Chapter 104 Chapter 104 I am convinced, I am very convinced. ...
Li Shuyao saw Concubine Niuhulu quickly put away the smile in her eyes, turned to the person who came, and said expressionlessly, "It's you."
After a pause, he replied, "Why? There are palace regulations, so I can't be friends with Concubine Ling and Concubine Yi?"
There was a clear smell of gunpowder.
Li Shuyao didn't care about who was who and who was she. She quickly dodged and hid behind Qingyao. She pulled her sleeve and asked her softly, "Who is this?"
A very unfamiliar face that I have never seen before.
But he was dressed in an extremely gorgeous manner, like an underage peacock.
Li Shuyao was very sure that before today, she had never known when such a person appeared in the palace.
Qingyaohui grasped her wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze before answering, "This is Consort Hesheli, who just entered the palace the day before yesterday. On the day she arrived, she spent the entire afternoon with the two elders in the Cining Palace. I heard they were very fond of her."
"Yesterday, I was busy cleaning the palace and didn't go out much, so you didn't recognize me."
"Today," Qingyao said, her tone subtly hesitant, "today, perhaps you came to pay your respects to the Imperial Concubine?"
And then it happened to be her kid's birthday party?
Li Shuyao silently widened her almond-shaped eyes, somewhat unable to believe that there could be such a coincidence in the world. But as to whether Concubine Hesheli did it on purpose... she couldn't say.
He could only ponder with his meager little brain for a moment before asking Qingyao, "So she and Concubine Niu Hulu knew each other before?"
Even Qingyao didn't know the answer to this question and shook her head in embarrassment.
Li Shuyao recalled in her mind the description of Concubine Hesheli in the original novel.
Hmm... I can't remember anything. I don't know if it's because she traveled through time for too long and her memory has faded, or if there is no detailed description of Concubine Hesheli in the original novel.
However, looking at the tense atmosphere between Concubine Hesheli and Concubine Niuhulu, Li Shuyao thought for a moment, took Qingyao's hand and silently took a step back.
Another step back, another step back, and another step back...
Just when Li Shuyao and Qingyao were about to successfully escape from the scene of the dispute, the next second——
Unfortunately, Li Shuyao was named by concubine Nianhulu.
"What's wrong with me playing with the Sixth Prince? Lingpin didn't say anything. Who is it for you to point fingers at me?"
When she said this, Concubine Niohuru put her hands on her hips in anger.
Opposite her, Concubine Hesheli's chin was almost raised to the sky, "Oh, I just want to remind you, Lingpin..."
Before Concubine Hesheli could finish her words, she was interrupted by the senior palace maid beside Concubine Tong who came out from the inner room and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Concubine is coming out!"
Hearing this, everyone stood up immediately.
Little Yinzhen and little Yinqi were also sent back by Huipin and others who were in a panic.
All the concubines present were looking for their own seats, while Li Shuyao and Qingyao, each holding a little kid whose face was rubbed red, were surrounded by others and stood in a position quite near the front among the concubines.
Li Shuyao stood on the left, and there was only one person standing above her, and that was Concubine Hui.
Qingyao stood on the right, and Rongpin was the only one standing in the front position.
Below them were Concubine An, Concubine Jing and others.
As for the concubines Nianhulu and Hesheli, who had just been arguing with each other until their faces turned red, no matter how glorious their family backgrounds were, before they were officially canonized, they had no choice but to stand obediently behind the concubines and in front of the nobles.
After everyone stood still, Concubine Tong held the hand of the head palace maid and walked out from the inner room gracefully.
As soon as he sat down on the chair in the center of the hall, the others immediately knelt and saluted, "Greetings to the Imperial Concubine."
"Greetings to your mother."
Among the many soft and melodious female voices, there is also a crisp, sweet and bright baby voice.
Concubine Tong's originally dignified and solemn expression could no longer be maintained. She curved her eyebrows and looked down with a very gentle expression at the three-headed little ball standing next to Li Shuyao, holding her two chubby hands and bowing to her in a formal manner.
"No need to be polite, sisters, please get up quickly."
"The same goes for Yinzhen." Concubine Tong emphasized.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Concubine Tong loved Yinzhen.
