Chapter 309: 209 Descendants

Chapter 309: 209 Descendants

Chapter 309 Chapter 209 Heirs

Gu Nanzhao was anxious and jumped in front of Chu Qianchen and Jingle, blocking their path.

"..." Jingle was startled by Gu Nanzhao. The plum branch in her hand fell to the ground, and a few small red petals fell off.

Jingle let out a low cry and knelt down to pick it up distressedly.

"Isn't this Princess Chen?!" A slightly high-pitched female voice came from the other side of Nuanting, "Eh?! His Highness the Second Prince is here too!"

The old female voice became louder and shriller every word, as if she was shocked.

Chu Qianchen slowly turned around and looked towards Nuanting after hearing the sound.

Aunt Shan, who was wearing a rust-colored coat, walked quickly to the warm pavilion and frowned at Chu Qianchen and Gu Nanzhao not far away.

Behind Aunt Shan, five other princesses including Princess Li, Princess Rui, and Princess Shun were also walking towards this side, and a few birds fluttered their wings around them.

Aunt Shan twisted her fat waist and took another step forward. She turned around and asked Chu Qianchen, "Princess Chen, how could you do this?!"

Her indignant expression seemed to indicate that the two of them had done something unjust or immoral, and she secretly sighed that her timing was just right.

"No." A look of panic flashed across Gu Nanzhao's handsome face, trying to explain.

However, Aunt Shan didn't want to listen to Gu Nanzhao's explanation at all. Instead, she thought it was just right.

"Princess Li, Princess Rui, you guys should come and take a look..."

As Aunt Shan spoke, she turned to look at Princess Li, Princess Li, and several other princesses, with a burning eagerness flashing across her eyes.

According to the etiquette of Daqi, after the hairpin ceremony for the princess, the elders will give her hairpin flowers, and then other elders will offer wine to bless the three princesses. This wine was brewed the year the third princess was born and will only be enjoyed on the wedding day of the third princess and Ji He.

Just now, the queen asked Chu Qianchen to give the third princess a hairpin in order to get her away and leave her alone.

At the same time, the queen sent someone to invite the second prince to this Nuanting in the name of Chu Qianchen.

This good show naturally needs witnesses. The queen chose Prince Li and other princesses, and led the people here by asking these princesses to get the wine.

As long as several imperial concubines witnessed Chu Qianchen and Gu Nanzhao's "private meeting" alone, and the emperor's aunt and nephew were cousins, they wouldn't be able to escape even if they jumped into the Yellow River.

Princess Li glanced back and forth at Chu Qianchen and Gu Nanzhao. The next moment, she saw Jingle, who was squatting next to a bush of flowers and trees, standing up and looking at them suspiciously. Only Aunt Shan turned her back. I haven’t seen Jingle yet.

The expressions of Princess Li and several other princesses became very strange.

Several surrounding pine trees were swayed by the cold wind, making a "crunching" sound, and little snowflakes were drifting in the wind.

Princess Li raised her eyebrows and asked, "Aunt Shan, is there any problem with this?"

Aunt Shan also felt that the expressions of the princesses were a little strange. Her heart skipped a beat and she turned around stiffly, only to see Jingle suddenly standing beside Chu Qianchen.

Aunt Shan's eyes suddenly widened, and she looked at Jingle as if she had seen a ghost.

Jingle was standing next to Chu Qianchen, and Gu Nanzhao was behind the two of them. He was still a few steps away from Li Chen. This was neither Gu Nanzhao nor Chu Qianchen being alone. There was no skin-to-skin contact between the two of them, and there was no trace of transcendence.

Gu Nanzhao was a little flustered when Grandma Shan first appeared. After all, he was here on an appointment. Now, after he thought about the cause and effect for a moment, he understood.

Gu Nanzhao didn't like the intrigues in the harem, but that didn't mean he was as innocent as Anle.

