The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

The twelfth lunar month.

At this time, Xie Weizhen was already eight months pregnant.

Xia Zhi believed in the folk saying that seven lives and eight lives are not, and strictly examined all dangerous factors in Jinghua Building. He even wanted to catch the mosquitoes that flew in and examine them carefully - if there were still mosquitoes in this cold winter.

Xie Yuzhen was lying leisurely on the couch, watching Chunfen and Xiaoxi roasting oranges in a small stove. She herself was holding a small hammer, cracking the walnut shells, taking out the flesh inside, and then patiently peeling off the bitter membrane on top one by one. After peeling, she threw the walnuts into a small plate. The dark green porcelain plate with the white flesh looked very beautiful.

"My lady, His Majesty has gone to Lefu Palace." Xia Zhi hurried in, looked at the two little girls with eyes full of roasted oranges, and said to Xie Yuzhen, "I don't know what Madam Shufei said, but I heard that Eunuch Li Zong went to the Construction Department to recruit a lot of people to renovate Chonghua Palace."

Xie Yuzhen sat up a little straighter after hearing this, but his tone was still extremely lazy: "Madam Shufei has been ill for such a long time, and the imperial physician has not given a definite answer whether she can recover. The eldest prince is a little young, but... a child without a mother, can he only rely on the one who is the father?"

Xie Yu really wanted to exchange his situation with the eldest prince and the third prince, as well as the identity of one of his parents who was seriously ill and dying.

Concubine Song Shufei saw that she could only hold out until next year at most. Next year, the imperial court would hold an imperial examination. By then, her brother would have passed the examination and gained merit. Even if he could not be appointed to an official post temporarily because of mourning, she still had her as his favorite concubine and the Yongjia Marquisate. Her future would be secure.

Therefore, if he could exchange his father who had a stroke for Concubine Song Shufei, Xie Yuzhen would be willing to do so from the bottom of his heart. Even if the exchange was not possible, Xie Yuzhen would not mind the ghost who came to take Concubine Song Shufei's soul away with his own terrible father.

The site for the Yongjia Marquis's mansion had already been chosen, but heavy snow halted construction before it was completed. Xie Yuzhen estimated that it would take until February or March next year to be completely finished and ready for people to live in. By that time, her child would have been born, and she should have been almost done with the confinement period. It would be a good time for her to ask the emperor to fulfill his promise and leave the palace to visit her parents' home.

The bigger the fetus in her belly grew, the softer Xie Yuzhen's heart became, and he began to miss his mother at home.

According to the rules, when concubines gave birth, their mothers could enter the palace to accompany them, but Xie Yu really didn't want her mother to run around in the snow, so she didn't ask her to come in. As the New Year was approaching and the snow was gradually stopping, she began to think about calling her mother into the palace for a while.

Xia Zhi went to Kunning Palace to ask the queen, and the queen readily agreed and let Xie Yuzhen pick a date by herself. Xie Yuzhen thought about it for a long time and finally decided to wait until the New Year. On the first day of the New Year, the palace would hold a New Year banquet, and all court officials and ladies would go to the palace for the banquet. Xie Yuzhen planned to wait until his mother entered the palace at that time and ask her to stay in the palace.

The eldest brother Xie Jingrong also rushed back home at the beginning of the month. Although he was a little dull in studying, he was still quite adept at managing various household affairs, and he was of the same mind as the mother and daughter. Therefore, Xie Yuzhen was not worried that anything would go wrong at her mother's house.

However, the place where his mother lived had to be cleaned up in advance. Xia Zhi, who was a little nervous, had to do everything himself. He stared at the palace servants who had been cleaning the house for Xie's mother for two days without blinking. Even now, bloodshot could still be seen in his eyes.

Xie Yuzhen handed the small plate with the fruit pulp to Xia Zhi: "Okay, my chief steward, don't be so tense all the time. Be careful not to get sick from exhaustion. Here, eat some walnuts."

Xia Zhi took it reluctantly - when Xie Yuzhen gave it to her at first, she didn't dare to eat it. After all, how could a master peel fruit for his servant?

But she didn't accept it, so Xie Yuzhen pretended to complain and cried, which scared Xia Zhi so much that he was afraid that she would get hurt, so he didn't dare to refuse anymore.

Seeing Xia Zhi accept the walnuts obediently, Xie Yuzhen patted his palms gently and shook off some small crumbs on his clothes: "I want to have hot pot for lunch, preferably with thinly sliced ​​fish slices that have been slightly frozen with ice, and..."

After she finished listing the long list of dishes, she yawned, "It's so cold, the house is warm enough with the heating on, but it makes me want to yawn and feel very sleepy. Chunfen, go get my thick clothes and I'll get up and walk around."

Xia Zhi, who was about to serve the meal, paused and turned back worriedly: "Madam, please walk around the corridor for a few times. When I came back, I saw that the water on the ground had not dried up yet, and there was even ice in some places. I really don't know what those people in the Shanggong Bureau do for food. They didn't deal with the ice on the palace road quickly."

She couldn't help but start nagging again. Xie Yuzhen treated her words as the background music for changing clothes. He nodded from time to time and responded. He put on his clothes, wrapped himself tightly from head to toe, and was about to leave the room when he heard a familiar voice coming from outside.

The emperor walked in through the gate of Jinghua Tower with a few familiar palace servants. Seeing Xie Yuzhen standing in the main hall dressed as a furry ball, looking like he was about to go out, the emperor's mouth, which had been drooping downward, could not help but curl upwards slightly: "I have come at an inopportune time. Mr. Xie, are you going out?"

Xie Yuzhen bent her knees slightly as if she had already performed the greeting. The emperor also knew that she was heavy, so he naturally didn't care.

"If you don't go out, just walk around under the eaves. I feel uncomfortable sitting here all the time." Xie Yuzhen smiled and led the emperor in. "I asked the imperial kitchen to make a hot pot for lunch. Your Majesty, have you eaten yet? Do you want to eat with me?"

"Then I'll treat you to a meal." The emperor's eyes fell on Xie Yuzhen's face. Unlike the thin and frail Concubine Song Shufei, Xie Yuzhen was in very good health. Even though his body was getting heavier and heavier, he was still lively and energetic with a big belly.

Upon hearing that the emperor wanted to stay for dinner, Xie Yuzhen hurriedly asked Xiaoxi to catch up with Xiazhi, and told him that the emperor's portion should be added to today's lunch.

This made the emperor feel relieved and comfortable. He did not sit down, but took Xie Yuzhen's arm and walked slowly with her along the long corridor of Jinghua Tower. After walking a few steps, the emperor looked at a wintersweet with buds in the snow in the corner of the courtyard. He suddenly stopped and asked abruptly, "Does Xie Qing have a nickname?"

Xie Yuzhen was also stunned by his question. A man wears a cap at the age of 20, and a woman wears a wedding dress at the age of 15. Both of them need to be given a name. However, people in the world value men more, so only families who love their daughters will specially give them names. Or after a girl gets married, her husband will also give her a name as a kind of couple's interest.

Xie Yuzhen certainly has no name.

So she shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, are you going to give me a name?"

The woman smiled sweetly and said, "Then I have to embarrass Your Majesty. In ancient times, people could compose a poem in seven steps. Your Majesty, why don't you also compose a poem in seven steps?"

The emperor raised his hand and poked Xie Yuzhen, whose face was full of ridicule: "Why seven steps? I feel that with Xie Qing, the sun, moon, and stars, shining brightly, will all descend on my side, and the three lights will shine brightly. What do you think, my dear?"