The child was born smoothly. Seeing that Yu was really tired, Yao Niang asked her to go home and rest first. Yu was a little worried, so Yao Niang said, "Mother has been with me for a long time. I have a younger brother at home. He is still young and needs someone to take care of him. You should also rest more. You have been taking care of me for so long. Look, you have dark circles under your eyes."
Only then did Yu go home, but she only instructed Bai Ying and Bai Zhi to take good care of Yao Niang during her confinement.
Yao Niang also gave her mother a lot of gifts to take back.
As soon as Yu left, she began to take good care of her baby. When she lived in the palace before, she had to get up very early in the morning to pay her respects, but now she can rest with a clear conscience during the confinement period.
Because His Majesty had not given a name, Yao Niang remembered that Gao Xuance said before he left that the child's name was Cheng Yun. She also felt that her son was the child from her previous life, so she called him by his nickname "Cheng Yun".
Although the boy was young, he was very smart. Yao Niang felt sorry for her son in his previous life who had no milk to drink and was fed by others, so she fed him herself once. Little did she know that from then on he would only drink Yao Niang's milk, and the wet nurses would only feed him on weekdays when Yao Niang was resting.
It was the same today. After feeding, the kid smacked his lips.
Yao Niang fastened her clothes and let the wet nurse put the baby beside her. The wet nurse couldn't help but secretly think that the princess was too cautious. How could a princess take care of a child herself?
"I heard that my second sister-in-law is pregnant, is that true?" Yao Niang asked.
Bai Ying nodded: "Yes, but Princess Zhou had a really hard time with this pregnancy."
"I hope she takes good care of this baby." Yao Niang shook her head.
Little did people know that not long after Xu Qingrong became pregnant, a palace maid favored by the King of Zhou also became pregnant unexpectedly. This maid was not a legitimate concubine and had no official background, but she became pregnant by chance after being favored for one night.
Xu Qingrong never thought that there would be a fish that slipped through the net, but it was too late. All royal heirs were guarded by someone, and if she took any action, it would definitely be known.
She couldn't gamble with the reputation of the Xu family. The Xu family's daughters were well-known, and a girl like her cousin could only marry the son of a fifth-rank official, and she would have to serve her mother-in-law all the time and cook for her.
This palace maid was from Nanzhili, a girl from the south of the Yangtze River. She was indeed very graceful. She had been working in the tea room, doing things like pouring tea. She usually didn't say a word. How could she have known that such a thing would be caused by her one move?
It was not until Cheng Yun's full-month birth that Yao Niang learned that the concubine in Xu Qingrong's mansion was also pregnant. This was quite different from her previous life, except that no one from Prince Zhou's mansion could come to Cheng Yun's full-month ceremony.
King Zhou was summoned by Emperor Jianzhang to learn archery and horse riding, but he accidentally fell off his horse. Xu Qingrong was recuperating while Yao Niang sent someone to deliver medicinal herbs to her.
Cheng Yun, who was already one month old, had lost his red skin and was now fair and tender. He was raised on Yao Niang's milk and could smile when he opened his eyes. Concubine Hong held him in her arms and couldn't let him go. Princess Zhen Yang also looked at the baby curiously.
"Is this my nephew?"
The princess is sixteen years old this year, so naturally she has thoughts of being a lady. Emperor Jianzhang has chosen Jing Sili, the eldest son of the Jing family, as her consort, and the emperor has already granted her a marriage.
Jing Sili was the nephew of the Marquis of Runan, well versed in classics, history, and literature, and was said to be a loyal and reliable person. If both Emperor Jianzhang and Consort Hong valued him, he must be right.
"Yes, this is the princess's nephew. This kid just eats and sleeps now. I think he will be naughty when he grows up a little." Yao Niang said with a smile.
After a month of confinement, Yao Niang's face became a little plumper, but she looked radiant. When she went out to greet guests, it was obvious that she was in high spirits.
A lot of people came today, not to mention the women of the royal family, as well as the nobles and relatives of the emperor. Yao Niang's old friend Wei Feng was also here. She had already secured the position of wife of the prince of Zhongjing. Lin Weinan was fighting on the front line. Shen Liang, the prince of Xuanping, also went there. The two of them were people planted by the eldest prince, and they also wanted to share the military merits.