He has grown up in this deep palace since he was a child, and he has naturally seen a lot of it. In the past ten years, many concubines, princes, and princesses have died due to jealousy in the harem. This year alone, there is a three-year-old eight. The prince and the five-year-old seventh princess died young.

She was being plotted against, and the Queen still wanted to use her to plot against Sister Chen!

Gu Nanzhao felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, his whole body felt chilly, and he calmed down in an instant.

Gu Nanzhao showed a gentle and elegant smile, and his appearance had returned to the well-behaved second prince he usually was.

He calmly bowed his hands to Prince Li, Princess Li and others: "Uncle and Grandma, I just saw my aunt and Aunt Nine Emperors here, and I came here specifically to say hello."

Jingle is the second prince's biological aunt and the elder. It was disrespectful for the second prince to avoid Jingle when he met him in the imperial garden. He did not understand the dignity of elders and young ones.

"..." Aunt Shan looked embarrassed and felt as if her throat was being strangled. She couldn't say a word and was in a confused mood. She couldn't help but look in the direction of the Flower Hall Opera.

From Aunt Shan's position, she couldn't actually see the inside of the flower hall. She could only vaguely see three or four actors in bright clothes on the stage outside, singing and wandering around the stage.

No matter how well those actors sang or how exciting "The Fan of Concubine Xiang" was, the queen today had no intention of watching the show.

At this moment, next to the queen, there was a beautiful woman who was twenty years old. She had a fair and plump round face, long eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, a beautiful nose and plump lips. Her black hair was tied into a woman's bun, and she was wearing a Qizhai. Crown, earlobes with a pair of filigree cloud-patterned gold rings, bright and somewhat dignified.

The queen smiled and asked the woman: "Eighth younger brother and sister, is the new little prince in the house two months old? How is the child?"

The beautiful woman is the princess of the emperor's eighth brother, Prince Cheng.

Princess Chengjun curved her lips and smiled, her attentive and friendly smile always hanging on her lips, and said: "Thank you, Queen, for your care. The dog is very healthy and looks like my prince. When the child gets older, I will take care of it." He came to pay his respects to the queen."

Princess Chengjun smiled kindly and responded appropriately.

The queen gracefully stroked her sleeves, turned her face, and said sadly to Queen Mother Yin: "In a blink of an eye, the eighth emperor's brother's family now has two sons and two daughters."

"My daughter-in-law remembers that the Eighth Emperor is only one year older than the Ninth Emperor."

Aunt He whispered a few words in the ear of Queen Mother Yin. Queen Mother Yin turned her eyes slightly and sighed quietly: "My eighth daughter-in-law, it seems that a few days ago you came to greet the Ai family with Chang An in your arms. How old is Chang An?" "

Chang'an is the second daughter and legitimate daughter of Princess Cheng County. She was named the Princess of Chang'an County at a young age.

Princess Chengjun hurriedly replied: "After returning to my mother, Chang An has just turned one year old."

As soon as this statement came out, some of the female relatives around them who were originally unaware of it also realized it.

Princess Chengjun's smile deepened, and she continued: "The second child, who has just turned two months old, was born to Concubine Xu in the palace. The prince and I are very fond of him. In the future, the eldest son will also have a companion."

Some insiders know that this concubine Xu also got the title of concubine from an ordinary concubine because she gave birth to a son for Prince Cheng County.

Moreover, at that time, Princess Chengjun personally approached the queen to request the decree. For this reason, Princess Chengjun was praised by the queen as "virtuous and virtuous".

The other female relatives occasionally looked at each other meaningfully, and now, the number of people watching the stage decreased by several percent.

The queen's eyes flickered and she said with a smile: "I and the emperor are very pleased to see that my eighth brother and the others have started a family, started a business, and have children. They will all have successors in the future."

