The birth of the little prince went smoothly, but Zhao Mian was inevitably injured, and the doctors hoped that he could rest for a while. Resting does not mean lying on the dragon bed without moving, but letting oneself be in a completely relaxed state and avoid excessive emotional ups and downs. This is not easy for Zhao Mian.
Beiyuan Shengjing's situation was confusing, and he couldn't help but care about it. Also, the feeling of being a father was too mysterious. Even though he had more than half a year to prepare himself mentally, every time he saw the cat-sized little guy in the cradle, he still felt incredible.
Did he really give birth to this? How did he do it
The little prince is so small. How big will he be when he calls him father
Can he be a good father
Of course, there is nothing that Zhao Mian can't do.
Becoming a father for the first time is always a nervous experience, and the king of a country is no exception. The young and strong-willed emperor was very strict with himself. Even though there were three carefully selected wet nurses at his disposal in Yongning Palace, and even though the emperor and the prime minister suggested that they temporarily take care of the little prince so that he could rest in peace, he would still try to take care of the little prince himself - of course, except for feeding.
The little prince's cradle was placed next to the dragon bed. When the little prince cried at night, the first person to rush to the cradle was always his father.
Although Zhao Mian liked children, he was not as skilled as Wei Zhenfeng in taking care of children. He just followed the nurse's instructions, holding the little prince in his arms in a slightly unfamiliar manner, patting his back and talking to him.
"Don't cry, you were so well behaved in my belly, why are you crying so much after you came out?" Zhao Mian said tiredly and weakly, "I have already hugged you and sang a lullaby for you, please give me some face."
The little prince cried even harder in his arms.
Zhao Mian looked down at the little prince's long crow-feather eyelashes that were wet with tears, and suddenly felt extremely frustrated.
He was the king of a country, but he couldn't even comfort his own baby son.
When the wet nurse heard the little prince's cry, she waited at the door early, but without the emperor's order, she did not dare to enter or leave the emperor's bedroom without permission.
Zhao Mian had to admit that he alone could not make the little prince stop crying. He said disheartenedly, "Come in."
The nurse carefully took the little prince from Zhao Mian's hands, took a look at him and said, "Your Majesty, the little prince must be hungry. I will take him to the side hall to feed him."
Zhao Mian nodded woodenly: "Okay."
The little prince had a very loud voice, and when he cried, half of the Yongning Palace could hear it. Not long after he was taken away by the wet nurse, Zhao Mian could no longer hear his crying. The palace returned to peace, but Zhao Mian was no longer sleepy.
When Jiang Dehai came in with the tonic, Zhao Mian was holding a collection of poems, seemingly reading, but his eyes were dull and he didn't turn a page for a long time.
Jiang Dehai asked: "Is the emperor in a bad mood?"
Zhao Mian said expressionlessly, "Why can't I coax the little prince, but the wet nurse can?"
Jiang Dehai smiled and said, "The little prince is just hungry. Whoever gives him milk will be able to coax him."
Zhao Mian understood the truth, but he still felt unhappy.
"Compared to me, the little prince obviously likes the wet nurse more." Zhao Mian lost his temper in self-abandonment, "Just because I have no milk for him, he has completely forgotten the ten months he spent in my belly."
At this moment, Jiang Dehai realized the seriousness of the problem.
Jiang Dehai was an old eunuch who served Zhao Qi and watched Zhao Mian grow up. He knew that the emperor was a man who cared most about his reputation. He could imagine that the emperor was really depressed when he said "I have no milk to give him".
"The little prince has only been born for a few days, how can he understand what he likes and dislikes?" Jiang Dehai advised, "In fact, the emperor does not need to personally take care of everything for the little prince, just leave everything to the wet nurse."
"But the little prince is my child, how can I ignore him?" Zhao Mian said in a muffled voice, "My father and I used to take care of me personally."
Jiang Dehai said with a smile: "When the Emperor and Prime Minister Xiao took care of the Emperor, the wet nurse also helped him. May I ask, Your Majesty, who do you like more now, the Emperor or the wet nurse?"
Zhao Mian's expression relaxed.
Jiang Dehai was indeed an old man in the palace, and his few words touched his heart.