Wei Feng was fine, she didn't care much about love, all she pursued in her life was a place to live, so she didn't have any demands on Lin Weinan, and even her son had grown up, so Yao Niang saw that she had gained weight, with her double chins propped up, and was talking about snacks with Lu.
Yao Niang couldn't help but think that love affairs were indeed harmful to the body. Although she was less interested than before, she still missed Gao Xuance from time to time.
"If you like the recipe, just take it. Even though it's made with sheep fat, it doesn't have any fishy smell."
Mrs. Lu was pregnant, and after hearing what Wei Feng said, she just smiled and said yes. She raised her eyes and looked at Princess Chen who was sitting in the upper seat. She was in high spirits, and remembered that Princess Zhou also sat here like that.
Wei Feng noticed her gaze but didn't say much. She knew that Xiao Lu was a person who only cared about herself but was also very vain. She used a tactic of playing both sides to seduce the son of Marquis Xuanping, and used the daughter of Duke Xian to infiltrate the circle in the capital. She was very purposeful in doing things.
But he has some cleverness but not great wisdom.
As the Princess of Chen, Yao Niang accepted everyone's congratulations. In this occasion, the happiest thing was to see her family, her mother, aunt and even Shi Yu could enter the palace.
At this time, Yao Niang still cared for Wei Feng and gave her a plate of pine nut and lily pastry. She remembered that she loved to eat this when she was in the palace, but it became difficult for her to eat it after she left the palace.
It’s not that there are no ingredients, but the taste is not right.
The palace has its own secret recipe, which cannot be copied outside the palace. After receiving it, Wei Feng was very happy and couldn't help but say to Lu: "I didn't expect that Princess Chen still remembered my preferences."
Whenever Lu looked at Prince Chen's wife, she always felt that she had a very gentle face. She was an extremely gentle person and had a very good reputation. However, she had heard from the eldest prince's wife and Princess Xing'an that she was actually very stubborn and bold. She liked to learn painting and would rather walk alone. She rarely backed down. Even when she was with Prince Chen, Prince Chen often had to be humble. It can be seen that her character was extremely strong and arrogant, but she was just good at superficial work.
But being able to do superficial work is also a skill.
"I heard that you and Princess Chen are old friends, and now it seems that Princess Chen is very nostalgic." Lu smiled while covering her mouth.
Wei Feng nodded: "Yes, having one confidant in life is enough."
This is actually inappropriate, because Wei Feng is the wife of the son of the Marquis of Zhongjing, and should stand on the side of the eldest prince, not the side of the Prince of Chen. But Wei Feng also has her own plan. One cannot go down the same path all the time. She has been ignored by her parents at home since she was a child, and she is used to finding a way out for herself. If the eldest prince wins, she, as the wife of the son of the Marquis of Zhongjing, will certainly have a higher status in the future. But if the eldest prince loses, the Prince of Chen will take that position, and she can also be saved by relying on her relationship with Yao Niang.
She doesn't care who owns the world. She wants to have three burrows and always have a place to live.
But her thoughts were difficult because Lin Weinan, the son of Marquis Zhongjing, died in the battlefield. When the news came, Yao Niang looked at her half-year-old child and many thoughts came to her mind.
The child was babbling and ignorant, and Concubine Hong's heart melted. This grandson looked healthy, and her daughter-in-law would hold him in her arms every time she came to pay her respects. Concubine Hong smiled and said, "This Lin Weinan is the eldest prince's cousin and the only son of the Marquis Zhongjing's mansion. With him around, the eldest prince naturally received support from the nobles. Now that he is gone, this can only be explained as God's will."
Unfortunately, Lin Weinan faked her death. Because of this, she chose to quickly leave the Lin family. The Lin family married Zhong to bring good luck. Later, Lin Weinan made great contributions.
Therefore, Yao Niang said: "I am not worried about other things, but about His Highness..."
Concubine Hong hesitated for a moment and said, "Xuan Ce should be fine, don't worry."
It hadn't even been half a year, and the vanguard had just arrived. They had only fought a small battle, but Lin Weinan died.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was a little depressing, Yao Niang continued, "Sister Zhenyang will be getting married next month. I want to go see her later."
Concubine Hong was very happy when she mentioned her daughter's marriage, but she also felt a little regretful: "It's a pity that Xuan Ce won't be able to see it."