But the concubine Hesheli at the back of the crowd rolled her eyes in disdain, saying that he was just a bastard born to a Han army flag.
Concubine Tong is the emperor's cousin and the Tong family is the emperor's maternal family. Concubine Hesheli couldn't understand why Concubine Tong gave such a big face to the Sixth Prince, and even held the Sixth Prince's two-year-old birthday party in Chengqian Palace with great fanfare.
Moreover, he summoned all the concubines.
It is simply impossible to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children!
Because Concubine Hesheli was standing at the end of the concubines, only Concubine Niuhulu saw her rolling eyes.
Concubine Niohuru was speechless.
So what if she is the Empress Yuan's younger sister? Once she enters the palace, she has to abide by the rules of the harem.
She always holds her chin high in an arrogant manner, looking down on this and that, as if she is very great just because her family has produced a queen.
Why isn’t Concubine Tong being arrogant?
The Tong family has even produced a queen mother!
After expressing her contempt, Concubine Nianhulu made a silent decision in her heart. She would have to stay away from this Hesheli from now on. She looked like a brainless person and who knew what kind of trouble she would cause in the future.
In contrast, Concubine Ling and Concubine Yi are very good.
He knows the rules and etiquette, and is very good at protecting himself.
Just like just now, when they saw her and Hesheli were about to quarrel, the two of them held hands as if they wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into immediately.
At that moment, she seemed to see herself at home when her mother and father were arguing.
Well, she and Concubine Ling and Concubine Yi must have a lot of common topics, so they should visit Yiku Palace and Changchun Palace more often in the future.
*
After paying their respects to the imperial concubine, the concubines took their seats one after another.
Following the usual procedure of paying respects, Concubine Tong first asked about the recent situation of the concubines below her, and then talked about the arrangements for this month's salary distribution. After that, it was the turn of several concubines who assisted in the harem to give work reports.
After the report, Concubine Tong praised them with a very satisfied expression, and gave them some more cloth and jewelry. Finally, she pointed at Li Shuyao and said, "Princess Ling, remember to come to Chengqian Palace at the end of the month to help with the accounts."
Ever since Li Shuyao's ability to calculate accounts quickly and accurately was discovered, she almost became Concubine Tong's exclusive financial accountant.
At the end of every month, Concubine Tong would ruthlessly requisition him for a few days, and he was so busy that he couldn't even take care of his own children.
Fortunately, the little boy had many mothers who loved him, so Li Shuyao didn't have to go to their houses to ask for help. Anpin and the others spontaneously arranged the rotation order, and came to Changchun Palace on time in the morning to pick up Yinzhen, and sent him back on time when the palace gates were locked in the evening.
When Li Shuyao finally finished her work in Chengqian Palace, she was greeted by a little cub that had gained several pounds.
Fortunately, the little guy is still in the growth stage, otherwise, according to the feeding method of Anpin and others, the little guy will definitely become fat as a glutinous rice ball!
Over in the Qianqing Palace, the emperor probably also knew how much his cousin valued Li Shuyao.
At the end of every month, he would either turn over other people's cards or sleep in the Qianqing Palace by himself.
The emperor and the imperial concubine arranged everything for Li Shuyao clearly.
But Li Shuyao herself was smart and sensible enough, and she knew that she could help Concubine Tong. She was so happy in her heart that how could she refuse?
When Concubine Tong called her name, she stood up from her chair with a smile, put her hands on her waist, and bowed to Concubine Tong, "I understand!"
His tone sounded lively and happy, without any unhappiness or displeasure at being treated as a "tool".
After talking about palace affairs, Concubine Tong brought up Mulan's autumn hunt two months later.
"Your Majesty has already told me that he will bring several concubines with him on this autumn hunt..."
As she spoke, Imperial Concubine Tong named several people, two of whom were from Mongolia. The remaining few places were mostly for concubines in the palace who had no children, such as Concubine An and Concubine Jing, as well as Concubine Nianhulu and Concubine Hesheli, concubines who had just entered the palace.
Li Shuyao actually also wanted to go to Mulan Paddock to take a look.
When she first came through, the Sanfan Rebellion was at its most tense, and most areas in the south and west were at war.
The situation has finally been stabilized in the past two years, and the emperor has also thought about taking his concubines out for a trip...but her little boy is too young.
