Golden Branch

Wang Heng was grateful for Concubine Jiang's motherly love and also had great respect for Zhao Annian, the deputy chief eunuch.

"No gift!"

Wang Heng walked up to Zhao Annian, extended a hand, and gave him a slight support. "Manager Zhao, please stand up!"

"Thank you princess!"

Zhao Annian stood up and lowered his head, his expression respectful yet clearly concerned. "Princess, did you have a smooth journey?"

"My wife misses you so much that she sends people to the city gate to greet you every day."

Zhao Annian's words not only told Wang Heng how much Concubine Jiang cared about her daughter.

He even told everyone present: Although Wang Heng, the Princess of Langya, was fake, the favor of her imperial concubine mother was real.

All the high and low officials in the capital, big and small, must respect Princess Langya if they do not want to offend Concubine Jiang.

The dandies: ...We know! We all know!

In fact, there was no need for Zhao Annian to emphasize it again. Just by seeing the second eunuch of Taiji Palace at the city gate, they understood the status of Princess Langya.

"...I'm unfilial and have caused Mother so much worry! Steward Zhao, is Mother okay?"

Is the baby in her belly okay?

My mother is already in her thirties, which is definitely considered an elderly pregnant woman in this era.

Although Wang Heng knew that her mother would receive the best care in the palace, she still couldn't help but worry.

"Princess, don't worry, my wife is fine!"

Zhao Annian is very well-behaved and will not look his master directly in the eye.

But he could always look at Wang Heng inconspicuously: the eyes of the beautiful girl were clean and clear, and her eyes were full of concern and worry for her mother and younger siblings.

After more than ten years in the palace, Zhao Annian not only saw many people, but also many evil spirits and monsters.

His eyes are very vicious.

Zhao Annian could see clearly that Princess Langya's concern was extremely pure.

After all, they are biological mother and daughter. Even though they have been separated for nearly ten years, they are still connected by blood and miss each other.

"My lady originally wanted to see the princess immediately, but considering that the princess had been exhausted from the long journey and that the princess's residence had many things to deal with after arriving in the capital, she specially ordered the princess to come to the palace tomorrow!"

Zhao Annian caught sight of the long convoy from the corner of his eye and accurately spotted several unusual carriages in it.

If he guessed correctly, Mr. Wang should be in these three or four oversized carriages.

Tsk, my wife’s ex-husband, the princess’ biological father.

Despite such an embarrassing identity, he still insisted on getting involved in the gossip circle in the capital.

The wife was also "afraid of the consequences". She hated and loathed her ex-husband, but for the sake of her daughter, she had to endure it again and again.

Zhao Annian was smart. He knew that his wife sent him to the city gate to welcome Princess Langya not only to please her, but also to help her deal with "trivial matters".

"Princess, my wife said that the Princess's Mansion has been renovated and she can move in directly after arriving in Beijing!"

"The princess is of noble status, and the princess's residence is also a residence granted by the emperor. Other people should not disturb her easily-"

For example, the Wang family has their own mansions granted by the saint, so they should not desecrate the princess's mansion.

Zhao Annian's words were not a very subtle hint, they were just short of naming names directly.

Wang Heng naturally understood. She smiled faintly, bowed, and said, "Mother has given an order, and I will obey it!"

Worthy of being her own mother, she was worried that she would be coerced by filial piety, so she personally stepped forward to help her daughter bear the "bad reputation" -

It’s not that Princess Langya is unfilial to her biological father, but the noble man has given the order and Princess Langya has to obey.

Therefore, even if Wang Heng went to the princess's mansion herself and left her grandmother, father, and others back to the Wang family's residence, no one would criticize Wang Heng.

At most, they would whisper to each other in secret:

Jiang's favorite concubine is indeed domineering.

She also had a lot of dislike for her ex-husband.

It’s just a pity for Princess Langya, who is caught between her biological father and mother, and is in a dilemma.

In ancient times, the patriarchal system was always respected, and the father was higher than the mother.

However, there are exceptions.

For example, the situation of the Wang family.

Wang Heng's biological mother was not an ordinary woman, but a high-ranking imperial concubine.

The saint dotes on her, the queen lets her do what she wants, and she can be domineering and willful in the palace and in the capital.

Concubine Jiang was already favored, and now she was pregnant, so even the censors in the court would not easily impeach her.

Why impeach her, a pregnant woman?

Even if she is arrogant because of her favor, the one who should be impeached the most is the saint who dotes on her.

saint?

Well, he just ascended the throne, and the court officials haven't figured out the new monarch's character yet, so it's not right to touch the tiger's whiskers easily. They need to observe him for a while and test him a little.

