in2ebook Chapter 287 Pregnant
Chapter 287 Pregnant
For revenge, the Gu family will put the Duke of Qi's Mansion on a scale where it should not be.
The realization of this matter started on the second day after he rescued Gu from the street during the palace coup.
At that time, he only felt guilty. Looking at Gu who was silent and on the verge of collapse, his heart was filled with pity.
The world is too unfair, and he shoulders the heavy responsibility of protecting the continuation of the Duke of Qi's Mansion.
He loves Heng'er, but if he can't do it, he must support another son to inherit the family business.
if not?
Are you counting on the thirty-five-year-old Gu to bear a pearl?
This is hoping for her death.
But Gu was unwilling.
She didn't want to take a concubine, and she didn't want things that belonged to Heng'er to be given to others.
So they have only had this one son.
Originally, even if Heng'er was a useless person and illiterate, as long as he had a kind heart, everything would be fine.
……
But who can be blamed for this?
Who could stop Princess Pingning who had such high aspirations not long ago?
The daughter of a country's crown prince can be given the title of a princess. As Gu had had some affinity with Empress Cao since childhood, she was specially given the title of a princess.
From then on, she enjoyed the salary from the royal family's restaurant, and all the female members of the family, except the empress and the princess, had to address her as "Niangniang" when they saw her.
He liked Gu's arrogance, admired her brightness, and appreciated her strength and independence. The two of them had never had any conflicts.
Now thinking about it, was it one wrong step that led to all the wrong steps?
Originally, he thought that just having one child would be enough.
She only wanted a child, and then used his achievements to ask the new emperor to restore Gu's status as a princess and build a princess's mansion. Gu brought with her the dowry of the last lady of the Gu family, the wealth that a princess should have, and the money that the Qi family owed her and Heng'er...
Ugh……
The old emperor died suddenly, and the edict he left behind allowed Zhao Ce to ascend the throne and become the new emperor.
Now, not to mention restoring her status as a princess and building a mansion, she can be considered cleared of causing trouble again.
Who would have thought.
The fourth daughter, a concubine who was looked down upon by Gu family, directly became the empress of the current dynasty.
And it was at this time that Gu's madness began.
Whether it was the reinstatement or the Encore, he was extremely happy.
But what is Gu doing?
She secretly formed an alliance with Empress Dowager Cao and began to plot.
Even... Lian Heng'er, for some unknown reason, became a sharp knife in the hands of Cao's party.
No...
No...
They are going to destroy the Duke of Qi's Mansion.
The new emperor did not restore Heng'er's title of crown prince, and Empress Dowager Cao did not promise anything at all.
She was able to raise her father to the same level as the emperor's biological father against all odds, and could confer the title of Duke on her own brother for no reason. Is it difficult for her to restore Heng'er's status as the crown prince?
Empress Dowager Cao was not "missing the old relationship" at all, she was reluctant to let Gu, her "daughter" who had been raised in the palace since childhood and had a destiny with her, suffer.
She just wanted a biting dog, a dog that could bite the queen hard so that she could benefit from it and then be discarded when it was no longer useful.
Although the Duke of Qi's Mansion does not have much real power, it is still the ancestor of the dynasty.
The title is 'Qi'!
He would not side with Empress Dowager Cao, just like he was unwilling to side with Prince Yong. He had long ago advised Heng'er to find a noblewoman of decent worth to marry...
and so……
The Duke of Qi did not cancel the plan and took the concubines' daughters of two high-ranking officials who had been sentenced to marriage a few months ago into the Duke of Qi's mansion.
Not only that, he also bought five maids to serve as his concubines.
It would be best if the son could be born from the wombs of those two concubines from noble families. If not, the moral character of these two people will determine who will be the new mistress of the Qi family in the future.
How could the Empress Dowager be in power in this world?
Does Cao have the strategy, breadth of mind, vision and means to compare with Emperor Wu?
Even Empress Liu can’t compare to her!
Can she be a long-term support?
By that time, when the new emperor has become tough, the four words "Grand Empress Dowager" will mean that she will be pardoned and innocent.
Giving up the power in one's hands and staying safely in the palace enjoying wealth and glory was the worst outcome for Empress Dowager Cao.
But what about Gu’s?
What about the Duke of Qi’s Mansion that was implicated by her?
and so.
Even if it was just to save the Gu family in the end and to be a peacemaker and say a few words, he still had to make trouble with the Gu family.
First, for the continuation of the Duke of Qi’s Mansion.
Second, to provide a way out for the Gu mother and son who are still confused and unable to let go.
After all, a daughter could become the future wife of the Duke, or even her son could inherit the wealth of the Duke's Mansion, so she would be a good, exchangeable chess piece.
Soon, with the help of various secret recipes for having children, the bellies of several concubines in the backyard began to move.
