Crossing the East Palace

Empress Ning gave birth to a son on the night of March 26, and the news that the Empress Dowager lifted her foot restraint spread throughout the entire harem early the next morning.

Let's not mention what everyone in the harem thinks, especially the mother and concubine of the five surviving princes.

After everyone in the harem went to Qingning Palace to visit the queen and came back, Ruan Jieyu, who had a good relationship with Xin Zhaoyi, followed them to Changle Palace and stayed until the end.

"Is there something wrong with Ruan Jieyu?" The Empress Dowager ordered the Seventh Prince's wet nurse to bring the Seventh Prince over, placed the Seventh Prince on the couch, teased and played, and said with a smile, "Or is it that the Third Princess or the Fourth Prince is sick?"

Ruan Jieyu raised her head and glanced at the Seventh Prince, who was said to be quite auspicious, hurriedly lowered her head again, stood up and said respectfully: "The concubine, the concubine was entrusted by the maids around Xin Zhaoyi, and she wanted to come and talk to the empress dowager and the empress dowager." Let me ask you a question, Xin Zhaoyi just gave birth last night, and she is inconvenient. But although the fifth princess is young, she should see her grandmother and great-grandmother. Can you let Xin Zhaoyi's grand maid bring the fifth princess to Changle Palace? , Greetings to great-grandmother and grandmother?"

After Ruan Jieyu finished speaking cowardly, the room was filled with silence, but no one spoke again.

Because Ruan Jieyu was selected as a maid in the palace in the early years, she became a member of Emperor Tianyuan by mistake. Although she was cowardly, cowardice also became the advantage that Emperor Tianyuan could occasionally remember her, so Ruan Jieyu had four times. She is pregnant, but unfortunately, although she has been pregnant four times, she is a timid person, has no city, and her luck is not so good, but all four children slipped in her belly, and she can't give birth again.

Fortunately, there was no end to her. Mei Jieyu, who was almost raided, died after giving birth to the third princess and the fourth prince.Because Emperor Tianyuan was furious with the Mei family, no one in the palace was willing to raise the two children at that time.It just so happened that Ruan Jieyu had just lost her fourth child, and she was so tormented that she couldn't sit still, so she boldly told Emperor Tianyuan about it, and Emperor Tianyuan stared at Ruan Jieyu until cold sweat broke out on her back, thinking for a long time, She agreed and gave both children to Ruan Jieyu.

But even so, Ruan Jieyu's weakness and cowardice are still the same as before, and have not changed at all.This time, Ruan Jieyu would not have dared to speak for Xin Zhaoyi this time if it wasn't because Xin Zhaoyi had helped invite the imperial physician when the fourth prince was seriously ill and had a high fever, and even sent rare medicinal materials.

"The minister and the concubine are thinking about it. Although the fifth princess is a princess, she was fortunate enough to be born on the same day and the same year as the seventh prince. It is also fate. The concubine also feels that the fifth princess is a princess just like the third princess. That's why... that's why I talk too much." Said a word." Ruan Jieyu was as cowardly as a mouse, and immediately her face turned pale, "bang", her knees softened, and she knelt on the ground, "I beg the empress dowager and empress dowager to forgive me! It's my concubine who is talking too much. .”

The Empress Dowager finally opened her mouth, and said in a calm voice: "It's cold on the ground, let Ruan Zhaorong get up. If you hurt yourself, who will take care of the third princess and the fourth prince?"

Because Ruan Jieyu's mother's family was weak and she was born as a court lady, although she was pregnant four times, she lost her baby four times. Even the emperor felt jealous of her and refused to visit her again early.It was the blessing of raising the third princess and the fourth prince to be awarded the title of third-rank Jieyu before, but now Zhaorong, one of the second-rank and nine concubines, was so happy that she was speechless for a moment.

It was Aunt An who took a step forward and said with a smile: "Miss Zhaorong is so happy, why don't you quickly thank the Empress Dowager, lest the Empress Dowager get annoyed and take back the grace, what should I do."

This is of course a joke.

Ruan Zhaorong immediately saluted the Empress Dowager and the queen dowagers beside her, thanking her for her kindness.

