Concubine De, who had passed her birthday at the Spring Festival banquet, and Mu Tao, who had just been crowned king, were the protagonists of the banquet. The seats for the mother and son were placed at the top, next to the food table of Mu Huai and Rong Xi.
In his previous life, Mu Huai was suspicious, listened to the rumors, and cruelly planned to execute his own third brother.
After Mu Tao passed away, he realized that he had made a big mistake. His third brother had never betrayed his heart.
Recalling that when his leg was not healed, Mu Tao also took good care of his half-brother, helping him a lot both overtly and secretly.
He has a surly temper. When he was in the Hanlin Academy, some members of the clan and his companions who came from aristocratic families dared to be angry and dare not speak out. Mu Tao would always deal with his aftermath, explaining to those clansmen and aristocrats, for fear that Mu Huai would offend too much. people.
And Mu Ji often uses these things to show his gentleness and virtue.
Although his relationship with Mu Ji and Mu Qian was due to the past events between his mothers, Mu Tao couldn't bear to see his brothers fight against each other. During the years when his legs were unable to walk due to a poisonous poison, Mu Tao also tried many ways to repair it. The relationship between the three.
After Mu Tao's death in the previous life, Mu Huai recalled the past and realized that the third brother had really done many things for him silently.
Later, when he ascended the throne, Mu Tao helped him share his worries during the drought year in Daqi. He personally went to Zizhou, where the drought was the worst, to provide disaster relief. He was a good king who cared for the people.
Time has changed and things have changed. When Mu Huai remembered the events of his previous life, he felt ashamed of Mu Tao in his heart.
Mu Huai raised the wine cup respectfully in a rare manner, congratulated Concubine De on her birthday, and also congratulated Mu Tao on opening the mansion and becoming king.
Concubine De was overwhelmed by flattery, she was stunned for a moment before she raised the cup and drank the wine.
She has the best relationship with Mu Huai's mother, Concubine Xian, and Mu Huai was considered to have grown up under her watch, but even when Concubine Xian was still alive, she felt that the fourth prince's temper was a bit unruly.
After Mu Huai became the crown prince, even though he was proficient in all aspects of culture, military affairs and strategy, and was a diligent and resourceful heir, his temperament became more and more arrogant.
His status is inherently high, and he has abilities that are difficult for ordinary people. It is normal for him to be withdrawn.
After Concubine Xian's death, Mu Huai soon suffered from leg problems. Concubine De felt sorry for the fourth prince who lost his mother when he urinated, and always warned Mu Tao to take care of Mu Huai when he was in the Imperial Academy.
Mu Tao is sensible, and has been following the teachings of his mother and concubine all these years, taking care of Mu Huai secretly, and has a good relationship with Mu Ji, the elder brother
Although Mu Ji is currently confined in the palace, Concubine De is relieved to see that the Prince's attitude towards her and Mu Tao is still friendly.
A while ago, when Emperor Zhuang told her about making Mu Tao the king, she was still worried, fearing that Mu Huai would be jealous of Mu Tao, and before Mu Tao moved to the mansion, she had talked to him a lot to make him You must keep a low profile, and you must not surpass the prince of the East Palace.
The matter of Concubine Li Gui made her still have lingering fears, she was too aware of how ruthless the prince was, but now it seemed that the prince was unsuspecting of her mother and son.
Emperor Zhuang saw everything in his eyes, and said gently to the empress beside him: "I see that after the crown prince accepted Concubine Liang, his temperament is much more modest than before, and he also knows how to be filial to his mother-in-law and respect his elder brother."
The queen nodded, and looked at Mu Huai and Rong Xi, but the smile on her face was a little stiff.
Concubine De saw that the wine bar in front of Rong Xi was empty, and asked a little puzzled: "Is Liang Di not good at drinking, why don't you see you drinking?"
After hearing this, Rong Xi glanced at Mu Huai beside her, not knowing how to reply to Concubine De's words, few people in the palace knew that she was pregnant, and she didn't know whether Mu Huai intended to let others know about it.
