Zhuang Lingyi herself was not qualified to sit here, but she was nominally the companion of Princess Zhenyang and the daughter of Duke Xian, so she followed her mother, Madam Zhuang, into the palace and could also have a seat here.
This is the advantage of having a strong family background, especially when Emperor Jianzhang suppressed the power of the Wang and Lin families and also wanted to win over other nobles. Compared with these two families, the Duke of Xian was slightly more neutral, which is why he had the dignity of Zhuang Lingyi.
Although Yao Niang felt a little sad about Wei Feng's death, she did not accept Zhuang Lingyi's accusation: "Madam Huang, you are too rude. How can we interfere with the emperor's order? Since you think you have a heart of a bodhisattva, why don't you lend a hand? As far as I know, you have made great military achievements and have close relationships with the Duke of Xian."
Zhuang Lingyi sneered: "Who doesn't know why the Lin family is like this? I am just the wife of a humble Hanlin scholar. Even you, the princess, can't do it, let alone me?"
Even now, Zhuang Lingyi does not think that her status is inferior to Yao Niang. She is the daughter of a duke, while Yao Niang was just the daughter of an assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The two are too far apart, so when she looks at Yao Niang, she thinks that she is just someone who stole the dragon robe and does not look like a prince.
"Since you know that I am a princess, have you forgotten the distinction between superiors and inferiors?" Yao Niang looked at her and said.
Zhuang Lingyi smiled sarcastically. She thought that she was using her status to bully others for no reason. Yao Niang thought that she was picking on the weak and was too lazy to pay attention to her. It would be beneath her status to say more.
The two parted unhappily, but Yao Niang never thought of using her power to overpower others, because she and Zhuang Lingyi had never gotten along. Now she is already a princess, and Zhuang Lingyi can still be treated like this while her parents are still alive, but it may not be the case in the future.
Not to mention, her father Luo Zhizheng is currently serving as the Northern Literary Secretary and might be appointed to the Cabinet. It would be easy to deal with a Huang Daobin, so why should she show off her feelings and make the Duke of Xian complain about Gao Xuance?
But when she thought of Gao Xuance, she felt uncomfortable.
Zhuang Lingyi felt even worse, because she was superior to Yao Niang in every way. She was the daughter of a duke, while Yao Niang was just the daughter of a minister. They were not worlds apart, but there was a difference. Back then, Concubine Hong was very good to her, much better than Yao Niang.
The wife of the Duke of Xian came out and covered her chest and said to Zhuang Lingyi: "What happened to you today? You must have taken poison to dare to speak to the princess like that. I think it's the Princess of Chen. She has always been famous for her good temper in the royal family. If it's the Princess of An, I wonder how you will end up."
"It's said. We spoke very quietly at the time and no one heard us. Besides, they were guilty of this in the first place." Although Zhuang Lingyi was afraid in her heart, she still didn't think that Yao Niang had done anything to her.
To put it nicely, Princess Chen is just a woman in the deep palace. Can she deal with the Duke of Xian's Mansion?
Even the King of Chen may not be able to do it.
Little did she know that Yao Niang just wanted to find Gao Xuance to ask him clearly. Unfortunately, she came back too early and Gao Xuance was not at home at all. She had to take Chengyun to study first.
The child is now in the period of language explosion, so Yao Niang draws pictures and teaches the child to recognize them. Today, she is recognizing a rabbit. She points it to Cheng Yun and says, "Look, baby, this is a rabbit. The white one is a white rabbit, and the gray one is gray, so it is called a gray rabbit."
"White rabbit, white rabbit is beautiful." Cheng Yun said with a smile.
Unlike the calculation-filled Chengyun in her previous life, she takes care of her children personally in this life, and the children are very lively.
Gao Xuance didn't come back until dinner time. He was a very sensitive person, and as soon as he came back, he noticed that the environment at home was a little different.
Normally, Yao Niang would come out to greet him when she heard the eunuch's whistle, and then go in with him. She would tell him about many things at home and about Chengyun. Sometimes, when she was in a bad mood, she would not say these things and would just accompany him quietly.
Today, she was sitting quietly in front of the window, looking calm.
Gao Xuance quickly stepped forward and asked, "Have you had dinner yet? Why are you doing this here?"
Yao Niang stood up suddenly, looked at him and said, "You lied to me, didn't you? You didn't even ask anyone to look after Wei Feng and the others. Did you know that □□'s son is dead?"
But Gao Xuance said, "I've said that success leads to failure. It's my father who makes the decision. Even if I say something, others may not listen to me. Instead, my subordinates will think I'm a woman."
