Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 276 Concubine Zheng’s Decision
After Concubine Zheng became pregnant, the Zheng Mansion's reaction was even more grand than that of the Wu Mansion.

The Zheng family not only invited Buddhists and Taoists to perform rituals and pray for blessings, but also built a Taoist temple outside the city to pray to heaven to give Concubine Zheng a son.

In order to compete for the qualification of prenatal education for Concubine Zheng, there is also an open and secret struggle within the Zheng family. Madam Lu and Madam Wang both hope to enter the palace.

In the end, Concubine Zheng issued an imperial edict, allowing her biological mother, Madam Wang, to enter the palace on the grounds that her grandmother, Madam Lu, was too old.

Mrs. Wang went back to Zheng's house last night, and when she entered the palace this morning, she looked a little strange.

Concubine Zheng asked her several times, but she changed the subject.

It was not until the afternoon, after Concubine Zheng had taken a nap at noon, that Lady Wang came to the main hall with a look of trepidation on her face.

Concubine Zheng took her hand and asked softly, "Mother, what happened to you today? If something happened at home, please don't hide it from me."

Madam Wang sighed and said, "I had not intended to tell you that you were pregnant, but this is a serious matter. If I didn't tell you, I wouldn't be able to explain it to the Northern Ancestral House."

Concubine Zheng said, "Mother, please feel free to speak."

Mrs. Wang smiled bitterly and said, "Your second cousin, he's gotten into trouble again."

Concubine Zheng had always known that her second cousin was extremely romantic and only cared about other people's women. He almost got into trouble several times, but he was able to cover it up thanks to his connections with the Zheng family.

Concubine Zheng shook her head and said, "He's almost thirty, and yet he refuses to turn back to the right path. Did he offend a woman from a wealthy family this time?"

She knew very well that if it was an ordinary girl, the Zheng family could handle it themselves and would not specifically ask her mother to tell her.

Mrs. Wang smiled bitterly and said, "This time it's different. He's offended a famous lady from Chang'an."

Concubine Zheng was stunned for a moment and said, "Just give some money to a woman like that. Could it be that she is blackmailing me?"

Madam Wang shook her head and said, "Your second cousin was careless and accidentally killed her."

Concubine Zheng was stunned and could hardly believe her ears.

Just then, a "bang" sound came from the direction of the window.

Mrs. Wang's face changed drastically, and she shouted, "Who is it?"

I quickly ran to the window, pushed it open and looked out, but I saw only a black kitten rolling around not far away.

Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief, closed the window, and returned to the house to explain to Concubine Zheng, "It wasn't intentional murder. It was just that the woman suddenly went crazy and took out a pair of scissors to kill your second cousin. He accidentally killed her while defending himself."

Concubine Zheng had guessed what her mother was going to say and whispered, "Mother, even though I'm a concubine, I can't show favoritism when it comes to a murder case."

Madam Wang said hurriedly, "Of course Mother knows. She wouldn't let you take such a risk. But when you entered the palace, the Northern Ancestral House helped so much. I must repay this favor."

Concubine Zheng asked, "How do I return it?"

Madam Wang said, "Your uncle said that your second cousin would never lie. This was just an accident. If you can convict him of murder in self-defense, the crime won't be serious."

Concubine Zheng asked, "What does he want me to do?"

Madam Wang said, "The case is currently in the hands of Wannian County. The magistrate is Changsun Quan. As you know, the Changsun family has a bad relationship with us. If he were to try the case, it would be difficult for him to be impartial."

Concubine Zheng thought for a moment and said, "How about I report this to His Majesty and have the Dali Temple conduct the trial?"

Madam Wang said hurriedly, "No, your uncle wants the Yongzhou government to conduct the trial. That's reassuring."

Concubine Zheng said quietly, "Mother, my cousin has connections in Yongzhou Prefecture, right? He wouldn't want to show favoritism, would he?"

Mrs. Wang was stunned for a moment and said, "That shouldn't be the case."

Concubine Zheng shook her head and said, "This concerns my second cousin's life, I'm afraid it's difficult to guarantee it."

Mrs. Wang looked at her and said, "My daughter, you are not going to sit back and watch, are you?"

Concubine Zheng said softly, "I have an idea. We can have Yongzhou Prefecture and Wannian County conduct a joint trial. That way, we won't have to worry about Magistrate Changsun being unfair, nor will we have to worry about our cousins ​​being partial."

Madam Wang thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. This way we can be considered as helping the Northern Ancestors. They shouldn't have any objections."

In a corner not far from the bedroom, Princess Gao An hugged the kitten tightly, with a look of shock on her face.

Just now, while looking for the kitten, she accidentally overheard the conversation between Concubine Zheng and Madam Wang.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, she reacted quickly, threw the little black cat out to attract attention, and took the opportunity to hide herself, and finally was not discovered.

Although she didn't fully understand what happened just now, she knew it was not a trivial matter. It seemed that Concubine Zheng's family had actually killed someone!

Princess Gao An returned to her bedroom and walked around the room, with all kinds of thoughts running through her mind.

She was almost nine years old and was slowly beginning to understand things. From the few words she had heard, it was clear that Madam Wang wanted Concubine Zheng to step forward and shield her clansmen.

This is definitely wrong.

But what should I do? If I go to persuade Concubine Zheng, won’t my eavesdropping be exposed?
If she is not persuaded, Concubine Zheng may very well make a mistake.

She often heard her father remind the queen and several concubines to restrain the clan members and not let them bully others by taking advantage of their power.

Now he is not only bullying others, but also killing people. Should I tell my father?

"Well, forget it. I'll just pretend I didn't hear it. Aunt Zheng taught me so many musical instruments and raised me for three years. I can't tell her secrets. After she gives birth to little Abao, I'll ask my father for permission to live in the Princess Courtyard."