Yao Niang, who had been Princess Zhenyang's companion for many years, knew that Princess Zhenyang's relationship with Gao Xuance was not very good, but she was on good terms with King Zhou. They probably felt sorry for each other and thought that Concubine Hong favored Gao Xuance, so whether Gao Xuance was there or not had no effect on Princess Zhenyang.
"Although His Highness is not in the palace, if he knew that the princess was betrothed to such a good man, he would probably be very happy." Yao Niang spoke well of Gao Xuance.
She looked at Concubine Hong again. Recently, a government official had written to the emperor to ask him to appoint a queen. Of course, the queen he was referring to was Lin. As a mother-in-law, she was under a lot of pressure. But she was not as close to her mother-in-law as Gao Xuance. Even if she knew this, she would not ask too much. This was called propriety.
Just like in an ordinary family, the one who cooks must be the housewife. Even if the housewife complains that cooking is tiring, if there is one more person, they will feel that their territory is being invaded.
Sometimes, Concubine Hong likes Yao Niang's sense of propriety. She rarely asks about other people's affairs, but she will never shirk responsibility when she occasionally brings it up. But sometimes, she feels that her daughter-in-law does not care about her enough.
Zhenyang's marriage had already been arranged, and the relationship between the aunt and sister-in-law was good. Zhenyang would go to the prince's residence to see her grandson seven or eight out of ten. She said she was going to see Zhenyang, but in fact she was looking for an excuse to leave.
But Concubine Hong was in a state of confusion. After she dismissed everyone, she said with a hint of meaning, "Since ancient times, there has never been two suns in the sky, and there has never been two rulers in a country. Even if a commoner marries many concubines, there is only one legal wife, right?"
Yao Niang nodded: "Mother, only wealthy families can have a wife and concubines, and many poor families have no use for only one wife, because there are many who pawn their wives. But as far as powerful families are concerned, even if they have many concubines, if the original wife dies, they will most likely marry a daughter of an official family to manage the family business."
