The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Concubine Liu, who was informed to prepare to travel with the Emperor and Empress in two months, was stunned. She first sent away the female official who came to deliver the oral instructions, and then stood under the eaves with a puzzled look on her face: "Why did His Majesty and His Majesty suddenly think of me?"

She was very clear that she had little presence in the palace. Although she gave birth to the sixth prince after being favored by the emperor once, she was still not a very outstanding person. Even some ladies from other courts who had accompanied their husbands in other places for many years and rarely entered the palace always remembered the mother of the sixth prince as Concubine Chen Hui.

"Although I am indeed born in Liangzhou, Jiangnan is a vast area. It seems that other sisters in the palace who are also born in the Jiangnan area have no chance to accompany the emperor." Concubine Liu was really not good at thinking about these things, so she lifted her foot and planned to go find Concubine Chen Hui.

But her personal maid pointed out: "Madam, you are confused. You gave birth to the Sixth Prince. Just based on this fact, His Majesty and the Queen both think highly of you!"

"Bao'er?" Concubine Liu suddenly realized, "This... Then I have to go and ask Sister Chen for advice. I have never accompanied the emperor on a tour, even to Liangzhou... When I am at home, I rarely go out, let alone Bao'er... If even I can go with him, then Bao'er might also be brought along. No, I have to ask Sister Chen what to do!"

She left as soon as she said she would, and when she reached the Moon Gate, she ran into the Sixth Prince who came to pay his respects.

The Sixth Prince is one year younger than Lu Weiyuan. Because his mother is healthy, he is naturally not as weak as his older brothers. Although he is still a young boy, he has begun to have the upright appearance of a young pine tree. In addition, both his parents are people with outstanding looks, so the Sixth Prince has an unforgettable face.

"Mother, why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?" The Sixth Prince asked while bowing.

Concubine Liu personally helped her son up and said, "Just now, the Queen sent someone to tell me to prepare in advance. In two months, he will accompany the emperor on his tour."

The Sixth Prince was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face: "This is a good thing, why is mother so anxious?"

"I don't have much experience, and I don't know what to pay attention to. I have to go to your Concubine Hui to ask her before I can feel at ease. And..." She looked at her son with loving eyes, revealing a few traces of nostalgia, "I heard that the route of this tour will pass through Liangzhou, my hometown. I thought it would be nice if I could let you see my hometown as well."

Her tone became joyful: "My mother's hometown is not the most prosperous place in the state, but it is densely covered with waterways. Every house is built by the water. A small black boat can go through the streets and alleys. There are also small vendors selling goods on the boat. During festivals, you can also see flower boats parading from the homes of the officials..."

Liu Pin was a simple-minded person. When she talked about her hometown, she couldn't help but immerse herself in memories. She talked endlessly about every tree and blade of grass, every river and every boat in her hometown.

The Sixth Prince also listened very patiently. He smiled sweetly and asked his mother a few questions from time to time, which made Concubine Liu even happier.

"......During festivals, there are flower girls singing on the flower boats. I saw them many times before I got married. The year before I left home, I met a flower girl with a very beautiful voice. Although she was already quite old, her songs were really beautiful. Her last name was also very special. It was a pity that after a quick meeting, I never saw her again. I heard that her husband, who was doing business abroad, was appreciated by a nobleman, so he took her and her daughter to settle down in another place."

Liupin sighed, and suddenly woke up after she finished speaking. She raised her hand to cover her mouth: "Oh, I am really confused. I actually told you this..."

After taking a look at her confused son, Concubine Liu's heart softened: "Since you just happened to be here, then accompany me to see your Concubine Hui. You must not tell anyone about those things that I just mentioned, such as Hua Niang!"

"Bao'er understands, mother don't worry." The Sixth Prince was only fourteen years old. If he were in the previous dynasty, he would have been chosen as a palace maid at this age. However, Taizu of the Da Sheng Dynasty came from a military family and believed that premature ejaculation of a boy's sperm was not conducive to his growth. Therefore, the princes of the Da Sheng Dynasty only started to choose maids for their household when they were seventeen or eighteen years old.

Concubine Liu thought that although she had always been lenient in her son's upbringing, it was better not to let him know things like Hua Niang and Hua Lou at such a young age.

The mother and son walked together towards the main hall of Zhaohua Palace. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Elsewhere, the atmosphere was not so good.

"Why can't I get rid of this annoying guy even after arriving in the suburbs of Beijing?" Lu Weiyuan complained to Hu Ziyi beside him.

Princess Yongtai's new manor is in a good location, and such a good location has naturally been coveted by the powerful people in the capital for a long time - in the circle surrounding the imperial manor, there are villas of various powerful people in the capital. Although the Duke of Ying's Mansion has suffered a great blow, it is a founding duke's mansion after all, with a profound heritage, and it just happens to have such a manor right next to the imperial manor.

Deng Jihui wanted to become a royal consort, but the emperor and empress kept a close eye on their precious daughter, so he could only play the supporting role quietly. Now that Princess Yuyi has finally started to go out of the palace to play with her sisters openly, people like Deng Jihui, as if they had received a signal that the ban had been lifted, began to use all kinds of tricks to try to win Princess Yuyi's favor.

Princess Yongtai, who heard her sister's complaints, looked at the family crest on the carriage in front and couldn't help laughing: "Although Duke Ying is older than you, he is from a noble family and is a duke. His appearance is also top-notch. Not to mention that he has the praise of a master fortune teller. There is no shortage of men and women in the capital who admire him."

"Our Yuanjun has also reached the age where she can learn to be liked by men." Princess Yongtai playfully gave Lu Weiyuan a distracting look.

The latter snorted and said, "He is already twenty years old. He won't last more than four years with Aunt Rong Le. Moreover, at his age, he has never considered marriage. Instead, he insists on spreading the reputation of being a clean and self-disciplined man. He is really snobbish and hypocritical. He treats me like a fool and expects me not to see through his little tricks!"

"You don't think at all that the Duke of England's cold and elegant appearance is, in fact, appealing?"

"It's just a copycat." Lu Weiyuan was very disdainful.

Princess Fengning, who had been watching her sisters teasing each other, had not put down her book in the carriage. But now she looked up and smiled slightly, "So, Second Sister likes that?"

Princess Yongtai pouted and reached out to pinch her sister's face: "I just like good-looking girls. As long as they have pretty faces, I like them all."