Mu Huai was holding on to the wine bar in his palm, and his straight and three-dimensional profile looked very calm. After he nodded, Rong Xi understood his intentions, and explained softly to Concubine De: "...I am pregnant, so …no alcohol.”
After saying that, he covered his lower abdomen and lowered his eyes a little shyly.
Concubine De showed a happy smile on her face, and praised: "Di Liang is born beautiful, and she is also a lucky person, I can't blame the Crown Prince for doting on you."
The two sisters of the Zhai family on the opposite side of the seat have been observing the conversation between Rong Xi and Concubine De. Although there is still some distance between the two of them, Zhai Shiyin carefully identified the mouth shapes of Rong Xi and Concubine De when they were talking, and saw that Rong Xi was subconsciously speaking. The movement of protecting her lower abdomen made her heart tense up.
It seems that Zhai Shihua guessed it right, that concubine is really pregnant!
At the banquet, there were staggered toasts, singing and singing, and the fragrance of mellow wine overflowed.
Mu Huai wore the emperor's prince's ocher yellow banquet clothes and a dark black rhinoceros hairpin. His brows were deep and reserved, and he clearly had a handsome appearance, but his aura was so fierce that no one dared to look at him.
He coldly glanced at Emperor Zhuang's concubines, only drank a few jugs of sake, and had no intention of using these extravagant dishes.
After he ascended the throne in his previous life, the number of banquets held in a year can be counted on one's fingers. Except for the necessary royal sacrifices, officials from the Ministry of Rites rarely need to preside over these ceremonies.
Mu Huai silently looked at the dishes on the food table. The money needed for each dish is very valuable. If you save the money for these wines and dishes and the singers enshrined in the palace, you may be able to buy a lot from Xijiang A good horse can also cover the annual expenses of thousands of soldiers.
Thinking that three years later, the drought that would occur on the border of Daqi would exhaust the national treasury, Yan Juxu adopted a more relaxed policy in his previous life, allowing Daqi to recuperate and restore his national strength.
But it took two or three years to make up for the shortfall of the drought.
In the past two or three years, he has been in Annei, and he had to give up on the matter of foreign affairs.
Looking at these concubines, Mu Huai felt restless.
After Emperor Zhuang died, he still had to support these concubines and concubines, and the cost of food and clothing was only more money than before.
As for the drought three years later, he could only prevent it in advance, not prevent it.
Although the emperors are all true dragon emperors, if the heaven wants to bring down drought, no matter how powerful he is, he will not be able to stop it.
Rong Xi also lost his appetite.
She didn't have the time to take care of Mu Huai who was always sullen. Anyway, this man's temperament was always unpredictable, and she was used to it long ago.
But he was thinking that he was wearing brocade clothes, eating extravagant food, and enjoying the royal honor.
But what about Yunlan and Huanniang
They were supposed to live a good life, Yun Lan should be diligently practicing her medical skills at Shangyao Bureau, and Huan Niang should live an ordinary and happy life with her family.
But the instigator, the eldest lady of the Zhai family, Zhai Shiyin, was also at the palace banquet, dressed up like a cloud, and her demeanor looked more graceful than a princess.
The maids presented fresh fish one after another, Rong Xi sniffed the smell, and felt a little nauseous, and the sickness that he hadn't had for a long time relapsed.
She covered her heart, and said to Mu Huai in a low voice: "Husband... I am a little embarrassed, afraid that I will vomit indecently at the banquet, so I want to leave the banquet to get some air."
Mu Huai's thoughts stopped for a while, and he turned around to ask, but saw Rong Xi had already got up, and quickly left here with Dan Xiang.
He shook his head helplessly, and ordered the eunuch beside him to say: "Go and ask the attendant to follow Di Liang, and tell her that if she feels unwell, she doesn't have to return to the banquet, and directly returns to the East Palace to rest."
The eunuch should be.
