Wang Yanqing had never raised a child before, but she looked at the eldest princess' wet, dark eyes, and tenderness arose in her heart. Wang Yanqing walked up to the eldest princess lightly and asked, "Can I see the eldest princess?"
How dare the nanny say no, she quickly put the eldest princess on the cradle, and walked away.
Wang Yanqing didn't take it seriously when she saw the nanny's actions. She has become accustomed to this look. These days, she frequently brings people from Xichang and Jinyiwei to the harem to ask questions. The palace people all know that she is secretly investigating Yang Jinying's accomplices. The palace people were trembling, and they were more afraid when they met Wang Yanqing than when they met Shura.
Being stared at by Xichang and Jin Yiwei, and after all, there is still the part of severe torture, but being stared at by Wang Yanqing may be silently judged as rebellious. Wang Yanqing mastered the art of reading minds and did not need evidence at all. She only needed to say that they were lying. How could these palace maids and eunuchs prove that they were not lying
The people in the bottom palace were frightened, even if Wang Yanqing was beautiful, gentle and amiable, in their eyes, it was no different from Suo Ming Yan Luo.
Wang Yanqing lowered her head to tease the child. The eldest princess didn't know what happened to her, but the baby was born with the ability to distinguish between good and evil. When she saw a woman with a face like a bodhisattva and a gentle smile standing beside her, she immediately smiled at Wang Yanqing and grabbed Wang Yanqing's hand with her small hand. finger.
Wang Yanqing felt her heart softened when she saw the eldest princess' smile. She sighed in her heart, this child had no shelter at such a young age, and her biological mother was tortured and killed for the crime of treason. If the eldest princess is adopted by an impure concubine, she will definitely be used as a tool to compete for favor. After the emperor's guilt towards the eldest princess is exhausted, what fate will the eldest princess face
Wang Yanqing felt anxious just thinking about it.
Zhang Zuo came in from the front, saw Wang Yanqing coaxing the eldest princess, and was startled. The wind in February gradually softened, and the windows were half-supported, letting in the feeling of spring in the room. Wang Yanqing stood sideways in the sun, carefully teasing the child, as beautiful as a goddess, a fairy concubine.
Zhang Zuo's eyes dazzled slightly, and then he thought that this person in front of him is not a harmless beauty, she has the most feared weapon, but she can kill people thousands of miles away. Zhang Zuo remembered what Empress Fang had learned from the past, and the smile on his face gradually solidified. After hiding all his thoughts, he stepped forward and said, "Mrs. Lu, there are some things ahead, you can come out with the miscellaneous family temporarily."
Wang Yanqing heard Zhang Zuo's voice and knew that the main event was coming, so he could only put down the eldest princess and follow Zhang Zuo. Since Lu Heng was promoted to the commander-in-chief, everyone in the harem has become more and more jealous of her attitude. Everyone in the harem carefully calls her "Mrs. Dudu" when they see her. It seems that Lu Heng's official rank has only been promoted by one level, but the meaning is very different.
Wang Yanqing also realized that, whether she liked it or not, she is now Mrs. Lu Heng in the eyes of the world. Even if she sets aside the boundaries with Lu Heng in the future, everyone will think that they are setting up suspicions.
Lu Heng is worthy of being the most difficult spy boss to deal with in Daming. Knowing that she didn't eat hard, he quietly and imperceptibly invaded her mind, and let her slowly accept the identity of Mrs. Lu.
As long as a person is used to something, whether it is resistance or liking at first, it will eventually be passively accepted. Wang Yanqing was the prey being entangled by Lu Heng's dark web.
Wang Yanqing was taken behind a screen, with a curtain in front of him, and he could see the colorful robes all over the floor. Wang Yanqing looked back at Zhang Zuo. Zhang Zuo had already folded his arms and stood behind the vermilion column.
Wang Yanqing could only step forward by himself, lift the curtain, and look out quietly. Just now Wang Yanqing heard the voice and felt familiar, but now seeing his face, he sighed even more at the liveliness of the scene.
