Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Soon, several princes outside the palace came to Fengqi Palace with their princesses to pay their respects. The underage princes and princesses in the palace also arrived one after another. As a newcomer, the Fifth Prince's wife was naturally nervous and cautious. The Third Prince's wife was also worried because of the Third Prince's attitude and actions. She felt that her mother-in-law would definitely dislike her even more. The Third Prince's wife still respected Lan Qingwu very much. When she was heartbroken and seriously ill, it was Lan Qingwu who repeatedly defended her and maintained her dignity as the principal wife. Thinking of this, she felt even more dissatisfied with the Third Prince, deeply feeling that he was mentally unstable. A concubine had to compete with the principal queen, and as a result, the Third Prince also followed suit in favor of his concubine and neglecting his wife.

Lan Qingwu looked at the eldest prince's wife's belly and said, "Didn't I tell you not to go back and forth to pay your respects? Just take good care of the baby."

The eldest prince's wife replied, "Thank you, Father, and Mother, for your consideration. It's just that I haven't been to the palace for a long time. Mother has been ill these days, so I couldn't disturb her. But today is the first time Mother has come to pay her respects since her recovery, and I can't sit still any longer. Fortunately, the maids all said that I should exercise more this month so that I can give birth on the right day."

Lan Qingwu nodded: "That's right, you can go to your mother's palace and have a good rest later!"

The light of expectation in Concubine Wan's eyes grew brighter. The Empress was seriously ill, and she hadn't seen her daughter-in-law for quite some time. She would definitely give her some serious instructions later.

Compared to the First Prince's wife, who was always observant, the Second Prince's wife was more timid, simply following orders without making any mistakes. The Third Prince's wife was even more silent, only occasionally answering. As the new bride of the imperial family, the Fifth Prince's wife was also cautious in her words and actions. The Fourth Prince's wife was needless to say; the Emperor Shenwu had already granted her a marriage, making it difficult to withdraw. After the Fourth Prince's hasty wedding, he brought her to the Imperial Mausoleum with him. The Emperor Shenwu did gift her a lot of gifts to the Yan family, the mother family of the Fourth Prince's wife, to show that the imperial family had no intention of rejecting the Yan family, which reassured the Yan family.

After some pleasantries, Lan Qingwu dismissed everyone. "Alright, I have nothing else to do here, so please go away! The date for the family banquet will be set soon, and His Majesty and I will give our orders."

Emperor Shenwu stood up at this time, and everyone else stood up quickly. Under his sharp gaze, all the concubines, princes and princesses stood upright with their heads bowed unconsciously. He only heard Emperor Shenwu say: "Everyone in the palace today is my family, so I will say a few more words. Many things have happened in the harem of the previous dynasty recently, and I have also issued several imperial edicts. Let's not talk about the things of the previous dynasty for now. In the harem, some of you have been serving me since I was in the Eastern Palace, and some of you entered the palace after I ascended the throne. I only hope that no matter how long you have been with me, whether you are my concubines or my children, you can be with me from beginning to end, and be kind and filial to me!"

The Third Prince lowered his head and looked uncontrollably ugly.

Emperor Shenwu said in a deep voice, "The Empress is gentle and virtuous, and has often tolerated you. However, I will not tolerate those who make repeated mistakes. I hope that you will be grateful for her kindness in the future, abide by your duties, and live a good life!"

Everyone knelt on the ground: "I will obey the command of Your Majesty/Father. Your concubine/son/daughter-in-law will not let down Your Majesty and the Empress's teachings!"

It was snowy in winter, and the empress dowager held several plum blossom viewing banquets, which were attended by female relatives of the royal family.

Several princes' wives were naturally invited, but the eldest princess had never attended a family dinner. Everyone had their own sources of information, and they speculated that the eldest princess was under house arrest when the queen was seriously ill. They had all kinds of guesses in their minds, but this was not Lan Qingwu's concern.

Empress Dowager Li was worried. Emperor Shenwu had a clear attitude. She was afraid that Princess Mingzhu would not be allowed to enter the palace after giving birth and would completely lose the emperor's favor. The eldest princess could no longer participate in occasions like today, which meant she would lose the royal social circle, which were all necessary for a princess. The new resources lost were immeasurable.

This New Year finally passed in a lively manner. During his few days of rest, Emperor Shenwu took time to take Lan Qingwu to the hot spring royal villa for recuperation. The hot springs there were nourishing, and the butterflies were flying and the grass was lush, which was incompatible with the cold wind outside. Lan Qingwu liked it very much.

In the palace, the Sixth Prince and several other princes made an appointment to have lunch together. It was not a big banquet, just a small gathering among the brothers.

The lunch was held in the Chunnuan Pavilion. As the name suggests, the Chunnuan Pavilion was covered tightly with warm curtains. Silver charcoal fires were arranged in all four corners. The Chunnuan Pavilion was close to the plum forest. By pulling aside a few layers of warm curtains, you could see the red plum blossoms and white snow on the plum trees, which were very beautiful. Here you can keep warm and enjoy the snow scenery and the plum forest. Add in the delicious food, it really kills two birds with one stone.