On the thirtieth day of kneeling, Concubine Cao fell ill with a high fever.
Immediately afterwards, Concubine Tian Shu also fell ill.
As for Empress Dowager Cao, she fell ill after learning the sad news of the emperor's death and was unable to stay.
There are fewer and fewer people kneeling in the mourning hall. Compared with the beginning, there are at least 30% fewer people.
Yuan Min is six months pregnant, and her belly is getting bigger, but her face is getting more and more haggard and thin. This is inevitable. Kneeling is hard work, and the food and drink are meager. Normal people can't bear it, let alone a pregnant woman.
Mrs. Yuan was a second-grade imperial concubine. She was seated near the front in the mourning hall. As soon as she raised her eyes, she could see her daughter's emaciated figure. Mrs. Yuan was secretly distressed. She took advantage of everyone's free time to eat fast at noon to get close to Yuan Min.
"Your Majesty is pregnant, don't be too sad and hurt your body." Mrs. Yuan made a pun.
The matter of Man'er's pregnancy was blocked by the East Palace, and the Yuan family only got the news a few days ago.
Of course Madam Yuan was angry. However, the East Palace had not had enough children, Man'er had a low status, and the child she was carrying was the blood of the Tian family. The Yuan family did not have the qualifications and confidence to say they did not want this child.
Yuan Min nodded lightly: "I understand the importance."
Mrs. Yuan sighed secretly.
The Crown Princess was right in front of her, and as her natal sister-in-law and biological mother, it was inconvenient to say more.
The Crown Princess turned her head and whispered: "Min'er will go back to the East Palace to rest now. Just come and show your face in the afternoon."
Yuan Min responded and left with the help of the palace attendants.
The Crown Princess also stood up with the help of the palace attendants, and said to Mrs. Yuan, "I'm going to rest for a while, and my fourth sister-in-law will come and have a rest too."
Mrs. Yuan followed the good example and followed the princess to the wing.
"I'm sorry to Fourth Sister-in-law for causing Min'er to be wronged." The Crown Princess actually bowed to Mrs. Yuan and apologized.
Mrs. Yuan was startled and hurriedly supported the Crown Princess: "Madam, please get up quickly, this is absolutely impossible."
The Crown Princess insisted on bowing, and then she sat down holding her sister-in-law's arm, with a look of shame on her face: "That beauty is pregnant, and has been kept in the yard to raise her. She has never seen anyone. The news is blocked, it's the Crown Prince and I.
Your Highness did not mean to hide it from my sister-in-law and brother. In fact, the East Palace needs to be stable at the moment and it is not appropriate to cause any commotion."
Mrs. Yuan held the Crown Princess's hand with her backhand and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, what you said really upset us."
"After Min'er married her great-grandson, everything went smoothly. She can always withstand such small twists and turns."
"As long as my great-grandson treats her as usual and my mother-in-law loves her, I, as my mother-in-law, will be satisfied."
There is really nothing to say.
The grandson will soon become the prince. In the past few years, he has not even taken a concubine. Occasionally, he was tricked by others and slept with a beautiful woman. It really doesn't mean anything.
Even if a lady from a famous family were to be chosen as a concubine in the future, the Yuan family would not be able to object.
The princess felt relieved when she saw that Mrs. Yuan had no resentment.
Mrs. Yuan felt a little depressed, and seemed to say casually: "The Jiang family also has a high-level imperial decree. Why didn't you go to the palace to kneel this time?"
Mrs. Yuan knew the Crown Princess very well. When she opened her mouth, the Crown Princess's attention was diverted: "The old lady of the Qiu family suffered from a stroke and was bedridden. Sister Jiang was not in good health herself, and she had to serve her mother-in-law to take care of her children, so she couldn't
Enter the palace."
Mrs. Yuan sighed softly: "Speaking of which, I haven't seen her for many years. I don't know how she is doing. Before she was married, she was gentle and delicate. I don't know how Mrs. Qiu set the rules for her.
It has been more than ten years since she remarried into the Qiu family, but why is she still not allowed to come out to meet people?"
These words can be considered as speaking to the heart of the Crown Princess.
Isn't it?
The rules of the Qiu family are too strict. They have detained Jiang in the inner house for so many years.
A little dissatisfaction flashed in the Crown Princess's eyes.
An unknown joy flashed through Madam Yuan's heart. However, Madam Yuan never imagined what the Crown Princess would do next and how many old events would be stirred up.
If there was a chance to do it all over again, Mrs. Yuan would definitely say something bitterly, "I will never talk too much in the future."
…
After resting, the Crown Princess called the palace servants over and said: "You go out of the palace and go to the Qiu family, and pass on the palace's oral instructions to order Mrs. Qiu to come into the palace and kneel in mourning."
Since Yuan Min had another fetal movement, the Crown Princess asked Hong Yu to serve Yuan Min. Hong Yu was calm and careful, and never made any mistakes. With her watching over Yuan Min, the Crown Princess felt at ease.
Hong Yu was not around, so the Crown Princess sent other palace servants to the Qiu family for the first time to deliver the oral message.
This palace man left the palace on the orders of the Crown Princess and did not attract anyone's attention at all.
Jiang was also confused when he saw this strange palace man.
In the past, all that came were rubies.
What does it mean when someone suddenly changed today?
The palace attendant gave Jiang a badge and said warmly: "Mrs. Qiu, I am here on the order of the Queen. Please accept Mrs. Qiu's badge and come to the palace to kneel down early tomorrow morning."
So, is it Yuan Xiang who wants to see her?
Jiang took the belt card blankly and subconsciously held it tightly in his hand.
After the palace servants passed on the oral instructions, they said goodbye and left. There was only about a stick of incense in front and back.
Jiang held his waist badge and walked around the room, fighting fiercely in his heart.
Are you going or not?
If the prince knew that she had entered the palace and stirred up old hatred, he would be extremely angry. And that Hong Yu would probably look at her with ridicule and disdain again.
But...she has been reduced to the point of being locked up in a house and under house arrest, and can't even see her children. How long will she endure this kind of life without seeing the light of day!
This is her only chance to turn over!
Jiang's heart beat violently, and his breathing became rapid.
do my best!
…
At five o'clock the next day, Mr. Jiang, wearing white plain clothes, left Qiu Mansion in a carriage.
Qiu Mingcheng was not in the mansion, and Mu, who was in charge of the inner palace, did not dare to stop her when she saw the palace official, so Jiang left Qiu's mansion smoothly.
The wooden wheels of the carriage turned slowly, making a creaking sound.
Jiang's heart tightened until she entered the palace gate and was led into the Jiaofang Hall by the waiting palace attendants. Then she entered the mourning hall and knelt down silently in the corner.
Everything went incredibly smoothly.
They were surrounded by low-level imperial concubines, and a large group of high-level ones were kneeling in front of them. Through the crowds of people, Jiang could not see clearly the figure of the Crown Princess.
Everyone was wearing white plain clothes, covering their faces with handkerchiefs and sobbing. Jiang also took out a handkerchief soaked in ginger juice and covered his eyes, tears immediately bursting out of his eyes.
At first, she was so hot with ginger juice that she cried. More than ten years of sadness, resentment, regret, and unwillingness all came flooding back, and tears poured out of Jiang's eyes like spring water.
Yuan Xiang went smoothly all the way to become the crown prince, and she was about to become the queen. But she couldn't even catch the vulgar Qiu Mingcheng, and she suffered all kinds of grievances, and her life was miserable.
