old bow
There are two other princes in Huiwen's harem who are about to celebrate their first birthday.
The Eighth Prince He Zheng and the Ninth Prince He Chang were the two youngest children of Emperor Yongping. Youngest children were always favored, especially the Ninth Prince He Chang, who had been sickly and well-behaved since childhood and was a source of pity. Emperor Yongping loved him even more.
He Chang was born during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
When it comes to the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone has some subtle feelings about this day. Many years ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, an incident occurred in the palace, and soon after, Emperor Qianyuan passed away, and then the current emperor ascended the throne.
If it weren't for the Mid-Autumn Festival accident many years ago, the person sitting on that seat now would not be the current Emperor Yongping.
But for Emperor Yongping, the Mid-Autumn Festival that day marked the beginning of his fight for the throne. Besides traditional sentiments, he also felt a sense of satisfaction as a victor. Therefore, he ordered a grand celebration for the Mid-Autumn Festival in his first year on the throne.
Early in the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people would offer sacrifices to their ancestors, followed by a family banquet in the palace, and then a palace banquet.
Li Qingping had assumed that He Chang's first birthday celebration would have to be a private affair. Unexpectedly, after the ancestral worship ceremony, Li Qingping returned to the palace to change clothes for the family banquet. Liang Pei'an personally came to Yonghe Palace and said with a smile, "I pay my respects to Concubine Ding. The Emperor said that before the family banquet begins, we need to hold a first birthday ceremony for the Ninth Prince. Your Majesty, please make preparations quickly."
Everything for the first birthday gift has been prepared, after all, it cannot be without it.
However, Li Qingping did not expect that Emperor Yongping would notify her suddenly. She was naturally happy, but also confused. But she didn't care about that at the moment. She wanted to take action immediately because her son's first birthday ceremony did not need to be held privately.
But I didn’t expect that it was just a ceremony for the younger generation to celebrate the birth of a newborn baby, but Yonghe Palace was packed with people.
The Mid-Autumn Festival ancestral worship was not as grand as the New Year's, but close members of the imperial clan would be present. For example, Emperor Yongping's brothers and sisters would definitely come, but after the worship, they would each go back to their homes and only return for the palace banquet. But now, all of them were in Yonghe Palace.
Li Qingping: “……?”
They were all elders, and although it was the prince's first birthday, he was neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir, just an ordinary prince. It seemed too grand for him to come all the way here to attend a birthday ceremony. He Zheng, the daughter of Concubine Ke, hadn't received this treatment before.
Yu Jin took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention and slid over to Li Qingping, whispering to him, "Didn't you say last time that you could take your mother away to live with her? Shouldn't you be more attentive then?"
Emperor Yongping said he was going to celebrate his son's first birthday, and on a good day like Mid-Autumn Festival, with everyone watching, why would he leave the palace? He had family banquets at home all the time, so the opportunity to pay his respects to an emperor with so many lackeys was rare.
Li Qingping gestured towards Prince Zhao and Prince E and said, "Then the Empress Dowager may not be able to leave the palace with them, right?"
Yu Jin covered her mouth and laughed, "Aren't we living at the mercy of others now? It would be so conspicuous if everyone was here and two were missing. It would be embarrassing if the emperor investigated later."
Li Qingping smiled.
Not long after, Concubine Ke also received the news and was shocked when she saw the scene.
The other concubines were not present because of the presence of other male relatives such as the princes and dukes, and could only watch as Emperor Yongping went to Yonghe Palace. However, Concubine Ke was Hechang's aunt, so she felt she had to be there.
After learning the reason, Concubine Ke smiled and said to Li Qingping, "Our little nine is really good at choosing a date for birth."
Yonghe Palace became even more lively when Emperor Yongping and Empress Li arrived hand in hand.
He Chang had never seen so many people gathered in a palace before. For a moment, he stayed in Li Qingping's arms and refused to face him.
Emperor Yongping smiled and called him, "Hechang, Hechang? Is our Xiaojiu shy?"