It seems that the emperor will decide who will adopt the eldest princess today, and almost all the concubines in the harem have come. Not to mention the popular candidates like Queen Fang, Concubine Wang, Concubine Du Kang, many concubines who had no sense of presence in the harem also rushed over.
The deep palace is lonely, adopting the eldest princess is a good business, even if you can't rely on the eldest princess to be favored, having a child by your side, anyway, there is a sustenance in your heart. Zhang Zuo personally brought Wang Yanqing in, but he didn't say a word after that. From this angle, you can clearly see the performance of each concubine, and it is not difficult to guess what the emperor means.
He deliberately gathered all the concubines together, and then asked Wang Yanqing to judge who really wanted to adopt the eldest princess and who wanted to use the eldest princess to compete for favor. After Concubine Cao Duan died, the emperor did not express any thoughts, but in fact he knew everything in his heart.
People are already dead, and it is useless to talk about it. The emperor's pity and guilt for Concubine Duan will undoubtedly be transferred to the eldest princess. After all, the eldest princess is the emperor's own blood, and he pretends not to know about Concubine Duan, but he will never allow anyone to harm the eldest princess.
Wang Yanqing was not worried about being discovered by his concubines. The Qianqing Palace was completely under the emperor's control. If Zhang Zuo dared to bring Wang Yanqing, he would definitely not be afraid of being discovered. Wang Yanqing put aside his worries and focused on the people inside.
Queen Fang also has long golden finger cots on her fingers, which looks dignified and graceful, but her fingers are overlapped, half of her body, I am afraid that the actual mood is not as peaceful as she shows. Concubine Wang sat opposite Empress Fang, lifted the tea cup lightly to drink tea, and wiped the corners of her lips carefully with a handkerchief. In this state, she did not seem to be competing for something.
Concubine Du Kang and Concubine Lu Jing sat on both sides, but they were facing each other but looked away from each other, seemingly unrelated to each other. But Wang Yanqing noticed that Concubine Du Kang's fingers on her knees were snapping nails. Concubine Lu Jing had a calm expression on her face, but her eyebrows were slightly twisted.
There were also several concubines sitting below, Wang Yanqing vaguely remembered that they were all not very favored concubines. There was light in their eyes, but their backs were relaxed, except for the concubine at the end of the table, who rubbed and shook hands back and forth, and kept looking in the direction of the emperor.
Before he could speak, Wang Yanqing had probably grasped the attitudes of these concubines. People can say all kinds of subtle and complex expressions, but in fact, what really reflects the inner thoughts is the body first, then the expression, and finally the language.
There are a lot of lies in the words, and the body has already leaked the true thoughts unknowingly.
The emperor sat with his back to Wang Yanqing, and Wang Yanqing could not see the emperor's face. I just heard the emperor's voice from behind the screen: "The eldest princess is young and lonely, I pity her loneliness and let Zhang Zuo take her to the Qianqing Palace to take care of her. But the people in the Qianqing Palace come and go, and it is not suitable for raising children. She is a princess. , being raised by a eunuch doesn't matter. I called you here today to ask, who among you would like to raise the eldest princess on your behalf?"
As soon as the emperor said this, the eyes of the concubines in the palace came alive. A lot of people wanted to talk. In the end, Queen Fang came out on top and said, "Your Majesty, as the queen, it is my duty to lead the six palaces and raise the princess. The concubine is willing to raise the eldest princess."
The eyes of the other concubines became eager. At this time, Concubine Wang put down the tea cup and said casually: "The Queen does not know anything, and taking care of children is the most troublesome and trivial. The Queen is the mother of the country, and she has to worry about the six palaces. I have to preside over silkworm sacrificial offerings, so I’m afraid I don’t have time to take care of trivial matters. My concubine is an idler, and I am willing to share my worries for the emperor, not to mention that the second prince and the eldest princess are only a few months apart, so they just raise their two children together.”
The eldest prince died young and was established as the Aichong prince, and the second prince was the eldest son in the actual sense. Wang Guifei had a son by her side, and she was promoted to the head of the four concubines. As long as the second prince grew up safely and his aptitude and ability were not outrageous, she would be the proper biological mother of the prince. Perhaps, in the future, when the emperor establishes the prince, he will make the second prince become the eldest son for the sake of the name.
