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. 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 find 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, 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."
Just like her mother, Yu, was the second wife, and she was also the second wife of Lin Weinan in her previous life. They were both married for the purpose of the family, to take care of the children born to the first wife, and to be in charge of the family support.
This answer was not what Concubine Hong wanted. What she wanted was how to break the impasse. After the King of Zhou fell off his horse, his health had not been good, and it was very likely that his fertility would be affected in the future. In addition, the King of Zhou and Concubine Hong were not on good terms, and Xu Qingrong gradually started flirting with Lin.
The situation in the palace changes very quickly. No matter how hard Xuan Ce tries, if Lin is made empress, then everything will be in vain.
Seeing that Concubine Hong looked somewhat uneasy and confused, Yao Niang said, "Mother, I know what you want to ask. It seems that the situation is urgent now, but in fact, the other party is forcing you to take action."
At this point, the only thing that matters is patience.
Concubine Hong was puzzled: "But what if His Majesty really makes Lin the heir?"
Some censors took advantage of Gao Xuance's absence and stayed close to the emperor, constantly advising him to make Lin the empress. By then, even if Prince Chen had military merits, it would be of no use.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty is in his prime and he has never been crowned as the empress before. How could he suddenly do so now? Concubine Lin and the eldest prince and his mother are definitely afraid that our prince will make you the empress after his military achievements, so they are forcing you into a corner. Once you take action, they can immediately report your mistakes to the emperor."
After hearing what her daughter-in-law said, Concubine Hong suddenly realized the truth. Of course, she wanted to get rid of Concubine Lin and her son as soon as possible. Otherwise, although Concubine Lin seemed to be worshiping Buddha, she actually had her own cronies in the palace, which made Concubine Hong uneasy.
"If it weren't for you, I might have taken action. Before Xuan Ce left, he also advised me not to act rashly, but I became much more impatient when I saw that the situation was not good." Concubine Hong couldn't help but say.
Yao Niang lowered her eyes: "Did the prince also advise you?"
In fact, Emperor Jianzhang has not been in good health recently. According to normal people's thinking, he must take action. Only Yao Niang knows this well. Although Emperor Jianzhang in the previous life was sick and weak, he still managed to hold on for more than ten years. And Gao Xuance actually brought it up.
This is enough to show that he had foresight.
"Yes, he also advised me and told me to help you take care of the children. Don't worry about the rest." Concubine Hong was very pleased looking at her grandson in her arms.
"All this is for you. He doesn't talk about love affairs outside, but he always thinks of you in his heart."
Concubine Hong couldn't help but speak for Gao Xuance. She always felt that her son was ambitious, but being too ambitious would make him ignore women, and he cared about Yao Niang very much.
Yao Niang never thought that her mother-in-law would speak for Gao Xuance in front of her. Women are very sensitive about their feelings. Perhaps, Concubine Hong seemed to be afraid that her feelings for Gao Xuance would fade.
It turns out that she showed it so obviously.
"Mother, your daughter-in-law knows." She has never put herself in the most important position since she was a child. Even in Gao Xuance's place, she does not occupy much status. Otherwise, why hasn't Gao Xuance written her a letter until now?
When I came out of Kunning Palace, I happened to meet the Fourth Prince and his wife. The Fourth Prince's lameness had healed and he could walk normally now. This was all thanks to Mu Wantong. I don't know where she found a folk doctor to treat the Fourth Prince, but he actually recovered.
Mu Wantong also gave birth to a son during this half year. The child was raised by Concubine Yan because the Fourth Prince was ill. Mu Wantong felt guilty about this and often sent many rare treasures to Concubine Yan.
When the Fourth Prince saw Yao Niang coming, he immediately saluted. Yao Niang smiled and said, "Fourth brother, why are you so polite? Let's go back to the Prince's residence now."
She took Cheng Yun onto the shoulder strap without even looking at Mu Wantong. If there was a grudge between the two of them, it would be shameless for her to come forward with a flattering smile.
"Fourth Master, look at her..." Mu Wantong was also very unhappy.
Such a long time had passed, and she had also taken the initiative to come to the Fourth Prince's house and give him generous gifts as he had instructed. Logically, the two of them should have restored their past relationship, but she had no idea that Luo Yaoniang would be so angry.
The fourth prince shook his head: "It seems that our third sister-in-law is not as she appears to be."
Because her appearance is so gentle, every time she looks at people, you will feel that there is such an extremely gentle person in the world. Even her voice makes people linger, but such a person's personality is not like that.
"Hmph, don't worry about so much. We all have our own path to take." Mu Wantong looked at the Fourth Prince with confidence.
After the Fourth Prince became agile, he remained the same person, but many things were no longer the same. In front of others, the Fourth Prince was still as low-key as usual, but behind the scenes, he began to make friends with some influential court officials because of the King of Zhennan.
Unlike Prince Chen who has already shown his ambition and legitimate status as the eldest prince, the Fourth Prince shows his benevolence and righteousness.
What kind of emperor did the court officials like? They liked an emperor like Emperor Jianzhang, who was able to rule the country with the inner cabinet and in which the civil officials could suppress the military officials with all their strength.
