The prince was providing disaster relief in Pingzhou when he received news from his confidant in the capital that his mother had been implicated and confined along with his sister. Although he was anxious, he still had to complete this mission.
On the one hand, it can make one famous among the people, and it will also be a political achievement when one returns. On the other hand, there is a lot of money to be made in disaster relief, and there are many ways to do it, such as using old rice instead of new rice, and making the resettlement houses more streamlined.
Finally, in early October, the prince returned to Beijing exhausted and went to pay a visit to the emperor with a group of officials.
The emperor has high hopes for the crown prince. The other princes are young and lack the emperor's favor, so the crown prince has always had a stable position, so he has many followers.
--Imperial Study--
The emperor saw the prince about to kneel down, so he personally stepped forward to help him up, looked at him carefully, and said with emotion: "The prince has suffered a lot, he has become thinner and darker."
"It is my honor to be able to share my father's worries."
The father and son looked at each other in harmony.
Other ministers spoke up one after another: "The northern summer sun is scorching, and the Crown Prince goes out every day to observe the people, doing everything personally, and even eating from the same pot as the victims."
"Now the people of Pingzhou are grateful to the emperor for his kindness. The prince even brought back a letter of thanks from the people to the emperor."
The emperor was even happier when he heard this. After giving rewards to all the ministers, he kept the prince alone to have dinner.
Seeing that the emperor was in high spirits, the prince tentatively said, "I'm afraid your majesty misses me too. I'll go visit you and my sister later."
The emperor's expression changed slightly, and he sighed, "Lingyi has greatly disappointed me. I will ask your mother to discipline her properly."
The prince echoed, "Mother has been thinking about Father all these years. Every time I go to see her, she's either making clothes for Father or developing incense that will help him sleep peacefully.
I'm afraid I haven't cared enough about my sister, which is why she's a bit of a bad temper. I'll help you discipline her in the future. Could you please release her from her house arrest?
There was no explicit order at the beginning to put the Queen under house arrest, but the Queen was required to teach Ye Lingyi personally day and night, so the only thing he could do was to plead for Ye Lingyi to be released from house arrest.
The emperor did not want to let the queen out so soon. During this period, the imperial concubine was in charge of the harem, and he even thought it was a good thing. The imperial concubine might be getting old, and she was not jealous at all. She found several beauties to present to him, each with her own style, and they were both stunning and bold. The emperor was still enjoying the novelty.
The Queen claimed that she was not jealous, but in fact, after so many years, the Emperor probably knew that the Queen did not want him to favor others, and often took actions against concubines and children in secret. However, the Queen and he had a deep affection for each other since they were young, and they had supported each other all the way. With so many years of relationship, he naturally preferred the Queen more.
But he still wanted to play with these young beauties for a while longer, so he didn't want to agree and evaded the question, "Your Majesty, don't joke."
The Crown Prince compromised and pleaded, "Then let Mother and Sister attend the palace banquets on weekdays, otherwise the court officials might suspect that there is a change in the harem."
The emperor nodded and said, "In recent months, the Imperial Concubine has been concerned about Pingzhou and has taken the lead in promoting frugality, so all palace banquets have been canceled.
But I think that my birthday banquet will not be held soon. I can just invite the royal family members to gather together and let your mother come out when the time comes. Your sister will not be able to come out. Her temper needs to be cultivated."
He also heard that Lin's mother had found a fake miracle doctor and that Lin Hancheng had no hope of having children. He also sent the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau to check on Lin Hancheng. The news he got was that it was indeed extremely difficult for him to have children. The probability was so low that it was negligible, and the head of the hospital had no way to do anything.
He used to think Rong An was spoiled, but now that this happened, he didn't come to the palace to cry to him and not make things difficult for him. He felt a little guilty and didn't want Ye Lingyi, who had been quarreling with Rong An since childhood, to come out and make Rong An unhappy again.
The day of the emperor's birthday banquet soon arrived. The queen dressed up and waited for the emperor first. The two of them would appear together at the end.
After more than three months of not seeing each other, the Queen was very excited to see the Emperor, but the Emperor looked indifferent. Why hadn't he noticed the fine lines at the corners of the Queen's eyes and her sagging cheeks before?
It may be that the emperor was a little uncomfortable seeing the 40-year-old queen because he had been with the beautiful young girl every day for the past few months. Even though she had taken good care of herself, the queen had been frustrated recently, had a lot on her mind, and had trouble sleeping at night. She was obviously in a worse condition.
Seeing this, the queen turned the topic to the prince, and the atmosphere between the two gradually heated up.
Seeing that the time was ripe, the Queen rolled her eyes and said, "I heard that Rong'an's husband is having difficulty in having children, and her mother-in-law is already looking for a suitable baby, and will soon adopt him into Rong'an's lap.
If I were to ask you, I would suggest that we adopt the son of the royal family to Rong'an. On the one hand, he will be close to Rong'an by blood, and on the other hand, he will be able to be filial to Rong'an better. It can also be regarded as our compensation to Rong'an.
Secondly, after the prince consort passes away, the Lin family's assets will naturally be inherited by this child, which will provide a long-term source of income for the royal family and benefit the people of our dynasty."
The emperor was surprised to find that the queen's plan was very brilliant, and his eyes regained the tenderness he had shown towards the queen.
The emperor and the empress smiled at each other and went to the birthday banquet hand in hand.
After everyone exchanged greetings, the banquet proceeded step by step.
After the queen sat down, she looked at the imperial concubine from time to time. She saw that her clothes were simpler than those in previous banquets, but she was wearing very thick clothes, which made her look rounder. She also did not have the seven-tailed phoenix hairpin that was associated with her status as an imperial concubine. She was simply decorated with some velvet flowers, which was very low-key.
The Queen only thought that the Imperial Noble Consort knew and didn't compete with her for face, but this bitch must have been very proud of being named Imperial Noble Consort. As the saying goes, a happy heart makes the body fat. I can't even eat when I'm with my daughter all day.
She said coldly, "Sister Imperial Concubine, you seem to have become a lot rounder recently."
The Imperial Noble Consort smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I caught a cold a while ago. It just so happens that it's early winter, so I dressed a little warmer."
Upon hearing this, the emperor said with concern: "It's normal for you to wear more clothes. If you are not feeling well, just rest well in your own palace." He thought to himself, don't disturb me when I am looking for my little beauty.
The Imperial Noble Consort nodded in agreement, and the Queen frowned and stopped staring at the Imperial Noble Consort.
Looking at the enchanting dancer who blatantly flirted with the emperor, the queen secretly resented that the imperial concubine's management of the harem was a complete mess.
After the first round of drinking, the Queen glanced at the Emperor and then looked towards Dan Ruo and Lin Hancheng with a smile. "A few days ago, I was in seclusion copying Buddhist scriptures and praying for the court, and I didn't have time to meet Rong An's husband. Today, I have to get to know him properly."
Lin Hancheng stood up from his seat and walked to the middle to salute the queen.
"Please excuse the formalities. I've heard that your husband has a deep affection for Rong'an, so I'm relieved. However, I've heard that your husband is having trouble having children, and the old lady has already begun preparations for an adoptive son. Although Rong'an didn't grow up under my care, as his mother, I have to consider some things for him. I wonder if your husband is willing to obey?"
Lin Hancheng stood in the hall, his eyes lowered. "The Queen has a kind motherly heart. Please let the Queen know clearly."
He was naturally embarrassed when the issue of offspring was brought up in front of so many people, but he was born in a humble family and being a prince consort was just a title. He had no way to deal with the queen.
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