"Mother, should we compete with Duke Dingguo's Mansion? Although the Queen is powerful, she may not be able to defeat us!"
Meimei looked at Meijuan, her twin daughters. When they could speak at the age of one, they could recognize the literacy cards that they had made for Heng'er. When they were two or three, they read the books that children aged seven or eight should read in the Fuzhongyuan. They had an uncle who had passed the imperial examinations, but he looked down on the teachers in the academy. Relying on Xu Junying's love, they ran to his study every day. When their father was reading official documents, they would flip through the books, thick or thin, and didn't know if they could understand them. At the age of five, they worked together to refute the prince and Ah Heng speechless. At that time, they were talking about people's livelihood issues at the dinner table. They were gifted and intelligent. Their upbringing and the things they were exposed to were different from others. Meimei not only taught them herself, but also invited various famous teachers to teach them. She spoiled and loved them since they were young, but she would not spoil them or protect them tightly. The topics that Meimei talked about with the girls could sometimes be so serious that they felt depressing, but she insisted on doing so, and the children could accept it.
"Do you think it's necessary to fight? Are you willing to enter the palace as a concubine?"
"But my sister will be sad, she likes the prince, and the prince likes my sister too!"
"The Crown Prince may be very fond of your sister now. As the Crown Prince, he can marry only the Crown Princess. Many years later, when he ascends to the throne, do you think he can abandon the beauties in the six palaces and keep only one Queen? Even if he is willing, will the Queen Mother, the royal family, and the ministers agree? Then your sister will have to face his infidelity!"
"But, at least they can spend a few years together, no matter what happens in the future!"
Meimei was stunned: "Beauty! You... Is this your idea? Who taught you to think this way?"
Meijuan was very calm: "It's not what I thought, it was my sister who told me that she likes the Crown Prince and is willing to accompany him. She will stay with him as long as he lets her, and she will be willing to leave after that!"
"Tsk! You guys are too young to understand..."
Meijuan said seriously: "My sister and I think differently. I want a man like my father who loves me as much as he loves my mother. He can only have me for the rest of his life! I can also give birth to many babies like my mother, and we can love them together!"
Meimei stretched out her hand to Meijuan, who then obediently placed her face in her warm palm and gently stroked it: "Sister is right, she likes the prince so much, I am willing to help her, mother, can you fulfill her wish?"
"Baby, you have to know that the position of Crown Princess is not so easy to fight for! The Dingguo Mansion has always been low-key. His daughter has never entered the palace, and has never even appeared in public. It is our child who has always walked around in front of the emperor and shown off in front of people. It is enough to arouse envy and hatred. Any reason that is not in the best interest of the emperor, even a slight word, can attract the stone of the well... The Crown Prince will get married next year, and the Queen will start to take action. How can the Queen Mother not be prepared? Wait, the daughter of the Chen family will appear sooner or later, and even the daughters of other noble families... The Queen is indifferent to her family, and the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion is silent. In the past, they ate, drank and had fun, and made friends with powerful officials at various banquets. Their network of contacts is getting stronger and stronger. This is inseparable from the Queen's secret support. The Duke of Dingguo's Mansion will not want to make enemies with our family. They are just trying to get what they want. The prince really likes good intentions, and the emperor really wants to be in-laws with your father. The Queen is enthusiastic about this matter, but there is one thing that can make the emperor hesitate and prevent your sister from becoming the Crown Princess. Do you know what it is? Your father's proud achievements and the power in his hands! This is a benefit, but also a harm. The Queen, she is really smart!"
The beautiful concubine looked at him with a burning gaze: "So what? She can't compete with the prince's sincerity..."
