Su Wan'er ultimately couldn't resist Chen Longxiang's insistence and boarded the "Destroy the Japanese" super warship of the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet, which was returning to the capital from Nampo Port in Goguryeo, with a feeling of unease.
The dozens of naval warships returning to the capital will pass through the Changshan Islands and enter the waters of the Liaodong Peninsula of the Tang Dynasty. They will then travel south along the Yellow Sea to the East China Sea, and finally change course at the mouth of the Yangtze River near the East China Sea, traveling north along the Yangtze River all the way to the capital city.
When the naval fleet returning to the capital arrived at the Stone City dock outside Nanjing, it was already evening of the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the traditional eve of the Lunar New Year in the south.
The vast city of Jinling was already immersed in a festive and peaceful atmosphere.
As one of the busiest wharves for water transport outside Nanjing, Shitoucheng Wharf was also enveloped in a lively and festive atmosphere.
On the deck of the warship "Destroy the Japanese Pirates", Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, who had returned to Jinling City after two years, gazed at the lights in the direction of Jinling City, looked at the colorful lights reflected on the river outside the Stone City Wharf, and looked at the bustling scene of tourists in front of her.
In a daze, her mind flashed back to the scene when she first entered Jinling City;
She also recalled the different identities she had held in the previous dynasty, as the Crown Princess, Empress, and Empress Dowager, and the scenes of her parading along the Yangtze River and the Qinhuai River on New Year's Eve every year, receiving the admiration of thousands of people.
Of course, he also couldn't help but recall the unforgettable memories of driving his mother and son out of Jinling City when the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui usurped power and installed the false emperor Zhao Lingzhan.
In an instant, Su Wan'er's eyes filled with tears and she was overwhelmed with emotions. She longed to stand on the deck and shout towards Jinling City: I'm back!
Ultimately, however, he was still controlled by his own reason.
Su Wan'er knew very well that by returning to the capital so rashly, she was risking the wrath of the current emperor, and might even lose her head.
Therefore, before receiving "extra-legal leniency" from Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, one must remain as low-key as possible.
Standing beside her, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin seemed to have noticed Wan'er's emotional change. He gently embraced Su Wan'er and once again promised her, "Wan'er, don't worry, I'll take care of everything!"
Um!
With things having come to this point, Su Wan'er had no choice but to nod heavily.
Soon, a commander of Chen Longxiang's personal guards reported that the several dukes who were returning to the capital to report had already left the dock. Only then did Chen Longxiang order his personal guards to unload all the gifts he had prepared from the Goguryeo Peninsula for his mother, his elder brother, and his two sisters-in-law from the ship and load them onto carts.
He then mounted the yellow horse and personally escorted Su Wan'er and her entourage, heading straight for the imperial city in a grand procession.
The hour of Xu (7-9 PM).
At this time of year, the Xuanwu Gate (north gate) for entering and exiting Nanjing would have already been closed.
However, considering that all civil and military officials of the second rank or above from various regions were required to enter the city to meet the emperor, the closing time of Xuanwu Gate was postponed by one hour, and officials traveling between regions could enter the city with their travel permits.
When Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin arrived at Xuanwu Gate with a large entourage and several carriages, the military commanders guarding the gate, as was customary, inspected the people entering the city and their luggage.
When the commander inspected the accompanying carriage, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, riding on horseback, shouted sternly, "How dare you! The carriage contains the beautiful women I selected for His Majesty in Goguryeo. How dare you!"
Forehead--
Chen Longxiang's stern shout indeed made the guard commander stop what he was doing.
The next moment, he hurriedly put on a fawning smile for Chen Longxiang and said, "Your Highness, I am only acting under orders. The Duke of Wei personally ordered that all officials from various regions traveling to and from the capital, along with their entourages and luggage, must be inspected."
"Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for me!"
As he spoke, the commander bowed and scraped, his face full of obsequious smiles, and continued, "How about we trouble Your Highness to help us by lifting the curtain of this carriage? I just need to take a look to confirm the identity of the person inside!"
"you--"
Chen Longxiang was furious and stared at the commander for a long time with a fierce look.
Finally, with a grim face, he used his sword to lift the curtain of the first carriage, revealing two timid young women huddled together inside.
After only a fleeting glance, Chen Longxiang lowered the carriage curtain.
Then, without saying a word, he lifted the curtain of the second carriage, inside which sat the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er.
However, Su Wan'er, who was prepared, had already covered her face with a veil and headscarf. In addition, because the light inside the carriage was dim, the commander outside could not see the face of the person inside at all.
