Because of the fire, the Funing Palace had to be renovated, and the emperor moved to the nearby Huining Palace. Early in the morning, Concubine Hong, Concubine Lin, and even Concubine Li, who was pregnant, came to greet him.
Concubine Hong looked anxious: "Your Majesty, are you okay?"
Concubine Li also looked worried. The baby in her belly had not been born yet, so of course she didn't want anything to happen to the emperor. She was now in the harem, and she relied on the emperor's favor.
"I'm fine. Xuan Ce rushed over last night and carried me out. He stayed by my side all night and has moved to the palace smoothly this morning. Don't worry." Emperor Jianzhang couldn't help praising Gao Xuan Ce.
Concubine Lin's eyes quickly fell on Concubine Hong's face. Concubine Hong was extremely happy in her heart. After all, Gao Xuance was her favorite son. But she couldn't show it on her face, so she said, "It's fine as long as His Majesty is safe."
"Yeah." Emperor Jianzhang was very pleased. Although he had concubines in the palace and favored many other people, he had a very good relationship with Concubine Hong.
Because no matter what, she always puts her needs first.
Concubine Li and others saw the emperor and Concubine Hong flirting with each other and did not dare to say anything. Although Concubine Li was favored by the emperor and her family was rewarded, how could she compete with Concubine Hong, who gave birth to two sons and a daughter.
In the afternoon, Concubine Hong was chosen to accompany the emperor. She never mentioned matters concerning her children and simply accompanied the emperor. She was humorous and likable, so Emperor Jianzhang liked her especially.
Yao Niang certainly didn't need to go there anymore, because Concubine Hong was accompanying the emperor these days, and Gao Xuance also went to have meals with the emperor and his concubine. Although they were already married, the emperor and his concubine still treated Gao Xuance like a child.
Emperor Jianzhang liked donkey meat, and so did Gao Xuance. Seeing that the father and son were enjoying the meal, Concubine Hong couldn't wait to share it with Emperor Jianzhang: "Your Majesty, look at our son. He eats so well. He looks just like you."
Gao Xuance smiled at the right moment, and Emperor Jianzhang said with a smile: "Let him eat more. Young people should eat more to grow taller."
…
Compared to the family of three here, Yao Niang ate alone. In a way, she felt that Prince Chen was indeed very smart. Not only did he gradually participate in state affairs, he also had a very close relationship with the Emperor and Concubine Hong.
He never showed off his wisdom or anything in front of the emperor. Instead, he was arrogant in his daily life and let the emperor teach him step by step, which made the emperor feel even deeper about him.
When facing a husband like this, the only way to win his heart is to be sincere.
Thinking about this, Yao Niang put down her bowl and chopsticks, and then she heard that Wang Yuanshuang had come. To be honest, Wang Yuanshuang was not very noticeable when she was her companion in school, and they probably didn't have much contact with each other. Now she realized that she really was like an eldest sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law is here." Yao Niang stepped forward.
Wang Yuanshuang smiled and said, "I'm here to give you some mooncakes."
Yao Niang thanked and said, "We haven't given it to Sister-in-law yet, how could we ask you to come here in person?"
Wang Yuanshuang gave a milk-skin mooncake, which was cute and exquisite, with red bean filling inside. It was such a thoughtful idea.
She deeply felt that there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the palace, and that she had almost reaped the benefits of her rebirth. She used the prophet's power to avoid Luo Jingrou, saved her brother and mother, and even successfully avoided the Marquis Hezhongjing Mansion and married Prince Chen.
From this moment on, her life began to struggle again.
When Yao Niang sent Wang Yuanshuang out, Gao Xuance just came back from outside. Yao Niang said to Gao Xuance: "Sister-in-law just sent us mooncakes specially. I am sorry that I didn't take good care of her."
Gao Xuance didn't have much patience with others. He nodded perfunctorily and said a few polite words. Wang Yuanshuang couldn't help but raised his eyebrows and went to Mu Wantong.
Compared to Gao Xuance's perfunctory attitude, the Fourth Prince was much more honest. Mu Wantong was okay, but they had only been married for a few days, so of course the preparations were not so complete. Moreover, the First Prince borrowed Concubine Lin's small kitchen to cook, but Concubine Yan did not have a small kitchen.
