Shen Xinyan suppressed a smile and watched Brother Xiang reciting the book. Seeing the little guy imitating his husband and shaking his head with his hands behind his back, she almost couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Mother, don't laugh!" Brother Xiang noticed her insincerity, and said with a stern face.
"Okay, mother doesn't laugh." Shen Xinyan straightened her back, pretending to be serious.
Brother Xiang was satisfied, and continued to shake his head and recite his "Zhihu Zhe Ye". After reciting the last sentence, he looked at Shen Xinyan with shining eyes, and his small face was full of expectation.
Shen Xin and Yan Qing coughed, trying to suppress the corners of her upturned mouth, and boasted: "Brother Xiang recites really well!"
When Brother Xiang heard this, he immediately puffed out his small chest, and said loudly: "I can recite even better in the future!"
"What are you carrying?" Wei Junhang who just walked in asked casually when he heard what the youngest son said.
"Endorsement, Daddy, next time I can recite more books." Brother Xiang ran up to him, raised his head and said.
Wei Junhang patted the seeds on his head: "Okay, Daddy will wait."
"Why did you come back so early today? Didn't you say that you invited some colleagues to drink?" After coaxing her younger son to go out to play, Shen Xinyan asked the girl to bring in warm water and waited on him to wash his face and hands before asking.
"That kid Qiao Liu missed the appointment, which made us wait in vain." Wei Junhang took the clean cotton towel she handed over and wiped the water droplets on his hands, and said helplessly.
"Didn't you say that he is always the most punctual? Why did he miss the appointment this time?" Shen Xinyan was a little surprised.
"Who knows what this old boy is doing! But if I had to guess, he must have been forced too hard by his old man's forced marriage, so he ran away when he couldn't bear it." When he said this, his tone became more Undisguised schadenfreude.
Shen Xinyan couldn't help laughing, and said angrily: "It's a pity that people still regard you as the best brother, but you are still making sarcastic remarks here."
Wei Junhang laughed, and then said: "His first wife has passed away for so many years, and it's time to marry another one. No wonder his old lady is rushing."
Shen Xinyan smiled: "You are right."
"Almost forgot to tell you." Wei Junhang slapped his forehead suddenly.
"What?" Shen Xinyan was suspicious.
"The princess is pregnant again!"
"I'm pregnant again? This is a great joy!" Shen Xinyan was a little surprised, but happy for the princess.
"It's a good thing indeed, I'm afraid the Crown Princess may not be completely happy." Wei Junhang shook his head.
If he can win a man this time, no matter if he is the prince or the concubine, or even Concubine Rui in the palace, the pressure on her body will be much lighter.
Of the three grandchildren of Emperor Yuanyou, the crown prince had two daughters, and the second prince, who never left his body with medicines, had a son. The third prince had nothing to do since they got married.
Especially the Crown Princess, who gave birth to two daughters in a row, if she had another daughter this time, I am afraid that the day when the little Princess is born will not be far away from Emperor Yuanyou bestowing the Crown Prince Liangdi.
In case the eldest son of the crown prince comes from Emperor Liang's belly in the future, the situation of the crown princess will be even more difficult.
Shen Xinyan also thought of this, and she couldn't hide the worry between her brows: "It is God's will to have a boy and a girl, and it is not controlled by manpower. If the princess can't think about it, how can she raise her baby with peace of mind?"
"The prince's pressure is not less than hers. As the crown prince, the heir should also be considered. If he has no children for a day, the position of the prince will not be considered safe." Wei Junhang sighed.
This time, if the Crown Princess gives birth to a child, everyone will be happy; if she gives birth to a daughter...
The Crown Princess was happy, and the eyes of the government and the public naturally fell on the East Palace, just waiting for the Crown Princess's birth to be ripe.
According to the usual practice of the royal family in this dynasty, we still try our best to hope that the eldest son will come from the main family. If the main room does not give birth, it is not a fault.
Emperor Yuanyou himself was the eldest son, so he naturally hoped that the crown prince would also have an eldest son. This was also the reason why he did not give the crown prince a good emperor after the concubine gave birth to two daughters.
