Chapter 49: Beautiful Daughter vs. Heirless Emperor 49
Ji Yunhuan finally met his uncle.
The handsome and elegant young man in my memory now has white hair. The northwest wind and sand have worn his face thin and forged his straight back. Only his eyes are still bright and clear, so bright that it is shocking.
"Your Highness pays respect to Imperial Concubine Chun. May Your Highness live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!"
Xu Junzheng bowed deeply, knelt on the ground, and his shoulders shook silently.
Ji Yunhuan waved his hand and asked everyone to leave, leaving only the two of them in the hall.
She went forward to help her uncle up, but her uncle kept his head down and refused to get up. After all, it was really embarrassing to cry like this in front of his niece.
Ji Yunhuan's nose felt sore and tears almost fell, but now she couldn't cry anymore.
"My dear uncle, your niece is still pregnant, how can you bear to let me stand here?"
"I am so terrified and sorry for being rude." Xu Junzheng wiped away his tears and finally stood up.
Ji Yunhuan waited for so long and finally found out the truth of what happened back then.
Xu Junzheng was silent for a long time before he spoke with difficulty: "It's all my fault. I ruined the entire Xu family!"
That year, the newly crowned number one scholar rode a horse in a parade through the streets, and the cars in the capital were filled with fruits, which was a great spectacle.
The eldest princess took a fancy to Xu Junzheng and intended to choose him as her husband's son-in-law. In this dynasty, husbands-in-law were not restricted to be officials, and the eldest princess was very much favored by the late emperor, so this was a good opportunity for her to rise to the top overnight.
But Xu Junzheng refused. He already had a fiancée and they would get married as soon as he passed the imperial examination.
In those days, the Xu family was noble and had many disciples. Even the late emperor could not force the eldest son of the Xu family to marry the eldest princess.
The eldest princess promised high positions, generous salaries, power, fame and fortune, but unfortunately these failed to impress the Xu family, and in the end Xu Junzheng still married his childhood sweetheart.
Xu Junzheng's voice was filled with sorrow. "I thought she had let it go. She chose another prince consort. The eldest princess' wedding made a sensation in the capital. I thought she would be able to live a peaceful life from then on."
"But she actually came to me incognito and asked me if I regretted it? The prince consort has risen to prominence, while I am still an insignificant seventh-rank official. But I don't regret it. I cultivate myself and my family, govern the country and bring peace to the world. If I am not upright and my family is not in order, how can I talk about governing the country and bringing peace to the world?"
"She left in anger. I thought she would give up, but she actually poisoned the prince consort. She said it was all for me. She didn't like the prince consort at all and she just wanted to piss me off."
"She is absolutely crazy! She threatened me with the entire Xu family. I thought that at worst I could just quit being an official, travel around the world, open an academy and give lectures, which would be a lot of fun."
"I never dreamed that she would be so crazy as to take revenge on the entire Xu family! My father died tragically in prison, and he would rather die than admit this unwarranted stigma. My mother passed away soon after."
"Your eldest aunt took her infant child with her and died unable to bear the humiliation. Your youngest uncle was not much older than you and was still a child. He died on the way to exile."
"I wish I could peel off her skin, pull out her tendons, swallow her blood, and eat her flesh! Sometimes I really wish I could die, but I can't die. No matter how difficult it is, I have to live. If I die, who will avenge the Xu family?"
"Huan'er, I am the only one left in the Xu family, only me..."
Xu Junzheng burst into tears, as if he wanted to cry out all the tears he hadn't shed in all these years.
"Huan'er! I regret it, I hate it, it's all my fault! If I had agreed to her back then, your aunt would hate me, but she can live and live well, and the Xu family will not suffer this unprovoked disaster..."
Ji Yunhuan was in a heavy mood. She patted her uncle on the back and said softly, "Uncle, this is not your fault. The fault lies with the eldest princess and all the evil people who harmed the Xu family!"
"When the Xu family fell, the Liu family rose rapidly. Relying on the favor of the eldest princess, the Liu family became extremely powerful. Your Majesty, who was still the third prince at the time, was suspected by the late emperor and almost died in the northwest and could not return."
