sbdcsierra Chapter 322 Do You Know? Lin Yitang 36
Chapter 322 Do You Know? Lin Yitang 36
In December of the first year of the Huangyou reign, fine snow had been falling for several days, and this morning it fell even more heavily, covering the eaves of the Wutong Pavilion with white frost.
Lianyun lifted the curtain and went in. She walked to the charcoal stove to ward off the cold before lifting the inner curtain and entering the inner room.
"It's been snowing for the past few days, and everything outside is covered in white," Lian Yun's voice came in.
Lin Yitang put down the rattle drum she was using to amuse the little prince and had the wet nurse take the little prince to the side room to rest.
"You're so lucky, you can go out for a walk, while I'm stuck in the house all by myself, unable to go anywhere," Lin Yitang complained. She needed to rest and recover after giving birth, and it had only been half a month.
"Madam Lin, your health is the most important thing. This month is the most crucial time," Cheng Yue quickly advised.
Lin Yitang had only intended to complain casually, but seeing Cheng Yue's anxious little face, Lin Yitang chuckled softly, and Lian Yun and Qiu Qu covered their mouths and laughed along.
Cheng Yue knew perfectly well that Madam Lin was teasing her, so she stamped her foot and said, "Madam Lin, why are you making fun of me again?"
"Alright, my dear Chengyue, go and watch over the little prince. It's cold today, so you mustn't catch a chill!" Lin Yitang changed the subject.
"Yes, slave, go right away."
"This servant noticed that the weather is getting colder and colder. I wonder how His Majesty plans to hold the full moon celebration for the young prince?" Lian Yun asked worriedly.
Lin Yitang had already spoken to the Emperor about this matter, requesting that the full moon banquet be cancelled, and that the public say it was out of concern for the young prince.
The Emperor originally intended to hold a grand celebration, but Lin Yitang persuaded him otherwise, saying that the young prince was still weak and might fall ill in the freezing cold.
The Emperor now only has two sons, and he cherishes them dearly. Otherwise, if he didn't have any sons, the ministers of the previous dynasty would be urging him to make a prince from the imperial clan the crown prince.
"I've already spoken to the Emperor about canceling the little prince's full-month celebration," Lin Yitang said helplessly.
"It's really unfair to the young prince. I wonder what name His Majesty will give him?" Lian Yun said with a melancholy tone.
"The child's health is the most important thing!" Lin Yitang didn't want to ruin her child's health for the sake of those empty formalities.
Just like Rong Niangzi's Zhao Zhao, who was originally in good health and could have raised her child if she had taken good care of herself, Rong Niangzi became complacent and Zhao Zhao's health deteriorated. Of course, those villains also made a lot of underhanded moves.
The baby prince's full moon celebration was not held, but the Emperor still gave Lady Lin and the baby prince a respectable occasion. Lady Lin was officially conferred the title of Zhaoyi, and the baby prince was given the name Zhao Xu and the title of Duke of Kang. Lin Yitang was very satisfied with the name.
……
When Lin Yitang gave birth to a prince, the Bai family naturally shared in the honor and sent generous gifts to the palace. Madam Bai and Bai Ruonan from the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion both went to the palace to pay their respects to Lin Yitang.
Bai Ruonan and her mother held hands excitedly. She wanted to tell her mother about the mess at the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, but when she caught a glimpse of her mother's white hair, she hesitated for a long time before finally saying nothing more, only that everything was fine.
She hadn't been back to the Bai family for a long time. Ever since her falling out with Gu Yankai, how could she possibly return to the Bai family alone? If rumors spread, wouldn't that put the Bai family in a disadvantageous position?
Gu Yankai still looked down on the Bai family, a mere merchant family. She could only have a proper conversation with her mother when her sworn sister summoned her and her mother.
As the carriage approached the Ningyuan Marquis's residence, Madam Bai suddenly hugged Bai Ruonan tightly and wept softly, "My child, I'm so sorry. I thought I could climb the social ladder by attaching myself to a powerful person, but who knew it would turn out to be a den of demons? My child has suffered so much."
"Mother, I'm not suffering. I have no worries about food or clothing. Now I'm raising Tingye and Tinglan. I don't care about those things. I just want to live a good life. Tingye is a sensible boy." Bai Ruonan has been married into the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion for many years and is no longer as naive as before.
Seeing her daughter say this, Madam Bai could only touch Bai Ruonan's face, her eyes full of heartache.
The carriage stopped, and Bai Ruonan bid farewell to her mother and got off. The people from the Ningyuan Marquis's residence were already waiting. The empress in the palace had given birth to a little prince, and future wealth and honor were inevitable.
The people from the fourth and fifth wives dared not offend Bai Ruonan even more. Qin Jianan was a concubine and was not qualified to attend such a grand occasion. She could only rage helplessly in Xi Rong Xuan, breaking many porcelain pieces, and silently stay by her mother's side.
