Work overtime

Chapter 768

Just like Li Beichen said, the sky won’t fall if you indulge yourself occasionally.

Jiang Yuebai had a deep and good sleep.

I don't know if it was because Jiang Yuebai took antibiotics or because Jiang Yu adjusted the prescription after seeing him, but Jiang Yuebai's coughing up blood gradually improved. He started coughing up yellow-green sputum, then white sputum, and gradually turned into a dry cough. By the time he was completely cured, it was already the third month of the lunar calendar.

The most important thing in the first month of the year was to select study partners for the six children in the first group. According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, no matter whether the prince or princess was five years old, they would enter Chongwenguan to study, and boys and girls would study separately at the age of eight. The prince would enter the Imperial Academy at the age of eight, and girls would enter the Huazhang Academy at the age of eight.

A study partner should be of similar age, have a good temperament and personality, and have a matching family background.

Li Beichen specially organized the Lantern Festival in the Imperial Garden on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month for his son and daughter, and pointed out that the theme was to allow the children to watch and read together.

It was rare to get acquainted with the royal family on weekdays, but if you were a study partner, you would be classmates who would spend every day together, and in the future you would be childhood friends of the princes and princesses. Those who were invited to participate were very concerned.

The eldest princess and the youngest princess are both very picky, and they both like to choose sisters who are older than them.

They both have great ideas when it comes to selecting people.

The eldest princess gave a topic "Ode to Snow", and then used this topic to see everyone's knowledge and response. She quickly picked the seven-year-old second daughter of Du Heng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; the youngest princess asked the girls to write the word "Lantern Festival", and she quickly chose it. It turned out to be Rui Fei's younger sister, the eight-year-old fourth daughter of the Doctor of Taichang Temple.

The situation with the four boys was more complicated because it was not enough for them to choose, they also needed their father's consent.

Jiang Yuebai, who was the prominent third prince, had already been chosen in advance. He was the younger brother of Concubine Lu, six years old this year, and was a reserved, hardworking and well-behaved young master, Lu Changlin;

The third prince, however, did not want to be arranged, and clamored to find Qi Ming, the youngest son of the loyal and brave general Qi Muye, to be his study companion because Qi Ming was good at martial arts.

Brother, we are going to study, not to practice martial arts. Li Beichen agreed to his request without hesitation. It was probably because Qi Ming looked handsome, with a straight back and a righteous look. Jiang Yuebai thought he was good, but he should be chosen as the consort.

Lu Changlin, who was not favored by the third prince, was favored by both the eldest prince and the crown prince. Lu Changlin's father was a fourth-rank official in Shuntian Prefecture. His family background was not good enough for the crown prince, but it was definitely no problem for the eldest prince.

Li Beichen specially gave a question to test the young masters present to see if there were any more suitable ones.

As a result, Lu Changlin really stood out, and his manners, conversation, and content were all excellent. After some consideration, Li Beichen chose Lu Changlin for the prince.

The eldest prince was obviously disappointed.

Later, Li Beichen chose Murong Fu, the grandson of the great scholar Murong Qinglang, as a companion for the eldest prince. It was said that Murong Fu was familiar with poetry and books at the age of three. However, the eldest prince had no interest in Murong Fu, who was second best.

The fourth prince was so busy eating, drinking and having fun that he completely forgot about choosing a study partner. When Jiang Yuebai caught him back, he was still eating a skewer of meat with a confused look on his face. He ran over excitedly and asked the young masters a question: "What do you like to do most on weekdays?"

The young masters present at the event spoke of their elegant hobbies with a reserved look on their faces, except for the five-year-old son of Luis Torres, the head of the Chuanlu Temple, who said enthusiastically, "Eating, reading, climbing trees, and watching ants."

The fourth prince laughed and said, "Him, choose him!" Then he handed the skewer of meat in his hand to the other party.

Since they all involved international friends, Li Beichen thought about it and agreed with his son's choice. After all, his father knew six languages, which was only slightly worse than eight languages. Jiang Yuebai took the opportunity to ask for grace to allow her brother and sister to study at Chongwenguan together.

