In the imperial kitchen, the chefs looked at the dishes taken away from the Great Moon Palace anxiously.
"She didn't touch the soup today?"
"That's right. Her Majesty vomits everything she eats. It's said that His Majesty lost a lot of hair because of her."
Fortunately, His Majesty was not the King of Violence. Otherwise, these chefs would have been beheaded and sent to hell to meet their ancestors. These chefs were all famous masters all over the country. They were proficient in frying, cooking, and cooking. However, they were stumped when it came to the Empress' pregnancy.
A few days ago, a chef made a plate of desserts. The Empress ate half of the plate and was so happy that His Majesty rewarded her with dozens of taels of silver. However, the next day, the Empress didn't like it anymore. In order to let the Empress eat more, not only His Majesty racked his brains, but also the chefs wanted to kneel in front of the Empress and ask, "What do you want to eat?"
His Majesty and the Empress had been married for four or five years, but they didn't have any children. The ministers in the court had been so anxious that they wanted to persuade His Majesty to take a concubine. They tried to be tactful, but His Majesty pretended not to understand. They tried to be direct, but His Majesty ignored them. There were also people who wanted to persuade the Empress to be virtuous and generous. However, the Empress didn't say anything and directly brought them to His Majesty. Naturally, His Majesty was furious.
As imperial chefs, many of them also had one or two concubines at home. A man like His Majesty, who was rich, talented, and powerful, however, lived with a woman. He was even worse than those officials in town. The imperial chefs were very puzzled.
It was not easy for a man to become an emperor. Didn't he want to enjoy a good life with a beauty in his arms and a hero bowing to him?
Although they were puzzled, no one in the harem dared to provoke the Empress. It was said that a year ago, there was a palace maid who wanted to seduce His Majesty. Before the Empress could say anything, the palace maid was cleaned up by the head eunuch. The Empress didn't have to worry about her at all.
"Wang Gonggong, why are you here? Be careful of the floor. Don't fall."
"It's okay. I'm just here to run an errand for the Empress." Wang De was wearing a purple chief eunuch robe and holding a horsetail whisk. He looked very gentle, but no one in the imperial kitchen dared to offend him.
From the head eunuch of the previous dynasty to the head eunuch of the current dynasty, Wang De could be considered to be one of a kind.
"Gonggong, please give your orders. This servant will definitely do as you say." The head steward of the Imperial Kitchen nodded and bowed as he followed Wang De. Seeing a puddle of water in front of him, he hurriedly rushed over and wiped it clean with his sleeve. "Please be careful."
Wang De nodded. "Her Majesty said that she wants to eat something sour and spicy. You can make it as you see fit."
The Head Steward of the Imperial Kitchen nodded in agreement, indicating that everyone should take note of Wang De's words.
After the Head Steward of the Imperial Kitchen sent Wang De to the door, he said with some difficulty, "Gonggong, the entire Imperial Kitchen is very concerned about the Empress and the dragon child in her belly. But this food …" He stuffed a pouch into Wang De's hand. "I don't know what niangniang likes to eat in the past."
"I see your intentions. His Majesty also knows." Wang De casually took the pouch, the smile on his face unchanged. "But you need to put in more effort. You can think of a way to make what niangniang likes to eat. But there is one thing you must pay attention to. That is, you cannot make food that is not good for niangniang's health. "
The eyes of the Head Steward of the Imperial Kitchen lit up. He raised his hands and said, "This small one understands."
"En." Wang De nodded and turned to leave.
His Majesty never had a position to speak of in front of niangniang. He didn't dare to say no in front of niangniang, so he could only make things difficult for the servants. He had come today because His Majesty was worried that niangniang would eat something bad. But he didn't want to make niangniang angry, so he had him come to wake up the people in the Imperial Kitchen.
He returned to the Great Moon Palace. As expected, he saw His Majesty gently coaxing niangniang to eat. Niangniang cooperated, but after eating two mouthfuls, she spat it all out. His Majesty's face was so white. It was as if he was in more pain than niangniang.
Seeing that His Majesty wasn't in the mood to pay attention to him, he obediently stood in the corner, waiting for His Majesty's summons.
