"Sir Rong, please stay. Sir, please stay."
Listening to the old eunuch's urgent call in a hoarse voice, Brother Rong paused, cupped his hands and said with a smile, "It turns out to be Chief Wei, but is Thirteenth Master awake?"
There are more than twenty internal eunuchs in the Prince's Mansion permanently, and the leader among them is the chief, who is equivalent to the general manager of the inner courtyard of the Prince's Mansion. Although the rank is not high, he has an overview of everything in the inner courtyard of the palace, and is not something that ordinary people can offend.
Under the leadership, an internal prison was set up. The internal eunuch is responsible for managing the eunuchs below the junior eunuch and responsible for reporting guests and guiding them in and out. The one who dealt with Brother Rong earlier was the chief internal prison officer of the inner courtyard of the palace.
Leader Wei smiled and said: "It is rare for the prince to have a leisurely day, and he is still sleeping now. After hearing the noise, the empress knew that the prince was coming, so she ordered the old slave to find the prince urgently and keep him."
"Your Majesty, are you already up?"
Jia Rong was confused. Didn't the former internal supervisor say that King Zhongshun and his wife came out of the palace in the middle of the night and were busy for a while. They should have just fallen asleep at this time.
The leader's inner prison officer replied: "My wife just took a nap in the room for a while. When I heard that the Lord was coming, I felt happy. The Lord followed the old slave to the back yard first and waited for the Queen to come."
Jia Rong raised his eyebrows. He said: "Today is really unlucky. I don't know how hard your Majesty and the Queen are working, but they came to visit rashly and annoyed the Queen. If not, the leader, please report back to the Queen and tell me to come back another day."
"My wife is my nephew, and my wife is my goddaughter. There is no reason why I can't enter the palace without meeting her. My wife has not considered the prince to be an outsider, and I have to ask the prince in person about some family matters. "
Having said this, Jia Rong did not delay. Following the leader of the inner warden, Yan sat in a room in the inner courtyard, and then the inner warden came over with the things brought by Brother Rong.
Yan sat for a while and listened to the movements in the inner courtyard. Jia Rong followed him back to the inner prison and walked through a long corridor to the place where he was honored. There Princess Zhongshun sat behind the curtain.
"Kid, please pray for the blessing of your Majesty." Jia Rong walked into the room and said to the figure looming behind the curtain. "On the New Year's Day, it's not advisable to travel as my wife is pregnant, so I specially asked my son to come over and thank my mother for taking care of her last year."
"Get up." Princess Zhongshun's light and slightly tired voice came from behind the curtain, "Come here early in the morning, it means your family is thoughtful. Ke'er has been doing well these days, it should be time to give birth soon."
Jia Rong replied: "Mother Lao is worried about her, so she has invited the prince's palace to see her for a diagnosis, so she will do it in these few days."
"It's almost time." The princess groaned and said, "It's a good time for you to come."
Um?
Jia Rong didn't understand the meaning.
The princess explained calmly: "There are several old ladies in the palace who have followed me for many years. Most of the brothers and sisters in the palace were brought in by them. They have rich experience and have never made any mistakes. You will understand later. Let them go to Ningguo Mansion to take care of Ke'er."
Brother Rong was overjoyed and said: "I want to thank your empress for Ke'er."
Pregnancy is difficult, childbirth is difficult, and each level is more difficult and dangerous than the last.
These days, Jia Rong is always worried. He was even afraid that his nervousness would affect Qin Keqing, but he didn't dare to show it at all. But every time I returned to the yard, I would feel panicked when I saw Qin Keqing.
In an era when medical standards were low, how many women encountered difficulties in giving birth.
Now, before Jia Rong opens her mouth, the princess has arranged the matter. He couldn't help but beam with joy, and with a happy look on his face, he smiled and took the gift he had brought from the inner prison, and handed it to the female officer by the curtain.
"Knowing that the empress is in the palace, she must be in need of everything. When I came back from Jiangnan, I saw some interesting Western gadgets. I thought they were not common in Kyoto, so I specially selected a few novel ones."