Princess Gao An finally made a decision. She walked to a low stool, picked up the flute, and prepared to practice the song Zhu Zhenlian taught her.

Just as the flute pierced through two notes, a palace maid came in and said to her, "Your Highness, His Majesty has arrived and is speaking with the Imperial Concubine."

Princess Gao An was overjoyed. She jumped up and went to the bedroom, where she saw Li Zhi.

She threw herself on Li Zhi's lap, then took a grape from the plate on the table, peeled it with her hands, and handed it to Li Zhi's mouth.

"Yeah, eat it."

Li Zhi opened his mouth to eat and said with a smile: "An'er, you will soon have a brother or sister. Are you happy?" Princess Gao An looked up and said: "I hope it will be a little sister."

Li Zhi laughed heartily and said, "The Queen and the Imperial Concubine are both pregnant with one child, so they will definitely have a younger sister."

Concubine Zheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty, do you wish for me to give birth to a daughter, or for Her Majesty the Queen to give birth to a daughter?"

Li Zhi glanced at her and smiled, "The Queen already has three sons, so a daughter would be best. You already have An'er, so a son would be best."

Hearing this, Concubine Zheng was delighted. She walked to the zither platform and said with a smile, "I will play a song for Your Majesty."

After a while, beautiful and cheerful melody sounded in the hall.

Princess Gao An was sitting on Li Zhi listening to the zither when she suddenly saw one of her personal palace maids standing at the palace gate, waving at her.

Princess Gao An slid down from Li Zhi, walked over quickly, and asked her, "What's wrong?"

The palace attendant said, "Your Highness, the young Prince Wu has entered the palace and has sent someone to invite you to the Moon Viewing Pavilion."

Princess Gao An was overjoyed. She looked back at Li Zhi and showed a hint of hesitation.

Then he thought to himself, "Ye Ye has been here every day recently, so I can see him anytime, but I haven't seen Brother Xiao Ji for a long time."

After hesitating for a moment, he quickly left the bedroom and ran towards the Moon-Watching Pavilion.

After a while, they arrived at the pavilion and saw Li Ji sitting on the railing of a bench with a large cage covered with a curtain next to him.

Princess Gao An raised the corner of her mouth and called out from afar, "Brother, what gift have you brought me?"

Li Ji placed his hands on the top of the cage, smiled slightly, and said, "Guess?"

Princess Gao An reached out to lift the curtain, but Li Ji stopped her and said unhappily, "You're still so impatient. Guess first."

Princess Gao An muttered, "How could I have guessed? Could it be another rabbit?"

The last time Li Ji entered the palace, he brought her a white rabbit, but Princess Gao An raised it to death, which made her feel very sad for a while.

Li Ji smiled and said, "It's not a rabbit. Listen carefully."

Princess Gao An listened for a long time but heard nothing.

Li Ji patted the cage and said, "Deer cry."

At this moment, a magical scene happened. A sharp and crisp sound came from under the curtain.

"Yo yo, the deer roars, eating the apples of the wild."

Princess Gao An was surprised and happy. She had already guessed what was inside. She stretched out her little hand and opened the cage. Standing in the cage was a fat little bird with emerald green feathers and a pointed beak.

"Ah! It's a parrot!"

Li Ji smiled and said, "I bought this in the West Market. Sister, do you want to keep it?"

When Princess Gao An heard this, she stopped short of extending her hand. She frowned and said, "I'm afraid I'll kill it again."

Li Ji said: "I've heard that parrots are easy to raise, as long as you don't feed them messy things."

Princess Gao An said, "Well, I'll take care of it." She smiled sweetly at Li Ji and said, "Thank you, Brother Xiao Ji."

The two sat in the pavilion, chatting and feeding the parrot.

Li Ji knew Princess Gao An very well, and he quickly noticed that she was different from usual. He asked, "Sister, what's wrong with you? Are you worried?"

Princess Gao An hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but say, "Brother, I seem to have heard an incredible secret!"

Li Ji had been in the harem for several years and knew that the secrets in the palace were of great importance. His face darkened and he sent away the eunuchs and palace maids around him, then went to Princess Gao An.

"What secret?" he whispered.

Princess Gao An then told Concubine Zheng everything she had overheard outside her bedroom.

Li Ji's expression became more serious, and he said, "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

Princess Gao An shook her head repeatedly and said, "No, I only told you."

Li Ji held her hand and said, "Well, you must pretend that you don't know about this, and you must never let Concubine Zheng know about it."

Princess Gao An nodded vigorously and said, "I won't tell you."

Li Ji whispered, "I will tell His Majesty about this. Concubine Zheng may ask you about this in the future, so you must not reveal any flaws."

Princess Gao An was surprised and asked, "Are you going to tell on me?"

Li Ji nodded and said, "Sister, we can't hide this from His Majesty, otherwise it would be the crime of deceiving the emperor."

Princess Gao An said blankly, "Will father punish Concubine Zheng?"

Li Ji laughed and said, "Concubine Zheng is pregnant with the dragon seed, so why would His Majesty punish her? We should just tell His Majesty and leave the rest alone. This is the safest way."

Princess Gao An whispered, "Well, I'll listen to you, brother."

Li Ji said, "Take the parrot and go back. It's getting late and I have to go see His Majesty."

Princess Gao An said "Oh", picked up the cage, took two steps, and trotted back, asking, "Brother, is Concubine Zheng really okay?"

Li Ji said solemnly: "Don't worry, absolutely nothing will happen."

He knew that after the emperor learned about this, he would definitely remind Concubine Zheng and prevent her from making mistakes. This was the most appropriate way.

Princess Gao An then smiled and left with the parrot.

(End of this chapter)