Golden Branch

The emperor's birthday banquet was over, and the gift presented by Princess Langya's mansion was the most wonderful.

The sage was very pleased and felt pity for Wang Heng who had lost her father and was in mourning. So he waved his hand and gave Wang Heng many rewards.

Therefore, although Wang Heng did not attend the emperor's birthday banquet, she was still one of the biggest beneficiaries of the entire banquet.

Upon seeing this, the guests understood even more clearly the status of Princess Langya in the capital and in the imperial palace.

Not only does she have a good mother, this little lady is also really smart and capable. She can make a small show come alive.

When Concubine Jiang gives birth successfully, Princess Langya will have a real dragon son and daughter as siblings, and her status as a princess will be even more noble!

Pingkangfang, Princess Mansion.

"Ah! Ahh!"

Wang Heng was kneeling behind the desk, writing seriously.

Suddenly, she felt her nose itchy, followed by a series of sneezes.

"Princess, is it because there is too much ice and the cold is too strong?"

Bai Zhi was waiting nearby. Seeing Wang Heng sneezing repeatedly, she handed her a handkerchief and asked with concern.

"It's not because of the ice!"

Wang Heng rubbed her nose, looked up in the direction of Taiji Palace, estimated the time, and said, "The Jinghong Dance must have finished. They're all talking about me!"

Wang Heng was not blindly confident, but her Jinghong Dance was truly worthy of its name and would definitely astonish the entire palace and lead a new fashion in the capital.

"According to the time, the Saint's Birthday Banquet is almost over!"

"I wonder how Amian is doing? Does Mother still have the time and energy to summon her?"

According to Wang Heng and Wang Mian's plan, Wang Mian's visit to the palace today was not only to attend the emperor's birthday banquet, but also to have a private talk with Concubine Jiang if possible.

As Concubine Jiang's due date drew closer, Wang Heng had completed all the preparations for her delivery.

All of this will eventually need to be reported to Concubine Jiang, who will then make the decision.

Wang Heng muttered to herself, and soon collected her thoughts.

She took the pen, dipped it in ink, and continued writing.

During the days of mourning, in addition to copying scriptures every day, Wang Heng would also organize and write new Wang family rules.

She was originally the head of the Wang family. After Wang Lin's death, her position as the head of the family became more stable.

As the head of the family, he not only has to take care of the clan members and develop the family business, but also has to clarify the rules for the Wang family and lay the foundation.

Because of Wang Yan's relationship, Wang Heng had a good relationship with the Wang family of Langya.

Furthermore, Wang Heng was not obsessed with the "orthodoxy dispute". She readily withdrew from the Wang family of Langya and was willing to be a member of the Wang family of Yizhou.

Without the struggle for interests, Wang Heng had many capitals. Instead of rejecting Wang Heng, the Wang family of Langya tried their best to make friends with her.

Wang Heng then received their family rules from the Wang family of Langya.

Combining the Wang family's existing family rules, Wang Heng took their strengths and added her own ideas to write new family rules.

In addition to family rules, Wang Heng also borrowed books from the family collections of old families in the southern border, such as the Wang family, the Xie family, the Lu family, and the Chen family.

Borrowing books is not just for reading, but also for copying.

Wang Heng wanted to expand her book collection as much as possible.

Firstly, it was for Wang’s sake.

Secondly, it was also for the Lishan Academy which she had already started construction.

Lou Yu always tried his best to help Wang Heng's plans without asking why.

Moreover, as a scholar, Lou Yu naturally knew the importance of books.

He was willing to help Wang Heng both publicly and privately.

He then took out the books from the Lou family and the collections of many military families that had close ties with the Lou family.

Ahem, the Lou family and other military heroes had captured a lot of "trophies" during previous wars.

Not to mention gold, silver, and jewelry, but also ancient books, calligraphy and paintings were all looted.

In Lou Yu's private library, there were many ancient and rare books that were almost burned in the war.

Lou Yu not only lent books but also gave Wang Heng the keys to his private library.

Wang Heng: ...Alright! I'm the future mistress of the Duke of Qi's mansion!

It wouldn't be too late to take charge of the warehouse earlier.

Wang Heng's study was filled with bamboo slips and scrolls "borrowed" from various channels.

She sets aside a fixed time every day to read and copy books.

Even when Wang Heng was studying under Shen Du, she was not so diligent.

Now that I have grown up and have a noble status, I have to work harder.

Wang Heng's hands, which were holding the brush, felt a little sore.

Alas, Amian is right. This person just can’t easily establish his own personality.

Once a person is established, he will be put in shackles.

Filial daughter...copying scriptures!

The head of the family...copying books!

Copy, copy, copy, it’s all done by hand, there’s no room for slackness.

Wang Heng sighed secretly and silently transferred the brush from her right hand to her left hand.

His left hand held the pen, but there was no stiffness, instead he continued to write smoothly.

What is even more amazing is that the handwriting written by Wang Heng with her left hand is exactly the same as that written with her right hand.

They are all in extremely square regular script, with silver strokes and iron hooks, just like printed.

In fact, the handwriting and other things are all up to Wang Heng's wishes.

As long as she wants, she can create many completely different handwritings.

The handwriting she was most familiar with, and which she imitated so well that it was indistinguishable from the real thing, was naturally Lou Yu's.

Of course, Lou Yu can also imitate Wang Heng's calligraphy.

The two grew up together and studied under the same teacher. They are so familiar with each other that they can't even imagine it.