The female officer sent the things in, and Princess Zhongshun picked them up, looked around, and laughed softly: "Thank you for your care, the bottle should be filled with Cologne water from the West. The prince also brought this thing when he came back from Jiangnan, although Some smells are a bit tacky after all.”
Cologne is actually the predecessor of cologne, and it can also be regarded as an older perfume in the West.
Then I heard the princess say: "I know you are well-intentioned, but don't waste money in vain in the future. The prince bought this thing and was scolded by me. I heard that the price of this cologne water is not cheap, it is not ordinary The common people can afford it. The aroma is also monotonous, not as rich as the agarwood, let alone the flavor of incense."
When the princess said this, it seemed that things like perfume were completely useless. Brother Rong listened with a smile on his lips, and heard that the empress called the female officials to summon all the maids from the palace.
The princess said: "Come inside and talk."
Jia Rong looked at the middle curtain. After entering, he didn't directly face the princess's face. It was really rude in this place. After hesitating, the empress continued: "I'm not an outsider, but I always use those false etiquette for something."
Only then did Jia Rong go in with confidence.
Inside, the princess was seen with a pure complexion and wearing an azure-colored regular dress. Although there are not too many decorations on the clothes and skirts, the gold lines hidden in them are still extraordinary. The empress wears a hairpin with two phoenixes holding pearls on her head. The two phoenixes stand on a cloud, and she holds a string of pearls in her mouth in the shape of flying wings. The curved golden wire of the phoenix tail also trembled slightly as the empress' head moved.
Although the empress' face was slightly haggard and the corners of her mouth were slightly upward, she was still elegant and dignified. The small dimples on her face added a touch of playfulness, and her white, tender and crystal-clear skin made it impossible for Jia Rong to tell that she was a woman in her forties. The woman is more like a noble lady in her twenties and thirties.
Especially the eyes of the princess. Jia Rong took a closer look and realized that today's princess didn't even apply much makeup. The elegant brows and eyes are kind and charming, making people feel gentle and approachable without being overly charming.
Jia Rong was stunned for a moment, and then came to his senses when he heard the female officer next to him cough lightly. He quickly turned away and said, "I haven't seen the empress for a long time. I feel that the empress is getting younger. I almost thought I was meeting Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess. This I was in a daze for a moment, please forgive me."
The princess's ears felt hot after hearing this. She had never seen such a bold person before. Just like that, the princess didn't think much about it, but she felt that Brother Rong's words about her youth were quite pleasing to her ears. Instead of blaming him, he smiled and said, "No wonder the prince always says something wrong with you, but your words don't sound like those of a serious official."
Jia Rong's heart kept beating wildly, thinking to herself what was wrong with her? Fortunately, he was not blamed for his rudeness just now. He smiled and said: "What I said is the truth from the bottom of my heart. Your Highness the Fourth Princess is not in the house today. Otherwise, if the Queen and Your Highness were sitting together, outsiders would think that They are a pair of sisters of similar age."
After hearing this, Princess Zhongshun smiled even more, but she kept her posture as a princess. He glared lightly and said, "Don't say such flattering words. You should first get to know the nuns in the palace and let them take care of Ke'er these days."
This gentle glare made Brother Rong feel a little more confused. This kind of chaos has nothing to do with lust. At this time, the princess is like a goddess who cannot be blasphemed in Brother Rong's heart. It is a bit offensive to meet her at such a distance.
Finally holding his breath and concentrating, he listened to the teachings of the Princess: "But if anything goes wrong between mother and son, no matter how many flattering words you say, it will be of no use."
Jia Rong nodded respectfully, knowing that the empress was not only saying this to herself, but also to the group of nuns who had just arrived.
Afterwards, he did not sit around in the palace. Without waiting for King Zhongshun to get up, he took the nanny sent by the princess back to Ningguo Mansion.
