Chapter 183 The Battle Between the Foster Mother and the Son
[I haven’t told you I’ll raise you yet! ]
The queen did not refute, but just looked at her.
Nian Shilan felt guilty, "Well, I am not someone who goes back on my word. I promised you to be their queen, so I will not break my promise."
The queen curled her lips, "This matter is not up to you."
Nian Shilan: “…”
[Humph, you're still being rude after getting the advantage. ]
"I was free these past two days, so I flipped through a few books and selected a few words. Take a look and see if there are any that suit your taste."
The empress held the gilded paper in her hand the whole time. She placed the words she had chosen one by one beside the bed in front of Nian Shilan.
Of course, Nian Shilan did not want to use the word "telepathy".
She looked at them one by one.
"Easy? Easy? Just now I said she's your daughter, so why are you so casual about it?"
The queen was not estranged from her, saying, "If she had read a few more books on a daily basis, this wouldn't have happened."
Sometimes it's better for people to be a little distant from each other.
Nian Shilan: “…”
[Okay, I have little education and have suffered from my lack of culture. I want to see how you, a cultured person, can interpret the word "Yi" in a flowery way.]
"The character '易' is derived from the character '日'..."
This half sentence alone is enough to show its weight.
There was no need for Shilan to be picky about words when she spoke. The Queen was afraid that she would not understand, so she said directly:
"It means peace. I hope the princess's future will be bright, smooth and easy. The word 'peaceful' also means I hope she will be gentle and peaceful in the future."
[Do you think I am impatient and noisy? ]
The queen smiled without saying anything, praising her for her self-awareness.
Nian Shilan picked up another proposed title, "How do you say 'Xi Chao'?"
"'Chao' has the same pronunciation as my brother's 'Zhao'. One day and one month, they are obviously siblings. As for 'Xi'..."
The Queen's voice dragged out.
Nian Shilan made a quick decision: "That's it."
The queen was slightly surprised.
Nian Shilan just doesn't like poetry and books, she's not really unlearned.
Xi means light, the same as hui.
The queen couldn't decide on a name for the little prince, but she gave a word with the same meaning to the little princess.
The light of dawn brings new hope.
The twins are of one mind and one heart. The little prince and the little princess will surely live a glorious life in the future with their elder brother's help.
"Xi Chao, Xi Chao, let her cherish the time, very good!"
The queen was somewhat moved.
Nian Shilan didn't need the queen to think she was considerate, so she immediately changed the subject.
[A few days ago, you and the Emperor took them to Shoukang Palace. You praised Hongzhao and Xichao in front of the Empress Dowager. Weren’t you afraid...]
The queen touched the word "Xi" and snorted, "What are you afraid of?"
[She even dared to let Qin Tianjian say that Hong Zhao's horoscope would benefit the country. The Queen is getting even bolder now.]
[You know clearly that he is jealous...]
"How can you achieve great things without courage?"
The queen looked solemn, "Things are different now than they were in the past. In the past, I was just..."
It's enough to see your next move one step ahead.
The queen gave Nian Shilan some face, "For the women in the harem, it is enough to look three steps ahead before making the next move, but now with the emperor, it is not okay to look three steps ahead."
【Then look at the nine steps? 】
"No!" The queen shook her head, "It's about always being one step ahead of him. This extra step is our hope of survival."
Nian Shilan blinked and looked at the queen.
【I heard every word.】
It's a little hard to understand when put together.
"Qin Tianjian only said that the eight characters are beneficial to the country, and did not say that Changgeng Star will seize the palace. In addition to benefiting the country, it is also beneficial to the father."
The Empress arranged the gold-sprinkled papers beside the bed. "The light of the Purple Star in the east is dim, indicating illness and disaster. The Sixth Prince is destined to live a long life, which happens to complement the Purple Star and can make up for the deficiency of the Imperial Palace."