The emperor in the court had another son, which was a big deal, and the Sheng family in Yangzhou naturally knew the news.
After Sheng Hong left his post, he asked Dong Rong to invite Madam Wang Ruofu to go to Shou'an Hall to pay their respects to the old lady.
Dong Rong's big move to Wei Rui Xuan caught Zhou Xue Niang's attention. Normally, Sheng Hong would not send anyone to Wei Rui Xuan unless there was nothing wrong.
Sheng Hong would go to Linxi Pavilion most of the time, and give a small portion of the rest to Wei Xiaoniang and a small portion to the eldest daughter-in-law.
A month ago, news broke that Wei Xiaoniang was more than a month pregnant, which immediately alerted Lin Qinshuang. If Wei Xiaoniang's baby was a boy, then Changfeng would get even less, which made Lin Qinshuang take it seriously.
Zhou Xueniang ran to Linxi Pavilion, immediately found Lin Qinshuang, whispered a few words in her ear, and Lin Qinshuang's eyes widened immediately.
"Is it true? Could it be that something has happened again? Could it be that Master wants to take back my management rights?" Lin Qinshuang muttered to herself, then finally shouted, "No way!"
"Xue Niang, let's hurry to Shou'an Hall and have Mo Lan go with us to pay her respects to Old Madam Sheng. It just so happens that Mo Lan hasn't paid her respects to Old Madam Sheng for several days." Lin Qinshuang came up with a terrible idea.
Zhou Xueniang couldn't stop Lin Qinshuang, so she had no choice but to go to Shou'an Hall with her.
In Shou'an Hall, Sheng Hong had a ruddy complexion. He had become acquainted with the Bai family a few years ago, and then, following his mother's advice, he did not sever ties with them, exchanging gifts during festivals.
Now, the Bai family's adopted daughter, a noblewoman in the palace, has given birth to a princess first, and then a prince. If the Sheng family can establish a relationship with this noblewoman, he can be transferred to Bianjing.
He's been in Yangzhou for five years. Next year is his performance review; if he gets promoted, he'll be given an official position; if not, he'll have to stay in Yangzhou for another three years. (This is a hypothetical three-year term.)
"Mother, a noble lady in the palace has given birth to a prince safely. Our Sheng family and the Bai family have always had a good relationship. Should we prepare a generous gift?" Sheng Hong asked in confusion.
These were things that should have been the mistress's concern, but Wang Ruofu was too carefree, and he was afraid that Wang Ruofu would ruin things.
Wang Ruofu sat excitedly in his chair and blurted out, "That Bai family, a mere merchant family, actually produced a noble person who even gave birth to a prince. They are truly blessed."
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Sheng Hong was almost scared to death by Wang Ruofu's words. The Bai family were merchants, but they were not people they could talk to. Even Old Madam Sheng frowned. Wang Ruofu was a good person, but her personality was not capable of handling important matters.
"We should prepare a generous gift for the Bai family, but we can't just give it to such an important person directly, or people will say we don't know the proper etiquette," said Old Madam Sheng after thinking for a moment.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in Shou'an Hall. Old Madam Sheng and Mama Fang exchanged a glance, Mama Fang bowed, and went out to deal with the situation.
But Lin Qinshuang barged in with Mo Lan. Mama Fang had never seen such a shrewish scene before and was startled. Lin Qinshuang barged right in front of Old Madam Sheng.
When Wang Ruofu saw Lin Qinshuang, his face darkened immediately, and he snorted.
"May the old lady be well, may the father be well, and may the eldest daughter-in-law be well." Mo Lan bowed respectfully.
Sheng Hong was somewhat annoyed by Lin Qinshuang's actions, feeling that Lin Qinshuang lacked a sense of the bigger picture.
"Oh, isn't this Lin Xiaoniang from the Sheng family? Can't you see we're discussing important matters? Is this something a concubine like you can listen to?" Wang Ruofu retorted directly.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Lin Qinshuang didn't say it directly, but said tactfully, "Molan hasn't come to pay her respects to the old lady for a long time. Today, I specially brought Molan to pay her respects to the old lady. I hope the old lady will take Molan's sincerity into consideration and not blame the child for being a little impatient."
"You've said all the nice things and the mean things, what can an old woman like me say? Sheng Hong, you are the head of the family, you handle this, and you mustn't ruin the important matter." Old Madam Sheng didn't want to get involved in this messy competition between wives and concubines, so she got up and went to the inner room.
Sheng Hong, Wang Ruofu, and Lin Qinshuang were left looking at each other in bewilderment. How could Sheng Hong possibly handle matters of the inner quarters with the old lady? He directly led his men to Wang Ruofu's Weirui Pavilion.