Chapter 281 Preparing to Visit the Imperial Palace in Yanshi County…
In the cold palace.
"Such a big thing, and you're all dead?! Not a single one of you came to tell me?!" Yu Shuren was furious. Pointing at her kneeling, flustered aunt, she subconsciously blurted out her usual address.
"Your Majesty, please forgive us... We servants..." Auntie was also at a loss for words.
As soon as the incident occurred, her first instinct was to report it to the Empress, but the princess rebuked her, telling her to recognize who her true master was. Now that they had lost power, the commoner Empress was confined to the palace and unable to leave, all her connections had been severed, leaving her as deaf and mute as ever. How could she possibly trouble her with these matters?
If the commotion escalates and becomes even more annoying, the new emperor could easily, if he so decides to be ruthless, quietly let the commoner die. The princess only wishes to live cautiously and diligently, to protect her mother…
"..." Yu Shuren's chest heaved violently, and she sneered in anger, "It's just that you all think I'm useless and can't help Wan'er anymore."
She only uttered one resentful word before stopping herself, reverting to her usual intelligent and calm demeanor. Yu Shuren took a deep breath and grasped her aunt's hand: "Enough, all this is useless nonsense now. I have an important matter to entrust to you: quickly return to the Princess's residence and keep a close eye on the imperial physician and the驸马 (the驸马, the驸马's husband)! Remember, if that cesarean section method still doesn't work, then don't do it. The child in my womb can be gone, but my Wan'er absolutely cannot be harmed!"
She whispered, her face utterly calm: "If it really comes to that... even if the princess begs and pleads, I can't go along with it. When it comes to light, there's no need to hide it; just say I ordered it. I'd rather she live a good life resenting me than..."
A ruthless glint flashed across her aunt's face: "Yes."
If she did that, neither the princess nor the prince consort would tolerate her anymore, and she would only be dismissed. But her aunt still agreed.
"No matter what the outcome... you must come to the palace again immediately to report! The Emperor is of upright character and will not deliberately torment me with this kind of news." Yu Shuren clutched her heart and waited until the very end, her voice trembling.
Although she and the new emperor were now enemies, she had to admit that the new emperor was of excellent character and hardly fit to be emperor. At this time, she wasn't worried about the new emperor stabbing her in the back.
"Yes... Your Majesty, please wait for good news of peace!" The aunt bid farewell to the Cold Palace with tears in her eyes.
Inside the princess's residence.
The air was thick with the stench of blood. The young maids were all pale, barely managing to suppress their panic. After receiving confirmation from the palace via express messenger, the imperial physicians, carrying the newly arrived secret medicine, began whispering and discussing the procedures rapidly. The female physician and the midwife, without further delay, went into the inner room to prepare for the cesarean section.
Prince Consort Wang Shi sat slumped on a grand chair outside, his eyes blank, weak and helpless, as motionless as a stone.
The servant anxiously stayed by his side, but dared not utter a single word of advice.
This is bad! The prince consort looks like he's about to cry. Knowing him as his personal servant does, if anyone dares to utter a single word of advice right now, he'll truly break!
Only one sentence kept repeating in Wang Shi's mind:
'Impossible! This didn't happen in my past life. How could the princess have had a difficult childbirth? Could it all be because of me? Impossible! In my past life…'
He prayed desperately in his heart.
Although Wang Shi was wholeheartedly devoted to living with the princess, his main purpose was to get the third princess to side with the new emperor so that she could avoid being punished when the empress's affair came to light.
But everyone has a heart. Wang Shi thought about the Third Princess every day, anticipating her thoughts and anxieties, taking her every smile and gesture to heart. The Third Princess wasn't arrogant; she was gentle and beautiful, and Wang Shi had already given her his heart. How could he possibly think things through now?! He was so anxious he was almost crying.
The Prince Ning's attendant peeked out from outside, unable to even enter the inner hall, pacing anxiously back and forth. He glanced a few times at the sobbing, slumped consort, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain: '...As a man, this consort seems utterly irresponsible!'
The Third Princess was nearing her due date, but Prince Ning was far away in Yanshi County and could not return to the capital on his own. Worried about her, he could only entrust her to his good brother.
Wang Shi's elder brother, Editor Dong, was also there. He could see right through what these young men were thinking and shook his head with a sigh.
Silly boys! Once you meet him yourselves, you'll realize that the prince consort's appearance is actually quite good!
When his wife gave birth, he was so scared that he stood outside the window for most of the night, his legs went numb, and he didn't dare to move. When he came to his senses, he saw the swaddled baby being carried out, burst out laughing, and then fainted... What is he saying now!
Those who are indifferent to their wives and children and favor their concubines over their wives are another matter. Editor Dong does not associate with such people!
Many people had a truly agonizing afternoon.
Qi Chengming had no interest in reviewing memorials. He had subconsciously delegated most of the miscellaneous tasks to the Grand Secretaries and Mr. Qin, while he focused on overseeing the important matters. The memorials he was currently handling were mostly unimportant matters and greetings, which he could simply ignore.
He specifically opened the system map, set the resolution to maximum, and adjusted it to the direction of the Princess's residence.
On the map, a cluster of small dots was visible to the naked eye. The most densely populated area was the front hall, where a dense mass of people were slightly wriggling, looking somewhat eerie. Qi Chengming, however, was already used to it. He guessed that these people were probably anxiously talking, pacing, or going in and out; very few were sitting quietly and waiting. Among these dots were green and white, indicating that there were officials as well as civilians.
On the other side, there were only six or seven people in the main building, but a large crowd had gathered at the entrance.
Qi Chengming fixed his gaze on that spot, keeping a close eye on it.