On the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head, Zhou Changzai gave birth to a 3-kg daughter. The emperor promoted her to be a talented woman of Zhou and named the seventh princess Li Zijing.
Originally, the child was intended to be raised by Nian Ronghua. But Concubine Rui died in a hurry and entrusted her daughter to Nian Ronghua. Jiang Yuebai said to the emperor, why not give the seventh princess to Concubine Hua?

Regardless of Hua Fei's motives, she has been very respectful to Jiang Yuebai since that conversation. After Jiang Yuebai fell ill, she served him without any hesitation. Thinking of her kindness, Jiang Yuebai asked for this grace on her behalf.

When Concubine Hua held the Seventh Princess and kowtowed to express her gratitude, her eyes were red. The Emperor gave the Seventh Princess the name Li Ziqi, and her nickname was Xiao Qi. This child looks very much like her mother, fair and clean, with single eyelids, a low nose bridge, a cherry mouth, and an oval face. She looks pretty good, but she is a bit ordinary among a bunch of beautiful little princesses.

In the first month of the sixth year of Jingchang, Li Beichen symbolically favored three women. He really couldn't favor them anymore. The queen was seriously ill and he really didn't feel like it, but he couldn't break the rules, so he had to follow the rules. One was Xuan Liangyuan, one was Wu Guiren, and one was Lu Guiren.

In fact, he only favored Concubine Wu, and it happened naturally when they were chatting about painting. The other two couldn't get up at all, let alone go in. He didn't expect Concubine Wu to get pregnant, but at the end of February, Concubine Wu actually brought good news. Li Beichen promoted her to Concubine Huan.

In March of the sixth year of Jingchang, according to the convention, the selection should be held every three years. Li Beichen canceled the selection on the grounds that the harem was full and it would be a waste of money and manpower. Jiang Yuebai had just recovered from a serious illness, and he didn't want to make her sad. Besides, he didn't need more women in the harem.

On the day of Jiang Yuebai's selection three years ago, Li Beichen asked her to wear the horse-faced skirt with crickets embroidered on the hem, and took her out of the palace to play secretly for a day. He would look down at her eyes from time to time, looking at the crickets looming on the hem of her skirt, with a smile in his eyes, and he would always think of the moment when he felt his heart stop beating when he saw her for the first time in the palace.

At night, he took her to the highest point in the palace, to the pavilion where they had watched the stars together before. He watched the stars with her again. When their love was deeply touched, he held her in his arms and made her ride on him in the pavilion, and he had sex with her madly twice.

One afternoon in late April, the sun was shining brightly and the spring scenery was in its best form. A palace maid found the body of Concubine Qing in the Emerald Lake. It was unknown whether she had fallen into the water accidentally or committed suicide.

After careful investigation, it is very likely that she committed suicide. Because according to the maidservant beside her, she specifically asked to go out for a walk alone at noon that day, without anyone accompanying her. In the days before that, she often sat alone in front of the window or in front of the candlelight, holding a collection of poems and crying.

Before, Concubine Lu often invited her to drink tea and appreciate flowers, but she always declined. Since her miscarriage, she seemed to have shut herself off. This spring, she even went to bury flowers in the peach forest. The palace maids said that she often wrote poems, but for some reason, the collection of poems she wrote was burned a few days ago.

They can only recite one sentence: "Laughter turns time into tea, and after drinking it, black hair turns white snow."

Anyone who can write such a poem must be a poet. But she is not like Jiang Yuebai who writes poems on the wall. She quietly writes poems into a collection and puts it on her desk. Perhaps the romance she expects is that the emperor suddenly comes to her place, finds the collection of poems on her desk, and discovers her talent. Rather than showing off like a peacock spreading its tail like Jiang Yuebai. Or perhaps her self-esteem does not allow her to be compared with Jiang Yuebai repeatedly and become a topic of conversation for others after dinner.

