Traveling through the harem: the favorite concubine

Chapter 45

March [-]th was originally a very ordinary day.

But since the emperor ascended the throne, it has become a special day.Because this day is the emperor's birthday, that is, Longevity Day.

Longevity Day is also a festival for all the people in this country. On this day, the emperor will accept congratulations and gifts from the princes and officials in the Chaoyang Hall where he and the officials deal with political affairs on weekdays.Officials in various places will bow in the direction of the capital.In the evening, the emperor and queen will hold a banquet in the palace, and all princes and ministers of a certain level will enter the palace with their families to celebrate the emperor's birthday.It is a family banquet and a state banquet.

And on this day, colorful decorations will be arranged everywhere in the capital, and the streets and alleys will be filled with songs and dances, celebrating this extraordinary festival lively.

The current emperor is already fifty-three this year, which can be called a long life in this era.And the emperor is very confident in his body, although many problems due to aging have been appearing on him, but he feels that he can still sit in this position soberly for at least ten years.

In order to continue to enjoy the wealth in this world in a healthy and healthy way, he often discusses with the imperial physician about various ways to maintain his health, and even often organizes various hunting activities to show that he is still young and vigorous.

This emperor is the sixth emperor of the Zhao family. Although he has no outstanding achievements, it does not prevent him from providing a comfortable life for the people.

Therefore, on Longevity Day, the people are still willing to celebrate him, and he is also willing to celebrate this festival that symbolizes good meaning.

In the early morning of Longevity Day, the emperor opened his eyes on the bed in the main hall of Jiaofang Palace.

The queen had already woken up, washed and dressed, and packed the clothes for the emperor, just waiting for the emperor to open his eyes.

The emperor asked the empress to dress and wash him personally, and when his eyes glanced at the empress's well-maintained face with fine makeup, what emerged in his heart was the young and delicate rosy face of Concubine Jin.

After all, it is not young anymore, even if it is well maintained, it will not have the tenderness of a young woman.

The emperor was thinking secretly, but on the face he looked straight at himself in the mirror wearing a dragon robe, and said to the empress who was busy with him in a warm voice: "The empress has worked hard, I still think the empress is serving you well." It suits me best."

The queen covered her mouth and smiled, with a shyness that didn't match her age, but she knew what was going on in her heart.

Since the queen entered middle age, even though she took good care of herself all day long, she felt that the years seemed to have stopped on her face, and the emperor didn't like to come to her Jiaofang palace anymore.Except for the face of resting in her palace on the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, more often, the emperor likes to rest in the palace of young concubines.

Moreover, the young woman who entered the palace last time was not only doted on by the emperor, but also not stingy with her status.The concubine Jin who rose the fastest, although she has never entered the ranks of concubines of the first rank, she is also a concubine of the second rank.That's just the daughter of a fourth-rank official's family!She has only been in the palace for a long time, two years have not yet come, and she has no children.

There are so many old people in the harem, who have survived for more than ten or twenty years, but they only stop at one concubine, and they stop.

If the queen was still young, she might panic at this time.

Fortunately, she doesn't rely on the emperor's favor to live now. She is more counting on her two sons. Although the prince has been imprisoned, the emperor has begun to reuse her beloved youngest son.

Her Li'er, who has not yet reached the age of weak crown, has already stepped into the court and is in charge of real power.

The queen was panicked at the beginning of the prince being imprisoned, but now she is letting her youngest son save face, and she no longer thinks about it.

Anyway, even if the crown prince is abolished one day, if the emperor wants to re-establish the crown prince, it will not be someone else's turn, it will only be her son, and only her son will be a noble son.

Thinking of this, the empress smiled even brighter on her face. The emperor glanced at her a few times, but he didn't feel anything in his heart. The old face of decades was really nothing new.

The emperor let the queen adjust his clothes for him, and he was thinking about things slowly.

This most honorable couple in the world, they think about things in different ways, but on the surface they look exceptionally harmonious.

After finishing the belt for the last step of the emperor, the queen took three steps back with a smile, led the Jiaofang Palace up and down, and saluted the emperor, congratulating: "Your Majesty, Wan An!"

The emperor smiled and nodded, stepped forward to help the queen himself, and said, "The queen has a heart."

