Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 267 The Imperial Concubine is also pregnant

Li Yong stepped into the room and saw Yang kneeling by the window with a low table in front of her and a pipa on the table.

Li Yong was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that there was another person in the room, sitting in front of Yang's dressing table, putting on makeup in front of a bronze mirror.

The woman's appearance was not inferior to Yang's. She had delicate makeup on her face and a flower ornament on her forehead, which made her look even more beautiful than Yang.

Li Yong greeted the woman and said, "Greetings, Aunt Zheng."

The woman was another imperial concubine named Zheng.

The two women lived together in Shanchiyuan and had a close relationship. This was not the first time Li Yong had seen her.

Zheng smiled at him, stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, there is no need to be so polite."

Yang said softly, "Yong'er, why are you here again? I've told you many times that this is not the place for you."

Li Yong glanced at Zheng and hesitated to speak.

Yang frowned and said, "Just say whatever you want to say. Don't be shy."

Li Yong walked over quickly, grabbed Yang's hand, and said, "Mother, I want to rescue you."

Yang's face changed drastically, and she trembled as she said, "What nonsense are you talking about? My mother is living well here, why does she need you to save her?"

Li Yong cried, "Mother, you don't have to hide it from me. I know that you and Aunt Zheng have been banished to the cold palace. I have already thought of a way to rescue you."

Yang stared at her son, hugged him tightly, and two lines of tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.

Zheng also put down the dressing box in her hand and silently looked at the mother and son hugging each other, with a hint of loneliness in her eyes.

After a while, Yang let go of Li Yong, her eyes red as she said, "Yong'er, you're still young and can't save Mother. Go back quickly and grow up well. Maybe Mother can still rely on you to leave here."

Li Yong reached out to wipe his mother's tears and said with a smile, "Mother, I've asked Wang from Taiyuan for help. You don't have to worry."

Yang was shocked and asked, "Wang from Taiyuan?"

Li Yong then told Wang Bo about his request for help.

"They said that as long as they could find a way for you to meet your father, they would be able to save you and Zheng Yunu."

Zheng's eyes flashed, and she said, "Your Highness Prince Qi, are you still going to save me?"

Li Yong nodded.

Zheng clenched her fingers and asked, "Was it your, your second brother's idea? Was he involved in this?"

Li Yong was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

Seeing his reaction, Zheng knew the answer. She smiled sadly, turned to look at Yang, and said, "Sister, instead of living alone here for the rest of your life, why not give it a try?"

Yang was startled and looked a little scared.

"W-what do you want to do?"

Zheng said in a deep voice: "Just like the Third Prince said just now, we must let His Majesty see us and remember us, so that we have a chance to leave here!"

Yang hurriedly shook her head: "How can that be possible? If the Queen finds out about leaving Shanchi Courtyard without permission, she will definitely banish us to the Ye Ting Palace, and Yong'er will be implicated as well!"

Zheng stared at her and said, "Don't forget, wasn't the current queen also a nun in Ganye Temple? If she had been as cautious as you, how could she be the queen now?"

"But... even if we leave Shanchiyuan, how can we see His Majesty?"

Li Yong hurriedly said, "Don't worry, mother. Leave this to me."

Yang hugged him tightly and cried, "No, it doesn't matter if I stay here forever. I won't let you take any risks."

Zheng bit her lip and said, "Sister, when he grows up and forgets you, it will be too late for you to regret it!"

Yang trembled, looked down at Li Yong, and said, "Yong'er, will you forget your mother?"

Li Yong said, "No." Then he added, "But mother, I'm going to be married in a few years, and then I won't be able to come to see you!"

Yang's tears fell and she sobbed.

Zheng came to Li Yong, stared at him, and said, "Your Highness Prince Qi, there is no need for you to take any risks. You just need to help us find out where His Majesty usually goes. The rest is up to us."

Li Yong nodded vigorously.

Yang said, "Yong'er, you must be careful and don't let His Majesty find out."

Li Yong patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, mother. I'm always careful in what I do and there will be no mistakes!"