就像她母親郁氏就是續弦，她上輩子也是林緯南的續弦，都是為了家中娶的，照顧前面原配生的孩子，主持中饋。
這個回答卻不是洪貴妃想要的回答，她想要的是自己現在到底該如何破局？周王摔下馬之後，身體一直不大好，甚至很有可能會影響日後生育，且周王和洪貴妃并不和睦，徐青容也逐漸和林氏那邊眉來眼去。
宮裏的局勢變幻是很快的，即便玄策再怎麽努力，林氏若被立為皇後，那麽一切的一切都付諸東流。
見洪貴妃面容有些不安迷茫，瑤娘這才道：“母妃，兒媳知道您要問什麽。現在看似情況緊急，其實是對方在逼您出手。”
到了這個地步，唯獨有忍耐為上。
洪貴妃不解：“可萬一陛下真的立了林氏，這可如何是好？”
有些言官，正是趁着高玄策不在禦前，所以現在抓緊在皇帝身邊不停的獻策讓皇帝立林氏為皇後，到時候即便宸王有軍功，也沒用了。
瑤娘笑道：“娘娘，陛下正值盛年，之前都沒有立，現在怎麽會突然立。林貴妃和大皇子母子絕對是怕我們王爺軍功在身，到時候立您為皇後，故而先把您逼急了，等您動了手，她們就能立即把您的錯處往皇上那裏遞。”
聽了兒媳婦一言，洪貴妃這才恍然大悟，她當然想早日鏟除林貴妃母子，否則林貴妃看似禮佛，實則在宮中有她的黨羽，令洪貴妃不安。
“非你之言，恐怕我可能會出手了。玄策臨走之前，也是勸我不要輕舉妄動，只是我自己眼看局勢不好，急躁多了。”洪貴妃不由道。
瑤娘垂眸：“王爺也勸過您嗎？”
實際上建章帝這段時日身體不是很好，按照正常人所想肯定要動手，只有瑤娘心知肚明，前世的建章帝雖然病弱但也撐了十數年，而高玄策居然也提了出來。
足以見他有先見之明了。
“是啊，他也勸過我，又說讓我幫你照看孩子，其餘的不必多想。”洪貴妃看着懷裏的孫子很是欣慰。
“這一切都是為了你，他平日在外并不談兒女私情，但是心裏總是想着你。”
洪貴妃不由得為高玄策說話，她總覺得兒子有抱負，但太有抱負就會忽略女人，而他有極其在乎瑤娘。
瑤娘不曾想婆婆幫高玄策在她這裏說話，女人對感情都很敏感，也許，洪貴妃似乎怕自己對高玄策情淡。
原來她表現的這麽明顯。
“母妃，兒媳知曉的。”她從小就不會把自己放在最重要的地位，便是在高玄策那裏，她也不會占據很多地位，否則，為何高玄策到現在連一封信都不給她寫。
從坤寧宮出去，正好遇到了四皇子夫妻，四皇子的跛足已經好了，現在能正常行走，這也要托沐宛童的福氣，不知道從哪裏找來民間大夫替四皇子醫治，居然還真的醫治好了。
而沐宛童在這半年也産下一個兒子，那個孩子因為四皇子治病，故而，養在嚴妃那裏，沐宛童覺得歉疚，時常送好些奇珍寶物到嚴妃那裏。
四皇子見瑤娘過來，連忙行禮，瑤娘則笑道：“四弟何須多禮，我們這就回皇子所。”
她帶着承運上了肩輿，看都不看沐宛童一眼，如果二人有嫌隙了，再舔着臉上前笑眯眯，那是犯賤。
“四爺，您看她……”沐宛童也很是不喜。
過去這麽久了，她也遵照四皇子所說主動上門給她送過厚禮，按道理二人應該恢複往昔才對，哪裏知曉羅瑤娘居然氣性這麽大。
四皇子搖頭：“看來咱們這位三嫂并非面上看到的如此。”
因為她的相貌太溫柔了，每次她看着人的時候，都會覺得天下間居然有如此溫柔到極致的人，甚至她的聲音都讓人流連，可這樣的一個人性格卻不是這般。
“哼，管不了這麽多了，咱們也有咱們自己要走的路。”沐宛童很有信心的看着四皇子。
自從四皇子腿腳靈便之後，人還是那個人，但是有許多事情再也不同了，人前四皇子還是和往常一樣低調得不能再低調，但是人後也因為鎮南王開始結交某些有影響力的朝臣。
和宸王已經表現出的野心勃勃還有皇長子的正統身份不同，四皇子表現出來的是仁義。
朝臣們喜歡什麽樣的皇帝，他們喜歡的是建章帝這樣的皇帝，能夠和內閣垂拱而治，文官全力壓制武官的皇帝。
大臨的最北邊和東胡接壤，此時，已經是寒冬臘月，今日發了糧饷，衆人都十分高興。高玄策原本名聲在外，非常驕矜，但此時卻和将士們同吃同住，親自領兵，不怕苦也不怕累。
他身後站着的人并非晉陽王世子高簡，而是一個相貌平平卻身材魁梧的男子。
“莫大，你說東胡人現在在做什麽？”高玄策問。
莫大本是邊境上的閑漢，有一把力氣，平日就是在各家富戶家中幫忙，後來偶然被高玄策遇到，讓人教他兵法，莫大現在已經任射聲校尉了。在莫大心中，宸王不僅對他有知遇之恩，而且也是一位明主。
“每次過冬，東胡人就會越過邊境搶我們漢人的房，奸淫擄掠無惡不作。”莫大知曉東胡人逐水草而居，而冬日時，水冷草枯，他們便來搶漢人的東西。
高玄策則道：“右先鋒林緯南已經下落不明，軍中現在主帥不可輕舉妄動，我卻覺得這是最好的機會，你看呢？”
“宸王英明。”莫大知曉冬日是東胡人最難熬的日子，其實這個時候下手最好。
高玄策不由得颔首。
這樣的落日熔金之景，在蒼茫的冰面更仿若海市蜃樓一般，宸王的意志卻非常堅定。行軍切忌冒進貪宮，但也要記得兵貴神速。
等這次真的班師回朝，他再也不是那個毫無倚仗，只有聖寵的宸王，他也會讓人看到他真正的實力。
而瑤娘，應該在怪他吧？這麽久都沒有一封信回去，是他實在不知道寫什麽。
他想，還是用實力說話，封妻蔭子才是對妻子最好的回報了。
送衣服珠寶甚至是幾句暖心的話，那些都是毫不費力就能得到的，有什麽稀奇，女子若有權勢地位豈不是更好。
宸王妃不是擺設，而是衆人要讨好的對象，甚至是未來的一國之母。
……
夜深了，冬日宮裏的暖閣燒的很暖和，瑤娘身上着夾襖都不算冷，驀然，聽到徐青容生了孩子。
瑤娘放下手中的針線，不解道：“不是說還有一個月才生的嗎？怎麽這麽快就生了啊。”
早産可不是好事。
趕到隔壁的時候，正好和沐宛童碰上，瑤娘趕緊拉着徐青容的貼身侍女問道：“二嫂這是怎麽了？怎麽聽說早産了。”
