Chapter 132 Food Lost Its Taste: Three Men Make a Drama
Inside the palace, Yuan Yan and Yang Lingyi were sitting side by side.
As the fetus in Yuan Yan's womb grew larger, her abdomen bulged slightly, and she could feel movements coming from her abdomen from time to time.
“This child is really lively and active,” Yuan Yan said to Yang Lingyi.
Yang Lingyi carefully touched Yuan Yan's belly, her eyes bright: "So lively... Your Majesty's baby must be a healthy little princess."
Yuan Yan smiled and looked at him from the side.
Does Yi'er like children?
Yang Lingyi thought for a moment. He didn't actually have a particular fondness for children, but the child in His Majesty's womb was definitely different.
The thought that this was her sister's bloodline, and possibly her own child, filled Yang Lingyi's heart with love and tenderness.
Yang Lingyi's eyes were gentle: "In my heart, the little prince is the child of His Majesty and me. Just thinking about him makes me happy, so how could I not love him?"
Yuan Yan looked into his eyes and couldn't help but smile more broadly.
"Does Yi'er wish to raise a prince?"
Yang Lingyi was startled upon hearing this, and her heart began to race.
Deep down, he naturally wanted to raise the prince together with his sister.
However, my elder sister said in court that she would personally select the person to raise the prince.
Yang Lingyi wanted to try, but she was also afraid that Yuan Yan would be put in a difficult position if she asked, so she hesitated and didn't bring it up. But she didn't expect her sister to bring it up today, and it seemed that she wanted him to raise the imperial heir.
The good news came so suddenly that Yang Lingyi was a little hesitant to believe it. "Sister, you mean..."
“I don’t trust anyone else to take care of the prince.” Yuan Yan looked at the light in Yi’er’s eyes, his smile deepened, and he patted Yi’er’s head.
"You are gentle and considerate, of good character, and as the Phoenix Minister, it is perfectly legitimate for you to raise the imperial heirs. I believe you can raise my princes well."
The princes.
Yang Lingyi grasped the key point in Yuan Yan's words. Before she could calm down from the waves, she was hit by a new wave, her head spinning and her eyes widening slightly.
"Does my sister mean that not only the eldest prince, but also any princes born afterward will be entrusted to my care?"
Seeing Yi'er's incredulous expression, Yuan Yan smiled and nodded, "Of course."
The system asked in surprise: [Host, why did you suddenly make this decision?]
"This wasn't a sudden inspiration, but the result of careful consideration," Yuan Yan corrected the system's statement.
"You must understand that I will definitely not have only one prince in the future. Just look at the history of Blue Star. If the princes are entrusted to different ministers for upbringing and care, they will definitely still be influenced by their adoptive father's position when they grow up... Therefore, we must prevent this possibility in advance."
"I have already made up my mind. All the princes will be raised under Feng Qing's care, with the Imperial Household Department taking care of all their daily lives and affairs. When they reach the appropriate age, they will be brought to the Imperial Study, where I will personally select highly respected and learned teachers to instruct them."
In this way, the princes will be greatly less influenced by the palace ladies and servants, which can largely prevent the future situation of princely factional struggles.
After listening, the system pondered: "If that's the case, it does seem worth a try..."
Upon hearing this, Yang Lingyi fell silent.
Yuan Yan looked down and saw that Yi'er had wrapped her arms around her waist at some point, with feelings of affection and emotion intertwined in Yang Lingyi's eyes.
"Sister, thank you for entrusting the royal heir to me... I will definitely care for them and raise our children well."
Yang Lingyi took a deep breath to calm the turmoil in her chest, gently rested her head on her lap, her eyes full of tenderness.
Yuan Yan let him lean against him for a while before patting Yang Lingyi's body and saying gently, "Get well soon, the banquet should be starting soon."
"I will inform the six palaces of this matter at the banquet later. From now on, the princes will be in your care."
at the same time.
Inside the inner palace, all the officials and attendants were already seated, waiting for the Emperor and Empress to begin the banquet.
They say three men make a drama.
With so many palace ladies gathered together, conflicts naturally arose, and some competition was inevitable.
I don't know who first brought up the matter of His Majesty selecting a caretaker for the imperial heir.
"This is His Majesty's first imperial heir, of unparalleled nobility. His Majesty will surely choose a person of both talent and virtue to raise him," Du Zhirong said gently.
Another refined-looking courtier chimed in, seizing the opportunity: "Indeed, some people are morally corrupt and lack virtue. I doubt His Majesty would allow such people to raise a prince... otherwise, wouldn't that be corrupting the young prince for no reason?"
While smiling, Sun Yingshi glanced meaningfully in the direction of Tuoba Yu'er.
Because Tuoba Yu'er clung to the Emperor, she aroused jealousy in the harem and offended many people, including this Attendant Sun.
Therefore, when he got the chance, he couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks in public.
Lu Lingyue paused slightly as she picked up the teacup.
Although she knew that Sun Yingshi wasn't referring to her, Lu Lingyue still felt a sting when she heard those words.
The phrase "morally deficient" echoed in his mind, and he couldn't help but think of himself. His originally bright mood was instantly shrouded in gloom.
Tuoba Yu'er couldn't possibly have missed such blatantly targeted remarks.
He was a spoiled brat who couldn't stand being taken advantage of, so he wouldn't just silently endure it. Upon hearing this, he immediately curled his lips and raised his voice.