After all, she held the queen's hand and said slowly and gently: "In a blink of an eye, the queen has been with me for so many years, and she has also given birth to two excellent sons for me."

The queen lowered her head and listened, but there was a turmoil in her heart.

Until the emperor finished speaking the last sentence: "The banquet in the evening has to be arranged by the empress."

"This is what a concubine should do."

The empress respectfully escorted the emperor out of the Jiaofang Palace, but her heart was filled with turmoil.

What exactly does the emperor mean?
The queen sat in front of the dressing table, thinking about it.Since the prince was imprisoned, the emperor seldom came to her palace. Later, the emperor started to use Li'er again, which restored the frequency of leaving and visiting Jiaofang Palace.It's just that the prince is rarely mentioned.

But on the prince's birthday last year, she prepared a gift for the prince, but the emperor suddenly ordered someone to bring something over and asked her to send it to the prince together.And on the day of the Spring Festival, the emperor sent blessings to the crown prince who was banned at Dongxiangkou...

But the emperor has never thought of lifting the prince's confinement, even in front of her, the prince is rarely mentioned, even if she mentions it occasionally, the emperor just ignores it.

But... today, the emperor would take the initiative to mention the crown prince, without mentioning the right and wrong in the past, and said that the crown prince is excellent.Although the emperor was talking about her two sons, but after so many years of husband and wife, the empress somewhat understood what the emperor meant. The person who mentioned this should be the crown prince, not Li'er.

The queen lowered her eyes, thinking secretly in her heart. Suddenly, she stood up abruptly.

prince... prince...

The emperor did not abolish the title of the prince at all.

"The Queen Mother..."

Seeing the queen's sudden move, the palace servants standing beside her were so frightened that they knelt on the ground.

The queen just waved her hand to indicate that the people behind her were fine, her face was still pensive.

"Empress, all the concubines are here!"

The palace man walked to the queen's side slowly, and said softly.

The queen's eyes fell on the palace man, and she smiled and was helped by the palace man.

The palace man was one of the maids she married as a dowry back then, and also one of the closest people around her. Recently, she had a lot of things to do, and she was helpless, and there were too few people around her, so she was reassigned from the small kitchen.

"Lan Ying, don't go back to the small kitchen in the future. Once you come back, I feel that I can't do without you even more!"

The Queen spoke slowly and gently.

The palace people were not proud of this, but bowed down more humbly, and said: "Slaves and servants obey your mother."

The smile on the corner of the queen's mouth deepened slightly, and she was helped into the hall by the palace staff. Looking at the concubines who were sitting in a room full of concubines, her gaze finally fell on the few people sitting at the top, and they met the queen. His eyes did not show weakness, but he smiled calmly, with a little flamboyance in his smile.

They are all over the ages, and some look older than the empress, but no one dares to underestimate them. In the harem, the one who laughs last is not the emperor's favorite, but the prince who can rely on her. of.

Without exception, they all have grown-up and powerful princes.

The emperor considers himself a very hardworking emperor, even if today is the Longevity Day, he will not delay the government affairs.

Sitting in the Chaoyang Hall, the emperor was the same as in the past, listening to the ministers reporting various court affairs, from major events across the country to trivial matters in the capital, he was not impatient and listened with a straight face.

The flooding of the Changhe River was a problem left over from last year, and it has already been dealt with. This matter can be regarded as a shock to the government and the public, and to the whole country.Not only a large number of officials were sacked, but the prince who was originally in charge of handling the matter was also taken in, and now he is still imprisoned!
This matter has become a hot potato, and no one dares to take it over. Of course, there are also many people who are blinded by power and want to grab this sweet potato at the risk of being hot.In the end, you robbed me and pushed it, and it fell into the hands of Prince Rong who had just entered the court and started to work.

Everyone watched with cold eyes how Prince Rong would deal with it, more gloating, and wanted to see if the prince's direct brother would also be included.

Who knows, Prince Rong has handled this matter properly. Now, the flood problem of the Changhe River has been resolved, and the people nearby have been resettled properly. Pretty!
Today is the emperor's birthday, so Prince Rong wrote a booklet and presented it to the emperor, all of which reported the current situation along the Changhe River.It also made the emperor smile happily, and praised Prince Rong for his ability in handling affairs with a smile.

