Chapter 090

When talking about the Princess of Qin, Princess Ruyang's expression was neither cold nor warm, unlike the others who were enthusiastic. Knowing that something was going to happen, Jiashan's mind immediately became active.

She said in a gentle voice, "When I got married earlier this year, my father asked my brother Youqi to carry me to the sedan chair. Perhaps because of this, the Princess of Qin treats me so kindly."

After hearing this, Ruyang's eyebrows remained calm. She turned around and saw Jiashan's innocent look. She gently held Jiashan's hand and whispered, "It's better for you not to have any contact with her."

Jiashan's eyes darkened, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Princess Ruyang did not answer, but took a sip of tea and glanced around. Jiashan understood and waved to Suyu Dancui to take the rest of the people to leave.

After all the maids had left, Princess Ruyang put down her teacup. She raised her head slightly and said to Jiashan, "The Princess of Qin was personally chosen by the Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an as her daughter-in-law. You should know this."

Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an was the biological mother of Emperor Zhanghe, in other words, Jiashan's grandmother. Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an was Shunfei during her lifetime. After Emperor Zhanghe was made the crown prince, she was promoted to empress because of her son's status. After the death of the previous emperor, she was named empress dowager. Her posthumous title after death was Xiaoming'an.

People then called her Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an.

Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an had two sons and one daughter in her lifetime. The eldest son is the current Emperor Zhanghe, the second son was given the title of Prince of Qin, and the only daughter was Princess Dening.

Jiashan was not actually very clear about these past events. Although Emperor Zhanghe handed over the power of the harem to Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Jing, there was one thing he cared about very much.

This is the origin of Empress Dowager Xiaoming An.

Emperor Zhanghe ruled the country with filial piety and would never allow anyone to criticize the empress dowager. Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an's family background was not high, so this became a taboo that no one dared to mention in the harem. Even Jiashan was rarely heard of.

Hearing Princess Ruyang's words, Jiashan just nodded slightly and replied, "I have heard of it."

"But what does this have to do with anything?" Jiashan couldn't quite understand.

Princess Ruyang smiled and said calmly, "Don't you think that the Queen Mother and Dening treat the Princess of Qin more kindly than they treat your mother?"

Jiashan tilted his head to think for a moment, then whispered, "It seems so."

Although Jiashan was still young when Empress Pei died, she was old enough to understand things. In my memory, Princess Dening occasionally went to the palace, but she rarely went to Kunning Palace. Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an rarely saw Empress Pei.

When there were some formal occasions that required the Empress or Empress Dowager to appear, it was usually Empress Pei who went, but Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an did not.

Princess Ruyang asked softly, "Have you never thought about why this is happening?"

Jiashan thought about it seriously, and then recalled what he had heard before, and said, "My mother is unruly and aggressive, not as gentle as the Princess of Qin, so she is not liked by Aunt Dening and the Empress Dowager."

"Silly child," Princess Ruyang shook her head slightly, and said with a half-smile, "This may be one of the reasons, but it is not the main one."

Realizing that he was about to touch the most critical tip of the iceberg, Jiashan raised his head, stared closely into Ruyang's eyes, and whispered, "So, what's the most important thing?"

Jiashan said earnestly, "Aunt, please speak frankly."

The girl's face was beautiful and uninhibited, with a bit of sophistication yet simplicity. Princess Ruyang couldn't help but frown a little, and she sighed: "Some things are better if you don't know them."

"But if I still don't know it now, wouldn't I be taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives?" Jiashan looked at the screen in the room and said with a hint of meaning.

Princess Ruyang's face changed slightly. She looked straight ahead and said with a slightly bitter tone, "Do you know where Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an was born?"

Jiashan shook his head.

The Empress Dowager's family was not very powerful, with only one mansion, the Cheng'en Marquisate. Now, with Emperor Zhanghe's intentional estrangement, the Cheng'en Marquisate was no longer as crowded as before.