With his status, he didn't need to keep watch in the outer hall at night. But as a servant, how could he be too far away from His Majesty? If he was replaced by another brat, then Wang De's years in the palace would have been wasted.
When the dragon child was seven or eight months old in niangniang's womb, niangniang couldn't sleep well at night. During that time, he could always hear His Majesty talking with niangniang in the room. Sometimes, he would tell niangniang folk stories. Other times, he would tell niangniang the gossip of certain officials.
His Majesty was the ruler of a country. He was a gentleman, but in order to make niangniang happy, he learned from those gossipy women and talked about other people's private matters.
After the dragon child was nine months old in niangniang's womb, His Majesty didn't like to listen to the officials bicker in court. The first thing he did after court was to run to the back of the palace and pull niangniang's hand to nag endlessly.
If she felt uncomfortable, she had to send someone to tell him, no matter where he was.
Ever since the empress became pregnant, His Majesty had found many female doctors and midwives to prepare. Those who didn't have good horoscopes, didn't have good fates, and had encountered difficulties in childbirth were all removed from the list. In this tense situation, it was really hard to tell if it was His Majesty or niangniang who was giving birth.
In the fifth month of the fourth year of Cheng 'an, there hadn't been any rain in the capital for almost a month. Fortunately, there were wide rivers in the capital and there was no drought. However, because of the lack of water, the crops didn't grow very well.
Just as His Majesty and the officials were discussing the irrigation of the canals, the Great Moon Palace suddenly sent someone to report that niangniang was about to give birth.
His Majesty, who was halfway through his sentence, threw down the officials. It was as if he had grown wings under his ribs as he shot out from the dragon throne. When he raised his head, he only saw a shadow flash by the door of the palace.
Wang De swore on his life that he had never seen anyone run so fast in his life.
"My lords, the empress is pregnant with a dragon child. It is the joy of the country. My lords, please go back." He bowed to the officials.
However, none of the officials with serious expressions left. They stayed on the grounds of "worrying about the empress."
They were all here to watch the show.
Wang De saw the Duke Of Jingting and the Duke Of Jingting's Heir Apparent in the crowd. He brought them to the inner palace.
Then he saw the three men piled together like donkeys with carrots on their heads, walking in circles in the side palace. He looked at the delivery room again, where there was no movement, and lowered his head silently.
As a eunuch, he had to develop the habit of not looking at things he shouldn't look at.
"Father, why didn't sister cry out in pain?"
"I've never given birth before. How would I know?" Ban Huai rubbed his sweaty palms. "When your mother gave birth to you, she stayed up for an entire day and night to give birth to you. It shouldn't have happened so quickly."
"Father-in-law," Rong Xia looked at Ban Huai with a pale face. "Mother-in-law, was she also so quiet back then?"
"No," Ban Huai rubbed his nose. "Back then, she asked about the eighteen generations of our Ban Family's ancestors." He remembered that after Ban Heng was born, the Yin Clan, who didn't have much strength after giving birth, gave him a slap in the face.
That slap wasn't heavy, but when he saw the haggard woman on the bed, he decided not to have any more children.
Looking at the tightly shut door, he thought about how his beloved daughter was going to suffer like this again. He didn't like Rong Xia. But when he thought about how this was the Emperor, he felt that he should control his emotions.
"Eighteen generations of ancestors …" Ban Huai turned his head to look at Rong Xia. If his sister asked about the eighteen generations of ancestors of the Rong Family, would the Emperor be angry?
At this time, Rong Xia didn't care about the feelings of his father-in-law and brother-in-law. He walked around the room and occasionally peeked at the door. Halfway through, Ban Han drank half a bowl of chicken soup. Looking at the empty bowl, the three men all sighed in relief.
"Your Majesty," Wang De saw that the Emperor's face was so pale that he was about to faint. He couldn't help but comfort him. "Don't worry too much. The Duke's wife is inside. With her accompanying the Empress, nothing will happen."
There were no other women in the palace, and the Emperor's mother had died young. Therefore, the Duke Of Jingting's wife often went into the palace to take care of the Empress. This way, the Emperor could be more at ease.
