When Yulian was gagged and dragged away, she regretted it. She should have known better than to be jealous of Consort Bao. She just thought Consort Bao's background was too poor. Her own background was much better than Consort Bao's. She was only lucky enough to conceive a prince, and the emperor accompanied her every day. She was blinded by jealousy.
Unfortunately, there's no going back in life. A small mistake can change one's entire life, and she ended up spending the rest of her life at the very bottom.
Situ Rui heard the commotion behind him, but knowing that Xiao Li Zi would handle it, he didn't care at all. As soon as he entered the bedchamber, he saw the pregnant Consort Bao staring blankly out the window.
Worried that she might catch a cold from the wind, he quickly went over, took Bao Pin into his arms, and then sat her on the big bed. "What's wrong? Who has upset my Bao Pin? Tell me, and I will take care of it for you."
Tang Baozhu was genuinely embarrassed by his action, and a blush naturally appeared on her face. But since things had already progressed this far, the play had to continue.
Situ Rui's eyes lit up when he saw the natural shyness on the beauty's face. He hugged the shy beauty in his arms tightly, kissed her forehead, and dared not move any further. After all, he valued the child in Consort Bao's belly more than his own life.
Tang Baozhu felt the bulge under her buttocks and felt embarrassed, but thinking of her parents, she pretended to be in a bad mood and leaned against the emperor's chest without saying a word.
"Tell me quickly, why are you suddenly so listless? Is there anything wrong with your body? I'll summon the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to take a look at you."
Situ Rui really doesn't understand women's thoughts. Although he now has about twenty-five or twenty-six women, about twenty of them entered the palace during this selection process. Before that, he only had a handful of women. He doesn't care about those women. He is also aware of his physical condition, so he is very restrained when it comes to women.
Since things had come to this point, Tang Baozhu stopped being coy. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. I am fine, but I have been away from home for almost four months and miss my parents a little. It is just that this is the first time I have been away from home for so long, so I am a little unaccustomed to it. Your Majesty, please do not worry, I will be fine in a couple of days."
Situ Rui thought something serious had happened. It was such a small matter, why was he in such a bad mood? "It was indeed my oversight in this matter. Here's what I'll do: I'll issue an imperial decree immediately, ordering Eunuch Li to send a team of guards to bring your parents to the capital, and also bring your brothers and sisters-in-law over."
All the selected young ladies had their detailed information already in Shi Tu Rui's possession before they even entered officialdom, so he had a general idea of the situation of the concubines' families.
These words struck a chord with Tang Baozhu, after all, wasn't this the very purpose of her performance?
"Your Majesty, I am fine. I will be alright in a couple of days. Why make such a fuss? My parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law are all unsophisticated farmers. I am afraid that coming to the capital will cause Your Majesty trouble. After all, they really don't know anything. What if they accidentally offend someone?"
Situ Rui thought about it and realized that this was indeed a problem. He couldn't just bring them over and have something happen to them right away, as that would go against his original intention. He definitely had to protect them well. Well, they were relatives of his child's mother after all, and would be the child's maternal relatives in the future. He should protect them more.
"Don't worry, I will arrange it. I will send people to settle them in, and also send a few head maids and eunuchs to help them manage the mansion. As for teaching etiquette and knowledge, I will arrange that as well. I suppose your nephews and nieces are all grown up now, and they should start learning what they need to learn."
"Your Majesty, you are so kind. I am so grateful for your kindness. I will do my best to give you more princes in the future."
Tang Baozhu raised the corners of her eyes and looked at the Emperor with a shy expression, thinking that the Emperor probably liked to hear these things.
Situ Rui loved to hear that, didn't he? If anyone else said that, he certainly wouldn't believe it, but when it came to Consort Bao, he had no doubts. After all, he had only favored Consort Bao for one night and had only come three times, yet Consort Bao had managed to get pregnant. It must be that Consort Bao was lucky for him.
"I will remember these words. From now on, Consort Bao will have to work much harder."
Having achieved her goal, Tang Baozhu returned to her normal state, and her mood improved with the emperor's comfort.
"By the way, Your Majesty, I have taken up so much of your time. Has it interfered with your important business? If it has, then I am truly guilty."
"It's alright. Nothing is more important than the baby in your belly right now. Since we have some free time, let me accompany you for a walk outside! I heard from the imperial physician that walking around more will be beneficial for the delivery later."
Situ Rui used to be completely clueless, but in the past month or so, he has been asking the imperial physicians questions whenever he has free time, and now he can be considered a semi-expert. He also knows that pregnant women tend to overthink things. Now that the problem has been solved, he might as well spend more time with her and not let his little prince suffer.
Tang Baozhu knew that pregnant women shouldn't sit still for too long, otherwise it would be difficult to give birth. When she heard that Situ Rui wanted to walk with her, she didn't hesitate and stood up. The two of them walked outside hand in hand.
As soon as he stepped out of the main hall, Situ Rui saw his chief eunuch, Eunuch Li, waiting outside. Thinking about the matter he had just promised Consort Bao, he immediately ordered, "Little Li, send a team of guards to Consort Bao's house to deliver an imperial decree to bring all of Bao Ping's family members to the capital. You must handle this matter well for me, or I will hold you accountable."
Tang Baozhu thought that her parents knew Xiaodouzi, so having an acquaintance would be better. She suggested, "Your Majesty, let Xiaodouzi go with you! My parents met him when the concubines were being selected. Having an acquaintance should make him less nervous."
For Situ Rui, these were all minor issues. He nodded in agreement and then took her hand, leading her towards the garden.
In a small mountain village a thousand miles away, ever since Old Man Tang and Tang Li returned, the villagers have been saying all sorts of things. After all, they had been away for more than ten years and had come back, so they must have been unable to make a living outside.
They're getting old and still have to go through all this trouble. They've been separated for over ten years. Now, their daughter is married to someone else, and their son isn't close to them either. He even says their future will definitely be difficult.
Old Man Tang and Mrs. Tang didn't care. After all, their little girl had gone to the palace, which was an immense blessing. For ordinary people like them, it wasn't just good fortune, it was a stroke of luck.
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