"But they are too cunning and leave no traces behind. Whether it is framing the prince, framing the Xu family, or killing my mother, they have never shown up in person."
"When your majesty ascended the throne, the eldest princess saw that the situation was not going well, so she led the Liu family to side with your majesty, and the Liu family retained their wealth and prosperity for the rest of their lives!"
"Uncle, they won't be so proud forever. One day, I will make the Liu family, the eldest princess, and all the evildoers pay with blood!"
Xu Junzheng didn't have time to cry anymore. He immediately stood up, raised his eyebrows, and said sternly, just like when he taught his young niece:
"Huan'er, don't do anything stupid! You are favored by His Majesty and you are pregnant with His Majesty's child. Even if it is a daughter, she will be someone you can rely on in the future."
"Don't take any risks. I'm not telling you this to make you do anything. It's just that I've kept these words in my heart for too many years. Now that you've asked, I'm telling you."
"Promise your uncle that you won't worry about anything and you'll be fine. Otherwise, your uncle won't come to see you again. You'll be safer if we cut off contact."
Ji Yunhuan had never been afraid of Xu Junzheng since she was a child. Her uncle only had a stern face to scare her, but in fact he was reluctant to touch her at all.
"Okay, I'll listen to my uncle and won't do anything rash."
Xu Junzheng breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch Ji Yunhuan's head, but he found that she was now a noble concubine, and there was a difference between the emperor and his subjects, so it would be difficult for them to enjoy the happiness of family life.
Ji Yunhuan shook his head and said pitifully, "Huan'er only has my uncle as a relative. If my uncle becomes estranged from me and stops visiting me, Huan'er will have no relatives."
Xu Junzheng laughed, but eventually withdrew his hand, "You're being naughty again. You're almost going to be a mother, but why are you still acting like a child?"
Tao Hong said outside the door: "Madam, His Majesty has sent someone to ask Master Xu to come over."
Only then did Xu Junzheng realize that he had stayed too long and the emperor was still waiting for him.
"I'll take my leave. I'll come back to see the Imperial Concubine later."
Ji Yunhuan reluctantly sent his uncle to the door and glared at Tao Hong in dissatisfaction, "How come time has passed so quickly? We haven't even had a few words."
It is said that a woman will become stupid for three years after pregnancy. Taohong also felt that her mother had a childish temper and was becoming more and more difficult to coax.
It's all because of His Majesty's indulgence. Even if the Queen wants the moon in the sky, His Majesty will set up a ladder to help her reach up and pick it.
********
A month later, the Xu family was completely rehabilitated, and Grand Tutor Xu was reinstated and buried with great ceremony. Old Madam Xu was awarded the first-class imperial edict and was buried together with Grand Tutor Xu.
The Xu family's sealed mansion was returned and newly decorated, and a steady stream of rewards were sent to the Xu residence.
Everyone in the capital now knows that Imperial Concubine Chun is in great favor and is pregnant with His Majesty's only child. The Ji family is a hopeless case, while the Xu family has risen overnight.
Xu Junzheng changed his previous style of not competing or fighting, and got along well in the court, and was soon promoted to the Minister of Revenue. Naturally, a force formed around him, and with the emperor's backing, he was in a position to compete with Prime Minister Liu.
Ji Yunhuan received another letter from her uncle. Her uncle never talked about these things in his letters, but she also knew about her uncle's difficulties.
She wanted to get more help for her uncle, and the Zhou family, which had a empress dowager and a queen, was a good choice although inconspicuous but had many in-laws.
On this day, Ji Yunhuan went to pay her respects to the Queen with her big belly.
Although both His Majesty and the Queen said that she didn't need to pay respects, she still went there every now and then and was more respectful to the Queen.
The queen was watering the flowers in the yard. Seeing Ji Yunhuan coming again, she couldn't help but laugh, "You are the only one who still cares about me. Come here, let me show you the chrysanthemums I just planted. They are so beautiful."
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