The emperor came to the empress dowager's palace and heard the laughter of children and women coming from the main hall.

Concubine Jing and Concubine Yi often brought their two children to chat with the Queen Mother and make her happy. After all, the Huo family fell, the Queen was sent to the cold palace, and the Prince was deposed. In this crisis-ridden harem, the only way to gain a foothold was to rely on the Queen Mother, a daughter of the Huo family.

So they often brought their two children here to seek the Empress Dowager's attention, to secure a future for their two children, and to hope to meet the Emperor by chance here and regain his favor, otherwise the Emperor would forget their existence over time.

When Concubine Jing and Concubine Yi saw the emperor coming, they smiled and bowed slightly, "Your Majesty, your servants pay their respects."

"No need to be polite, my two beloved concubines."

The four princesses and the five princes, who were three or four years old, saluted the emperor in a formal manner, "Your sons pay their respects to your father."

The emperor gently helped them up. In the past, he had shown little care for them because he was against the children of the girls from the Huo family. But now, seeing that the children were very cute, he was no longer as against them as before even after the Huo family fell.

"Yier, Jinger, no need to be polite."

"Thank you, Father."

Concubine Jing and Concubine Yi knew that the emperor must have something to discuss in the Empress Dowager's palace, so they tactfully took their children and left.

The Queen Mother has been living in seclusion since the "death" of Prince Mu, and she has aged a lot, so her life is easier with them by her side.

"My sons and ministers see their mother and queen."

The Queen Mother's aged voice came, "Your Majesty, how did you find time to come to my place today?"

"Mother, I came to tell you a piece of good news. You will definitely be happy to hear it."

The Queen Mother raised her head slightly, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes, "What good news?"

"Mother, the Ninth Prince and Princess Mu are fine. They gave birth to twins on the island. The eldest is Shangguan Yan and the second is Shangguan Qing. The four of them will arrive in the capital soon."

The Queen Mother looked at the Emperor suddenly and said in surprise: "Old Nine and Princess Mu fell into the deep sea and not only were they fine, they even gave birth to twins? Is it possible to survive after falling into the deep sea? Your Majesty, you are not kidding!"

The Emperor handed the letter to the Empress Dowager, "Mother, when have I ever lied to you? This is the message from Old Nine. Take a look and see if it's his handwriting."

The Queen Mother took the letter with trembling hands and carefully examined the handwriting. After reading it for a while, she confirmed that it was her son's handwriting and burst into tears of joy.

"Your Majesty, this is really Old Nine's handwriting. It's really great that my son is not dead."

"Shangguan Yan, Shangguan Qing, these are good names. I like them."

"Last time I went to the Royal Temple to pray, asking God to bless my Great Qi with good weather, peace and prosperity. I also asked God to protect Old Nine from harm. The Bodhisattva heard my prayers and truly blessed Old Nine with a safe return. He also gave birth to twins. I immediately went to the temple to fulfill my wish."

"Mother, please slow down. There is no need to rush."

"Tell the Bodhisattva to fulfill your vow. You must go, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the Bodhisattva."

The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager smiling and smiled back, "I'll send the Imperial Guards to escort you to the Imperial Temple. When you return, the first thing the Ninth Brother's family of four will do upon returning to the capital is to pay their respects to you at the palace."

The Empress Dowager beamed, "Your Majesty, when will Old Nine and the others arrive in the capital? I must make good preparations to welcome my two little grandsons."

"About seven or eight days."

"It only takes me three or four days to get to the Royal Temple, and I can catch up with them."

"Mother, do they often come to accompany you?"

"Yes! They are not fighting or competing now. They just want to watch their two children grow up. The emperor should go and see them when he is free. It has not been easy for them. They have been neglected by you for several years since entering the palace. They were innocent back then. Now no one in the Huo family is an official in the court, so they will not have any connection with them."

"These two children have only seen their father a few times since they were born. They also need their father's love. They are also your children."

The Emperor looked at the Queen Mother and said firmly, "Mother, I understand. I will go to their palace when I have time."

The Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction.

A few years ago, because of his uncle's affairs, the relationship between mother and son was a little strained. Ever since Lao Jiu's accident, he felt distressed to see his mother's face full of vicissitudes and a lot more white hair.

She was usually busy and seldom came to accompany the Empress Dowager. However, with Concubine Jing and Concubine Yi often coming to chat with the Empress Dowager, she would not feel lonely. The Emperor was quite satisfied with the two concubines accompanying the Empress Dowager.

The news soon spread throughout the harem that Shangguan Yunting and Shen Rou were not dead, and had given birth to twins.

Some are happy and some are sad.

When Concubine Hui learned that the couple was not dead and had given birth to twins, she was immediately happy for them and ordered the nanny to prepare gifts for the two children.

Concubine He paced back and forth in the palace in anger, gritting her teeth, but it was of no avail.

When Concubine Rong learned that Prince Mu was not dead, she became furious. Her excitement caused her abdominal pain, which frightened the nanny so much that she quickly called the imperial physician.

Doctor Chen felt Rong Fei's pulse and was immediately filled with confusion, but he did not dare to show it on the surface. He then congratulated her, "Your Highness Rong Fei, you are pregnant."

Rong Fei pretended to be surprised and said, "Really? I am really pregnant? It can't be wrong! I have been looking forward to the arrival of the prince for a long time, and now he has finally arrived."

"Your Majesty is indeed pregnant."

Rong Fei pretended to be surprised and said, "Mammy, hurry up and tell the emperor the good news. The emperor will definitely be happy to know that I am pregnant with the emperor's heir."

"Old slave, I obey."

When the emperor heard that Concubine Rong was pregnant, he was shocked and immediately rewarded Concubine Rong's palace with many rare treasures.

He went to Rong Fei's palace in person to ask about her well-being and confirmed that she was pregnant. He was filled with shock.

The Emperor returned to the main hall and immediately ordered Doctor Chen to come over. Doctor Chen hurried over and knelt tremblingly, "Your Majesty, your humble servant greets you."

The emperor's face was gloomy, and he said coldly: "Doctor Chen, didn't you say that if musk was placed in the bedroom, Concubine Rong would not get pregnant? Why is Concubine Rong suddenly pregnant?"

"Your Majesty, if musk is placed in Rong Fei's palace, it is indeed impossible to get pregnant. Even if she lives elsewhere, she still needs to take medicine to regulate her body, otherwise it will be difficult for a woman to conceive."

"According to my humble opinion, Concubine Rong has been pregnant for over a month."

The emperor muttered quietly, "She became pregnant a little over a month after the fire at Qixia Palace, and she spent several days at the imperial temple. Did she take medicinal food there to recuperate? Was the fire intentional?"

The emperor ordered Doctor Chen to leave. He sat there pondering whether the child should stay or go.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like