New Year's Day
On the morning of New Year's Eve, the emperor put down his pen and sealed his treasures in the presence of his ministers, and would not resume his government affairs until after the New Year.
The palace banquet was scheduled for the afternoon, but Princess Xuan was about to give birth, so she specifically asked for mercy and didn't go. She waited in the palace for Prince Xuan to return for a family banquet.
Princess Xuan did not go, but this year the eldest daughter of the newly-appointed Princess Pingyang entered the palace as a representative of the female family of Prince Xuan's mansion.
Although other people in the backyard did not need to enter the palace, they still had to wait in the main courtyard so that the banquet could begin as soon as Prince Xuan returned.
Li Qingping and Concubine Li arrived early in the morning and were talking intimately with the Princess of Xuan.
The two concubines, Wu and Ding, had also arrived early. New Year's Day was one of the few opportunities for them to come to the main courtyard, so they naturally dared not slack off, fearing that they would not be respectful enough to Princess Xuan.
After a while, Madam Wan came with the eldest son and Yan, and bowed to the Princess of Xuan and Concubine Li, and also bowed to Li Qingping.
Princess Xuan told her not to be so polite, then looked at the eldest son and said with a smile, "He Yan has grown up really strong and is a healthy child."
The eldest son was only seven or eight months old. He was wearing festive thick clothes. When he woke up, he was held by his wet nurse without crying or making a fuss. Princess Xuan liked him very much, but it was a pity that her belly was too big for her to hold him.
Madam Wan was usually good-natured and intelligent. Knowing that Prince Xuan respected his legitimate wife, she didn't use her status as a favorite concubine and the mother of his eldest son to show off in front of Princess Xuan. She obediently said to Princess Xuan, "He Yan isn't picky about his food and won't wake him up when he's asleep. The servants also serve him well."
"That's right." Princess Xuan smiled and asked the nanny beside her to hang a longevity lock on the eldest son.
Soon, Concubine Yang also arrived. This concubine, relying on Concubine Xian's support, usually had a stern face towards everyone. It just so happened that no one would tolerate her. After all, she had offended many people when she first entered the mansion. She was a well-known figure in the mansion, so no one was afraid of anyone else.
Concubine Yang came in and paid her respects to Princess Xuan, without even glancing at Concubine Li, who was of the same rank, let alone the two ladies and concubines beside her.
Concubine Li looked worried, but Li Qingping held her hand and signaled her not to cause any unhappiness during the New Year, otherwise Prince Xuan would be angry when he came back. Just pretend that he didn't see her for the time being.
The three concubines, Zhao, Liu and Zhang, came together. The second daughter, Yuzhen, was nearly two years old and could already walk steadily. She walked with her short legs in a very formal manner to greet Princess Xuan.
"Yuzhen is so beautiful." Princess Xuan also put a longevity lock on the second young lady, just like the eldest son, and she would never show favoritism. She smiled and touched the second young lady's cheek and said, "I heard that Yuzhen was ill some time ago. Is she feeling better now?"
Zhao said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. It's just that I caught a slight cold with the change of seasons. But Yuzhen has always been in good health, so she'll be fine after taking a few doses of medicine."
Princess Xuan instructed, "Children are all precious. Not counting the two in my belly, there are only three children in the mansion now. Yujin is already established after turning five, so you two little ones must not be neglected. You need to pay more attention to those who serve Heyan and Yuzhen. If anything is wrong, call a doctor. If it doesn't work, come to the main courtyard and get my letter to go to the palace to ask for the imperial physician. And pay more attention to them on a daily basis."
Madam Wan and Zhao quickly stood up and responded.
Liu and Zhang looked enviously at the pregnant Li sisters, both with two children. They wondered when they would have children themselves. Concubine Yang watched with cold eyes, but she also hoped to get pregnant soon.
