Volume 5: Fellow Traveler Chapter 815: Playing with Zhang
Concubine Yu is about to give birth...
When the emperor heard such news, he almost thought there was something wrong with his ears. As a son of heaven who didn't have too many children, so he knew the names and even personalities of each of them clearly, he really remembered that the imperial doctors said that Concubine Yu would give birth in at least half a month!
However, whether he was shocked or annoyed, the emperor still put aside these concerns and immediately rushed to Yonghe Palace. Halfway through the journey, he just remembered that today seemed to be the day when Zhu Ying took Zhang Shou to visit Concubine Yu. Although he had known about this for a long time and the Empress Dowager had not said anything, he still immediately gave an order to Chen Yongshou behind him.
"Go and tell them that the Yonghe Palace must be in chaos right now, so tell Zhang Shou and Yingying not to go."
Chen Yongshou quickened his pace , lest the emperor, who was in good health, leave him behind. As a result, he was out of breath and it took him a while to react. He was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and could only desperately chase after the emperor while cautiously saying, "Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang went to Ciqing Palace to give a lecture early this morning, so he must have gone to Yonghe Palace a long time ago."
The emperor suddenly stopped. He was afraid of nothing else, but he was afraid that Concubine Yu would be upset when she saw Zhang Shou at this critical moment. Although he had never given birth to a child, he had asked the imperial physician about the situation after the disaster of having two inseparable baby girls. So he knew very well that if the mother was nervous or even depressed, it would be bad.
He couldn't help but curse, "Why did they have to do it today? Hurry up, when we get to Yonghe Palace, let Zhang Shou and Yingying go back first. It's worse than anything else if they stand there now!"
Chen Yongshou nodded repeatedly, but he didn't agree in his heart. Zhang Shou was already very bold. At least he had never seen a lecturer in the East Palace who dared to instigate the prince to hug the emperor's thigh and cry. And Zhu Ying... this little girl who dared to pull the emperor's beard when she was a child, who could control her? When she loses her temper, the emperor has to give in! If you ask them to go back, will they go back?
Therefore, as he saw the Yonghe Palace in sight, although he was already a little sore, he still quickened his pace and rushed ahead of the emperor. As soon as he entered the palace, he asked a palace servant next to him, "Are Master Zhang and his wife still here?"
The palace servant was stunned for a moment and nodded hurriedly. The emperor, who was long-legged and swift-footed, had already arrived at this time and immediately shouted: "Let him and Yingying go back! At a time like giving birth, what do these two children know..."
Before he could finish his words, a dissenting voice came from the side: "How can the emperor say that! Just now, Scholar Zhang was chatting with her and calmed the Royal Concubine. Now he and Miss Zhu are changing their armor, just to make the Royal Concubine happy!"
The emperor turned his head and saw that the person who refuted him was Concubine Jiang. He was a little confused - after all, he always knew that Concubine Jiang had the same personality as Concubine He. After meeting him, she was cautious and obedient in everything.
But he then noticed a more important problem, and asked in surprise: "What armor? Why do they need to wear armor in Yonghe Palace? And they are so happy, what does this mean?"
After Concubine Jiang instinctively refuted the emperor, she realized what she had done and was immediately filled with anxiety. So, facing the emperor's questioning, she could not help but stammer and could not explain it. So, the anxious emperor could only abandon this concubine who lived next to Concubine Yu but had not learned the other's straightforwardness at all, and rushed in at a flash.
Chen Yongshou, who failed to stop the man due to negligence, became extremely anxious. The delivery room where a woman gives birth is the most bloody. Even though Emperor Taizu once used his own personal experience to tell others that there was nothing to be taboo about, few men in the world would go into such a place.
However, the emperor was the type who would go even if others told him not to. Moreover, this was Concubine Yu giving birth. Chen Yongshou thought he could not stop her, so he could only wipe his sweat and hurriedly chase after her. When he saw the two palace servants serving in front of the delivery room were stunned for a moment and actually let the emperor go like that, he was so angry that he cursed them in his heart.
Can't these brainless girls stop the emperor and at least let the people inside come out to persuade him?
But at this moment, he heard a very loud baby cry. At this moment, the always mature and prudent eunuch Chen was stunned, his whole mind was confused.