Meimei looked at her daughter, "Didn't I make it clear enough? Don't play tricks on the Queen, just let nature take its course! Do you understand? The Emperor and your father are fine now, who knows what will happen in the future? Your father was a brave man and held most of the military power, but he was loyal to the country and the emperor, not to mention the heart of rebellion, he didn't even have the ambition to be promoted! If you insist on fighting for the position of Crown Princess in order to prevent your sister from being wronged, the Queen can easily discipline your sister in the harem, and can also take the opportunity to deceive the Emperor with other ministers and spread unfavorable remarks about your father. Don't underestimate women's tricks. The Emperor may not believe them completely, but he will definitely be suspicious of your father, which will bring disaster to our family!"
"Daughter, I understand!"
The beautiful wife blinked her bright eyes and said, "Mother, will there be any disaster in our family?"
Meimei patted her daughter and said, "Be good, don't be afraid. I'm just explaining the situation to you. Our family won't be in trouble now. But fortune and disaster are unpredictable in this world. Life is precious. Our loved ones deserve our cherishment and love. We must rely on our wisdom and ability to strive for happiness and avoid disasters. We don't ask for great wealth and honor, but only for our family to be reunited and safe... This is what I hope for!"
The beautiful girl snuggled in her mother's arms, closed her eyes, and thought: This is what I wanted too!
The heat of June was unbearable. The Queen accompanied the Queen Mother to escape the heat at Yiyun Royal Manor outside the city. The Emperor was reluctant to leave his concubine who was pregnant, so he sent the Crown Prince and the Second Prince to accompany their grandmother and mother. The Queen followed the Queen Mother's wishes and invited the two girls from the Chen family to go with them. She felt that the number was still a little small, so she invited the twin sisters from the Xu family. Seeing the smile on the Crown Prince's face, she said, "Why not invite your cousin Meifu along as well? In the spring, she soaked in cold water for you for half a day and was sick for a month. If it weren't for her, you and Meiyi would have fallen into the cold water and fallen ill!"
The prince smiled and said, "We should remember her kindness. When my son asks the eunuchs to pick up Meiyi and her family, they can stop by Dingguo Mansion to pick up Meifu!"
The queen nodded and said, "Go ahead. Meifu is honest and kind, not as clever and scheming as Meiyi and the others. You are her cousin, so you should take better care of her and don't let her suffer too much!"
"Yes, my son remembers it!"
At Weiyuan Marquis's residence, Meimei was also reminding her two daughters: "Be careful, sisters, don't separate, try to stay with adults, and don't leave everyone's sight at will..."
They also gave instructions to their personal maids, telling them that unless the young lady was with the nobles, they should follow her closely once she came out and not leave her side for even a step!
Ah Kang said at the side: "Mother, it's good enough that our two sisters don't harm others, how can they be harmed by others? My eldest brother is following the prince and will watch over them. If you are really worried, can I go with you?"
Meimei glanced at him and said, "You weren't invited, and even I, your mother, can't go! Besides, if you go, it will only make things worse. It's a good thing it was the Fourth Prince who was beaten last time. If it was the Fifth Prince born to the Queen, you would have been whipped and made to kneel in the ancestral hall to apologize!"
"That fourth prince deserves a beating! The third, sixth, and seventh princes together are no match for me. Then the fifth prince came and I didn't get the upper hand in my fight with him... I heard that he has a great monk as his master, so it seems he is not a charlatan!"
Seeing his mother's eyes grow colder, A Kang scratched his head and said, "I won't dare to do that again, my son!"
"Why don't you think about it? That's the imperial palace, someone else's territory. If you dare to touch the prince, what will the imperial guards do to you? What should I do?"
"Mother, that's a personal grudge. We agreed not to call the guards. My son is not that stupid!"
"Humph, do you think the princes are easy to mess with? Fortunately, your eldest brother brought the crown prince here, otherwise you would have been beaten to a pulp by them!"
"Zhao Jie will not stand idly by. It is me who does not want his help. If he comes up, those five princes will definitely not be our opponents!"
"You! Who is Zhao Jie? He is a prince, a member of the royal family. He doesn't help his own brothers but helps you instead. You are dreaming!"
