AWB Chapter 492 "Yun"
Chapter 492 "Yun"
Yu Nu'er is now ten months old and is becoming more and more intelligent. She can not only sit steadily on her own, but also skillfully adjust her sitting posture, leaning forward, reaching out her hand, and then sitting back steadily.
When the wet nurses looked after him, they always had to keep a close eye on him. If they weren't careful, he would put his hands on the cushions or kneel on the carpet with his buttocks sticking up high, and crawl forward on his belly.
Kang Ge'er is only three months old, and he cries out frequently, his little mouth pouting. As soon as he starts crying, Yu Nu'er turns her head, crawls over to the sound, and goes to the cradle, tilting her little face up and responding with "Aww!" and "Ah!"...
When Meng Shu and Consort Chun returned to Huining Palace, they heard a soft, babbling sound coming from the flower hall. Two little children were playing a little tune together.
In the flower hall, seven people, including four wet nurses, Aunt Mei, Donggua, and Mingyue, were serving her. Donggua reached out and nimbly scooped up Yu Nu'er, who was crawling all over the floor, and put her into her arms. The little one sniffed lightly and immediately recognized the familiar scent. She stretched out her chubby little hands and softly leaned on Donggua's shoulder, rubbing her little head against her clothes.
Seeing this, Ruizhu couldn't help but giggle and say, "What delicious food did Donggua make today? You smell so good. No wonder the Crown Prince likes to stick to you the most."
Donggua hefted Yu Nu'er in his arms, his eyes full of smiles: "You've gotten a bit heavier. I went to the Imperial Garden early this morning to pick some peach blossoms and made some pastries. I've put them on that table over there. Would the ladies like to try some?"
Yu Nu'er suddenly caught sight of the bamboo basket that Rui Zhu was carrying. She immediately twisted her little body, making "uh-uh" and "ya-ya" noises, and stretched out her little hands to reach forward.
Ruizhu was amused by him and picked up a pear blossom from the basket and handed it to him. Unexpectedly, the little guy took it, blinked, and stuffed it into his mouth. Donggua hurriedly reached out to stop him, which made everyone in the hall laugh.
Yun Baolin, feeling envious, stepped forward and carefully took Yu Nu'er from Dong Gua's arms, gently touching his chubby cheeks with her fingertips: "You've gotten a bit heavier again! This little face is just so adorable."
Hearing the envy in her voice, Consort Chun exchanged a glance with Meng Shu and said gently, "Imperial Physician Jian will be returning to the palace in a few days. We can have him help you recuperate then."
Yun Baolin sat down on the embroidered stool with Yu Nu'er in her arms. Upon hearing this, a blush quietly rose on her cheeks.
She gently smoothed Yu Nu'er's clothes with her fingertips. "I know I can't rush things, but I'm just so envious. I live alone in Ganlu Palace, and it's very quiet there. If I didn't come to my cousin's place often, or go to Consort Qi's palace to chat and relax, I really don't know how I would get through the rest of the days."
Meng Shu held Kang Ge'er in her arms, and after Yun Baolin finished speaking, she gently comforted him, "There are regulations for the Empress Dowager's mourning period. Within one hundred days, the Emperor will not go to the inner palace or summon the concubines. Sister Yun, why don't you take advantage of these days to recuperate? There aren't many concubines in the palace right now, and there will be many more opportunities to see the Emperor's face and receive his favor in the future. Take it slow."
“Next year, it will be the time for the general election again.” Yun Baolin sighed softly. “Those who entered the palace on the same day as me have either lost their lives or been imprisoned in the Yeting Palace. Now it seems that only Consort Qu has actually given birth to a prince. Although it is a… but no matter what, she has a prince by her side, which is a kind of support that no one can take away.”
Consort Chun lowered her head to prune the pear branches. With each rise and fall of the silver scissors, excess twigs fell into the gilded tray.
Mengzhu found a crackled spring vase, gently placed it on the rosewood table, and quietly called to the wet nurses in the flower hall, indicating that they should take the two young masters to the side hall first. After the footsteps of everyone had faded away, she lowered her hands and retreated to the outside of the hall to stand guard.
"The palace is never short of new faces, but those who can truly enjoy lasting favor are few and far between."
Consort Chun placed the pear blossoms she had trimmed into a spring vase.