The boy obviously remembered his father's voice and turned his head tentatively to take a look.
"Hechang, go grab one you like and give it to your father, okay?" Emperor Yongping pointed at the pile of items for the "Zhuazhou" ceremony.
Queen Li was also teasing him and made a grabbing gesture: "He Chang, go grab one."
Concubine Ke also said, "Just like what happened with Brother Zheng a few days ago."
The people speaking were all elders he was familiar with. He Chang hesitated and looked up at Li Qingping: "...Mother?"
Li Qingping patted his youngest son, then placed him on the ground and said softly, "Go."
He Chang then staggered forward and grabbed a small hunting bow from among the pile of items, but fell to the ground with a thud just before Emperor Yongping. However, the boy did not cry, but just sat there and showed the small hunting bow to his father: "Dad, here."
Emperor Yongping looked even happier than before. He picked up He Chang and said with a smile, "Good boy!"
Princess De'en was the quickest to react, as she recognized the familiar bow. "I remember this small hunting bow was given to the Emperor by my father when he was just starting to learn martial arts. It's the Emperor's first bow! Now that the Ninth Prince has it, he and the Emperor have a strong bond as father and son!"
No wonder Emperor Yongping looked so happy, it turns out this bow had such an origin.
The imperial uncles and aunts thought to themselves that it was no wonder they were unaware. Emperor Yongping was the eldest brother, and how many of them had seen him when he was just starting to learn martial arts? The only ones present who had seen him were the elder sisters, Princess De'en and Princess Huaiwen.
Li Qingping was also surprised when he heard this.
This bow was placed there by Emperor Yongping during Hechang's birthday celebration. Unfortunately, Hechang didn't grab it, so she put it away. This time, while cleaning up the storeroom for Hechang's first birthday celebration, Li Qingping remembered it and took it out again. Who would have thought this bow was Emperor Yongping's first bow! It was a gift from the previous emperor! Emperor Yongping, who was still a prince at the time, didn't reveal a single word about it!
Princess De En continued with a smile, "I heard that the Ninth Prince has been somewhat frail since birth. Now that he has this bow, with the blessing of his father, the Emperor, he will surely be healthy and worry-free in the future."
Ever since Hechang's birth, Emperor Yongping's biggest concern has been his health. Having endured several near-death experiences in Xijing, the most important thing for him is his health. His level of anxiety and hope is no less than that of the Fifth Princess, who nearly died in infancy. So upon hearing this, Emperor Yongping echoed the sentiment: "Yes, I only hope Hechang's health gets better."
Princess De'en looked at the emperor's expression and breathed a sigh of relief.
As the eldest sister, if it were only for her own sake, there was no need to curry favor with her younger brother, the Emperor. However, her mother was the Imperial Noble Consort Ying. She was the only daughter of the Imperial Noble Consort Ying, and they had a close relationship. The Imperial Noble Consort Ying was the oldest of Wenzong's concubines, now in her sixties, yet still crammed into Kangshou Palace with so many other concubines and imperial concubines, unable to enjoy a peaceful retirement. If she could persuade Emperor Yongping to soften his stance and allow her to take her mother back to the Princess Residence for a proper upbringing, Princess De'en would do anything to curry her favor.
The others also responded and said a lot of good things, which made Emperor Yongping very happy. But he also knew that they had their own wishes.
While the Yonghe Palace was bustling with activity, Concubine Bai seemed somewhat depressed in the side hall of the Chengqian Palace.
The two palaces were so close that she could hear the hustle and bustle of Yonghe Palace clearly.
"If my Hetun were still alive, would the emperor's most beloved youngest son be my Hetun?" sobbed Lady Bai.
The Tenth Prince Hetun was actually born only a month after the Ninth Prince Hetun, but now, besides herself, no one still remembered the existence of this child. If Hetun had not died after being raised for several months and entered into the Imperial Book of Documents, he would not have even had the chance to become the Tenth Prince.
