Work overtime

Chapter 787

After returning home, the concubines ran to Concubine Lu's room, sat in a circle around the bed, complained about the dishes at the New Year's Eve family dinner, and recalled the past New Year's Eve dinners together.
Everyone was cracking the melon seed shells happily, no longer being as particular as they were when they were young, and the shells were thrown all over the floor.

Over the years, when we have nothing to do, we eat melon seeds and chat. Everyone is an expert at eating melon seeds. In half an hour, we can eat a mountain of melon seeds.

An Taifei has also developed a superpower that can fry melon seeds to make them extremely fragrant, and can also fry them into various strange flavors, such as star anise, pepper, milk, etc.
As the concubines chatted, they began to wipe away their tears unconsciously, and sighed that beauty fades easily and they felt sad to see the newlyweds.

Then there are too few queens who know how to use people and are willing to let go like the Queen Mother. Queens like to hold on to the power in their palaces and do everything themselves. A New Year's Eve banquet without Concubine Lu is not a New Year's Eve banquet. It is meaningless and the dishes are as if there is no salt.
Concubine Lu listened to everyone's talk with a smile, nodding her head from time to time. She wanted to cry but didn't. Yes, the Queen Mother is so good. She is the best. She always trusts me. And it seems that I have endless things to say to her. No matter what I say, she will understand me. I won't be seen as weird.

I secretly said in my heart, "Empress Dowager, happy Year of the Rabbit."

Everyone was a little sleepy after chatting, so they worked together to clean up the melon seed shells on the ground, said goodbye to Concubine Lu, and said they would see each other next year.

The room fell silent. Concubine Lu's tears finally flowed, silently.

Just when she was feeling lonely and miserable, Jiang Yuebai actually came to see her on a sedan chair and told her that he would stay up with her tonight, set off firecrackers after midnight, and then return to the Cining Palace.

Concubine Lu's tears stopped instantly, just like turning off a faucet. Jiang Yuebai couldn't help but admire her ability to control her emotions.

"How about a drink?" Jiang Yuebai suggested. She knew that Concubine Lu's illness was a mental illness.

It's like a person who is a big leader suddenly retires from his position. The tight string suddenly breaks, and without a busy daily life and exciting goals, it is easy to get a serious illness and age quickly.

People still need to do something they like and have some pursuits so that they won’t age easily.

Concubine Lu replied cheerfully, "Okay."

As they drank, Concubine Lu started to cry, saying that the person she admired most was the Empress Dowager, who was like the heroine in her storybooks, beautiful, skilled in martial arts, free and easy, and had a sense of justice. She said that as the eldest daughter in the family, she lived a very tiring life, much more tiring than the Empress Dowager.

From a young age, she was taught by the people around her to help take care of her younger siblings, to be sensible, humble, and to control her emotions, not to act like a spoiled child, be willful, or get angry, and to do everything her parents asked her to do perfectly, because she is the older sister, and because she is the eldest daughter.

No one cared whether she was happy or tired. It seemed that everything she did was what she should do. No one cared about her birthday, but she wanted to celebrate her birthday like her brothers and sisters. No one cared about her feelings, but she wanted to say that she didn't like garlic, but she had eaten garlic for many years.

She talked a lot. She also said that before she entered the palace, she liked Ye Zhuqing, the son of the Ye Xiang family. Who doesn't like a talented young man who is good-looking and talented? At this point, Concubine Lu showed her little girl's demeanor for the first time. It was also because of this reason that she knew more about the situation of the Ye Xiang family. But she didn't dare to say it before.

"My queen, I tell you, it's a good thing I didn't marry into the Ye family. If I had married into the Ye family, I would have had a mother-in-law like Madam Ye and a sister-in-law like Concubine Ye. The complicated relationships between the mother-in-law and aunt, and the legitimate and illegitimate brothers and sisters, I'm sure there would be heated house fights every day. How could it be as comfortable and harmonious as it is now? There wouldn't be a tense relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, and I wouldn't have to worry about whether I could give birth to a son or not. I could also write storybooks and wouldn't have to worry about anything."

"Looking back, I've had a pretty good life. If I hadn't taken care of my brothers and sisters since I was young, I wouldn't have been valued by the queen. I was able to earn a concubine's position and make friends. It's really good."

"It's good to see Liuliu getting married. I'm very satisfied. But she married too far away. Annan is so far away. The emperor is so cruel. He was willing to marry his own sister to Korea. But those who understand know that you can't be a good emperor if you are not cruel. In history, those who were not cruel had a bad end. Your Majesty, please don't blame the emperor for being cruel."

"In the next life, we won't meet in the palace. In the next life, I will go to Suzhou to find you. I heard that the gardens in Suzhou are very beautiful. I will decorate a study room and plant banana trees outside the study room. It will be very comfortable for me to read in the room while the rain hits the banana trees outside the window. I will plant a row of peach blossoms at the door, just like the Taorui Palace. When you see it, remember to come and have a drink with me."

