Shen Xinyan didn't pay much attention to what was going on in the palace. She just listened to Wei Junhang talking to her about things outside the palace occasionally as if she was just listening to gossip.
For example, when the relatives of Concubine Rui Gui came to Beijing, Emperor Yuanyou continued to reward them, which seemed to compensate the Zhao family for the suffering they had endured. However, the two titles of "Duke Cheng'en" and "Marquis Zhongyi" were not implemented at all.
The title of Duke Cheng'en could only be passed down for one generation, but the title of Marquis Zhongyi could be passed down for several generations if Emperor Yuanyou wished. But at the moment, it seemed that Emperor Yuanyou had no intention of extending the title to the Zhao family's side branches.
Shen Xinyan was a little surprised that Wei Junhang knew everything about the outside world without leaving the house. But what surprised her even more was that Wei Junhang would take the initiative to mention these things to her, as if he finally stopped hiding what he did outside from her.
Even Wei Chenglin would sometimes talk about the eldest prince's illness with concern. It seemed that after so many days, the eldest prince's illness had not yet been cured, and there were even signs that it was getting worse day by day.
She didn't know why, but she felt a little uneasy. Would the eldest prince be okay?
So many things had changed in this life that she really didn't dare to use the memories of her previous life as a reference.
"Ma'am, my calligraphy is finished, please take a look." Pingfu held up the big characters he had just practiced, his eyes shining and his little face full of anticipation.
Shen Xinyan took it and looked at it with a smile. She found that every stroke of the character was much more mature than before. It was upright and steady, yet had a somewhat unrestrained flavor.
"Your handwriting of the word 'Lingfu' is better than last time. I'm sure I'll have to trouble you with the couplets in our yard for the New Year in a few days." Shen Xinyan said with a smile.
Lin Fu's eyes suddenly brightened, and he puffed out his chest and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I will definitely practice my calligraphy better and write couplets for you in the future!"
Shen Xinyan chuckled after hearing this and pinched his face which had gained a lot of flesh compared to when he first came: "Okay, then I'll wait."
Pingfu pursed her lips and revealed a happy smile.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt that his smile vaguely resembled that of Consort Rui Guifei in the palace.
The next moment, she shook her head in amusement, thinking that she must be dazzled by comparing Lingfu's smiling face with the imperial concubine with her peerless beauty.
A few days later, Shen Xinwen heard that the eldest prince's condition had worsened to the point where he was bedridden. He was shocked.
This is just a minor cold, how could it be so serious? !
Emperor Yuanyou was furious and scolded all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital. If it weren't for Concubine Rui's persuasion, he would have dragged several of them away and beheaded them on the spot.
Something happened to the eldest prince, so Wei Chenglin didn't have to go to the palace for the past few days. He stayed in the mansion every day, waiting for news from the palace. Only Shen Xinyan could notice his worry.
"I'm afraid your highness's illness is not a simple one!" Wei Junhang sighed that night.
Shen Xinyan only felt her heart tightening even more.
"Your Highness is in trouble. Isn't the Concubine extremely sad these days? Watching her own child being tortured by illness and being helpless is really too painful."
"Your Majesty is also feeling uncomfortable. Ever since the eldest prince fell ill, His Majesty has found it difficult to smile. The court officials are trembling with fear, fearing that they will incur the emperor's wrath." Wei Junhang had a headache.
What's even more worrying is that His Majesty has ordered me to thoroughly investigate the cause of the eldest prince's illness.
Really, he is now an "injured" after all, he must have time to rest, right?
He thought that it must be because he had worked hard and never complained over the years that his cousin the emperor liked to order him around more and more.
Although he was grumbling in his heart, he would not say anything more in front of Emperor Yuanyou without knowing the good thing. Because of the eldest prince's illness, the man was almost on the verge of madness.
When Wei Junhang went out every now and then, Shen Xinyan guessed that it was related to the eldest prince's illness, so she just reminded him to pay more attention to his injuries and didn't say anything else.
Wei Junhang found it a little funny. Those were just some scratches on his body. They had almost healed after a few days of rest. Only his wife was still worried about his so-called "injuries".
Although he thought so, he felt deeply comforted by her concern.
"You should also take care of yourself. I see that you are getting thinner." Looking at Shen Xinyan who was obviously thinner, he stroked her cheek with heartache.
First, the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an passed away, and then she herself fell ill. Then, added to that his "accident", and the various things going on in the mansion, how could she not lose weight!
"Don't worry, I'm not a three-year-old child. I can take care of myself." Shen Xinyan answered while tying his hoodie for him.
"Similarly, I am not a three-year-old child. I know my limits in everything I do." Wei Junhang interrupted her with her words.
Shen Xinyan laughed and patted his cloak helplessly: "Go early and come back early!"
Wei Junhang nodded, took a few steps forward and then turned back, kissed her on the face, then left with a smile in her reproachful eyes.
During this period, their relationship made rapid progress. Every time he returned to the main room in Funing Courtyard and immersed in his wife's tenderness and affection, he was reluctant to leave.
