Seeing that the atmosphere had cooled, Empress Pei took the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty has some good news. Let your mother hear it as well."
Empress Dowager Xiao followed the lead and changed the subject, curiously asking, "What's the good news? Tell me quickly."
Emperor Wende smiled, his eyes gleaming with joy. "Three concubines in the harem have been confirmed to be pregnant."
"Really?" Empress Dowager Xiao was overjoyed.
You should know that Emperor Wende has not had a son or daughter for more than ten years.
There were rumors in the past that Emperor Wende was ill and unable to have children. That was why he had not had any children for over a decade.
But all the old people who came out of the palace knew that in the 34th year of Kaiyao, Concubine Wu of the palace was pregnant.
However, soon after, Concubine Wu died suddenly.
The pregnancy was left unresolved.
As if it never happened.
At that time, there were rumors that Concubine Wu was cheating on Prince Ning.
This was also the rumor in the palace.
That's why Concubine Wu died suddenly.
Gu Jiu didn't know whether it was cuckoldry or not. The only thing she knew for sure was that Lady Wu was indeed pregnant at the time.
By that time, Emperor Wende's health had probably recovered.
Emperor Wende, however, forced the women in his backyard to not get pregnant. What was his intention?
Now that Emperor Wende has expanded his harem and his concubines are pregnant, his expression shows genuine joy, indicating that he still hopes for the continuation of his bloodline and the birth of offspring.
But when he was in the palace, he didn't allow women in the backyard to get pregnant. This was very strange.
Gu Jiu couldn't help but look at Liu Zhao secretly.
Liu Zhao shook his head slightly and told Gu Jiu not to pursue the inside story.
There are some things that Emperor Wende doesn't want anyone to know. So everyone should be tactful and pretend not to know.
If you investigate further, you might offend His Majesty.
Gu Jiu understood.
Emperor Wende laughed heartily, "I dare not lie to my mother. The pregnancy of one of the concubines in the harem has been confirmed."
Empress Dowager Xiao was overjoyed. "Great! With an heir to the palace, the Great Zhou will prosper even more. The Queen is in charge of the harem, so she must arrange for someone to take good care of the pregnant concubines."
Empress Pei smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, mother. We have arranged for the right people. My daughter-in-law has also said that the concubines can choose one or two people from their families to serve them closely."
"That's how it should be. A woman will feel insecure when she's pregnant and giving birth without her family by her side." Empress Dowager Xiao agreed with Empress Pei's approach.
Princess Huyang's eyes rolled around, and she suddenly said, "Congratulations, sister-in-law. Congratulations, sister-in-law. You are old enough to be a grandmother, and you can still have a few more children."
Get beaten!
Empress Dowager Xiao was the first one to be dissatisfied and gouged out her eyes at Princess Huyang.
It’s the New Year, can you speak?
She has the urge to bring bad luck to the Emperor and the Empress. I don't know what to say to her.
Queen Pei lowered her head and smiled, her eyes full of contempt.
Princess Huyang, you are a dog that never changes its nature and always looks like you want a beating.
"Don't be impatient, sister Huyang. Wait until Chen Min and Chen Lu get married tomorrow, and then you can experience what it's like to be a grandmother. You have to hurry up and arrange Min Min's marriage."
Empress Pei spoke in a gentle voice and specifically mentioned Chen Min's name.
Chen Min, who was serving Empress Dowager Xiao, was speechless and didn't know what to say.
Princess Huyang said hurriedly, "Don't worry about my daughter Minmin's marriage, sister-in-law. Mother will find a match for Minmin."
Empress Pei showed a perfect smile, "I wanted to worry about Minmin, but I didn't expect that Sister Huyang looked down on me. Forget it, I won't interfere in Minmin's marriage."
Perfectly pushed this matter out. Easy!
Empress Dowager Xiao glared at Huyang again and made a fuss.
Why are you angry with Queen Pei?
Huyang was not convinced and pretended not to see Empress Dowager Xiao's silent warning.
Emperor Wende glanced at Chen Min and said, "I almost forgot that Minmin is also of marriageable age. Hasn't your marriage been arranged yet?"
Princess Huyang took advantage of the situation and said, "Brother, why don't you find a good match for Minmin? I think my eldest nephew's wife, my cousin surnamed Su, is a good match."
Gu Jiu spat out a mouthful of blood.