After Ruan Zhaorong left, the Empress Dowager glanced at Aunt An, and said: "Re-draft the decree, the Changxin Palace has been repaired, Xin Zhaoyi is the head of the nine concubines, and the queen's foot restraint has also been released. Xin Zhaoyi has just given birth. If you are not clean, don’t disturb the middle palace, you should move the fifth princess with you immediately. You don’t need to send the rewards given to the empress earlier. As for the fifth princess...following the rules in the palace, the rewards will be doubled.”

Aunt An was still waiting with her head down, thinking that the Empress Dowager would have other orders, but she waited for a while, but she didn't hear anything else.

The Empress Dowager said: "Aunt forgot, Xin Zhaoyi is gentle and lovely, her father and brother are well-developed, and the emperor likes her too, but the concubine of the first rank is reserved for her."

The Empress Dowager's eyes sank, and she said: "The empress gave birth to a child in seven months, Xin Zhaoyi gave birth to a daughter in eight months, and the two children are in the mother's womb, not to mention ten months, even nine months is not enough. Do you really think this is a coincidence?"

Wan'er is the name of the empress dowager, she was startled when she heard the words, then looked down at the seventh prince, stroked her chest and said, "Xiao Qi's eyebrows and eyes look very much like the emperor, but her ears and earlobes are full like pearls, and her lips are extremely thin, but this She looks very much like a queen. Xin Zhaoyi has thin earlobes and thick lips, but she is completely different from Xiaoqi."

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly and said: "If it wasn't for this, how could the Ai family stay with the Ning family again? It's just that Xin Zhaoyi, if she has no heirs, will only be a favorite concubine. With only two maids, living with the queen in Qingning Palace, isn’t it disregarding the safety of the emperor’s heir? How can he not be punished? The Ai family never demoted her position, it was because of the newborn fifth princess and the emperor’s love for her gone."

The Empress Dowager sighed: "Aunt told her to move out of Qingning Palace right away, it's already hurting her. I just hope she can know what is good and bad, and stand up by herself for the fifth princess." I don't know what's going to happen.

The Empress Dowager was about to nod her head in agreement, when the well-behaved Seventh Prince suddenly started howling, as if he had been wronged, a group of people inside and outside the room were shocked by howling.

The Empress Dowager believed in Buddhism, so she liked this great-grandson who had a mole of Guanyin very much, and immediately hugged him in her arms to coax him.

It's a pity that the seventh prince didn't give face and howled vigorously.

Everyone thought he was hungry, and asked him to nurse, but he refused to eat; they pulled off the quilt, and turned the naked body over and over to see if there was any wound or dirt, but there was nothing, which only made the little one howl even harder .

On the contrary, the Empress Dowager laughed and said, "Speaking of which, Xin Zhaoyi is also Xiao Qi's cousin, so crying like this, is it because of the fact that my aunt refused to give Xin Zhaoyi a promotion?"

The queen mother also liked Xin Zhaoyi in her heart, so she casually asked for a coincidence for Xin Zhaoyi, but when she opened her mouth, the Seventh Prince stopped crying immediately, opened his big eyes, and looked at her alone.

Both the empress dowager and the empress dowager were surprised, but they didn't pay too much attention to it, they just regarded it as a coincidence.

However, the Empress Dowager pondered for a while, thinking of Xin Zhaoyi's character, she still said: "Forget it, although Xin Zhaoyi is stupid, after all, her mind is simple, and she has always been filial and filial. I will treat her according to the treatment of a second-rank concubine, As for the position... just wait."

The Seventh Prince, who was pretending to be a child, was now happy.

On the second day after giving birth, he was invited out of the Qingning Palace by the Empress Dowager, there must be many people gossiping.Although Xin Zhaoyi still can't be promoted to the throne, but she can get the treatment of concubine, she is also happy to come to Xin Zhaoyi.

Thinking this way, the seventh prince felt that he was worthy of his biological mother, and fell asleep in a blink of an eye because of his young body.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager began to talk to the Empress Dowager in a low voice, saying: "On the day when Xiaoqi washes three, I don't know if the emperor can come back."

Because there was a war on the border, regardless of whether it was in the south or the north, since the beginning of winter last year, there had been no rain, let alone auspicious snow, so the emperor naturally couldn't just sit idly by.Although Emperor Tianyuan didn't believe in ghosts and gods, he now knew that he had worked so hard to sacrifice and pray for rain, so he was not in the palace.

