My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 423: Queen Cao's Wrist
Compared to the Xuanshi Hall, Liu Rong's smile was harder to suppress than a machine gun, but he had to pretend to be calm even when facing a collapse of Mount Tai.

At this moment in the Pepper Palace, Empress Cao was feeling mixed emotions.

Looking at Ma, who was kneeling cautiously not far in front of her, raising her hand again and again to touch her belly, but always hesitating and withdrawing her hands, Empress Cao wanted to speak, but in the end, she only let out a long sigh.

"Since you are pregnant, don't kneel anymore."

"Come and sit."

He forced a smile, beckoned Ma to come forward, and then reached out his hand to pull Ma to sit down;
When Ma fell on the step with half of her buttocks, her face pale, like a frightened kitten, Empress Cao could not help but let out another long sigh.

——At this moment, Queen Cao really wanted to tell herself: It’s nothing;

He is just a concubine's eldest son/concubine's eldest princess;

It's really nothing.

What's more, this situation was caused by me - this was my intention in the first place.

It's really nothing...

In the past, Empress Cao had been doing this to prepare herself mentally for countless days and nights.

Empress Cao told herself: It doesn’t matter if His Majesty doesn’t touch me;

I am not the late emperor’s Empress Bo.

There will be children.

Sooner or later it will happen.

As for sending Ma to the imperial bed of the current Emperor Liu Rong, Empress Cao repeatedly told herself: This is the Empress's responsibility.

This is the mission that the mistress of the family, the emperor's wife, and the empress of the current dynasty must shoulder.

But when Ma, pregnant, knelt in front of her and said in panic, "I will leave it to the Queen to decide," Queen Cao still felt a tightness in her chest and shortness of breath.

Queen Cao knew what was wrong with her.

——This is the responsibility given to the queen by this era, and it is in conflict with the innate instinct of women.

Responsibility told Queen Cao: This is what I should do.

But instinct told Queen Cao that she was obviously the wife;

Obviously, she was the Empress who was married to him through formal marriage...

"I have been in the Marquis' Mansion for many years, but I rarely ask about your past?"

Unable to control her mood for a moment, Empress Cao instinctively started talking about family matters.

It can be regarded as a diversion of attention, and also as an opportunity to get to know this future 'Maggie' more deeply.

Just as Empress Cao said at this moment: Over the years, Empress Cao had never had a deep understanding of this personal maid who had been inseparable from her for more than ten years.

Apart from the name "Ma Chun", Empress Cao knew almost nothing else about Ma.

In fact, it was not until this moment, when Ma sat down beside her in fear, that Empress Cao looked at Ma so closely and clearly for the first time.

——Full forehead, small mouth and nose;

The eyes are not the long and narrow ones favored by the aesthetic of this era, but are more oval, which appears more kind.

Add to that a pair of thick eyebrows - they are not particularly beautiful, but they always make people feel a sense of peace when they look at them.

Very pleasing to the eye.

Ma is very "pleasing to the eye".

Empress Cao vaguely remembered that when she was still a child, she chose Ma as her personal maid because she liked her.

But at this moment, no matter how pleasing Ma was, Empress Cao still couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in her heart that she couldn't explain...

"Reply to the master's words;"

"I was born in the Marquis's Mansion, and my mother was also a concubine in the Marquis's Mansion."

"It is said that my mother entertained many distinguished guests that year. I do not know who my biological father is, and I dare not make any false claims to him."

...

"When my mother was about to give birth, she caught a cold, and there were several young sons in the mansion."

"Fearing that my mother might infect the young masters with a cold, the old lady placed my mother in the side yard."

"It was a very cold winter, so my mother had no choice but to live in the stable in the side yard to save some charcoal."

"I was born in a stable, and I don't know my father's surname, so my mother decided to marry me to Ma.

"And born in the early spring, then..."

After telling her story in a proper manner, Ma's original nervousness eased a little.

After all, this baby was not something that Ma got pregnant with suddenly today.

As early as when she was chosen by Empress Cao and personally presented to the current Emperor Liu Rong, Ma had already inquired about her in the palace.

——There are precedents for this kind of thing;
And it was not too long ago, it happened during the reign of the previous emperor, only a dozen years ago.

According to the information that Ma had learned, Mrs. Tang did not suffer any misfortune because of being pregnant with a dragon seed.