Seeing that her son was so sensible, Yang felt relieved but also a little uneasy.

Just then, there was a burst of noise and discussion outside.

Xiao Shunzi entered the room and said to Li Yong, "Your Highness, the eunuchs just sent me another piece of news."

Li Yong asked, "What?"

Xiao Shunzi said, "Empress Zheng is also dreaming!"

When the news of Concubine Zheng's pregnancy came, Li Zhi was discussing state affairs with several military officials in Ganlu Palace.

Li Zhi expected Wu Meiniang to be pregnant.

Counting the dates, Li Dan's birth was already several months late, so although he was happy, he was not surprised.

Concubine Zheng was a pleasant surprise.

It’s not that Li Zhi rarely went to her place. Apart from Lizheng Hall, Xunfeng Hall was the palace Li Zhi visited most often.

However, Concubine Zheng had always been in poor health. Every winter, she would catch a cold, and she had also taken saffron before.

Li Zhi originally thought that she would not get pregnant again, but unexpectedly, she got pregnant before Xu Jin.

Concubine Zheng herself was also very cautious.

In fact, her pregnancy lasted longer than Wu Meiniang's. She became pregnant in February and her menstruation stopped in April. The imperial physician also diagnosed her with pregnancy.

However, Concubine Zheng still did not dare to make a hasty conclusion, for fear of being disappointed.

She endured for another month, until all the symptoms of pregnancy appeared and she could feel bloating in her abdomen, and then she told Li Zhi the good news.

In contrast, Wu Meiniang became pregnant in late March, less than two months after conception.

She was experienced and did not have much psychological burden. As soon as her period stopped, she asked the imperial physician to treat her. The physician diagnosed that she was pregnant, and the news was announced before Concubine Zheng.

Li Zhi quickly regained his composure and continued to discuss state affairs with officials from the Ministry of War.

Xiao Siye had just reported that Princess Wencheng had returned to Tubo and officially assumed the post of Governor of Yalong. She had personally visited several tribes in the Yalong region, praying and offering ceremonies with the distraught Tubo people, and even personally made clothes and shoes for the Tubo people.

With her efforts to appease them, the Tibetan people in the Yalong area have gradually settled down.

On the contrary, tribes such as Fa Qiang, Fuguo, and Jialiangyi were dissatisfied with the territories of the Dudu Fu divided by the Tang Dynasty, and they all went to Lhasa City to cause trouble with Xue Rengui.

The division of the regions of the major military governorates was discussed in the court.

The criteria were the time when each tribe submitted to the Tang Dynasty and its contributions on the battlefield.

As the first tribe to submit to the Tang Dynasty, and because Suobi Lan Yali had made great contributions, Li Zhi allocated the largest military governorship to Suobi.

Zhangzhung was the second to surrender, and the territory of its governorate was also very large.

This is inevitable. As the areas of Subi and Zhangzhung expand, some tribal areas will inevitably shrink.

Clear rewards and punishments are the long-term strategy.

If we make concessions because of a few tribes causing trouble, it may solve the immediate crisis but will leave hidden dangers for the future.

Li Zhi said loudly, "The policy remains unchanged. Send an order to Xue Rengui. If those tribes cause too much trouble, there's no need to be polite to them. Just find a troublemaker and deal with him to deter the others!"

Xiao Siye bowed and said, "I obey your command."

Li Zhi asked again, "Is there any news from Su Dingfang?"

Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang had division of labor in Tubo. Xue Rengui was responsible for post-war resettlement, while Su Dingfang was responsible for preparations for war.

Hao Chujun, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, said, "Your Majesty, the Sudu Protector has sent back a message that our army has assembled 20,000 troops at the Subei Governor's Office. We also have another 10,000 Subei troops and 10,000 Xiangxiong troops. We are ready to attack Gar City at any time."

Li Zhi said to Ashina Buzhen, "Mr. Ashina, what is the reaction from the Arabs?"