"With Chang Geng circling the Purple Star and Sixth Prince protecting him, the emperor's health will get better and better, and the end of his life will come soon."
[In this case, Qin Tianjian's astrology not only did not threaten the Nian family, but also provided Hong Zhao with another guarantee.]
【As expected of the Queen. 】
The Queen's action also broadened Nian Shilan's horizons and helped her to completely stop being hostile to herself. She could not defeat herself.
Nian Shilan teased in her heart, "He wants to live forever, wouldn't it be unfair to him to live a hundred years?"
The Queen smiled without any emotion and said:
"So, he loves the Sixth Prince so much. As the Queen who cares about him and is even happy to drink a sip of the bird's nest he has drunk, what's wrong with me following his wishes and praising the Sixth Prince?"
The more exaggerated it is, the harder it is to distinguish truth from falsehood.
All the emperor could see was obedience to him.
"Besides..." The Queen stopped and looked at Nian Shilan, "I am the Sixth Prince's wife. What's wrong with bragging about my own child?"
[I am not trying to go against you. The emperor has not spoken yet, so it is not clear whose name will be used to raise the children.]
What Nian Shilan said is true.
Although according to the rules, the child of the imperial concubine cannot be raised under the name of someone of lower status than the biological mother, but——
The world belongs to the emperor, and palace rules are used to restrict people other than the emperor.
If he really wants to go against the palace rules, who dares to say anything?
The emperor had previously paved the way for Concubine Xi and had mentioned it once or twice, intentionally or unintentionally, overtly or covertly, or had used the maid to convey some of his thoughts that he wanted others to know.
For example, he did not want the Sixth Prince to be separated from his biological mother like he was when he was a child.
He intended to raise the prince and princess with his biological mother, the Imperial Consort.
But due to the laws of our ancestors, we have to find a foster mother for the prince and princess.
It wouldn't matter if the Empress was in poor health, but she was too high-ranking and had not gotten along with the Imperial Consort in the past. I was afraid that if the child was raised by her, the Imperial Consort would not be able to see her own child.
If he could find a concubine with a good family background and a good relationship with the Imperial Consort to be the child's adoptive mother, not only would he have an extra supporter, but it would also not affect the Imperial Consort's ability to visit the prince and princess at any time.
The Nian family has to consider the two children and Shilan all the time, so they can't make trouble.
In short, now those who are qualified to support the Sixth Prince are not only the Empress, but also Concubine Jing, Concubine Duan, and Concubine Li.
Among the three of them, Concubine Duan has a family background, Concubine Li has friendship, and Concubine Jing... barely has a place.
Considering that the emperor's real intention was to balance power rather than let the concubines unite through children, there was no possibility for the two old enemies who had a "grudge of killing their children" to have a heart-to-heart talk.
The emperor wants to wait until the prince and princess’ full-month banquet before announcing the result.
Everyone in the harem was guessing, and in the end, Concubine Duan would be the winner.
Shilan had such worries for several years, so the Queen asked her to take good care of herself and worry less.
Yanqing Palace.
Concubine Duan was sitting in the corridor embroidering, while Jixiang was holding a bamboo basket and pulling the silk thread, telling her master the rumors from various palaces. Concubine Duan just smiled and said nothing.
"Your Highness shouldn't have said that you saw it that night. You upset the Empress Dowager. Doctor Chen hasn't come for a month."
"I've already said it." Concubine Duan said without looking up, "In the past, there were no imperial doctors, but didn't we live the same way?"
"Your Majesty is already in poor health, why do you have to embroider day and night? It's not worth it if you get tired."
Opportunities are rare, how can we not seize the time?
Concubine Duan knew that Jixiang was worried about her, so she comforted her, "It will be finished soon."
The first day of March, the day before Hong Zhao and Xi Chao’s full-moon banquet.
Concubine Duan, who never went out unless necessary, went to the Yangxin Palace with the embroidery she had spent a month embroidering.