When the Queen said this, Princess Cheng was very flattered and expressed her gratitude. She said that she and Prince Cheng had been grateful to the Emperor and the Queen for taking care of them over the years. She also said that they were indebted to the Emperor for his great kindness. It was all very flattering, as if They seem to think that the current good life of the Chengjun Prince's Palace is thanks to the emperor and empress.

The Queen heard this and was very pleased with it. She also praised Princess Chengjun for being a virtuous wife. Then she frowned slightly and changed the topic: "Hey, the Nine Emperor Brothers are already in their early twenties. The honor of the clan in the capital is so great." Gui Danfan already has several children at his knees."

As the queen spoke, she glanced at the Queen Mother Yin. She saw the Queen Mother Yin drinking tea. She didn't even move her eyes or eyebrows, so it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

The Queen did not expect any response from the Queen Mother, so she went on to herself: "The Ninth Brother and Sister are good, well-educated, and well-mannered. Together with the Ninth Emperor Brother, they are really talented and beautiful. At the beginning, the Emperor also thought that the Ninth Brother and Sister had good horoscopes and could be prosperous. Only the Nine Emperor Brothers would grant this marriage, which shows that this marriage is destined by God."

Queen Mother Yin was originally expressionless, but when she heard the words "Marriage is destined," she was slightly moved.

"Empress, this marriage is not destined by God, it's Taoist Master Xuanjing's calculation that made it right." Princess Chengjun said jokingly.

"Yes." The queen sighed sadly, "The ninth younger brother and sister are good at everything, but they are a little younger. But at that time, for the sake of the Nine Emperor Brothers... there was nothing we could do."

"Later, the emperor often said with emotion that the marriage was planned correctly, but the nine siblings were too young, and they were afraid that the queen mother would blame the emperor for being in a hurry to have a grandson."

Princess Chengjun and the Queen sang in harmony: "The Queen Mother has always been kind and generous, how can she blame the Emperor and the Empress."

"I see that since the Ninth Brother and Sister got married to the Ninth Emperor, the Ninth Emperor's health has been getting better day by day. The Queen Mother is not as happy as she is. Today I see that the Queen Mother has become several years younger. I think it has solved her old man's worries. , so happy.”

Princess Chengjun was a good talker, with a bright tongue, and her few words made the queen happy, as if this was really the case.

The Queen had been paying attention to the changes in Queen Mother Yin's expression and felt that the Queen Mother could not remain indifferent.

In this capital city, not to mention the nobles of the clan and civil and military officials, even the ordinary people, there is no one over twenty who still has nothing at his knees.

As for any mother-in-law, no matter what her background is, whether her family is poor or rich, no one will care about her son's heirs. This point remains unchanged through the ages.

Even if Queen Mother Yin defended Chu Qianchen as her daughter-in-law for the sake of her son, it was impossible for her not to care about Chu Qianchen's age.

Chu Qianchen is only fourteen years old, and there is still more than half a year before he is a hairdresser. Even if he is a hairdresser, he is still young, and it is hard to say when he will have a child.

Seeing Gu Jue getting older and older, is it possible that the Queen Mother is really willing to wait like this?

When it comes to the issue of heirs, the other female relatives around are also extremely sensitive. Most of them have a vague idea of ​​what the queen is talking about in so many circles.

The female family members who were chatting also shut their mouths. Some pretended to drink tea, some looked sideways at the Queen and Queen Mother Yin, and some were preoccupied with two things.

The second part of the play came to an end, the music stopped, and it was surprisingly quiet inside and outside the hall.

Queen Mother Yin put down the tea cup and suddenly asked: "The Ai family remembers that Lao Ba is also twenty-three this year, right?"

The Queen's eyes moved, and the corners of her lips curved into a just right arc, as if she had practiced it countless times, and she nodded and said, "Yes."