Doesn't this mean that Concubine Yu suddenly went into labor? Shouldn't she feel more and more pain, struggle between life and death, and finally give birth to a child after a long time? That's what the books say. Several concubines in the palace had a hard time giving birth! The last time Concubine Yu, Lady Zhao, and Zhang Shou's mother gave birth together, it didn't seem to be so smooth, right?
Compared to Chen Yongshou who was doubting his life, Concubine Jiang, who had just shirked and failed to speak clearly to the emperor, also rushed over. Hearing the crying of the child in the room, she pressed her chest with relief, and after a long while she put her palms together and said repeatedly: "Good luck to you, it's really a blessing from heaven, Amitabha, mother and child are safe!"
Seeing that Concubine Jiang was still unsure whether it was a boy or a girl, and what the condition of Concubine Yu was, and just said that mother and child were safe, Chen Yongshou wanted to remind her but felt that anything he said would easily lead to misunderstanding. There was no point in following her in at this time, and it would seem redundant. So he simply stood at the door, pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the movements inside.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. It's a little prince... From the sound of his crying, it's obviously a healthy and lively child!"
The midwife's auspicious words were obviously spoken without thinking, and when Chen Yongshou heard that it was a prince, he couldn't help but pray in his heart. After all, the emperor now only had two sons, the third prince and the fourth prince. From the perspective of passing on the family line and spreading the family line, this was undoubtedly very unsafe.
Even from the perspective of fighting for power and profit, it is not the case that the fewer sons one has, the safer one is. Unless he is the only son, even if there are only two sons, it is easy for them to become a black-eyed chicken!
Besides, now that Concubine Yu has given birth to another prince, it means that other concubines may give birth to more princes and princesses in the future. As long as the emperor can live smoothly to the age of Yingzong and Ruizong, at least he doesn't have to worry too much about the issue of heirs!
Chen Yongshou was worrying about the emperor's offspring, and the emperor, who heard that he had another son, was completely dazed and stiff at this moment. Even when the child was handed to him, his empty eyes did not even notice the little guy with the wrinkled face.
It was not until the child cried loudly again that he suddenly woke up and quickly reached out to take the child. At least he was not as stiff as those fathers who never held their children. After the initial discomfort, he happily walked around the room holding the swaddle until he saw a scene that he had not noticed before.
Zhu Ying was standing there in a military uniform, looking at him with an extremely strange look. It was only at this moment that he suddenly woke up. When he found that Zhang Shou next to Zhu Ying was fine and not wearing any strange clothes, he asked with a smile: "Yingying, I wanted to ask you when I heard about it just now, why are you wearing this armor?"
Before Zhu Ying could answer, the emperor heard the extremely weak voice of Concubine Yu coming from the bed: "Your Majesty, don't you remember this set of armor?"
When asked this question, the emperor could not help but look up and down, left and right, and studied Zhu Ying for a long time. He seemed to have some vague impression in his mind, but he had no clue to grasp the inspiration. Just when he was about to rack his brains, he heard Concubine Yu sigh again, and this time he suddenly remembered an old story from a long time ago.
"This was... you begged me desperately, and then I had it specially made for you? I remember that Yingying and Mingyue were not yet born. You said you wanted to pick up your abandoned martial arts, and you also said that your favorite character back then was Mulan in The Ballad of Mulan, so you wanted to have a set of armor. In the end, I took your measurements and asked the Military Equipment Bureau to make this one privately..."
At this point, the emperor suddenly shut up. Because he finally noticed Yuquan, whose presence was extremely weak. Even though he was no longer the young emperor who had just taken power and was criticized by others, and the empress dowager was nominally the head of the harem, let alone state affairs, she had never really handled even the palace affairs, but he still felt very uncomfortable when Yuquan knew about his youthful and frivolous behavior.
However, Concubine Yu did not mind Yuquan being by her side. Although she was extremely exhausted after giving birth, she still tried her best to stay conscious and said calmly: "When I encountered the rebels in the temple, what I regretted most was not being able to bring that set of armor. Even though I never put it on again, I would always take it out to wipe it and imagine what it would be like if I put it on."
