in2ebook Chapter 270 7 Princess
Chapter 270 7 Princess
Although Prince Ding sat upright in his seat at the men's table, he kept an eye on Prince Kang, who sat below him. As expected of Prince Ding, Prince Kang would occasionally glance directly at the person on the platform.
Prince Ding's brow furrowed unconsciously. It seemed Prince Kang still hadn't learned his lesson. If Prince Kang hadn't accidentally saved the Empress' life back then, the Emperor's murderous intent would have eased. Who knows where Prince Kang would be right now!
The Shenwu Emperor on the high platform swept his phoenix eyes over the princes and the people, and all the various expressions of the princes were taken in by him.
After the birthday banquet, there are singing, dancing, acrobatics and other performances. The night is even more lively. After the dazzling fireworks, one blessing lantern after another rises slowly. Under the night sky, countless blessing lanterns rise into the boundless night, lighting up the entire night sky like stars!
Emperor Shenwu held Lan Qingwu's hand, and they both looked at the stars in the night sky. The light from the glazed palace lanterns illuminated their smiling faces. They each made a wish in their hearts, and then smiled at each other.
Concubine Wen, watching the emperor and empress smile at each other from a distance, felt deeply moved. The emperor and empress were so loving and affectionate, it seemed like a blessing for Dasheng!
On the second day of the Qianqiu Festival, the emperor issued an imperial decree in the name of the empress: release a group of palace maids who had reached retirement age; build a dependent courtyard in the inner city of the imperial city, specifically for older palace maids and eunuchs, to prevent the palace maids and eunuchs from serving and toiling in the palace all their lives but having no place to live and no one to rely on in their old age; exempt the three border cities from taxes for one year, and set up at least one dependent courtyard in every major city, so that the people would benefit from it and the benefits would be returned to them.
This was the first imperial edict issued concurrently with the empress's decree in the Dasheng Dynasty.
At dawn, the people expressed their gratitude to the emperor and empress for their kindness and generosity, and for their concern for the people!
After the Qianqiu Festival comes the Wanshou Festival. The emperor's Wanshou Festival is extremely grand. As usual, the whole country celebrates for three days and three nights. After the main day, Emperor Shenwu is exempt from court for two days. During these days, he can finally accompany Lan Qingwu openly.
In the bedroom of the main hall of Qianzheng Palace, Emperor Shenwu asked Lan Qingwu: "Have you thought about your wish?"
Lan Qingwu thought for a moment and said, "I haven't thought of it yet. Brother Heng, please keep this wish for me. I'll tell you when I think of it."
Emperor Shenwu quipped, "Weiwei, are you going to accumulate all this money and let me pay it off all at once later? Or are you going to accumulate it until it's particularly difficult and then make it difficult for me?"
Lan Qingwu only smiled slightly: "No! Brother Heng will definitely fulfill my wish."
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is the golden autumn season with abundant fruits, and Lan Qingwu is about to give birth. The child did not cause Lan Qingwu much suffering in the first four months, but in the middle and late stages of pregnancy, when Lan Qingwu's body gradually became heavy, she felt all kinds of discomfort and felt dizzy and vomited from time to time. Many times at night, she finally fell asleep, but woke up with twitching calves.
One night, Lan Qingwu's calf was cramping and she woke up with a cry of pain, tears already streaming down her face unconsciously. Emperor Shenwu was awakened and quickly took Lan Qingwu in his arms. Then he stretched out his long arms and skillfully rubbed Lan Qingwu's calf.
Emperor Shenwu's face was filled with heartache. Lan Qingwu hadn't reacted in the same way to the first two children. After a moment, he asked, "Ruoruo, are you feeling better?"
Lan Qingwu was a little listless. "Much better. Brother Heng, you should get some rest! We have to attend the morning court later. I'm fine now."
Emperor Shenwu lay down again with Lan Qingwu in his arms, but he made a secret decision in his heart. During the day, Emperor Shenwu had asked Nie Wushuang that giving birth too many times was not good for a woman's health, not to mention that Lan Qingwu was fundamentally weak.
Emperor Shenwu was looking forward to the early birth of this child. Now it was the golden autumn season, and Lan Qingwu's due date was approaching.
On the tenth day of the ninth month of the seventeenth year of the Shenwu reign, the Seventh Princess, Zhou Chengyue, was born. She was also the youngest child of the Emperor Shenwu. From birth, the Seventh Princess was the most honored legitimate princess. Her father was the Emperor, her mother was the beloved Empress, and her legitimate brother, the Sixth Prince, was the Emperor's highly regarded and designated Crown Prince. Her status destined her to a life of unwavering favor.
Emperor Shenwu loved this daughter to the core. On the seventh day after the birth of the seventh princess, Emperor Shenwu bestowed the title of "Zhangzhu", which means the apple of his eye!
When Lan Qingwu gave birth to this child, apart from the pain, it was not too strenuous. It took less than two hours from labor to the birth of the seventh princess. This made Emperor Shenwu and her feel relieved, as she was not in too much trouble as a mother.
Emperor Shenwu held a grand full-moon banquet for the seventh princess, and the emperor made no secret of his preference for this youngest princess.
Taking advantage of the Seventh Princess's full-moon banquet, the emperor recalled Concubine Wan and the eldest prince Zhou Chengxuan from the Changle Palace. Ostensibly, it was to celebrate the birth of the Seventh Princess, but in reality, Emperor Shenwu had once again given the eldest prince the opportunity to return to the imperial city and to the top center of power.
Concubine Wan had experienced ups and downs in the Changle Palace over the years, and she no longer had the savage temperament of her past. In the nine years there, she had gradually accustomed herself to a life without the intrigues and scheming of the three harems and six courtyards. She lived a quiet life, accompanying her son's growth year by year. Even after returning to the complex social life of the harem, Concubine Wan still missed her time in Changle Palace. A few years ago, Concubine Wan would not have believed that she would develop such a personality.
However, Concubine Wan also understood that she could stay in Changle Palace forever, but the eldest prince could not. The eldest prince was the emperor's eldest son, and this natural status made it impossible for him to keep a low profile. Only by returning to the imperial city could the eldest prince have a future, and the emperor would surely arrange a marriage for him in two years.
Emperor Shenwu still allowed Concubine Wan to reside in Wangchun Palace. Inside the palace, Concubine Wan was calmly straightening the eldest prince's collar. "Xuan'er, the Seventh Princess's full moon banquet has been celebrated. Your father will find an opportunity to keep you in the imperial city for the next two days. You must behave well."
The eldest prince Zhou Chengxuan was a little absent-minded, and after a while he replied: "I know, mother, when you were celebrating for the seventh princess, did the queen... mother say anything?" It turned out that the eldest prince was worried that Lan Qingwu would make things difficult for Concubine Wan because of what happened that year.
Concubine Wan understood the eldest prince's concerns and quickly said, "How could that be? After observing the Empress for so many years, Mother has come to understand her true character. She only wants to live her life wholeheartedly and love the people she loves. As long as they don't actively cause trouble, she doesn't care how others live. Don't worry, what you imagine won't happen!"
The eldest prince was stunned for a moment: "Really? Is the Queen Mother that kind of person?"
Concubine Wan nodded and said with some emotion: "Mother thinks this is also very good. Mother just wants to protect the people she cares about now."
The eldest prince seemed touched. "Mother, thank you for staying with me all these years. From now on, I will protect you."
This time, Concubine Wan smiled sincerely.