freenovelworld Chapter 182 Enlightenment
Chapter 182 Enlightenment
After careful planning by Concubine Hua and An Lingrong, a letter with a rusty arrow was quietly inserted into the invitation sent to Prince Zhuang's mansion.
As soon as Yunlu returned to the palace, Fu Jin handed him a letter.
"Your Highness, this is the letter that was included with the invitation to the Eighth Prince's third birthday banquet."
Fu Jin spoke softly, a look of worry on her face.
Yunlu walked into the study and opened the letter. The arrow in his hand was rusty due to age, as if telling a long-forgotten story.
He stared at the arrow until late at night, when he finally came up with an idea.
The next day, Fu Jin saw that Yunlu's face looked abnormal, dark and swollen, and she couldn't help but ask worriedly.
"Your Highness, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell? Do you need a court physician to come and see you?"
Yunlu waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Fujin, I'm fine. You need to come to the palace early today to hold the third day bath for the prince and princess. This is a royal wedding and cannot be sloppy."
Empress Hua wanted to change her position in the palace, and Yunlu sat in the study until late at night, and finally came up with a plan.
Prince Zhuang, who was so sleepy that he couldn't even open his eyes, got into his carriage directly.
As the elder who washes the prince's body, Fu Jin must enter the palace early.
As soon as her carriage stopped outside Shenwu Gate, Songzhi came forward with a smile.
"I pay my respects to the wife of Prince Zhuang. Concubine Hua has asked me to take you to Yonghe Palace."
"Miss Songzhi, please stand up."
As soon as she saw Songzhi, Fu Jin knew that the rumors were true, and this time the third day bath was organized by Concubine Hua.
Therefore, she was even kinder to Songzhi.
It was rumored among the concubines that Concubine Hua was favored because of the bravery of General Nian Gengyao.
Now it seems that Concubine Hua holds a great deal of weight in the emperor's heart.
When the palace servants learned that the emperor was considerate of the prince and princess and wanted to hold a third-day bath in Yonghe Palace, they began making preparations before dawn.
As soon as she entered Yonghe Palace, Fu Jin was stunned by the sight before her. The entire palace was covered in bright red decorations, exuding a festive and solemn atmosphere.
She thought to herself: This third-day bath banquet is so grand that it might cause dissatisfaction from the Queen Mother.
The concubine who was waiting for another blessed person to show up had no idea that Prince Zhuang would do something that would make the Queen hate him today.
As clan members arrived one after another, the hall became bustling with activity.
At this time, An Lingrong was lying in the delivery room, listening to the noisy noise outside.
Mrs. Lin sat beside her and gently explained the custom of the third-day bath. "The third-day bath basin is filled with water boiled with locust leaves and mugwort. The emperor and other guests would place gold, silver, and jade ornaments into the basin, which means 'adding to the basin.'"
"The blessed people hired by Prince Zhuang's wife and Concubine Hua will wash the bodies of the prince and princess."
Lin continued to explain.
Not long after, two clear cries were heard. An Lingrong nervously grabbed Lin's hand and said, "Mother, what happened to Hongyao and Zhaohua?"
Lin soothed her, "Rong'er, don't be anxious. This is a 'ringing basin'. It's a good omen if the prince and princess cry loudly while washing themselves."
The third-day bathing banquet officially began at the auspicious time selected by the Imperial Observatory. With the emperor personally in charge, the empress could not do anything secretly.
When the two children were sent back to An Lingrong, tears were still on their faces.
Hongzhan, who was so anxious that he spoke more fluently, kept asking, "Mom, why are my brother and sister crying? Did someone beat them?"
Lin explained with a smile.
"Sixth Prince, today is a good day for my younger brothers and sisters. No one will beat them."
"The kitchen has cooked some egg custard. Would you like to go eat it with your uncle?"
Hongzhan was very active, and An Lingrong was afraid that Baoque and the others would not be able to keep an eye on him, so she sent him to the back hall early in the morning.
Looking at Baoli peeking out of the door, she knew that Hongzhan was making too much noise.
The Sixth Prince hadn't seen his mother for a long time, and he held An Lingrong's hand tightly and was unwilling to leave.
