Chapter 452: Could It Be an Illegitimate Child?
It was not until he sat down at the table that Jia Cong suddenly realized that he seemed to be the only outsider at the banquet today!
That's right. Only the retired emperor, the empress dowager, the Longxing Emperor, and the empress were present at this banquet. It was a family dinner for father and son, so why did they invite him alone? Even if the emperor was very close to a minister, this was still somewhat inappropriate. After all, even if he really needed someone to join in the fun, there were many more suitable people than him.
Prince Zhongshun is the biological son of the retired emperor, and the Crown Prince Zhongshun is the legitimate son and grandson. Even Li Yu is of royal blood. In fact, anyone picked from the clan house has a much closer relationship with the royal family than him.
"I can't be the emperor's illegitimate son!" Jia Cong was shocked by his own thoughts, and then he smiled awkwardly in his heart. Even if he was really the emperor's illegitimate son, why would the queen and the emperor be so close to him?
Especially the Empress, she wouldn't be so generous. Unless he was the son of the Emperor and Empress, but if he was the son of the Emperor and Empress, then with the Emperor's temperament, there was no way he would let him grow up in the Jia Mansion.
Jia Cong smiled wryly and shook his head, burying all the random thoughts in his mind. It was probably because the attitude of the royal family members towards him was too strange, which made him speculate wildly. How important is the royal bloodline? The leakage of bloodlines is not unheard of, but this situation is very rare.
Moreover, although he had never seen his biological mother, Jia She, his cheap father, was definitely not fake.
It's just that my biological mother was not very lucky. She died when I was just born.
"What happened?" The queen saw Jia Cong's strange expression and asked hurriedly.
"I just remembered some other things!" As he said this, he stood up and poured wine and served food to the few people.
To Jia Cong, today's banquet truly felt like a family feast. Furthermore, the Emperor, in a rare move, didn't arrange for separate seating. Instead, just as he had done at the Fengzao Palace, he had Dai Quan bring a small table, where everyone sat together. Even Dai Quan and the other eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting were sent to the side, unattended.
Therefore, no matter in terms of status or seniority, he is the lowest one, so he is the only one who can take care of things.
The retired emperor ate with gusto. Suddenly, he had a grandson, and a very capable one at that. He now had a successor. For the royal family, having such a descendant who could pass on the legacy was obviously a joyful thing.
The Empress was also filled with joy. The Emperor Retired also knew his son's identity and accepted it easily. When his son returned to the royal family in the future, there would naturally be less resistance. Although the Empress Dowager was still unaware of the situation, she would naturally understand the Emperor Retired's joy. Therefore, she would occasionally chat with Jia Cong like a kind and amiable old lady next door, without any of the Empress Dowager's airs.
Emperor Longxing, on the other hand, felt a little lost. All the attention of others was on this brat, and he, the emperor and the head of the family, became a invisible person.
The banquet lasted nearly two hours before Jia Cong escaped from the palace . He was very suspicious that the emperor was jealous, jealous of him, the retired emperor, and the queen?
When he returned to the mansion, he saw that the lights in Ningzheng Hall were still on. Xiangling was dozing off, her little head nodding from time to time. Xiao Que'er was also a little sleepy, holding a fruit in her hand and taking a bite subconsciously from time to time.
Zhen Muring and Yuanyang sat side by side drinking tea, while Qingwen, Shiya, Xin'er and others were talking in low voices beside them.
"Why haven't you rested yet?" Jia Cong said curiously as he handed the robe to Qingwen who came to meet him. It was already past midnight, and they should have gone to bed long ago.
Yuanyang smiled and poured tea for Jia Cong, then said, "Something happened in the mansion . My sister and I feel it is a little strange. We are not sleepy anyway, so we are here to talk and wait for the master to come back."
"Oh? What happened?"
"Master, do you know the Prince of Nan'an's Mansion?"
Seeing Jia Cong nod, Yuanyang continued, "Today, the old concubine of the Prince of Nan'an's mansion suddenly arrived, saying that she came to chat with our old lady. Moreover, she took the initiative to meet all the girls and even said that the third girl had a good impression of her and directly recognized her as her godparents. I also heard from the old lady before that the Prince of Nan'an has been guarding Shu for generations. Although our family is also from the founding lineage, they are not very close."
"So, we think that the old concubine's visit today is indeed a bit suspicious."
"The old lady also sent someone to call my sister and me over to see her. I think the old lady came here just to see our girls."
Jia Cong frowned. "Could it be that this old concubine wants to marry into our family and has set her eyes on my third sister? But that doesn't make sense. If that's the case, why not just ask someone to propose marriage to the old lady? Why bother with a godparent?"
"That's why we thought it was strange."
"Did the old lady agree?"
"This old concubine is of extraordinary status, and it's not a big deal after all, so it's naturally hard to refuse."
Jia Cong rubbed his brows and thought for a long time without any clue. "Just admit it. Even if they really like my third sister, they still have to pass my test. Tomorrow I will go to the old lady to pay my respects and ask someone to find out what the old concubine's purpose is for coming to the capital suddenly."
After chatting for a while, Jia Cong pulled Yuanyang and Zhen Muring aside and said, "Madams, it's getting late. It's time to rest."
Yuanyang shyly turned her head away and said, "Master, please go to Sister Zhen's room!"
"Master, please stay with Sister Yuanyang..."
Seeing that the two of them were shy and refused, Jia Cong laughed heartily, "Madams, we are husband and wife as one, why should we be so clear about the distinction? Today, both of you ladies will accompany your husband together."
"Shiya, Xin'er, go prepare some hot water. The master wants to take a bath with the two ladies!"
…
When Jia Cong woke up, Yuanyang and Muring were still sleeping soundly. He gently stroked their hair, kissed them on the face, and then quietly got off the bed and went to the outer room.
Shi Ya and the others who heard the noise outside the door in the middle of the night had shy yet fiery looks in their eyes.
Seeing Jia Cong come out, several people hurried forward to serve him. After eating some food, Jia Cong left the East Palace and headed towards the old lady's courtyard.
"Grandson greets the old lady!"
"How come you have time to come to me, you monkey?" Grandmother Jia had just finished her meal, and when she saw Jia Cong coming, a smile appeared on her face.
