The eldest prince is still young after all. Without the empress dowager who can protect him, he has become less courageous and has become much more obedient and honest.
Ning Chen wanted to replace all the servants around the eldest prince at once, but considering that the child was still young, he was afraid that he would not be used to it if he replaced them all with unfamiliar ones at once.
The main reason is that the eldest prince is in poor health. If the new prince is not taken good care of and falls sick, it will cause a lot of trouble.
Finally, I put this idea aside for the time being.
However, even though he did not replace his familiar servants or change his living quarters, the eldest prince would cry and refuse to go to sleep at night. Even the wet nurse's hug and coaxing of him was of no use, and he developed a fever in the second half of the night.
Ning Chen quickly got up to take a look.
The child's face was red due to fever and there were traces of tears on his face. He looked so pitiful.
The imperial physician rushed over and after examining the patient, he said that it was caused by fright and there was nothing serious.
But Ning Chen was still worried, so he waited until the eldest prince drank the medicine and his fever subsided before leaving.
After all this trouble, it’s only half an hour before court starts.
He simply slept on the soft couch in the outer room with his clothes on, and then got up after lying down for a while.
On the other side, the queen's eyes were also on Jiuchen Palace.
They didn't even bother to greet each other, they just asked a few questions and then left.
The palace maid Chu Yun prepared tea and brought it over.
"I noticed that Your Majesty looked a little tired today, so I made some Tieguanyin tea to relieve your fatigue. Your Majesty will feel better after drinking some."
The queen nodded, took the teacup and took two sips.
"You are the best at making tea, girl here in this palace."
Chu Yun smiled and said, "Your Highness, I am ashamed to receive your praise. However, my tea can only relieve your temporary tiredness. For long-term problems, other things are needed."
"Oh? Tell me, what long-term issues do I have yet to resolve?"
The queen narrowed her eyes and looked tentatively at the little maid in front of her.
Meeting her gaze, Chu Yun did not show any fear, but just lowered his head respectfully.
"Your Highness has no children now. In our folk culture, there is a saying that adopting someone else's child can bring you offspring. Now that the eldest prince cannot be kept in Jiuchen Palace forever, this is your chance."
"Do you think I haven't mentioned it to the Emperor? It still fails every time." The Queen frowned in annoyance.
I really shouldn't have any expectations of a girl who makes tea.
But she didn't expect that Chu Yun continued.
"The reason why the Emperor didn't agree to your request is because he always felt that there were other candidates. It would be inappropriate for the eldest prince to be raised by you and become your legitimate son. After all, you are still young and can give birth to a legitimate son. But if other people can't raise the eldest prince, then you don't have a chance to try."
After hearing this, the Queen became serious and said, "I see that you have an idea, so don't keep me in suspense and tell me now."
Chu Yun bowed respectfully, then stepped forward and expressed his thoughts.
After hearing this, the queen thought it was feasible.
She immediately ordered Suqin to go to Jiuchen Palace to invite the emperor to have lunch.
But this time, Suqin came back empty-handed.
Because Ning Chen went directly to Zhaochunxuan after leaving court.
I'm talking to Ye Jun right now.
"No, I have my own children and don't want to raise someone else's. Moreover, this is my first time being a mother and I have no experience. The Fourth Prince is hardy and easy to raise. He is my own child, so I can beat him or scold him. But the First Prince is weak. If I take care of him and get sick, I will be scolded. It will be even harder to discipline him."
After looking at Ning Chen's expression, he added another sentence at the end.
"I always make things clear first. I won't do anything that I can't do well. Your Majesty should look for another sister."
Whoever wants to take over this mess can take it, but she doesn't want it anyway.
Ning Chen knew that she might not be willing, but he wondered if there was still room for negotiation. However, it seemed that there was no room for negotiation at the moment.
The other concubines were eager to have more children to keep them around and consolidate their favor, but this woman was unwilling to do so.
He also saw that Ye Jun was very good at raising the Fourth Prince and had a good nature, so he became interested. Now he could only look for someone else.
"Since you don't want to, I won't force you. Let me think about it again." Ning Chen said helplessly.
Ye Jun blinked, leaned over, put her arm around his, and acted coquettishly.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I am just lazy."
"You, am I that kind of person? How can you be angry about this?" Ning Chen pinched her nose, "Set the table, I have to go back to handle government affairs after eating. The Spring Examination is over, and I will be busy for a while."
After having lunch at Zhaochunxuan, Ning Chen hurried back to Jiuchen Palace.
Let’s go check on the eldest prince first. He’s quiet today, but he looks sick and refuses to eat.
In the end, Ning Chen held the bowl and fed him himself, and the eldest prince ate a small bowl of dried shrimp porridge out of fear.
No matter what, Ning Chen is a qualified father.
After finishing his work here, he returned to the main hall to review memorials.
Huai'an came in and told him that the Queen had sent someone to invite him.
Ning Chen thought for a while and said, "I haven't visited the Queen for a long time. I'll go over for dinner. You go and pass on the message."
"I obey your command." Huai'an responded and retreated with a hunched back.
This time the couple thought alike.
They all wanted to talk to each other about the whereabouts of the eldest prince.
At dinner time.
Ning Chen arrived a little late, and the Queen almost thought he had forgotten. She was about to send someone to invite him a second time when she saw someone come in.
"Greetings to the Emperor." The Queen bowed with a smile.
Ning Chenxu helped her up and said, "The eldest prince is making a scene and refusing to eat again. I came late to coax him to eat."
"You must pay more attention to the child's affairs. Your Majesty has been tired all day. Please sit down and have dinner."
The queen looked virtuous and generous, and led Ning Chen into the house.
At the dinner table, the queen took the initiative to speak.
"Although His Majesty loves the eldest prince, His Majesty is very busy and it is really hard for him to take care of the child. In my opinion, it is more appropriate to find a reliable person to take care of the eldest prince."
Ning Chen narrowed his eyes and slowly picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and ate it.
He looked as if he was not prepared to respond.
The queen's eyes darkened a little, but she quickly adjusted herself.
She continued according to what Chu Yun taught her.
"It's a pity that I am unlucky. I have never given birth to a child. Besides, I have to take care of the trivial matters in the harem. I can't help the emperor share his worries."
After hearing this, Ning Chen looked up at her.
He also took the initiative to pick up a spring roll for the queen.
"It's very hard for the Queen to manage the harem for me. The Queen is still young and will have more children. The eldest prince is weak and I don't expect him to take on big responsibilities. I hope he can grow up safely."
These words clearly told the queen that the eldest prince could not be the future crown prince.
Nanqi now has three healthy princes, and there may be more in the future. He will not choose a child with poor health to inherit the throne.
The queen was slightly stunned, a hint of embarrassment flashed across her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.