Although the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion was not considered noble, over the past 10 to 20 years, they had worked hard to become one of the most prestigious families in the capital and were no longer the peasants they once were. For the sake of the Empress Dowager, no one dared to mention the past.

"The Queen Mother was originally a palace maid who was promoted to a royal concubine." Although there was no one else in the room, Princess Ruyang still spoke in a low voice.

Ignoring Jiashan's shocked expression, she continued quietly, "I was spotted by my father by chance. I didn't even have a rank. It was only with Empress Fu's advice that I was given a title."

"After giving birth to Dening, Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an was granted the title of noble lady, but she continued to live in the side hall of Empress Fu. Later, when she gave birth to the current emperor, she was granted the title of concubine and became the head of a palace."

Princess Ruyang spoke in a calm tone, but every word she said hit Jiashan's heart. She said, "Therefore, Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an will inevitably be humble in front of Empress Fu."

"The two girls that Empress Fu loved the most were her niece Fu Shiyu and your mother." Ruyang casually told the story. She smiled faintly and said, "Your mother was often summoned to the palace by Empress Fu. In front of her, she was even more respectable than De Ning."

Jiashan pursed her lips. From Princess Ruyang's words, she understood why the Queen Mother and Princess Dening disliked her mother.

Even though Empress Fu was a tolerant person, Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an and her daughter were still living under someone else's roof. After they were in high positions, no one would mention their past difficulties. But the existence of Empress Pei was undoubtedly a reminder of how they had lived in the past.

Jiashan's heart moved, he looked at Ruyang intently, and asked softly: "I remember my aunt mentioned that Empress Fu once wanted to choose Fu Shiyu as the Crown Princess, but because Fu Shiyu was already engaged, she gave up. Then my mother..."

She hesitated to speak, her clear eyes filled with caution.

Ruyang smiled without saying anything for a long time before saying calmly, "I still couldn't hide it from you."

"Yes." Ruyang said calmly, "She once betrothed your mother to the Crown Prince Xiaohuai."

Jiashan was surprised, paused, and asked, "Does the late emperor know about this? Has the Pei family agreed?"

"The late emperor may not know." Ruyang said, "But the Pei family agreed."

Jiashan was slightly startled, and looked at Ruyang in disbelief, repeatedly asking: "If that's the case, why have I never heard of anyone mentioning it? Why would my mother marry my father?"

"Empress Fu and the Pei family only made a verbal agreement, and few people knew the inside story. I only heard Fu Shiyu mention it occasionally, otherwise I wouldn't know."

"What's more, the Yongding Marquis Mansion collapsed before the formal marriage certificate was issued." Ruyang put away his smile, and his face was still filled with heartache and sadness when he mentioned the Yongding Marquis Mansion.

She said with some sadness: "As for your father and mother, I really don't know."

At this point, although the story is still missing half, Jiashan understands everything about the Princess of Qin.

The Princess of Qin was chosen by the Queen Mother Xiaoming'an, and like her, she was not from a noble family, so it was naturally easier for her to get close to her.

The Empress Dowager Xiaoming'an and Empress Pei already had a grudge against Empress Fu. If the Princess of Qin made a few more slanderous remarks, one can imagine to what extent their relationship would deteriorate.

Poor families and aristocratic families, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are two sides that are prone to conflict. Moreover, Empress Pei has a previous engagement with Prince Xiaohuai, and secondly, she herself has an unruly personality.

So why did Princess Dening and Queen Dowager Xiaoming'an get so upset with Queen Pei? Was Princess Qin involved? The answer is obvious.

Jiashan's expression was cold, and her eyes seemed to be piercing. After a moment, she turned her head and said sincerely, "Thank you, aunt, for telling me this."

Princess Ruyang smiled and said gently, "If I wasn't afraid that you would suffer from her, I really wouldn't have said it. It's all in the past. Remember, don't bear a grudge against Dening or the Queen Mother because of it."