"But you shouldn't have lied to me?" Yao Niang was very angry.
Gao Xuance saw that her face was red with anger, so he immediately stepped forward and said, "I just want you to feel better. You are a kind-hearted person. If I didn't lie to you, you would definitely worry about your friends."
Yao Niang pushed him away: "I know you are doing this for my own good, but I am not a person who makes trouble for no reason. I hate it most in my life when people deceive me."
"Okay, I will never hide anything from you in the future." After being pushed away, Gao Xuance suddenly felt empty. He didn't want to lose her, so he promised immediately.
After hearing Gao Xuance's words, Yao Niang looked at him straight in the eye and said, "Remember what you said today. If you lie to me again, I will never talk to you again."
"I mean it."
Gao Xuance smiled happily and held her hand and assured her: "Don't worry, I won't lie to you about anything."
He coaxed her for a long time, and only when he saw Yao Niang smile did he breathe a sigh of relief: "Let's go, let's go eat, you haven't eaten yet?"
Only then did Yao Niang nod.
After dinner, Gao Xuance went to the study. He didn't know how Xiao Yao Niang knew about it, so he called the palace maid who followed Yao Niang and asked her everything.
After asking clearly, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you talking about the daughter of the Duke of Xian being disrespectful to the princess?"
"This is what happened. Our princess has always been good-tempered and never quarrels with anyone. But this Madam Huang has provoked our princess time and time again, and even said that the princess..." The palace maid thought that Zhuang Lingyi was rude, so of course she said what she said.
Who would have thought that the more the Prince listened, the more his brows furrowed: "So it was her."
He had heard Zhuang Lingyi say bad things about Yao Niang before. At that time, Yao Niang was still studying in the palace.
He waved his hand, signaling the palace maid to leave, feeling extremely resentful.
He achieved great things, although it was for the sake of establishing a lasting foundation and realizing his own ambitions, but he would never let his family be bullied, otherwise, what kind of rebirth would this be?
It was night, and the two were getting ready to go to bed. Gao Xuance saw that Yao Niang refused to tell him any of her grievances, and thought, could it be that because he lied to her, she felt that he could not be trusted?
This is a difficult situation.
Yao Niang never thought about Zhuang Lingyi at all, because since Zhuang Lingyi entered the palace and was disliked by Princess Zhenyang and Concubine Hong, she had already won. Now Zhuang Lingyi was just using Wei Feng as an excuse to exclude her.
She is now only the Princess of Chen. Her mother-in-law, Concubine Hong Guifei, has always disliked people as powerful as Mu Wantong. She certainly would not quarrel with Zhuang Lingyi on the spot, otherwise it would damage her own dignity.
What's more, it's useless to tell Gao Xuance about these things, as the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is very delicate.
Originally, she had shown off her skills in front of Concubine Hong last time because Emperor Jianzhang was seriously ill. She had done extraordinary things in extraordinary times, and now of course she had to redeem her impression.
"Why don't you rest yet?" Yao Niang asked him.
Gao Xuance smiled and said, "No, nothing."
"Then let's go to bed. There are so many people here today, and I'm really tired from all the socializing. Cheng Yun is pestering me again when I come back. Tomorrow I have to pay my respects to Mother with my second sister-in-law."
After saying that, she yawned.
Gao Xuance saw that her eyes were almost closed, and said distressedly: "Then go to sleep quickly."
He originally wanted to vent her anger without telling Yao Niang. In his opinion, he should give her a warning, but if he told Yao Niang, she would definitely not agree. She had plans and means, and even gave the eldest prince and his mother a final blow in the end, but she was the kind of person who would attack others passively.
In other words, if someone doesn't treat her badly first, she won't take the initiative to take action against anyone.
This kind of woman is worthy of being the one he likes, who can shield him from arrows without hesitation. Even if they were not husband and wife in the previous life, she will still be kind to him. She is a gentle and kind person with affection and loyalty.
He was very conflicted. It was rare that he would not lose sleep over other things. He was even confident about the antithesis between the Donghu people, but he always had to think more about Yao Niang's affairs.
It would be easy to coax her, but he didn't dare lie to her.
Therefore, when Yao Niang got up in the morning, Gao Xuance had not gotten up yet. He smiled and said, "Sister Yao, I heard that someone said something rude to you yesterday. I want to teach them a lesson for you."