He's only two years old. Which parents would dare to take him out and ride in a carriage all the way?
Not to mention that in previous years, too many children died in the Forbidden City. Even if Li Shuyao agreed, the emperor and the two empress dowagers would not agree.
And leaving the little one alone in the Forbidden City...
Forget it, she'd better not even think about it.
The little brat's tears will surely drown her Changchun Palace, and then repairing the palace will be another huge expense.
She felt distressed.
Li Shuyao shook her head slightly, shaking out all the unrealistic thoughts in her mind.
She looked down at little Yinzhen, who was nestled in her arms like a kitten, and asked him in a low voice, "Are you sleepy?"
Little Yinzhen raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, his voice very stubborn: "No, I'm not sleepy."
His birthday party hasn't started yet, how could he be sleepy?
Thinking of this, the little dumpling climbed down from Li Shuyao's knees using his hands and feet, stood on the ground, hugged Li Shuyao's calves with both hands, and bumped his round forehead against Li Shuyao's knees twice.
Li Shuyao:?
What the hell is that little brat doing? Does he even realize he almost gave her a knee-jerk reaction...
She was worried that she would kick the kid away in front of everyone, so she quickly hugged him back into her arms and asked, "What were you doing just now?"
Little Yinzhen replied, "Bump into it and you won't feel sleepy anymore."
Li Shuyao: ...
She reached out her hand in annoyance and flicked the kid's forehead with a melon popper, making a crisp "bang" sound.
"Ouch!" The little boy seemed unable to bear the pain, and immediately covered his forehead with his two short and fat hands. "Ouch, it hurts, it hurts, mother."
Li Shuyao looked at her fingers and said, "I, I didn't use much force."
The kid pouted and said, "But it hurts. Mom, did you eat too much spinach for breakfast?"
Li Shuyao pursed her lips in silence, "Are you trying to say that I'm very strong, super strong, and extraordinary than ordinary people?"
The kid chuckled and said, "Yeah, you could say that."
His dark round eyes were gleaming with light. Li Shuyao looked carefully and found that they were full of the word "flattering".
He immediately became alert and pinched the kid's chubby cheeks, asking, "What tricks have you come up with?"
The kid's face was pinched, and he couldn't utter a clear sentence. He could only whimper: "Plot, plot there is."
That must be it.
Li Shuyao didn't believe what the kid said. She loosened her grip, moved closer, and put her ear next to the kid's lips. "Tell me, what new tricks have you come up with?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it from his mother, the little boy had to confess honestly, "Brother, that is, eldest brother, he is leaving the palace."
Leave the palace?
Li Shuyao raised her eyebrows.
Baoqing, also known as Yinzhen, is only eight years old now. Isn't it too old to leave the palace and set up a household?
So what was he going to do?
Li Shuyao was a little curious, so she simply let go. Seeing that the base of her hand was stained with a few strands of saliva from the corner of the kid's mouth, she naturally pulled the bib from the kid's chin and wiped it.
The kid was pulled by her movements and seemed to be unable to sit steadily, so he bumped into her arms again.
So he frantically fluttered his hands and feet, finally stabilizing himself, and then he sat on Li Shuyao's lap, frowning and saying with an unhappy expression, "Mother, are you still listening?"
Li Shuyao smiled at him sheepishly, "Listen, listen, listen. Mother is listening."
"Then mother can't keep touching me..."
Before he could finish his words, Li Shuyao reached out and flicked his soft cheek, causing the flesh to sway uncontrollably.
Looks so cute!
Li Shuyao's eyes instantly became crescent-shaped because of cuteness.
However, the kid didn't think so. He felt like he had no strength left!
This mother is really something. If she wants to listen to him, can’t she just be a little honest?
Why do you always touch him? Either pinching his face, flicking his face, or petting him like a cat, playing with his chin, belly, and butt...
God, this new mother is really too frivolous and doesn't act like a mother at all!
This was also the first time Tong E'niang raised him in her previous life, so why wasn't she so disrespectful?
In little Yinzhen's heart, he suddenly doubted the decision he had made before for many times. Was it really the right decision to stay with his new mother?
"What are you thinking about? Tell me now. If you don't, your mother Tong will finish explaining everything and you won't have time to talk."