When they arrived at the courtyard of Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong asked the female official Jiayi to arrange for her to stay in the courtyard.
Unexpectedly, after the arrangements were made, Jia Rong, the male host of Ningguo Mansion, would have no place to live in the courtyard. Not only that, Ruizhu and Baozhu, who originally lived in the adjacent wing, were also forced to move out of the yard and live in a separate yard.
As a result, apart from Ke Qing, there were only two other people from Ning Guo Mansion, Xiang Ling and Que'er, left in the main courtyard of Ning Guo Mansion. The others were all female officials and old ladies from Prince Zhongshun's Mansion.
Bao Zhu saw the busyness in the room and said with a smile: "If the uncle has no place to go in the future, why not live in my yard? I live in such a big courtyard by myself, and with the uncle by my side, I won't be alone and scared at night."
Xiao Queer, who was rearranging the furniture in the room, seemed to have heard this, and suddenly turned his head and glared at Baozhu with a rather sour and vinegary look.
Cao Baozhu chuckled, "Sister Que'er heard what I said. She is even more jealous than grandma at such a young age."
Then you have never seen Qin Keqing. When he is jealous, he can charge hundreds of millions in one mouthful. It is no joke. Jia Rong shrugged, but suddenly remembered what Jia Lian said yesterday.
It is better to take this opportunity to bring Wang Xifeng to Ningguo Mansion. When I went there a few years later, there was a lot of noise about the construction of a separate courtyard in Rongguo Mansion, and Sister Feng's yard was close to this courtyard. She, who was pregnant with her child, couldn't stand the noise. Besides, there are so many nuns, female officials, etc. coming to the palace at the moment, so Wang Xifeng is taking care of them when they stay in Ningguo Mansion to recuperate.
Jia Rong scratched his head. The intention is good, but I don't know what the ladies of Xifu think about it.
Never mind them, go see good Feng'er first.
Brother Rong has always been a person who does what he says. After seeing all the female officials and nuns, they have settled down and went over to discuss things with Ke Qing.
Qin Keqing said: "After all, she is pregnant with the child of Ningguo Mansion. It would be good if she could be taken over, but the ladies of Xi Mansion can't explain it."
Grandma Rong and Uncle Rong had the same considerations, they were both afraid of arousing suspicion due to this matter. Even if someone notices something, it will be awkward to meet at home in the future.
But Qing Youyou glanced at Uncle Rong and said: "Now that you are married to the uncle, these matters must not be followed according to the uncle's wishes. Of course I agree, not to mention Sister Feng, Aunt Bao and Aunt Lin all live in, I might."
Uncle Rong said: "How can there be so many people living here?"
Grandma Rong replied: "Who knows what will happen in the future? It is always good to make plans in advance. If you are mentally prepared first, then if anything happens, you will not be in a hurry and cause trouble."
"Why is there a sour smell in the room?" Brother Rong laughed softly, holding Ke Qing's hand, and said: "Second Uncle Lian told me about this yesterday, and he wanted to put Sister Feng in his belly. Still staying in Rongguo Mansion, but the descendants of Rongguo Mansion."
"No." Qin Keqing heard this and said anxiously: "How can there be such a thing? Even though the two houses belong to the same family, whose roots still belong to whom."
Seeing Ke Qing's excitement, Jia Rong was startled. He hurriedly comforted: "Don't get excited, breathe slowly, breathe slowly. You girl will scare your uncle to death, and you are pregnant with a child. I don't agree with Uncle Lian's statement, and I think about them again. Living in the same courtyard, we are not comfortable meeting each other. That’s why I thought of asking Sister Feng to move here now."
Qin Keqing hummed: "It's natural for Sister Feng to move here. After the child is born, he can't be raised in Rongguo Mansion. How can he let the seed from Ningguo Mansion be raised in Rongguo Mansion when there is a fourth aunt to raise in Rongguo Mansion?" The national government is not enough, and we still want to raise our children there. Their family is good at calculating, so it would be more economical for Rongguo Mansion to annex Ningguo Mansion."