The system map, no matter how detailed, cannot be seen, but... if someone dies, the dot will disappear from the map. Whether the Third Princess is safe or not can be seen on this map.
Two more hours passed.
Qi Chengming was already tired of looking at them; his eyes were dry. He casually turned his head to gaze at the potted plants outside the window, then glanced at the ones he had returned to—
...Eight!
Qi Chengming was startled, but managed to remain calm.
The number of light spots he had just counted so familiarly suddenly increased by one without him even noticing!
Not long after.
Xiao Dezi rushed in with a beaming smile and reported, "Your Majesty... the aunt from the Princess's residence has come to the palace again, saying that Her Highness has safely given birth to a daughter, and both mother and daughter are safe and sound!"
The aunt staggered in right behind him.
"...Thank God!" Aunt cried with joy, struggling to maintain her composure before the emperor. She knelt down with a thud, choking back tears as she added more details, "The physician's method was excellent. After the incision, the little prince came out safely, and the princess is also alright...she fell asleep from exhaustion. Thank you so much for Your Majesty's new prescription!"
Although the sight of the female physician stitching up the princess's abdomen with an unwavering expression was horrifying, Auntie managed to stay calm and not faint from worry or shock. Once both mother and daughter were diagnosed as safe, Auntie put aside all her concerns and rushed to the palace to report the good news with great joy.
Even though she knew that the princess was safe and sound, and that all the servants who had delayed the princess's delivery would be punished, her aunt was still all smiles.
"Reward him!" Qi Chengming gave Xiao Dezi a look, and Xiao Dezi nodded affirmatively, then quietly slipped out to find Steward Song.
He, Eunuch De, is no longer the naive young man he was at the beginning of the year! He understands perfectly what His Majesty means by every word and action now.
With clear rewards and punishments, the Princess's residence was given both rewards and punishments, and this matter was entrusted to Eunuch De to handle.
One day later.
Prince Ning of Yanshi County received a letter from Luoyang. After reading the account given by his companion, he clutched the letter tightly, almost wanting to fly over and curse that damned cowardly consort. But when he realized that it was the princess herself who was worried, and that no one else dared to use the new prescription except for the consort, he realized that the princess was the only one who was strongly recommending it...
Prince Ning's anger subsided somewhat: "Hmph... at least he's still somewhat useful."
Reading quickly to the next part, he learned that the Third Princess and her daughter were both safe and sound, and the newborn prince was already a princess. His elder brother, the Emperor, had decreed that the child could inherit the Third Princess's title and fief. Prince Ning was momentarily at a loss, unsure whether to feel regret: "Alas..."
What good is this hereditary title if my third sister had a son? But now it's a daughter.
Seeing the corners of Prince Ning's mouth slowly fall, Li Banhui, who had long been familiar with him, raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Your Highness, if you have any worries, we can help you share them."
Prince Ning snapped out of his reverie and naturally wouldn't reveal his true thoughts. He casually changed the subject, half-jokingly saying, "My elder sister recently went into labor, and even the palace sent people to visit her. But I have to stay here for three or four months... It's really worrying!"
Zhao Ju'er, always taciturn and not adept at interpersonal relationships, simply remained quietly at the other end of the government office after hearing this, continuing to bury himself in his work. Zhang Rui, however, perked up and, with neither servility nor arrogance, offered his advice:
“We have clarified the land in Yanshi County, eliminated a group of corrupt officials, and settled so many displaced people. The place has already undergone earth-shattering changes. Although it is not yet harvest time, these achievements are enough for His Majesty to come and inspect. Why doesn’t Your Highness… request an imperial decree to be submitted?”
Prince Ning was immediately intrigued: "You mean..."
“His Majesty did not forbid the Prince from returning to the capital before he has finished his duties.” Zhang Rui nodded affirmatively.
The Prince of Ning simply couldn't find any reason to return; it wouldn't look good if he did. But if His Majesty personally inspects Yanshi County, it would be a small matter if the Prince of Ning pleaded for it upon returning to the capital. Surely His Majesty wouldn't forbid him from returning to the capital to visit his sister? He could simply come back after his visit.
"Come quickly, help me polish it!" Prince Ning's eyes lit up, and he immediately called Zhang Rui to help him write a letter to his elder brother. He swore on his toes that his elder brother would come over very soon once he received his letter.
The Prince of Ning understood Qi Chengming to the same extent that Qi Chengming understood the Prince of Ning.
“That old fox Zhang Rui must have something to do with it.” Qi Chengming looked at the letter and couldn’t help but laugh at Gan Tang. He did indeed plan to go to Yanshi County to see the results immediately and couldn’t wait to do so, but this kind of suggestion—don’t expect that blockhead Prince Ning to come up with it on his own.
"It seems Lord Zhang is doing quite well in Yanshi County?" Qin Liusong, who was processing memorials not far away, calmly continued grinding ink after overhearing the conversation.
—It sounds like he's highly regarded by Prince Ning.
Qi Chengming smiled but remained silent.
This was clearly an invitation for the emperor to go to Yanshi County, to see the achievements of Zhang Rui and the others, and a silent invitation to ask for official positions.
"Let the Imperial Guards clear the way; we'll depart the day after tomorrow," Qi Chengming decided decisively. If these men handled things perfectly, he certainly wouldn't be stingy with money and power!
The batch of system tasks in Yanshi County... seems to be almost complete.
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The author writes: The sudden events at home were like a nightmare; I don't even want to think about them, they were so embarrassing. I only slept six hours in three days, and afterwards, I was so devastated that I had to sleep for ten hours straight to make up for it.
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