Concubine Wang was so confident that she dared to challenge the queen. The biological mothers of the remaining two princes were not as calm as Concubine Wang, and Concubine Du Kang hurriedly said: "The second prince is weak and sickly, and the concubine has to take care of the second prince, so how can you be distracted? The third prince is strong and can be annoying when crying. The princess is very well-behaved, and she doesn't cry or make trouble at night. The concubine thought, if there is a good and sensible sister to demonstrate, the third prince will definitely learn better. Why don't you let the concubine take care of the eldest princess."
When Concubine Lu Jing heard this, she immediately choked: "Sister Kang Concubine's words are inappropriate, the third prince will irritate adults when he cries, so won't he disturb the children? Children are most afraid of being frightened. When one cry, the other will also. I was scared to cry. The fourth prince is quiet and will be able to play with the eldest princess. The concubine is willing to raise the eldest princess. If the emperor is kind, the concubine will treat the eldest princess as her own child. Whatever the fourth prince has, the eldest princess will have everything ."
Concubine Lu Jing and Concubine Du Kang are deadly enemies. They didn't deal with each other before they became concubines. Now they have a son on the front and back, and concubine on the front and back, they are more and more pointed at Maimang. Wang Guifei's son is the eldest son, and naturally has the advantages of etiquette. Whether there is a big princess is just the icing on the cake for Changchun Palace. But Concubine Kang was different. Her emperor ranked third, neither the heir nor the elder. She had to fight for more chips to make the emperor favor her son.
Concubine Du Kang covered her lips lightly, and said slowly, "What Sister Jing said, only you will treat the eldest princess as your own. Could it be that the empress and imperial concubine don't? If there is an empress or concubine, then the concubine will not. How can you skip the second and third princes, and let the eldest princess and the fourth prince be playmates?”
Concubine Du Kang's call was very provocative, and at the same time she set two targets for Concubine Lu Jing, the Queen and Concubine Wang. Concubine Du Kang wanted to take advantage of the fisherman and was unwilling to fight with Concubine Lu Jing, so she would pull the queen and concubine Wang into the water and let them fight. No matter who gets the custody of the eldest princess in the end, it must not fall into the hands of Concubine Lu Jing.
The concubines and concubines sneered and sneered in front of each other. They clearly hated each other, but they had to show a good attitude. It was very lively. And Wang Yanqing had already put down the curtain, Zhang Zuo raised his eyebrows when he saw this, how could he recognize it? Won't you watch it for a while
Zhang Zuo lowered his voice to test: "Mrs. Lu?"
Wang Yanqing nodded, indicating that he could go out. They were about to leave when a thin voice suddenly came from behind: "Your Majesty."
Her voice was tense, her voice trembled, and you could tell she was very nervous by listening to her voice. Zhang Zuo didn't take it to heart. From this point of view, he looked like a low-level concubine who was incompetent and unloved. The eldest princess is now the emperor's most concerned child, and in the end, she will definitely refer to a concubine who is highly used to raise her. Concubine
But Wang Yanqing stopped, she motioned Zhang Zuo to wait, she walked quietly to the screen, lifted the curtain and looked back.
The person who spoke was a weak concubine. Wang Yanqing remembered that her surname was Shen, and she was the one sitting at the bottom. Wang Yanqing felt that she was very nervous before. It turned out that she also wanted to fight for the custody of the eldest princess.
Those who compete on the same stage are all of the same weight as Queen Fang and Concubine Wang. She is a helpless little concubine, how dare she say such a thing
The concubine outside the screen obviously thought so too, Concubine Du Kang laughed lightly, shook her handkerchief slowly and said, "Shen Xiconi, you have neither extraordinary talent nor experience in raising children, how dare you talk to the queen and noble concubine. fight?"
This is quite rude to say, but the truth is not bad. Shen Xi has no pets and no power, why dare to compete for the most popular sweets in the harem
Shen Xibi squeezed her fingers and said with courage, "Concubine is stupid and stupid, and has never given birth to children, so I dare not compare with the Queen, Concubine, Concubine Kang, and Concubine Jing. But Concubine really likes children. , younger brothers and sisters are brought up by concubines. Concubines have nothing, but if concubines can raise the eldest princess, I will do my best to be good to her."