After all, he could afford to wait at that time, and so could the ruling and opposition parties.
While everyone was staring at the belly of the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, Emperor Yuanyou suddenly ordered Concubine Rui to be conferred the title of empress. The courtiers were a little bit stunned when they first heard it, but it wasn't too surprising.
After all, Concubine Rui's status in the palace over the years has been equivalent to that of a queen, the difference is only a status.
What's more, she was originally a wife for His Majesty. If there hadn't been an accident that year, the empress position should have been hers. It would have been many years too late to confer the title at this time.
On the day of the Queen's Conferment Ceremony, Shen Xinyan was dressed in the ceremonial attire of the Duke's wife, and stood at the front of the line of wives of the imperial court. She secretly looked at the dignified and graceful woman who was wearing a phoenix robe on the throne above her, and she felt deeply in her heart. Mixed feelings.
The ups and downs of Queen Zhao's life can be regarded as a legend.
If she hadn't experienced the disasters of the past, she might have spent her life peacefully under the love of her husband like Zhou Wanning in her previous life; she might have died early in the battle in the harem, and she would never be as beautiful as before; or she might have lived in the harem. After being honed during the struggle, she finally completely lost her original innocence and truly became the master of the harem.
The deafening 'Queen Empress' resounded through the hall, and Shen Xinyan and other court wives knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times, formally saluting the new queen.
After the ceremony, there was no noble concubine Rui in the palace, only Empress Zhao.
Not long after the conferring ceremony, Emperor Yuanyou suddenly decreed that the second prince canonize as King Shun and the third prince as King Ping. At the same time, the second daughter of the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple was given as the side concubine of King Ping.
After the decree spread, Shen Xinyan, who was discussing with the Eldest Princess about the candidate for the eldest daughter-in-law, trembled and almost knocked over the teacup in her hand.
Prince Ping's side concubine? In this way, in this life, Zhou Guanning will serve another woman together
She couldn't really tell what it was like.
In her previous life, before her death, the eldest son had only Zhou Wanning by his side, and he faithfully carried out the "one couple" to the end. Even in order to prevent Zhou Guanning from being wronged, the eldest son, who had always been extremely filial to the eldest princess, refuted her intentions on the spot because of the concubine's room.
After doing it all over again, Zhou Guanning failed to marry into the Duke's mansion, but instead married into the royal family and became Princess Ping. But at the same time, she is about to welcome Prince Ping's side concubine, who shares her husband with her.
What a heavy blow this should be to her, who has always been delicate and used to being cared for wholeheartedly by those around her!
Even if this husband may not be the one she loves, it doesn't mean that she will be happy to see another woman to share with her.
And the second daughter of Master Kong, Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, if she remembers correctly, she is the first wife of the third prince in the previous life, and later the princess of Prince Ping. She never thought that because Zhou Guanning became the main concubine in this life, she could only become a side concubine.
What kind of a relationship is this! If she could also have the memories of her previous life like herself, she might faint now!
Although the difference between the main concubine and the side concubine is one letter, the status is far apart by hundreds of thousands of miles. Even though Zhou Guanning could no longer enjoy the joy of Emperor Yuanyou and Concubine Li, she was always the concubine of Prince Ping, and the dignified daughter-in-law of the royal family, sitting dignifiedly beside Prince Ping.
In Longgan Palace, Concubine Li was overjoyed to thank Emperor Yuanyou for his kindness.
She had long fallen in love with the girl from Shaoqing's mansion in Taichang Temple, and wanted to accept her as a side concubine for her son, and begged His Majesty several times for this, but His Majesty always refused, and now she finally fulfilled her wish.
"Where's the third emperor? So expressionless? Could it be that you're not happy at all?" Emperor Yuanyou asked unhurriedly as his eyes fell on Prince Ping, who had a wooden face and couldn't see any emotion.
King Ping came back to his senses, lowered his eyes to hide the bitterness in his eyes, brushed the corner of his robe and knelt down, and said in a deep voice: "I thank my father, Huang Long!"