Since the birth of the twins, Hongzhan seems to have become more clingy.
An Lingrong touched his head and persuaded him with a smile.
"Mom, Hongzhan is not hungry yet, let him stay here."
Normally, Hongzhan was not allowed to enter the delivery room, but he couldn't stand seeing his mother and sobbed.
The emperor had no choice but to let him in.
"Mother, please forgive my daughter for being unfilial and not being able to personally escort you and your brother out of the palace."
Jianqiu came to Yonghe Palace early in the morning to inform about this matter, and Aunt Xiao was already packing up the boxes.
"Rong'er, it's a good thing you married into the royal family, otherwise I would have been worried that we wouldn't have the chance to meet."
An Lingrong's heart ached dully. After entering the palace in her previous life, she had tried her best to climb up in order to meet her mother.
Not only did he not get to see his mother, but he might have also implicated her.
"Mom, you must take care of yourself. Hongzhan and the others will be filial to you when they grow up."
An Lingrong comforted her mother implicitly.
When her brothers grow up, she may be able to compete for that position.
However, An Lingrong knew that words can cause trouble, so she kept this matter deep in her heart.
When she gave birth to Zhaohua this time, a passage of text emerged in her mind, saying that her body would slowly recover during the double confinement period and she would not be in a coma for seven days again.
It was only afterwards that An Lingrong pulled Hua Fei together to plan her promotion.
This change is also a good thing. At least it doesn’t make my mother and Hongzhan worry.
The mother and daughter said goodbye to each other reluctantly in Yonghe Palace, while the banquet was still going on the other side.
Prince Zhuang Yunlu guzzled half a pot of wine at the banquet, then suddenly stood up and raised his glass to congratulate the emperor: "Your Majesty, I once again congratulate you on the birth of twins!"
Without waiting for the emperor's reaction, he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and then began to wipe away his tears.
The emperor, holding the wine cup, immediately frowned, but remembering that he was the head of the clan affairs office appointed by the late emperor, he still spoke with concern.
"Old Sixteen, what's wrong with you?"
Crying at the twins' third birthday party wasn't just to make him uncomfortable.
The emperor decided that if the sixteenth prince could not give a satisfactory reason, he would find an excuse to send him to accompany the eighth prince or the fourteenth prince every once in a while.
Under the worried gaze of his wife, Prince Zhuang slowly stepped out of the line and knelt on the ground, his expression sad and solemn.
"My dear brother, I dreamed of my late father last night. He was always worried about your lack of children."
"As soon as she learned that the Concubine Shu had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, she was so happy that she pulled me aside to chat all night."
Prince Zhuang's voice was low and sincere, as if he was immersed in the memories of a dream.
Upon hearing this, the emperor stood up excitedly, his eyes sparkling.
The emperor's concern meant that he, as the heir, had the recognition and expectations of the late emperor.
"What did the emperor say?" the emperor asked impatiently.
Prince Zhuang's body swayed slightly, as if he had not yet fully woken up from his dream.
He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, raised his dull but weathered face, and spoke slowly:
"Please forgive me, my brother. I am old and my memory is not very good. When I woke up, I only remembered some fragments of what the emperor said."
He paused and continued, "The Emperor said that he and his brother are separated by Yin and Yang, and he is afraid that his dream will damage your Yang energy, so he came to me to convey it. He asked me to pass it on.
Tell my brother, the birth of twins is a good omen, so I ask you to reward the Concubine Shu generously."
"He also said that the emperor is a blessed man and will surely have many descendants in the future."
Prince Zhuang praised the emperor subtly to prevent his petty brother from coming to his senses and taking revenge on him later.
When the emperor promoted Concubine Shu, he would advise the emperor in his capacity as the chief of the imperial clan not to put Concubine Shu on the spot and instead appoint a noble concubine instead.
Among all the concubines in the palace, only Concubine Hua is suitable.
"Since it is the Emperor's instruction, I will naturally do as he says."
When the emperor in the Yangxin Palace was wavering between raising the flag and ascending the throne, Xia Qi brought back the news that An Bihuai, who was recuperating in the farm, was dead.
He had been unable to eat for half a month, and his personal attendants fed him ginseng soup to keep him alive.