The fake daughter married into the mountains and had meat to eat every day during the famine

In the palace.

Upon learning that the emperor had let Song Yuntang stay overnight in Guanju Tower, the concubines could no longer sit still. They wandered around the palaces and gathered together to guess the emperor's intentions.

"What is Guanju Tower? It's said that when the late emperor was young, he fell in love with Grand Noble Consort Renwei. However, she was already engaged at the time. To win her, the late emperor imprisoned her in Guanju Tower. Later, the two fell in love, and Grand Noble Consort Renwei moved out of Guanju Tower. Does Your Majesty intend to follow the late emperor's example?"

The queen picked up the teacup, unfolded the covered bowl and took a sip.

"Princess Le'an is my wife. Even if Your Majesty is interested, it will not be easy to keep her in the palace. Moreover, she is pregnant. Why are you so anxious? Perhaps once the eldest prince recovers from his illness, Your Majesty will let her go home."

She was not in a hurry.

The Princess of Le'an is not the deceased Grand Noble Consort Renwei.

She and Lord Xu were in love, she gave birth to a son and became pregnant with another, and she was already a wife.

Now that she is being kept in the palace by His Majesty, and His Majesty will not let her leave even after the eldest prince recovers from his illness, the censors outside must be more anxious than the concubines.

One concubine said sarcastically, "The Empress is now the master of the harem. Your Majesty follows the ancestral custom of staying with the Empress on the first and fifteenth day of every month. Naturally, there is no rush."

He turned and looked at the sisters in the room.

"But we are different. There's a saying that goes, 'It's better to rob than to steal.' Although Princess Le'an is my wife, she's as beautiful as a flower, not inferior to any of the other women in the palace. Your Majesty is acting this way now. On the surface, he's thinking about the eldest prince and wanting to help the princess of the Western Regions, but who can really tell what he's thinking?"

Concubine Rong, who had remained silent all the time, gently stroked her pregnant belly.

"I think you're all worrying about nothing."

"If Your Majesty wants to take a girl into the palace, the ministers might turn a blind eye and even acquiesce. But Princess Le'an is married and pregnant. Could it be that the ministers outside will allow Your Majesty to raise a child for them?"

Everyone was a little surprised.

Concubine Rong is favored by His Majesty. Whenever she sees a concubine favored by the emperor, she gets angrier than anyone else.

When he came to see the Princess of Le'an, he actually changed his personality.

Could it be because Princess Le'an made her pregnant?

"In your opinion, Your Majesty, is it possible that Princess Le'an is deliberately seducing Your Majesty?"

Concubine Rong's expression was calm. "I don't know about others, but I've had several interactions with Princess Le'an and know she's not one to be enamored with fame or material gain. I don't think she wants to stay in the palace."

someone asked again.

"If His Majesty doesn't let Princess Le'an leave the palace, what are we going to do?"

Concubine Rong spoke in a lazy tone.

"When the eldest prince recovers from his illness, if Princess Le'an has not yet left the palace, we can join forces with the court officials to appear before the emperor. By then, His Majesty will be forced to send Princess Le'an out of the palace due to pressure from the previous court and the harem. As for how to accommodate the Princess of the Western Regions, it concerns the state affairs of both Daxia and the Western Regions, and is not something that the concubines in the harem can worry about."

Princess Le'an cured her infertility and allowed her to become pregnant as she wished. If she was really forced by His Majesty, she could only help her to this extent.

Although I don’t know what Your Majesty is thinking.

But judging from outside rumors, it seems that His Majesty regards Princess Le'an as the shadow of the late queen.

……

As soon as Xu Wencheng got home, he went straight to see Xu Qingye.

"Brother, do you have something to talk to me about?"

Xu Qingye raised his eyes and looked at him, "Have you gone to see Princess Lou Yishang?"

Xu Wencheng was stunned for a moment and nodded.

"Yes."

After a moment's silence, Xu Qingye said, "Wencheng, you don't have to make such a sacrifice for us. I have a way to get your sister-in-law out of the palace."

"What happens after we get her? The problem of the Western Region Princess still needs to be solved."

Xu Wencheng changed his usual casual demeanor and looked at him seriously.

"But if Princess Lou Yishang can divert her attention from Big Brother, Big Brother and his wife will have nothing to worry about."

He took an orange from the table and peeled it, his eyebrows lowered as he spoke.

"Now I am also of marriageable age. I will marry anyone. I come from the countryside. If I can marry a princess of a country, it will be a great fortune."

Although his tone was relaxed, Xu Qingye could hear a hint of sadness in his words.

"That being said, you are a general at the border, holding military power. The emperor may not approve of this marriage."

Xu Wencheng also took all these into consideration.

"I understand his concerns. I've already thought this through before making this decision. I'm not cut out for officialdom, and I don't have the far-reaching strategies of my elder brother. If Princess Lou Yishang is willing to marry me, I will voluntarily hand over my military power, resign from my post to His Majesty, and never go to the battlefield again."

Xu Qingye frowned.

"Wencheng..."

"Brother, I've made up my mind." He smiled casually, "It's always you who's done the dirty work for me. This time, I want to do something for you. You and your wife are the most beautiful couple I've ever seen. I hope you can grow old together."

After looking at him for a moment, Xu Qingye walked up and patted his arm.

"Thank you."

"Well." Xu Wencheng waved his hand. "We are brothers. How can it be so strange for a family to say such things? I am a little tired after accompanying Princess Lou Yishang for a walk during the day. I have to go back and rest. Don't worry too much, brother. Sister-in-law will definitely come back safely."

Xu Qingye nodded and watched Xu Wencheng leave the yard.

Guiping stepped forward.

"Master, the Second Master doesn't seem happy."

Xu Qingye didn't say anything.

Wencheng is his younger brother.

He has appeared calm and heartless over the years, but how could he not understand his brother's thoughts?

But some things cannot be given up.

……

Xu Wencheng returned to the yard and the smile on his face disappeared.

He sat down in the yard, looking at the small apricot tree not far away, with a look of distraught look on his face.

I remember that when I first met my sister-in-law, I was shocked by her beauty.

That time, he didn't even dare to look in her direction. For the first time, he, who had always been carefree, experienced what it felt like to be shy.

In their subsequent interactions, he always liked to follow her and help her with things within his ability, although he would occasionally make things worse.

My sister-in-law treats him very well.

She would buy him clothes and food, care for him, and give him medicine.

That year, my sister-in-law's shop was robbed by disaster victims, and he hit his head during the dispute. After returning to the county town, my sister-in-law's eyes were as calm as water when she applied medicine to him.

He used to hide his emotions very well.

But that time, my sister-in-law was too close to him, so he was distracted for a moment.

Perhaps she noticed his gaze, and after applying half of the medicine, she handed the task of continuing the application to Xia Ning.

Xia Ning was a martial artist, his hands were heavy, and he cried out in pain.

Later, when he was older, he saw that his sister-in-law lived a cautious life in the county town, so he wanted to make some changes.

When he was young, he would fall asleep whenever he saw a book. Knowing that he was not cut out for studying, he wanted to go to the battlefield.

Before going to the battlefield, my sister-in-law was busy running around.

They bought him armor, good horses, prepared medicine, and provided him with silver and food so that he could show his prowess on the battlefield.

His current achievements are largely due to the contributions of his elder brother and sister-in-law.

Fortunately, the merits he earned can be used to help his elder brother and sister-in-law.

But if he really marries a princess from the Western Regions in the future, he will no longer be able to be his sister-in-law's little follower.

……