Mid-Autumn Festival, a day of reunion.
Early that morning, several carriages from the palace, led by the Empress Dowager, entered Lingxi Garden.
The emperor and the empress led the concubines to greet them outside to show their filial piety.
"Son pays his respects to mother!" No matter what he felt in his heart, Ning Chen still had a smile on his face.
After all, they were biological mother and son. The empress dowager still loved her own child to some extent, so she hurriedly helped the person up.
"Why has the emperor lost so much weight recently? No matter how busy you are with government affairs, you should take care of your health. I see that your chin has become more pointed."
When the queen heard this, her heart skipped a beat. If her husband was not in good health, it was because his wife did not take good care of him.
So he quickly apologized, "It was my son who neglected to take care of me. Please forgive me, mother."
"Mother, please don't blame the Queen. It's just that I've been having a bad appetite due to the heat lately, so I've eaten less. It's nothing serious. The imperial physician checks my pulse every day." Ning Chen said with a smile.
The Empress Dowager naturally planned to take this opportunity to teach the Queen a lesson, as the Queen had not yet settled the score for causing Chen Baolin to be confined to her house.
But now Ning Chen was defending her, and the Queen Mother was afraid that the relationship between mother and son, which had just been eased, would become strained again, so she had to give up.
The family dinner will be in the evening, so now let's ask the Queen Mother and others to go to their residence and rest.
Ning Chen accompanied Concubine Wen to her residence.
This was the first time Ye Jun met Concubine Wen, and he couldn't help but sigh that the title "Wen" really fits this beauty.
As pretty as a peach in spring, as pure as a chrysanthemum in September, with a smile hidden in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes, and her eyes are full of affection and tenderness.
This Concubine Wen exudes grace and tranquility in her nature, she is truly an authentic Jiangnan beauty.
Even though she was pregnant, it did not affect her temperament at all. It even added a bit of maternal tenderness, making her even more attractive.
Such a woman, not only Ning Chen likes her, she likes her too!
Seeing Ning Chen accompanying Concubine Wen, the Queen naturally felt uncomfortable, but Concubine Shu was even more uncomfortable.
The two of them came from the palace together, and she brought the eldest princess with her. Could it be that the baby that had already been born was not as precious as the one in her belly
In fact, Concubine Shu was just being too picky. Ning Chen had already seen the child when they just got off the carriage.
The eldest princess is young and wakes up early, so why bother disturbing her
But once this person starts to think in the wrong direction, the more he thinks about it, the angrier he gets, the more he gets stuck in a rut, and the more he starts to worry about things that may never happen.
She is precious even before she is born. If she is still precious after she is born, both the mother and the child will step on her head.
But even if I want to do something, it can't be arranged in a short time, and I have to plan it slowly.
When the Queen Mother arrived at her residence, the first thing she did was to call Chen Baolin over.
Everyone in Wutong Palace naturally knew that the queen was very angry.
"She wishes she could depose me right now so that her niece can sit on the throne!"
The Queen believed that she had tried her best to please the Queen Mother over the years, giving her nutritional supplements all the time and making snacks by herself every now and then. However, she never expected that the Queen Mother did not appreciate it at all. She said that she was not aggrieved or angry, but that was a lie.
Nanny Ding felt both distressed and angry, but she could only persuade her.
"Your Highness, please think more positively. That person is worried about your family, but as long as the Emperor doesn't worry about them, isn't that enough? As long as you don't make any mistakes, just sit still. Even if the Queen Mother wants to help her family take the throne, she has to get the Emperor's approval. In my opinion, you have done a good job on the surface, and the Emperor has seen it all. It is the Queen Mother who doesn't appreciate it, and you are wronged. With this grievance, the Emperor will think more about you, right?"
"I understand what Mammy said, but it hurts my heart. Never mind. After all, I still need to have a child. Quickly bring me the pregnancy medicine."
The queen raised her hand and rubbed her temple, thinking that today was Mid-Autumn Festival and the emperor would definitely come to the palace, so she should make preparations.
Elsewhere, in the Magnolia Garden, Concubine Wen and the Emperor were having a meal together.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for making fun of you. I am pregnant and always feel hungry. I got up early today and only had a few bites. Now I am craving for food."
"It's okay. You're a twin now, so you should eat more." Ning Chen smiled and gave her a piece of cherry flesh with his chopsticks. "This tastes good. Try it."
Bai Shuang, who was standing nearby, wanted to say something, but Concubine Wen had already handed the bowl to her, so she had to hold it in.
After this late breakfast, Ning Chen called the imperial physician to take Concubine Wen's pulse.
I felt relieved after confirming that the pulse was normal and the fetus was healthy.
"I still have some memorials to approve, so I won't accompany you any longer. You should take a good rest. I will have someone pick you up in a sedan chair at the dinner."
"Your Majesty, please go quickly. State affairs are more important. There is no need for a sedan chair. The imperial physician said that I need to walk more so that it will be easier when giving birth." Concubine Wen smiled and sent her to the door.
Since she said so, Ning Chen didn't insist. He patted her hand and left.
Bai Shuang came over quickly, "My lady, are you feeling unwell?"
During this time, Concubine Wen suddenly started to have morning sickness, which came later than others. Fortunately, the symptoms were mild, but she just couldn't eat greasy food. The cherry meat was originally prepared for the emperor.
"It's okay, I just took a bite. Bring me some grapes so I can eat less."
Naturally, she would take the food when the emperor offered it to her. Concubine Wen always followed the rules and was very cautious.
In the afternoon, all clan members entered the garden and the banquet was set up in the Taihe Hall. Emperors of the Southern Qi dynasty held banquets in the courtyard here.
The Empress Dowager was supported by the Emperor and the Empress on either side as she sat at the table, with the Grand Noble Consort next to her.
Sitting on the left below are the royal family members, and on the right are the female concubines of the harem, which is a roughly equal number of people.
"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, let us celebrate with you all!" Ning Chen picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
The people below also raised their glasses in agreement.
"I see that Prince Kang is not in good spirits, and he is not feeling well?" the Queen Mother said softly.
When everyone looked over, they saw that the boy, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old, had a pale face, perhaps because he had just drunk alcohol, and his face was unnaturally red. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his peach-shaped eyes were half-closed, like a porcelain doll.
Prince Kang Ningrui is the fourth son of the late emperor. He is sixteen years old this year. Concubine Feng gave birth prematurely, leaving him weak and sickly and then he passed away.
Originally everyone thought that the Fourth Prince would never grow up, but after being ill for so many years, he actually grew up to be sixteen years old.
"Thank you for your concern, mother. I caught a cold these days, but I'm almost well now. There's nothing serious." Ning Rui stood up and bowed, his voice sounding a little weak.
The Queen quickly replied, "Come here, quickly change the tea on Prince Kang's table. I was negligent."
"Thank you, sister-in-law!" The young man smiled, and he looked even more beautiful than the girl.
Ye Jun took a sip of tea and secretly looked at His Royal Highness Prince Kang. He thought that if we only looked at this man, he was slightly better than Ning Chen. It was a pity that he was in poor health and lacked some masculinity.
Just when everyone was paying attention to Prince Kang, the Royal Concubine suddenly spoke in a soft voice.
"Prince Kang is sixteen years old now. It's time for him to choose someone who understands his feelings and lives with him, so that he can take care of himself."