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It happened to be a coincidence that the day when the King of Southern Xinjiang... Oh no, the prisoner Sailik was escorted back to the capital by the army was exactly the day before Yuxi's full moon.
Prince Xuan first arrived at the palace to meet the emperor, exhausted. Seeing his son's slightly disheveled appearance, the emperor, seated on the dragon throne, felt a touch of paternal compassion. "Yunchun, you've worked hard on this trip, pacifying southern Xinjiang and apprehending the rebels. I have a beautiful garden in the suburbs of Beijing, and I'll give it to you as a reward."
Prince Xuan said seriously that sharing the worries of his father and emperor was what a son and a subject should do, and then said, "Thank you, father, for the reward."
Feeling that one garden was still too stingy, the emperor said, "I remember that your Princess Pingyang is almost eleven years old this year?"
Prince Xuan answered yes, and the emperor pondered, "Pingyang has grown so big. I heard you were also looking for someone. Do you have any interest in Yunchun?"
Does this mean that he will issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage in advance? As long as he said it now, the marriage cannot be changed. It is not clear whether those young men are right or wrong. Prince Xuan sighed boldly: "To be honest with you, father, I was very picky when I looked at those young men, fearing that there was something wrong with them. Yujin is my eldest daughter who was raised by my son, and I can't bear to see her suffer. After all, my son wants to keep Yujin for a few more years, so this matter will have to be discussed later."
The emperor seemed to empathize with her. "Yes, I had the same idea when your sisters De'en and Huaiwen got married! In that case, you should wait a few more years! Pingyang is my eldest granddaughter, and I don't want her to marry off casually. When you find someone suitable, come back and ask me for permission to marry you."
Prince Xuan lowered his head respectfully, but a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.
The emperor currently has five married daughters. The elder sisters, Princess De'en and Princess Huaiwen, are living the most comfortably in the capital. The third sister, Princess Anguo, has been married off to a neighboring foreign country, far from her homeland and family. Her once healthy health is now declining, and the news she receives is always grim. The fourth sister, Princess Duanmin, and the fifth sister, Princess Yuyang, one died in childbirth after marrying a Mongolian prince, and the other died of depression after being separated from their marriage. If the emperor truly loves his daughters...
What's the point of thinking about these things now? Prince Xuan closed his eyes, and when he looked up again, he was moved: "Your Majesty is right. I thank you, Your Majesty."
Since this approach wasn't feasible for the time being, the emperor tried another one: "I heard you had a baby girl not long ago? It's going to be a month old soon, right?"
"It's my son's sixth daughter. The full moon banquet is tomorrow."
"Oh! Tomorrow? People say you're destined to be a father-in-law. This is your sixth daughter. The fourth son has been begging for a daughter for ages, but the last one was still a boy and almost made him cry in front of Concubine Qing." The emperor had no hesitation in exposing his other son's shortcomings in front of his own son. "Since it's such a coincidence, I will give your sixth daughter a generous gift tomorrow."
Prince Xuan hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
To be honest, it's not always possible for an ordinary grandson to receive a reward from the emperor on his full moon. The emperor has too many sons, and they have given birth to many sons, so it's unreasonable for the emperor to remember every one of them. Generally speaking, only the eldest son or daughter, or the legitimate son or daughter, of each family can have this honor.
After coming out of the emperor's study, Prince Xuan walked straight to the palace gate.
Logically, he should have gone to see his biological mother, Concubine Xian, and pay her respects. However, Concubine Xian had been in poor health in recent years, and her temper had become increasingly erratic. A few months earlier, she had angered the emperor and was confined to her house for six months, so Prince Xuan could not go to visit her.
Prince Xuan returned to the palace with the emperor's decree granting him a garden outside the capital. He first went to the main courtyard to talk with Princess Xuan, and then had a meal after taking a bath.
"Your Highness, would you like to see the children?" Although Prince Xuan looked tired, he was still in high spirits. Seeing that it was still early, Princess Xuan asked Huixin to bring He Zhao and the fifth girl over.
Sure enough, Prince Xuan did not blame her for taking the initiative and was very happy to see the two children.
Just looking at the Fifth Miss, who was still so weak after almost six months, Prince Xuan's disgust for Concubine Yang deepened. He just felt sorry for the Fifth Miss.