Emperor Yuanyou nodded slightly: "The girl in Kong Aiqing's house, the emperor ordered people to check her character carefully, and she is indeed a dignified and virtuous woman. In the future, you must treat her well."
"Yes, I would like to obey my father's order." King Ping seemed to have eaten yellow lotus, even his heart was bitter.
At this time, accepting the side concubine, the gap between him and A Guan couple became wider and wider. However, can he resist the decree? In order to save her life earlier, he had already annoyed his father, this time, how dare he
I'm afraid that if he doesn't follow suit again, the emperor father and concubine mother will vent all their dissatisfaction and anger on her, and her life will be even more difficult in the future.
But, will she understand her own necessity
probably not…
He sighed inwardly.
She wasn't very willing to get close to herself, so she might wish to stay far away from herself even more.
Emperor Yuanyou didn't have time to pay attention to the many twists and turns in his heart. Back then, he didn't carefully examine the character of Zhou's daughter, so he gave her a hasty marriage. Now, because of her father, Zhou Mao, he couldn't abolish or kill her. So he can only give another virtuous woman to the third emperor's son, which is also a kind of compensation for him as his father.
As for Zhou Mao's family's thoughts, he didn't care at all, nor did he think about it.
It is only natural for a man to have three wives and four concubines, let alone a royal child, it is ridiculous to guard only one woman, especially such a woman who has lost her morality and chastity.
Is Zhou Mao angry? Naturally quite angry.
He holds his daughter in the palm of his hand and loves her in every possible way. Originally, he only wanted to find a man who would give her his whole heart, and take care of and love her for the rest of his life.
But he made thousands of choices, and in the end, his daughter married into the royal family. It also made him, a father, even if he wanted to stand up for her, there was no reason for him to stand up.
Coupled with the fact that his daughter was taken away, he was already short of breath in front of King Ping, and it was even more difficult for him to express his dissatisfaction confidently.
"I heard that the girl from the Kong family is the most temperamental, and Ah Wan has such a temperament, how can she beat her, and she may be bullied by others in the future!" Wen said, wiping her tears.
"It's unreasonable, it's just too much deception! No, I'm going to settle the score with King Ping!" Zhou Zhuo loved his younger sister since he came, but when he saw his younger sister being bullied, his eyes turned red immediately, and when he turned around, he wanted to go out to find her. King Ping's bad luck.
"Come back!!" Zhou Mao shouted.
Zhou Chang, who was still standing closest to him, quickly pulled his younger brother back: "If you make a fuss here, it will only make Ah Wan fall into an even more embarrassing situation. Because of the earlier incident, His Majesty is already dissatisfied, so he gave you this order." This side concubine, if you make a fuss and make Long Yan furious, then A Guan will be the one who takes the lead."
"Your elder brother is right." Zhou Mao breathed a sigh of relief.
The second son is reckless and stubborn, but fortunately the eldest son is calm and intelligent, with him around, he can be persuaded no matter what.
"Then we can only watch this matter?" Zhou Zhuoyue felt suffocated the more he thought about it.
His younger sister who is as beautiful as a flower, is there any woman in the world who can stand shoulder to shoulder with her. What is the girl from the Kong family? Not even fit to carry shoes for Ah Wan!
"At this point, we can only do this!" Zhou Mao sighed, and there was really nothing to do about it.
He could deal with Fang Birong who wanted to ruin his daughter's reputation without hesitation, and make her live a life that would be worse than seeing the light of day; he could also ruthlessly plan to destroy Murong who abducted his daughter that day and caused her to fall into the current predicament. Tao, let him be a useless cripple in this life.
The prerequisite for him to dare to do this is that he has never violated His Majesty's bottom line. Within this bottom line, he can make those people pay the price he should pay!
"We're all to blame for that Wei Chenglin. If he didn't keep his promise back then and ran away without saying a word, why would my sister marry King Ping, and why would she be in such a situation?" Zhou Zhuo gritted his teeth for a moment. .
