Chapter 81: Still a Child

Guests attending the banquet gradually arrived and gathered in twos and threes to greet each other.

For these old-timers in official circles, banquets are not for eating, but for expanding personal connections.

The relationship between Hongwen Jijiu and important officials in the court was particularly close, and their most proud sons and daughters all stayed in Hongwenguan.

The child is in his hands, and as parents we try our best to have a good relationship with him.

Even Princess Xianning went up to him and greeted him when she saw him.

"Master, this child Bei Qin has just entered the Hongwen Academy. Is he causing any trouble?"

The chief priest replied, "Your Highness, rest assured. The gentlemen have been talking to me about this child recently, saying that it is rare to have such a talented student."

"It's almost clear after one explanation. A little bit of guidance will help you understand it. He is very popular among the gentlemen recently."

Princess Xianning didn't quite believe it: "Are you kidding me?"

Hongwen Jijiu's smile became smaller: "Your Highness, if the child is really smart, we can't deny and suppress him. Over time, a good jade will be broken."

"Bei Qin is a truly gifted child. You should be proud of him."

Bei Lunwan: I didn’t mean to suppress him…

She found it strange that Bei Qin's academic performance was very poor when he was in Wenqin Academy, but he became the top student when he came to Hongwenguan, which was full of talented people.

Could it be that the teachers in Wenqin Academy are more capable of teaching children than the talented people Your Majesty has invited?

Bei Jinwan was a little puzzled and decided to find out the reason.

At this time, the Lei family also arrived, and Lei Nian'er was taken to the Xuanshi Hall to play with the birthday star.

Shang Yi led the way: "Madam Lei, we're here."

Lei Nian'er went in and found that in addition to the princess she had been waiting for, there were also two children about her age in the palace.

Zhou Huanjiu went over first and asked, "Who are you?"

The children who can be here must be either royal relatives or the descendants of important officials, just like Lei Nian'er herself.

She introduced herself first: "My name is Lei Nian'er, and I'm the daughter of General Jinwuwei."

Zhou Huanjiu didn't quite understand what the concept of the Jinwu Guard generals was. He only knew that the generals mentioned in vernacular novels and operas were the kind who went to the battlefield to kill the enemies.

On the contrary, Bei Qin immediately understood the value of the Jinwu Guard General.

Princess Xianning had previously sorted out for him the relationships among officials in the court.

The Jinwu Guards are in charge of patrolling the palace and the capital, and must be among the emperor's most trusted generals.

This girl's identity is not simple, no wonder she was able to enter the Xuanshi Hall.

Zhou Huanjiu was silly and familiar: "My name is Zhou Huanjiu, and I am the Queen Mother's niece."

"The guy over there who used to be very shy but has become thick-skinned recently is called Bei Qin, and he is the son of Princess Xianning."

Beiqin: Are you polite?

What could he do? He could only respond with an awkward but polite smile.

Bei Jingchu listened to the three of them chatting awkwardly and began to hum.

【Have you forgotten me? 】

[This baby is the birthday star today! ]

[Don't forget that you are here to play with me! ]

Nanny Yu stood by the wall and chuckled.

Bei Jingchu tried to make herself felt, which made the three of them remember her.

But children are always curious to see new playmates, and after a while, the three of them got together again.

Bei Jingchu, who was forgotten on the side, bit her saliva and was angry. This was too much. How could they ignore the baby!

Fortunately, the topic returned to her: "Is the princess raised by His Majesty himself?"

"What about her mother?"

When asked about this by Lei Nian'er, Zhou Huanjiu told her the information he had heard.

It was no secret that the emperor massacred the Qi family because of this incident.

"The princess is a bit pitiful. Her biological mother was banished to the cold palace."

Lei Nian'er was surprised: "Is that so?"

Zhou Huan said mysteriously, "I heard that he was deposed because he wanted to harm the princess."

Bei Qin looked at the little baby next to her in surprise. It turned out that her own mother didn't like her either...

Same as him.

Even worse.

At least Princess Guangde was just stupid and didn't really want to harm him.

Because they shared the same suffering, he felt somewhat close to this noble cousin.

Then he heard...

[Don't dig up my dark history! ]

[Stop chatting! Come and play with me! ]

[Forget it, no one cares about the baby, so I'll just read gossip. ]

Bei Qin: What's going on? A ghost is haunting us in broad daylight?

After the Hundred Days Banquet, Lei Ning went back home for something.

Madam Gui was waiting for Lei Nian'er at the palace gate.

Seeing her daughter getting into the carriage, Mrs. Gui opened the curtain and led her in.

The little girl wrapped herself in a gust of cold wind and was brought into the carriage.

"Warm them up quickly, your hands are so cold."

Seeing her listless appearance and low spirits, Lady Gui asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Have you been wronged in the palace?"

Lei Nian'er shook her head. She was just confused and thinking about the problem.

"Mother, why is it that the princess, who was also born out of wedlock, lives such a happy life?"

She only found out today that the princess' biological mother was an abandoned concubine in the cold palace, but that did not affect His Majesty's favor for her.

After hearing this, Madam Gui sighed and explained softly, "In fact, the real difference is not the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children."

"There are those who favor their concubines and kill their wives, and there are also those like your father."

"But most families don't care about the legitimate son or the illegitimate son at all, they only value the eldest legitimate son."

"If a man despises his illegitimate children, he should not take a concubine and have children with her."

"Could it be possible that the child could be born by the concubines alone?"

"They were born just to abuse children. They are worse than animals."

"So, A Niang doesn't love A Ye. Can Nian Er understand A Niang?"

Lei Nian'er nodded, it was not difficult to understand.

"My poor son was born on his knees."

"I once thought that if I had known that giving birth to you would make you suffer, I should have found a bowl of safflower to drink instead of bringing you into this world."

After saying this, she let out a long sigh and looked at her daughter's gorgeous clothes, which were ten times better than before.

"Fortunately, I've gotten through it now."

"So Nian'er, don't look down on yourself because of your background. It's not your fault."

"But a woman should obey her father at home; her father is heaven; whoever he pleases is honored."

"Whoever he hates is just lowly."

Seeing that she was deep in thought, Mrs. Gui waited quietly without interrupting her.

Lei Nian'er held her chin with her hand and looked at her with a pair of innocent eyes.

"Mother, if women are in power and marry many men, will there be no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children?"

Mrs. Gui never imagined that her thoughts would develop in this direction.

Lei Nian'er's words were not finished yet: "They are all children who came out of my belly. Who knows who their biological father is? Isn't it the same for everyone?"

Mrs. Gui: ...

He is still a child after all.

How can a woman be in power?

But she didn't say that the child was already sensible enough, so let her dream for a few more years before she grows up.