Empress Dowager Jiang laughed and said, "You said I haven't left the palace for decades. How could I not see enough? I would even hold back my motion sickness just for the scenery outside the palace."
The Emperor: "...Mother, is the 'holding it in' you referring to the one I'm thinking of?"
Empress Dowager Jiang nodded: "Yes! It's what you're thinking of—holding it back! Oh, my child, you don't understand my sorrow! Back then, your father... only had me as his principal wife and two concubines. After entering the palace, the three of us couldn't even start a palace intrigue. How boring it was for me to be the empress! Look at your empress, how interesting it is for you!"
"Before she had children, she was afraid you wouldn't dote on her. After she had children, she was afraid that if she ignored you, the sons of the other concubines would harm her son who was the empress. They're fighting each other every day, and she doesn't have time to think about the scenery outside the palace! Sigh!"
The emperor smirked: "...So, Mother, are you saying that when Father had fewer concubines, you were bored, no one wanted to compete for his favor, and no one wanted to harm your son, so it was all Father's fault?"
Empress Dowager Jiang pursed her lips: "It's not that. The fault lies with your vanished imperial uncle! If he hadn't disappeared, our family would be living a carefree life!"
The emperor sighed, "Mother, what if that vanished imperial uncle suddenly reappears and tries to seize my throne? What will you do then?"
Empress Dowager Jiang's eyes darted around: "Give it to him! Why are you fighting over it? Look how comfortably your father's other two sons are living as princes! And look at your sons, how miserable they are as princes! At such a young age, their hearts are like sieves, always scheming and plotting. What's the point?"
The emperor became withdrawn and refused to speak.
After I had been emperor for more than ten years, my own mother said, "Don't be emperor anymore, it's tiring!"
well!
"Zhao'er, how much longer until we reach Qingzhou?" Empress Dowager Jiang asked as the carriage stopped at a post station.
"A few more days! We should be able to make it in time for the Dragon Boat Festival in Qingzhou Prefecture. Mother, after I finish my business in Qingzhou, let's go to Sanchakou Village, the village that sells the shampoo and conditioner sets. That family is so much fun! I hit it off with them instantly. Even your favorite pickled chili peppers are made by them. I wonder if they've come up with any new tricks in the past six months!" the Emperor said enthusiastically.
"Great! I also want to see the people who hit it off with my son at first sight." Empress Dowager Jiang was very interested in this.
...
The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, the Gu family went to the prefectural city together again, leaving only Uncle Gu, Aunt Gu, and Renren behind.
Uncle Gu held Renren in his arms, watching the donkey cart drive away pitifully. He muttered to Renren, "Sigh, Renren! I can't help but scold you again! Why did you come so early? Renren would have been so much better! If you had stayed in your mother's belly until the end of last year, I wouldn't have missed so many opportunities to watch the excitement this year! Why did you have to climb into your mother's belly at the beginning of last year? Renren would have been so much better!"
"Slap!" Renren slapped Uncle Gu across the face.
He's already a little man who's over six months old, and he's got the strength to take action against his nagging dad.
Endure? Endure my ass!
Why didn't you endure it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year?
I've put up with you for a long time, you bad middle-aged man!
Uncle Gu held the child in one arm and grabbed his chubby little hand with the other: "You brat, are you trying to turn the world upside down? You're so young and you're already hitting your old man? You know you can't beat him, right? Just wait another ten years or so, and if you hit me again, you'll definitely win!"
"Slap!" The hand that hadn't been caught slapped Uncle Gu again, and after slapping him, it even laughed toothlessly, laughing very happily.
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