Yao Niang was confused at first, but after hearing what he said, she came to her senses: "Why do you have to do this? If the emperor continues to let you lead the army, you have to build a good relationship with the people of the Duke of Xian. A gentleman's revenge is never too late, not to mention that she is just a lip service. The King of Chuzhuang was at the meeting because his favorite concubine Xu Ji was accidentally molested while dancing. In a panic, she pulled out the rope on her helmet and told King Zhuang of Chu was naturally very angry, and Tang Jiao, who had violated Xu Ji's rules, was also very scared. But King Zhuang of Chu suddenly ordered everyone to remove their hair bands, and drank.
"Although I don't quite understand the ambitions and ambitions in your heart, I know. The Duke of Xian is a founding hero and now has influence considerable in the army. He can be considered a descendant of a loyal hero. If you quarrel with the Duke of Xian because of us girls, and then have any disputes with the Duke of Xian's mansion, it would be my fault. Your Highness, you don't have to worry. Zhuang Lingyi is stubborn and only relies on her status. But the so-called status is just an external thing. If you rely on the mountain, the mountain will fall, and if you rely on the water, the water will flow. I have already predicted her fate, so you don't have to vent your anger for me."
If she were the queen, she wouldn't have to seek revenge on anyone in the future. As long as someone knew who had been disrespectful to you, they would vent their anger on your behalf with just a look. Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken?
After hearing this, Gao Xuance was glad that he did not deceive her. Instead, he was moved by her sense of justice.
A king should not decide on the strategy of employing people based on his personal preferences. Although Gao Xuance is only a prince, he aspires to be a king, so of course his mindset is different.
But he still felt a little sorry for her: "Yao Niang, I made you suffer by following me."
"There's nothing to suffer. As long as Your Majesty can fulfill my wish, I will be very happy." Yao Niang smiled.
Gao Xuance felt distressed: "You are too sensible."
After he finished speaking, Yao Niang said fiercely: "You see, I am very reasonable, so don't keep it a secret from me or ignore me in the future. I may listen to your explanation once or twice, but you also know the story of the wolf coming. I am not trying to scare you. If one day you deceive me too much, our relationship as husband and wife will be over from now on."
"Okay, okay, I know you. See, didn't I tell you this morning? I will never lie to you again." Gao Xuance raised three fingers as if to swear.
Yao Niang raised her eyebrows and said, "Don't fool me. I don't tell lies."
"I know. I definitely won't do that again."
…
That day, she and Xu Qingrong rode on a sedan chair to pay respects to the Imperial Concubine, while Chengyun sat on Yao Niang's body. After arriving at Kunning Palace, Chengyun became excited, while Imperial Concubine Hong heard her grandson's voice and quickly had someone carry him to her side.
"Do you miss your grandma? Grandma is looking forward to your coming." The more Concubine Hong looked at Cheng Yun, the more she liked him.
Cheng Yun nodded: "I can think about it."
Yao Niang also said: "The fruit puree I ate yesterday told me that I wanted to give it to my grandmother. I said that your father was filial and had sent it to your grandmother a long time ago."
Concubine Hong asked, "Is it the basket of apples that was sent? I heard it was sent from Luochuan. No wonder the taste is different. I see it is juicy. If Chengyun likes it, take it. I am old and don't eat this kind of food anymore."
Yao Niang waved her hands: "Why do I need such filial respect from my mother? He has everything at home."
"I also know that this is his filial piety." Concubine Hong looked at Cheng Yun lovingly.
Xu Qingrong was extremely jealous when she saw this, but she had to remain calm. Her daughter was still weak and could not easily withstand the wind. Moreover, women were different from men, and princesses were also different from princes.
I only heard Concubine Hong ask Yao Niang: "I heard that the third brother intends to ask for Cheng Yun to be the crown prince, is that right?"
Yao Niang said quickly, "My daughter-in-law has told him that Chengyun is only one year old, he is too young, it would be safer if he is older. Mother, please advise His Highness on behalf of my daughter-in-law."
It seems that this was not what Yao Niang meant. Concubine Hong knew that her daughter-in-law was very patient. She did not know that Emperor Jianzhang was pretending to be poisoned at that time. Fortunately, he did not jump out to fight for power. This was all thanks to her daughter-in-law. However, she never mentioned her own credit afterwards, and did not even say it in front of her son.
Because of Concubine Hong's decent performance this time, the emperor, now middle-aged, still treats her as before even though he has more new favorites.
This is something her other daughter-in-law Xu Qingrong could not compare to. Xu Qingrong always wanted to get something from her, fame and bargaining chips to compete with King Zhou.
Therefore, Concubine Hong still agreed with her son's opinion, and said to Yao Niang: "I think Chengyun is very good, and it is also appropriate to be named the prince. It will be good for Chengyun to determine his title as soon as possible."