When testing someone, you should do it step by step, and not touch their reverse scale right away.

Impeaching a pregnant concubine is not a test, it is courting death!

The censors are just strong, not stupid. They know how to judge the situation best.

So, for now, Concubine Jiang can really "do whatever she wants."

"Princess, my wife has specially asked me to bring you a token. With this token, you can enter the palace and ask for an audience at any time!"

When Zhao Annian saw the gratitude flashing in Wang Heng's eyes, he knew that Princess Langya had understood his lady's kindness.

Yes, he is a thoughtful and grateful child.

He took out a token from his pocket and held it in front of Wang Heng with both hands.

The playboys: ...enter the palace at any time?

This is the greatest grace.

Not to mention the fake princesses who are not of royal blood, even many legitimate princesses may not be able to return to the palace at any time once they get married.

Once she is unable to see the saint, queen and other nobles, even if she is a real princess, she will fall out of favor and become a background figure in the capital.

Princess Langya has the right to enter the palace at any time. Of course, this does not mean that she can enter the palace whenever she wants.

There are guards at the gates of palaces and other places.

Anyone outside the palace who wants to enter must register their identity and go through the process of verification layer by layer.

Only with the master's permission can you be let in.

The purpose of this token is to facilitate registration so that you don't have to be unable to pass even the first threshold.

However, just this first threshold is already the "privilege" that countless powerful people in Beijing dream of.

Concubine Jiang gave it to Wang Jiu easily——

hiss!

Princess Langya's "quality" is becoming more and more pure.

Because the guards at the palace gate would not recognize the token without the saint's connivance and acquiescence!

"...The Saint truly favors Concubine Jiang!"

"Love the house and love the dog. Princess Langya is more respectable than Princess Anyang!"

"You must never treat Princess Langya with disrespect in the future."

Yang Shou, Lou Yao and other young men and women did not say anything, but their eyes were darting between them.

Princess Anyang, who was placed in the control group, did not show it on her face. She still had a faint smile and looked calm, but she pinched her palm hard.

Her mother was also the young lady.

But after all, Concubine Shu is still not as good as Concubine Gui.

The saint also doted on her mother, but her mother was always just "one of them", not an exception.

The only exception in the harem was Concubine Jiang.

Concubines like Wang Shufei were nothing more than "old loves" who could be replaced.

What the harem lacks the least is fresh and tender newcomers. The saint at most prefers new things to old ones, so at least he gave Wang Shufei and other old people in the palace an identity.

pet?

Two-thirds were given to Concubine Jiang, and the remaining one-third was distributed among the younger and fresher beauties.

Concubine Jiang, even the Queen looks up to her and she is really a favored concubine.

Now, this grace has been extended to Wang Heng, a woman from another family.

Princess Anyang, who was also a fake princess but a relative of the Yang clan, felt jealous and resentful in her heart!

"Thank you, mother!"

Wang Heng raised her hands high and took the token.

Zhao Annian wanted to say something else when the sound of horse hooves could be heard again at the city gate behind him.

This time, Zhao Annian was a little surprised: Who is this?

Could it be that besides their Baifu Palace, there are other people coming to welcome Princess Langya?

Everyone turned their heads and looked towards the city gate.

Those who can still ride their horses at full speed at the gate of the capital are basically the most powerful among the powerful.

The dandies only rode on the official roads before, and did not dare to "make noise" at the city gates.

So, this group of people coming here are more noble than them?

"May I ask if you are the Duke of Qi?"

Three or four knights, dressed in Hu clothing, approached the caravan and bowed to ask questions.

Lou Yu raised his eyebrows, he had already guessed who it was.

He remained humble and gentle, raised his hands and clasped his fists: "I am Lou Yu, are you an official of the Eastern Palace?"

Upon hearing Lou Yu's response, the knights dismounted and saluted again. "Greetings, Duke of Qi. Your Highness has been anticipating your return and has ordered your subordinates to meet you at the city gates for the past few days. Today, we finally have you. Did you travel safely?"

The playboys: ...It's actually the Eastern Palace?!

Yes, there have been rumors in the capital for a long time that Duke Lou Yu of Qi has a very close relationship with the prince.

Lou Yu's courtesy name was given by the prince.

Lou Yu, like Xiao Wuzhi, is the most useful person around the prince.

The prince will naturally be concerned about Lou Yu's return to the capital.

However, no one expected that the prince valued Lou Yu and Lou Hanzhang so much!

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am doing well!"

Lou Yu was respectful but not humble.

The prince is his sovereign and also his elder brother.

There is no need to be too unfamiliar with each other among brothers.