“Sun Yingshi, you might as well speak your mind. Are you implying that I lack virtue?”
Sun Yingshi was surprised that Yu'er dared to throw such a tantrum in public during the banquet, with His Majesty arriving soon. His fake smile faded slightly.
"Brother, you're overthinking it. I was just saying it casually. I wouldn't dare to say anything bad about you."
Yu'er was unconvinced and scoffed, "What are you pretending for, you're all men. Whether you did it on purpose or not, everyone here knows."
At that moment, He Jia's voice broke in.
“Brother, what Attendant Sun said is right. You were raised by palace servants in Wugong since you were a child. Without anyone to teach you, it is inevitable that your manners are sometimes lacking. Raising a prince is such an important matter. Let other ministers do it.”
He Jia could hardly contain his eagerness to kick Yu'er while she was down.
Cui Minglan sat next to Lu Lingyue, and was slightly surprised to hear Tuoba Shaoqing openly expose Yu Shiqing's shortcomings.
There had been rumors in the palace that the brothers, Yu Shiqing and Tuoba Shaoqing, were at odds, and it turned out to be true.
Yu'er scoffed.
So what if she was raised by palace maids? She was still more favored than Hejia.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly about to unleash his full power. Zheng Fu, fearing that Yu'er would ruin the banquet, quickly tried to smooth things over.
“When Your Majesty chooses someone, you will naturally choose the one who loves the young prince the most,” Zheng Fu said.
Du Zhirong chimed in from the side: "When it comes to doting on the young prince, who can compare to Consort Lian? I heard that Consort Lian has added many items to the palace and even renovated the floor tiles in the hall, all for the young prince... Her dedication is so great that we are ashamed of ourselves."
Since the Emperor and Empress were not present, Shen Lianzhou was the highest-ranking minister among those present. Du Zhirong's words were undoubtedly a gesture of goodwill towards Shen Lianzhou, who was seated to the side of the main seat.
"I simply dote on the young prince. The items I've acquired are just small things for children; they're nothing special." Shen Lianzhou didn't admit it, but her tone softened considerably.
Just then, Yuan Yan and Yang Lingyi entered the hall.
"Your Majesty." The assembled officials immediately stopped talking and bowed.
Yuan Yan asked everyone to sit down, and he and Yang Lingyi took the seats at the head of the table.
"Lianzhou," Yuan Yan asked with a smile, "the banquet was quite lively. What were you all talking about just now?"
Shen Lianzhou: "Your Majesty, your servants were just discussing the matter of the young prince."
"Perfect timing, that's exactly what I was going to bring up."
"The little prince will be born in a few months, and I have decided to entrust him to Feng Qing for upbringing." Yuan Yan announced his decision in front of everyone.
These words sent a jolt through all the officials and attendants.
Surprise, disappointment, understanding, envy... a variety of emotions flashed quickly through the eyes of these men.
Although Lu Lingyue had long known that, given her status, it was almost impossible for her to raise a prince.
But upon hearing this answer, I couldn't help but grip the teacup beside me, lower my eyes slightly, and swallow the surge of bitterness from my throat.
Cui Minglan noticed Lu Lingyue's expression and, knowing the regret and bitterness in his friend's heart, couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart.
At the same time, I also felt a strange, indescribable emotion.
Shen Lianzhou was stunned for a moment.
Of all the women in the harem, His Majesty still trusts Feng Qing the most.
Although he had vaguely guessed this outcome beforehand, he still couldn't help feeling a sense of disappointment, and a faint sense of envy resurfaced, but he managed to suppress it all with reason.
Zheng Fu was the first to react, echoing Yuan Yan's sentiments, "Feng Qing is kind and benevolent; it is most suitable for him to raise the imperial heir."
As soon as these words were spoken, a quick-witted young man immediately followed suit, smiling broadly, "Your Majesty, congratulations, Feng Qing."
Yuan Yan's gaze fell on the men below, and when it swept over Yu'er, he noticed that Yu'er's eyes were red and he was biting his lip without saying a word.
Yuan Yan saw this, paused slightly, and then turned his gaze away.
In truth, anyone with discerning eyes knows that Yu'er, He Jia, and their brothers are all princes of the Wu Kingdom. The task of raising princes could not possibly fall to them, even if Yuan Yan entrusted it to anyone in the harem.
Because He Jia was out of favor, he had no hope of getting anything out of it and was rather indifferent to it.
On the contrary, it was Yu'er who was so excited and hoped to raise a child, but whose hopes were ultimately dashed, that made her so unable to accept it.
The way she was trying to hold back her tears was different from her previous crying attempts; she truly looked extremely disappointed.
Upon hearing this, Yang Lingyi did not rush to express her gratitude. Instead, she first gave Yuan Yan a gentle smile before turning to the others, speaking in a humble tone.
"Your Majesty's kindness is too much for me to bear. It is the responsibility of the six palaces to raise the imperial heir. When the prince is born in the future, I hope that all of you brothers will take care of him and do your best to look after him." Throughout the meal, Yu'er lost her appetite.
When the banquet ended and Yuan Yan met Yu'er alone, her red eyes had not yet faded. As she looked at Yuan Yan, a tear fell from her eye.
Yuan Yan wiped away Yu'er's tears, his voice softening.
"Crying like this, do you really like children that much?"
"I don't like it," Yu'er denied sullenly.
He doesn't actually like children.
An impatient person like him is willing to raise a child only because it is her child.
But Yuan Yan still chose someone else.
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