Chapter 164 An Lingrong 105
"Mother, why hasn't Sixth Brother come back yet?"
After paying respects to the Queen early in the morning, before Lingrong had a chance to rest, the two children ran into her palace like the wind, and their loud voices could be heard from a long distance away.
Lingrong turned her head and Yongan had already thrown himself into her arms. Her younger brother Hongmin followed slowly behind her and came over to grab her sleeve, only blinking and looking up at her.
"Brother still has to go to school, he'll be here soon. Can you guys go out and play for a while?"
"But mother said that Yongan will see brother when he wakes up." The little girl would not tolerate any adult trickery and twisted her hips in Lingrong's arms like a piece of candy, "I want brother, brother, Yongan hasn't seen sixth brother for one, two, three... many, many days!"
As he spoke, he took the time to poke his younger brother standing next to him, and signaled with his eyes that he should help as well.
Hongmin looked at his sister, then at his mother. After a long pause, he managed to utter, "Hmm!"
"You're getting lazier as you get older." Ling Rong seized the opportunity and quickly picked up her son, accusing him righteously, "Even if your sister and you are in tune with each other, you can't always use her as a mouthpiece. When you grow up and move out, you still have to ask for what you want, okay?"
Hongmin looked up at the sky and down at the earth, but not at her, as if he was a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.
"If you don't behave yourself, your sweets will be cut in half from now on." Ling Rong looked at her son, still looking nonchalant, and added sinisterly, "Mother promises that apart from the halved sweets, you won't be able to eat a single bite anywhere else. That includes your maternal wives, the Khan's father, and the Queen Mother."
As soon as these words came out, Hongmin immediately covered his mother's hand with his chubby little hand and looked at him obediently: "Mother, don't be angry, I will take my sister to play."
"Be good and go play with your sister." Lingrong quickly put Hongmin's little hand in his sister's hand. Yongan still wanted to struggle, and she didn't know what Hongmin said in her ear. The little girl immediately grabbed her brother's hand and dragged him away.
Lingrong only breathed a sigh of relief after the two of them walked away. She asked the servants to change her clothes, take off her hairpins and rings, and rest on the couch for a while.
After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Ling Rong woke up as if she felt someone beside her and subconsciously called out, "Rong Lu, pour me a glass of water."
But she didn't move. When she opened her eyes, she didn't know how long the emperor had been sitting beside her. Seeing her wake up, he smiled and said, "You woke up just in time, otherwise I should have asked someone to wake you up, otherwise you would be too sleepy to walk."
"Your Majesty, why didn't you wake me up earlier? You've made him wait so long. Isn't that rude?" Ling Rong glared at him, which made the emperor laugh. "You're the only one in the palace who dares to say such blaming words to me."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and pulled Lingrong to his side: "I see you are sleeping soundly, but I can't bear to wake you up."
"Is the emperor worried about something?" Lingrong stretched out her slender fingers and gently smoothed the emperor's unconsciously frowned brow.
"They are all nonsense. Saying them makes you angry too." The emperor closed his eyes and let her fingers trace his facial features. Although he said he didn't want to talk, if he really didn't want Lingrong to know, he wouldn't have to come to Chengqian Palace when he was in a bad mood.
Lingrong placed her hand on the emperor's heart and spoke softly, "Your Majesty has been suppressing his worries so much that Lingrong is worried. Even if Lingrong cannot share your worries, she can at least be a qualified listener."
"If it weren't for Rong'er, what's the fun of being here?" The emperor took her hand and sighed, then reluctantly told her about his worries today: "I originally thought that Zhen had been out of the palace for many years, and she was Longyue's biological mother after all, so I went to visit her."
"...Unexpectedly, she's pregnant." The emperor's brow furrowed again as he spoke, and Lingrong could actually see a hint of impatience in his eyes. "After all, with the royal heir, it's not good for her to stay in Ganlu Temple any longer. It would be embarrassing. But she's now a deposed concubine, and the stars are not in our favor. I don't know what to do for the moment."
"That's a really difficult thing to say."
"Does Lingrong have any ideas?"
"In your humble opinion, she is pregnant now after all, and the royal bloodline should not be left outside." Lingrong said, and seeing the emperor nodding repeatedly, she knew that he still wanted to welcome Zhen Huan back to the palace.
"The matter of the stars concerns the Empress Dowager and the Empress, so I cannot make any rash comments. However, regarding the status of the deposed concubine, I think the Emperor could choose a new title and a new surname for her. This would silence the gossips of the world, and also serve as a good omen for letting go of the past and starting anew."
The emperor listened to her words and thought carefully. The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. "Rong'er, this is a good idea. Since you were a member of the Han Army Banner before, I will grant you the Manchu surname Ma Jia. From now on, you will be Ma Jia Zhen Huan, belonging to the Manchu Army Banner, the Bordered Red Banner, and will no longer have any connection with the Han Army Banner Zhen clan."
"As for the title..." The emperor thought for a moment, "Let's call it Rou."
"soft?"
"You haven't seen her for a long time. She has been practicing in seclusion in a Buddhist temple for several years. Now her temperament has become much more respectful and gentle." The emperor's eyes seemed to be filled with satisfaction. "If she had been more like this before, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation and suffered so much in vain. Giving her this title is both a compliment and a reminder for her to not let me down."
"Her current personality is more suitable for teaching the Fourth Prince. I will add another ten years to her age and call her the Fourth Prince's biological mother."
The more the emperor spoke, the brighter his eyes became. This way, he could not only better conceal Zhen Huan's identity, but also change the biological mother of the Fourth Prince, whom he regarded as a humiliation. It was like killing two birds with one stone.
Ling Rong lowered her head and sighed softly, "I'm afraid my sister must have had a very difficult time these past few years. Now, she and the Emperor have finally come to an end."
As he spoke, he covered his face with a handkerchief to hide his distorted expression.
[I can't stand it anymore. As soon as the boss gets married, I'll let Zhen Huan poison him to death.]
[All obey the host!] The system responded immediately, even beginning to search for something within itself that could subtly circumvent the rules and aid its host.
Just when Lingrong was about to lose patience, her eldest son's clear, youthful voice rang in her ears like heavenly music:
"Your son pays his respects to Khan Ama and to Mother."
"Get up, your mother and your brothers and sisters haven't seen you for a while. Come over here and let your mother see you."
The emperor beckoned, and Hongyao immediately stepped forward. Lingrong took his hand and turned him around to examine him carefully. "You look energetic, but you've become thinner. Are you not used to the food served to you, Prince?"
"No, I'm doing fine in the prince's residence. I've just been growing taller recently, so I look a little thinner."
"That's good, that's good. As long as you're healthy, mother will be relieved." Ling Rong wiped away her non-existent tears, happily pulled her son up and was about to go out: "You came back today, and mother specially asked the kitchen to make your favorite food. Your brothers and sisters are still talking about brother this morning..."
As they spoke, the mother and son had already walked away, leaving the emperor behind. However, he was not angry, but followed them, listening to Lingrong's somewhat nagging concern, and felt a warm feeling in his heart.
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