Look at each other
In October, the emperor brought the empress dowager back to Beijing from outside the Great Wall.
In Prince Xuan's mansion, Concubine Li led the way in the backyard to welcome Prince Xuan and others back to the mansion.
After everyone had paid their respects, Prince Xuan asked everyone to go and rest. Finally, he said in a calm voice, "Qingping, please stay for a moment."
Hearing this, Concubine Li nervously pinched Li Qingping's wrist, and was patted soothingly. Li Qingping even smiled at her, signaling her to relax.
Not many people knew exactly what had happened, but some had heard rumors. Even those who wanted to stay saw Prince Xuan's expression calm down and bowed and left.
Zhao sighed as they left. Wan was thankful that the two people who stayed behind to take charge of the situation were careful, otherwise her son would have been in vain if they had gone out.
Concubine Yang stood beside them with a gloomy look in her eyes.
What a pity. If the eldest son really died, she would like to see if Mrs. Wan would still be able to show her displeasure.
Madam Wan was unaware of the situation while she was in the frontier, but she learned a rough outline on the way back to the capital. Princess Xuan said she hadn't investigated the situation yet, but even so, she was so frightened that she fainted. Since this matter concerned her only son, she wanted to stay and listen.
But Prince Xuan was firm: "Wan Shi goes back."
Princess Xuan said softly beside her, "It's been a long time since Dalangjun has seen A'niang."
Mrs. Wan gritted her teeth and chose to bow and leave.
Li Qingping followed Prince Xuan and his wife back to the main courtyard. Huixin served tea and then withdrew with the others, leaving the three masters alone to talk.
Li Qingping began to talk about some subsequent events.
Later, she asked Nanny Lin why she had fed Da Langjun milk cakes. Nanny Lin explained that she had just used half a milk cake that day when Da Langjun wanted to drink milk. He smelled the sugar and wanted to eat it. Nanny Lin thought feeding milk and eating milk cakes were no different, so after feeding him half a piece, she didn't dare feed him more. As for how she knew about Yu'er and her adopted brother, she learned it by accident, but she didn't know whether Yu'er had fed Da Langjun milk cakes. She only mentioned it to make herself a scapegoat, but Yu'er died of poisoning. It seems that Yu'er did feed Da Langjun milk cakes.
"Later, I asked the eldest brother, and he said that from then on, Yu'er would secretly give him a few pieces of white sugar and milk cake when she served tea at night."
Children are so easy to deceive. Plus, Yu'er's innocent face made it easier for Dalangjun to believe her.
Yu'er tricked Da Langjun by saying that the sugar-coated milk cake was actually Da Langjun's share, but that the wet nurse had taken it away. Yu'er, being of little influence, did not dare to contradict the wet nurse, so she could only secretly take a few pieces every night for Da Langjun to use in his tent.
Those milk cakes were naturally brought by the adopted brother, a small eunuch in the kitchen who worked as a fireman and carried water. He was thin, small, and silent, and looked honest, but he was also quite efficient. Zhang Linbao, who was in charge of making the milk cakes, felt sorry for him and always looked after him, always leaving a portion for him if he made too much. Who knew this would happen? Zhang Linbao was beaten with a stick and sent out of the mansion.
Children have weak stomachs. If they go to bed with a full stomach like this every night, they will soon lose their appetite during the day.
Unfortunately, Yu'er and his adopted brother were already dead, so Li Qingping could only trace their relationship and investigate further, hoping to uncover the person behind the scenes. However, these two people were usually quiet and too marginalized in the mansion, not interacting with many people, so he was unable to find anything.
"But when I went outside the palace to investigate..." Li Qingping said word by word, "I am incompetent! Yu'er's family had all died by the time they were discovered. That young eunuch himself entered the palace as a eunuch because both his parents had died, so he has no other relatives."
The person behind this was really quick to act, dealing with the situation almost immediately after it happened.
"Some people think the capital is too peaceful."
After hearing this, Prince Xuan sneered. It was true that he had been living in peace for too long and was looking for trouble, and he had even plotted against his eldest son.
But it's also true that in recent years, aside from the Crown Prince, who remains consistently favored, he, the eldest prince, has been the most successful. He quelled tribal unrest a few years ago, becoming the first among the princes to gain real military power. Later, his eldest daughter was conferred the title of Princess of Pingyang County, much to the envy of many. His brothers, his royal uncles, and the ambitious aristocratic families...
Prince Xuan said in a deep voice, "The origins of all the servants in the palace must be thoroughly investigated. All the prying eyes inside must be cleared out."