Hearing him mention Wei Chenglin, everyone in the room fell silent.
"Don't mention this again in the future. Your sister is Princess Ping now, and she is only Princess Ping. She has nothing to do with Wei Chenglin." After a long time, Zhou Maocai calmly said.
"Your father is right. Don't mention such things in the future. If others listen to it, Wei Chenglin will be fine. I'm afraid it will cause unnecessary troubles for your sister. At that time, I'm afraid it will be washed. I don't know." Wen wiped away her tears and agreed with her husband's words.
"Understood, I won't say any more." Zhou Zhuowen replied angrily, but the feeling of aggrieved in his heart became even stronger.
After his wife and second son left, Zhou Chang asked hesitantly: "Father, could it be that we let Wei Chenglin go like this? A Zhuo's words are also reasonable. If it wasn't for Wei Chenglin who took the initiative to tease his sister's mind, but did not act responsibly." After leaving, how did my sister end up in this state?"
"Speaking of which, there are more hateful things about Wei Chenglin than that about Murong Tao."
Zhou Mao glanced at the eldest son, and after a while, he sighed softly: "Do you think you want to give up just because you are a father? However, Wei Chenglin is fine, but his father Wei Junhang is not a fuel-efficient lamp. He is one of His Majesty's confidantes. As a minister, he grew up with His Majesty, and His Majesty's respect and trust in him are several times higher than that of a father."
"Moving Wei Chenglin is equivalent to making an enemy of Wei Junhang. As a father, I have not yet been sure to compete with him."
"Then the British Duke is really so powerful?" Zhou Chang was still a little skeptical.
Zhou Mao shook his head: "This person is unfathomable, and even my father can't find out his details. Especially in recent years, my father has become more and more obscure about him, so naturally I dare not act rashly."
Although he loves his daughter dearly and wants to vent his anger on her daughter, he will not lose his mind and trap himself who has finally escaped from the treason.
"Chang'er, you have to remember that revenge comes from revenge, but you can't lose your mind and normal judgment at any time, and let yourself fall into another bigger crisis because you vent your anger."
"If this is the case, the loss outweighs the gain!" Zhou Maoyu said earnestly.
"My child understands." Zhou Chang responded.
No matter what the Zhou family thought, the matter of Ping Wang accepting the side concubine had already been started by the Ministry of Rites and officially put on the agenda. Later, because of Emperor Yuanyou's oral order, the Ministry of Rituals arranged this matter first. In this way, three months later, Miss Kong's family will marry into Prince Ping's Mansion and officially become the first side concubine of Prince Ping's Mansion.
When Shen Huiran came to the door, Shen Xinyan was pinching the legs for the eldest princess. Hearing that the maid came to report, before she could speak, the eldest princess smiled and said: "Please hurry up, this new daughter-in-law is coming back for the first time, please greet her nicely." That's right. Is she coming alone, or is the third child of the Chen family accompanying her?"
"Young Master Chen is here with you!" The maid replied with a smile.
"Then why don't you hurry up and ask Shizi to accompany you." Shen Xinyan hurriedly ordered.
The maid took the order and left, but after a while, Wei Chenglin walked in with Mr. Chen San and Shen Huiran and his wife.
"It's really different when you're married, and you really look like a young lady." After meeting each other, Shen Xinyan held her niece's hand and said with a smile.
Shen Huiran had a bit of shame on her face: "My aunt is used to making fun of people."
"Your aunt didn't make fun of you, she was telling the truth, Chen San, Huier is a good girl, you have to treat her well." The eldest princess answered the words, and smiled a little bit at the back The stupid Chen Sangong said.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, Huiran is my wife, and I will respect her, love her and protect her in this life." Third Young Master Chen stood up quickly, bowed and said solemnly.
Shen Huiran was blushed by his serious appearance, especially when she saw Shen Xinyan's playful face, she blushed as if she was about to bleed.
This person is really, why do you say such embarrassing words in front of the elders.
She glanced at her husband reproachfully, then quickly lowered her head.
