The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Xie Yuzhen asked for permission to attend the annual banquet on the first day of the first lunar month and did not join in the fun. Instead, she stayed in Shouning Palace to rest and take care of her pregnancy.

She sat on the couch, Xie Yi leaning against her mother. He was born on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and the fifth prince born to the queen was born on the fifth day of the first lunar month. The latter, as the legitimate son of the empress, was only two years old, but he was given a big name and listed in the royal family tree at birth. Logically, his birthday should have been celebrated with great fanfare, but the fifth prince had not been healthy since he was born, and was even more sickly in winter, looking like he could die at any time.

In order to pray for the Fifth Prince, no birthday banquets were held on his birthday. Instead, the Queen used the money allocated for the Fifth Prince's birthday to build roads and bridges, buy new clothes for the orphans and the elderly in the orphanage and nursing home, and purchase meat, eggs and food.

Xie Yi was only the emperor's stepson, and his birthday was so close to that of the Fifth Prince. If the latter didn't celebrate, it would be inappropriate for him to hold a big celebration too.

Xie Wei really felt that she owed the child something, so she gave him a new set of Lu Ban locks as a gift in advance as a thank you. Today was a rare free day, so the mother and son started to study the child's toy together.

Several palace maids in the room also gathered around Xie Yi to join in the fun, except Xia Zhi, who was not there. Xie Yuzhen asked her to go and look after Xie's mother who was coming to the palace for a banquet today.

Palace banquets held in the Dasheng Dynasty usually started in the afternoon and ended around the next day.

Naturally, Xie's mother was so anxious to see her daughter that she would not wait until the end of the banquet. She just sat for a few quarters of an hour, and then asked Xia Zhi to pass a message to Yun Rong, asking her to apologize to the Queen and resign on her behalf. Then she left Ruilin Palace and hurried to Shouning Palace.

Seeing her daughter and grandson sitting together, Xie's mother couldn't help but shed tears: "I have seen the talented lady."

As soon as Xie Yuzhen heard the palace servant announce that her mother had arrived, she immediately wanted to stand up from the couch, but she was heavy and her movements were slow. Xie's mother, who was eager to see her daughter, had already walked into the room and saluted her daughter according to the palace rules. So Xie Yuzhen had to turn aside and said, "Mother, why are you being so polite? There is no outsider in the room, so there is no need to do these formalities."

Xia Zhi hurriedly helped Xie's mother up. Xie's mother looked at her daughter with satisfaction and said, "Etiquette cannot be abolished." Since the construction of Yongjia Marquis' Mansion began, Xie's mother took the initiative to hire an old nanny from the palace. She brought the whole family - except Xie's father who was paralyzed in bed - to carefully re-learn the various etiquettes for entering the palace for an audience.

She was afraid that she might behave inappropriately and cause trouble for her daughter.

Especially at this critical moment when her daughter was about to give birth, she couldn't afford to make any mistakes. After standing up, Xie's mother asked Xie Yuzhen to lead her and sit down on the couch together. She looked at Xie Yuzhen with gentle and fond eyes, and said with relief: "Madam's complexion is much better than the last time I came to see you."

"This child is not a troublemaker. It's very easy to be pregnant with her." Xie Yuzhen pulled Xie Yi, who was standing beside him, and held her in his arms. "Tan Nu, come and meet your grandmother. This is your grandma. You must remember her well in the future."

Tan Nu was also dressed very festively today, with her hair tied into two flower buds on each side, tied with two auspicious knots with red ropes, which matched the red mole on her forehead very well: "Tan Nu meets my grandmother..."

He had never seen anyone from his mother's family since he was born. This was the first time he met Mother Xie. The child's face showed his embarrassment and anxiety: "Happy New Year, Grandma."

Seeing that he looked so much like her daughter and was so well-behaved, Xie's mother felt sore in her eyes that she could not bear it. She held the handkerchief in her hand and wiped the corners of her eyes gently in a standard posture. No one could tell that just a few months ago, she was still a little woman who didn't know what to do with her hands and feet after entering the palace.

"Good boy." Mother Xie smiled at Xie Yi and took out a sealed red envelope from her bosom. "Grandma doesn't have any good things. This is for our Tan Nu to ward off evil spirits."

Xie Yi glanced at his mother, and when Xie Yuzhen nodded, he took the red envelope with both hands and said, "Thank you, grandma."

He put the red envelope into his arms and took a freshly baked orange from the table: "Tan Nu, peel an orange for grandma."

His well-behaved and sensible appearance made everyone laugh.

"This child is really sensible, she looks exactly like Cairen when he was little." Mother Xie looked at her daughter, "It's a pity that he suffered so much before..."

Xia Zhi was closer to the mother and daughter. Hearing what she said, she could tell that Mother Xie seemed to be sad, so she immediately said, "I have never seen a child more sensible and intelligent than our young Marquis. He is also born like a fairy. When he grows up and can be taken out to meet outsiders, I wonder how many people will envy him!"

"Mother, you see, my maidservant can't wait to praise Tan Nu three times a day and hold him in her palm." Xie Yuzhen pretended to be angry and said, "Your Majesty also loves and dotes on him. As a mother, I have to be careful that they spoil the child... Don't worry, we will have great blessings in the future."

Xie's mother was also secretly resentful. On such a good day, why did he always think about the bad things that bad people would do? She wanted to raise her hand and pat her mouth gently like she did at home, to show that her words did not count and to pat away all the bad luck, but this action was obviously not in accordance with the rules, so Xie's mother relaxed her expression and picked out a few interesting things to tell Xie Yuzhen.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire Jinghua Building became cheerful.

"...Since we brought a few children back from the orphanage, our home has become more and more lively. And Madam Xu has helped me a lot."

Xu Ronghua's mother is now staying at Xie's house. She is also a person who cannot sit still, and has taken the initiative to help Xie's mother share a lot of chores. These two mothers are not the kind of people who like to compete with each other, and they soon get along as close as sisters.

Mother Xie praised her good sisters for a few words, and suddenly remembered something: "Your eldest brother came home this time to prepare for the next year's exam..."

She suddenly stopped talking, a hint of hesitation appearing on her face.

Xie Yuzhen was a little confused: "But what difficulties did you encounter, brother?"

Mother Xie shook her head: "It's not a big problem, but that, do you still remember Guan, who was engaged to your brother?"

"...his aunt secretly replaced him with her own daughter, and was afraid that he would take the position of the eldest son and inherit the family property. She didn't have the courage to kill anyone, so she had to raise him as her daughter since he was a child?"

This was the most explosive thing that had ever happened to Xie Yu before she married into the Marquis of Wuwei's Mansion. How could she really forget it?

"What's up with him?"

Mother Xie sighed and said, "He asked his biological parents to recognize him and changed his name to Xue Zhuo... Although he recognized him, he has always believed that he is a girl since he was a child. He had his ears pierced and his behavior is a bit feminine. His father was angry that his uncle's family had done such a shameful thing, so..."

At this point, Xie's mother looked at Xie Yi, who was quietly helping her elders peel oranges, with some embarrassment.

What follows is not pleasant for children to hear.