Princess Xuan naturally agreed without hesitation. They had just left the capital when they received this news. She was shocked and furious, wishing to find the perpetrator and tear him to pieces. Fortunately, Qingping was staying at home this time, otherwise, it would be hard to say what would happen to the eldest son.
Li Qingping had made a great contribution this time, and both Prince Xuan and his wife were rewarded. Concubine Li also managed to stabilize the situation and even managed to have a miscarriage, so she also received a consolation reward. Madam Wan and the eldest son were frightened, so they were also rewarded.
Prince Xuan's palace underwent a major purge, disposing of many servants who had entered the palace through connections or whose backgrounds were suspicious. After this incident, the servants in the palace were so eager to keep their heads down that they could not move forward.
Not to mention the palace, even in the court, Prince Xuan would confront everyone he met, like a firecracker that would go off at any time. This made the court officials suffer, as they didn't know who had offended this big Buddha.
In November, Concubine Yang was diagnosed with pregnancy.
In December, Concubine Li gave birth to a daughter, who was ranked as the third girl in the order of seniority, and Prince Xuan named her Yulang.
In January of the following year, Concubine Yang had a miscarriage when she was nearly four months pregnant.
This was the second child Concubine Yang had been unable to keep. The previous one was a daughter who died shortly after being born prematurely. This time, the four-month-old fetus had begun to show signs of life, and it was reportedly a boy.
Privately, everyone couldn't help but grumble that Concubine Yang was unlucky enough not to have a child.
Concubine Yang was in confinement after giving birth, but she was also aware of the rumors outside. She was so angry that she threw the tonic soup in her hand away. The eldest girl Jinhuan couldn't dodge in time and the back of her hand was burned red.
"Get out! Get out!"
Jin Huan cleaned up the mess in silence and retreated. Jin Zhuo was boiling medicine outside. He glanced at her and sighed, "I have some medicine for the wound. Go and apply it on it."
"Thank you, Sister Jinzhuo." Jinhuan nodded with tears in her eyes.
The concubine finally got pregnant while accompanying the emperor on his trip to the frontier, but she lost the baby after only four months. The concubine had a bad temper, and after losing two children in a row, and with so many rumors circulating outside, she was afraid that things would get worse in the future.
Being a waiter is also a job that depends on luck! Why was I assigned here in the first place?
In November, when Consort Liu was checking Ping'an's pulse, she diagnosed her with good news. At the end of July of the following year, Liu gave birth to a daughter, Yuzan, the fourth daughter of the royal palace.
"People outside say that your prince was born to be a father-in-law." This was said by the Princess of Yue.
Li Qingping: "Really?"
Princess Yue smiled and said, "Of course not."
Prince Xuan did not accompany the emperor this year for the summer vacation. To be more precise, the emperor only brought the crown prince and the empress's eldest son, Prince Zhao, with him. All the other sons were left in the capital. So, naturally, many people were invited to attend Yuzan's full moon.
From the second prince, Prince Su, to the fifth prince, Prince Ling (and a few little princes who were taken out of the palace by their brothers to join in the fun), these adult princes who had already left the palace to set up their own homes, as well as their relatives, filled both the front and back yards.
The Princess of Yue is now five months pregnant and doesn't want to be crowded with a lot of people. She is familiar with Li Qingping in this mansion (they got along very well when they went to the palace last time). After saying goodbye to the Princess of Xuan, she went to rest in Li Qingping's courtyard.
Prince Xuan had fathered two daughters in the past two years, bringing his total to four. He had the most daughters of any of his brothers, no wonder they mocked him. In the future, these daughters would at least marry into the rank of county princess, perhaps even a princess. The Great Qi dynasty was very particular about marrying off daughters, and the regulations meant the daughters of princes were considered lower-ranking. Prince Xuan was a devoted daughter lover, so the dowry he had prepared was substantial. He was born to be a father-in-law, and it was said that Prince Xuan would spend lavishly on his in-laws when marrying off his daughters.
But it was just a joke. No one could be poor like these princes and grandchildren. Otherwise, they really couldn't afford the dowry of a princess or county lady. In the final analysis, not only would their own family lose face, but the person sitting on the dragon throne would also have to face it.
"Speaking of this, it's still too early for other things. Our Yu Jin has indeed started to look for someone else." Li Qingping said sadly.
Princess Yue was surprised and asked, "So fast?"
Li Qingping said, "Our grandfather said it's not that fast." It was still too late for Yu Jin to come to her side. It felt like she had grown up so big in just a short time.