"It's not such a serious matter." Brother Rong said sarcastically, "The members of our family will naturally belong to the Yangning Palace in the future."
Qin Keqing said: "We don't care about the fact that the fourth aunt was raised in Rongguo Mansion since she was a child. She doesn't kiss Ningguo Mansion, but kisses Rongguo Mansion. She doesn't have the guidance of the ladies in Rongguo Mansion? We don't care about this either. From now on, Ningguo Mansion will not allow such things."
Jia Rong didn't understand why Qin Keqing was so angry about these things. He didn't think deeply about the disadvantages of raising Ningguo Mansion's children in Rongguo Mansion. He disagreed just because Wang Xifeng was pregnant with his own child.
So what do you disagree with?
Seeing the uncle's confusion, Qin Keqing took a breath. Uncle Yurong explained: "I don't know whether the child Feng is carrying is a boy or a girl. If it is a boy, he is also Ding from Ningguo Mansion. In the future, he will be the daughter of Ningguo Mansion. If it is a girl, she will also be pregnant. She has the blood of Ningguo Mansion. This girl was raised in Rongguo Mansion by them since she was a child. When she grew up, she would naturally marry Rongguo Mansion, just like the fourth aunt. It was unknown if she married someone else in the future, the girl's husband's family would also follow her to Rongguo Mansion. "
At this point, Jia Rong understood, and even thought about it a little deeper.
For families like Ning and Rong to get married, there is always a relationship of interest. The reason why the four Jinling families are so close is because of mutual marriage. It's just that among these four families, the Jia family is represented by Rongguo Mansion, not Ningguo Mansion, so he doesn't feel that much.
Jia Rong cursed in her heart, no matter whether Sister Feng is a boy or a girl, she cannot be a pawn in the Rongguo Mansion marriage. Besides, the current Rongguo Mansion is in a mess, nowhere compared to Ningguo Mansion. If the Rongguo Mansion does not investigate the village in Beiliao, it will be difficult for the Xifu over there to live a peaceful and wealthy life in the future.
Thinking of this, he couldn't let Wang Xifeng's stomach still stay in Rongguo Mansion.
He immediately kissed Grandma Rong on the forehead and left, went to the nearby yard to change clothes, and then went straight to Xifu to find Wang Xifeng.
Entering Rongguo Mansion from the back street, I originally wanted to take a shortcut, but then I remembered that the old courtyard behind Rongguo Mansion had been completely demolished. Walking around the avenue in front of Lixiangyuan, she was also living in Lixiangyuan.
After passing the Yimen of the garden, we walked through a long corridor and finally entered the front yard of Rongguo Mansion.
But he saw Li Wan leading Su Yun just coming from Rongxi Hall, and it seemed that he was going back to the courtyard. Jia Rong respectfully called "Auntie", but she didn't expect that the dignified and elegant Li Wan suddenly trembled after hearing his voice.
Li Wan moved the silk in his hand quite uncomfortably, looking nervous. After a pause, he replied: "Brother Rong is here, but he wants to see the old lady?"
What happened to her? Jia Rong was confused and felt as if Grandma Zhu had seen a ghost when she saw her today. Although it was strange, he didn't think much about it and replied: "I have something to do with Aunt Lian."
Li Wan heard this and looked at the straight road ahead, which led directly to Wang Xifeng and her own yard. With a long sigh, he threw away the distracting thoughts in his mind and said: "She is resting in the room. Brother Rong, please come over quickly. I just remembered that there are some things that I forgot to explain to the wives."
As Jia Rong listened, she saw that Li Wan seemed to be running away from something. She turned back toward Rongxi Hall with a slightly disorderly step.
"strangeness!"
Brother Rong gave a wry smile, twisted his body, and covered himself tightly with his big coat. The winter in Shenjing is so damn cold, I have to go back to Sister Feng’s nursery to warm up.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
Looking back, I saw that Li Wan's back looked so familiar, just like the person in his dream last night.