The trusted palace maid Qing'er whispered, "Master, you are still young and there is still a chance that you will conceive an heir to the throne."
He then reminded her, "Master, please wipe your tears quickly and apply a hot water towel to your eyes. You must be happy when you go to the family dinner later."
Lady Bai also understood the seriousness of the matter and nodded.
After the one-year-old ceremony, Concubine Ke returned to Chengqian Palace to change her clothes. As she prepared to leave, she glanced at Concubine Bai, whose eyes were still red, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Thank you for your concern, Concubine Ke. I am fine."
Concubine Ke snorted softly, "If you're really not feeling well, there's no need to be so stubborn. I'll just ask for leave on your behalf."
It's not hard to guess why Lady Bai shed tears. It was mainly because only three children were born that year, and one died. Now, the memory just brought back memories.
Noble Lady Bai forced a smile and said, "Mid-Autumn Festival is a beautiful day. I don't want to spoil everyone's good mood."
Having said that, Concubine Ke didn't want to say anything more and immediately ordered a sedan chair to go to the Qianqing Palace for a family banquet.
Before she even entered the room, she heard Concubine Yi's laughter: "Sister Dingpin, I'm so envious today. The Emperor took time out of his busy schedule to specially hold a celebration for the Ninth Prince's first birthday. You are truly grateful for his kindness."
Concubine Ke was immediately displeased. Emperor Yongping and Empress Li were currently inviting the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager to a family dinner at the Cining Palace. She didn't need to pretend. She supported Chunhui as she walked in and said with a smile, "What are you talking about, Concubine Yi? The children's first birthday ceremony is so important. The Emperor loves his children, so how can he not hold it? It's just that the timing is just perfect. I thought that if my sister's children were also there, the Emperor would also be kind enough to show his favor."
When Concubine Yi saw her coming, her smile paused: "Sister Concubine Ke is right."
Concubine Ke tilted her head back slightly and snorted coldly. She sat down next to Li Qingping and raised an eyebrow at Princess Gong. "How many months has the eldest prince's baby been pregnant? Her belly looks quite large. Concubine Yi has been pregnant three times herself, so why didn't she remind our eldest prince? This baby is so big that it might be difficult to give birth to it in the future."
Princess Gong was not in a position to speak in this situation and could only smile awkwardly.
Concubine Yi calmed down and said, "Don't bother Sister Ke with worrying about this. The imperial physician checks on Ping'an's pulse every day, so we should just listen to him. Since Sister Ke has so much free time, why not worry more about the Third Princess' marriage?"
Concubine Ke and Concubine Yi looked at each other and snorted coldly, saying, "Out of sight, out of mind."
Li Qingping pulled Concubine Ke aside and said, "When you came in just now, you were talking so much that I didn't even get a chance to say a word. This is the Palace of Heavenly Purity after all, and everywhere is filled with palace maids who serve the Emperor. If Concubine Yi wants to show off her eloquence, then let her. I won't suffer any loss. What if the Emperor hears about it somewhere..."
Concubine Ke snorted and said, "It's normal for concubines to be jealous of each other. It's just a verbal dispute, the emperor won't take it to heart."
"Actually, at my age now, I don't want to compete for favor with Concubine Yi and the others." Concubine Ke smiled and whispered to Li Qingping, "I have two princes and a princess. No matter what, the emperor won't do anything to me for the sake of his three children. It's good to have the emperor's favor, but even if I don't, my sister is the queen and has three children. Who in this palace dares to neglect me?"
Seeing the sly smile on her face, Li Qingping asked with a frown, "Do you really think so?"
Concubine Ke propped up her chin, and could see clearly: "No matter how beautiful I am, my age is here. If there are new people in the future, those who are all beautiful, how can I compare with them? Then won't I rely on our old relationship and children? I'm not stupid."
Li Qingping laughed dumbly and teased her deliberately: "Of course not. You and Xian are already married. Maybe it won't be long before you become a grandmother."
Concubine Ke's eyes suddenly became resentful.
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