They are all concubines, so of course they choose the future emperor.

In November, there was a sudden heavy snowfall in the capital.

The snow fell for several days. The accumulated snow blocked the roads in and out of the city, crushed many poor people's homes, and froze some homeless beggars to death.

The prince was busy again.

Fortunately, the situation was handled in time and the heavy snow did not cause a snow disaster.

Just at this moment, good news came from the East Palace: the Crown Princess was pregnant!

The prince was so surprised that he left his government affairs behind and rushed back to the East Palace for the first time.

He was in a very good mood after seeing the Crown Princess.

Although he already has two daughters and Yunlan is pregnant with another one, the Crown Princess's children are different from those of the concubines.

He himself is the legitimate son, so naturally he hopes that the one who will inherit him in the future will also be the legitimate son.

He walked out of the Crown Princess's bedroom and headed towards the front yard. Along the way, he even thought of several names, both male and female.

The Crown Prince did not expect the Crown Princess to give birth to a son. It would be OK if the Crown Princess gave birth to a daughter. As long as the Crown Princess could give birth, there would be a son in the future.

He was lost in thought when suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

She is Yunlan's maid.

"Your Highness, Concubine Liang suddenly has a stomachache. Please go and see her!"

The prince frowned.

The good mood was interrupted.

It's not that he didn't see through Yun Lan's methods. He just indulged her again and again because of the son in her belly.

He pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and then waved to the eunuchs.

"Go to Yiqiu Palace."

The maid's eyes lit up and she couldn't hide the joy on her face.

Soon, the prince arrived at Yi Qiu Palace.

Yun Lan was lying on the couch, supporting her waist with a weak look on her face. When she heard the noise, she quickly stood up to greet them.

"Your Highness~"

She called softly, her eyes slightly red.

"The Crown Princess is pregnant, Your Highness must be very happy. I thought Your Highness would stay at the Crown Princess's place tonight."

The prince did not respond to her. After entering the hall and sitting down, he asked about her situation today as usual.

The questions were still the same, nothing more than asking her how she ate, whether she had vomited, whether she slept well, etc.

The prince had just said half of his words when Yun Lan suddenly grabbed his sleeve and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Your Highness only cares about the child and not me?"

The prince sighed.

"How could that be? Aren't you the one I care about?"

Yun Lan bit her lip.

"Every time, it is only when I ask my maid to invite His Highness that he will come. I understand that Your Highness values ​​the Crown Princess and the Crown Princess's children. However, I also hope that Your Highness can look at me and that He has Yun Lan in his heart."

She grabbed the prince's hand and gently placed it on her face. Her pair of autumn eyes were full of affection, passionate and bright.

The prince couldn't refuse her because of this.

The prince touched her face.

"Of course I have Yunlan in my heart. In two days, the people sent by Qixia's eldest sister will arrive. In addition to the cook, there are also two maids and a nanny, all of whom are here to take care of you. I also had your small kitchen rebuilt. Is there anything you want that I haven't given you?"

Yun Lan smiled, hugged the prince's waist, and leaned into his arms.

"Your Highness is very kind."

------------

When the news reached Fenglai Palace, Jiang Wanyue raised her eyebrows and said nothing.

She did not interfere in the struggles in the Eastern Palace, but she knew the situation there very well.

In the past few years, Fan Linling, the Crown Princess, has not performed outstandingly, but she has not made any mistakes either. If she can successfully give birth to a son this time, her position will be unshakable, and the Fan family will also be able to enjoy wealth and prosperity for at least two more generations.

When Li Ce goes to war, the rear must be stable. Naturally, the Eastern Palace, as the place where the crown prince lives, must be more cautious.

Jiang Wanyue thought about it, and ordered people to send a lot of supplements the next day, as well as a nanny who was good at taking care of the fetus.

In the blink of an eye, it is the twelfth lunar month.

Good news came from the front. Li Ce led the army to successfully destroy the Mohe tribe. Now, he is leading his men back to the capital.

This is half a month later than originally planned.