Li Shuyao suddenly urged, and then casually touched the flesh on little Yinzhen's chin that was unconsciously squeezed out due to his deep thought.
Then she naturally let go of his hand and looked at him with a very focused expression.
Perhaps it was too natural, or perhaps he was already used to it, so little Yinzhen didn't notice that he was being taken advantage of again. He quickly straightened his expression and said, "Big brother said he was going to Prince Chun's mansion."
Li Shuyao was stunned.
Prince Chun?
Little Yinzhen didn't notice the change in her expression and continued to talk to himself, "Prince Chun, that's Fulhulun's younger brother, who was about my age and became a prince. He's sick again. Khan Ama is worried about his health, so he asked my eldest brother to go and see him in a couple of days with the imperial physician."
"I, I actually want to go too."
When Li Shuyao heard this, her face suddenly turned dark.
She has never left the palace, so why should this little brat leave the palace? She won't allow it.
She refused without thinking, and did not give the kid any chance to speak again. She picked him up, stood up, and followed Concubine Tong to the side hall.
The kid still refused to give up, "Mother..."
Li Shuyao covered his mouth and said, "No way, I won't even leave a window for you."
"Just give up on this idea."
"Or you can go ask your other mothers, which one would agree to you and your eldest brother leaving the palace?"
"I'm afraid your mother Hui will be the first one to disagree!"
"Besides, your elder brother is doing serious work. What can you do? Be naughty or mischievous?"
Seeing the kid about to speak, Li Shuyao seemed to have guessed what he was going to say and said directly, "I beg you, mother. If you don't go with us, you will be doing your brother a big favor!"
The kid's chubby cheeks puffed up when he heard that.
He turned his head away angrily.
Li Shuyao didn't care and hugged him again, letting him sit in her arms, while wiping her wet palms with the bib on his chin.
He followed the others into the side hall of Chengqian Palace as if nothing had happened.
It can be seen that Concubine Tong put a lot of thought into celebrating little Yinzhen's birthday.
The entire side hall of Chengqian Palace was covered with thick wool carpets, and the edges of the furniture were wrapped with layers of cotton. Baby toys sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs could be seen everywhere in the hall, including traditional rattles and kites, as well as toys purchased from Western companies, which were colorful in appearance but whose specific uses were still unknown.
Little Yinzhen, who was sitting in Li Shuyao's arms, had not shown any reaction yet, but little Yinqi, who was sitting in Qingyao's arms, was the first to lose his temper.
The two legs kept flapping on Qingyao's abdomen, wanting to land on the ground to play.
However, after Qingyao put him on the carpet, he did not rush to the pile of toys immediately. Instead, he tilted his little head and crawled to Li Shuyao's feet. He reached out and tugged at the hem of her skirt, yelling "ah ah" twice, and finally uttered the unclear words "guo" and "luo".
Li Shuyao understood that he wanted to play with Yinzhen.
He bent down and put little Yinzhen on the ground.
When little Yinzhen was put on the ground, he was still sulking, his arms, like lotus root knots, crossed across his chest. Concubine Tong looked at him and couldn't help but feel puzzled. "Today is Yinzhen's birthday, he should be happy, why is he so angry?"
"Did Tong E'niang talk for too long just now, and Yinzhen got anxious?"
As Concubine Tong spoke, she squatted in front of Yinzhen without caring about her image.
Li Shuyao felt a little guilty for a moment.
However, she was also worried that if others saw Concubine Tong like this, they would think she was...
Thinking of this, she raised her eyes and looked around very cautiously. When she found that the concubines who came to the side hall were all familiar and friendly with her and Concubine Tong, her uneasy heart finally settled down.
Qingyao came over and asked her, "What happened to Yinzhen?"
Li Shuyao whispered the conversation to her.
However, she thought she was speaking in a low voice, but in fact all the other concubines in the palace heard it.
Huipin was a little surprised and stood up from the ground. "Baoqing is going to leave the palace to serve the emperor?"
Li Shuyao: "Sister Hui, don't you know?"
Huipin shook her head and said, "The child never told me."
Li Shuyao was puzzled. "Then how did Yinzhen know?"
Little Yinzhen was still sitting on the ground gloomily, "Of course it was my elder brother who told me that!"
