"Second-rank Consort Bei, with a gentle and kind nature, is virtuous and prudent. Now that she has contributed to the birth of the imperial heir, she is promoted to First-rank Noble Consort, granted the title of Chen, and appointed as the head of all concubines. This is my decree!"
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for being promoted to Imperial Concubine. 30 points awarded. The host's account now has 160 points.]
"I thank you for your grace."
Bei Lingyao was very happy. She thought she would be promoted from the first rank to the fourth concubine of Huishuxiande, but unexpectedly she was promoted to the first rank, surpassing the four concubines.
Concubine Chen, that sounds so nice!
She likes this title.
However, this title reminded her of Hai Lanzhu from the Qing Dynasty.
Bei Lingyao gently stroked her belly which had not yet shown any signs of pregnancy. As someone who had lived in three worlds and had plug-ins like spiritual consciousness and systems, if she still failed, she would not be able to live as a human being.
After the banquet, each family looked at the Bei family with envy and jealousy.
The royal family came with high hopes but left disappointed.
After returning home, Prince Fu smashed the study again.
In the harem, Concubine Lu, who was still under house arrest, was devastated when she learned that Bei Lingyao was pregnant and was promoted to Concubine Chen.
Bei Lingyao swept her spiritual sense across the entire harem, and saw people smashing porcelain, tearing handkerchiefs, pounding pillows, and cursing.
Some even wanted to make voodoo dolls for her.
But some also felt that since Bei Lingyao was pregnant and didn't need to sleep with him, their chance had come.
Others feel that they are old, have lost their color, are dull and discouraged.
Not only the concubines, but also the eunuchs and palace maids were discussing it in private.
Not to mention outside the palace.
There are all kinds of beings.
The Bei family closed their doors and refused to see guests or accept gifts.
Censor Bei was most grateful that the third wife had left, otherwise if someone else followed the third wife's path, trouble would arise again.
Even though they have separated from the third branch, they are still blood brothers from the same father and mother. If something really happens, others will still drag them together.
"Your Majesty has made me a noble concubine, but I still feel uneasy."
Ling was worried because others only saw that the Bei family had a queen and was about to soar to fame.
But she saw a lot of danger and was afraid that her daughter would be hurt.
"Don't think too much. The Emperor will protect your pregnancy well. Don't worry."
There was no point in worrying for them. They could only watch the palace and could do nothing. The only thing they could do was try not to hold the Empress back.
Censor Bei immediately called a meeting with his sons, and wrote a letter back to his hometown asking his second brother and the elders of the clan to discipline the children of the clan.
In the palace, Bei Lingyao simply stayed in the palace and stayed there to take care of her pregnancy.
Everyone knew how much importance Emperor Shengwu attached to this pregnancy. Without an imperial decree, no one was allowed to go to Yufu Palace to disturb Concubine Chen's pregnancy.
The empress dowager did not close the palace as usual. As soon as the door was opened, some concubines took the initiative to pay their respects, trying to accuse Concubine Chen of being unfilial.
Bei Lingyao didn't have to do anything, as Emperor Shengwu arranged for Nanny Sun to go to Shou'an Palace to kowtow and pay respects on behalf of Concubine Chen every morning.
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth, as Emperor Shengwu was very wary of her.
The Yufu Palace was surrounded like an iron barrel, and it was very difficult to reach in.
The Queen Mother now blamed her niece in the cold palace, saying that she didn't know how to manage the harem and neglected the Yufu Palace.
But the Queen Mother was not in a hurry. From ten months of pregnancy to delivery and growth, there was a long time, and she could afford to wait.
What the Queen Mother feared most was that Prince Fu would get anxious, so she sent someone to comfort him.
The eldest princess was also waiting for the empress dowager to take action, and kept sending messages to her daughter, Concubine Lu, asking her not to act rashly.
Even so, Yufu Palace was not peaceful.
Although there was a small kitchen in Yufu Palace, there were still some supplies for food and laundry, which were big problems.
These aspects are most vulnerable to leakage and difficult to guard against.
