glared: "I can hold him. He didn't cry when I held him just now. Let me hold him."
"Nonsense, Lan-ge'er was frowning just now. Did he want Grandma to hold him? Our Lan-ge'er has such a good temperament."
The Empress turned her back, took the child, and went inside, leaving the Emperor and the Crown Prince staring blankly.
The Crown Prince complained to the Emperor, "Father, you just said you'd give the child back after holding him for a bit, but I couldn't even hold him for two minutes before he disappeared."
The crown prince felt utterly miserable; the child had passed through his arms, and he hadn't even had a clear look at the child's face before the child was gone.
The Empress and the Crown Princess went in to keep Jiang Song company. Jiang Song was in good condition and was still conscious. He had recovered his spirits, and although his face was still a little pale, both he and his child were safe.
Jiang Song rested for 15 minutes after giving birth before she had time to see what her newborn baby looked like. To her surprise, the newborn was tiny, only half the length of her arm.
Jiang Song exclaimed in surprise as if she had made a new discovery.
"Don't underestimate him just because he's small; his crying is terrifying."
Ye Jianshan smiled and leaned over to touch the face of the newly crown prince.
The two doted on the child, and when they saw that he was getting impatient, they handed him over to the wet nurse to take him away to nurse and sleep.
Jiang Song had already been cleaned up before Ye Jianshan was allowed to come in to see her; otherwise, she wouldn't have let anyone in at all.
Giving birth is such a miserable experience.
Jiang Song, despite his young age, has been through a lot.
“My three uncles and aunts all prepared small gold locks, which I put in the box for Brother Lan.”
This morning alone, I collected a whole box of little gold locks.
“Uncle should have brought Aunt to the capital a long time ago. Now that Lan’er is here, we can’t just go back to Qingyang anymore. Everyone says they’re not used to it, but Grandpa and Grandma are so old, aren’t they quite used to living in the capital?”
Jiang Song spoke up.
Ye Jianshan understood this principle, but since the Ye family learned of his identity, they could no longer treat him the same way as before.
His first return to Qingyang after his identity was revealed was incredibly sensational, especially with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess also present. The common people all came to watch the spectacle and try to share in Ye Jianshan's joy.
They used to return to Qingyang every year for a while, but now that Lan Ge'er is here, it's not so convenient.
Since Jiang Song became pregnant, the Ye family has decided to settle down in the capital.
Ye Jianshan owns a thousand acres of fertile land in the suburbs of Beijing, which he and his wife manage. The two of them are in very good health and usually have nothing better to do than have this estate and land, which gives them more motivation.
No matter how nice the courtyard in the capital is, it can't compare to two fields in the suburbs.
Ye Lei and his two older brothers had also started a business in the capital, working for Ye Yun.
With the Ye family all finding their way of life in the capital, Ye Jianshan finally felt relieved.
He didn't want to owe the Ye family anything, after all, they were the ones who saved his and his mother's lives.
Three days later, for Lan Ge'er's third-day celebration, all the prominent families in the capital came to attend.
The Emperor and the Crown Prince were also present. After the third-day-after-birth ceremony, the Emperor dropped a bombshell.
He wanted to abdicate and become the retired emperor, passing the throne to the crown prince.
So Lan Ge'er, who was not even a month old, became the Crown Prince.
"Grandpa, you're in such good health, why are you thinking about abdicating?"
Ye Jianshan brought his one-month-old son out to show the Emperor Emeritus, still unable to stop talking about him.
He hadn't even had a few days to spend with his son before all the political affairs piled up on him. The Crown Prince was much busier than the Imperial Grandson.
Previously, he had his grandfather and father to support him, but now that his grandfather has given up, the job has fallen to Ye Jianshan.
The retired emperor held his beloved grandson tightly, saying, "I just want to hold my great-grandson and watch him grow up."
Ye Jianshan finally understood that his status had been relegated to a lower rank the moment his son was born.
Lan-ge'er, who was the sole pampered child of the family, was still completely unaware of anything. After waking up, he moved his mouth, opened his eyes, stared blankly at the Emperor Emeritus for a while, and then grinned at him, saying, "Hehehe~"
This further confused the retired emperor, leaving him completely disoriented.
"Oh my, my dear grandson, so adorable."
The Emperor Emeritus's eyes welled up with tears: "I heard from your mother that Lan-ge'er looks a lot like you when you were little."
His biggest regret in life was not being able to see Ye Jianshan grow up.
Ye Jianshan felt a pang of sadness, but that was all in the past. Now that his family was reunited, that was better than anything else.
When Lan Ge'er was three years old, he was spoiled rotten. Only Ye Jianshan and Jiang Song were strict with him. Everyone else got whatever they wanted.
The couple was extremely worried.
Ye Jianshan gritted his teeth: "I'll practice another one!"
Jiang Song:......