No wonder people always say that the land of beauties is the grave of heroes. Although he is not a hero, his wife is an absolute beauty!
After breakfast that day, she went to pay her respects to the Grand Princess as usual, and talked with her for a while. Only when she saw that the Grand Princess looked tired did she say goodbye and leave.
"Second sister-in-law, you don't know, right? Mother went to the palace a while ago to ask for a job on behalf of eldest sister-in-law's family." On the way out, Yang said indignantly after seeing Fang's figure getting farther and farther away.
Since mother could ask for their family, why not ask for a good job for her husband? After all, her husband is also her son, the legitimate master of the Duke's Mansion. Could it be that he is not as good as Fang's family? !
Shen Xinyan was a little surprised, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt that this step would happen sooner or later. The relationship between the Grand Princess and the wife of Marquis Pingliang can be seen from her attitude towards the Fang sisters. As long as the wife of Marquis Pingliang put aside her attitude and asked kindly, she might agree.
But it's no wonder that Yang was so angry. Wei Junxian from the third room was idle at home all day, so idle that concubines and maids were born one after another, and illegitimate sons and daughters were born one after another. It would be strange if Yang was not angry!
Today, the third branch of the Duke of Ying's Mansion has the most people. In addition to the brothers Zhao and Yue, who are the legitimate children of Yang, there are also two boys and three girls who are born out of wedlock.
Such a big family, the key point is that among seven children, only two came out of her belly. The money spent on food and drink is like water. No wonder Yang became more and more stingy.
Originally, only Yue Ge'er liked to go to her yard. After being tempted by the snacks brought back by Yue Ge'er a few times, now even the older Zhao Ge'er always likes to find various reasons to go to her yard.
Why was he looking for excuses? It was simple. Zhao Ge'er felt that he had grown up and could no longer be like an ignorant child, disturbing them all day long. Therefore, he always made excuses such as "My mother asked me to look for Yue Ge'er" and "My mother asked me to see if Yue Ge'er's face was clean", which always made Shen Xinyan and Qiu Tang laugh.
Yang turned a blind eye to the fact that her sons always liked to go to the second wife's house, and she even enjoyed it.
She is not as shallow-minded as the eldest branch of the family. The second branch's son, Lin, has a bright future. If her sons get closer to the second branch, they may be able to benefit from it in the future.
"As her daughter-in-law, we naturally cannot say anything about what our mother is thinking." Shen Xinyan thought for a moment before answering.
"Our Third Master is fine, but the Crown Prince is mother's biological child. Why doesn't mother want to ask for a good job for the Crown Prince, but instead wants to come forward for an outsider?" Yang said even more indignantly.
Well, here they come to instigate me to take the lead again. Shen Xinyan felt helpless.
Therefore, you really can't be careless when dealing with Yang, or you will be led by her if you are not careful.
"In mother's eyes, there is no difference between the Third Elder and the Crown Prince. Besides, I hope the Crown Prince can spend more time in the mansion." She pretended not to understand what she said. After saying this, she was afraid that Yang would hold on to it again, so she made up an excuse and left in a hurry.
"It's really useless!" Yang was furious, but she couldn't do anything about it. She hated her husband for not living up to her expectations, and she was angry at the eldest princess for being too partial.
In the past, they only favored the eldest branch of the family, but now even the eldest branch's family members are trying to put themselves above them.
Shen Xinyan was not surprised that Pingliang Hou would be reappointed in the future. In his previous life, Pingliang Hou had gotten a good job with the help of Minister Xu. With the help of the Grand Princess in this life, there shouldn't be any surprises.
Of course, the premise is that the Grand Princess will really come forward for him.
She didn't believe that the eldest princess, who always ignored the affairs of the court, would really sacrifice her favor with Emperor Yuanyou because of her friendship with the wife of Marquis Pingliang.
However, it can be seen that the Pingliang Marquisate has reached its wits' end.
What happened next confirmed her guess. Emperor Yuanyou issued several imperial edicts to demote officials. Even Zhou Mao, who had just been reinstated, lost his job as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and was sent to a place in the south to serve as a prefect.
Then, he took back the Phoenix Seal of Empress Zhou and ordered her to rest in seclusion if she was ill, and the concubines in the six palaces were not allowed to disturb her without his permission.
For a while, there was an uproar in the court. Some people wanted to plead for the empress, but they were protected by Emperor Yuanyou on the spot, and many of their scandals were directly exposed.
For example, being greedy for beauty and angering the legitimate wife to death, passing off a concubine as the legitimate wife to deceive the world, and allowing nephews and nephews to rape other people's wives, etc.
The courtier who was about to plead for the queen retracted his action without making a sound.
The court officials were all shocked. How could His Majesty know such a secret matter in their houses?
For a time, everyone felt insecure, thinking that all their secrets had been dug out by Emperor Yuanyou, and no one dared to object to his will anymore.
Some court officials thought about it again and found that most of the people dealt with by Emperor Yuanyou were actually affiliated with the Zhou Mansion. They immediately realized that His Majesty was clearing out the power of Zhou's prime minister.