"He has a legacy, and this one has stagnant ears, which is the benefit of the widow." [Poetry·Xiaoya·Datian]
The third day of October in the third year of Jian'an of the Han Dynasty.
Chang'an, Weiyang Palace.
It’s another year of autumn frost, and the ginkgo trees that have become increasingly popular over the years and planted in the courtyards of various high-level gates in Chang’an have begun to turn golden. The warm sunset shrouds the city of Chang’an, making these fish-tail-like yellow leaves shine brightly.
The scene was like time returning to summer again.
"In a few days it will rain and wind, and even this leaf will no longer be visible in the palace." Empress Dong's delicate and white fingertips drew a small arc in the air, holding a flat ginkgo leaf between her two fingers, and retracted it
She arrived in front of her. She was dragging her purple skirt, her figure was graceful, and the fragrance of soap locust lingered in her hair: "At that time, Weiyang Palace will look gloomy and solemn again, upright, serious, and not interesting at all."
"I heard that the chrysanthemums in Shanglin Garden are blooming just right. Your Highness, why don't you go to Shanglin Garden for a walk? It's a good way to relax and relieve your boredom." Chang Yu reached out to pick up a fallen leaf that fell on Empress Dong's shoulder and said to the side.
Empress Dong is a person who likes liveliness and hates being alone. In the five years since she entered the palace, although she has not been singled out for divine favor, nor can she be treated coldly and alienated, she sometimes has no reason to live alone in the huge Jiaofang Palace during the long nights.
She felt scared. She had also thought about finding a companion for herself, but looking at the palace, the Song family and the Fu family had an indifferent relationship with her. The emperor, who was the only one to rely on, treated her aloofly, and often asked her to remind her of her position as queen.
is actually not stable.
Trembling and cautious, Empress Dong has spent a lot of time to be patient and think about it. Now that the emperor is leading the Eastern Expedition, Weiyang Palace has completely become her world. Although she still misses and worries about the emperor's safety sometimes, when she thinks about her current
I couldn't help but secretly feel happy about the 'freedom' in disguise.
"The emperor is marching to the east, and all the princes in the court are busy working on it. How can I still leave the palace to travel?" Empress Dong said in a general way: "Just here, put up a few screens and place some
Just set up a table and invite a few people to watch the leaves to accompany you."
Chang Yu nodded in agreement: "Jin Nuo." Then he said without losing heart: "If the queen is worried that there will be no leaves to see after the rain, and it is inconvenient to leave the palace, she might as well ask a few servants to go to Shanglin Garden and clear the chrysanthemum garden.
Dig a few flowers and plant them in earthen pots, so that even if it rains, there will be flowers to enjoy in the Jiaofang Hall."
"You have a good idea." Empress Dong praised it. She thought of the golden chrysanthemums that looked more beautiful under the orange candlelight, and her cold face slowly relaxed: "It's just that it's too late to send people out of the city to dig them down now.
Otherwise, we can let them not only admire the leaves, but also look at the flowers."
Speaking of this, Chang Yu suddenly had a subtle look on his face. While watching people carefully arranging fruits and tea in the court, he said: "Someone from the eldest princess's house said that the eldest princess wanted to live in peace and raise her baby. The female doctor also told her not to move around as much.
It is inconvenient to enter the palace for a banquet. The noble Huaiyuan excused himself to take care of it there, so he had no time to come over."
Princess Liu Jiang is already eight months pregnant and will give birth in a month or two. This is her first child with Zhou Yu. Not only Zhou Yu, but also the emperor warned her in every possible way before leaving.
However, the Imperial Medical Office must take good care of her, and Empress Dong, as her younger sibling, must always show concern.
"I just advised her to go into the palace and see the scenery, talk to people, and walk a few more steps. It will be of great benefit to pregnant women." Empress Dong deliberately asked about matters that should be paid attention to during pregnancy. Although she has never been pregnant,
She was pregnant, but she was always preparing for it: "But she refused to leave the house in August and would not move around the house. How could the child she gave birth to be healthy?"
At this point, Empress Dong suddenly felt something was wrong and stopped in a hurry.
Even though Chang Yu understood in his heart, he pretended not to hear it and ignored these words: "The queen also has good intentions, but she doesn't appreciate it. When the country comes back in the future, it can't be said that the queen didn't think about the eldest princess."
"She was afraid that I was a tiger and leopard and would harm her." Empress Dong said with a sneer. Her relationship with the ten thousand-year-old princess Liu Jiang was not good. Perhaps Liu Jiang was not optimistic about her being the queen from the beginning.
He made things difficult for her from time to time; perhaps it was because he designed to drive her out of the palace and to arrange an early marriage that annoyed her. In the past few years, the two of them only maintained a superficial relationship. Even during the Emperor's Eastern Expedition, Empress Dong presided over the palace.
During the major events, Liu Jiang was brought into the palace several times under the pretext of worrying about the boredom of raising a child. This could not only show the care between relatives, but also satisfy his own banquet needs.
Now that Liu Jiang had excused himself after coming twice at first and never came again, Empress Dong complained a little, and the other party's defensive attitude made her even more unhappy: "But she doesn't want to think about it either.
If my child is not named Liu, how can he be taller than others? What does it have to do with me?"
"I heard that pregnant women are often worried and suspicious, and the eldest princess is also overly worried." Chang Yu said calmly.
"Humph." Empress Dong sneered and said, "Thankfully she is pregnant, otherwise she would have to point fingers at me in the palace and make both of us unhappy."
Chang Yu lowered his head and did not say much. He only stared at the busy palace people in the court. At this time, the banquet had not been properly arranged, and Mr. Fu and Mr. Song were not sure when they would come.
"Talking about pregnancy." Empress Dong moved and walked around to the other side of the ginkgo tree with Chang Yu. The golden leaves rustled on the branches, reflecting a few rays of sunlight. Empress Dong's face became a little unnatural, and she pinched it with two fingers.
The petiole of the ginkgo leaf was turning the leaves subconsciously: "There is still no movement in Aweng's house? Did you find out?"
"Jinnuo." Chang Yu first agreed and responded to the previous question, and then said: "I have heard from you that at this time, most of the people marrying from high-ranking and powerful families are those who remarry."
'Remarryers' are widows. It is not incomprehensible to Empress Dong that such women who remarry twice or even multiple times are so popular nowadays. She also knows that marrying a widow is not a shameful thing. At the time, Emperor Xiaowu
Didn't her biological mother also marry first and give birth to a daughter, and then enter the palace and be favored? But she didn't quite understand the reason why the widow would be valued by others, especially if it was related to the things she asked Chang Yu to find out.
.
"Those who remarry are often a little older and have experienced human affairs, so they are not as cautious as those who first married." Changyu's face turned red when he said this, and then said: "Nowadays, diseases occur every other year, not to mention the common people, even the high-ranking people
Families are also in danger of becoming extinct. Many of their babies die due to frailty after birth. Most of those who remarry have already given birth. They are experienced and capable, and they are destined to have children. As long as they can produce more children, they can continue the family.
Even if a widow remarries, it will harm her reputation, so what?"
"Yes, heirs are the most important thing." Empress Dong said softly, as if remembering her own situation: "With heirs, everything can be relied on. The eldest princess has many contacts with nobles in Huaiyuan, and they are filial piety.
The wife who is pregnant with the emperor must have this level to get the eldest princess pregnant, right?"
Chang Yu didn't know whether it was true or not, so he opened his mouth and continued: "Your Highness Ruijian, there is probably this reason in it."