According to palace rules, only the empress dowager, the emperor and the empress can have their own separate kitchens. However, the empress dowager of this dynasty died early, so the two concubines had small kitchens, and everyone else ate in the big kitchen. Even Mu Wantong went to the big kitchen to cook last time.
But Wang Yuanshuang did send the gift, which was, after all, a sign of her thoughtfulness and friendship as the eldest prince's consort.
In his heart, the Fourth Prince still leans more towards the First Prince. After all, he was once the eldest son and is still the eldest son now. He should inherit the throne and has the least risk.
Therefore, he said to Mu Wantong: "My eldest sister-in-law is kind and compassionate. If I am not in the palace in the future, you can interact with her more often."
Mu Wantong was a bit petty to begin with. When she heard her husband praising others, she snorted, "She just wants fame. On the contrary, I think Third Sister-in-law is a good person."
"Third sister-in-law?" The Fourth Prince recalled the day he met Luo. She was indeed gentle, virtuous, and a beauty that could captivate the whole country.
But even if they were paired with someone like the Third Emperor, none of them brothers could compare to him in front of their father, and he was rarely as friendly as his eldest brother in normal times.
Just like when the Funing Palace caught fire a few days ago, all his brothers went there, but he got there first. His father specially summoned him these days to show his filial piety.
But these people were outdone, and it happened that you, Third Brother, were just like us, neither the eldest nor the legitimate son. Of course, the Fourth Prince was not convinced, and felt that what he was doing was no different from what Prince Heng was doing.
Seeing that he didn't comment, Mu Wantong couldn't help but say, "Your third brother is a very arrogant person with a lot of evil ideas in his mind. It's a pity for your third sister-in-law. I think she has extraordinary insight and is a good person."
Because when she returned home, she inquired about the family tradition of the Luo family, which was indeed very good. Shangshu Luo was very famous among the scholars, and her third sister-in-law, Luo, was a famous talented woman in the capital.
Prince Chen was arrogant, but Luo was a rare person who was very polite and courteous. She was completely different from the others, whether she was treating the palace maids, eunuchs, or sisters-in-law. Although she was not very friendly, she was also a reasonable and well-mannered person.
The fourth prince said, "Alas, it's hard to say what will happen in the future."
Mu Wantong certainly knew what it meant to say that it was not good. Even though she was doing well now, it might not be that good in the future if the husband and wife followed each other.
How could Yao Niang know that the Fourth Prince and his wife were discussing her? She was saying to Gao Xuance, "I didn't expect that my sister-in-law was so well prepared, but I am not prepared at all."
"It's best to send less food to the palace. If you can avoid sending food, then don't do it. Otherwise, if something goes wrong with the food, it will be easy for something to go wrong." Gao Xuance didn't directly ask her whether she was ready or not. He just told her not to worry about food because there was no need to send food to the palace.
Yao Niang suddenly understood when she heard it: "Yes, Your Highness is right."
Seeing her like this, Gao Xuance smiled again and said, "Do you feel that what you did today is right, and what you said tomorrow is right, and you don't know what to do?"
In his previous life, he felt that Luo Yaoniang was not very smart and was always rash in doing things. Of course, she finally took the right path, but there might not be a better way. It is still the same in this life.
In front of Gao Xuance, Yao Niang did not dare to hide it and could not help but nodded: "Yes, I am always afraid of making a mistake."
"Then I'll teach you, don't send too much food. Unless the person is sick, you should send supplements. Also, when they send you things, you just need to return the favor, don't think too much." Gao Xuance said, and pinched Yao Niang's face again. He could finally relax a little at home.
Yao Niang couldn't help but nodded.
The next day, Yao Niang and Gao Xuance attended the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet together. Banquets in the palace have their own procedures. This time, it was organized by Concubine Hong Guifei. Only in such a grand occasion did Yao Niang know how favored Prince Xiaochen was.
Many women from the royal family came to the palace this time, such as Luo Shilan, the cousin from the Fenyang Palace. Gao Xuance took the initiative to greet Luo Shilan when he saw her, and asked Luo Shilan, "Mother Yao is usually bored at home alone, so it would be nice if you can come to the palace and talk to her when you have time."
Luo Shilan looked at Yao Niang with envy on her face. She and Gao Dengfeng had a pretty good relationship, but her husband had never been so considerate and attentive.