"You're right. With Mother-in-law inside, zhen is more at ease." Rong Xia nodded in a daze, but his complexion didn't improve.
Seeing the Emperor like this, Wang De didn't try to persuade him anymore. It was useless to say anything because he couldn't see how the Emperor was at ease.
An hour later, Ban Heng couldn't help but ask again: "Father, why hasn't she come out yet?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? It's still early …"
The sound of a baby crying came from inside the room. The sound was loud and clear, and even the roof shook.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty and the Empress have a son."
She, she gave birth? Ban Heng stupidly rushed to the door and was stopped by the palace maid guarding the door: "Shizi, you can't go in."
Ban Heng hurriedly stopped. He was so happy that he was silly. At this time, it really wasn't suitable for him to go in.
"How is the Empress?"
"Everything is fine with the Empress."
Ban Heng saw Rong Xia squeeze in through the door. No one could persuade him otherwise. A smile appeared on his face. He turned to look at his father. Unexpectedly, his father was squatting at the door and wiping his tears. "Father, what's wrong?"
"I'm happy." Ban Huai wiped his eyes and pointed outside, "It's raining."
Ban Heng looked in the direction of Ban Huai's finger. It really was raining. This rain fell in a flurry. The entire capital was enveloped in a rain shower.
As the saying goes, the dragon has rain. The little prince was born with a rain shower. In many people's eyes, this was the symbol of a dragon's son. The court was full of celebration.
Everyone could see how much the Emperor valued the little prince. Not only did he personally hang the bow, but he also personally took care of the prince. Every day, he visited the Empress who was in confinement. This was something that many men couldn't do.
A baby who was less than a month old would either cry or sleep. Many men usually just went to take a few glances and didn't care about anything else. Although it was rare for the Emperor to do this personally, it could be praised as a kind father.
During confinement, there were many foods that she had to avoid. Ban Han didn't have a good appetite. Whenever she saw soup or water, she would have a headache. However, Rong Xia always thought of ways to make her drink. Today, she was so annoyed that she actually knocked over the bowl in her hand.
In fact, even she didn't know why her temper was so bad after giving birth.
"Huahua," Rong Xia grabbed her hand, "Are you scalded?"
Looking at his face full of concern, Ban Han rubbed her forehead, "I'm fine."
"If you don't like it, then don't eat it. Don't be angry and harm your health," Rong Xia gently patted her back, "It's my fault. If you don't like it, I shouldn't have forced you to eat it."
"I'm sorry, I …"
"Silly," Rong Xia smiled and reached out to touch her nose, "You're just too tired. I'll take care of the child. Don't worry. Your health is the most important thing. If you hurt your body, then you're sorry for me. "
Ban Han touched her face, "People say that women become ugly after giving birth. Am I ugly?"
"You're beautiful. You've always been beautiful," Rong Xia pinched her tender cheeks, "If you go out, people who don't know you will think you're an eight-year-old girl. You don't look like you've given birth."
Ban Han smiled and pinched his waist, "You're saying nice things again."
"When have I ever lied to you?" Rong Xia looked at Ban Han with an aggrieved face, "My wife is prettier than all the women in the world. Am I wrong?"
Ban Han blinked, "They're right. Because my husband is also prettier than all the men in the world."
Rong Xia's heart warmed, and he gently kissed Ban Han's cheek. After she fell asleep, he got up and walked out of the back hall.
"Your Majesty, the Lord Shi just asked to see you."
Rong Xia nodded, changed his clothes, and went to the imperial study.
Shi Jin, who was waiting outside the imperial study, saw Rong Xia appear and hurriedly bowed to him.
"You don't have to be so courteous," Rong Xia took the letter from his hand. After roughly reading it, he smiled and nodded, "Good, you did well."
"I don't deserve such praise."
Seeing that Shi Jin seemed to have something else to ask, Rong Xia raised his eyebrows, "Lord Shi, what else do you want?"