"But I am no longer the reckless age I was in the past. Even if I take good care of this set of armor, it would be a pity if it is always kept at the bottom of the box. That's why I hope Yingying can wear it for me to see, so I don't have to have any regrets. Fortunately, I finally saw it. It fits me very well and looks heroic, just like a man! It's worth my intention to give it to her!"
Zhu Ying then smiled dryly and said, "Thanks to Ah Shou for helping me put it on. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to put it on since I've never worn armor before."
"I wasn't much help."
Zhang Shou shook his head and smiled bitterly, then looked at the palace maid Xiaoyue standing at the foot of the bed, thinking that this palace maid had just acted skillfully, and might have helped Concubine Yu wear this armor many times in private. However, he did not open his mouth to give the credit to this palace maid who tried her best to keep a low profile, but changed the subject lightly.
"Congratulations to the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine on the birth of their baby boy. By the way, the Imperial Concubine said before that she would give all those treasures in the bottom of the box to Yingying. Can she change her mind now? You know, many of the things in that box may be of interest to the little prince when he grows up."
Concubine Yu was immediately amused by Zhang Shou's serious tone. She couldn't see the emperor's expression clearly through the curtains, but she no longer cared about the midwives and doctors who were still busy around her. Even though she knew that postpartum care could still be life-threatening, she was completely relieved.
"Once the words are spoken, they cannot be taken back, and I have no intention of taking them back. Since the emperor is here, please bear witness that the various books, armor and several weapons in my box will all be given to Yingying and A Shou."
The emperor was only slightly stunned, then readily agreed: "All is up to you."
But after agreeing, he suddenly remembered the origins of the things Concubine Yu mentioned - Concubine Yu liked to read those strange and bizarre stories, so when he liked her the most at that time, he naturally met these requests which were not particularly outrageous.
After all, Concubine Yu had no interest in those plays about love between men and women, but she had a special liking for those legends about swordsmen that had been passed down from the Tang Dynasty to the present; she was not interested in the gems and various ornaments that were tributed from various places and foreign countries, but she had a special preference for various weapons...
Yonghe Palace once had a martial arts arena, and he had taken her to the martial arts arena and the road in the Western Garden. If it weren't for the fact that Yonghe Palace couldn't store those banned weapons, there would probably be more good things in the box. Because if there were weapons that no other concubines in the harem liked, as long as Concubine Yu liked them, he was actually willing to give them to her without any scruples.
Now, did Concubine Yu pass on her dream and all the treasures she had collected to Zhu Ying? What about him? When he was young, he admired Emperor Taizu and set up those ambitions. Where are they now?
The emperor was overwhelmed with emotions, and it seemed as if he saw the heroic Concubine Yu from Zhu Ying in military uniform. It was not until the baby in his arms suddenly cried again that he came to his senses. When he found the midwife waiting in front of him, he reluctantly handed the child over and asked, "Has the wet nurse been called in?"
"Yes, he was summoned in when the queen was in labor. He is waiting outside now. I will take the little prince out to wash him and feed him." The midwife had delivered two babies in the palace and had met the emperor outside the doors of concubines who were giving birth, but this was the first time she had seen the emperor rush in directly like today.
Therefore, while secretly smacking her lips, she could not help but marvel at the tone of the conversation between Concubine Yu and the emperor, as well as the young couple Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying on the other side. Of course, she was afraid of hearing something she dared not hear, so she did not dare to stay for a moment. Seeing that the emperor nodded without saying anything, she quickly walked out with the baby prince in her arms.
Until then, Zhang Shou finally spoke up and said, "I came to visit the queen today, but I didn't expect to see the birth of a baby boy. It's also the luck of Yingying and me. Let Yingying move the box that the queen mentioned later. Let's take this set of armor back today. How about it? Yingying, let's go to the back and change it, otherwise if we go out, people will think there is an assassin in the palace!"
Even though she knew that Zhang Shou was deliberately making a joke, Zhu Ying still couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, but her next response was to hold his hand, smile at the emperor and Concubine Yu, and walk away quickly. When she got to the back, she said with a look of regret: "This armor is a good thing, it's a pity to keep it in the bottom of the box, I really hope I can have the opportunity to wear it in the future!"
