At the palace, Princess Jinyi's letter, which she usually sent every ten days, arrived two days late. Empress Jing'an quickly opened the letter and, halfway through, burst into laughter.
Zishu Hou was a little curious, but he didn't dare to ask.
After Empress Jing'an put down the letter in her hand, she ordered Zishu, "Quick, go and invite the Emperor and the Crown Prince."
Empress Jing'an, her smile growing even wider, finished her instructions and picked up the letter from the table to examine it more closely. Zi Yan offered her a cup of almond tea and asked, "Your Majesty, is there any good news in the princess' letter? Is she returning to the capital?"
Queen Jing'an smiled without even looking up and said, "That's not the case, but it is indeed good news."
By the time the Emperor hurried over, the Crown Prince had already taken his seat. Seeing the Emperor come in, the Crown Prince and Empress Jing'an both stood up and saluted. Empress Jing'an bowed and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty."
The prince bowed and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father."
The Emperor strode forward, helped Empress Jing'an to her feet, and after looking her up and down, he asked, "Fang Ting, what happened?"
Empress Jing'an, who was helped up, said with a smile, "Call your Majesty and the prince, because Yi'er has good news."
Oh, it's good that Empress Jing'an is not in trouble. The emperor's face was visibly relieved. He turned around and waved to the prince: "Get up."
Then he pulled Queen Jing'an to sit in the main seat and asked, "Good news? Is Yi'er going back to Beijing for the New Year?"
The Crown Prince also craned his neck slightly, waiting for Queen Jing'an's words. Queen Jing'an had wanted to keep it a secret, but seeing the expressions of the father and son, she had no choice but to speak frankly: "Yier is pregnant, and it has been over a month."
The emperor's face changed, and he looked ugly for a moment. Then he pulled Queen Jing'an and said, "Should we send more people to Quanzhou?"
Empress Jing'an looked at the emperor and proposed an idea: "Your Majesty, if I want to go to Quanzhou to take care of Yi'er, will Your Majesty allow it?"
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then moved his lips. Finally, he looked at the happy prince and asked, "Prince, is it okay for you to attend court alone and handle government affairs now?"
The prince immediately understood the emperor's intentions and wanted to say no, absolutely not. But facing his father's threatening gaze, the prince said timidly, "Son, your son, although it is very difficult, I am willing to handle it slowly."
After giving the Crown Prince a look that said, "You're still sensible," the Emperor turned and said gently to Empress Jing'an, "Fang Ting, I'll go with you. Since I ascended the throne, I've never been to the south, but this time I've finally gotten my wish."
How could she let the king of a country accompany her on a trip? Empress Jing'an quickly said, "I am just saying this at the moment. I will just send a few more women to Quanzhou to help with childbirth."
The Emperor lifted the teacup from the table, tilted his head slightly, and winked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince met the Emperor's gaze, wiped his face, and said, "Mother, my sister must be feeling incredibly sad giving birth to a child all alone, so far away. Although I can't handle matters on my own right now, I can hold my own at court for a couple of days, no, a few months."
After putting down the teacup, the emperor gave the order directly: "Zhou Defa, start preparing to leave the palace for Fujian. Don't make too much of a scene when traveling incognito."
The chief eunuch Zhou Defa, who was waiting at the side, knelt down and accepted the order: "Your Majesty, I obey your orders."
Queen Jing'an looked at the emperor with disapproval. After the emperor dismissed everyone, he began to coax Queen Jing'an.
After the prince was driven out, his face almost fell to the ground. Father really did what he wanted. He was still so young, why did he leave him alone in the palace?
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