Princess Chengjun said with a smile: "Concubine Xu just entered the mansion at the beginning of this year. She is very lucky. She got pregnant as soon as she entered the mansion and gave birth to Lin'er for the prince. I'm thinking of going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple on New Year's Eve. When offering sacrifices, you must pay tribute to your father and ancestors. "

While Princess Chengjun was speaking, the queen glanced out of the flower hall without trace, just waiting for the "news" to come. By then, the queen mother would be furious, and then she could follow the trend.

All she needed was an angry word from the Queen Mother. With so many people here, as long as the Queen Mother said something, even if it was true, Gu Jue couldn't slap the Queen Mother in the face, right? !

Thinking about it, the queen's eyes became darker and darker, as deep as the abyss. When the queen looked at the door of the flower hall for the third time, she finally saw Aunt Shan hurried into the flower hall with a strange look on her face.

The queen's eyes opened slightly, and she was ecstatic: It's done, it's done!

She barely suppressed her inner excitement, but her eyes were still unusually bright.

Soon, Aunt Shan walked up to the queen, bowed her head and whispered in her ear, her voice very low.

In an instant, the queen's face changed immediately, turning green, white and red, the colors changing wonderfully, and she almost stood up without losing her composure.

How could things be like this? !

She obviously had such a thorough plan, with the right time, place, and right people, and everything was taken care of. It was enough for Princess Li and the others to see Gu Nanzhao and Chu Qianchen talking alone together.

She didn't want to cause any scandal that would embarrass the royal family. What she wanted was just to make Gu Nanzhao and Chu Qianchen's reputations white and clear, so that Chu Qianchen could be justified in front of the Queen Mother.

But why did Jingle appear there? ! Why is there an unplanned Jingle? !

The queen was confused for a moment, and her myriad of thoughts finally turned into one question: Will her plan continue as before? !

The answer came to mind: It must be business as usual.

There is no turning back when the bow is fired. Today's opportunity is just right. The Queen Mother has also been persuaded. If she gives up this time, she may not have such a good opportunity next time.

Moreover, the day before Chu Qianchen and Ji will only get closer day by day, and the Queen Mother's mentality will also change accordingly...

Therefore, even if she had to bite the bullet, she would continue.

The queen made a decision in her mind at the snap of her fingers, and regained her composure.

She said calmly to Princess Chengjun: "Eighth younger brother and sister, in a few days, you can bring the child into the palace and show it to me. The prince's Liangdi is also happy, and she is just happy. Let's see if she can Give the emperor’s eldest grandson a younger brother.”

Not far away, several female family members looked strange when they heard this, especially Princess Xing, who almost spit out the tea in her mouth.

Princess Xing couldn't help but glance at the Crown Princess's face. It’s not like the prince doesn’t have his eldest son. The queen keeps saying that she wants the prince Liangdi to go to Zancheng Palace to be a concubine. Is this dissatisfaction with the prince? ! The Queen's words are simply incomprehensible!

Queen Mother Yin raised her eyebrows and asked lightly: "Prince Liangdi is also pregnant?"

When the queen saw the queen mother talking to her, she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly: "Yes. This prince Liangdi is also blessed. She comes from a scholarly family, has a gentle temperament, and is easy to have children."

"The prince has an eldest grandson of the emperor, and the prince is a virtuous and virtuous concubine. She has offered to fill the east palace for the prince and spread its branches."

The Queen praised the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince Liangdi with many kind words.

The more the Queen praised, the more eyes turned to the Crown Princess. The luxuriously dressed Crown Princess sat in her seat with a gentle smile.

With the mournful and misty sound of the huqin, the third part of the play begins.

There was an extra bed on the stage, and the actress playing the sister was lying on the bed haggardly and sickly. She sighed and said that she was weak and could not leave a wife for her husband. The younger sister held her elder sister's hand by the couch, crying bitterly, and comforted her elder sister. It was a wonderful performance of sisterly love that moved the world.

Others were looking at the Crown Princess, while the Crown Princess was looking at the stage. Her dignified face seemed to be wearing a mask called a smile. Under the shadow of the mottled trees outside the window, her eyes were empty and lifeless. It's cloudy or sunny.