What hatred, what resentment.
Why did Hu Yang want to cheat her?
A few months ago, I strongly rejected Hu Yang's marriage proposal in a letter. Why bring it up again now?
Gu Jiu was very depressed.
"Who is cousin Su?" Queen Pei was very surprised.
Emperor Wende also looked at Gu Jiu with curiosity, "Big Boss's wife, come here and tell everyone what's going on with your cousin Su."
Gu Jiu secretly glared at Hu Yang.
Princess Huyang still looked very proud.
Look how clever she is, she has perfectly proposed a suitable marriage partner.
Gu Jiu bowed slightly and said, "Cousin Su is the eldest son of my daughter-in-law's uncle. He passed the imperial examination and is studying and copying in the Hanlin Academy."
He has not been assigned a specific position yet and is still an idle person supported by the court.
However, having the title of Jinshi does add a lot of points.
Emperor Wende suddenly realized, "I remember now, your maternal grandfather's family is the Su family of Jiangling Prefecture?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "My daughter-in-law's maternal grandfather's family is the Su family of Jiangling Prefecture."
"The Jiangling Su family has a long tradition of scholarship. With their profound family heritage, it's not surprising that a Su family member could pass the imperial examination. However, I remember that twenty years ago, the Su family was demoted and left the capital to return to their ancestral home. Why are you here again?"
Emperor Wende had a good memory and still remembered the Su family being demoted twenty years ago.
Gu Jiu said: "The Su family was only demoted, but not banned from taking the imperial examinations."
Emperor Wende looked at Gu Jiu with a half-smile, "So, the Su family is starting to prosper again."
Gu Jiu didn't dare to be careless. She said carefully: "It can't be called prosperous, but it's enough to feed the family and support the children's education."
"What's your cousin Su's name?"
"Your Majesty, call me Su Zheng."
Su Zheng!
Emperor Wende pondered the name but had no impression of it.
Obviously Su Zheng has not yet entered the court.
Emperor Wende asked Huyang, "Why do you like Su Zheng?"
"He's a nice guy! He's also the cousin of my nephew's wife, so his character must be fine."
Princess Huyang said as a matter of course.
Gu Jiu was in a very bad mood.
Huyang is clearly causing trouble.
Emperor Wende laughed and said, "I'll have to meet this person tomorrow to see if he's really as good as they say."
Princess Huyang was smiling happily, while Gu Jiu was depressed.
Hu Yang winked at Gu Jiu proudly, his heart bursting with joy.
She had made up her mind to marry Gu Jiu. Marrying Chen Min to Su Zheng could also be considered a marriage.
Gu Jiu was thinking about whether his uncle and aunt had found a marriage partner for Su Zheng. It would be best if they had already found a match and quickly got engaged.
As long as the marriage is arranged, Huyang can do nothing about it.
When Chen Min was at the palace, he had once seen Su Zheng from a distance. He remembered him as a tall, thin, and extremely refined scholar.
Want to marry him?
Chen Min secretly looked at Gu Jiu, with a little more anticipation in her heart.
It would be great if I could marry Su Zheng.
But looking at Gu Jiu's expression, he seemed unhappy with this marriage.
Chen Min became a little worried.
Sometimes I think about how to make the marriage happen.
Sometimes I think about what to do if the marriage doesn’t go through.
She was lost in thought and didn't pay attention to the conversation in the hall.
It wasn't until Liu Huan secretly pulled her sleeve that she came to her senses.
At the beginning of the year, Liu Huan had already married Huang Qubing and successfully established her own household.
She and Chen Min grew up together, so naturally they have a special relationship.
She secretly comforted Chen Min, "Don't worry, the marriage will be resolved sooner or later."
Chen Min hummed, "How does Prince Consort Huang treat you?"
Liu Huan chuckled, "Excellent." The corners of her eyes and eyebrows were filled with the joy of a happy marriage.
Chen Min envied her very much.
But he also knew that he could never compare to Liu Huan.
Empress Dowager Xiao was advising the Third Prince and his wife.
"The eldest, second, and fourth sons all have legitimate sons. You two should also hurry up and give me a legitimate grandson."
Cui looked shy and her cheeks blushed.
The Third Prince responded loudly, "Grandson will try his best."
Inside the hall, everyone laughed in unison, with goodwill.
I just don't know how much kindness is still left in my heart.