"I'm already pregnant, and I'm unable to handle many things. All the New Year gifts from your family and any gifts you want to give in return must be approved by Huixin." Princess Xuan said casually, "Although I haven't reviewed them one by one, Huixin is in charge of it for me. Don't try to do anything tricky. If I find out, I will not let it go."
If we don't care, like in the previous dynasty, someone brought something harmful into the palace, and then something bad happens, no one will have an easy time.
This was the rule, and everyone present agreed, all acknowledging it. Even someone as proud as Concubine Yang had to consider the wife's mood at this time.
After that, there was nothing more to say, and they just waited for Prince Xuan and the eldest daughter to come back from the palace for a family dinner.
Princess Xuan estimated the time and felt that the palace banquet was almost over, so she ordered everyone to move, and she took the women in the backyard to greet the master. As for the two children, they left them under the care of their wet nurse.
Sure enough, Prince Xuan came back after a while. Seeing the situation, he said with pity: "It's cold, there's no need to go out." Especially since Prince Xuan's wife and Concubine Li were still pregnant, it would not be good for them to be cold.
Princess Xuan smiled and said, "I was calculating the time. I didn't stand there for long."
Having said that, Prince Xuan quickly let the person into the house, while he and the eldest girl went to change their clothes.
Everyone returned to their seats in the main courtyard. Princess Xuan didn't show it, but she knew that, with the exception of her two sisters, all the women's eyes were glued to Prince Xuan. However, Prince Xuan always respected her and ignored them. Besides talking to her, he only showed concern for Concubine Li, who was also pregnant. Princess Xuan was still very happy.
After Prince Xuan and the eldest daughter took their seats, the family dinner officially began.
The eldest son and Yan fell asleep after feeding, and their nurse held them in her arms, showed them to Prince Xuan, gave them a New Year's gift, and then took them back to the courtyard. The second daughter, Yuzhen, could eat her own food with a small spoon, so she was given a small table nearby to eat by herself.
Prince Xuan looked at her and smiled, "Yuzhen is also a smart child. When she grows up, she can study with her sister."
Zhao replied, "Yes, I am already teaching Yuzhen to recognize Chinese characters."
The eldest girl, now possessing the demeanor of a royal noblewoman, smiled at Zhao and said, "I have some small picture albums that are just right for Sister Yuzhen's children to learn to read. I'll have Cai Lantern send them to Madam Zhao later." She then turned to Madam Wan and said, "Of course, I won't be left behind when Brother He Yan grows up a bit."
Madam Wan and Zhao naturally expressed their gratitude, and Prince Xuan was also happy to see this, not only because of the harmony between the sisters, but also because of his satisfaction with the eldest girl.
Since the eldest daughter had taken the lead in giving gifts to her younger brothers and sisters, everyone followed suit and gave New Year gifts to Prince Xuan.
First, there was the thoughtful wife, Princess Xuan. In the past, she had to make clothes and sew some underwear by herself, but now that she was pregnant, it was difficult for her to do such work with sharp needles, so she simply made a pair of braided rope sachets for Prince Xuan, one to calm the mind and the other to repel mosquitoes.
Don't underestimate the small size of these two things, but don't you see how difficult it was for Princess Xuan to carry this baby? She was either vomiting and taking pregnancy medication or sleeping. It was really not easy for her to find some time to relax and do handicrafts.
Prince Xuan understood the situation and showed great delight on his face. He immediately pinned the two braided sachets around his waist.
Then came Concubine Li. Concubine Li had never been good at handicrafts, so she wouldn't force Prince Xuan to do needlework, lest he become a laughingstock. Instead, she presented him with a jade bonsai. Everyone knew Prince Xuan loved jade, and this New Year's gift touched his heart. He had it placed on the desk in his study so he could see it whenever he looked up from his desk.
Concubine Yang had been spoiled since childhood, and though she wasn't particularly skilled at needlework, she didn't seek out challenges. She was quite good at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and when Prince Xuan saw the landscape painting she had given him, he didn't criticize it, merely thinking it was thoughtful, and nothing more happened.