Therefore, after Lou Yu knew Wang Heng's plan to copy scriptures and books every day, he would squeeze out time every day to help Wang Heng cheat.

On one side of Wang Heng's desk, there is a pile of manuscripts, some of which were written by Lou Yu himself.

His handwriting is exactly the same as Wang Heng's.

……

Just as Wang Heng continued to copy books with great difficulty, the emperor's birthday banquet in Liangyi Hall ended.

The Saint and Queen Li, the supreme couple, left together.

Concubine Jiang was also surrounded by eunuchs, palace maids, etc., and returned to Baifu Palace cautiously.

"Go ahead and check if Princess Wang has left! If she hasn't left yet, ask her to come over and talk to me!"

Imperial Concubine Jiang lay reclining on a low couch, leaning against a large bed cushion and supporting herself with her elbows on a stool.

After only sitting for half a day, Concubine Jiang felt tired all over.

My waist is sore and my legs are a little cramped.

The palace maid, who was skilled in massage, kneaded in front of the couch and kneaded Concubine Jiang rhythmically.

Soon, the deputy chief eunuch Zhao Annian personally led Wang Mian in.

"A Mian pays homage to the Imperial Concubine. May the Imperial Concubine be blessed with good health and happiness!"

Wang Mian saluted respectfully.

Concubine Jiang raised her hand gently, "No need to be polite! Get up."

She raised her delicate hand and pointed to the seat below, "Lord Wang, please sit down!"

"Thank you, Madam, for the seat!"

Wang Mian saluted again, then stood up, walked to the seat, and knelt down upright.

"Thank you for your hard work today. Jiu has to observe mourning and can't go out. I'm so grateful to have a good sister like you!"

Concubine Jiang looked at Wang Mian with a gentle gaze.

She was really satisfied with Wang Mian. Although his background was not good, his abilities and character were very good.

Now, she has married into the Marquis's Mansion on her own.

While Concubine Jiang was relieved that her daughter had such help, she was also very proud.

Ajiu has made some achievements in the art of controlling the mind.

"Your Majesty, I am truly honored to be able to share the princess's worries."

Wang Mian bowed slightly and answered respectfully.

She was not just being polite, but was truly grateful to Wang Heng.

The eldest wife gave her wealth and glory, but all she gave back to her was a little bit of thoughtfulness.

Moreover, Wang Heng was in mourning and could not go out to socialize, so she asked Wang Mian to take her place.

This is both hard work and a good opportunity——

In the past, there was Wang Heng, and people always paid attention to Wang Heng, a noble and beautiful woman.

Wang Mian has always been a supporting role.

However, Wang Heng did not show up, but pushed Wang Mian to the front.

Princess Wang Mianwang will have the opportunity to emerge and demonstrate her strength.

She was no longer just the princess's little follower, but a capable and prestigious lady.

With more opportunities and prestige, Wang Mian will be able to truly integrate into the circle of powerful people in Beijing.

And this is also Wang Heng’s “gift”.

After all, Wang Heng has no shortage of followers to run errands for her.

But Wang Mian needs a stage to show himself.

Until now, even though she is about to marry into a wealthy family, Wang Heng is still helping her and supporting her to reach a higher position.

How could Wang Mian not value and be grateful to such a good sister?

There was a gleam in Concubine Jiang's beautiful eyes.

Her eyes were so sharp, how could she not see that Wang Mian's words were purely from the heart?

Not bad! I am grateful!

Concubine Jiang gently stroked the embroidery on the bag and secretly decided: For the next two or three years, I will temporarily promote Wang Mian.

Just as Concubine Jiang was secretly planning, Wang Mian began to get down to business.

"Your Majesty, the princess is worried that there might be unexpected events during your delivery. It just so happens that I've heard of some magical methods..."

As Wang Mian spoke, he took out a few things from his bag.

"This thing is called forceps."

Wang Mian first introduced the finished product, then took out a large stack of papers. "These are the records of forceps use that the princess has ordered midwives and doctors in the capital to record over the past few months."

"If you encounter a difficult labor and the fetus cannot be born smoothly, you can use this object to take the fetus out!"

Forceps do have a chance of accidents, but compared to the one death and two lives lost in difficult births, it is still a life-saving artifact.

In fact, Wang Mian had long wanted to replicate the forceps.

But she was an unmarried young girl, and it would not be a good idea to bring it up suddenly without a suitable opportunity.

Concubine Jiang's pregnancy was an excellent opportunity.

First of all, Concubine Jiang might need it.

Secondly, because it concerned Concubine Jiang, Wang Heng would study forceps as much as possible and was willing to spend huge amounts of money to hire a midwife and conduct "clinical experiments" across the entire economy.

If the matter were to be exposed, it would only help Concubine Jiang "relieve her worries" and avoid a lot of trouble.

Facts have proved that Wang Mian's expectation was very correct.

As soon as the good news of Concubine Jiang's birth was announced, Wang Mian brought out the forceps on the grounds that she was worried that Concubine Jiang might have a difficult delivery due to her advanced age!

Oh, and by the way, there's also the C-section.

Both of these can save the life of the mother in critical moments.

For Concubine Jiang, Wang Heng spared no effort to research life-saving techniques such as forceps and cesarean sections after listening to Wang Mian's introduction.

Within a few months, a large amount of "clinical data" was accumulated on forceps and caesarean sections.

Although there are failures, there are more successful cases. Just looking at this information, Concubine Jiang can make the most wise choice...