Bu Zhen said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, they are still making excuses, saying that news from their own country has not yet arrived. However, judging by the timing, news from the Arab side should have arrived long ago."

Li Zhi snorted coldly, "They are putting pressure on us, hoping we will make concessions. So there's no need to be polite. Send an order to Su Dingfang to attack the Arab army in Gar City!"

Xiao Siye said solemnly: "Yes!"

After finishing his work on state affairs, Li Zhi hurried to Xunfeng Palace.

When they were halfway there, Li Zhi suddenly remembered something and asked Wang Fusheng, "By the way, I asked you to find Zhu Zhenlian's brother. Did you find him?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Your Majesty, we have found him. He is a young eunuch in Daji Palace named Zhu Shun, who usually follows the Third Prince."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Go to Shanchiyuan and pass on the order to transfer Zhu Zhenlian to Ganlu Palace. Find an opportunity to let them..."

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards a patch of flowers in the distance.

I saw a little head among the flowers looking at this side stealthily. After seeing Li Zhi's gaze, it turned around and ran away very fast.

"Yong'er, come here!" Li Zhi said unhappily.

After hearing the voice, Li Yong seemed to be under a spell. He turned around like a robot, his head lowered, and walked over slowly.

Li Zhi asked in a deep voice: "What were you doing just now?"

Li Yong poked his index fingers and stammered, "I, I... I missed my father a little, so I came here to pay my respects to him."

Li Zhi snorted, "Were you paying your respects just now?"

Li Yong smiled and said, "I saw that my father was in a hurry to leave. He must be rushing to visit Aunt Zheng, so I didn't dare to disturb him."

Li Zhi asked, "You also heard that Concubine Zheng is pregnant?"

Li Yong smiled and said, "I was on my way here too and heard the palace maids mention it."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Since you are here, please come with me and pay your respects to your concubine Zheng."

Seeing that he had gotten away with it, Li Yong hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, I was thinking of paying my respects to you later."

Li Zhi looked up and saw a young eunuch following behind Li Yong. He asked, "What's your name?"

Xiao Shunzi was startled when he saw the emperor speaking to him. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "My name is Xiao Shunzi, and I kowtow to Your Majesty!"

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Get up."

The group walked along the palace road towards Xunfeng Hall. Li Zhi ordered Li Yong to follow and called Xiao Shunzi to his side. He talked to him as they walked.

At first, they asked about things related to Daji Hall, and gradually, they began to ask about Xiao Shunzi's situation.

Xiao Shunzi was secretly moved when he heard that the emperor cared so much about him, and said, "Your Majesty, I am from Cangzhou and my family lives in Lucheng County."

Li Zhi asked casually, "Who else is in your family?"

Xiao Shunzi whispered, "Only mother and sister are left."

Li Zhi said, "Xiao Shunzi, do you want to see your sister?"

Xiao Shunzi was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I'm doing very well in the palace, and the Third Prince treats me very well too. Please don't kick me out!"

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I won't drive you away. You can decide for yourself when the time comes."

Li Yongqi asked, "Father, when is the time you mentioned?"

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "You will know soon."

After a while, he arrived at Xunfeng Palace. When he entered the palace, he ran into the fourth prince Li Lian.

Li Zhi asked curiously, "Silang, are you here to see the imperial concubine as well?"

Li Lian bowed and said, "Yes, father."

He has been getting older recently and has become more aware of his role as an older brother. Concubine Zheng has been taking care of his sister, Princess Gao An, so he felt it necessary to come and pay his respects.

Li Zhi nodded and walked towards the main hall with his two sons.

Concubine Zheng had already received the news and was welcoming the emperor outside the palace with Princess Gao An.

Li Zhi walked into the palace holding Concubine Zheng in one hand and Princess Gao'an in the other.

Wang Fusheng did not follow in.

He stood at the door and observed for a while, and saw that the emperor had started chatting with Concubine Zheng and would not leave in the short term.

So after giving a few instructions to the other eunuchs, he headed towards Shanchiyuan, ready to complete the task assigned by the emperor.

(End of this chapter)