The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

The Yanzhang Palace was in turmoil for the entire night. Finally, Liu Shuyi had to call back Jia Ma and other old friends to continue serving the fourth princess who was crying and looking for someone.

Because of this commotion, Liu Shuyi, who had just won back the emperor's favor, was neglected for a while again. Later, she managed to cheer the emperor up by dressing up as Chang'e and dancing in the cold wind at night.

Although the weather is warm now, it is still very cold when the wind blows at night. After listening to this gossip, Xie Yuzhen couldn't help but admire Liu Shuyi. It was her ability to be able to compete for favor. If she didn't have a deep hatred with her sister Ayuan, and her personality was not so annoying - Xie Yuzhen thought that he might not be able to resist teasing her to see if he could hook up with her. Even if he couldn't hook up with her, it would be very interesting to tease her.

These days, the emperor was busy finishing up many matters related to the Spring Examination, while at the same time enjoying the blooming flowers in the harem that came with the spring.

Of course, he did not forget to visit Yuanjun in Shouning Palace as agreed.

During this period, Xie Yuzhen concentrated on raising her children and taking care of her health. Every time the emperor came to Shouning Palace to stay overnight, the three of them slept in the same big bed. Even if the emperor wanted to do something with his beloved concubine, he didn't have the nerve to say that he wanted to take his daughter away.

It was another evening when the father and daughter stared at each other.

Xie Yuzhen pushed the beaded door curtain apart with his hands, making a clear and pleasant sound.

The emperor held his daughter in his arms and looked up at Xie Yuzhen, who was dressed in a plain Taoist robe. "Have you been burning incense and praying every night these days?"

Xie Yuzhen opened a small Buddhist temple in Shouning Palace, and then renovated it to offer sacrifices to the Virgin Mary. He seemed to have become a loyal believer of the Virgin Mary, but in fact, before going to bed every night, he would mutter in his mind to ask the world consciousness for immortal magic.

She had not yet received a response from the world consciousness, and she did not dare to directly use Liu Shuyi's existing skills - after all, it was produced by the Lord God, and who knew if there would be any traps hidden, so it was always better to be careful.

If Xie Yu really had no other choice, then she would probably take the risk and directly snatch Liu Shuyi's things. But she is not at the point where she has no other choice yet. Although the way of heaven has dissipated, the world has not been destroyed yet.

"When I saw the fourth princess fall ill, I was really scared. I was afraid that something might happen to our Yuanjun... Even if she has an extraordinary origin, she is just my daughter now. However, she has an extraordinary origin after all, and I don't know whether I should worship other gods or not. I can only pray to the Holy Mother to protect Yuanjun." Xie Yuzhen took off his Taoist robe, washed carefully, and then lay down on the bed.

The emperor watched her every move, then glanced at his sleepy little daughter in his arms: "Since I was born, wet nurses have been accompanying me to sleep at night."

His biological mother was of low status and died young due to illness, so in terms of true feelings, his relationship with her was not as deep as that with Empress Dowager Hu.

However, Xie Yuzhen couldn't just say that he didn't have a mother to accompany him, so she looked at the emperor and said, "If your majesty thinks that I don't value you because I have a daughter, you can go find someone else. Liu Shuyi, Zhang Meiren and others all put you first."

When the emperor heard this, his face turned dark.

These two.

One of them was harsh on her daughter, and although she later corrected her behavior, she was still too doting on her and ended up harming the child; the other one was still eager to win favor even when she was pregnant and refused to stop.

He looked at his daughter again, protecting her like the ball of his eye. But apart from refusing to sleep with him during this period, there was nothing else about her that displeased him. The emperor sighed, "I was just saying it casually. Look, how much our little Yuanjun likes father, right?"

He coaxed his daughter in his arms very gently and virtuously, and the little princess, who was already beginning to feel sleepy, slapped her father on the chin for disturbing her sweet dreams.