"The Empress Dowager's memorial ceremony is about to begin. Your father places the utmost importance on filial piety, so you must be careful." Ruyang held Jiashan's hand and gave earnest instructions.

Jiashan's eyes were soft yet firm. She nodded, "Yes."

After saying this, Princess Ruyang refused to mention the Princess of Qin anymore, and instead asked about Jiashan's pregnancy. Jiashan answered her questions one by one, and the two chatted until Zhan Yue came back from the yamen.

Zhan Yue has always regarded Princess Ruyang as a proper elder. The affection between the two is no less than that between Jiashan and Madam Pei, and Ruyang also truly loves him.

Upon learning that Zhan Yuerong was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Nine Gates, Ruyang's eyebrows curved with smiles, and he said softly: "Your mother died young, it's rare that you can still be so promising and grow up to be such an excellent child."

She paused and omitted the second half of the sentence - if your mother and grandfather were still alive, they would definitely be proud of you.

Zhan Yue was still wearing his official uniform, which was embroidered with dark golden patterns of the Xiezhi beast. The deep red clothes set off his fair skin, red lips and white teeth.

His sword-like brows raised, he said in a low voice: "Yanqing can be where he is today, it is inseparable from the advice of my aunt back then." Zhan Yue was referring to the time when Princess Ruyang advised him to follow the path of the Jinwu Guard.

Ruyang didn't care and just said, "Auntie couldn't help you. You have to be capable yourself."

Seeing that the two of them were becoming more and more polite, Jiashan couldn't help but grab one person's hand and hold it in his palm, smiling sweetly and saying, "We are all family, why are you being so formal?"

"Before Yanqing came back, I asked Suyu to set the table," Jiashan smiled slightly, "Call my aunt and Ting'er later, and we'll have a home-cooked meal together."

She said, home cooked meal.

These three simple words stunned Princess Ruyang and Zhan Yue. Zhan Yue stared at Jia Shan for a long time, and saw that there seemed to be stars and fireworks in her eyes, and he couldn't help but curl his lips.

He responded in a gentle voice, "Okay."

Everyone enjoyed the meal. Song and Ruyang were both talkative people, and they talked about their innermost feelings over the years. Except for Jiashan, who was pregnant, who did not drink, even Princess Ruyang, who had always been a vegetarian, drank a few glasses of fruit wine to cheer herself up.

The only regret is that Fu Xiaoyuan was at the border and was unable to attend this family dinner.

It was almost midnight before they returned to their respective courtyards.

Because Song's alcohol tolerance was good, Zhan Yue also drank a lot at night. Unlike the fruit wine that Princess Ruyang and Ting Ge'er drank for fun, Zhan Yue drank authentic aged wine.

When he entered the courtyard with Jiashan, his face was slightly red. After calling Dancui to fetch a basin of water, Jiashan dismissed them and simply took the handkerchief to wipe his face himself.

Jiashan could see that Zhan Yue was already slightly drunk.

She had never seen him like this before. In front of others, he was always calm and restrained. Even if he was sometimes uninhibited in bed, it was also a restrained indulgence. It was not like tonight, when every frown and smile was so vivid.

Was it because Princess Ruyang and Song filled the position in his heart that was almost like a mother, making him finally feel at home?

Thinking of his situation in the Duke of Anguo's Mansion over the past ten years, Jiashan could not help but carefully trace his eyebrows with his fingers.

Zhan Yue had closed his eyes and was pretending to sleep, but he was tormented by this action and opened his eyes. He suddenly grabbed her hand, lifted his eyelids, and asked with a smile: "Princess, why are you flirting with me for no reason?"

Jiashan glared at him: "Who flirted with you?"

You can't control yourself, and you blame me?

Zhan Yue did not answer, but bent over, gently picked her up horizontally, and carefully placed her on his lap.

In this position, Jiashan could only stretch out his hands to wrap around his neck.

Zhan Yuesui also held her waist with both hands, his drunken face resting on the tip of Jiashan's neck. He said softly, "Then think of it as me teasing you."