Chapter 144 An Lingrong 85
As soon as the emperor finished his morning court session, he hurried to Chengqian Palace. As soon as he entered, he saw that the originally spacious room was full of concubines from various palaces who came to congratulate him.
The leading Concubine Jing and Concubine Xiang were chatting and laughing with Lingrong, and Concubine Xin and Concubine Chun beside them were joining in the fun from time to time. The room was filled with harmony and joy for a while.
When everyone saw the emperor arrive, they hurriedly bowed and greeted him. Seeing that the emperor hadn't taken his eyes off Concubine Yi since he entered, they all stood up and took their leave with a stern look.
After the concubines and their servants had left in a grand procession, the emperor took Ling Rong's hands and said, "Rong'er, you have borne me another child. I really don't know how to love you."
[Ugh… Help! I used to giggle when I saw him say things like this to the ministers, but now this is karma!]
Lingrong only felt that his sudden sweet words gave her goose bumps, and even years of high-end acting skills almost couldn't support her distorted facial features.
The system quickly popped up on the screen, giving her some encouragement: [Hold on! Once you give birth to twins, let those three kids have their fun. Your wonderful life of lying low will be right before your eyes!]
Ling Rong recovered from the pain of watching the Emperor's words, which were still uttered from the heart. She quickly grasped his hand and interrupted him before he could draw a breath.
"It is my humble blessing to be able to raise a dragon heir for Your Majesty. I do not deserve Your Majesty's praise."
The emperor held her in his arms. Pregnant concubines were rare in the palace these days, and even if they did, they rarely gave birth to healthy offspring. Since he entered the palace, he had only two daughters and one son. Both daughters were born prematurely and were born with congenital health problems.
Only Lingrong gave birth to a healthy son for him, who resembled his father at a young age.
In a patriarchal society, such a son would probably be very happy even if he had no shortage of children.
Now Rong'er has another child, no matter whether it is a boy or a girl, he is extremely happy.
"I originally wanted to promote you to the rank of Imperial Concubine, but the Empress advised against it, citing your family's origins as being from the Bordered Red Banner, which meant you shouldn't be a Imperial Concubine. I had no choice but to consider the Empress's words."
Lingrong didn't look disappointed when she heard this, but rather apologetically said, "Your Majesty, what you said is quite reasonable. It is the duty of a concubine to provide the Emperor with children. How can I go against the ancestral rules for this? It is I who have caused His Majesty trouble."
"What does this have to do with you? I want to make you a noble concubine. Since she mentioned the ancestral rules, I will raise your family to the top three banners, the Zhengbai Banner."
Lingrong was about to kneel down to refuse, but the emperor held her shoulders and said, "My imperial decree has been issued and cannot be revoked." Seeing that Lingrong looked uneasy, he comforted her, "This is also an old rule. You don't have to worry."
He patted her back gently, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly spoke:
"I heard a few days ago that your father seemed unwell, so I sent someone to visit him."
"Father is sick? Why didn't the letter from home mention this?" Lingrong sat up in shock and grabbed the emperor's hand in panic.
Yinzhen hurriedly consoled him, "The accompanying imperial physician has examined him. He's simply overworked, and the weather has been exceptionally cold this year, so he's contracted a seasonal illness. With proper care, I think he'll be fine."
Lingrong was already in tears when she heard this. "When my father was young, he traveled extensively, sleeping in the open air and enduring countless hardships. Although he later became a county magistrate, he felt ashamed of not having the same orthodox background as others, so he worked diligently all the time. I'm afraid he's become ill from overwork over the years."
The emperor also remembered what his confidant had said personally, that although the An family had now become a county magistrate, they lived a very frugal life.
Because all the properties previously acquired by the mistress of the An family were bankrupted at the instigation of the Nian family, the family now only relies on the land to survive.
The prescription given by the imperial physician contained some precious Chinese medicines. After An Bihuai looked at it, he said that he would only need to drink some ordinary medicines. Finally, it was heard that his wife found the medicinal materials given by Concubine Yi and gave them to him.
Even the common people in the county boasted about the current county magistrate. Not only did he personally farm with the people, but he also donated all his money to build a school.
The area under his rule was quite peaceful, unlike other places in the south of the Yangtze River where bandits were rampant.
I thought of An Ke, who was studying at the Hanlin Academy. When I first met him, I thought he was more honest than intelligent. But when I saw him again a few days ago, he had a deeper understanding of the land tax system. His writings over the past two years have been less stilted with flowery rhetoric than before, and instead are simple, straightforward, and methodical. I'm sure he'll be a great help to the people when he's sent abroad someday.
Calculating the time, An Bihuai has been in Lishui County for about two years, so it is time for him to move.
"When your father recovers, I plan to transfer him to Hunyuan Prefecture. Then, if your mother wants to visit him in Beijing, it will be more convenient for her to travel back and forth."
Ling Rong knelt down quickly and said, "My father is old, and I am afraid that he will be too ill to bear it. I am afraid that I will fail the emperor's grace. I hope the emperor will reconsider."
"Your father is still in his prime, and a temporary illness wouldn't have caused him such a serious illness." The emperor helped her up, his words clearly showing his decision, and he wouldn't allow Lingrong to refuse. "Besides, there's still more than half a year until the end of the year. Are you still worried that he won't be fully recovered by then?"
After that, he simply rewarded the An family with a lot of land and silver, and also rewarded An Ke, who was in the capital. However, this was the proper rule, so Ling Rong had no choice but to accept the emperor's grace.
After the emperor left, Lingrong sat on the couch and was a little surprised.
She originally thought that it would take some effort to be promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine, but she got the position before she even started planning, and was also given the benefit of being one of the top three flags of the Han Army.
Lingrong touched her belly and looked with interest at Baoque who came in with fresh tea: "Why is it you today? I remember it should be Baojuan?"
Bao Que swiftly bowed and replied calmly, "Sister Bao Juan was not feeling well today, so I replaced her."
"You have become quite smart now because of Baojuan's training." Lingrong picked up the tea, looked at the jasmine tea in the cup, and smiled softly.
"Yes, Sister Baojuan treats me very well."
After hearing what she said, Lingrong silently added in her heart: It's because the master is not very good. He gave me a name but I haven't been promoted yet.
Yes, both Concubine Duan and Lingrong were surprised at how quickly this child rebelled. Less than two weeks after Lingrong handed her over to Baojuan, she readily accepted Jixiang's offer, and her appetite was quite large. In the past six months, she had sent three letters and received a full five hundred taels.
This does not include the benefits her family received from Concubine Duan.
This Baoque was too clever, and she truly didn't take her master seriously. She knew her own family background, so her family members outside the palace were unscrupulous in their contact with Concubine Duan's mother's family. This was because she felt that Lingrong only had a brother who was a scholar in the capital, and that a concubine with no foundation could not possibly hear what was going on outside.
However, the family behind Concubine Duan was more cautious and knew how to keep a low profile.
Because of this reason, Lingrong simply did not promote Baoque. It was a waste of talent for this girl to stay here. Lingrong felt that if she had the chance, she should give this ambitious but brainless girl a push. Who knows, the surprises she could bring would be more than what she had originally planned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
