Chapter 352 No Sympathy
This year, it has been raining a lot. It has been very humid. Just as we were taking a breather from the not-so-cold November, we had two snowfalls in a row in the twelfth lunar month! In the winter in the Imperial City, snow can’t be kept. It falls a lot, melts quickly, but it’s much colder than rain.
As soon as Shen Chuliu went out, she retracted her hands and feet and didn't want to go out at all.
"It's very cold outside. Would you like to put on another piece of clothing, Master?" Zi Rui said.
"A few more pieces? It's cold, so it won't matter what you put on. Let's go." Today is Laba Festival, which is also the Queen's birthday, so naturally there will be a family dinner.
It is not celebrated every year. Generally speaking, it is only celebrated on the emperor's birthday, or if the emperor celebrates it this year, the empress will also celebrate it.
This year it will not be like that, so people from the palace will get involved.
The snow outside is still melting slowly, and the north wind is blowing fiercely.
As soon as I came out, I felt like my face was cut by a knife.
The Sixth Prince was very smart. He buried his head in the wet nurse's arms and wrapped himself tightly in a small hooded cloak.
Although he is still at an age where he is curious and active, he can resist the urge to look.
The mother and daughter had a smooth journey to Taiji Palace, and Yao Baolin followed closely behind.
Laba Festival was in the morning, so when they went there, it was still dark.
When everyone arrived, they greeted each other and waited for the Emperor, Empress and the two Empress Dowagers.
Empress Dowager Feng has been feeling unwell this year. She has been sick twice since the beginning of winter. Although not serious, it is very exhausting to be sick all the time.
It was almost time, and everyone had arrived. They all stood up and greeted each other again.
The princes and princesses who knew how to pay their respects did so.
The Emperor and Empress helped the two Empress Dowagers to sit down and waved their hands: "No need to be polite."
Everyone sat down, exchanged a few words, and then the meal began.
Soon, palace maids and eunuchs filed in, and all kinds of delicious dishes were placed on the table.
After the last incident where the third prince was almost poisoned, the imperial kitchen and the harem kitchen became more than twice as cautious, and of course they also had more careful verification methods.
Such things cannot happen again now.
So Shen Chuliu felt at ease and asked her child to sit at the dining table.
After the banquet started, everyone toasted to the Queen, as today was her birthday.
After the adults toasted, it was the children's turn to toast and the princes all stood up.
Of course, the youngest Ninth Prince can’t do it yet, and the Eighth Prince is also shaky.
The sixth prince Qi Yan was able to keep his composure and followed his brothers in paying homage to the queen.
The queen accepted the reward with a smile, and she did not feel guilty at all when she was called mother.
The princesses then came to pay their respects.
Everyone was smiling.
There was no mess and today's family dinner was pretty good.
But some people are very unhappy.
The prince also congratulated the queen on her birthday, but the second prince was very dissatisfied.
As he grew older, he naturally had more thoughts and thought that he would be the crown prince sooner or later. He also ignored his younger brothers.
But the younger brothers below have quite impressive backgrounds.
Fourth brother was born to Li Zhaoyuan, who was from Duke Qi's mansion! The Lu family behind fifth brother is very powerful, but he is still often taken care of by the Royal Grandmother!
This made him the most angry. He was the grandson of the Feng family! Now the Empress Dowager treated her fifth brother better than him!
Sixth brother is even better, Jing Zhaoyi has such a good family background and is still favored! Eighth brother's mother is not good, but she was born at a good time!
The ninth brother made him even more afraid, because that girl was born to the niece of the Empress Dowager Li! She was often taken care of by the Empress Dowager Li! Now, the favored Concubine Xin was also pregnant!
Among the six younger brothers, five are not simple.
There is no way the Second Prince would be in a good mood.
Especially the younger brothers were all praised by their father, but he, the eldest one, was not praised.
He also felt that his mother was incompetent, unfavored, and not smart.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get, and I can't stand anyone.
When he returned to Ruiqing Palace, he threw a tantrum.
The young eunuch Zhang Cheng who served him could roughly understand his own prince's thoughts, so he came over and said, "Second Prince, why do you have to be embarrassed? Just look at how Empress Dowager Feng dotes on the Fifth Prince. In fact, that is just for outsiders to see. You are the biological son of Empress Feng Shufei, and the blood of the Feng family is in you."
"Is that really the case?" The second prince also thought so, but he could not control himself most of the time.
"Of course, the ladies in the palace are not simple people, and Empress Dowager Feng has had a hard time too." The young eunuch had received a lot of favors from Empress Dowager Feng, so he naturally knew what to say.
"That's fine, I'm just worried..." The second prince sighed, "Those kids are all grown up now. I heard the other day that father gave the sixth child a lot of things."
"Hey, those are just toys, which means he won't achieve anything great. Besides, the New Year is coming soon, and he will move in after the New Year. Then you will be the older brother, and he will have to listen to you, right?"
The second prince didn't say anything, so it didn't matter whether you listened or not.
He thought of something else: "You are right."
When they returned to Cuiyunxuan, the hot air hit their faces and the mother and daughter hummed in comfort.
The Sixth Prince’s birthday will be celebrated at the end of the month. After this birthday, he will be five years old.
Time flies by so fast.
The child who is about to turn five did not have any such emotion, but just jumped up and down to eat roasted sweet potatoes.
Someone will grill it for him, so it’s not a big deal.
"Master, I heard that Yi Chongyuan didn't have enough charcoal, so she went to ask the Queen for help." Jimei came in and said.
"Insufficient? Insufficient at this time?" Shen Chuliu was surprised.
Generally, if there are some deficiencies, it must be in February of the following year.
It's not even the New Year yet, how can we run out of charcoal? "Well, from what I heard, it doesn't mean that we didn't give her enough, but that she used too much," Jimei said.
"Yes, it's too much. She has a chronic illness from before, so she needs charcoal fire in winter. I'm afraid if she uses it like we do here, she will have to double it." Zhemei also came in and said.
Even though Shen Chuliu used a lot, because they were mother and daughter, neither of them was willing to put themselves in a difficult position. So they used a lot every year.
But she spent a lot, so she was naturally qualified and capable. She didn't have to spend money herself, and she had it. Not only that, but it was good.
"She has long been unable to afford silver carbon, and even the second-rate ones are not enough now." Zhemei added, shaking her head: "How can she afford so much just to spend silver?"
"Fear of cold? I remember Meng Baolin is like this too?" Shen Chuliu said.
"Yes, the Queen gave Meng Baolin a lot, but it's not good charcoal anyway." Jimei explained: "Besides, Meng Baolin lives in a pavilion, which is so small inside and out, so naturally he can't use much. Yi Chongyuan is the master of a pavilion, so it's not good to burn only one room."
Does this mean that Yi Chongyuan, the Chongyuan, can no longer hold up her reputation? "Tsk tsk. Is Yi Chongyuan worse off than Meng Baolin?" Shen Chuliu didn't sympathize with her either.
(End of this chapter)
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