Fortunately, the fifth girl worked hard on her own. Although she was still weak, the imperial physician said that as long as she was taken good care of, it would not be a problem for her to grow up.
As long as she survives, as long as she grows up, that's good. Even if she becomes a sickly girl in the future and needs precious medicinal herbs to nourish her, can't Prince Xuan's mansion afford to support a young girl? Prince Xuan held the fifth girl in his arms and sighed.
Earlier, when they were talking to the Princess of Xuan, they had already discussed Concubine Yang. After all, a concubine bestowed upon her by Concubine Xian and listed in the Imperial Book of Imperial Decrees could not be moved at will. The reputation of having thrown her daughter to death would be unsavory. Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Concubine Yang would be confined to her own courtyard for life, with her daily allowance reduced to half, the same as a consort's. Not sending her to the manor house was a disguised way of dismissing the concubine, but they were also concerned about the Fifth Lady's child. Who knew how others would view her when she grew up, knowing her mother had been sent to the manor house?
The confinement and downgrade left Yang with only the title of concubine, which was her last dignity.
Prince Xuan still felt sorry for his daughter, the Fifth Lady, and said, "Peace. Let's name Little Five Ping An."
Princess Xuan asked, "Is your full name Ping An?"
Prince Xuan nodded and said, "Yes. In a few days, I will submit a petition to the Imperial Clan Court, along with Yuxi, to have the two children recorded in the Imperial Book of Records."
Princess Xuan had no objection.
After safely carrying the newly-born Fifth Girl away, Prince Xuan looked at He Zhao and said, "He Zhao has grown so big now. It's time for her to move to the front yard next year."
Dalangjun and Yan are just seven years old this year and have already moved to the front yard. The next in line is Heluo.
Over the years, Princess Xuan had only had He Zhao as her biological child. She treasured him dearly, but she wouldn't spoil him. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "He Zhao often talks about wanting to go study with his elder brother."
Prince Xuan laughed heartily: "He Zhao, is this true?"
He Xuan said seriously, "Yes. And with my third brother."
Prince Xuan patted his son's head and said with a smile, "Okay. Then ask you brothers to come to the front yard to study together."
Prince Xuan stayed for a while longer, then got up and went to Li Qingping's courtyard. If he had gone to someone else's place, Princess Xuan would definitely not be happy and would insist on keeping him. After all, staying in the main courtyard after Prince Xuan's long journey would show his status as the legitimate wife. But tomorrow was a good day for Li Qingping and Yuxi, and since she was her own sister, Princess Xuan not only didn't stop him, but happily sent him away.
"Master, the prince is here!"
As soon as the young eunuch Fu'an finished speaking, Prince Xuan came in through the curtain. He waved his hand and told Li Qingping and others not to be polite, and sat down on the couch.
Prince Xuan took a quick look at Li Qingping, raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for a few months, but you seem to have gained a lot of weight. That's right, I don't like people who are too thin."
Li Qingping had just finished her postpartum confinement, and the weight she'd lost during pregnancy and the postpartum period hadn't returned yet, leaving her looking a bit plumper. However, she didn't look fat on her, but rather, she looked more charming. Add to that the joy and loving care of a mother after giving birth. While she still looked as aloof and cool as before, she was even more attractive. Didn't you see how Prince Xuan's eyes were glued to her?
"Your Highness, please don't just stare at me. You haven't even met our Xiaoliu yet!"
Having not seen each other for several months, and having never faced such a straightforward gaze before, Li Qingping felt a little hot in his ears. He turned away from him and then picked up his daughter to show Prince Xuan.
Prince Xuan looked at her with amusement, then shifted his gaze to Yuxi.
Even though he already had several daughters, and even his eldest daughter was old enough to get married, Prince Xuan was still very happy with his youngest daughter, whom he had been looking forward to since he knew Li Qingping was pregnant. Otherwise, he would not have chosen both her full name and nickname.
"Cancan's eyes look like yours."
After watching for a long time, Yuxi was sobbing and looking for her mother. Prince Xuan chuckled and put his daughter back into her arms and said.
Li Qingping thought to himself that only her eyes resembled hers; the rest of her appearance was a stark imitation of her father. It could be said that besides Yu Jin, Yu Xi was the child most like Prince Xuan.
After coaxing Yuxi to sleep, Li Qingping asked the wet nurse to take her away, and took the rest of the masters out, leaving only the two masters in the room.
