N-A-A Chapter 377 Lively Scene
Chapter 377 Lively Scene
Yuan Zhaoyue was insanely jealous.
Now, she is the only one in the palace without a child. However, the Empress's legitimate son cannot be raised by them. Even if a concubine gives birth to a royal heir, he cannot be raised by them because no one in the palace has a lower rank than them.
The crucial point is that the emperor no longer summons his concubines, so she spends her days alternating between hope and despair, growing more and more hopeless with each passing day.
The prince then said, "My mother gave birth to a younger brother."
The princess also said, "My mother gave birth to a younger sister."
Ever since they found out that their mother was carrying twins, the siblings stopped fighting about it, because their father said that one for each of them would be just enough.
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, exclaiming, "This is wonderful! Another pair of twins, a boy and a girl! Our Great Zhou is truly blessed!"
The concubines and relatives also congratulated the Emperor and the Empress, creating a lively atmosphere.
Wang Jiaofan toasted the Empress Dowager, who was already scared of her and was no longer very warm towards her. She picked up the cup, took a sip, and put it down without saying a word.
Wang Jiaofan, seeing this, felt a surge of resentment and said with a smile, "Your Majesty the Empress has had four children in three years. No one can envy such good fortune. Princess Guo has been married for several years now, and we've often heard that you two are a loving couple. Shouldn't the Empress Dowager hold your grandchildren too?"
Shen Shixi didn't care about their bickering; she was getting hungry quickly and ate like crazy.
Today's New Year's Eve banquet is held in Hanyuan Hall. Shen Shixi's food is prepared by the East Kitchen, so there is no need to ask the imperial physician to come and check it.
The Empress Dowager was easily swayed. One moment she was saying to stay away from Wang Jiaofan, but the next she was influenced by her words and glared at Zhu Shouchun with great displeasure.
Zhu Shouchun used to look down on Prince Guo, but she had the nerve to keep looking down on him. In the end, she still managed to seduce Prince Guo and consummate their marriage. She's a vixen; she even bewitched her son to the point that they're no longer close.
She had her youngest son dote on her all day long, and she distanced herself from the concubines and maids in the backyard. As a result, she still couldn't get pregnant.
Prince Guo has no legitimate son to this day.
Zhu Shouchun glanced at Wang Jiaofan with disdain. "Do you even know about hierarchy? Even if I'm younger than you, I'm still your elder. Why should you interfere in what your elders do?"
Wang Jiaofan thought to herself, "Has she gone mad?"
She said with a wronged expression, "Your Majesty, I did not mean that. I know a gynecologist. If the Princess Consort is interested, I can recommend her. After all, the matter of having offspring is of great importance."
The Empress Dowager said, "You two have been married for several years now, and the Empress is about to have her second child, but you two still haven't done anything. I'm getting anxious too."
Prince Guo is now completely infatuated with his wife, Zhu Shouchun. Seeing that she was unhappy, he stood up for her, saying, "Mother, it's not like I don't have illegitimate sons. Chun'er can give birth whenever she wants. If it's not meant to be, we can't force it."
"No, Uncle Prince Guo, sometimes it's not a matter of fate. If you're unwell, wouldn't that be a delay?" Wang Jiaofan said.
Zhu Shouchun said, "It's the New Year, can't you speak properly? The imperial physicians often check our pulses, and both the Prince and I are in good health. Why do you need to interfere?"
She's in a rather manic state right now.
It must be exhausting to bewitch a man you don't love every day while acting out the role.
How can I have time to deal with others?
If it weren't for her family, she would have killed Prince Guo. Now she's just coaxing him like a child every day. Having a child? What a load of crap.
She wished she could kill all of Prince Guo's illegitimate sons and daughters so that he would have no descendants.
The Empress Dowager asked, "Your health is perfectly fine, so why can't you conceive?"
It's impossible for her not to care about her younger son, because he doesn't have the same abilities as her older son. Her older son could even subdue a tigress like Ms. Shen and coax her into having a second child. Her younger son doesn't have that ability.
She needs to keep a closer eye on things.
