"Mother - mother -"
In August, the temperature in Cangzhou had not yet dropped to cold, but the two children were already babbling.
"Sir, please teach the young master to call you daddy. If this..."
When Liuli was playing with the child, the adults always taught the child to call "mother" when no one else was around. The wet nurse and the servants thought that the adults were "remembering his deceased wife."
“All is fine, all is taught.
Liuli, I'm going to the capital this month. The journey is long, so I have to leave early. I'll leave the house to you. Please take care of the children."
Chen Miaoyi didn't plan to take her child with her. She would be gone for four months and back for four months. When she came back, her child would be over one year old. If she went back alone, she could speed up the process and go earlier and come back earlier.
"Sir, are you really not taking the young master with you? The weather in the capital is pleasant, but Cangzhou is too cold."
To take the child or not? Chen Miaoyi was also entangled. She could take the child back and leave it to the emperor to take care of it, but with so many people in the harem, could the emperor protect the child?
It would be better to stay in Cangzhou, at least no one will know that this is the emperor's child.
"Forget it, the child is too young to bear the journey. I'll wait until the child is older and I return to the capital."
In October, Chen Miaoyi rode as fast as she could all the way, and the people who followed her back to Beijing all rode horses. They managed to increase their speed and arrived in Beijing in October.
Officials like her who were sent out to other places could see the emperor directly upon returning to Beijing without having to wait for the court session.
"Master Chen is back?!"
When the emperor heard that Chen Miaoyi wanted to see him, he paused with his pen, leaving a heavy black dot on the paper.
"Hurry up and announce it!"
The emperor stood up nervously and shook his dragon robe. He hadn't seen Chen Miaoyi for a long time. Could he still see her in his current state?
"Xxxx, come and see if there's anything wrong with me?"
"Your Majesty, you are well!"
"Everyone, step back! No one is allowed to come in without my order, not even the Queen Mother!"
The emperor ordered that even if the queen dowager came this time, she was not allowed to enter the Yangxin Palace.
He stood up and sat down again, not knowing what expression to use to face her.
"Your Highness, I, Chen Miaoyi, the Governor of Cangzhou, pay my respects to His Majesty."
There was no one else in the Yangxin Palace, so the emperor pulled her up and made her sit on a chair.
"I've grown taller. Cangzhou is a long way away, so why are you here so early?
My hair has grown longer too.”
He held Chen Miaoyi's face in his hands, and the longing that had accumulated for a year burst out. He confirmed bit by bit that Chen Miaoyi was fine.
“Is the food good in Cangzhou?
Did you sleep well?
Although you were born in Cangzhou, you have been in the capital for so many years. Why do I feel that the cold wind in Cangzhou has made you look a little paler? "
Chen Miaoyi pushed his hand away and said, "Your Majesty, I came back on horseback. It's normal for me to look pale."
"I have returned to report on my work. Cangzhou has taken the lead in opening a women's academy, and the students who have graduated are all very outstanding, with both literary and martial arts skills comparable to those of men.
Our spies have reported that the old emperor of a neighboring country is nearing death, making this a good time to attack."
Chen Miaoyi presented a stack of memorials, which were her summary of the changes in Cangzhou.
"Okay, a girls' academy is great. I'll try to implement it tomorrow when I go to court. You know those old stubborn people won't agree, so it'll probably be slow."
The emperor sat very close to her. When Chen Miaoyi spoke, he stared at her lovingly, and agreed with whatever she said.
Chen Miaoyi was a little surprised. Are you so easy to talk to this time? Why didn't you listen when I asked you to do it before?
"Your Majesty, this is a matter of national importance. You should carefully consider what to do."
The emperor nodded repeatedly, "You are right. I will summon the elders to discuss this matter."
The emperor had seen enough of her and could no longer hold back and hugged her tightly. Only physical embrace could fill the emptiness in his heart.
"I miss you so much."
"So do I."
Chen Miaoyi hugged him back. She knew that someone had submitted a memorial to the capital but was stopped by the emperor, otherwise Cangzhou would not have progressed so smoothly.
"May I transfer you back to the capital? Cangzhou is so far away and so cold, and we can only see each other once a year. It's too tiring for you to run back and forth."
The emperor said with heartache that she had lost weight and he could feel it when he held her in his arms. It made him feel distressed.
As long as she is placed in the capital, she will definitely recover in time.
"Your Majesty, how about allowing me to report to the capital once every two years?"
The emperor choked. He was going crazy thinking about her once a year, but he could only see her once every two years. He was worse than the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, who at least could see each other every year.
"But I miss you. Two years is too long."
Chen Miaoyi pushed him away and said, "Your Majesty wants me to return to the capital, and I want to too.
But I have said that if I cannot gain a legitimate foothold in the court as a woman, then I will always be a man.
Besides, neighboring countries are eyeing us covetously, and Cangzhou has been repeatedly invaded. I cannot leave, because that is my hometown!"
The emperor was moved by her heartfelt words. She was a good official and a good minister, doing better than anyone else. Cangzhou was much better under her governance.
But she was too good, too good to be wrong, too good to stay.
"I will pay attention to what you said, the Women's Academy and the neighboring countries. If the time is right, I will not remain indifferent.
I will do whatever you want, but it may be a little slower."
The emperor made up his mind that as long as women could enter the court, the impact of Chen Miaoyi's identity being exposed in the future would be much smaller.
As for war, he also had ambitions. The neighboring country was not big and not as strong as Daxia, but he never gave up the idea of attacking it.
"The Ministry of War has been developing new weapons. Once our forces are stronger, we will attack and capture them in one fell swoop!"
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived from the Cining Palace and is now in the Imperial Garden."
xxx shouted across the room, ever since what happened last time, the Empress Dowager, Chen Miaoyi, and the Yangxin Palace have been the top priority for them, as many palace servants were punished last time.
How many people had their buttocks beaten in that incident?
Even the eunuch xxx was punished by the Queen Mother. Just seeing these few key words together, we must be extremely vigilant.
"Your Majesty, I will return home first. Would you like to come to the Chen Mansion for a gathering tonight?" Chen Miaoyi stood up and wanted to leave.
"Okay, wait for me tonight."
Both of them knew that they couldn't let the Queen Mother see anything she shouldn't see, and it would be wisest to separate early before the Queen Mother arrived.
Not long after Chen Miaoyi left, the Queen Mother came to the Yangxin Palace with an expression as if she had caught someone cheating.
This time no one dared to stop her and let her in after informing her.
"Where is Governor Chen?" the empress dowager asked coldly. She was really afraid of seeing that unbearable scene again.
"Mother, Governor Chen is in Beijing to report on his work. He will naturally return home after the report is completed."
The Queen Mother didn't believe it. "If it's a report, why did you come back so early? The report is in December."
"Cangzhou is far from the capital. It takes four months to get there in advance. Governor Chen just hurried the journey. What's wrong with that?"
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