"Little Five has a name, Ping An. In a few days, I'll have both children's names entered into the Imperial Book of Documents." After undressing, Prince Xuan embraced her and lay down on the couch, saying, "From now on, you won't have to call her Little Six."
He knew clearly that Princess Xuan and Li Qingping had been suppressing this matter because his sister Ping An did not have a name yet and it was inconvenient to skip it.
Li Qingping nodded to show that he understood.
Prince Xuan began to play with her long black hair. "Originally, she should have followed her sisters to Yu, but... you know her... I only wish her a safe and happy life. But now I am a little worried that Ping An will be sad because of her own body when she grows up."
It's not that Prince Xuan hadn't seen other sickly children before; on the contrary, he had seen too many. Those children were overprotected, overly sensitive, and overly anxious, and he didn't want his own child to become like that.
"The prince is a loving father who loves his daughter. Fifth Miss will understand when she grows up." Li Qingping could only comfort her in this way.
Prince Xuan didn't want to discuss other matters with her, so he changed the subject naturally. "She's still just a baby now, and I'm thinking too far ahead. By the way, there's a full-moon banquet tomorrow, and the Emperor has given us a full-moon gift. As her biological mother, although you can't come to the palace to express your gratitude, you should still pay your respects to the Emperor when you receive the gift."
Hearing this, Li Qingping sat up straight, "Your Highness, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Prince Xuan was originally holding her hair in his hand. Li Qingping's big move made Prince Xuan afraid of hurting her, so he loosened his hand. The long hair slipped from his fingertips, taking away a burst of fragrance.
He said with a smile: "What's wrong?"
"Since she is a visitor from the palace, I can't dress casually! Of course, she needs to dress more modestly!" Li Qingping said as she hurriedly got off the bed and called Yun Suyun to choose a new set of jewelry and clothes. The clothes and palace skirts also needed to be fumigated with incense.
Of course, Li Qingping, the biological mother, dressed lavishly for her daughter's full-moon celebration. This attire contrasted with her usual attire. While her dress wasn't exactly plain, the embroidery wasn't overly elaborate. Firstly, Li Qingping herself disliked the embroidery, and secondly, her status as a concubine limited her to careful considerations for formal occasions. However, as the wife of a prince, Li Qingping was still a respectable concubine, so she wore a custom-made set of palace skirts, auspicious attire, and headgear.
She was just an imperial granddaughter, neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir, yet she received the full-moon gift from the emperor. Although it was still due to the influence of Prince Xuan, she also stood out among the other sons and grandsons of the emperor who did not receive any reward.
Mother and daughter are one, and Li Qingping didn't want to make a mistake in public tomorrow. Especially since there would be eunuchs from the palace delivering gifts, Li Qingping had to kowtow in front of them in gratitude. These people were the emperor's eyes and ears, and they must not be neglected, not even in their makeup or clothing.
Prince Xuan leaned on the couch and watched Li Qingping give orders, and couldn't help laughing.
The last time he saw Li Qingping in such a formal make-up was when he married Princess Xuan. Prince Xuan didn't really remember what Li Qingping looked like then, only her cold, penetrating eyes that looked at him. For a long time afterwards, Prince Xuan loved looking into Li Qingping's eyes.
Generally speaking, the wife of a prince would only wear palace attire and ceremonial robes after entering the palace, but because Li Qingping was the princess's concubine, her position was determined long ago, and before the wedding, the ceremonial robes of Princess Xuan and Concubine Li were sent to the Li family together.
That day, only the Princess of Xuan wore her wedding gown. While a prince could wear it when marrying a concubine, Concubine Li chose to enter the palace wearing the same ceremonial attire as Li Qingping. After their ceremony, Prince Xuan and Princess Li took their seats at the head of the table, receiving homage and tea from Li Qingping and his wife. Their attire was similar, yet their faces were completely different. One was innocent and bright, the other aloof and gentle. The concubine wore no red veil, but the guests were tactful enough not to look at her, instead marveling at Prince Xuan's good fortune. Not only did he marry a virtuous wife, but he also had two incredibly beautiful concubines.
However, Prince Xuan was young at the time and obsessed with appearance. He only cared about looking at Concubine Li, who had better complexion, and did not look closely at the other one. So when he thinks about it now, he does feel a little regretful.
It seems I can look forward to tomorrow even more, Prince Xuan thought with a smile.
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