Yu Jin was born in the fifteenth year of Xianshun's reign, and now she's in her twenty-fifth year. At ten years old, she's old enough to attend banquets or entertain guests on her own. Princess Xuan and Li Qingping have already begun teaching her how to manage the household. In an ordinary wealthy family, she would have been married off in a few years. Fortunately, Yu Jin is the third generation of the emperor, and the eldest daughter beloved by Prince Xuan. She can wait a few more years until she's seventeen or eighteen before marrying off.
But it is indeed time to start looking at her. Prince Xuan had come to talk to Li Qingping about this a while ago.
First of all, given Yu Jin's status, most nobles are not worthy of her. Prince Xuan and Li Qingping have revealed the truth: when Yu Jin gets married, the emperor will definitely confer a title on her, and by then, Yu Jin will be the eldest princess from the prince's mansion.
Prince Xuan was reluctant to have his daughters marry far away, so he chose brides from the capital. A match with a family background that was too low wouldn't work, as it would easily lead to the misconception that Prince Xuan disliked his eldest daughter and was neglecting Yu Jin. A match with a family background that was too high wouldn't work either. There were several princesses in the palace, and the most prominent ones would definitely be reserved for the princesses, or at least the princesses from the crown prince's family. As a result, there were not many suitable families, and even fewer with suitable men of the right age. As Prince Xuan put it, it was better to strike first and make a move first, lest a good husband be snatched away.
It wasn't that Prince Xuan was too anxious. The husbands of princesses, county ladies, and other high-ranking officials in this dynasty weren't allowed to take concubines at will, but few men waited until seventeen or eighteen, as young women often did, to marry a principal wife. Even those with harems often had several maids to serve them. If they were to choose a man in their teens, the men would either already be married or be philandering and unruly. How could a princess, county lady, or other high-ranking official be wronged?
Therefore, it's best to start dating early. Not only does it allow you to observe the man's character for several years, but you can also keep a close eye on him to prevent him from having affairs outside. After a few years of dating, there are still a series of etiquette and regulations to deal with, such as the marriage proposal, the name-calling, the marriage proposal, and the marriage proposal. Ordinary families take a year or two to go through the process, and the royal family is even more complicated. The same was true when Princess Xuan married into the family, not to mention the marriage of a princess, which can take at least three to five years. Starting a dating relationship at ten isn't exactly fast.
Li Qingping never expected that he would have to worry about his girl's marriage before he even had his own child.
"Giving birth to a daughter means more worries." Princess Yue sighed, "But I'd rather have a girl this time. The one in our family is almost going crazy with her constant nagging."
"You didn't see the way he held Yuzan in the front yard just now... He almost wanted to take Yuzan back home."
Drought kills drought, flood kills flood. Unlike his eldest brother, Prince Xuan, Prince Yue now has five sons, two of whom died young, but no daughters. Especially since those boys are all close in age, they've become so annoying lately that Prince Yue is practically driven crazy by the little ones and has begun praying to the gods for a daughter.
Not to mention Prince Yue, the Princess herself also wanted a daughter. She already had a son, and a daughter would complete the family.
But Princess Yue had always liked to eat sour food since she became pregnant. The sourer the better. They say sour food makes a boy, spicy food makes a girl. Although it is not necessarily true, Princess Yue did not hold out much hope that this baby would be a girl.
Just like now, the plums were so sour that they made people's mouths water just by smelling them. Princess Yue ate several of them without changing her expression and still felt unsatisfied.
Li Qingping looked at her and felt hungry unconsciously. He couldn't help but reach out to touch the sour jujube cake beside him.
When Princess Yue found out, she was shocked: "Why did you eat so much? Don't you feel sour?"
The sour jujube cake was brought by the Princess herself. Her appetite had become stronger after her pregnancy, and her usual favorite snacks had become bland. Only this sour jujube cake, with its sweet and sour flavor, had become her new favorite. However, for someone who wasn't pregnant, this snack would be incredibly sour and even difficult to swallow.
"It's not sour...it's okay." Li Qingping didn't feel anything wrong.
Princess Yue looked at her several times, then looked at the half-empty dessert plate, and immediately called out to her eldest maid Jinping: "Hurry up and try it."
The maids were all chatting and chatting outside. When they heard their master call her Jinping, they were a little confused, but they still took a bite of the sour jujube cake. After just one bite, the maid's face immediately wrinkled up and she choked hard.
"It seems the taste hasn't changed, it's still that sour." Princess Yue asked Jinping to drink some tea to dull the taste, then looked at Li Qingping in surprise: "Are you pregnant?"
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