"Thank you, Queen Mother, for coming to see me. I'm so happy." Concubine Lu smiled and cried, "Let's drink this glass of wine and refill it."

Jiang Yuebai was drunk that night. He drank a lot of wine with Concubine Lu, held her hand, and listened to her talk.

She was reluctant to leave, but had to go. Tomorrow morning she would have to meet all kinds of people in the Cining Palace to wish them a happy new year, say auspicious words, and give them red envelopes.
Concubine Lu took her hand and said under the influence of alcohol, "Empress Dowager, Happy Year of the Rabbit. May the new year be auspicious and prosperous. May you have more grandchildren."

After saying that, she still refused to let go, "I'll plant peach blossoms in front of my house. You plant some in front of your house too. Then we can find each other."

"Okay." Jiang Yuebai said with tears in her eyes. She had a bad feeling in her heart.

Concubine Lu wiped her tears and said, "Okay, okay. I won't say any more. I drank too much. See you next year."

Concubine Lu was so clear-headed that Jiang Yuebai felt that he was overthinking.

Jiang Yuebai was reluctant to leave, so he stayed to continue chatting. It seemed like he had endless things to talk about tonight.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, and it was almost dawn outside. Concubine Lu urged her, "I am guilty of talking to the Empress Dowager for so long. It's almost dawn."

Jiang Yuebai smiled and said, "Happy New Year. May the Year of the Rabbit bring good luck, good health, and everything goes well."

Concubine Lu was very panicked, "It should be me who wishes you a happy new year. How can you wish me a happy new year?"

After saying this, he struggled to get up and kowtowed to Jiang Yuebai to wish him a happy new year. Jiang Yuebai smiled and said, "What should I do if I don't have a red envelope? Can I give you a hairpin?"

"Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen Mother, for your gift." Concubine Lu happily took the red-gold filigree palace lantern hairpin that Jiang Yuebai had taken off her head.

Jiang Yuebai helped Concubine Lu to stand up and said with a smile, "You must take care of yourself."

After she returned, she drank a cup of health-preserving tea and took a nap. She was woken up in a daze and told that Concubine Lu had passed away in the morning. She closed her eyes quietly with a smile on her face, looking very peaceful.

Because the day of her death was so special, in order to avoid bad luck, she was dragged out of the palace early in the morning and buried in the concubine's tomb according to the regulations for the position of concubine.

On the first day of the fourteenth year of Taixing, Jiang Yuebai was groggy. She didn't hear what the people who came were saying at all, she just felt it was too noisy, and she just wanted to be alone.

In the first month of this year, the emperor arranged marriages for his younger brothers and sisters.

Jiang Yuebai's fourth daughter, the tenth princess, turned sixteen this year. The emperor married her to the Korean royal family as queen.

Princess Nian's twelfth eldest princess was also sixteen years old. The emperor married her to the Japanese royal family as a princess.

Both men traveled further than Mongolia.

The Eighth Prince, who was born to Huan Wanyi, was quite nice to him. He pointed out the granddaughter of Prime Minister Zhou to him. The Eighth Prince perfectly inherited his mother's talent in art and was quite talented in poetry, calligraphy and painting. It was rumored that Miss Zhou was very good at Go, calligraphy and painting, and was a talented woman. The two hit it off at first sight and were inseparable.

Marrying Xiao Shi to a Korean was such a big thing, but she didn't even discuss it with her as the queen mother.

She was angry! Very angry!
Perhaps Concubine Lu’s departure stimulated her, or perhaps she had lost too many loved ones.

She gave birth to eight children. The eldest princess was killed, the second princess died of childbirth complications, and the fourteenth prince died of illness.

Among the remaining five, the third one went to Jilong to settle down, the fourth one drifted on the sea and his life or death was unknown, the fifth one married to the grassland, and the second one became the emperor. Jiang Yuebai was old and didn't care about the distant places, but only wanted to care about the relatives nearby.

At the beginning, it was a peace deal based on the facts.

"North Korea and Japan are different from the Mongolians in the north. These two places can continue to use the existing policies. There is no need to marry Xiao Shi and Twelve to Japan. Especially Twelve, she won't be the queen if she marries there. It won't change anything at all."

“But it will be a start.”

"The Japanese are not what you think. Even if you send them over for marriage, they will invade as soon as they become stronger."

“A year of peace is a year won.”

Then they started quarreling and accusing each other.

"I gave birth to eight of you, and now I only have one, the Tenth Princess, left. You actually want to send your little sister to Korea. Do you have any heart? Why can't you send someone else?"

"Only the legitimate princess can be the queen."

"You bastard, that's your own sister!"

"So what?! Everyone is sacrificing, not just her."

He cannot make concessions unconditionally. There is no order without rules. National interests are his bottom line.