Jiang Yuebai found a few dried peach blossoms in the collection of poems that Qingpin was reading. The tender pink had faded, leaving only a faint burnt yellow. The collection of poems outlined many classic sentences, all very sad and beautiful. Most of them were about love. No one knew whether the lover that Qingpin missed was the emperor or another young man.

The only sentence excerpted and written in the blank space is Zhang Jiuling's sentence: "Plants and trees have their own nature, why seek to be broken by beauties?"

Jiang Yuebai stroked the line of words and couldn't calm down for a long time.

I thought to myself, maybe I should have advised the emperor to pay more attention to her. But she was as cold and proud as Qingpin, like the white snow on the mountain, not attracting a trace of dust, and not accepting a trace of charity.

Jiang Yuebai tried it once, but it aroused Qingpin's alienation and disgust, so she chose to give up. Qingpin would rather break than bend, she was truly noble, unlike Hua Fei who seemed proud but was actually tainted with worldly airs.

However, all of this was sealed in April of the sixth year of Jingchang after she fell into the water. Perhaps, apart from the collection of poems she annotated, all that was left to others was a few vague memories.

Talking about her with Li Beichen, Li Beichen smiled slightly, "She is such a cold person, but she was willing to pay you to teach her. It's really strange." Jiang Yuebai nodded, "Yes. A little bit."

Perhaps paying Jiang Yuebai to teach is the best way for someone like Yu Qingpin who doesn't like to owe favors to others or take advantage of others, so that neither party owes the other anything.

Li Beichen certainly knew that Concubine Qing was well-read and of noble character, otherwise he would not have bestowed the title "Qing" on her.

Qingpin had recited her own poems in front of him, showing her talent. But Jiang Yuebai had already been conceived of, and based on her "emotional value" rather than her poetic talent, she became Li Beichen's only poet and soulmate. Unless someone else was particularly outstanding, it would be difficult for him to be interested in her.

There are many people with strong technical abilities, and they may be used in key positions, but those who can truly enter the boss's heart must be those who can continuously provide emotional value based on technical abilities.

Jiang Yuebai sighed sadly, "Qingpin doesn't sound good, it sounds like Qingpin, why not posthumously confer the title Wanyi on her?"

For a moment, I didn't know if this title killed her.

Li Beichen held Jiang Yuebai in his arms, "Okay. I'll listen to you."

To him, it doesn't matter at all.

Qing Wanyi was soon forgotten in the harem and no one mentioned her. She was like ripples in the water, which quickly dissipated.

Because there was no protection in the pavilion, Jiang Yuebai found out that she was pregnant again in April.

On June 15th of the sixth year of Jingchang, under the imperial order, the fleet led by Han Ziqian set out from Liujiagang in Taicang, Jiangsu. After gathering, they went to Taiping Port in Changle, Fuzhou, Fujian, to anchor and wait for the right wind direction to set sail.

On June 21st, the fifth princess born to Jiang Yuebai turned one year old. She was given an embroidery frame during the ceremony, saying that she would be clever and skillful and be a good wife and mother in the future.

On June 29th, the sixth prince of Concubine Yu turned one year old. He grabbed a pen during the "Zhuazhou" ceremony, saying that he would be knowledgeable and write brilliant articles in the future.

On July 13, Jiang Yuebai turned 20, the Queen's birthday, and since he had just recovered from a serious illness, Li Beichen held a grand birthday banquet for Jiang Yuebai, inviting the Queen, the royal family, and the ladies of state to attend.

This year, Bater was eight years old. He stopped his private lessons and officially entered the Imperial Academy, where he studied with the children of ministers and royal relatives of the Ming Dynasty.

It was this month that Yesi Zha was seriously injured and on the verge of death. It turned out that his queen Toya stabbed him in the back because he favored Han women. She let the lurking spies of the Oirats assassinate him at night. Then she fled to the Oirats, took away the imperial seal, and married the leader of the Oirats, Jie Li.

After obtaining the imperial seal, Jie Li proclaimed himself the Khan of Mongolia and ruled over Eastern and Western Mongolia.

