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Chapter 732 Great Trouble (I)

Empress Dowager Zheng was recovering from illness, Concubine Fan was under house arrest, and Empress Dowager Li took care of the trivial matters in the palace. The entire harem soon became peaceful and harmonious.

Jiang Shaohua can also rest assured during her confinement period.

She was young and healthy, with a very good physical foundation. After just six or seven days, she was able to get out of bed and walk around. However, both Dr. Sun and his daughter did not agree, so Jiang Shaohua walked around the bedroom and continued to recuperate in bed.

In a blink of an eye, it was the Lantern Festival and Jiang Shaohua’s seventeenth birthday.

Emperor Taihe had been buried for only half a year, so it was not appropriate to decorate the palace. Besides, there was going to be a war in Yuzhou, and there would be many places to spend money in the future, so it was better to save money in the palace. Jiang Shaohua's birthday was very simple, with only a small banquet for Empress Dowager Li and several concubines. Jiang Shaohua was still in confinement and did not show up, so Changning Earl Cui Du attended on behalf of the emperor.

The youngest of the concubines was only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. Cui Du, the emperor's husband, had to avoid suspicion, so he sat at the banquet for a while and then left.

"Why did you come back so soon?" Jiang Shaohua asked with a surprised smile.

Cui Du laughed softly and said, "There were only women at the palace banquet, and I was the only man sitting there. It felt awkward. The concubines were also restrained and it was inconvenient for them to talk, so I simply left alone. When I left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief."

Jiang Shaohua laughed dumbly.

Cui Du said excitedly: "I'll bring Baoer here to celebrate your birthday with you." He turned and left the dormitory, and quickly brought Baoer in.

During the confinement period, Jiang Shaohua was not allowed to leave the bedroom for a breeze, so she had her meals every day at the small table next to the bed. The table was not big, and the couple sat together intimately, their heads leaning against each other, teasing Baoer together.

In just a few days, most of the hair on Baoer's face had faded away, and his facial features had grown a little, looking very delicate. His pair of black eyes were particularly bright.

Blood is thicker than water; the more you look at your own children, the more you love them.

Jiang Shaohua reached out and held her daughter's hand, smiling softly, "Bao'er only cries when she's hungry. Once she's full, she's very well behaved and falls asleep as soon as she closes her eyes. Both nurses praised Bao'er for being easy to take care of."

Cui Du said proudly, "Of course. Don't you see whose daughter she is? A child born to the Empress of the Liang Dynasty is naturally the best in the world."

Jiang Shaohua was amused: "It's okay to say this in private, but don't say it outside. What if the child is mediocre or stupid, he will be laughed at."

"Our daughter looks smart, how could she be mediocre and stupid." Cui Du vowed: "She will be like you in the future, beautiful, intelligent, witty and decisive, unparalleled in the world."

Jiang Shaohua's eyes were full of tenderness, and he said softly, "It's good to be like you, simple, honest, kind, upright, generous and open-minded."

Cui Du blushed at the compliment: "I'm not as good as you say."

Jiang Shaohua's eyes sparkled with a smile: "It's that good. Better than what I said."

Cui Du was so confused by this bowl of soup that he couldn't stop grinning. Suddenly he cried out, "Bao'er must have peed."

When he picked the baby up, he saw that the baby's swaddling clothes were dripping with water, and Cui Du's clothes were also wet.

Cui Du hurriedly carried Bao'er out, and the wet nurses Wu and Pang took over, changing Princess Bao'er's clothes and diapers, wrapping her in the quilt again, and then feeding her and coaxing her to sleep.

Cui Du also changed into clean clothes and ate a bowl of longevity noodles with Jiang Shaohua.

Jiang Shaohua was in confinement and should not waste her energy. All government affairs were piled on Chen Changshi's desk. Wang Zhongshu Ling took the initiative to take on the responsibility of assisting Chen Changshi. The two also reviewed the memorials on his behalf.

However, there were always some very important memorials that Chen Changshi and Wang Jin could not make up their minds about, and they had to report to the emperor. On the 20th day of the first lunar month, Chen Changshi came to report with a solemn face: "Your Majesty, the Yuzhou army has occupied another county. Moreover, they have been recruiting new soldiers and even forcibly conscripting young men into the barracks. Now there are about 20,000 soldiers."

Jiang Shaohua was sitting on the bed without makeup, with her long hair loose, and wearing a soft and comfortable plain cotton jacket. Even if his eyebrows were cold and stern, this look greatly diluted the majesty of the emperor.

Fortunately, only Chen Changshi could enter the dormitory. Wang Jin was also very tactful, always waiting a few meters outside the dormitory, never sticking his head out to look around, and never taking any steps to get too close.

"Zheng Chen wants to occupy the nine counties of Yuzhou before the imperial army arrives in Yuzhou." Jiang Shaohua said calmly: "The news received by the imperial court is half a month late. At this speed, the number of Yuzhou troops will only increase."

"Although they are all new soldiers, too many of them will eventually cause trouble." Chen Changshi frowned and sighed, "I hope General Zuo can quickly quell the rebellion in Yuzhou."

If the siege fails for a long time and a stalemate is formed, not only will the court suffer a waste of money and manpower, but it will also cause extremely bad and far-reaching consequences.

The other garrisons would inevitably become uneasy. If a few bolder ones rose up in rebellion, the Daliang Dynasty would fall into civil strife.

Don’t forget that there is a powerful enemy, the Rouran, outside the Great Wall, eyeing you covetously!

It can be said that the Yuzhou Army is currently a major threat to the imperial court!

Jiang Shaohua had nothing to hide in front of Chen Changshi, so he frowned and whispered, "Zheng Chen is indeed a man who cannot be underestimated. Yuzhou is the retreat he prepared for himself. With his ability, he will definitely be able to fight the imperial army for a while."

This familiar tone, if you don't know, you might think that the entanglement between the emperor and Zheng Chen is very deep!

Chen Changshi looked at Jiang Shaohua calmly.

Jiang Shaohua's mind flashed through Zheng Chen's cruel methods in his previous life. To be fair, she was quite confident in General Zuo's ability to fight. However, Zheng Chen could not be judged by common sense. Who knows, he might make some trouble.

If possible, she would like to lead the troops herself to pacify Yuzhou and kill Zheng Chen.

Unfortunately, this was destined to be impossible. Not to mention that she had just given birth and needed to recuperate after giving birth. Even after the confinement period, she, the emperor of Daliang who had just ascended the throne and had not yet sat firmly on the dragon throne, could not leave the palace or the capital.

So, she asked Song Yuan to go and kill Zheng Chen on her behalf.

I don’t know whether Song Yuan and his men have arrived in Yuzhou yet, and whether they have encountered and fought with the rebel army.

Chen Changshi's voice rang in his ears: "I will take my leave first and go to handle government affairs. Your Majesty, please take a good rest. It is most important to take good care of your health."

Jiang Shaohua smiled and responded, "Thank you for your hard work, Chen Changshi. Hold on for another half a month."

……

Yuzhou.

The forced laborers, whipped by whips, laboriously carried stones, moving little by little towards the city wall. One of them suddenly lost his balance, stumbled and fell, and was hit by a stone. He screamed miserably, spitting blood from his mouth, and died instantly.

Such a tragic situation did not attract much attention.

The people who were moving the stones continued to move forward mechanically and numbly.