The commander on duty was certainly not so foolish as to hold up a lantern and peer closely, nor would he dare to let the woman in the carriage remove her veil and headscarf so that he could see her clearly.
If that were the case, this lowly military commander would probably have to think twice before deciding whether his own head was harder or the blade of the ring-pommel sword in Prince Chen Longxiang's hand, which could be drawn at any moment.
After a routine inspection, the commander hurriedly put on a smiling face for Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin and personally saw the prince and his entourage into the city.
"Your Highness, please take care!"
snort!
All that was left for the commander was Chen Longxiang's proud back and a cold snort.
After entering the city, Chen Longxiang settled Su Wan'er in his palace in Jinling City. He planned to go to the palace the next day to sound out his brother Chen Huai'an's opinion.
After one night.
Chen Longxiang changed into a clean set of fine clothes and went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the palace early in the morning to attend the morning court session.
At the court assembly, after more than half a year, he finally saw his elder brother, Chen Huai'an.
Today's court assembly was still the same old topic: the progress of the construction of the Grand Canal, the progress of the construction of the new imperial palace in Chang'an, the construction of the Great Wall outside the capital, and the "year-end closing" and plans for the new year brought by officials from all over the Tang Dynasty.
These were all tedious issues, but they concerned the people's livelihood and the development of the dynasty, and had to be dealt with.
This court assembly made Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, who was described as "simple-minded and physically strong," drowsy, which further strengthened his resolve to leave the court.
Rather than dealing with these trivial matters every day, he would rather go to the Goguryeo Peninsula and be a carefree prince.
Chen Longxiang planned that after court, he would first pay his respects to his elder brother alone, and then see if he could go with him to the inner palace to have dinner with his mother.
Finally, Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, standing beside Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an in the Golden Palace, called out in a shrill voice to the crowd in the court: "Court adjourned—"
Chen Longxiang, who had been drowsy, instantly perked up at that moment.
He went against the flow of civil and military officials leaving the court in an orderly fashion, and before Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an left the Golden Palace, he approached the latter and greeted him, saying, "Your Majesty, I'm back!"
oh?
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an indeed stopped in his tracks.
He turned to look at his younger brother, Chen Longxiang, who had grown taller and was now almost as big as him. His once skinny frame had become increasingly fuller. He raised his hand and punched Chen Longxiang in the chest.
Then, he smiled and said, "Longxiang, it's been more than half a year since I last saw you. You've grown taller and stronger."
"Excellent, excellent!"
Chen Huai'an circled around Chen Longxiang, looking at his younger brother Chen Longxiang who had shed his childishness and grown into a grown-up, and felt deeply gratified.
He then praised without reservation: "Longxiang, I have heard about your performance in the army through the memorials and military reports sent by the Duke of Han. You have done a good job; you have not disgraced me or the Prince of Jin's residence."
"After another three to five years of training in the army, I can confidently place more responsibility on your shoulders, allowing you to stand alone and guard a region for the Tang Dynasty!"
"Your subject obeys the decree, hehe!"
Chen Longxiang grinned, still looking like a grown-up child in front of his elder brother, Chen Huai'an.
Just as he was about to ask if he could go to the Cining Palace with his elder brother to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager and have a banquet there, Xiao Po, the commander of the Imperial Guards, rushed over to report—
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhao and the envoys from various countries are waiting in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Please move there immediately!"
"Alright, I understand!"
Chen Huai'an waved his hand, then turned to Chen Longxiang and instructed, "Longxiang, go to Cining Palace today to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager. It's been so long since we last met; she misses you very much."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "By the way, while you're at it, go and discuss with the Empress Dowager the matter of the Duke of Han acting as your matchmaker, saying he wants to arrange your marriage with the youngest daughter of the Prince of Jiujiang."
"I think it's quite good!"
Go!
After saying this, Chen Huai'an stopped paying attention to his younger brother Chen Longxiang and, surrounded by Xiao Po and his entourage, hurriedly moved to the Taihe Hall to receive the envoys from various countries.
Eh—
Chen Longxiang sighed and left dejectedly, heading alone to the Cining Palace to pay his respects to his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun.
Over the next few days, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was busy receiving ministers from various regions, as well as envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty from Southeast Asia and the West. His schedule was packed.
As a result, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin could not find any opportunity or time to sound out his elder brother's opinion.