This made Concubine Yang feel a little frustrated. This painting would probably just gather dust in the storeroom. She also wanted Prince Xuan to put it in his study!
Behind Concubine Yang was Madam Wan. Madam Wan had given birth to the eldest son, and while Li Qingping had her sisters' support, she didn't argue with Madam Wan at a time like this. It was just a matter of gift-giving and rank. As a fellow madam, Li Qingping had to avoid the spotlight, lest Madam Wan look down on her and cause trouble for her. Would she then continue to live a peaceful life?
Madam Wan also didn't want to go against Li Qingping. She'd somehow heard that Prince Xuan had specifically requested Li Qingping make woolen gloves and a belt as New Year's gifts, so she knew about it. Since Li Qingping had voluntarily given her the right to present gifts, giving her enough status and respect, she had to take a step back and avoid duplication of gifts. Madam Wan immediately put away the belt-making album and turned to making a fan, on which she'd copied a prayer for peace.
Princess Xuan looked at it from above and couldn't help but smile.
The news was naturally leaked by Princess Xuan, who wanted to see what Madam Wan would do after she found out. It now seemed that Madam Wan was a man of her time, unlike one of the concubines from the Yang family.
Next up is Li Qingping.
Prince Xuan looked at a pair of woolen gloves with meticulous stitching that looked warm, and a nine-ring white jade and gold belt, and knew that Li Qingping had put in a lot of effort. He immediately said to Li Qingping, "Let me see your hands."
Li Qingping didn't understand what was going on, so he could only obediently stretch out his hand for Prince Xuan to see.
Except for Princess Xuan and Concubine Li, all the women in the backyard were envious when they saw Prince Xuan gently lifting Li Qingping's hand to check it. Not to mention that later when Prince Xuan spoke to Li Qingping in a gentle voice and asked her to be careful not to hurt her hand, they were even more jealous and sad.
It's not that Prince Xuan hadn't been so considerate to them before, but that was in private! How could he be so open to Li Qingping now, giving instructions in front of everyone?
Only Concubine Li stared at Prince Xuan and Li Qingping hand in hand with bright eyes. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, she would have wanted to scream out loud. Ahhh, handsome man and beautiful woman, really pleasing to the eyes! She said that Li Qingping's cold appearance is the most attractive to men! It's okay if he doesn't like her for a while, but if Prince Xuan always looks down on Li Qingping, then there must be something wrong with his vision.
Fortunately, it seems that Prince Xuan still has the vision of a normal man.
Princess Xuan couldn't hide the smile on her face. Deep down, she didn't care who Prince Xuan favored, but she absolutely wanted the three of them to live a good life. She was happy to see others envious and resentful, unable to voice their feelings.
Li Qingping could feel the burning sensation on her back without even looking, as if she was being stared through by someone.
Fortunately, Prince Xuan understood the situation and released the person after a short conversation. Concubine Li still felt a little regretful, as she hadn't seen enough.
Later, Zhao, Liu, Zhang and others presented gifts one after another. The eldest daughter also gave Prince Xuan a piece of calligraphy, imitating the calligraphy of a famous scholar in the previous dynasty. Prince Xuan also gave his eldest daughter face and directly ordered it to be hung in the study.
After the family dinner, they were supposed to stay up all night, but this year it was not suitable for two pregnant women to stay up late, so Prince Xuan dismissed them early.
Although the princess was pregnant, Prince Xuan would definitely stay in the main courtyard tonight. No matter how much they wanted to compete for favor, they weren't foolish enough to do so at this time. If they upset Prince Xuan and his wife, they wouldn't be able to stay in the palace any longer. So, as soon as Prince Xuan spoke, they tactfully got up and took their leave.
Prince Xuan chatted with Princess Xuan for a while, then washed up and went to bed.
It was a normal night, but in the middle of the night, Princess Xuan was awakened by the pain and said to Prince Xuan, who was also awakened, "My Lord, I think I'm going to give birth."
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