Mu Huai caught a glimpse of the sapphire dish in front of Rong Xi, which was also clean. Like him, he hadn't used any food, so he finally frowned, thinking that he would go and see for himself later.
After Rong Xi left Zirui Palace, she took Danxiang to the nearby Imperial Garden. She leaned against the steep rockery, clutching her heart and retching for a while.
The attendants had already followed behind the two of them, but at this moment, Zhai Shiyin was also walking in front of them with the maid she brought into the palace from her mother's house.
The side of Rong Xi shown by the sisters of the Zhai family has always been a domineering and arrogant idiot beauty, but she has never seen such a lonely and weak state today.
Zhai Shiyin felt a little displeased when she saw another attendant blocking her.
After Rong Xi's malaise subsided a bit, she straightened up, her voice was still sweet and soft, but it was cold and repulsive.
She asked Zhai Shiyin in a cold voice, "What are you doing here?"
The hem of Zhai Shiyin's gorgeous clothes was swaying to the ground, she gathered her cloud-like bun, and pretended to be concerned: "Rong Liangdi's sickness is a bit severe, I'm afraid this pregnancy will be very hard?"
Rong Xi's beautiful face was a bit cold, she did not reply to Zhai Shiyin's words, but asked instead: "Miss Zhai came here to care about me and the prince's child, isn't it?"
Zhai Shiyin chuckled, secretly thinking that this concubine is not too stupid.
In the cold moon and frost, Zhai Shiyin's clear and beautiful face suddenly turned into a serious color, she said quietly: "A few years ago, my father had a Taichang Temple official named Rong Bing under my father's surname."
After finishing speaking, Zhai Shiyin observed Rong Xi's expression.
When Rong Xi heard the word Rong Bing, his heart skipped a beat, but his expression was still calm.
Zhai Shiyin said again: "When Rong Bing moved to the mausoleum for the late empress, he neglected his duties and committed a serious mistake, causing the coffin of the late empress to be eaten by termites, and then he was stripped of his official position by the emperor and exiled. "
Rong Xi didn't know how Zhai Shiyin knew about this, she guessed what she was thinking, and couldn't complain about these days, Dan Xiang said that someone in the palace was already spreading her life experience.
It is said that she was originally the daughter of a guilty minister, but she has been hiding the truth from His Highness the Crown Prince.
Mu Huai ordered to suppress these rumors, but this matter has already been rumored, and it will be very difficult to suppress it any longer.
No one was free enough to check her details, after all, there were emperors who accepted folk women as concubines in the past.
These rumors must have been spread by Zhai Shiyin
Rong Xi clenched her fists secretly.
Seeing that Rong Xi was silent, Zhai Shiyin said in a slightly aggressive tone, "If this Rong Bing has children, he will be your age. Di Rong Liang is really a good trick. She concealed the identity of the daughter of the criminal minister with the crown prince, and returned the mother Now that Zigui has a position, aren't you afraid that things will be exposed?"
Rong Xi slightly hooked her lips and smiled charmingly.
When Zhai Shiyin was slightly startled, she saw Rong Xi sizing her up and down with those peach-blossom eyes, and replied calmly: "Where did you hear the news? Feel free to find a courtier with the same surname as mine, and he will be my servant." Father, Miss Zhai's life is really easy."
Rong Xi didn't want to cause trouble for Mu Huai because of her father's affairs, and Zhai Shiyin came prepared to make things difficult for her, she can't reveal her identity yet.
Zhai Shiyin couldn't confirm whether Rong Xi was Rong Bing's daughter, seeing that Rong Xi was still calm, her gentle voice sank a bit, and she said with a joking smile: "It doesn't matter if you are Rong Bing's daughter or not, Many people inside and outside the palace have already spread rumors that the current crown prince actually married the daughter of a guilty minister as Liangdi. After a while, the gang of censors in the admonishment court will report on the matter of impeachment. The crown prince himself promises you Your status is too high, your status is low and you have no background, you should restrain your temperament, but you are so domineering. Rong Liangdi, I advise you, be a low-key person, don't think that being pregnant with an heir is enough. Lawless, and the handle is in the hands of others, aren't you afraid that one day you will fall from a high place?"