The northernmost part of Dalin borders the Donghu. It is already the coldest month of winter. Today, the food and wages have been distributed, and everyone is very happy. Gao Xuance used to be very proud, but now he eats and lives with the soldiers and leads the troops himself, not afraid of hardship or fatigue.
The person standing behind him was not Gao Jian, the prince of Jinyang, but a man with ordinary appearance but sturdy build.
"Mo Da, what do you think the Donghu people are doing now?" Gao Xuance asked.
Mo Da was originally an idle man on the border. He was strong and usually helped out in the homes of various wealthy families. Later, he was met by Gao Xuance by chance and asked to teach him the art of war. Mo Da is now the captain of the Shesheng Army. In Mo Da's heart, the King of Chen is not only kind to him, but also a wise ruler.
"Every winter, the Donghu people would cross the border and rob our houses, committing rape, plunder and all kinds of evil." Mo Dazhi knew that the Donghu people lived near water and grass, and in winter, when the water was cold and the grass was dry, they would come to rob the Han people.
Gao Xuance said, "Right Vanguard Lin Weinan is missing, and the commander-in-chief should not act rashly. But I think this is the best opportunity. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty is wise." Mo Da knew that winter was the most difficult time for the Donghu people, and in fact, this was the best time to take action.
Gao Xuance couldn't help but nodded.
The setting sun looked like a mirage on the vast ice, but the king was determined. When marching, one should be careful not to rush into the palace, but one should also remember that speed is the most important thing.
When he really returns to the court this time, he will no longer be the helpless prince with only the emperor's favor. He will also let people see his true strength.
And Yao Niang, should she be blaming him? She hadn't sent a letter back for such a long time, because he really didn't know what to write.
He thought that strength would do the trick, and giving his wife a title of nobility would be the best reward for her.
Giving clothes, jewelry, or even a few heart-warming words, those are all obtained without any effort. What's so strange about that? Wouldn't it be better for women if they had power and status?
The Princess of Chen is not a decoration, but someone that everyone wants to please, and she may even be the future mother of a country.
…
It was late at night, and the warm room in the Winter Palace was very cozy. Even with her jacket on, Yao Niang didn't feel cold. Suddenly, she heard that Xu Qingrong had given birth to a child.
Yao Niang put down her needlework and asked in confusion, "Didn't she say the baby was due in a month? How come she's due so soon?"
Preterm labor is not a good thing.
When they rushed to the next door, they ran into Mu Wantong. Yao Niang quickly pulled Xu Qingrong's personal maid and asked, "What happened to my second sister-in-law? Why did I hear that she had a premature birth?"
"Today was supposed to be the ceremony to confer the title of concubine and lady. Our princess was arranging people to prepare the banquet, but she started the process as soon as she knew about it." As Xu Qingrong's maid, she would never say anything bad about Xu Qingrong.
Yao Niang sighed. She heard that after King Zhou fell off his horse, it would be difficult for him to have children in the future.
It is strange to say that although they are brothers, Gao Xuan Ce is a strong and powerful man, very good at riding and shooting, and he is brave enough to stand alone against thousands of troops, but King Zhou seems to be not very good at it.
It was probably because Emperor Jianzhang wanted to make Concubine Hong the empress, and Prince Zhou was the eldest son, which made it more legitimate than ever. Therefore, Emperor Jianzhang had high expectations for him. Unfortunately, Prince Zhou was too incompetent, which led to his downfall.
It's a pity that he was brought down for no reason.
The eldest prince was talking to Concubine Lin: "Concubine Hong didn't make any moves. You really underestimated her. She can really hold her temper."
"Yes, I almost made it clear that it was me who brought down the King of Zhou, but she didn't take any action. It seems that the King of Zhou's son is really not that important in her mind." At this time, Concubine Lin no longer looked cowardly in front of outsiders.
Over the years, Concubine Hong seemed smart, but in fact she was a smart woman with a stupid heart. She relied only on the emperor's favor and the favour of his youngest son Gao Xuance.
In terms of scheming and family background, no one can compare to her.
If Gao Xuance had not found the right time to create some auspicious sign, she would have been the empress long ago, in charge of the six palaces, and her son's enthronement as the crown prince would have been a foregone conclusion.
The eldest prince asked: "What should we do then?"
Concubine Lin looked at her son and said, "Find someone in Shanshuipo, south of the city, give him this thing and tell him to take care of it."
When my sister was in the palace, she brought many people with her. The relationships between these people that were visible were almost all sorted out by Concubine Hong, but those that were hidden were difficult to discover.
It's time to mobilize a group of people. With the support of the Xuanping Marquis' Mansion on the front line, those troops will sooner or later deliberately hold back Prince Chen. Humph, it's not easy to achieve merit.
…
Xu Qingrong struggled to give birth to a little princess. Because it was a premature baby, she looked like a cat. After she learned the baby's gender, she fainted.
When Yao Niang saw that she had fainted, she quickly asked a doctor to come and see her. She was busy until late at night. On the next morning, something even more serious happened. Emperor Jianzhang suddenly fell seriously ill and was unable to get up.
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."
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