"Okay, okay, okay, well said, as it should be, if my wife doesn't respect, love and protect her, then what kind of man is she? It's good for you to think that way!" The eldest princess slapped her thigh and laughed loudly. stand up.
Several people talked for a while, Shen Xinyan naturally didn't miss the young couple's eye contact, and seeing that Shen Huiran looked very good, knowing that she was doing well in Chen's residence, she finally felt relieved.
Mrs. Chen's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are not people who grind people, and her niece is gentle and gentle. This Mr. Chen looks like he knows what's going on and what's hot.
After a while, Wei Chenglin led Mr. Chen San to the outer hall, while Shen Xinyan brought Shen Huiran to Funing Courtyard.
The eldest princess looked at the disappearing figures of her eldest grandson and third son Chen, and sighed for a long time.
The third child of the Chen family is married, but brother Lin's marriage is still not settled. The girls whom she met in the early years were all married, but now she picks and chooses the girls of the right age, but she always doesn't like one, she just feels that there is always something wrong.
Now being stimulated by the newlywed couple in Chen's house, she felt that she could no longer be picky, at least she had to marry the eldest grandson-in-law into the door before she closed her eyes!
On the other side, Shen Xinyan took Shen Huiran's hand and asked her about her life after marriage in a soft voice.
"My mother is a loving person, she doesn't ask me much about the affairs of my husband's house, and doesn't let me set rules. The two sisters-in-law are not difficult to get along with except for a few jokes on their lips sometimes."
"Grandmother just eats vegetarian food and recites Buddha's name, and rarely cares about her. I just don't know why, but I am a little afraid of her." Shen Huiran knew that she cared about herself, so she didn't use those superficial words to perfuse her, and answered honestly.
Shen Xinyan smiled slightly: "Mrs. Chen is highly respected, her face is cold and her heart is warm, she doesn't seem to be very talkative, but in fact it is the best way to treat her children and grandchildren. You can see that she declined the marriage with the Duke's Mansion for her granddaughter back then."
"Don't be afraid of her, just respect her and be filial to her from the bottom of your heart. Even if she doesn't say anything, she knows her heart better than anyone else."
"I understand." Shen Huiran nodded obediently.
"There is something... I always feel a little uneasy in my heart, but I don't know whether to say it or not." After a while, she hesitated.
"Let me listen to you, maybe I can come up with an idea for you." Shen Xinyan patted the back of her hand.
"Recently my second aunt ordered someone to inquire about the secret recipe for having a child, but now, except for me, all the sisters-in-law in the mansion have given birth, so why let her be like this..." Shen Huiran's voice became lower and lower.
For some reason, Shen Xinyan's heart tightened, and she hurriedly asked: "Then has anyone gotten closer to her recently?"
"I never noticed that." Shen Huiran shook her head.
Shen Xinyan turned around and felt that she had asked the wrong question. Niece, a new daughter-in-law who just came in, how could she pay attention to who the aunt in the next room is getting close to.
"I already know about this matter, you just pretend you don't know it for the time being, don't tell anyone." She always felt that Mrs. Chen Er's secret recipe for finding a child was a bit strange, and she didn't dare to be careless, and she was afraid that her niece would be involved in it ignorantly. What should be involved, hurriedly warned.
"Don't worry, aunt, I've told aunt about this, and I haven't even mentioned it to my husband." Shen Huiran nodded.
The aunt and nephew talked a little more about their homework, and seeing that it was getting late, Shen Huiran took his leave and left.
When Wei Junhang came back that night, Shen Xinyan didn't dare to be careless and told him that Mrs. Chen had secretly searched for the secret recipe for childbirth.
"Ridiculous! There is no secret formula for having children in this world, it's simply ignorance!" Wei Junhang's expression darkened after hearing this.
"I always feel that this matter is a bit strange. The second lady is not looking for the princess, is she?" Shen Xinyan worriedly said what she had been worried about all along.
Wei Junhang's face became even uglier.
"You don't have to pay attention to this matter, I have my own idea!"
Seeing what he said, Shen Xinyan naturally couldn't say anything more, it's good to be on guard.