"This..." Yao Niang pretended to be embarrassed.
Concubine Hong smiled and said, "This matter still needs the approval of His Majesty. We women don't understand it either."
In fact, Concubine Hong had no objection, and Yao Niang breathed a sigh of relief.
The son had been named the Crown Prince earlier, and his patriarchal status had already been determined. If the eldest prince had been named the Crown Prince back then, why would this have been necessary?
Seeing that such a young child was going to be named the Crown Prince, Xu Qingrong narrowed her eyes and thought that the Luo family was really good at scheming.
After greeting everyone, Chengyun was reluctant to go back, so Yaoniang had to take him to play in Yu Garden.
As soon as Bai Ying and the others came out, they congratulated Yao Niang: "Our little prince is finally going to be named the crown prince."
"Okay, let's not talk so much. The most important thing for you is to protect the safety of the carrier. As for the other things, there is no need to say more." Yao Niang reminded.
Bai Ying continued: "What about Madam Huang..."
"Don't worry, adults won't argue with villains." Yao Niang said meaningfully.
Little did they know that Zhuang Lingyi was drinking with Lu, and because of Wei Feng's death, the two of them became closer.
Lu said, "Sister Zhuang, aren't you afraid of offending the Princess of Chen? The Prince of Chen is so powerful right now, we can't afford to offend him."
"It's worth dying for to get rid of my anger. Come on, this is the chrysanthemum wine made by my chef. Let's have a drink together." Zhuang Lingyi said with a hearty smile.
"Now you are the only one who has such courage, sister. I admire you very much. I will go to Anzhou with our marquis soon." Lu sighed softly.
The father-in-law, Marquis Xuan De, was afraid that his family would also be purged by the emperor, and died of anger. Princess Xing'an and her husband were in a state of constant fear at home. Although Emperor Jianzhang rewarded Princess Xing'an as usual, everyone knew that things were still different.
Shen Liang, the son of Marquis Xuande, inherited the title of Marquis and was named Marquis Xuande. He wisely chose to be sent away and develop his own industry privately.
Zhuang Lingyi said, "I would like to be sent out, but you know my husband. He wants too much fame and fortune, and he never refuses any woman. Now I just hope to live with my son."
Huang Daobin had a child bride before marriage, and he entered the house after marriage. In front of the Duke of Xian, he just said that he was taking a concubine, and Zhuang Lingyi could not do anything to him.
Therefore, she was eager to be sent out to work with Huang Daobin.
Lu said, "That's probably difficult. He is a Hanlin scholar, so he definitely wants to stay in the capital."
Officials in Beijing are much better than local officials. Any educated person who can be a civil servant would not want to be a corrupt official.
Zhuang Lingyi never expected that the man she found, who was obviously a handsome young man in his youth, would become blinded by greed. In just a few years, she felt so pathetic.
If a husband favors his concubine and kills his wife, his own sons will be less favored than the concubine's children.
"Yes, he definitely wants to stay in the capital. He feels like a fish in water here, and I don't blame him. Don't be afraid of your sister laughing at you. He favors his concubines over his wife. He only treated me tenderly in the first year, and we were very affectionate. Now I--" Zhuang Lingyi didn't know what to say.
Mrs. Lu understood and said, "Sister is a lady of noble character. But you can't take the initiative to cut yourself off from others, otherwise the family will be given to others. Also, your dowry is so large, and there are many people in the Huang family, you must take good care of your dowry."
Zhuang Lingyi nodded with a smile, very moved.
After saying goodbye to Lu, Zhuang Lingyi prepared to return home. She remembered that besides her own servants, many of them were slaves of the Huang family. Although some of them were bribed by her, many of them also surrounded her favorite concubine, Bai.
It would be fine if Bai was born with good looks, but Bai was just born with a regular appearance, at most barely pretty. But Huang Daobin liked her very much and always pretended to be fair, but in fact he was extremely biased.
No matter in family background, talent, or appearance, she was inferior to him in every way, yet she was able to win her husband's heart.
She was clearly looking for a clean and honest scholar and didn't want to marry into the royal family's intrigue, but she ended up in this situation.
You have to fight, and you have to contend.
On the way back, she met Prince Chen who was traveling. Everyone had to make way for him, including Zhuang Lingyi.
Passersby were talking about it: "Isn't this the driver of the Third Prince? He is known as a great archer and he won a battle. He is really extraordinary."
"It's rare, much better than that thousand-year-old."
…
Zhuang Lingyi lowered her eyes, and her wet nurse, Mama Lu, said, "Miss, you could have married Prince Chen back then, but you didn't covet the glory and wealth, and now you are being bullied by the Huang family's farmhands."
