wear it lord god

Chapter 2671 Being an Empress Isn't Easy 17
The eldest daughter, Princess Jiahe, is learning to play the zither. She is now fourteen years old and has learned the basics of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She has also studied etiquette and accounting. Currently, she is only focusing on improving her skills according to her own interests.

After a few words, Xining got straight to the point: "Jiahe, you'll be fifteen next year. It's not that your mother doesn't want to keep you, but you're still young, and it won't hurt for you to stay by my side for a few more years. But you should start looking for someone you like, so that when I ask you, you won't be able to name anyone and won't know anything about the sons of officials."

Two blushes rose on Jiahe's tender face as she shyly scolded, "Mother~"

What a wonderful child, as beautiful as the original owner, yet she died during childbirth, along with her unborn child, leaving no trace.

"Come here~" Xining beckoned to Jiahe, who obediently sat down next to her and snuggled in her arms.

Holding this little one who hadn't fully grown up yet, Xining finally felt the true essence of being a mother.

Jiahe was married at the age of sixteen. The original owner of the body was afraid that she would suffer a loss, so she married into the Dou family, the maternal family of Empress Dowager Dou.

Although the Duke of Dou was beginning to decline, Jiahe's dowry was generous, so even if he were to fall into utter poverty, he would still be able to live a comfortable life. In addition, since it was a princess marrying into the family, the emperor would likely offer some assistance.

The idea sounded good, but reality gave it a harsh slap in the face.

The Dou family is already the fourth generation of Dukes, and that Dou heir, just like the entire Duke's mansion, appears glamorous on the outside but is a complete mess inside.

Before Jiahe married into the family, Dou Shizi already had seven or eight concubines, and his father, the Duke, had slept with almost every maid in the entire Duke's mansion who was even remotely worthy of his attention.

After their marriage, out of respect for Jiahe's powerful background, Dou Shizi didn't dare to do anything, and the two remained relatively harmonious. Soon, Jiahe became pregnant, but died in childbirth.

Looking back now, if Jiahe had died, the Dou family would have benefited the most, as their entire dowry would have gone to them. Regardless of whether the Dou family had truly harmed Jiahe, they absolutely could not allow her to die on the delivery bed this time.

Xi Ning hugged Jia He and patted her gently from time to time, just like coaxing a child: "Jia He, tell your mother, do you prefer a scholar or a military general?"

Jiahe replied sweetly, "It's entirely up to Mother and Father to decide."

"Then let's find a military general."

Upon hearing this, Jiahe objected: "My daughter doesn't want to. Everyone says that military officers are all big and burly and don't understand romance."

"Who said that?" Xining glared at the group of palace maids serving the princess, her voice carrying a warning: watch your mouth next time you speak to your sister.

The palace maids and nannies were so frightened that they all lowered their heads.

But his words remained unusually gentle, as if he were chatting casually with his beloved daughter: "You are a princess, a legitimate princess, the most noble among unmarried women. Who would dare to disrespect you?"

"Do you think military generals only know how to fight and kill? You must know that to defeat the enemy, you must first be more cunning and intelligent than the enemy. There are many scoundrels among scholars, but military generals are either traitors seeking personal gain or rebelling to seize power. There are far fewer traitors than scoundrels."

Jiahe and everyone else stared wide-eyed. Was there really such a comparison with the Empress?

“Look at the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion. Your maternal grandfather only had one legal wife, and your uncle only had one legal wife. Their inner quarters are clean and tidy, and they have cherished them like the apple of their eye for decades.”

Jiahe pouted: "That's because Grandpa and Uncle are always at the border, and they rarely come back even once a year. Does my daughter have to be like them, guarding the frontier for the rest of her life..."

She didn't dare utter the words "living a widow".

"Silly~" Xi Ning chuckled, tapping her little head with her finger. "Think about it, it's better this way. You don't have to worry about your husband spending the night with his concubines or going to brothels. Which would you choose: seeing him only once a year or just a few times a year when he's only polite? You can stay at home, take care of your dowry, keep a few singing and dancing girls, go out shopping when you're bored, use the excuse of checking your assets to stay at the estate for a few days, or come back to the palace to keep me company for a few days. Isn't this better than fighting to the death with a bunch of beauties every day?"

Jiahe seemed to be swayed, and what she said made some sense. Just look at Father Emperor these days; he's hardly visited Mother Empress at all, and each time he does, he leaves quickly. So many new women have arrived in the palace, and there will only be more in the future. I heard that on her very first day, one of the new women fell into the fishpond in Qianqiu Palace. The pregnant Consort Qian was startled by a cat, bled, and almost miscarried. The more women there are, the more trouble there will be.

Xi Ning lowered her voice: "If someone unfortunately dies in battle, they will become a widow. She will receive a reward upon death and a monthly pension. Anyone who dares to mistreat a widow, even if they are a high-ranking official, will be drowned in spittle in the court the next day."

Jiahe...

Everyone...

"Besides, if you're lucky, you won't die. Just like your uncle's family, they'll treat you like a precious gem every time you come back to visit."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; at least this made some sense, otherwise they really wouldn't have dared to listen any longer.

The main reason is that with her husband not around, her family has a reason to intervene. They'll send trusted people over from the start of her pregnancy; she doesn't believe she'll die on the delivery bed this time.

As she left, I noticed Jiahe's somewhat detached yet bright eyes as she saw her off, and I knew that the girl was a little smitten.

To avoid suspicion, the eldest son married the daughter of a civil official, so the eldest daughter married a military general. Surely a princess wouldn't threaten Liu Cheng's throne.

This lotus banquet not only invited the eldest daughters, but also the eldest sons of various families. It must be held properly, and we need to find a good match for the eldest daughter of the host.

Sigh, the task is tough; you have to consider and arrange everything.

Then I went to the other three children. The second son, Wen, was practicing martial arts. The youngest daughter and son were still small. Seeing that the wet nurse and the servants were all fine, I felt relieved and stayed to play with them for a while. Soon it was lunchtime.

While they were having lunch, someone came to report that Lady Lü was pregnant.

She held her bowl, eating stewed mutton and millet rice: "Go to the storeroom and get two bolts of brocade and a pair of Lantian jade bracelets to send over."

Knowing that a new concubine was coming, and that the emperor had yet to promote them, the concubines knew that the only way to climb the ranks was to become pregnant. They managed to conceive before the new concubine became pregnant.

A short while later, someone else came to report that Consort Bo was pregnant.

It seems the emperor's efforts over the past two months haven't been in vain.

She continued eating: "Go to the storeroom and get two bolts of brocade and a pair of Lantian jade bracelets to send over."

Another report came: "Your Majesty, Consort Chen has sent a message..."

Xi Ning interrupted her abruptly, looking at the other person: "She's pregnant too?"

"Your Majesty, it is indeed so!"

Well, even Consort Chen, who only knows how to embroider, is pregnant. The emperor is quite capable; he's been working hard, and now the pregnancy is blossoming like an explosion.

However, would this allow her to eat properly? "Go to the storeroom and get two bolts of brocade and a pair of Lantian jade bracelets to send over."

After taking a couple more bites, she remembered something: "While I'm at it, I'll check how many jade bracelets and brocades we have left. If we don't have enough, we'll get a new batch. In the future, if anyone gets pregnant, I won't need to tell her personally anymore. I'll just record it in the register and send the reward according to this standard."

Now I can enjoy a meal in peace without being disturbed.