Zhu Shouchun didn't bother to pay attention; she wasn't feeling well, and her appetite wasn't good either.
Prince Guo said, "Mother, the time is not right yet, so there is no need to rush. Chun'er is still young, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
The Empress Dowager was very displeased. She didn't know what kind of spell Zhu had cast on her youngest son, but now he defended Zhu in every word. The morning greetings had also become a daily ritual, and her youngest son accompanied her every time she entered the palace. Whenever she said anything to Zhu, her youngest son would retort.
The Empress Dowager was furious. She said to her eldest son, "Yuan Yin doesn't do anything proper every day at home. He is your brother after all, you should ask him a few questions."
Li Yuanke could only reply, "Your subject understands!"
He scooped a spoonful of steamed egg, which Shen Shixi loved, and then asked Dongjun and Xihe, "Do you want some?"
The two children sat in their high chairs at the same table as the emperor and ate happily.
These two little guys eat and sleep well, and fight each other every day. The one who can't win runs away. They do parkour dozens of times a day, which makes them very strong.
It tastes like two little tigers coming down from the mountain.
The siblings, born of the same mother, fought since childhood. Bai Ping and the others were quite worried, but Shen Shixi wasn't worried at all, and Li Yuanke didn't care either. They could fight if they wanted to. As it turned out, their relationship was forged through fighting.
Seeing that their parents didn't care and realizing that fighting wouldn't solve anything, the two kids now often discuss things together.
The Empress Dowager ate half of a bowl of steamed egg with minced meat, and gave the rest to them.
The two kids didn't understand what splitting the plate in half meant. If this had happened before, they would have definitely fought over the plate. But not now. They each scooped a spoonful into their own bowl, and when there was one spoonful left that was hard to divide, Dongjun just scooped it for his dad.
Xihe had no objections.
After the food was divided, the two kids buried their heads in their food.
Another serving of fried chicken nuggets was served. Kids love it, but since it's deep-fried, we only gave them a small bowl because we were worried about them eating too much. The two of us shared it.
Can't count, huh? It's one for you, one for me, one for you, one for me. You watch me pick them up, I watch you pick them up, and finally there's only one left. Dongjun picks it up and this time he just stuffs it into his mouth.
Xihe looked and realized, "Good heavens, my brother ate an extra one, and I've been tricked!" She let out a yell and raised her hand to slap him.
Li Yuanke quickly hid behind Shen Shixi, and sure enough, Dongjun came over and the two got very intimate, leaving everyone stunned.
The Empress Dowager shouted, "Quickly, quickly, pull them apart!"
Upon hearing this, both children stopped eating and buried their heads in their food.
They don't want others to interfere; they're just meddling!
Li Yuanke then sat back down in his original seat.
The family of four remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Consort Shu laughed until tears streamed down her face. "Your Majesty, Dongjun and Xihe are so much fun! How many battles do they have in a day?"
Shen Shixi glanced at the two children and said, "Who knows? I'm too lazy to care. Hit them if you want."
Mainly, who are we talking about? The more parents interfere, the more endless it becomes.
The Empress Dowager felt this was inappropriate; she ultimately favored the Crown Prince. "Xihe, you are the elder sister..."
Shen Shixi interrupted her directly, "Mother, Xihe is only less than half an incense stick older than Dongjun, so it can be ignored. The Emperor and I do not concern ourselves with their affairs. Although Xihe is a girl, she is as important to the Emperor and me as the Crown Prince."
In fact, Li Yuanke favored his daughter more, although he regretted that she did not look like the Empress.
The Empress Dowager never expected to be rebuked by the Empress again; she was practically pointing her finger at her and saying she was meddling in other people's business.
The New Year's Eve dinner ended unhappily. Before it ended, the Empress Dowager asked the Emperor and Li Yuanyin to talk, and she herself asked Zhu Shi to go with her.
Shen Shixi didn't bother to care.
She returned with her two children, and after washing up, she was telling them the story of "Journey to the West" when she became drowsy. Chao Yu, who was outside, announced, "Your Majesty, Princess Guo has miscarried!"