Concubine Shen teased the Third Prince, "The Third Prince has become quite successful now. Look at him now that he has married a new wife. He's a different person, much more energetic than before."
Concubine Luode echoed Concubine Shen Xian's words, "People are in high spirits when they are happy. The third child seems to be getting more and more energetic. It's true that the bad luck has been eliminated, and he feels better all over."
This unlucky sound inevitably reminds people of Cai who was demoted to Prince Baolin.
Everyone looked at the new daughter-in-law, Cui, curiously, wanting to see how she would react.
Cui came from a prominent family in Hedong and was very dignified. She had a smile on her face, and even the angle of her smile never changed.
Um!
As expected of a noble lady from an aristocratic family, she is very calm.
Emperor Wende also looked at the third prince with approval in his eyes.
This year, the third prince Liu Yan worked very hard, and the degree of his hard work exceeded everyone's imagination.
It seems that we want to catch up with all the delays in the previous years.
Emperor Wende would not hesitate to praise his hard-working prince.
"The third one is really doing well this year and has made great progress."
The simple words "progress" made the Third Prince Liu Yan tremble with excitement. The other princes' eyes turned red.
"My son will continue to work hard and live up to my father's expectations."
The third prince Liu Yan and Cui knelt on the ground together, very solemnly.
The other princes either frowned or had sullen faces.
No one will really be happy for the third child.
Empress Pei chuckled, "The third brother has really made great progress."
Emperor Wende laughed heartily and said, "Everyone, get up."
Empress Pei took the opportunity to reprimand the Fourth Brother and his wife, "Fourth Brother, learn from your Third Brother. We are both doing the same job, but the Third Brother does it very well, and you are still far behind. Fourth Brother's wife, you should also learn from your Third Sister-in-law to be more magnanimous."
The fourth prince Liu Yi responded with a grin, "When I was studying, my teacher praised my third brother for his intelligence. He is better than me, and I am convinced."
Xiao Qin'er also said, "Third sister-in-law is the most capable. As soon as I walked in, the courtyard of the third house was already tidied up. Tomorrow I will go to her to learn from her."
Cui pursed her lips and smiled, "You are so polite, Fourth Sister-in-law. I look forward to drinking tea with you. I'm just afraid that everyone will think I am ignorant."
"Third sister-in-law is really good at talking." Xiao Qin'er giggled.
Gu Jiu whispered to Liu Zhao, "The limelight tonight will be snatched away by the third brother and his wife."
Liu Zhao smiled casually and said, "No problem!"
Just because Liu Zhao doesn't care about being in the spotlight doesn't mean others don't care either.
The second prince Liu Ping cared about it very much.
At this moment, he was feeling heartburn and lung burn.
But in front of my father, I have to endure it no matter how painful it is.
Concubine Shen wanted to stand up for him, but was stopped by his gaze.
I would rather stay out of the spotlight than anger my father.
The emperor publicly praised the third son for his progress.
If he plays a counter-role, wouldn't that be a slap in the face of his father? He is not tired of living.
He lowered his head, thinking about other things.
The third brother has been quite high-profile since he married Cui.
Now that I have received praise from my father, it is even more amazing, it is so great that I can go to heaven.
He was actually hoping that the third brother would become as arrogant as possible. The saying "arrogant soldiers will be defeated" was true.
After convincing himself in this way, the second prince finally felt better.
Empress Dowager Xiao did not forget the Fourth Prince Liu Yi and his wife.
One is her most beloved grandson, and the other is her niece's granddaughter. How could she forget them?
Empress Dowager Xiao held one of them in each hand, praising and commending them.
He secretly reminded Emperor Wende that since he had praised the third brother, he should also praise the fourth brother.
Queen Pei couldn't bear to watch.
She appreciated Empress Dowager Xiao's kindness, but her methods were too low-level and laughable.
Emperor Wende was cheerful and unconcerned, "Old Four has made some progress this year, not bad."
The fourth prince Liu Yi could not hide his excitement and kowtowed to express his gratitude again.
Emperor Wende encouraged him a few words and praised the second prince Liu Ping.
The fifth and sixth brothers have no share of the blame, so it’s good enough that they are not punished.
The only one missing was the eldest brother Liu Zhao.
Therefore, the way people looked at Liu Zhao was somewhat intriguing.
Is the eldest prince Liu Zhao going to fall out of favor?
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