The Empress Dowager said: "It's about two or three days, even if it's too late for the three rites, Xiao Qi's full moon ceremony and first birthday ceremony, the emperor must never miss it. Xiao Qi, after all, is the son of the middle palace, so be careful .”

The queen mother also nodded.

The Empress Dowager then said: "Since this is the case, it is inappropriate for the fifth princess and Xiao Qi to celebrate their birthdays on the same day. An girl, when you go to the Qingning Palace to announce the decree, let the fifth princess have three ceremonies and a birthday ceremony." , all pushed back one day." After a pause, he continued, "It's not that the Ai family doesn't love the fifth princess, it's that the Ai family really loves her, otherwise no one will take a second look at her if she is born on the same day as the royal brother. .”

Aunt An naturally said yes, she took the drafted decree and asked the Empress Dowager to seal it before going to Qingning Palace.

In Qingning Palace, Empress Ning had to deal with her concubines all morning.Even if she has the status of a queen, the supreme harem, now that something happened to her natal family, those concubines seized the opportunity of her just giving birth, clearly wanting to make her angry, even if they can't make her unintentionally confinement, they still want to make her angry , Tired brain.

"Your Majesty, this is the medicine that Imperial Physician Liu has prescribed for you to nourish your body, drink it quickly." Aunt Yu was away, so Liu Pan personally brought the medicine over and asked the queen to drink it.

The queen leaned on the big welcome pillow embroidered with riches and brocade, drank the bitter concoction without saying a word, and said, "Where is Aunt Yu? You haven't come back yet?"

Liu Pan asked the little girl to take the medicine bowl down, and replied in a low voice: "If you go back to your mother, Aunt Yu never came back. Aunt An, who was next to the Empress Dowager, came to send a message, and the servant girl asked Aunt An, but Aunt An didn't say anything, just Let the servants serve the empress carefully. The servants dare not ask any more questions."

The queen was silent.

Liu Pan looked up at the queen cautiously, and said boldly, "Your Majesty, first, there are more and more servants in the Qingning Palace, and the concubines are also rushing to pay their respects to the Empress first. The matter of Xin Zhaoyi giving birth to a daughter... we are afraid It can't be kept secret for a few days, if you don't let someone tell Changle Palace quickly, it will also save the little princess from suffering with Xin Zhaoyi."

The queen once had a daughter, but the daughter died of the wind and cold when she was one and a half years old. Now it is the time when she hurts her daughter so much, how can you not feel sorry for her?

But parents only care about their children, and they have far-reaching plans. The queen sighed: "Why don't I feel sorry for her? But my fifth son was born on the same day as the seventh prince. , full moon, hundred days, grasping the Zhou ceremony, and every birthday in the future, others will take care of the seventh prince first, not my fifth son. How innocent is my fifth son? I feel sorry for my fifth son. It's too late, how can she be ignored by everyone because of a bastard in the future?"

Liu Pan persuaded: "But empress, in this Qingning Palace, there are people coming and going, where can we hide secrets? Even if empress is thinking of the little princess, it's better not to be too late. If it's too late, I'm afraid The empress dowager will think that the empress has ulterior motives. It is good for the empress to feel sorry for the little princess, but she should always feel sorry for herself. You will be able to make decisions for the little princess in the future after you please the empress dowager."

The queen was cautious at first, but she had just given birth to a child, and she was trying so hard to change her position because of a child, but she didn't think about it carefully.Calm down now, listen to Liu Pan's persuasion, and just come back to your senses - even though Xin Zhaoyi is naive and innocent, she wholeheartedly thinks that her cousin is a good person, but the maids around Xin Zhaoyi are not stupid. Not stupid.They only cared about taunting her today and didn't care about Xin Zhaoyi.But when they returned to their own palace, if they thought about it carefully, wouldn't they be able to think of the things that Xin Zhaoyi didn't show up?

After inferring in this way, even if there is no evidence, those people can give her a plausible name.

The queen was slightly moved, and was about to speak to Liu Pan when she heard that Aunt An from Changle Palace came to announce the decree again.