The Tatars, leaderless, fell into chaos with the death of Yesizha. In addition to Yesizha, Huanhuanqier also had three adult illegitimate sons, and a fierce power struggle broke out within the Tatars.

At this time, Yesiza's younger brother, sixteen-year-old Batu, returned to the tribe with a woman and two sons. As the second legitimate son, he was entrusted with the task of inheriting the Khan's throne. He called on the tribesmen to unite, take back the imperial seal, kill the bitch Toya who plotted to murder the Khan and betrayed the tribe, wash away the shame, and take back the territory.

Batu is a young man with both wisdom and courage. He looks very similar to Huanhuan Qier. His slogans are very appealing. The grassland people attach great importance to the blood of the Golden Family and quickly organized the tribesmen. He also sent a letter to Li Beichen, asking for support to help him take back the imperial seal.

Although the Golden Family still had a certain appeal among the Mongolian tribes, it was getting weaker and weaker. Especially after Yesizha married into the Ming Dynasty, the number of tribes that the Golden Family could control became fewer and fewer.

The Oirat tribe suffered from snowstorms in winter and droughts in spring, resulting in the death of a large number of livestock. Jie Li intensified his extortion of the tribes, and the tribes revolted one after another. Therefore, although he received the imperial seal sent by Toya and proclaimed himself the King of Mongolia, he was not actually recognized by the Mongolian tribes.

Since then, Li Beichen believed that the time was ripe. "This battle is to drive the Oirat out of Yinshan Mountain, recapture the Huihe and Tianshan Mountains, and return to the territory of the Tang Dynasty."

Xie Lingjie and Li Tai, the commanders of Shaanxi Province, were sent to lead an army of 200,000 to cooperate with Batu to attack the Tatars, and a letter was sent to stipulate who would occupy the area. At the same time, Anbei King Li Beihong and Mao Yuliang were sent to the rear to support and hold Batu's wife and children hostage to prevent Batu from rebelling.

When he saw the woman being held hostage, Li Beihong was stunned. It was Shen Shixi. He had never expected that the two would meet in this way.

She was as beautiful as before, but much healthier and stronger, a beautiful young woman, speaking fluent Mongolian and wearing the clothes of a Mongolian woman.

Her new name is Tuya, which means gentle girl. Li Beihong thinks this name really suits her.

"You" Li Beihong didn't know how to address the other person.

"Greetings, Your Highness. My name is Tuya, and I'm the wife of Khan Batu." Shen Shixi said neither humbly nor arrogantly, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad.

Before she came, she knew that the person stationed in Anbei Protectorate was Li Beihong, who had married and had children. She had long foreseen that they would meet in this way one day. She had repeatedly prepared herself mentally so that she could remain calm and not show any emotion when facing Li Beihong.

No matter how sad and reluctant they were, both of them had their own families and children, belonging to different camps, and everything could not be returned.

"How have you been these years?" Li Beihong couldn't help but ask.

Shen Shixi smiled and said, "Your Highness, I don't understand what you mean. I have always lived with my husband on the grassland and have never seen Your Highness. Did you mistake me for someone else?"

Li Beihong felt bitter in his heart. He understood Shen Shixi's choice and completely broke with the past. He restrained the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"I am truly sorry. I lost my temper. We were entrusted by your husband to protect you and your child."

"Thank you, King Anbei, for your instructions." Shen Shixi performed a Mongolian salute to Li Beihong.

Li Beihong looked at the eldest son held by Shen Shixi's hand, and saw the familiarity between his eyebrows. His heart was beating wildly, and he couldn't help asking, "Excuse me, Princess, how old is your eldest son?"

Before Shen Shixi could say anything, the little boy smiled and pointed up three fingers, "I'm three years old."

Li Beihong looked at Shen Shixi suddenly as if he was electrocuted. Shen Shixi just smiled faintly, praised the little boy gently in Mongolian, and then looked straight at Li Beihong.

"May I ask where King Anbei will place us? The two children are tired and need to rest."

"Mom, I'm not tired." The little boy looked up at Shen Shixi, his pair of peach blossom eyes were very beautiful.