"No one can truly fathom the Emperor's thoughts. These past few days, Mother has brought news that the military officers who pleaded for the Empress in the Taiji Hall have all been found guilty by the Ministry of Personnel. Some have been demoted to local posts for 'oversights in military supplies accounts,' some have had their salaries reduced for 'poor training,' and two have been dismissed from their posts altogether..."
Rumors circulated in the court that Marquis Zhenbei and Grand Commander Han had developed a grudge, and that both of Marquis Zhenbei's young generals had been left to garrison the northern frontier. Considering that Marquis Zhenbei had only been in retirement in the capital for two years, most of his previously promoted confidants had either been transferred or resigned in the past six months.
Meng Shu continued Chun Guifei's words, saying calmly, "...When they need you, they will naturally bestow upon you immense favor and make you a figure of great prestige. But once they become wary, even if you have not done anything wrong, they can still silently cripple your wings and destroy your foundation."
Consort Chun fiddled with the spring vase, a hint of sarcasm on her lips: "Father saw this clearly long ago. When the war broke out in the northern frontier and the epidemic was rampant, he donated a lot of money, grain and medicine. A while ago, under the pretext of mourning for Grandmother, he also shrunk most of his businesses in the capital and Lin'an ahead of schedule. On the surface, it was 'mourning and avoiding the world,' but in reality, he took a step back."
A maternal relative who is not power-hungry and willing to yield benefits is more in line with the emperor's wishes than a powerful and uncontrollable Tang family.
Upon hearing this, Yun Baolin dared not say more and quickly changed the subject: "By the way, the Third Prince's one-month celebration is in two days. Although it is still the mourning period for the Empress Dowager and no banquet will be held in the palace, surely His Majesty has already suggested a name for the Third Prince?"
Consort Chun glanced at Meng Shu with a hint of curiosity.
Meng Shu dipped her slender white fingertip into the tea and slowly wrote the character '昀' on the table, saying, "昀 is composed of '日' (sun) and '匀' (even), signifying the even and universal illumination of sunlight."
Consort Chun raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and murmured, "'The bustling crowds and the radiant lights of all things' is indeed a good name."
“The mark on the Third Prince’s face will inevitably become a topic of discussion among others. Using a character with the meaning of ‘brightness’ in his name can be considered as a good omen to ward off misfortune.” Yun Baolin fiddled with the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes filled with tangible envy. “After all, he is a prince, so His Majesty will naturally have to take good care of him.”
Meng Shu wiped the water stains off the table with a handkerchief and said slowly, "To be precise, this character was requested by Qu Chong'ai herself."
"Hmm?" Consort Chun and Consort Yun spoke at the same time.
Meng Shu explained, "She first gave the Third Prince a nickname in private, calling him 'Yun Ge'er'. Later, when she went to the Funing Palace to ask the Emperor to bestow a name, she specifically mentioned this nickname, and that's how she got the character 'Yun'. The two names complement each other, and she did put a lot of thought into it."
Consort Chun held the silver scissors by her side, remained silent for a moment, and sighed softly, "Qu's scheme is truly admirable. She is so meticulous and flexible. If she had not been sent to the palace by Lord Qu, but had married into an ordinary official's family, she could probably have carved out a peaceful place for herself in the inner palace with her shrewdness."
As she spoke, she picked up the vase, and the snow-white pear blossoms inside swayed gently. Seeing this, Meng Shu and Yun Baolin also got up and followed her footsteps to the side hall.
A small Buddhist shrine has recently been set up in a side hall of Huining Palace, and Consort Chun has often come here to chant sutras in the past few months. At this moment, she stood in front of the Buddha, her fair fingers gently placing the spring vase on the offering table. Her calm and gentle movements made her look more and more like Empress Dowager Zhou.
......
The capital city, Chunming Gate.
The Imperial Intendant Tong Bo and Wei Ying had been away from the palace for over a month. On this day, they finally returned to the capital amidst the dust of late spring. As soon as they entered the city gate, they went straight to the palace to report back.
Coincidentally, on the same afternoon, Zhou Bai also set off from Yangzhou. After a long and arduous journey by water and land for more than ten days, he finally arrived in the capital.
He was dressed in a blue official robe. Although he was a little tired from the journey, he still stood tall and straight. As soon as he got off the carriage, he did not have time to rest. He quickly tidied his appearance and went to the Ministry of Personnel to hand over the report and prepare for his performance.