This time Zhang Weizhao returned to Xuanmiaoguan, Dong Zhenzhen and Zhou Rong came to see her again, Dong Zhenzhen just found out that she was pregnant in recent days, and it was not suitable to move around, but she used Zhang Rongkun's method to recuperate before, and her physical condition was good, so there was no problem to go out to visit Zhang Weizhao. She told Zhang Weizhao the news of her pregnancy, and she also wanted to make an appointment with her as soon as possible to invite Zhang Weizhao to deliver the baby when she was about to give birth. Zhang Weizhao promised her that she would definitely ask for leave with the Queen Mother early to go out of the palace to deliver her baby.

Zhou Rong got an excellent grade in the year-end assessment of Guozijian, and Zhang Weizhao was also very happy for him.

When Zhang Weizhao was talking with Dong Zhenzhen and Zhou Rong, the chief historian of the princess's mansion visited and sent many gifts from the eldest princess of Fengqing to Zhang Weizhao.

In addition, some female relatives of high-ranking officials and noble families also handed over names to get to know Zhang Weizhao, all in the name of seeking medical advice.

All of a sudden, the mystical view was like a market.

Zhang Weizhao was a little reluctant to go, and apologized to the master, saying that it was delaying his Qing cultivation.

Zhang Rongkun didn't care, saying that he was also practicing in the deep mountains, and he was also practicing in the downtown area. Poverty is practice, and wealth is also practice. Could it be that now that you are rich, famous, and connected, you can't practice?

Zhang Weizhao smiled and bowed his hand, expressing his great respect for the master.

When it's time for the New Year, no matter what happens in the bottom of my heart, everyone in the palace is smiling and welcoming. During this time, even if a palace maid or eunuch makes a mistake, the masters will be extra tolerant and will not be easily punished, because a group of harmony can get good luck in the coming year.

The busiest person in the New Year palace is the emperor. On Chinese New Year's Eve, the clan kings and important ministers will be entertained, and in the evening, they will accompany the empress dowager and the palace concubines to have a banquet, and then they will go to Chengtianmen to watch the fireworks and have fun with the people. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, he had to lead the clan to the Taimiao Temple to worship his ancestors.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, the Queen Mother was quite happy and waited until the first day of the new year to return after worshipping the ancestors. The Queen Mother's face began to be gloomy.

In the Taimiao, when worshipping the spiritual seat of the first emperor Chen Huaishen, it is to pay tribute to his original queen Qian.

In Dayan, only the original concubine can be the emperor and the temple, and then the emperor's biological mother does not have this treatment, and after death, he can only enjoy sacrifices in the Fengci Hall outside the temple.

The so-called emperor is to add the emperor's name to the queen. For example, Chen Huaishen's nickname is "Fa Tian Lidao, Ren Ming, Cheng Jing Zhao, Wen Xian Wu Zhi De Guang Xiaorui Emperor", and Empress Qian's nickname is "Filial Piety Zhuang Xian Mu Honghui Xianren Gong Tianqin Shengrui Empress", Qian's "Rui Empress" nickname is following Chen Huaishen's "Rui Emperor" nickname.

And the Tai Temple means to be able to enter the Tai Temple and receive sacrifices with the ancestors of the Chen family.

Empress Dowager Liu did not deserve either of these things, because she was only the concubine of the first emperor, not the wife.

Not only that, when the first emperor was dying, his heart and mind were all about his wife, Qian, and he didn't even ask Liu to come to the sickbed to tell a few words. Every time she thinks of this section, Empress Dowager Liu feels a piercing pain.

It is precisely because of such regrets that after the death of the first emperor, the grief of the Empress Dowager Liu was difficult to calm for a long time. For a long time, she had no intention of doing anything, and what she thought was, how could he do this to her? How could this be done to her?

If the first emperor had been treating her coldly, she would have died a long time ago. Obviously, the first emperor treated her gently and compassionately. During those difficult years in Nangong, although Qian's original intention did not change, she herself never complained or regretted, and respected and served him as before.

If the person was still alive, she could still ask him what he was thinking. But the person has gone, and no matter how aggrieved she is, there is no place to ask.

A year after the first emperor left, when she finally relieved some of this grief and grievances, she faced the matter of her youngest son Chen Jianze's inauguration. Chen Jianze was born in Nangong, life in Nangong is difficult, where are there any wet nurses and nannies? This little son was raised by Liu's own breastfeeding and hand-raised, so he was extremely reluctant. But being born in the royal family is like this, if the prince can't be the emperor, he must stay away from the imperial city and live in his own fiefdom, so as not to hinder the emperor's eyes. Chen Jianze said goodbye to his mother with tears and stayed away from the capital.

The eldest daughter got married, the eldest son became the emperor, but he was not close to him, and the younger son went far away to the fief. Empress Dowager Liu felt that she was alone and alone, and she became more and more depressed.

It wasn't until Chen Youcong appeared and Empress Dowager Liu took him to the palace to raise him, and her heart came to life again. So not only Chen Youcong needs the Queen Mother, but the Queen Mother also needs Chen Youcong.

On the night of the first day of the new year, the queen mother took off her dress, took off her hair crown, and invited the pothos to beat her legs, while talking to Zhang Weizhao about today's ancestors.

"The prince usually doesn't show up, but today when he worships his ancestors, he stands with those cousins, and he can see that he has grown a lot taller, and his shoulders have become wider."