"Come on, stop talking, Mother Lu." Zhuang Lingyi thought to herself that at least she was still the eldest wife, Bai had to be under her control, Huang Daobin had to respect her in public, and her parents-in-law and the Huang family had to provide for her.
Unlike Luo Yao's mother, she had to support her mother-in-law and serve her husband carefully.
But he was soon slapped in the face, because Prince Chen directly requested to confer the title of Crown Prince on his eldest son. It should be noted that the son of a prince must be at least ten years old before he can be conferred the title, but Prince Chen took another approach.
He also said with the intention of entrusting his son to his care: "I am only willing to be driven by your father. This child is still young. According to the ancestral system, he should be crowned as the crown prince when he is ten years old. But I am afraid that I will be a vassal in another country in the future, and I cannot let your father see him being crowned."
The Prince of Chen won the battle, but there was no title to be given to him unless he was made the Crown Prince. Emperor Jianzhang was worried about this, but he did not expect Gao Xuance to bring up the matter.
Emperor Jianzhang thought to himself, everyone had said that the Prince of Chen was extremely noble, but Xuan Ce did not think so. Instead, he wanted to become a vassal.
The eldest son of Prince Chen was his eldest grandson, and Emperor Jianzhang liked this grandson very much. The child was born with intelligence and looked smart and noble, not like an ordinary person.
"It is only a matter of time before you are conferred the title of Crown Prince. Since you have submitted a memorial, I will let the Ministry of Clan Affairs decide on it." Emperor Jianzhang said with a smile.
Gao Xuance kowtowed again and thanked him. The father and son even had a meal together. Gao Xuance even cried: "I only know the kindness of my parents after I raise them. Every time I see Chengyun, I know how much my father cares about me. I am afraid that I myself cannot do the same for this child."
After hearing this, Emperor Jianzhang felt sweeter than eating honey.
Among his sons, Prince Chen was indeed the closest to him. He had no selfish intentions towards him and rushed back day and night to save him. Although he brought troops back, he was not good at using them.
If I hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I would have been captured by the eldest prince.
After returning from Funing Palace, Gao Xuance said to Yao Niang, "The emperor has already agreed to make our son the crown prince."
"Actually, it doesn't make any difference whether you seal it early or late. I trust you very much." Yao Niang squeezed out a handkerchief and wiped his face.
Gao Xuance shook his head: "How can that be possible? If the title is legitimate, then the words will be justified. If you have the title of a crown prince or not, all treatments are different. When I was ten years old, I was even named the King of Linjiang. How can my son be worse than me?"
Yao Niang asked, "If you ask for a title like this, will Father think you are greedy?"
That was exactly what she was worried about.
Gao Xuance said, "You are wrong. You act wise and courteous every day, which wins people's hearts. That's when father will be really worried. Before the battle, Qin general Wang Jian specifically asked the king of Qin for a reward to defile himself, so the king of Qin was relieved. People without quirks should not be befriended, because they have no deep feelings. People without flaws should not be befriended, because they have no true spirit. I have desires, and it's a good thing that the court doesn't think of me as well as my second brother."
"Yes, I heard that my second brother will be sent to do the disaster relief this time, is that right?" Yao Niang asked.
Gao Xuance nodded to her and said, "That's right. My second brother is also good at doing these things. It's just right for him to do it. I don't have to argue with him about everything. It's just that you mentioned it, so I'll go and congratulate you."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Why do you need to go? I have already prepared a lot of gifts to send over. Don't worry."
It was a rare opportunity to see her brother get such a prestigious job, but not only was she not jealous, she immediately prepared a generous gift and sent it to him. This shows how open-minded this wife was.
She truly is like a mother who rules the world.
Little did they know that at the Luo family, Luo Zhizheng saw the news that Yao Niang asked Yu to bring back, and could not help but sneer: "How dare the wife of a mere editor in the Hanlin Academy bully my daughter."
Since ancient times, county officials are not as good as the current managers. If you tell Prince Chen, Prince Chen will at most warn the Duke of Constitutional Mansion, but it will have no effect on Zhuang Lingyi and the Duke of Constitutional Mansion.
"Yao Niang is right about this. In the officialdom, the emperor may not have a prime minister or some party leaders who can command people. Because his position is given by the higher authorities and evaluated by the Ministry of Personnel. Tell her next time you enter the palace, I know what to do."
Upon hearing this, Yu said happily, "The old man is really good to Yao Niang."
"Nonsense, is this your daughter?" Luo Zhizheng said unhappily.
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