Concubine Du Kang covered her mouth with a smirk. Others were not as reckless as Concubine Du Kang, but there was contempt in their eyes. Empress Fang didn't even bother to look at Shen Xibi, the clown jumping on the beam, and she dared to come out and show shame. In Queen Fang's eyes, her enemies have always been Concubine Wang and Concubine Du Kang. Who is Shen Xixi
Zhang Zuo stood behind Wang Yanqing with his hands in his hands. He didn't know what Wang Yanqing was returning to see, but the emperor didn't explain it, and Zhang Zuo didn't intervene. After Wang Yanqing lowered the curtain, Zhang Zuocai asked, "Mrs. Lu, are you all right?"
Wang Yanqing nodded slowly and said in a low voice, "You can go now. Please trouble Eunuch Zhang."
Wang Yanqing was taken back to the apse, and the eldest princess lay in the sun, playing carelessly, unaware that her fate was at the fork, and different adoptive mothers were enough to determine her life. Wang Yanqing looked at the giggling princess, and sighed again.
Wang Yanqing waited in the apse for a while, and finally the eunuch came to send a message. Wang Yanqing walked back to the palace just now. The concubines and concubines had already left, leaving only a room of Xiangfeng and the emperor sitting in the upper seat drinking tea. Wang Yanqing crossed the screen and bowed to the emperor in a straight and upright manner: "See the emperor."
The emperor did not lift his eyelids and asked, "Did you see it just now?"
Wang Yanqing nodded slightly: "Yes."
"Who do you think they are sincere?"
This is really a tricky question. If it is not good, it will offend the noble lord of the harem. The eunuchs inside and outside subconsciously held their breaths. Zhang Zuo raised his eyelids and glanced at Wang Yanqing, secretly waiting for Wang Yanqing's answer.
After the emperor went through the palace change, he became more and more angry and angry, and even Zhang Zuo was not sure what the emperor was thinking. Zhang Zuo has been serving the emperor these days, and has seen the tricks of the empresses with his own eyes, but the emperor has not expressed his position, so Zhang Zuo does not know who the emperor wants to raise the eldest princess.
Zhang Zuo has been in the palace for a long time, and he is accustomed to trying to figure out the holy meaning. It is natural that they should say what the emperor thinks. Zhang Zuo thought that the incident happened suddenly, and Lu Heng didn't have time to explain his wife. Today, Wang Yanqing is probably sad.
In the end, Wang Yanqing's face was very calm, and he said without thinking: "I don't understand people's hearts, and I don't know how to distinguish between true feelings and falsehoods. I only know that the Queen's body is tense, and her heart seems to be uneasy; But it doesn't matter if you keep it or not; Concubine Kang is nervous and wants to win the custody of the eldest princess, but she is even more afraid of falling into the hands of Concubine Jing; Concubine Jing frowns from beginning to end, which is a sign of concentration, she is very Pay attention to the people on the field, as for who, I am limited by the angle and can't see clearly."
Wang Yanqing could only see the emperor from that angle. She said so, it was self-evident who Lu Jing was paying attention to. The emperor put down the tea cup and snorted very lightly: "So, among the many concubines and concubines in the harem, all their words are sincere, but none of them are sincere?"
The "sincerity" in the emperor's words didn't know whether it meant to the eldest princess or the emperor. Wang Yanqing paused slightly, pretending she didn't understand, and said according to her original intention: "The eldest princess Bingxue is cute, of course there are people who really like her. In the end, the attitude of Shen Xibi was very sincere, and it could be seen that she really I like children, not to invite pets."
The emperor rubbed the tea cup with his fingers, but without speaking, Wang Yanqing stood in the hall and waited quietly. A red-clothed eunuch walked quickly outside and saluted, "Your Majesty, Governor Lu is here."
