Time flies, as if it is just a blink of an eye, and it is the time of the New Year. Under the auspices of Zhang Fumu, the cold and lonely Puwang Mansion was decorated inside and out, adding a lot of joy. Even in Li Hui's dormitory, the curtains were all replaced, and almost everywhere they were paved with fiery red, reflecting the red light on the faces of the king and prince of Xin'an County.

Whenever he was half-asleep and half-awake, in a trance, Li Hui inexplicably had the illusion that the two of them were newly married. Of course, Wang Zixian also felt the same way, so the two became more and more warm. After all, in recent days, it is rare that Chang'an City seems to be calm, and it is appropriate to occasionally withdraw from heavy official duties and enjoy blending with each other.

In addition, they also had a little worry about the Pu princess Yan who was about to return to Chang'an from Luoyang. After the Yan family presided over the Pu Wangfu, the two of them might not be as casual as they are now, and now they should take advantage of the happy time.

As a son, Li Hui hadn't figured out how to face his mother's reproach and sadness, but felt that it was not easy to persuade his mother to accept what he and the prince had offered, so he simply didn't think about it for the time being. And the prince wanted to honor this "mother (mother-in-law)" well, but he also felt that he could not act without permission, although he had secretly planned in his heart for a long time, he still had no clue.

Looking back on this year, not only from the beginning of the twists and turns, tossed out various events such as tribute, selection, Yao Imperial Doctor, etc., but also lost the Yue Wang family unprepared. Li Hui suddenly felt that his fortune seemed to need to be turned. So, he donated a lot of sesame oil money to temples inside and outside Beijing, such as Ci'en Temple and Yincian Temple, and personally copied scriptures for his grandfather and grandmother and enshrined them in front of the Buddha. After Princess Changning and Princess Yongan heard about it, they also made a dojo for their grandfather and grandmother in the Temple of Mercy and Grace.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, Li Hui parted from the prince early. One took Mr. Song and He Cheng to the Wang family, prepared to sacrifice their ancestors, and then celebrated the festival together; One still entered the palace and came to the Anren Palace to chat with Queen Du.

Not long after, Concubine Yang Xian and Concubine Yuan Shu led the concubines to visit one after another. Among this group of warblers and swallows, Yang Meiren and Yuan Cairen, whose abdomen has been raised high, are particularly eye-catching. The two of them seemed to be respectful to Queen Du and the high-ranking concubines, and they didn't dare to go beyond it at all, but when they inadvertently stroked their abdomen, they inevitably showed a little self-satisfaction.

Li Hui looked at the scene in front of him, and he vaguely felt that he was in the middle of the battlefield. The wit in the words of the harem concubines is actually no less than the rhetoric of the previous dynasty. What they can influence is not only their own position, but also the power in the court. Because what they are competing for is not only the favor of the saint, but more importantly, the position of the crown prince of the East Palace. With such an ambitious group of concubines, the seemingly "harmonious" scene in front of me may become extremely bloody in an instant.

Perhaps, the change of the pattern and the beginning of a qiē will come from when a new little prince will be born in the palace. At the moment, I don't know how many people are staring at the belly of Yang Meiren and Yuan Cairen, trying to find the most suitable opportunity to benefit themselves. Empress Du was also waiting patiently and silently.

After all, the king of Xin'an County is a young man, and it is not suitable to stay among the concubines for a long time. So, Princess Changning took Princess Yong'an by the hand and took him away from afar. The three cousins came to the plum forest that was slowly spitting cold incense, and strolled around to admire the red plums in full bloom. Princess Yong'an was even more busy folding plum branches and brushing new snow, and her immature little face was full of smiles.

Seeing that there was no one around, Princess Changning couldn't help but sneer: "Brother, can you see it?" Before they knew whether it was a man or a woman, everyone circled around them. Those new concubines all know that after they give birth to children, they will be promoted to nine concubines, where does anyone dare to plunder their edge? Even Concubine Yuan Shufei and Concubine Yang Xian did not dare to act rashly, lest they teach each other to seize the handle, and the gains outweigh the losses. Even A-Niang treats them very well, almost responding to their needs. ”

"Now that Xiao Yang is just a beauty, he already lives alone in a palace, and he is wary of Concubine Yang Xian and Pei Cairen. Xiao Yuan was afraid that he would be killed by Concubine Yuan Shu as soon as he gave birth to a child, so he deliberately fell two days ago, and almost became popular, and A-Niang had to transfer two medical women from the Shang Pharmacy to serve her. There is a medical woman who pays attention to her medicinal diet, and she will not be lightly 'borrowed' by Concubine Yuan Shu. ”

"Why is Yue Niang angry?" Li Hui raised his eyebrows, "As the queen, my uncle is in charge of the affairs of the harem, and it is also my duty to take care of them, isn't it?" Moreover, it is just to help them save the lives of their children and themselves as much as possible at their request, and it does not take much effort. What's more, if my aunt and uncle help them at the right time, they may be able to get their gratitude, and maybe it will be of some use in the future? ”

“…… I ......" Princess Changning bit her lip, "I just feel sorry for A-Niang." I always feel that no matter what Ah Niang does, it is just making wedding clothes for others. When they give birth to the prince, how can they agree to give the child to A-Niang to raise? If you can't say it, you will hate A-Niang, forget all about today's little kindness, and think about competing for the queen's position and snatching the child back. ”

For a moment, she even thought about it in a big way-the prince is so important? Why is she, the eldest princess, far better than her two younger brothers, but Grandpa is still bent on seeking a son, and wants A-Niang to teach the same excellent prince? When it comes to patriarchy, she is the elder; When it comes to talent, she has the self-confidence to outperform most people. However, because she is a woman, she has never been able to truly protect her aunt and sister. The fate of the mother and daughter is still tied to the hands of Grandpa and the future prince, and they can't be autonomous.

