I was sold when I opened my eyes! My sick and disabled husband comforts me every night after he wake

Three months later

Wei Jianning has been away from the capital for nearly four months. Besides missing him, Lan Zhi is also worried about him.

Because these past few days she has been dreaming about him frequently, either dreaming that he is imprisoned or that he is covered in blood.

In short, there wasn't a single normal dream.

This made her a little irritable, even causing her to have trouble sleeping at night and often lacking energy during the day.

Fortunately, things were unusually peaceful at Jingyi Garden during this period, and Madam Lin returned home after staying at the Crown Prince's residence for a while.

Tomorrow is Consort Liang's birthday. For some reason, she insists on holding the birthday banquet at the Crown Prince's residence. Moreover, it is said that the Emperor, the Empress, and the concubines, princes, and princesses in the palace will all be attending.

God!

This gave Lan Zhi, who already preferred quiet, a real headache, but what could she do? She was Wei Jianning's biological mother, and it didn't seem wrong for a mother to hold a birthday banquet at her son's house.

Because this was Consort Liang's first birthday banquet since her return, the Emperor specially ordered the Ministry of Rites to make it a grand affair.

For the past month, officials from the Ministry of Rites have frequently come to the Crown Prince's residence to discuss matters related to the birthday banquet. Fortunately, with the help of her elder brother and the Tang army communicating with the officials from the Ministry of Rites, Lan Zhi has been able to find some peace and quiet.

This afternoon, the palace staff will be moving in ahead of schedule, and the maids and servants in the mansion are all busy preparing for their arrival.

Taking a break from her busy schedule, Lan Zhi called the three children to her side and began to explain the rules for tomorrow.

"Ming'er, as the Emperor's grandson, you must attend Consort Liang's birthday banquet tomorrow. However, you must not speak or move around. After offering your birthday wishes, sit quietly, understand?"

Without a second thought, Wei Ming nodded.

"I see."

"Mao Mao, Nana, starting tonight, people will be moving into the palace one after another. The Emperor and Empress will also be coming. To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, you two must stay in your rooms. I will have someone bring you food and drink. Do you understand?"

Wei Ming hurriedly said:

"Sister, can I stay in the room with them too?"

Lan Zhi shook her head.

"No, you are a member of the royal family. You must attend Consort Liang's birthday banquet. However, if you do not like crowds after your birthday celebration, you can go back early."

"Really? That's great! I don't care about birthday banquets, they have nothing to do with me. I'd rather play with Nana and Mao Mao."

"You!"

Lan Zhi raised her hand and gently rubbed his head.

"Then it's your way, but you must offer birthday wishes to Consort Liang. Do you remember the birthday wishes I told you?"

"remember."

"Demonstrate it for me."

Wei Ming impatiently stood up from the ground, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying:

"Tomorrow I wish Grandmother Liang a happy birthday, may she stay young and beautiful forever, and may she have many more birthdays like this one."

Lan Zhi nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmm, not bad. Tomorrow, when it's your birthday celebration, just say it like today."

"Miss, the Emperor has arrived! Please go out and greet him!"

Upon hearing Ah Qi's call, Lan Zhi quickly comforted the other two children before leading Wei Ming towards the main hall.

The Emperor brought not only the Empress to the Crown Prince's residence, but also Consort Liang, Consort Zhen, several concubines, Yu Jie, Yu Min, and Wei Jianye.

When Lan Zhi brought Wei Ming to the main courtyard, the Emperor was already seated in the main hall. She quickly pulled Wei Ming inside, stood before the Emperor, and knelt to pay her respects.

"Hail, Your Majesty."

"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."

The Emperor nodded with a broad smile, then waved to Wei Ming.

"Come over tomorrow, let Grandpa see you. It's been a few months since I last saw you, and you seem to have grown taller."

Wei Ming glanced at Lan Zhi, hesitated for a moment, then toddled over to the Emperor. The Emperor quickly pulled him into his arms, sat him on his lap, and looked at him with affection.

"Ming'er has grown taller again. Have you missed your grandfather?"

Whether before or after losing his memory, Wei Ming didn't really have much affection for his grandfather, the Emperor. But his sister had told him that no matter what, he had to learn to speak well of the Emperor, to say things that the Emperor liked to hear, to say things that would make him happy, and not to upset him.

Thinking of this, he nodded heavily.

"I've been thinking about it. I even dreamt about my grandfather last night."

"Hahaha!"

The Emperor immediately beamed, "Great! Your Majesty has missed you too. How about playing a couple of games of chess with me later?"

Ming'er turned to look at Lan Zhi, and seeing her calm expression, he nodded.

"it is good."

The Empress noticed this subtle movement and immediately snorted.

"Why did you glance at Lan Zhi before speaking, Ming'er? Does he expect a prince like himself to be bossed around by a country woman like Lan Zhi?"

Although the death of Ming'er's parents has little to do with Lan Zhi, it is directly related to Wei Jianning. The Empress's words are undoubtedly an attempt to sow discord between them.

Ming'er frowned slightly, somewhat displeased, and shook her head, saying:

"Grandmother has misunderstood Sister Lan. She treats me better than anyone else. She disciplines me because she cares about me."

"Why are you calling her 'sister' so affectionately? Tomorrow, no matter how you rank her, you shouldn't call her 'sister'."

"Then what should I call her?"

Ming'er blinked her big eyes and looked at the Emperor.

"Grandpa, what should I call Sister Lan?"

The Emperor paused for a moment, then replied with a smile:

"Call me whatever you like."

Ming'er finally grinned.

"So I like to call her 'sister,' is that against the rules?"

"Who dares to say that my grandson is not in accordance with the rules? I will not tolerate her. Tomorrow, your imperial grandfather will bring you many good things. Go with Eunuch Qin to take a look and see if there is anything you like."

Upon hearing this, Ming'er immediately jumped off the Emperor and followed Qin Shun to the backyard.

After watching Ming'er leave, the Emperor turned to Lan Zhi with a serious expression.

"With Ning'er gone, you have to manage the Crown Prince's residence and take care of Ming'er. You've worked hard. Before Ning'er left, she told me not to let anyone make things difficult for you. With Ning'er gone, I've been busy with state affairs and have neglected you during this time. Has anyone made things difficult for you?"

Lan Zhi hurriedly curtsied.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. No one in the Crown Prince's residence made things difficult for me."

"Well, that's good. But I must remind you that Ning'er won't be back for at least one or two years, or at most three to five years. You're still young and haven't officially married him yet. If you don't want to wait for him anymore, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll give you a large sum of money to ensure you'll be well-fed and clothed for the rest of your life."

Although the Emperor's words were eloquent and grand, Lan Zhi understood the underlying meaning.

He wanted Lan Zhi to back down while Wei Jianning was away, and he didn't want Lan Zhi to occupy the position of head of the Crown Prince's residence without any real status.

Lan Zhi frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then calmly replied:

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. However, when Wei Jianning left, he personally entrusted the Crown Prince's residence to me, instructing me to take good care of it and repeatedly telling me to wait for him at home. Now that he is away on a campaign, I have no reason to desert my post. Even if some people think that I am in the Crown Prince's residence, I must wait for him to return and personally hand over the residence to him."

She knew she was in the wrong, but she couldn't just desert and leave the Crown Prince's residence because of the Emperor's ambiguous words!

The Emperor frowned slightly, then nodded.

"Since you insist on this, I will not say anything more. I hope you will not disappoint me."