Jiang Dehai took advantage of the victory and continued: "Your Majesty, please have a good rest tonight. The little prince will be fine under the care of the wet nurse."
Zhao Mian looked at the empty cradle, hesitated for a moment, and reluctantly agreed: "Okay."
Without the little prince who might cry at any time by his side, Zhao Mian finally had a good sleep. He gave up on taking care of his son himself and waited for Wei Zhenfeng to come back and let him take care of him.
The next day, when Zhao Qi and Xiao Shiqing came to Yongning Palace, Jiang Dehai told them about Zhao Mian's abnormality.
Zhao Qi said worriedly, "I can understand how Mianmian feels. It's like this when you become a father. He needs to relax completely."
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is approaching. The Lantern Festival is the grandest and most lively festival in Nanjing. In previous years, Zhao Qi and Xiao Shiqing would take the children out of the palace for a night tour. Last year, Zhao Mian missed a year in Beiyuan, and this year he couldn't leave the palace because he needed to rest. Fortunately, there are still many fun things to do even in the palace.
The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful lights everywhere, and there were all kinds of acrobatics, singing and dancing from morning to night. Beside Taiying Lake, palace maids dressed up as folk vendors, and peddlers pushed carts and shouted loudly. Not only that, Zhao Qi also ordered people to move the entire lantern market into the palace to make Mianmian smile.
After nightfall, the lanterns were lit up, and the trees were full of fireworks. Zhao Mian was strolling around the lantern market with his family. When he saw a golden dragon lantern, he remembered that at this time last year, his father went to Beiyuan to pick him up and gave him a golden dragon lantern.
A lot of things happened during the Lantern Festival last year. The first time he and Wei Zhenfeng went to bed was on that day, either to get rid of the poison. In this way, the Lantern Festival was also the day when he and Wei Zhenfeng fell in love with each other.
It’s fine if Wei Zhenfeng can’t make it on New Year’s Eve, but he can’t make it on the Lantern Festival either.
Useless Concubine Wei.
No matter how colorful the lanterns were, they were all covered with a layer of gray in Zhao Mian's eyes. Xiao Shiqing saw the loneliness of his eldest son and said, "Have you thought of a name for the little prince?"
Speaking of the little prince, Zhao Mian perked up: "I have been thinking for a long time but can't think of a particularly satisfactory name. Does father have any ideas?"
Xiao Shiqing said: "The little prince is your child, and you should be the one to name him."
The little prince is also Wei Zhenfeng's child, but Wei Zhenfeng could only come up with a name like "Erdan".
"Brother, I have a good idea!" Zhao Lin said excitedly, "Let's name our nephew 'Zhao Gao'. He will surely grow tall and strong in the future!"
Before Zhao Mian could say anything, his father's voice came from the side: "No, I absolutely don't agree!"
The little princess in Xiao Shiqing's arms babbled, as if she disagreed with her second brother giving her nephew such a name. Xiao Shiqing asked Zhao Lin calmly, "Where have you studied all these years?"
Zhao Mian was lost in thought, and before his eyes was a scene of prosperity, brilliance, and vitality.
"'Fan' means prosperity," Zhao Mian decided. "The little prince will be named Zhao Fan."
"Nickname 'Fanfan'?" Zhao Qi called it several times and smiled. "That's good. I like it."
After enjoying the lanterns, everyone returned to Yongning Palace to visit the newly named little prince. A newborn baby changes every day, but after only five or six days, his eyebrows and eyes already resemble Zhao Mian, except for his pair of bright and shining eyes, which are quite similar to Wei Zhenfeng.
Zhao Mian always felt that maybe one day, the little prince would also have a pair of symmetrical teardrop moles under his eyes.
The little prince's name has been decided, but Zhao Mian is still worried about one thing - he doesn't know whether the efficacy of the Dongling secret medicine has been passed on to the little prince.
I hope that Cheng Boyan and Bai Yu, the master and apprentice, can find a solution to this problem as soon as possible.
At night, the family gathered around the cradle and chatted. Zhao Mian was still a little absent-minded, and his eyes occasionally glanced at Jinghong Jian. Suddenly, there was a burst of hurried footsteps outside the door. Zhao Mian and his father looked at each other, and their hearts began to beat violently.
Zhao Mian's voice trembled slightly: "Father, this is...?"
