On the second princess' birthday, Ning Chen naturally gave face to Wang Xiuyi.
After the banquet, he stayed, probably staying at Yimeixuan tonight.
"The princess is sleepy now, so she needs to be taken down by the nurse for a nap. Would the emperor like to rest for a while?" Wang Xiuyi said considerately, "I will take stock of all the gifts we received today, and the inner room has been laid out with new bedding, so the emperor can take a nap anytime."
Ning Chen didn't sleep well last night, so naturally he didn't act politely and just went in and lay down alone.
Wang Xiuyi called two personal servants over, and the three of them counted the items together.
From the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress to the concubines, everyone sent gifts, big and small, so it would probably take a long time to clean up.
"The Empress Dowager treats everyone equally. I remember that the eldest princess was given the same reward when she turned one year old." Xiangsi chatted.
Wang Xiuyi smiled indifferently, "They are all granddaughters, so naturally they are the same."
Anyway, just follow the rules, don't make mistakes, and don't worry too much.
Hongdou suddenly lowered her voice and said, "The thing that the Queen gave our princess is very valuable. It's a phoenix hairpin. I melted it down and made a longevity lock for the princess."
"Of course I have put my heart into it. Now that Concubine Zhao and Yang are gone, the Queen has no one to rely on." Wang Xiuyi lowered her eyes.
When they said this, their voice was so soft that only the master and servant could hear it.
The two girls paused holding the gift list and looked at her at the same time, obviously understanding the meaning.
"Then Xiuyi..." Xiangsi hesitated.
Wang Xiuyi shook her head directly, "I don't have the blessing of climbing up the social ladder, so I just need to live a stable life."
If she really got on board the Queen's boat, let alone any benefits, just look at how many years Zhao had served the Queen and how much dirt her hands had been stained with. What would be her final outcome
On the day of Concubine Zhao's trial, even though the Queen could not come because of her miscarriage, she could at least send a capable servant to attend.
But she did nothing and just watched Zhao being dealt with.
Why? Isn’t it because they are afraid of getting contaminated
The queen must have been worried that she would be suspected because of Yang's death, and she was more than happy to have Concubine Zhao pulled out to prevent it.
What's the point of relying on someone who only wants you to do things for him but doesn't protect you
What's more, she has placed her trust in Ye Jun, and that won't change easily.
Ning Chen slept for a full hour. When he got up, Wang Xiuyi had almost finished packing.
All the items were registered and stored, and several eunuchs were moving them.
"There are so many?" Ning Chen asked.
"My sisters love the princess and have sent her many gifts. The one given by the Empress is particularly valuable, which makes me overwhelmed. But the most interesting one is the one given by Concubine Ming." Wang Xiuyi smiled.
Ning Chen looked around and raised his eyebrows slightly, "What did Concubine Ming send?"
"It was a box of small painted wooden blocks, called building blocks, that could be used to build houses. They were very delicately made. There was also a box of stuffed dolls, rabbits, cats, and they were very cute. There was also another box of small toys, many of which I had never seen before. The second princess fell in love with a cowhide rattle."
These things cannot be prepared in a day, especially the building blocks, which have to be made by a carpenter early on. It can be seen that Ye Jun really put a lot of thought into it.
Wang Xiuyi was also smiling as she introduced herself.
"She is lively, playful and childish by nature. It's rare for her to be so meticulous." Ning Chen curled his lips.
But he remembered that Ye Jun had someone sew a pillow-sized cotton rabbit for him and placed it on the couch so he could hold it while sleeping.
While serving tea to Ning Chen, Wang Xiuyi said casually, "Ming Jieyu seems to be a frivolous person, but she is actually quite steady. After all, she is a lady from a wealthy family, and she always follows the rules."
These words also reminded Ning Chen of something.
Indeed, although Ye Jun is always dishonest and seems to be unruly, he has never done anything really out of line. He knows when to advance and when to retreat and is very smart.
It was not a good idea to always talk about other concubines in Yimeixuan as it would seem too deliberate. Wang Xiuyi saw that the emperor was thinking deeply about something, so she stopped in time.
After the second princess' birthday, Ning Chen hasn't entered the harem for six or seven days.
He was already very busy after just returning to the court. In the past few days, even two princes were brought into the palace to help review memorials.
Prince Kang was weak, so Ning Chen tried his best to order Prince Ping around.
In short, the brothers are friendly and respectful to each other, and they are very happy.
Of course, this was Ning Chen's own idea. King Ping and King Kang both wanted to be free and easy kings, and they would rather claim to be sick and not come.
In addition to reviewing memorials, people need to be arranged to go to the other four counties in Lanzhou.
Ning Chen doesn't have many people available, except Chu Yunhuai, and there is another person named Li Qiao.
This Li Qiao is also very young, only thirty years old this year. He was recommended by Cui Guang, the governor of Jiangzhou, and he came from a poor family.
This man can be said to be a man of talent who has not been recognized. He passed the imperial examination and entered the officialdom during the time of the previous emperor, but was not given an important position. He simply resigned and returned to his hometown in Jiangzhou to work as an aide to Cui Guang. Now he has finally made a name for himself.
Cui Guang was Cui Cainu's father. Cui had been in office for so long but had never slept with the emperor, so it was only natural for this to happen.
It was also at this time that Ning Chen discovered that Cui was living in Chuxiu Palace.
When he came, Concubine Wende could no longer avoid him. She just paid her respects and the emperor went to Cui's side hall.
Concubine Wende did not sleep all night and felt heartbroken.
Ning Chen noticed how upset she was last night. After all, as a woman he had spoiled for many years, he couldn't bear to see her like this.
The next day, he had breakfast in Concubine Wende's main hall before leaving.
"Was Cui's residence arranged by the Queen?" Ning Chen asked.
Yuan Jiu answered truthfully, "That's right. The Queen said there aren't many suitable courtyards in the palace, and none of them have been renovated yet, so she arranged it in Chuxiu Palace."
"Pass the message down, Cui will be promoted to Baolin, and ask the Queen to arrange another place for her to live. Concubine Wende has a child here, so it's not convenient for too many people to live here." Ning Chen said.
He was somewhat dissatisfied with the Queen's move. The intention of arranging Cui into Chuxiu Palace was too obvious.
But Ning Chen didn't expect that his action would lead to some other troubles.
Let’s not talk about it for now. Ning Chen received a letter from the Zasak as soon as he returned to Jiuchen Palace.
It was written by the eldest prince Aoqi, and the content was that his sister, Princess Yunrong Duolan, was going to marry the fourth prince Qinggertai, and he hoped that the emperor would grant them a marriage.
In fact, the arranged marriage was just an excuse, the main purpose was to let Emperor Ning Chen know about this matter.
After all, the marriage between the two princes of the grassland is no trivial matter, so Ning Chen was specifically informed, one to seek his opinion, and the other to show loyalty.
Dolan was disfigured when he fell off a horse. There must be something fishy about this incident. Ning Chen knew it but did not investigate it in detail because he did not want to make a big fuss and hurt their relationship.
Now that Duolan wants to marry again, it would be very unkind not to give her this favor.
So the arranged marriage was agreed upon.
Duolan and Qinggertai have been in love with each other for a long time, but they could not get married due to family interests. Now, by chance, they have found a good match.
However, these two princes have married, and the remaining Second Prince is older and more prestigious. Sudiya's half-brother, the Third Prince, now seems too weak.