"My Lady, the accountant found something wrong with the charcoal."
"Tell them to look carefully. If they are not sure, take it to the imperial physician."
Now it is winter and heavy snow is falling outside, so some people have come up with the idea of charcoal.
Three female doctors, four midwives, and six wet nurses moved into the Yufu Palace, all arranged by Emperor Shengwu.
Bei Lingyao only had one child this time, and Emperor Shengwu arranged too many wet nurses, but he felt it was still not enough.
We arrange these, but not all of them will be used, and we also have to be on guard against others taking action.
It can be said that Emperor Shengwu made meticulous arrangements in every aspect, inside and out.
But life did not remain peaceful. There was a snowstorm in the north, the remnants of the previous dynasty rebelled, and foreign enemies harassed the border. The Queen Mother, the Grand Princess, and those aristocratic families did not think it was chaotic enough and secretly added fuel to the fire.
Emperor Shengwu was on the verge of rage every day. He did not bring his emotions to Yufu Palace, but Bei Lingyao could also find out from the servants in Taiji Palace.
Bei Lingyao cooked a soup to clear the heart and reduce fire, and asked Nanny Sun to send it to Taiji Palace.
She set up a spirit gathering array in the garden, built a greenhouse, and planted some vegetables, fruits, and melons.
Bei Lingyao had no shortage of vegetables and fruits to eat throughout the winter, and she even had some sent to her mother's home outside the palace.
Emperor Shengwu also enjoyed it and found the fruits and vegetables in Yufu Palace to be particularly delicious.
So let people grow greenhouse vegetables.
The long winter passed quickly, and Bei Lingyao's belly was already four months old.
When Ling entered the palace, Bei Lingyao told Ling about raising fish in rice fields and asked her to do it in her hometown.
She also had people experiment on the farm to see if it could be grown.
Dagan is now in great shortage of food. A large amount of farmland is in the hands of aristocratic families, and many farmers can only rent land to farm.
When a natural disaster occurs, the landlords will not suffer much loss, but the peasants will have no way to survive. They can only sell their children, and some even sell themselves.
Otherwise, they will starve to death or become refugees or beggars.
If Emperor Shengwu wanted to completely break free from the constraints of the aristocratic families, grain production had to keep up.
But now Bei Lingyao is pregnant, and for the sake of stability, Emperor Shengwu stopped fighting with the aristocratic families, lest he push them too far and make them desperate.
Bei Lingyao wrote on the word: open up new land.
Every day, Emperor Shengwu was busy with all kinds of affairs. Even when he came to her, he would bring memorials. Sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night and Emperor Shengwu was still awake.
No matter how good one's physique is, it cannot withstand the torture, not to mention that Emperor Shengwu has been suffering from a strange poison.
If this continues, I’m not going to live past forty.
I stay up late every day, I may not be able to rest at noon, and I have to get up early, so I can die at any time.
"Pioneering"
Emperor Shengwu sighed, "Every year we impose corvée labor to reclaim wasteland, but the results are minimal."
"Corvée labor is used to reclaim government land. It's thankless work, and you'll be whipped by the overseers. Once the government land is reclaimed, you have to rent it if you want to farm it, and you might not be able to afford it, so naturally you're not willing to work hard."
Bei Lingyao added, "I've heard my grandmother mention that before my father passed the imperial examination, my grandfather and my second and third uncles took turns doing corvée labor. Sometimes they came back covered in wounds, sick from overwork, and some even died from the hard labor."
Emperor Shengwu fell silent. He said that corvee labor had existed since ancient times. During the reign of the previous emperor, corvee labor was particularly heavy and there were even uprisings.
Although the situation was alleviated a lot after Emperor Shengwu came to power, it was still unavoidable.
"The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. It is this concubine who has been too nosy."
"No, Yao'er, it's not meddling in politics. I want to hear what you have to say."
Emperor Shengwu is now troubled by people's livelihood issues. The court is full of useless drunkards. They may not have no good ideas, but they are unwilling to say them because they will harm their interests, and they will even try every means to stop them.
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