The emperor did not feel offended. Instead, he thought that his daughter could slap so hard at such a young age, and she was in good health, which made him very happy.

Xie Yuzhen rolled her eyes at him, walked over and carried Yuanjun to the inside, patted her a few times and coaxed her already sleepy daughter to sleep, then turned around and instructed the emperor to draw down the bed curtains, and whispered: "My mother sent a letter yesterday saying that my elder brother passed the imperial examination. Did you use a backdoor to help him get into the imperial examination?"

The emperor raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why do you miss your husband and brother?"

"Although my elder brother loves to read, his serious writing is very boring." Xie Yuzhen was not afraid of his pretended anger. "My good Majesty, I am just afraid that someone will say that he is doing this because of nepotism...which will tarnish your Majesty's reputation."

"You can rest assured about this. My brother-in-law's writing style is indeed a bit plain, but he has a solid foundation and has his own opinions. It's just that he is not good at rhetoric and his writing is not as ornate as others." The emperor comforted him.

Xie Jingrong was knowledgeable, but he was too rigid. Although he was not pedantic,...how should I put it? In the eyes of the emperor, he was an honest man who was very suitable to be a lone minister and censor.

However, if he were really asked to be a censor, he would definitely offend people.

With the good intention of not letting his beloved concubine worry about his brother, the emperor sent Xie Jingrong to the library of the Hanlin Academy to edit books.

Xie Yuzhen was also very satisfied with the emperor's arrangement.

She knew her brother's temper very well. If he really came into contact with the old foxes in the officialdom, he would be eaten alive by them. It would be better for him to keep company with his favorite books.

"When mother wrote to me, she also said that the Marquis' Mansion would be completed soon. I was thinking... Tan Nu's status is different after all, so it would not be good to let him grow up in the palace. It would be better to just call him Marquis Yongjia and let him live in his own mansion." Xie Yuzhen did not mention the emperor's previous promise that he would take her out of the palace and return home after the Marquis Yongjia Mansion was completed.

The emperor had already naturally thought: "Are you willing to give it up?"

"If I leave him in the palace, I still have to look after Yuan Jun. I'm afraid I can't take care of him. If I put him in the Marquis' Mansion, firstly, his grandmother will take care of him. Secondly, didn't His Majesty also send Eunuch Wang Cheng and others to look after him?"

Today, the Yongjia Marquisate is still just a derivative of the emperor's power.

While Xie Yuzhen expressed his submission to the source of power, he also secretly had some thoughts of his own.

Most of the people in Yongjia Marquis Mansion now are sent by the emperor, and there are also people with clean backgrounds found by Xie's mother during this period.

And Xie Yuzhen also believed that Xie Yi was precocious and sensible, and he also had his mother's education and guidance... Although this might be a bit cruel to him, the child would get experience in the Yongjia Marquis Mansion that ordinary people could not have.

His background, his experiences, and his family destined him to not be too naive.

If abandoning innocence can allow the child to survive well in the undercurrents of power in Kyoto, then Xie Yuzhen doesn't mind being the bad guy.

Moreover, the Yongjia Marquis Mansion is very close to the imperial palace. Even if he lives away, the mother and son can see each other often. Xie Yu can really ensure to the greatest extent possible that Xie Yi does not grow up astray within his ability.

"Since he calls me father, I will naturally protect him for Xianming." The emperor smiled and said gently, "When Yuanjun is older, I will bring you and your mother back home together."

The faint candlelight shone through the bed curtains. Xie Yuzhen leaned over, raised his head and gently touched the tip of the emperor's nose: "Go to sleep, Aye."

The faint scent of sandalwood wafted in his face, carrying the woman's slightly higher body temperature. This action and the nickname she used when they were mingling in the private house in the past made the emperor, a veteran in the world of women, unable to hold back his cheeks from getting hot. He couldn't sleep in the middle of the night because of this intimate touch.

Unfortunately, the heartless man was only willing to get close to her for this one time, and then turned around and fell asleep holding his daughter in his arms.