"It may not be news from Beiyuan." Xiao Shiqing said, "Don't worry."
Urgent news on the night of the Lantern Festival... How could he not be anxious
"Your Majesty!" Zhou Huai's voice came in before his men arrived, "Your Majesty, look who's here!"
Zhao Mian could no longer sit still, and walked out quickly, regardless of her condition as she had just given birth.
Could it be Wei Zhenfeng
It must be! He may not be angry if I don't come back to spend New Year's Eve with him, but if I miss the Lantern Festival, he will definitely be furious.
Zhao Mian walked too fast and almost bumped into Zhou Huairang. Zhou Huairang was startled: "Your Majesty?"
Zhao Mian was rarely so anxious: "Where is he?"
Zhou Huairang pointed out of the hall breathlessly: "It's right at the door!"
Zhao Mian was about to rush out when he suddenly heard his father calling his name. He knew he had lost his composure. According to state etiquette, he should stay where he was and call the person to see him, instead of lowering his status to meet him.
But he couldn't care less. If it was Wei Zhenfeng, his loss of composure wouldn't matter.
Zhao Mian walked out regardless. Two people stood outside the hall, looking dusty and exhausted after a hard journey.
There are clouds and flowers, but no Wei Zhenfeng.
Zhao Mian looked again and again, searched again and again, but still couldn't find Wei Zhenfeng.
Yun Yong and Hua Ju saw him and bowed, "Your Majesty, on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the deposed crown prince of Beiyuan died, and Emperor Yuan was seriously ill. Your Highness's plan has been completed."
Zhao Mian was in a trance for a moment. He didn't even have time to feel relieved. His mind was blank.
He seemed to become dull and could not immediately understand what Yun Yong and Hua Ju said.
"The prince has accomplished his great wish" is probably saying that Wei Zhenfeng is fine, not injured, and has fulfilled his long-cherished wish.
do you mean this
It was not until his father's voice sounded behind him that Zhao Mian was pulled back to the present world.
Xiao Shiqing said: "The news from Qianjiyuan has not yet arrived, but you guys are here first."
Yun Yong said, "Replying to Prime Minister Xiao, the prince is afraid that His Majesty will worry, so if he wins, he will order us to rush to Shangjing as fast as possible."
The mist in Zhao Mian's eyes gradually dissipated, and he let out a long sigh of relief belatedly, and the heavy rock hanging in his heart finally fell.
Wei Zhenfeng is fine, he doesn't have to raise the child alone anymore.
But since everything is fine, where is Wei Zhenfeng
Zhao Mian's expression quickly changed from relieved to stern and cold: "I ordered you to rush to Shangjing as fast as possible? Why didn't Wei Zhenfeng come himself?"
Yun Yong and Hua Ju looked at each other. Hua Ju hesitated: "The prince..."
Yun Yong took over Hua Ju's words and said, "Your Majesty, the situation in the Beiyuan court is still unstable, and the prince will not be able to escape for a while."
Zhao Mian narrowed his eyes and suddenly laughed: "Oh, Wei Zhenfeng may have hurt himself again and dare not come to see me."
Hua Ju: “…”
Yunyong: “…”
Xiao Shiqing only spoke from the perspective of the palace coup: "After the palace coup succeeds, the instability factors will still exist in the short term. Wei Zhenfeng must indeed stay in Shengjing to take charge, otherwise all the previous efforts will be wasted if there is any mistake."
Zhao Mian said "Oh" and said slowly: "The Prime Minister can understand him very well."
Zhao Qi tugged at Xiao Shiqing's official uniform and whispered, "Brother, can I have a word with you?"
Xiao Shiqing followed Zhao Qi to the side and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Really? Xiao Shiqing, you've been with me through giving birth to three children. Have you really learned nothing?" Zhao Qi's expression was indescribable. "You're still the number one prime minister in Nanjing."
Xiao Shiqing: "…What do you mean?"
Zhao Qi explained: "Mianmian is so smart, how could he not know the principle of putting the overall situation first? But knowing is one thing, but Wei Zhenfeng should still be blamed, otherwise Wei Zhenfeng will really get away with it."
Xiao Shiqing was silent for a moment: "Understood."
(End of this chapter)