Lan Ge'er is only a month old, and she has just finished her postpartum confinement. It is impossible for her to give birth. Her mother, Ye Yun, told her that she is not allowed to make a fuss with Jian Shan until her body is fully recovered. She must learn to refuse. This is for her own good and asks Jian Shan to be patient.
Some things should be said.
"No, Mother said you should sleep in the study."
Jiang Song recovered after resting for more than half a month, but her maternal grandmother, Old Lady Ye, and her mother, Ye Yun, still made her sit in confinement for a full month.
Today I finally got myself all dressed up and even went out to hold my son, Lan Ge'er, at his one-month celebration. I was in such great spirits that all the wealthy ladies in Beijing were green with envy.
When Jiang Song was sent out of the capital, he never expected this day would come.
Other people's children are born as the Crown Prince's grandsons, doted on by the Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus, and she herself is transformed from the Crown Prince's consort into the Crown Princess.
As soon as the Crown Princess appeared, everyone could tell from her appearance that she was a blessed person.
Jiang Song was at a loss for words when she heard everyone praising her. What "lucky face"? It was just that her family had fattened her up during her pregnancy and postpartum period.
But since it was just a compliment, she just listened to it.
After holding the child for a while, Ye Yun took the child away. She had been very busy lately. Returning to the palace meant there was a lot to do, and now that she had become the empress and reconciled with the crown prince, she was so busy that she barely had time to breathe after securing the position of empress.
The Empress was not a wicked mother-in-law. She trusted Ye Yun completely and delegated power to her. She went to enjoy her retirement, acting like a hands-off manager, and had long wanted to retire.
Ye Yun took the Phoenix Seal and deeply felt that the Empress was not a human being.
No, she also needs to find helpers; training Jiang Song should start now.
Anyway, Jiang Song could only see the child at night, and during the day he would take turns staying in the palaces of the Emperor Emeritus, the Empress Dowager, and the Grand Empress Dowager.
Even the Emperor and Empress couldn't touch or rub the little guy; they could only do so during mealtimes.
The little guy is well-behaved and can stay home even when away from his parents, which makes the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager adore him.
After leaving his post, Ye Jianshan would not return to the Eastern Palace but would go to the Palace of the Retired Emperor to pick up the child. In just a few months, the child was already in daycare. He would drop the child off there every morning and pick him up every evening.
The little one is well-behaved, but he still can't stand being away from his parents at night and will cry.
This made Ye Jianshan's heart attack feel a little better; at least he didn't feel so dependent on his parents.
Ye Jianshan bit Lan Ge's little fist: "You little rascal, why did you grab your mother's hair today? You little rascal, Daddy's going to spank you."
"Giggle~"
Lan Ge, who is eight or nine months old, looks completely different from when he was born. He is incredibly cute.
Her chubby little face looks just like a little steamed bun from the side, making you want to take a bite out of her.
"Dad~"
The sudden cry of "Dad" startled Ye Jianshan.
What did he hear?
"Son, repeat it again."
"Dad~"
The little guy has started calling me "Dad."
Ye Jianshan was so happy he almost jumped for joy.
"You can finally call me 'Dad'!"
Ye Jianshan was overjoyed and wept. To be honest, he had secretly taught the child for several months. Before he heard Lan Ge call him "Dad," he had called Lan Ge "Dad" for several months. Every time the child didn't open his mouth, he wanted to spank the little guy's bottom.
He suspected that Brother Lan was taking advantage of him.
Now that he finally heard the kid call him "Dad," Ye Jianshan felt completely satisfied.
"Song'er, come quickly, your son can speak now."
"He'll learn it this afternoon. Right now, he can only say 'Dad.' Grandpa taught him to say 'Grandpa' for a long time, but all he can say is 'Dad,' which makes Grandpa so angry."
We heard the little guy can call people now, so we all gathered together today hoping to hear him call them. But for some reason, all Lan-ge can say is "Dad," and he can't say anything else.
"Mother~"
Jiang Song was complaining and feeling envious when Lan Ge suddenly started calling for his mother.
Jiang Song excitedly put down the box in his hand, came over and kissed the child who was being held by Ye Jianshan: "Brother Lan, say it again."
"Father~ Mother~"
With tears in his eyes, Ye Jianshan hugged Lan Ge and Jiang Song. In the future, he and Jiang Song would always witness Lan Ge's growth and accompany him as he grew up.
"Good boy."
Ye Jianshan and Jiang Song hugged Lan Ge together, moved.
According to later records, Ye Jianshan's life was quite legendary. At the age of sixteen, he achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, becoming the first person in history to do so, a record that remains unbroken to this day. Moreover, he extensively promoted water conservancy, dared to experiment, bred seeds and produced fertilizers, built roads and houses, promoted cotton, and advocated silkworm breeding. During his reign, he was assisted by two retired emperors and had only one empress in his harem. He had two sons and one daughter, all of whom left their mark on history. His life was very successful.
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