However, she couldn't confide in anyone these inner words. A-Niang is a woman from a family who follows patriarchal etiquette, and her younger sister is still young...... Even Brother didn't dare to say it, after all, he was a man, and I was afraid that he couldn't understand her panic and the state of mind of watching the enemy grow and grow, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Before competing for the queen's position, Yang Meiren must get rid of Concubine Yang Xian, and Yuan Cairen must get rid of Concubine Yuan Shu, and she is busy." Li Hui noticed that her feelings were a little changeable, and smiled soothingly, "Yue Niang, you are also concerned about chaos." If the uncle and mother are Concubine Yang Xian and Concubine Yuan Shu, they will be in danger in the future. It's better to find some enemies for them, so that they are all too busy to fight, and they have no time to take care of them. As for Yang Meiren and Yuan Cairen, it was very early to threaten their uncle's status. Concubine Yang Xian and Concubine Yuan Shu would never sit idly by and watch them continue to rise in rank unharmed. ”

Concubine Yang Xian has no favor, but she has the eldest son, the eldest prince Qi Wang; Concubine Yuan Shu has no children, but she has the favor of a saint and the affection that has been with her for more than ten years. What do Yang Meiren and Yuan Cairen have? Even if both of them gave birth to princes and were unwilling to give them to Queen Du for upbringing, they would just add the third prince and the fourth prince. If they can't fight Concubine Yang Xian and Concubine Yuan Shu, it will be difficult for them to get ahead, let alone go further.

Hearing this, Princess Changning's expression was slightly gloomy, and the uneasiness and worry in her heart were also alleviated a lot. She blinked, and suddenly asked, "Brother, how can you know so much about the affairs of the harem?" "It is clear that he has never even married a wife, and it is probably impossible to separate from the prince in the future, and marry each wife, but he knows everything about the fight of the women in the inner house, which is really strange.

Li Hui heard the joking meaning in her words, and couldn't help laughing: "Don't you think that this harem is very similar to the court?" ”

“…… I don't think so. ”

"You see, the left and right servants of Shangshu Province are like Yang Xianfei and Yuan Shufei, and if the six Shangshu under them want to go further, they must give up their positions. Although there are many prime ministers, there is a difference between a justifiable name and a not-so-good name. Even if the 'Tongzhong Shumen Xiaping Zhangshi' is sealed, it is not as desirable as the left and right servants who have obtained real power. This is the difference between having a pet and a position, and having a pet without a place. ”

"However, if my uncle feels that the left and right servants are in a high position and are always against him, and he can't move lightly, what should he do? It will be like an uncle accepting concubines, supporting newcomers to inherit their favor, and taking away the favor and prestige of Concubine Yuan Shu and Concubine Yang Xian. Promote his cronies, frequently add the title of 'Tongzhongshu Men Pingzhang Shi', and divide the authority of the left and right servants to ensure that they are under their control. You see, isn't it very similar? ”

"......" For a while, Princess Changning was speechless.

At the same moment, the left servant who was about to enter the palace to attend the Chinese New Year's Eve banquet shot Wu Guogong Qin An and the right servant shot Jian Guogong Xu Ye, and they all sneezed in unison. Both of them are already in their sixties, not to mention sneezing, even coughing twice is a big deal. As a result, the Wu State Mansion and the Jian State Mansion immediately invited the Taiyi Doctor. It wasn't until he repeatedly confirmed that the two of them were okay that he drove out of the mansion and headed towards the palace.

Before the official start of the night banquet, Li Hui sat alone in the banquet, raised his eyes to look at the unfamiliar and familiar face opposite, and was slightly stunned. He couldn't help but recall the grand occasion when everyone in the Yue Wangfu came last year, a little embarrassed and a little disappointed. It has been three months since the people of the Yue Wangfu left Chang'an, have they arrived in Lingnan safely?

At that time, the private soldiers that Li Heng had handed over to him had already been sent out by him to secretly protect the safety of everyone in the Yue Palace. However, there were only twenty or thirty people, and he was still not at ease, so he sent some of the prince's troops, gathered nearly a hundred people, and divided them into two teams to follow in turn. After all, with the madness of the eldest princess of Anxing, she may not let go of their father and son lightly, and it will not be a big mistake to be careful.

"Xuanqi ......" Sitting opposite him was the new king of Jiangxia County.

This young county king, who was about twenty years old, was born tall and thin, his face was extremely pale, and from time to time he had to cover his lips and cough a few times, and even when he spoke, his voice was weak and short of breath, and he was obviously very ill. The saint specially arranged for him to be treated by the imperial doctor, and took pity on his frailty, so he gave him an idle job to support. It is precisely because he is so weak that the children of the clan who love to hunt polo almost do not interact with him, and he is also closed all year round.

"Brother Clan, how are you doing?" Li Hui smiled at him, very kind. He was busy with official business and did not often meet with the king of Jiangxia. However, if they occasionally attend a banquet and meet, the two will also chat a few words.

Of course, he has never forgotten that this Jiangxia County King still has his father's military connections in his hands, so he will always test one or two inadvertently. However, the king of Jiangxia County has never shown any flaws, and he has never interacted with Princess Anxing, and he has no objection to the saint's frequent transfer of the subordinates of the former king of Jiangxia.

Wang Zixian judged that if this person is not a great loyalty, he is a great traitor.

After all, the saint had weakened the military power of the Jiangxia County King so much, and wanted to completely take it back for his own use, and anyone would be a little annoyed. However, the young county king didn't seem to know the severity of this matter, and still only cared about recuperation, which was quite incomprehensible.