Although Yao Niang smiled, she felt a little guilty. She didn't know whether Gao Xuance was so kind to his wife or to her. She and Gao Xuance didn't have a deep relationship, so why was he so kind to her? What did she have to deserve him to be so kind to her?
Gao Xuance didn't care. He just thought that he couldn't even accompany Yao Niang for meals during the day, and he couldn't let her be bored every day.
Once this person is idle, he is likely to cause trouble.
Yao Niang and Luo Shilan had no idea what he was thinking. After sitting down, Yao Niang realized that it seemed that she and Mu Wantong were the only ones who did not have concubines. Wang Yuanshuang and Xu Qingrong both had concubines sitting with them, and they seemed to be very busy, especially Xu Qingrong, who was stroking her belly from time to time.
Gao Xuance seemed to be a worm in Yao Niang's stomach. He held her hand and said, "Don't worry about others. Let's live our own lives."
"Your Highness, what are you talking about?" Yao Niang was a little dazed.
Gao Xuance laughed: "There are three thousand rivers, and I only take one scoop."
Yao Niang opened her eyes wide in disbelief: "My Lord, you are so kind to me. I don't know how to repay you."
Gao Xuance also felt that what he said was a little inappropriate. Yao Niang didn't know that he and she were already husband and wife in the previous life. He didn't have that many romantic relationships at the moment, so he smiled and said, "I'm afraid that you will find me boring in the future."
"No way, Your Majesty, please don't say that." Yao Niang seemed unable to guess what he was thinking.
But Gao Xuance was able to guess what she was thinking. Fortunately, after a while, the Prince of Jinyang came over and Gao Xuance stood up to talk to him.
The marriage of Gao Jian, the prince of Jinyang, was also very difficult. It was not for any other reason but that he had many concubines, but he always felt that his wife was not satisfactory. He once vowed to marry a peerless beauty, and this peerless beauty had to be of equal social status, which was very difficult.
There aren't many pretty girls, and there aren't many stunningly pretty girls who come from noble families.
When he saw Yao Niang, who had already grown into a woman, his eyes couldn't help but light up, but because Gao Xuance was there, he didn't dare to look at her for long.
"Can I call Zhenyang over to accompany you?" Gao Xuance leaned over and asked her.
Yao Niang shook her head: "No, I'll go to my mother and the princess later, you can go first if you have anything to do."
"Okay, I'll be back in a while." Gao Xuance said with a smile.
Mu Wantong, who was sitting at the next table, was very envious. She knew Gao Xuance was not a good person. He was ambitious, vying for favor in front of the emperor, and looking down on others. But why did she envy Gao Xuance for being so good to Yao Niang?
In fact, Yao Niang was not bored. The fruits and cakes on the table were all top quality. Yao Niang did not like to eat sweet cakes, but she could still taste some fruits, and drinking some tea was enough.
Concubine Hong looked at Yao Niang sitting there alone, and sent someone to call her over to talk. According to her idea, it would be fine if her son had more women to serve him. Unfortunately, her son was very independent and could still support her. She would not be so stupid as to deliberately destroy the relationship between her son and daughter-in-law.
After all, everything depends on my son's wishes.
Yao Niang didn't think it was that complicated. She went to Concubine Hong, who introduced her to the royal family and relatives, and they all talked together.
The topic everyone was talking about was of course the autumn hunt in Chengde. Someone asked Concubine Hong, "Your Highness, will you also accompany me this time?"
"I won't go this time. Concubine Li in the palace is about to give birth, and the second son's wife has just been pregnant. I have to take care of them both." Concubine Hong said with a smile.
As soon as Concubine Hong said this, Yao Niang knew that Xu Qingrong would not be able to go on the autumn hunt. There was even no need for Concubine Hong to say much to Xu Qingrong. She definitely could not go on the autumn hunt if she was pregnant, after all, offspring were important.
However, Yao Niang thought that it would be better if Xu Qingrong went with Prince Zhou. She had a strong desire for control. When they were in Anzhou, Prince Zhou was clearly fertile, but she didn't know why the other concubines didn't have any children. If Prince Zhou took someone else with him, Xu Qingrong would probably not be able to live in peace at home.
But there was no need for her to speak well of Xu Qingrong, as everyone had their own family affairs. It would be bad if Xu Qingrong really went to Chengde and something happened on the bumpy road.