"The prince seems to be about to change his voice, and his voice is not as clear as before."

"In front of so many clans, the prince is not timid at all when he speaks, and he is very organized."

……

The topic of the Queen Mother is always related to the crown prince. Zhang Weizhao and Luluo also responded with a smile.

After a while, the Queen Mother seemed to be tired and fell silent. Xiangyu came in and said, "Queen Mother, the futon has been laid out, and I am tired today, please settle it as soon as possible." ”

The Queen Mother said, "Wait a moment." Go down first. Xiangyu and Luluo retreated, but Zhang Weizhao was left behind.

The Queen Mother leaned back in her chair and her eyes were half-closed. Zhang Weizhao sat on a small stool not far away, holding a charcoal in his hand and not knowing what he was drawing, and he didn't make a sound.

Zhang Weizhao is this good, the Queen Mother thought, he is a person who can be very calm. At this time, if you change someone else's side, you will not want to persuade the Queen Mother to settle down as soon as possible and not catch a cold, or you will secretly peek at the Queen Mother's expression and do everything possible to speculate on your thoughts, for fear of making a mistake. Zhang Weizhao won't be like this, if you don't speak, she will focus on her own things. When you talk to her, she will answer you sincerely, and she will not be honestly afraid, and if you say a word, you will turn around in your heart and speak again.

"You say," the Queen Mother suddenly spoke, "why do women in this world have to concentrate on being unsuitable for their second husband." And the man wants three wives and four concubines, and three thousand fans in the harem? ”

The Queen Mother is asking about the root of polygamy, specifically in China, that is, monogamy and polygamy. But to answer this question, the project is simply too big, and it needs to be approached from multiple perspectives such as history, politics, religion, biology, and anthropology.

Zhang Weizhao thought about it for a while, and chose a way that is best understood for the queen mother to express: "Because of the heir." Women are born with the idea that the child they give birth to is their own, but the man is not sure whether the child is his own, so it is necessary to strictly control the woman's actions, so that she can never give birth to other men's children. And if he wants to broadcast his children, he has to control multiple women. Therefore, the more powerful people are, the more wives and concubines they have, and they are locked up in the boudoir and isolated from the world. ”

Empress Dowager Liu was surprised when she heard Zhang Weizhao say so bluntly. Confucianism only tells everyone that it is natural for women to be chaste and not jealous, and it is natural for men to be strong and women to be weak, and no one has ever dared to explain the origin of women's way in this way. This sounds very deviant and forgetful, but when you think about it, isn't that what it is?

"But as you said, in the Atlantic state, a man can only have one wife?" The Queen Mother asked.

Zhang Weizhao thought about it again, and once again simplified the complexity and said: "The way to raise children in monogamy is different from polygamy. From a man's point of view, polygamy is the hope of spreading the seed, so that although some children will die, there will always be children who will survive and continue to have heirs; Monogamy is the hope that the husband and wife will work together and do their best to raise the couple's limited few children, so that they can all survive, so that the bloodline will not be broken. ”

"From a woman's point of view?"

Zhang Weizhao wants to say that from a woman's point of view, of course, it is good to get married if you want to get married, not to get married, to have children if you want to, and not to have children if you want to have children, that is to say, everyone can choose their favorite lifestyle. But these queen mothers are incomprehensible. So Zhang Weizhao said: "Some women still want to eat and stay in the west!" But polyandry is difficult to spread. Based on reality, I certainly think monogamy is better. But even in the monogamous Atlantic states, some powerful men have several mistresses and many illegitimate children. ”

"It seems that even in the Atlantic states, it is very difficult for a man to fall in love with only one person."

"Yes. However, there are also many noble women in the Atlantic State, who have had many lovers in their lives, and they can remarry after their husbands die. Some women even have a different father for each child under their knees. ”

"Oh? How could there be such a thing? Have you seen it with your own eyes? ”

"Hmm. When I ......said this, Zhang Weizhao was shocked, paused for a moment, and then said: "When I was in my hometown, I listened to Western monks, that is, missionaries. ”

She looked at the Queen Mother, and saw that the Queen Mother's eyes shone with cunning and inquiry. The Queen Mother just deliberately asked an understatement, Zhang Weizhao was unguarded, and inadvertently blurted out a sentence of "When I was in the UK, I saw a lot", but fortunately, he suddenly found that something was wrong and stopped.

The Queen Mother also discovered Zhang Weizhao's pause, felt very interesting, and played for a long time. When the Queen Mother does not have to play the role of the mother of the world and a female role model, her pent-up curiosity will undoubtedly be revealed. She always felt that Zhang Weizhao was not a simple girl, so it became a pleasure for the Queen Mother to wonder what kind of origin Zhang Weizhao had, and she had to test it from time to time.

Because of this episode, the depression in Empress Dowager Liu's heart dissipated a lot. Some things that have been pressed in her heart for many years and feel that she will never be able to say them in this life, she suddenly wants to say them.

"The first emperor's Empress Qian is a virtuous woman."

Zhang Weizhao had just been jumped, and was wiping a cold sweat in his heart, when he suddenly heard the Queen Mother change the topic. I breathed a sigh of relief. The public case between Empress Dowager Liu and Emperor Xian and Empress Dowager Qian, she has also heard some gossip.