“今兒本來是冊封側妃和夫人之禮，我們王妃正安排人準備酒席哪裏知曉就發動了。”作為徐青容的侍女絕對不會說徐青容的壞話。
瑤娘嘆了一口氣，她聽聞周王摔下馬後，日後要孩子怕是很困難。
說來也奇怪同樣是兄弟，高玄策龍精猛虎，非常擅長騎射，在千軍萬馬之中，一夫當關萬夫莫開之勇氣，可周王卻似乎非常不擅長。
大抵是建章帝想立洪貴妃為後，周王就是嫡長子，再名正言順不過了，故而建章帝對他的期望頗大，可惜周王實在是太不擅長，造成落馬的局面。
只可惜好端端的為何會落馬呢？
大皇子正和林貴妃道：“洪貴妃那邊沒有任何動作，您真是低估她了，她還真的能耐住氣。”
“是啊，我幾乎都明示周王是被我害下馬的，她也沒有任何動作，看來周王這個兒子在她心目中的确也不太重要。”林貴妃此時早已不是在外人面前懦弱不堪的模樣。
這麽多年，洪貴妃看似精明，實際上卻是個精明面孔笨肚腸，靠的也不過是皇帝的情分和小兒子高玄策的恩寵。
論心機手段和家世背景，她沒有一樣是比得了她的。
當年若非高玄策找準時機弄個什麽祥瑞，想必她早就已經是皇後了，執掌六宮，兒子封太子也是板上釘釘的事情。
大皇子問道：“那我們該如何是好？”
林貴妃看了兒子一眼，不免道：“你替我在城南山水坡找個人，把這個東西給他，讓他務必辦妥。”
當年姐姐在宮中時，提攜過很多人，這些人的關系在明面的幾乎都被洪貴妃梳理了，在暗處的就很難發現了。
是時候要動用一批人了，在前線有宣平侯府撐着，那些大軍遲早會故意拖宸王後腿，哼，要立功可不容易。
……
徐青容掙紮着生了一位小郡主，因為是早産兒，看起來跟貓兒似的，她得知嬰兒性別後，直接暈倒過去。
瑤娘見她暈厥過去，又趕緊請大夫來替她看病，這裏一直忙活到深夜，到了次日一早，更為嚴重的事情發生了，建章帝突然生了重病，已經到了無法起身的地步。
The emperor fell seriously ill, and Concubine Hong was in a state of panic. She was different from Concubine Lin. Concubine Lin had the support of a nobleman and gave birth to the emperor's eldest son. Naturally, the patriarchal system was on her side, while she only had the emperor to rely on.
"Yao Niang..." Concubine Hong held Yao Niang's hand, her palms were full of sweat.
To put it bluntly, although Concubine Hong was very good at guessing Emperor Jianzhang's thoughts and calculating the women in the harem, she was at a loss when it came to such a big thing.
At this time, Yao Niang stood up and said, "Mother, please don't panic. First, have someone check on His Majesty's daily life and diet, and then call the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department to discuss how to deal with the situation while the Emperor is unable to attend to his duties. Also, you need to use your manpower to investigate whether Concubine Lin and the eldest prince have any unfaithful intentions."
Almost instantly, Yao Niang responded.
Your Majesty is seriously ill. It would be best if we could first catch the eldest prince plotting rebellion or having evil intentions. This is a good opportunity.
Concubine Hong did not expect that her seemingly gentle daughter-in-law would respond almost subconsciously. She was stunned by her reaction. Are all young girls nowadays so powerful?
Seeing that Concubine Hong was still in a daze, Yao Niang hurriedly urged, "Mother, there is no time to delay. Please stop feeling sad about the autumn and the moon. Hurry up and do what I say."