"Mother, Zhao Jie and I are sworn brothers, he will only help me!"
"… "
While the mother and son were talking, Meiyi and Meijuan had already boarded the carriage sent by the palace and went to Duke Dingguo's Mansion to pick up Meifu, and then rushed to the city gate to wait. After a while, they saw the prince and Ah Heng riding tall horses, leading a large group of guards and eunuchs to accompany the queen and the queen mother in their sedan chairs slowly. The prince rode his horse close to the carriage and greeted Meiyi and the others. The guards around him came over to arrange for their carriage to insert into the middle of the team, following the queen's phoenix sedan chair, and the group headed for Yiyun Villa outside the city.
It was agreed that the prince would stay for three to five days, but unexpectedly, after just one night, the Queen hurriedly took the prince back to the palace the next day. The prince was riding on a horse in high spirits when he left, but when he came back, he lay listlessly in his mother's phoenix sedan chair, looking very embarrassed.
After the emperor found out the reason, he could not help but remain silent. It was a good intention again. That girl must be so naughty! Can't she be quiet? How did Meimei teach her daughter? And the rules that the maids taught her all day long were all in vain? She will be married next year. How can she be worthy of the responsibility of the Crown Princess
In the upper room of Qinghua Courtyard in Xu's house, Meimei glared at her sobbing daughter Meiyi with disapproval and scolded her for being brainless. It was enough for such a thing to happen once, but how could it happen a second time
Meijuan stood beside her sister, her face calm and she didn't say much. She answered every question her mother asked. Except for Ah Heng who was accompanying the prince in the palace, the other children gathered around her, sitting and leaning on the couch. Because the maids had been sent out, Ah Xue and Ah Cheng sensibly picked up the fans to fan their mother and sister. Meiyi and Meifang pulled Meiyi's skirt with tears in their eyes:
"Don't cry, sister. I'm good!"
Ah Kang coaxed the little sister and asked Ah Meng to bring out the literacy cards and building blocks and pile them in front of them:
"Let's play this. Sister will be fine after crying for a while. Let's not bother her, okay?"
"not good!"
"Why?"
"Because my sister is crying!"
"Tsk!" Ah Kang was helpless and turned to look at Meiyi in annoyance. His sister was becoming more and more capable. She injured the prince every time she attacked him. It was too amazing!
Xu Junying came back in the evening and didn't say much. He just comforted his wife and daughter: "It's okay, the prince is much better now. Let him tell you his good wishes, don't be sad!"
Ah Heng told his sister: "The prince said: I will come to see you after my injury is healed in a few days!"
In the palace, the queen stroked her forehead and thanked: This time it was really dangerous, I almost harmed my son!
The steps for this short stay at the imperial manor were well arranged. Falling into the water was just the beginning: After much difficulty, they found an excuse to transfer Ah Heng away, leaving Meijuan to read opera for the empress dowager. A group of girls were playing in the water by the pool. Meiyi accidentally fell into the ice spring. There were many guards by the pool, so she would not die if she went in. At most, she would just swallow a few gulps of water. She just wanted Meiyi to make a fool of herself in public. She was dressed in a cool gauze dress and was rescued by the guards after falling into the water. However, Meiyi could swim and refused to be rescued. Instead, she swam away. When the prince and Ah Heng came up, they did not see Meiyi being picked up from the water by the guards, but saw her swimming freely in the water like a mermaid. The prince was afraid that the water was too cold, so he hurried to pull her up. In a panic, he fell on the bluestone road, his buttocks and thighs peeled and bled, and his arm joints were dislocated... After the imperial physician's diagnosis, the queen said it was nothing serious, but she was still worried and summoned Zhang Jingyun to the palace for a diagnosis. After a careful examination, Jingyun also said it was nothing serious and that she would be fine in a few days if she followed the imperial physician's prescription. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)