But what they didn't understand was that Gu and Qi Heng became even more anxious because of this.
They seemed to feel that they were racing against time.
……
Gu Tingye was awarded a title for his contribution in saving the emperor.
He was supposed to be a military commander, but because of the late emperor's will, he was promoted to the deputy commander of the Palace Front Department.
Don't underestimate this level of promotion. In the Song Dynasty, the Palace Front Commander of military officers was almost never given a title of "official". The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Front Division was basically the normal ceiling.
It's a pity that he didn't have any bonus from the position of a civil official. Even though he was appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Palace Front Department, which has real power, he could only wear red clothes.
Without a title or a legitimate name, he was still nothing in the eyes of the arrogant Ningyuan Marquis and Xiao Qinshi, who knew how to take advantage of his status.
After returning to the Gu Mansion, he tried his best but still failed to take the dowry and property that should have belonged to his mother from Xiao Qin and his brother.
When he was expelled from his family and followed the army alone, he met a kind-hearted farmer.
At that time, he was seriously injured while accompanying the army to suppress bandits. Thanks to this family's care, he was able to return to the army safely.
I cannot repay you for saving my life, so I shall give myself to you... and give myself to a girl from their family as a reward.
But when he told this matter to Ning Yuanhou, he was still met with abuse, insults and anger from his father.
"I thought you could improve! But in the end, you are still blinded by lust and disobedient to your parents!"
Among all the women available for Gu Tingye to choose from, Ning Yuanhou only hopes that Gu Tingye can find one who is innocent and useful, such as the daughter of Yu.
The Yu family is a family of scholars and are well-known for their integrity. If they can get married, the Ningyuan Marquisate can get rid of its reputation as a military family and have more scholars among its descendants.
What a wonderful marriage.
As a result, after Gu Tingye finally got some honor and military merit, he came back to marry some peasant girl?
Is this still human language?
Back then, Bai took great pains to marry her daughter into the family. Wasn't it just for the title, so that she could become a superior person?
Seeing Gu Tingye like this, can Bai still rest in peace?
Or maybe it's really like a root, and nothing good can come out of it!
But no matter what, since the Yu family is interested, the Ningyuan Marquis Gu Mansion will naturally not refuse.
The eldest brother’s marriage has been decided, and the third brother and Xiao Qin have already made other arrangements. Gu Tingye must make sacrifices for this family.
So Ningyuan Hou forced Gu Tingye to marry the girl from the Yu family.
The arm cannot twist the thigh, and Gu Tingye's desire to repay the favor and marry the peasant girl was just an idea that existed only in his mind. Coupled with Chang's mother's persuasion, Gu Tingye finally accepted the reality.
After all, if we think about his future from Gu Tingye's perspective, he has reached the point where he can no longer be promoted, and the fame he obtains through the imperial examinations is only a belated blessing, or perhaps it is to clear his name for the grievances he once felt. Now it is the long-term plan for him to marry the daughter of the Yu family and make friends with the old Grand Tutor Yu and his party.
After many twists and turns, things finally came back to the circle that belonged to him.
Yu Yanhong's mother is Yu Yanran's stepmother. She is a person who is well versed in interests and calculations.
She remembered the glory of Gu Tingye's biological mother, the Bai family, in the past. She coveted the enormous wealth of the Bai family, the richest man at that time, and was concerned about the status of the Marquis of the Gu family.
So what if he had concubines and was kicked out of the house?
Isn’t everything obtained through fighting and snatching?
With such calculations, Yu Yanhong soon married Gu Tingye.
Man Niang's affairs were also uncovered by Yu Yanhong, who combined the abilities of her mother, but Chang Ge'er was already dead, leaving only a daughter...
Yu Yanhong quickly came up with a plan.
Man Niang had been unfaithful for a long time. She brought her born child to find Gu Tingye. Who knows if this child is from the Gu family?
He dealt with Man Niang privately, dug up Chang Ge'er's grave, and found a wasteland to bury Rong Jie'er alive.
……
Except for Yu Yanhong, no other master knew about this matter, except Molan.
Men are confused, have natural chauvinism, are arbitrary and indecisive, while women are shrewd, calculating, mean and cunning.
The Yu family is always superior to the Qin family, not to mention that what little Qin is making trouble for now is the dowry of their nominal mother-in-law.
Now Xiao Qin has met her match.
So she came to the palace quite often with the Marquise's imperial decree.
Most of them came to seek refuge with Empress Dowager Cao and report to her for duty.
Molan doesn't like flies.
and so……
As for the old stories of the Gu family, why not find someone to dig into them for us?
If Gu's second ceiling as a military commander collapses, someone will definitely need to fill it.
The Sheng family has been waiting for a long time.
She would not let Gu Tingye get the pie for nothing, so naturally he, as a husband, would have to bear the consequences of Yu Yanhong's mistake due to his negligence.