Prince Rong was the last to report the court affairs, and when he finished speaking, the princes and ministers here planned to present the presents that had been prepared for several months in the morning.No one expected that Prince Rong had just finished reporting the matter, and the princes and ministers were just about to move, but Prince Rong suddenly knelt down and said sincerely: "Father, my son wants to take advantage of your birthday, I ask you one thing."

As soon as Prince Rong's words came out, the princes standing in front of Prince Rong had a bad feeling in their hearts.Prince Jing, the prince and the others looked at each other, but heard Prince Rong say again: "Although His Highness the Crown Prince made some mistakes in dealing with the flood in the Changhe River, I feel that His Highness the Crown Prince can only pass through the laxness of the emperor, and there is absolutely no sign of infidelity or injustice. Heart. Now that Brother Huang has been imprisoned for almost a year, and the punishment he has received is enough, Father, please release Brother Huang from the confinement!"

Speaking of the latter, Prince Rong directly played the family card.

The emperor sat at the head, and after listening to what Prince Rong said, he didn't speak. The hall was silent for a while.

The atmosphere gradually became a little depressing, and everyone had only one thought: Prince Rong, what kind of pot is really not open and which pot to lift!
As for Prince Rong's brothers, all the other princes who have grown up and are at the same court, they just hate in their minds: Zhao Qingli is really looking for trouble for nothing.

Prince Rong was still kneeling respectfully, as if insisting on his request just now.

The emperor smiled suddenly, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere in the hall. He looked at Zhao Qingli, and then glanced at the other sons with different expressions, and even the minister who bowed his head and said nothing.Wen Sheng said: "Do you have any opinions on what Prince Rong said?"

The ministers shrank their heads when they heard the words, but although the princes did not shrink their heads, they did not speak.

What exactly does the emperor mean?This is thinking of the father-son relationship with the prince and wanting to release the prince?
Everyone was wondering in their hearts. At this time, Prince Gong suddenly stood up, knelt down beside Prince Rong, and said: "Your Majesty, my brother thinks what Prince Rong said is reasonable. If you say something disrespectful, the crown prince is a minister." My nephew, I have watched the prince grow up since he was a child, the prince has outstanding conduct, he has been friendly to his younger siblings and filial to his elders since he was a child, if he is said to have committed such unfaithful things, I will not believe it."

Prince Gong stood up to speak, and made this state matter a family matter. All the ministers knew that it was probably not their place to speak about this matter.

At this moment, everyone suddenly realized that Prince Rong and Prince Gong would stand up and talk about this matter at this time. I am afraid that they got the emperor's will early on, and they are acting according to the emperor's orders!
"My son... I beg my father to lift the confinement of His Highness the Crown Prince."

Prince Jing knelt down reluctantly.

"My son and minister seconded the proposal..." Prince He also knelt down.

……

"The minister waits for a second opinion..."

In the hall, all the ministers knelt on the ground with their hands on the ground.

The emperor stood up from the dragon chair, with a loving smile on his face, stepped off the dragon chair himself, helped Prince Rong up, and was about to speak.

Suddenly, an unexpected voice sounded.

"Where is this singing?"

The voice that seemed to be hallucinatory, but like thunder, made the hearts of the people present tremble.

The emperor couldn't hide his surprise on his face, and looked at the source of the voice.

At the entrance of the main hall, sunlight came in from outside the door, and a figure slowly approached.He thought it was his own delusion, and almost rubbed his eyes to tell. Against the light, the prince walked in wearing an apricot yellow palace suit.Under the reflection of the sun, the apricot-yellow palace clothes had an extra layer of golden light, which seemed to be more dazzling than the golden dragon robe worn by the emperor.

"Prince..."

Someone screamed out.

This sound seemed to break the dream, but it still made everyone stunned.

The prince smiled and was gentle, and walked in step by step from the main hall. Behind him, there were guards in golden helmets and iron armor, surrounding the prince, not for defense, but for protection.

That's the emperor's personal guard...

"Father's birthday, how can my son not come to congratulate him!"

Protected by the golden helmet and iron armor, the prince walked all the way in front of the emperor, and looked at him face to face.

(End of this chapter)