Since Rong Xi returned to the palace with Mu Huai, he has never kept Mu Huai's identity from him.
Although her identity as the daughter of a criminal subject is true, she can do nothing about it.
But what face does Zhai Shiyin have to show off his might in front of her
Mu Huai didn't let her go, so she relied on being the empress' niece, the eldest daughter of Zhai, Minister of Rites, and taught her a humble lesson every time.
Do you really think that you are already the princess of the Eastern Palace
Now set up the room score in front of her, and invite her to drink tea in the concubine's room.
Seeing that Rong Xi was really sullen, and her slender shoulders were trembling with anger, Zhai Shiyin's smile deepened, and she said: "I advise you to take care of yourself, concubines who are proud of favors have never had a good end, let alone you who have no status and only A concubine who can rely on her husband's love... "
Before they finished speaking, everyone saw the petite Rong Liangdi walking quickly in front of Zhai Shiyin, who was slightly taller than her, and slapped her with a raised hand.
The sound of "啪—" sounded extraordinarily loud and crisp.
This slap was so strong that Zhai Shiyin's head went numb.
She couldn't believe it.
Although she knew that Rong Xi came from the common people and behaved vulgarly, she never thought that a delicate woman would actually slap someone
The palm of Rong Xi's hand was also in hot pain. She had slapped the mouth of a palace man for Yu Zhaorong before, and knew how hard to use to make it hurt more.
It took Zhai Shiyin three days to reduce the swelling.
It took Zhai Shiyin a while to recover, she only brought one court lady with her, so she was not as powerful as Rong Xi, who was surrounded by a group of attendants.
She covered her sore cheeks, looked at Rong Xi in disbelief, and asked angrily, "You...you dare to hit me? I'm the queen's niece, how dare you, Liang Di, hit me?"
When mentioning the queen, Rong Xi sneered.
If it wasn't for the queen, Yu Zhaorong wouldn't have given birth either.
She really hated these women surnamed Zhai.
Rong Xi's sweet voice sounded a bit pressing at this time, she said to Zhai Shiyin in a cold voice: "Listen well, I don't have any background from my mother's family, but as you said, I have the prince's favor, She is pregnant with the emperor's heir again. If you dare to bully me, do you think the crown prince will protect me? If you are really confident that you can successfully enter the East Palace as a concubine, then I will wait for you in the East Palace to see if you can take the crown prince His favor is taken from me."
"you… "
Zhai Shiyin has already lost the ability to speak.
Rong Xi saw a familiar figure not far away, and saw that Zhai Shiyin was about to leave this place with his hands on his cheeks, he hurriedly pulled out the hairpin from his hair, and then, under Dan Xiang's surprised eyes, he messed up his bun.
Seeing Rong Xi's actions, Zhai Shiyin secretly sighed that this woman is really a crazy woman, she must have lost her mind by now, what's the use of being good-looking? The actions he made were more puzzling than the last, without any royal demeanor.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he heard an angry voice not far away—
Mu Huai's face was gloomy, and he stood tall and straight in front of the crowd, and asked coldly, "What's going on?"
Just as Zhai Shiyin was about to reply, she saw Rong Xi jumping into the man's arms in front of her like a frightened oriole.
Just now she looked like she was about to eat her, but now it's pear blossoms with rain, I see you pity.
Mu Huai hugged her, and with a slightly eager voice, he asked again: "Why did you become like this?"
Under Zhai Shiyin's surprised expression, Rong Xi leaned his head in the man's arms, and said in a very aggrieved voice: "Your Highness, Miss Zhai is just going to teach me a lesson, please take a look at the hair on my hair." Miss Zhai knocked out all of her hairpins, my body is in great pain."