Jiang Yuebai pointed at his son's nose and scolded, "Do you have a heart, Li Chengji?"

Li Chengji said slowly, "I don't. I don't have any feelings for myself."

In the first month of the fourteenth year of Taixing, the mother and son had a big fight for the first time in their lives and parted on bad terms.

On this day, Jiang Yuebai locked himself in the study, feeling sad and crying like rain, and refused to see anyone.

This was the emperor she and Li Beichen had trained together. He was a good and rational emperor, but not a good son or brother.

Jiang Yuebai truly realized that her son had grown up and had to fly on his own. Her son was the emperor and the helmsman of the entire Ming Dynasty. She could no longer make decisions for her son.

Li Chengji also locked himself in the Yangxin Palace that day. His heart was also in pain, for his sisters, for himself, and for his mother.

Only at this moment did he realize what his father meant by "being alone and helpless".

Before his father died, he told him that a successful emperor was destined to be alone in the end, without self, family, friends, truth or falsehood, right or wrong.

Only benefits. Benefits to whom.

If you want to live up to this position and the world, you will inevitably let down the people around you and yourself.

Li Chengji gave up on himself. If his mother couldn't understand him, he accepted it.

But the original plan will definitely not be changed.

Jiang Yuebai actually understood that even if they had a big fight, the imperial decree had already been issued. As the queen mother, what could she do? Could she still threaten to die?
The tenth and twelfth princesses sensibly comforted their mother. It's okay. They don't blame their brother the emperor. As princesses, they are willing to devote themselves to the Ming Dynasty. This is their duty, just like the second and fifth princesses. They will take good care of themselves. The mother doesn't have to worry.

Jiang Yuebai hugged them both and smiled, tears were in his eyes but they did not fall.

The education at Huazhang Academy is really successful. The education of the mothers is really successful. They have educated every princess into a steel warrior. Jiang Yuebai thought to himself with self-mockery.

She felt the pain and worry every day, and realized the great harm her career-oriented mindset had brought to her family. She realized that her son was so rational and ruthless just because he was like her, and she felt even more depressed.

Jiang Yuebai felt sorry for her and Concubine Nian's two daughters, so she bought them a lot of winter clothes, various common medicines, such as male-birth powder, pregnancy-protecting pills, vitamins for pregnant women, and detoxification pills. Each of them was accompanied by two imperial doctors, eight palace maids, and eight eunuchs.

She told her two daughters many tips on how to maintain marital harmony, control men, and govern the country. She warned them that they should put their own safety first, and must learn to love themselves and take care of themselves, rather than constantly sacrificing and compromising, which would not earn them respect.

May 20th was a good day chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory for traveling. The two princesses set out on the sea route to Korea and Japan, escorted by elite soldiers.

Jiang Yuebai and Concubine Hua stood side by side on the city wall, watching the wedding procession walk out of their sight, tears falling like beads with broken strings.

She would probably never see her two daughters again in this life. From now on, the only things she had left to keep her company were the images she had recorded in the past few months.

After returning, Jiang Yuebai fell seriously ill. It took him several months to recover, and he looked much older all of a sudden. Concubine Hua, the adoptive mother of the twelfth princess, was not much better, and she also fell ill after returning.

When her son Li Chengji came to visit her, he saw how haggard and heartbroken his mother looked. He knelt before her bed with a look of guilt and worry.

"Mother, I'm sorry. It's my son who made you sad."

Jiang Yuebai also burst into tears and choked up, "Mother understands your painstaking efforts and your suffering."

"Mother..." Li Chengji couldn't help sobbing, but he restrained himself and held it back.

"Alas. I just can't bear to do it."

Without saying another word, Jiang Yuebai held her son's hand tightly. The mother and son understood each other from the look in their eyes, and the two of them reconciled.

In August, Queen gave birth to her second son, who was named Li Hongyuan.

In addition, Hailan of the Wulingha tribe gave birth to the fourth princess, Li Zhijin, in June and was promoted to Lan Guipin. Xi Guipin gave birth to the fifth prince in November and was given the name Li Hongming and promoted to Xi Wanyi.

In November of that year, Meng Xin, Duke of Anguo, died in office at the age of seventy. He was promoted to the rank of Ronglu Dafu and Zuozhuguo, and posthumously awarded the title of "Taifu". His title was inherited by his descendants, and he was allowed to be worshipped in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. His posthumous title was "Zhongwu". Li Chengji stopped attending court and ate vegetarian food for three days to express his condolences.

The army was sent to transport his body back to the capital from the northeast, and he was buried with great honor in the tombs of loyal ministers.

His eldest son Meng Qing inherited the title of Duke of Anguo and was appointed as the deputy governor of Penghu Protectorate. His second son Meng Fan, born to his successor wife, was given the title of Earl of Anding, food and salary, and a mansion, and moved back to the capital with his mother. His concubine daughter Meng Jing was married to the son of the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple, and married with great splendor.