"The Crown Princess and the Crown Prince Liangdi are both good, and the Empress did choose well." Empress Dowager Yin praised her in a flat voice, and began to lightly tap her knuckles to the music again, "I heard that the Empress also chose An Le. How many concubines?”

"..." The Queen's face froze, and she secretly scolded the Queen Mother for which pot she should not carry. It was not the Queen's idea to choose the concubine as a dowry for the third princess. It was the Emperor who could not refuse the Hao State envoy.

The Queen's heart was surging like a river. She felt unhappy and couldn't argue with anything, so she could only smile to hide it.

She still remembered her purpose, thought about it, and followed the Queen Mother's words and said: "It is said that the Crown Prince Wuhatuna of the Hao Kingdom is about the same age as the Crown Prince and already has a son and two daughters. Anle is still young. If the two countries are not married, It’s very important, and my daughter-in-law wants to keep her by her side for a few more years.”

"But the marriage between the two countries is inevitable. Anle and Prince Wuhe's heirs are related to both countries, so we cannot delay it. Besides, it is a wife's duty to support her husband's family."

The queen's implication was that she chose two concubines for the three princesses because she wanted them to give birth to children with Daqi blood as soon as possible. This is a major event related to the country.

What the Queen said was so righteous and well-founded that the future of Qi and Hao was tied to Anle and his concubines.

Queen Mother Yin nodded, lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought.

Some of the female relatives around were moved after hearing this, and felt that the queen was worthy of being the mother of the country and understood the righteousness.

"Mother?" Anle heard her name and turned to look at the queen. However, she didn't understand.

Anyway, she often couldn't understand the Queen's words, so she immediately turned her head back and looked at the pair of sisters on the stage hugging each other and crying.

At this time, there was some movement at the entrance of the flower hall, and Chu Qianchen, Princess Li, and others came back talking and laughing.

Chu Qianchen was still carrying the small basket of plum blossoms, and Prince Li, Princess Li, and the others also brought wine.

An Le waved to Chu Qianchen cheerfully: "Aunt Jiuhuang, you are back and you have already finished singing. Do you want me to tell you about my past relationship?"

"Don't worry." Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and picked out the best red plum from the basket. "I'll give you a hairpin first."

Anle responded crisply and quickly sat down, sitting upright.

Chu Qianchen personally inserted the red plum into An Le's hairpin. Next, Princess Li took the wine poured by the administrator and said a series of congratulations. An Le took the wine at the prompts of the eldest palace maid. , spilled half of the wine on the ground, and took another sip.

Normally, the girl would just dip her lips into the wine symbolically, but Anle actually took a sip and her little face suddenly wrinkled.

It was Chu Qianchen who pressed his finger on his lips and made a "shh" gesture, and Anle shut up obediently and did not spit out the drink.

The last step of haircut ceremony is also over.

The palace maids shared the wine with everyone present today, also to let everyone enjoy the third princess's happiness.

Chu Qianchen returned to the Empress Dowager Yin and sat down, pointing to the flower basket she brought back and said: "Empress, I gave Anle a hairpin of flowers, and there are some plum branches here. I will take them to Shouning Palace for you later to put them in a vase." ”

Queen Mother Yin seemed not to have heard anything and said nothing. She slowly twisted the string of rosewood beads in her hand.

After pondering for a while, Queen Mother Yin suddenly said: "This candidate is not easy to find."

Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"..." The Queen felt happy and her eyes widened. This was the first time she saw the Queen Mother ignoring Chu Qianchen.

Sure enough, the Queen Mother was moved!

If you think about it carefully, the Queen Mother has been staying in the palace since the death of the late emperor, focusing on eating fast and praying for Gu Jue who was stationed in the north. Previously, the Queen Mother only hoped that Gu Jue could return to Beijing safely, and naturally she could not think about the issue of the heir.