In addition, after learning that Duke Chen Qingzhi of Han was acting as matchmaker to arrange the marriage between her youngest son Chen Longxiang and the youngest daughter of the Prince of Jiujiang, Empress Xu Ruoyun kept urging Chen Longxiang to hurry up and set the wedding for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Left with no other choice, Chen Longxiang, who was never one to keep secrets, finally confessed to his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun, at the banquet on the evening of the 29th of the twelfth lunar month.
Chen Longxiang said, "Mother, actually, I already have someone I love, and, moreover, she is carrying my child."
"The imperial physician said that she is carrying a boy!"
"What?"
Inside the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, who was eating hot pot, was shocked and stared at her youngest son, Chen Longxiang, in disbelief for a long time.
She even got up and came to Chen Longxiang's side, asking again with a look of astonishment, "Longxiang, what did you say?"
Chen Longxiang spread his hands and said, "Mother, I'm going to be a father!"
Cough cough!
After receiving an affirmative answer, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun's emotions remained unsettled for a long time, and her insightful eyes, which were usually so discerning, became unpredictable at that moment.
After a long while, Xu Ruoyun sat back down and asked calmly, "Long Xiang, tell me about that girl's identity and family background!"
Chen Longxiang raised his eyelids and said, "Mother, I met her in Goguryeo. She, she is a member of the Goguryeo royal family."
oh!
Xu Ruoyun nodded, and said thoughtfully, "So she is a royal woman from a vassal state. At most, she can only be a concubine of our Prince Jin's mansion. As for the Princess Consort of Prince Jin's mansion, in my opinion, it should be the Princess of Jiujiang's mansion!"
Clearly, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun was mistaken. She thought that the members of the Goguryeo royal family mentioned by Chen Longxiang were the family members of King Baozang of Goguryeo, who was overthrown by the Tang Dynasty!
Little did they know that the royal family member Chen Longxiang was referring to was the mother of Chen Lingwu, the new king of Goguryeo, who had been appointed by his elder brother Chen Huai'an. They were also unaware that Chen Lingwu was none other than Zhao Lingwu, the deposed emperor of the previous dynasty.
Therefore, from Xu Ruoyun's perspective, since her youngest son and the woman from the Goguryeo royal family were in love and she was pregnant with a boy;
So, let's just consider it a case of "a mother gaining status through her son," and it wouldn't hurt to bring her into the Prince of Jin's household;
However, women from foreign lands, even if they are members of the royal family, even if they give birth to a son for the Prince of Jin, can only be concubines in the Prince of Jin's residence, and can never become the Prince of Jin's principal wife or queen.
This is the bottom line!
After a moment, Xu Ruoyun added, "Longxiang, you arranged for that Goguryeo woman to stay at the Prince of Jin's residence in the capital, right?"
Um!
Chen Longxiang nodded.
Xu Ruoyun then said, "That's perfect. Let's summon her to the palace for a meal tomorrow. Our family can have a reunion dinner in the Cining Palace."
"At that time, I will have the Emperor, Empress, and Imperial Noble Consort come together, as well as your two eldest nephews. It's time for them to meet their imperial uncle."
"It's settled then!"
"Yes, Mother, I understand!"
......
The next day.
On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, on New Year's Eve.
The palace was filled with joy and excitement, with bright red lanterns hanging everywhere and festive couplets posted.
Empress Liu Shujun and Consort Yue Qiluo arrived early at Cining Palace with their two newborn sons, who were just a month old, to pay their respects to their mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun.
They were even more eagerly anticipating that the Emperor would name the two little princes on this New Year's Eve, a night of family reunion.
Shen Shi Shi Fen.
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Prince Chen Longxiang brought the heavily pregnant former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er to the Cining Palace to pay his respects to his mother and two sisters-in-law.
Neither Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, nor Empress Liu Shujun, nor Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo had ever met the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er.
Therefore, her appearance did not cause any sensation or ripples in the Cining Palace.
The family chatted and talked about everyday things in the Cining Palace as usual.
However, there was something amiss in this seemingly joyous and harmonious atmosphere.
I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.
Then, the announcement came from outside the Cining Palace: "The Emperor has arrived—"
The next moment, everyone in the hall, except for Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, stood up to greet and respectfully await the Emperor's arrival.
As a figure dressed in a golden dragon robe strode in, the women present all bowed slightly to greet the emperor.
Seeing this, Chen Huai'an hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, rise."
"Today is the family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, so there aren't many formalities. Please sit down!"
Suddenly, a familiar figure caught Chen Huai'an's eye, its protruding belly particularly striking.
boom!
In an instant, Chen Huai'an felt an unnamed rage rush to his head, and his whole body seemed to be burning and boiling!
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