The emperor waved his hand, signaling his successor. Wang Yanqing wanted to avoid foreign ministers, but Lu Heng was her nominal husband-in-law, so she didn't need to leave, she simply waited for Lu Heng to come in in the hall. Lu Heng didn't look at Wang Yanqing after entering the hall, but he naturally stopped beside her and said, "Your Majesty, the list is sorted."
Wang Yanqing only knew that Lu Heng was busy these days, but he didn't know what he was busy with. Now it seems that the two of them are probably doing the same thing, except that Wang Yanqing checked the concubines in the palace, while Lu Heng checked the court officials.
Lu Heng handed over the roster, and the eunuch took it with both hands and held it in front of the emperor. The emperor picked it up and looked at it, and said, "You have worked hard. I have nothing to do here, you can go back to Nanzhen Fusi to have a look."
These days, Lu Heng has been guarding the emperor all day, checking anyone who might threaten the emperor. When Lu Heng stayed in the palace, Nanzhen Fusi's affairs could only be delayed. Now that the emperor's health has improved a lot, and instead of having nightmares all day, Lu Heng can also feel a little more relaxed.
Lu Heng should be, and it is logical to leave with Wang Yanqing. Lu Heng was ordered by the emperor to return to Nanzhen Fusi, but Jin Yiwei let him have the final say, Lu Heng ordered people to wait, and he sent Wang Yanqing back first.
After reaching a safe section, Lu Heng asked, "Has the emperor asked you about the eldest princess?"
Don't underestimate Jin Yiwei's intelligence network, Lu Heng on the other side knew as soon as the empress left. Wang Yanqing nodded, Lu Heng raised his eyebrows with a meaningful expression on his face: "What did you say?"
"Tell me the truth." Wang Yanqing said frankly, "Empress Fang has a grudge against the biological mother of the eldest princess, so she cannot adopt the eldest princess at all. Concubine Wang Guifei, Concubine Du Kang, and Concubine Lu Jing each have their own children, and fighting for the eldest princess is also saved for her son. The consideration of adding chips. Other little concubines come to try their luck, some want to use the princess to compete for favor, and some are bored to find a child to pass the time. Only Shen Xixi seems to be the most sincere. "
Without hesitation, Lu Heng revealed Shen Xibi's family background: "She is the daughter of the Wu Xing Shen clan of the Jiangnan clan, and someone from her family is an official in Nanjing Qintian Supervisor. She also lost her mother at a young age, her father does nothing, and a younger brother. , A concubine was brought up by her."
Wang Yanqing nodded and finally breathed a sigh of relief: "I feel like she didn't lie. Fortunately, it's true."
Lu Heng stared at Wang Yanqing's profile with deep eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. Wang Yanqing thought about it for a while, still worried about the eldest princess, and rarely took the initiative to speak to Lu Heng: "Do you think the emperor will give the eldest princess to Shen Xibi?"
"How do I know this?" Lu Heng laughed, and said inexplicably, "However, as long as the emperor asks, he will soon make a decision. At the latest, he will know the result."
Wang Yanqing's heart was hanging up and down, and he could only sigh when he heard the words. She didn't want to get involved in those messy palace fights, the only thing she could do was tell the truth. As for how the emperor decides, she really has no choice.
Lu Heng looked at her with watery eyes and asked, "What are you sighing for?"
"I only have pity on the eldest princess." Wang Yanqing said, "No matter how good others are, they can't compare to my own mother. No matter what the final result is, it is the children who are hurt the most."
Lu Heng lowered his eyelashes, smiled thinly, and slowly held Wang Yanqing's hand: "If you really want to help her, why don't we have one? If it's a daughter, let her be the eldest princess' companion, with our family here. , No matter who the eldest princess is adopted by, the situation in the palace will be much better."
When Wang Yanqing heard it, he blurted out, "What if it was a son?"
The smile on Lu Heng's face deepened, his eyes narrowed slightly: "If it's a son, he can only be a princess."
Wang Yanqing thought to herself that Lu Heng was willing to let her son Princess Shang? Daming's relatives are not allowed to do politics. If they marry the princess, the concubine will be rich and noble for a lifetime, but his career will be ruined. Immediately, Wang Yanqing reacted suddenly: "Who is going to have a baby with you?"