This is not an unprovoked disaster.
She couldn't understand why Gu Tingye in the play kept the credit of Minglan's blood edict secret and didn't report it.
The sudden emergence of feudalism in the context of the Song Dynasty?
Who would believe it if I told them?
In this era where royal power is supreme, what could be more important than loyalty to the emperor?
The merit of saving the emperor was enough to justify Wei Xiaoniang's request for a title, and even without an imperial edict she could be ranked and entered into the ancestral hall.
As for Minglan herself, although she may not be a princess, she will definitely have the title of a county lady, or another imperial decree.
In this way, how could she be wasted, and would she have to listen to Gu Tingye's words, "Your imperial edict and your mother's entry into the ancestral hall are all due to my title?"
He deserves all the bitter consequences he has today, Gu Tingye.
……
Things are laid out bit by bit.
In half a month, it will be summer.
On this day, Zhao Ceying discussed court affairs with Molan as usual. After the discussion, Molan suddenly said,
"There's one more big thing."
"Ok?"
Zhao Ceying was startled and quickly put down the tea and pastries he had been preparing and sat up straight.
"I'm pregnant."
A hand trembled and the tea spilled all over the table.
Compared to Molan's calmness, Zhao Ceying had already stood up and started dancing on the spot.
“Got it?! Got it!!”
"When did this happen?"
"The imperial physician said the baby is full-term. He just gave the confirmation today."
"Good! That's great!"
For the Zhao royal family today, having offspring is a matter more important than anything else.
Nothing could be more important than this.
When Zhao Ceying thought about the nonsense that some of the Cao party officials said in the court today, he couldn't help but sighed,
"This child came at the right time. He is so sensible!"
"Hmm?" Molan tilted her head, as if she didn't understand what Zhao Ceying said.
Zhao Ceying sighed, and then told Molan the story.
"You know, the Queen Mother doesn't want me to live a comfortable life.
Look, she is instigating the ministers to say that my harem is empty and that the queen is jealous and immoral, which is not what a queen should be... Ah Ba Ah Ba, I feel irritated just by listening to that..."
At this point, seeing Molan lowering her head and keeping silent, Zhao Ceying hurriedly continued to explain,
"I know this is the emperor's duty, and I will definitely not put you on it and let people roast you.
But, don't worry, before this child is born safely, no concubine in the palace, including the noble lady, will be allowed to leave!"
The Song Dynasty harem initially followed the Tang system, with one empress, four wives, nine concubines, twenty-seven concubines and eighty-one imperial wives.
After Zhenzong and Renzong added and subtracted,
She became an empress who surpassed the definition of rank, the fourth lady of the first rank, virtuous and virtuous, seventeen concubines of the first and second rank, the third rank imperial concubines, the fourth rank beauty, the fifth rank talented lady, and the sixth rank noble lady without rank.
The term "guiren" includes the third-ranked "Bao Lin, Yu Nu, Cai Nu" among the eighty-one imperial wives, and can be understood as alternative candidates for empresses.
Therefore, Zhao Ceying's words this time can be said to be sincere.
Moreover, a new emperor did not say "For you, I will not have any concubines", which can be regarded as a wise and understanding person.
People in the world will not find fault with the emperor, they will only look for scapegoats.
As a woman and a queen, she is the perfect fit.
Only a powerful emperor has the right to choose the life he wants to live, but in the Song Dynasty... no one can do that.
However, through Zhao Ceying's words and deeds, Molan could judge that she had not raised him in vain.
Molan stood up and sat next to Zhao Ceying. Without saying a word, she opened her arms and hugged him quietly.
There is no need to say anything, just feel it through each other's heartbeat.
In the silence of the noisy summer insects, Zhao Ceying closed his eyes, listening to the rhythmic and strong heartbeat of "dong dong, dong dong, dong dong".
After a long time, Molan let go of her hand, and Zhao Ceying also said at this time,
"I'll go grind the ink and announce it to the world!"
"Okay."
Molan's smile was bright, like the sunshine in spring that melts the winter snow, warm and gentle.
Zhao Ceying, who was already proficient in imagination, felt that Molan had been particularly gentle recently, as if she was full of maternal love.
This brought great relief to his nerves and body, which were tortured day and night by Empress Dowager Cao.
The lesson of the Han Dynasty is to let emperors of every generation be on guard against external relatives.
But he was not tortured by the Sheng family, the in-laws that made everyone worried. Instead, he was tortured by the Empress Dowager Cao, who had nothing to do with him.
in this way……
He was planning on making some big moves.
Since Empress Dowager Cao was so rampant, honoring the Cao family and even unscrupulously honoring Cao's relatives, he also had something he could do.
For example, mention the titles of his biological father and mother.
Of course, this matter must be discussed with family members.
lest……
The fake play turned into reality and caused a huge mess.