Even if we have to pay attention to "superiority and inferiority", we have to wait until the crown prince ascends the throne, and there is still time!

"This must be Princess Langya, Your Highness misses her very much!"

The guard saluted Lou Yu and then looked at Wang Heng.

He bowed again, showing respect to Wang Heng.

Wang Heng understood. She knew that the prince was doing this for Lou Yu's sake and was giving her some face.

While she is grateful, she will not get carried away.

Wang Heng nodded gently. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am deeply honored."

"I just returned to the capital today. After Heng finishes sorting out the affairs of the Princess's Mansion, I will go to the Eastern Palace to pay my respects to His Highness!"

Regardless of who the prince was doing this for, the result was that the Eastern Palace also showed its appreciation for Wang Heng.

The value of Wang Heng, the Princess of Langya, is becoming increasingly higher.

The powerful people in the capital will also look up to her and try to please her more.

Wang Heng accepted this favor.

Human favors are mutual, and only through give and take can friendships be deepened.

The Eastern Palace showed goodwill, and Wang Heng wanted to take advantage of the situation and move closer.

This is not climbing up the ladder, but normal interaction.

The dandies were completely impressed:

Tsk, whether it is Princess Langya or Duke Qi, these two will be the most prominent and honorable figures in the capital.

After they return, they will spread the news as soon as possible.

Whether it is themselves or their families, they must not offend the important people!

……

Princess Anyang and others finally said goodbye and left.

Zhao Annian and the Eastern Palace guards escorted Wang Heng, Lou Yu and others into the capital.

The newly built Chang'an has high walls and deep moats, and is majestic and solemn.

Inside the city, there are straight roads and square blocks.

There are one hundred and eight wards, some big, some small, all square, each with a gate and high walls.

Zhuque Street, which runs from north to south, is spacious and clean.

There were carriages coming and going and people walking around.

The prosperity of the capital city is beginning to emerge.

Wang Heng looked at the surrounding scenery through the car window.

Well, there is no grand scene with rows of shops and mansions, but only high walls.

There is no way, Chang'an city and districts are separated.

A Fang is a residential area. Within the residential area, there are scattered shops in the streets and alleys.

But it won’t be shown on the streets.

The city refers to the East and West markets, which are concentrated commercial areas.

The East Market and the West Market are full of various shops. Not only merchants from the capital, but also merchants from all over the country and even from foreign countries in the Western Regions gather here.

Well, Wang Heng, Lou Yu, Wang Mian and others also bought land in the East and West Markets early on and opened various shops.

In addition to shops, several people also own many properties.

Even for Zheng Shisan, who was living in the Lou family, Wang Heng bought her a small house and two or three shops in the capital.

This is Zheng Shisan's private property, and it will be her dowry when she gets married in the future.

Not to mention Wang Mian, she is the richest woman in Yizhou.

This time when she went to Beijing, she dealt with most of the properties in Yizhou and other places.

She used the large amount of gold and silver she cashed out to purchase land and properties in Beijing and nearby areas.

"I bought a farm on the outskirts of the city, which I'll use as the new royal temple."

After Wang Mian came to Beijing, he also made clearer arrangements for his industrial planning.

This time when she came to Beijing, she not only brought her entire family with her, but also brought several branches of her clansmen.

Not all of these people will live in the capital.

Wangmian’s most important industry is farmland. Farming and animal husbandry are one of the foundations of Wangmian.

Even after coming to the capital, she will not "forget her roots".

She will continue to farm, improve farming, and cultivate high-yield hybrid crops, which is another killer weapon of the time traveler.

However, her identity did not allow her to do it herself, so she planned to hand these over to the Wang family whom she trusted.

Therefore, a farm is indispensable.

Moreover, if one wants to establish a prominent family, one must also have ancestral halls, sacrificial fields, etc.

These were also purchased by Wang Mian and handed over to the tribesmen for care.

"There are several mansions in the capital. I chose the one in Pingkangfang as the Wang family's 'ancestral home'!"

Wang Mian chose Pingkangfang not because it was prosperous enough—

Ahem, the Jiaofangsi, Guozijian, etc. are all located in Pingkangfang.

As the home of the two giants of entertainment and education, scholars from other places who come to Beijing are bound to come to Pingkangfang.

You can imagine how prosperous this place is.

However, Wang Mian chose this house as his residence mainly because Wang Heng's princess residence was also in Pingkangfang.

To be more precise, the Princess's Mansion and the Duke of Qi's Mansion are both here.

The Wang residence was only one street away from the princess's residence, so Wang Mian could still be neighbors with Wang Heng.

Of course, Wang Heng's real neighbor is Lou Yu...