"The Third Prince's wife will go with them, right?" Princess Fenyang asked with a smile.
Yao Niang nodded: "Yes, I haven't asked you for advice yet. This is my first time going on an autumn hunt, and I don't know what to bring with me."
Her current behavior is consistent with everyone's expectations of a prince's consort: pretty, docile, even humble. No matter how strong your personality is, now is not the time for you to show it.
But this is not her character at all. She finally understood why some people say that even if you are really rich, you may not be happy in the end, because you are playing someone else, not yourself.
For a moment, everyone was excitedly discussing what to bring, but then they saw Gao Xuance coming over.
When Princess Zhenyang and Princess Zhaoping saw him coming, they both covered their mouths and laughed secretly. Concubine Hong couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing here?"
"Mother, I'm here to find my princess. I can't find something and was just about to ask her." Gao Xuance said with a smile.
Yao Niang blushed and wondered what she was doing. It was not appropriate to do this in public.
Princess Fenyang joked, "Princess Chen, go quickly. Young people really have good feelings."
Only then did Concubine Hong let Yao Niang leave.
As soon as Zhixiao came out, Gao Xuance pulled her into the dark. Yao Niang was surprised: "Isn't this the way back? Is it okay to go back now?"
"Father has passed away. It's all over now. It's okay. Let's go home. I have a gift for you." Gao Xuance held her hand and walked in the night. His eyes sparkled when he talked about the gift.
Yao Niang couldn't help but say, "I don't know how I deserve this, but the prince treats me so well."
"Why are you saying that again? It's my duty to be nice to you." Gao Xuance said with a smile.
The two walked into the palace hand in hand, and he took her to the rose garden in the backyard. During the day, there were two clusters of flowers on the sides, but now, there was a swing in the middle.
There are many flowers on both sides of the swing, which is very beautiful.
Many times, she felt old after living her life over again, but she was still moved by the swing. Gao Xuance looked at her with a smile and said, "How about this gift?"
"good."
"If that's good, go up and sit down and try it out."
Yao Niang sat on it with a hint of trepidation. Gao Xuance pushed her from behind. Her dress fluttered in the wind and she felt very happy. But when she thought of Prince Chen's death, she couldn't help crying.
He was so good to her, but she didn't know or remember how King Chen died in her previous life.
There is no way to stop it.
Gao Xuance just wanted to make her happy, because he was not at home all day, how could he know that she would cry instead of being happy? He squatted in front of her, wiped her tears with his hands, and asked softly: "Why are you crying?"
"I think I have to protect you." Yao Niang made up her mind secretly.
Protect him? He is a man of eight feet tall, why does he need protection from others? This statement is a kind of confession to him. After all, his wife is reserved and quiet.
"Okay, I really need your protection." Gao Xuance leaned his head on her shoulder and acted coquettishly to her without any defense.
Somehow, Yao Niang blushed suddenly.
She immediately understood why some people like those who act coquettishly, because when they start to act coquettishly, she really can't stop them.
The Chengde Autumn Hunt is the time when the sons of nobles from all over the country come to the fore. The eldest prince's confidant Lin Weinan and the Shen brothers will go with them, as they all have very distinguished status.
The eldest prince said to Lin Weinan, "Are all the people ready?"
"Please rest assured, everything is ready." Lin Weinan nodded.
"Humph, the so-called auspicious sign last time must have been the work of the Third Brother. We must give him a taste of his own medicine."
Shen Yun said in a Zhuge Liang-like manner: "Please rest assured, the fortune teller is definitely one of our own. He has been prepared for a long time and there are no mistakes. His family members are also in our hands and they dare not betray us."
The eldest prince smiled and said, "I have always trusted you to do things. Since the Prince of Chen married the daughter of the Luo family, I heard that the Luo family has a vague intention of joining us. Weinan, is that true?"
Lin Weinan came out and said, "Indeed, it is said that among all his children, Grand Master Luo's favorite is Princess Luo, the wife of Prince Chen. He has worked in the Ministry of Personnel for many years and has a wide network of contacts. He has also presided over the provincial examinations of the Southern Ministry of Rites and the joint examinations of the two subjects. He has many students and old friends. In the past, he was banished for the current emperor, and the emperor was very grateful to him. I secretly inquired and found that several people have already defected to Prince Chen."