"Then why did your elder brother tell you and not your mother Hui?"
Little Yinzhen frowned and thought about it, then his expression suddenly froze.
Li Shuyao and his mother were connected, and she quickly thought of a possibility.
Then the two looked at each other, and both saw a bit of disbelief in each other's eyes.
Meanwhile, Concubine Hui was still pressing the issue, "Yes, why didn't Baoqing tell me about this child? Could it be that the child has grown up and is keeping a secret from me?"
She said this, looking a little sad.
Li Shuyao stood aside stiffly, trembling and not daring to speak.
The same goes for little Yinzhen.
However, seeing that Hui E'niang became more and more sad as she spoke, with red eyes, as if she would cry in the next second, little Yinzhen could only say "I'm sorry" to his elder brother in his heart, then he put his hands on the ground and ran to Hui E'niang.
With a very guilty expression, she said, "Hui, I'm sorry, my elder brother didn't mean to hide it from you."
"My eldest brother told me before not to tell you yet. He said he wanted to give you a surprise, but I, I forgot..."
"My mother doesn't know either, so... Oh, now the surprise is gone, my brother will definitely be mad at me... Woohoo, Hui's mother, what should I do..."
Little Yinzhen thought with some sadness that no matter in his previous life or in this life, his elder brother was always the best among the best in riding, shooting and martial arts.
In other words, the strength can be very great.
I wonder if it hurts when he spanks me... and if, when he's furious, he can remember that he's his biological half-brother...
The more little Yinzhen thought about it, the sadder he became.
Then he dug out a few scattered memories from his previous life from his mind.
One part is about when he was a child and had just entered the study. Because he was too weak to pull the bow and arrow given by Master Wu, his eldest brother felt that it had damaged the reputation of the Aixinjueluo family, so he volunteered to teach him horseback archery. He gave him his own bow to practice with, saying that when he could pull the bow he gave him, his training would end...
One episode was when his eldest brother just got married. He and several brothers went to the bridal chamber to make trouble. The fifth brother was ignorant and accidentally spilled wine on his eldest sister-in-law's skirt.
That was the first time he knew that when a person's fist is swung out, it can actually make a sound of breaking wind.
Another time was when the ninth and tenth brothers were being naughty...
The more I think about it, the sadder I feel.
Before Huipin's tears fell, he had already cried four lines of tears, and he was whimpering, not knowing whether he was apologizing or begging for mercy.
But Concubine Tong, who was standing by, was heartbroken.
She stretched out her hand and pulled him into her arms, then wiped his tears one by one with a handkerchief, coaxing him, "Don't cry, don't cry. Today is Yinzhen's birthday. What if you hurt your eyes by crying..."
She coaxed him for a while, and seeing that little Yinzhen still couldn't stop feeling aggrieved, she simply stuffed him into Li Shuyao's arms and said, "My dear sister, you are Yinzhen's biological mother, please persuade him."
Li Shuyao thought about it and felt that it was useless for her to persuade him.
The root of the problem still lies with Yinzhen.
Now it's obvious that the kid is afraid that his brother will beat him...
In fact, it’s not necessarily a beating. Maybe he’s afraid that his older brother will be angry with him and never play with him again?
After all, children always admire older children the most.
So, Yinzhen has to come and mediate this matter.
Although Li Shuyao didn't have much experience in raising children, she herself was still a little childish and could best understand the little one's thoughts.
Thinking about it, he told Huipin his guess.
After hearing what Yinzhen said, Huipin no longer had any self-pity in her heart, but felt helpless instead.
When I saw Yinzhen crying uncontrollably over this matter, my helplessness turned into deep laughter and tears.
It’s no big deal.
She quickly waved her handkerchief and ordered the senior palace maid behind her to send someone to wait around the study and bring Baoqing over as soon as the get out of class was over.
Then he looked at the little Yinzhen in Li Shuyao's arms with great distress and said, "Oh, it's just such a small thing, is it worth our little birthday boy crying like this?"
As he said this, he reached out and took little Yinzhen.
Seeing this, Concubine An and others quickly surrounded them.
Time and again, Li Shuyao, her biological mother, was pushed to the outermost circle of the crowd.
Li Shuyao watched helplessly: "..."
I am convinced, very convinced.
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