"I would like to ask Your Majesty for a favor. Please pardon my sister's crime and allow me to take her back to the capital." Shi Jin had privately looked for the files about the criminals sent to Xi Zhou. However, due to the change of dynasties, there were no records of many criminals from the previous dynasty in the capital. If he wanted to find his sister, he would need the help of the local officials in Xi Zhou. However, as long as he was involved with the officials in Xi Zhou, the Emperor would definitely find out. He was worried that the Emperor would misunderstand that he was colluding with the local officials, so he had to ask Rong Xia for a favor.
"Your sister?" Rong Xia pondered for a moment, "Is she the Shi Feixian who sent people to assassinate my father-in-law?"
"Yes …" Shi Jin cupped his hands and said, "I have investigated in the past two years. The real culprit behind the assassination of the Duke Of Jingting may be someone else. Your Majesty, please investigate."
"Minister Shi, you may have forgotten one thing." Rong Xia's expression was a little distant. "That year, this case was investigated by me and several other officials. Your sister also admitted her crime. Just because you think it is impossible, you exempt her from the crime. Isn't that making me wrong the Empress and father-in-law?"
Shi Jin suddenly remembered that Rong Xia was also one of the people in charge of this case back then. He knelt in front of Rong Xia with a pale face, "Your Majesty, please investigate."
"Only Emperor Yunqing knows if there were any suspicious points in the case back then, because all the evidence I have collected is related to your sister," Rong Xia's tone became gentler, as if he had become soft-hearted, "If you care about your sister, you can ask someone to take care of her."
Suddenly, his eyebrows moved slightly, "I remember that Xie Qilin and your sister are friends, and he happens to be the Zhizhou of Xi Zhou. You can ask him to take care of her."
"When I entered the palace, I met Master Xie." Shi Jin felt relieved. As long as the Emperor was willing to let him ask someone to take care of his sister in private, it was fine.
"Yes." Rong Xia nodded, "You may leave."
"I will take my leave."
In the fifth year of Cheng 'an, the eldest son of the Emperor had his first birthday. After being called "Tuan Tuan" for a year, he finally had a proper name, Rong Sheng.
As the only mistress of the harem and the mother of the eldest son of the Emperor, Ban Han's every word and action was closely watched. Whichever womenfolk received a smile from her or a word of praise from her was the talk of the womenfolk.
The eldest son of the Emperor's first birthday was very grand, and the items for the ceremony were all carefully selected. There was nothing that should not be there.
Ban Han sat on a chair and looked at her son, who was like a meatball, lying on the carpet and looking around. She whispered to Rong Xia, "Your Majesty, what did you grab when you were young?"
"A blood jade pendant, a peony painting by a famous scholar from the previous dynasty, and a pen," Rong Xia smiled faintly, "They are all boring things."
As the husband and wife were talking, they saw Tuan Tuan move. He crawled to the middle of the carpet and sat down, then grabbed the closest thing to him.
It was a jade bow.
The ceremonial officer praised him, and pleasant words continuously came out of his mouth. A palace servant went forward to take the jade bow from Rong Sheng's hand, but he held it tightly and did not let go at all. The palace servant did not dare to take it by force, and could only helplessly look at the Emperor and Empress.
Ban Han stood up and walked in front of Rong Sheng. She reached out and said, "My son, give the bow to your mother and go grab something else."
Rong Sheng saw that the person talking to him was his mother, so he was finally willing to let go. He even stretched out his arms to let Ban Han hug him.
"Hug me after you pick something," the one-year-old child did not understand much, but he could somewhat understand the meaning of his mother's words. Rong Sheng saw that Ban Han was pointing to the ground, so he flipped over and grabbed two things. Then he stood up shakily and continued to stretch out his arms.
His meaning was: I've got everything, now it's time for you to hug me.
He held a jade pen in his left hand, and a jade dragon ornament in his left hand. It was very small and looked very cute. Ban Han remembered that Ban Heng had spent a long time in the Ban Family's warehouse, and found a good piece of jade. He had asked a craftsman to carve it.
The pen was literature, the bow was martial arts, and the dragon was power.