"Yes, we can't let him continue to do evil." The eldest prince and his men have already arranged for a fortune teller to perform a fortune telling to show that the prince will be rich and ascend to the throne in the future, so that the emperor can see the prince's evil ambitions.
After saying this, the eldest prince smiled again for some reason: "Actually, the third prince is also stupid. Even if I, the eldest prince, am gone, so what? It will be the turn of the King of Zhou. Can Concubine Hong tolerate the brothers killing each other? It seems that he is not smart enough."
How ridiculous, how ridiculous.
Shen Yun also suddenly realized: "You are right. He can't figure this out, and he dares to compete with you. He really overestimates his own abilities."
They all felt that Gao Xuance was stupid, and that he was just too competitive, but he had offended the eldest prince. The eldest prince was the eldest son, and he had the support of the clan system and the people of the world. Who would he be afraid of?
It is easy to ascend the throne without doing anything.
But no matter how much this group of people despise Gao Xuance now, when they travel, they still have to salute King Chen. Gao Xuance didn't even look at them, but just helped Yao Niang get on the carriage.
For this kind of trip, there was no need to dress up too extravagantly as in the past, because Shangjing was very close to Chengde and it would take less than a day to get there. Yao Niang also wore a riding costume today, and her curvy figure was clearly visible. As soon as she came out, everyone was looking at her intentionally or unintentionally.
But Yao Niang was only thinking about Gao Xuance. She really didn't want him to die because he was so good to her and sometimes made her enjoy a different kind of pampering. The pampering of parents is the first kind of pampering, but the pampering of a husband is another kind, just like eating honey, which always makes her feel sweet.
There are sweet and sour feelings in my heart, but this feeling is also very novel and makes me want to explore.
"Mother Yao, this journey is very short, but you didn't rest until midnight last night. You need to rest well so that we can go to Chengde to ride horses. So, you must rest well and don't walk around casually."
At the end of his speech, Gao Xuance squeezed Yao Niang's hand.
Yao Niang understood immediately that this journey might not be peaceful, which was why Prince Chen gave her such instructions.
She nodded, but then looked at Prince Chen worriedly: "What about you? Or you can stay in the carriage like me?"
She didn't know how Prince Chen died, so she wanted Prince Chen to stay by her side.
Gao Xuance smiled and said, "Silly boy, I am wearing a golden silk silk robe, so don't worry."
It would have been better if he didn't say it. Once he said it, Yao Niang was actually very worried. Although the marriage was not long, he was good to her no matter how busy he was. Her heart was not made of stone, so of course she could feel it.
At this time in his previous life, it seemed that the barbarians had attempted to assassinate his father. Gao Xuance was of course very cautious and had to stay by the side of Emperor Jianzhang. As for Yao Niang, she was not a target and was safer.
Things were not peaceful in Dalin, especially after a wise leader came to power in Donghu. He aimed at hitting Dalin's weak spot with every move.
In fact, Dalin was forced to open up trade in the past few years, and even ceded several cities. Although these were buried and no one shook it off, Gao Xuance had always been concerned about this matter, so how could he not know about it?
Yao Niang and Gao Xuan Ce had been together very late last night, and she felt sleepy when she got on the car today. She was half asleep when the sky gradually darkened. This time, Emperor Jianzhang brought Yu Zhaoyi and Hu Zhaoyuan with him. The two were young, lively and lovely. The emperor also burst into infinite passion and even got off the car to ride a horse, enjoying the trip.
Gao Xuance could not accompany the emperor, but Emperor Jianzhang was always simple and plain, wearing a green robe even when he was outside. He looked extremely kind and weak, and looked like a teacher on horseback. However, Gao Xuance was tall, so he wore the prince's clothes given by the emperor himself, and he looked the most dignified.
The Donghu spies said, "No, this age is wrong. He is too young."
"Maybe it's the prince of Dalin. We were originally sent by the King of Donghu, but we didn't find the military book we were looking for. Now it's rare to find the whereabouts of the dog emperor of Dalin here. No matter, let's shoot him first."
Yao Niang was originally in a carriage. Suddenly she heard the sound of arrows flying. She immediately ran off the carriage and looked up. She saw that several guards around Gao Xuance had been injured, and an arrow was flying towards him.
She rushed over without thinking and lay on Gao Xuance.
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