It's been almost half a year since Gu Jue got married, and there hasn't been any movement from Chu Qianchen here.

Seeing that other families have children, Prince Cheng, who is only one year older than Gu Jue, already has two sons and two daughters in his house. Among so many brothers, Gu Jue was the only one who felt empty at his knees. It was impossible for the Queen Mother to have no grudge against this.

Mother-in-laws in this world, no matter how different their temperaments are, they all reach the same destination by different paths when it comes to their children.

At this moment, the queen felt that she had too many concerns and was too cautious when she wanted to use the second prince to anger the queen mother at first.

In fact, this matter couldn't be simpler. Isn't it just taking a concubine?

Except for those ordinary people, which wealthy family in Beijing doesn't take concubines!

Although the Queen Mother seemed to like Chu Qianchen very much, her daughter-in-law was an outsider after all and was not as good as her son who was related by blood. What's more, she was just proposing to give Gu Jue a concubine, and she was not asking Gu Jue to divorce his wife.

With one more person in Gu Jue's room, the Queen Mother can also hold her grandson early. Is this something that is beneficial to everyone? The Queen Mother has no reason to refuse!

Thinking of this, the queen suddenly felt calm, as if she had taken some miraculous medicine, and she became energetic.

The queen smiled and said: "My daughter-in-law thinks that this choice is difficult to say, but easy to say."

The other female relatives around him couldn't help but pricked up their ears, and some of them cast sympathetic glances at Chu Qianchen.

An Le leaned close to Chu Qianchen's ear and whispered to her the background of this drama. He said that after her sister married her brother-in-law, she had nothing to do for several years. After getting sick, her health deteriorated and so on. , the younger sister came to visit her elder sister, and the two sisters hugged each other and cried.

The queen had nothing to do with her daughter, so she focused her attention on the queen mother. Anyway, as long as she persuaded the queen mother, the matter would be settled.

The queen considered her words carefully and continued: "My daughter-in-law is thinking of choosing a girl who has a good personality, is smart, gentle and courteous. It is best to know her roots well and not to be a troublemaker. Of course, the most important thing is that you like her, the queen."

The queen didn't mention Yuan Zhitong a word, but every word seemed to point to Yuan Zhitong.

She guided Queen Mother Yin's gaze to Yuan Zhitong, who was not far away.

Yuan Zhitong has put makeup on his face and redressed himself. He is wearing a green lotus-colored honeysuckle-grape pattern jacket and a lilac-colored horse-face skirt. His skin is fair and delicate, and he has a peach face and almond eyes, although he is not like Chu Qian. Chen is so beautiful, yet dignified, graceful, and quiet, which makes people fall in love with her at first sight.

Yuan Zhitong seemed to know that the Queen and Queen Mother Yin were looking at her. She lowered her eyes slightly, her eyelashes trembled slightly, her cheeks were flushed, and her expression was still full of desire, which was very touching.

Yuan Zhitong's heart beat faster and he couldn't help but look at Chu Qianchen's face with the corner of his eye, feeling much relieved.

It doesn't matter if Chu Qianchen is Princess Chen. Even the Queen has to give in to the Queen Mother openly. Does Chu Qianchen dare to make trouble with the Queen Mother? ! The Queen Mother is Gu Jue's biological mother.

Chu Qianchen dared to kneel down, but in front of the Queen Mother, Chu Qianchen was the one who needed to kneel down.

With the support of the Queen Mother, I believe that even Gu Jue would think highly of her. What does it matter if she is a concubine?

As long as I can give birth to Lin'er quickly...

Thumping!

Yuan Zhitong bit his lower lip slightly, and the expression on Gu Jue's face when he looked at Chu Qianchen yesterday reappeared in his mind. His cheeks turned even redder, and his eyes seemed to be full of spring water, sparkling and charming.

(End of chapter)