The meaning was very good. The officials praised it to the skies, but Rong Sheng was already happily moving around in his father and mother's arms. Sometimes he would hold his father's hand, sometimes he would kiss his mother's face. Occasionally he would look at the beautiful jewelry the womenfolk were wearing. No one else could enter his eyes.
"Little Highness is so handsome. In the future, who knows how many girls will be fascinated by him," a womenfolk said in a small voice to her companion, "When people look at him, they want to take him home and raise him themselves."
"Niangniang is the most beautiful woman in Great Ying, His Majesty is the most handsome man. Their children …" Her companion snuck a look at the family of three, and couldn't help but pat her rapidly beating chest, "all of them look like immortals."
"Aren't they immortals?" A woman dressed in a robe nodded dazedly, "If I could see them every day, I'd be willing to die."
"Miss Yao, in a few months you'll be niangniang's dimei. Are you worried that you won't be able to see the Empress often?" Zhou Changxiao's furen heard this and laughed in a small voice, "Wake up, you're dumbfounded."
"You don't understand," Yao Ling slowly shook her head, "Some women will be worn down by life after they get married. Niangniang is different. If she was a beautiful luminous pearl before she got married, then now she's a rare pearl in the world. So beautiful that people can't take their eyes off her. This kind of person, I won't get tired of looking at her for the rest of my life. "
Zhou Shao Furen hurriedly covered her mouth and said in a small voice: "Don't speak nonsense. If others hear, they'll think that you married the Duke Of Jingting shizi for the Empress."
"How can that be? Ban Shizi has the same spiritual energy as niangniang," Yao Ling smiled, "I feel that living with this kind of person will be very happy."
Before Zhou Shao Furen got married, she had a good relationship with Yao Ling. Zhou Changxiao and Ban Heng were also good friends, so the relationship between the two had always been very close. Outside people said that Zhou Changxiao was a playboy, but Zhou Shao Furen felt that life after marriage was very happy. There was no need to pay attention to rules everywhere, and there were no messy concubines in the room. Her husband was also a humorous but not obscene person. Her life was better than she had imagined.
Ban Shizi was good friends with her husband, and he was also the younger brother of the Empress. She thought that he was not a bad person.
"I don't know about spiritual energy," Zhou Shao Furen said with a smile, "I only know that you're getting married soon."
Yao Ling's cheeks reddened slightly, "Then why don't you prepare the big gift as soon as possible."
Ban Han and Rong Xia played with the child for a while. Seeing that the child had fallen asleep, they asked the wet nurse to carry the child away. As usual, there was nothing new about the banquet. After the banquet, Ban Han specially asked the Yin Clan and Ban Heng to stay.
"Mother, Brother Heng is getting married next month. I have prepared some things for him to use as the betrothal gift. It's also to give face to the Yao Clan." Ban Han looked at Ban Heng, who was blushing slightly, "What, you finally know that you're embarrassed?"
"Sister, there are many things at home. Why do you have to prepare these things?" Ban Heng touched his face and laughed dryly, "You're the Empress. How can you not have some good things in your private storehouse?"
"I'm in charge of His Majesty's private storehouse. How can I lack anything?" Ban Han stuffed the list into Ban Heng's hands, "She's married into our family. You have to treat her well. She's been raised for more than ten years. She's married to you for you to love and live with you. Don't learn those things. Otherwise, I'll break your legs myself."
"Sister, am I that kind of person?" Ban Heng said, "I have you as my sister. How can I not know how to treat my wife? Although Miss Yao isn't as beautiful as you, she's also very interesting. Don't worry. I'll definitely treat her well. "
"You …" Ban Han laughed. She reached out and straightened his clothes. She said gently, "You're already twenty years old in the blink of an eye."
It seemed that the day before, her brother was still a cute little boy following behind her. Now, he had grown up in the blink of an eye.
"Sister …" Ban Heng was already half a head taller than Ban Han, but he still bent his legs so that it would be easier for his sister to straighten his clothes.
"Okay." Ban Han let go of her hand and smiled, "My brother has finally grown up."
Ban Heng touched the lapel that Ban Yu had tidied up and laughed foolishly.
The Yin Clan looked at their children and smiled until their eyes turned red.
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