If we return with a large army, we will definitely not be able to make it in time for the New Year.

Therefore, Li Ce left the main force in Liaodong, and traveled light, bringing back only the 5,000 imperial guards.

If the weather is good on the way, you can still catch the New Year's Eve.

Jiang Wanyue breathed a sigh of relief and began to prepare for the New Year.

This busy schedule lasted until the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

But unexpectedly, what she was waiting for was not Li Ce and Xu'er who had returned from Desheng.

But a guard covered in blood.

Li Ce was attacked!

No one expected that they would be assassinated in the Great Zhou.

The assassins ambushed and set traps on the only way to the capital, slaughtering most of the imperial guards.

This guard, together with his comrades, fought their way out of the encirclement and returned to the capital to report the news.

There were originally more than ten of them.

But in the end, he was the only one who came back.

To avoid panic, the guards did not dare to enter the palace, but went to the Queen's Guards to report the news.

Jiang Wanyue took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and then gave the order to dispatch three thousand imperial guards and one thousand royal guards to rescue the emperor.

She felt vaguely that this matter was odd.

We were almost in the capital when we encountered an ambush. It was impossible to say that there was no accomplice in the court.

Therefore, Jiang Wanyue kept the secret secret from everyone in the palace and outside, not even telling the crown prince.

She waited anxiously all night and then another day.

Finally, I met Xu'er and Li Ce in the evening.

Li Ce was seriously injured and was carried in.

Jiang Wanyue calmly directed people to settle down.

After the imperial physician had administered the medicine, Jiang Wanyue pulled Xu'er aside and asked about what had happened.

"How could your father be so badly injured with so many guards around him?"

Li Chengxu's eyes were swollen like walnuts.

"It's all my fault. Father was trying to save me... Those assassins were coming for me, and Father helped block an arrow..."

Li Chengxu cried and recounted what happened.

This was the first time in his life that he cried so sadly.

Jiang Wanyue closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then raised her hand and slapped him.

"Go to the ancestral temple and kneel down. When your father wakes up, you should come out."

Li Chengxu kowtowed to Li Ce who was lying on the bed, and stumbled to the ancestral temple.

Jiang Wanyue watched him leave intently, and suddenly, she heard a familiar voice coming from inside.

"Ahem... Wan'er... I've already hit you, so don't punish me."

Li Ce woke up at some point.

Jiang Wanyue hurriedly ran up to him and grabbed the hand he extended.

"Your Majesty, are you awake?"

Li Ce looked at her, and a smile appeared on his pale face.

"I haven't seen you worry about me this much in a while. This injury is worth it."

Jiang Wanyue was extremely angry.

"It's already this late, and you're still kidding me? I should have stopped you earlier. You were doing well in the capital, but you insisted on leading the army in person. Don't you think about how old you are? You're already a grandfather, but you're still as willful as when you were young..."

Listening to her scolding, Li Ce not only did not feel annoyed, but was very happy instead.

When he was attacked and trapped, he thought about sending reinforcements to the East Palace to report the news first, but in the end he decided to find Jiang Wanyue first.

He knew that Wan'er cared about him the most and would definitely send someone to rescue him as soon as possible.

really.

The reinforcements arrived faster than he expected.

After Jiang Wanyue finished her scolding, she let out a breath.

"Your Majesty, you can't hide these injuries from others. What are you going to do? Also, have you found out who those assassins are?"

Li Ce gritted his teeth.

"Those people didn't have any identification on them. Several of the captured people committed suicide on the spot. Not a single one was left alive. There was no way to investigate."

Jiang Wanyue frowned.

"It can be seen that this was planned for a long time... Since we can't find the assassin, it seems that we can only start from the people who accompanied you. The emperor's journey back to the capital, except for a few people in the court, only those who followed you back to the capital know the most."

Li Ce's eyes flashed.

"You mean, there's a thief?"

Jiang Wanyue nodded gently: "Your Majesty, take good care of your injuries. I will send someone to investigate. There are many people in the court who can do it, but few dare to do it."