Now, Mrs. Tang was even taken to Changsha by her son and became the queen mother of a country.

Ma didn't dare to hope for these.

Ma only knew that this matter would not bring any disaster to her.

Of course, the prerequisite is that Ma knows when to advance and when to retreat, and can clearly position himself, instead of yearning for some beautiful things that do not belong to him and that he does not deserve.

Ma was also a woman, so of course she could understand that Empress Cao must be feeling bad at this moment.

But after so many years in the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion and by Empress Cao's side, Ma has developed her own set of survival philosophy.

For example, at this moment, Empress Cao just mentioned casually, "I don't know much about your past." Ma immediately understood: Empress Cao is trying to find out her background.

Since we are trying to get to the bottom of things, the more detailed and complete the better.

So, without thinking, Ma started talking from the beginning of her birth.

However, Empress Cao was able to extract a lot of key information from Ma's brief remarks.

——No father, mother was originally a maid in the mansion of Pingyang Marquis;

If we calculate the time and Ma's age, it is not difficult to infer that her mother entered the marquis's mansion during the reign of Emperor Taizong.

At that time, the Pingyang Marquis family had long lost its former prosperity;

The first marquis, Cao Shen, died as early as the reign of Emperor Xiaohui.

Cao Qiu, the second marquis, was named "quasi-Lü party" by the court and the people inside and outside the court because he was appointed as the second prime minister and the imperial censor by Empress Dowager Lü during the period when Empress Dowager Lü was in power.

After the fall of the Lü clan and Emperor Taizong's accession to the throne, although the Pingyang Marquis Cao family was not directly exterminated, they were eventually dismissed from their official positions and driven back to their fiefdom.

Coupled with the political stain of the "Zhun-Lü Party", local counties became somewhat unscrupulous, and the life of Pingyang Marquis' Mansion was not easy in those years.

And during that sensitive period when "everyone in the Marquis' Mansion was having a hard time" and they had to keep a low profile, it was almost impossible that the slaves and maids who were able to enter the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion were simply bought with money.

——Or, an old friend or subordinate of the Pingyang Marquis family was destroyed, and the orphan left behind was taken in by the Pingyang Marquis Mansion;

Or it could be a gift from the Empress Dowager or the Emperor, or a present from a friend.

Considering the situation of Pingyang Marquis' Mansion at that time, the latter can basically be ruled out.

In other words, Ma's mother was most likely the daughter of an old friend who had followed Cao Shen, the first Marquis of Pingyang, but failed to make much of a name for herself.

The family encountered a major change, so that they could no longer survive as 'civilians';

Therefore, in order to take care of the old people, the Pingyang Marquis family took Ma's mother in.

Of course;
After all, he was once a subordinate, not a friend.

Even if he was taken in and taken care of, it was impossible for him to stay in the mansion and eat and drink for free.

An opportunity to be a slave in the Marquis's mansion was a great gift to Ma's mother at that time. From this perspective, Ma's background was relatively clean, regardless of whether she was loyal to the Pingyang Marquis family or not - at least the bond was very deep.

Also, from what Ma had just said, Empress Cao felt more and more that Ma was really a woman who was very sensible and good at speaking.

What? That year, Ma's mother entertained too many guests and couldn't figure out who Ma's biological father was?
——According to the time, Cao Qiu, the second Marquis of Pingyang, lost his official position because he was classified as a member of the "Zhun Lu Party" and was depressed and acted recklessly all day long;
The greater probability is probably the classic saying of later generations: There were too many people at that time, and I really can’t remember clearly…

As for not daring to attach oneself to others rashly, that is true.

But if we can confirm who it is, we can send someone to inform the distinguished guest: It is not actually a taboo that you have a daughter born by a slave in the Mansion of Marquis Pingyang.

At worst, at least the child can be given the biological father's surname.

Take the current Zhonglang Wei Qing for example, his mother was also a concubine in a marquis’s mansion—and she happened to be a concubine in the Marquis of Pingyang’s mansion!

In his early years, Wei Qing even stayed in his biological father's home for a few years.

Although I was not welcomed, at least I went to my biological father's house and stayed there for a few years.

So, Ma's words translate to: At that time, my mother entertained too many guests at once/had been entertaining guests for many consecutive days, so it was impossible to tell which one was my father;

Because I can't say for sure, I don't dare to point fingers at people.

Read further - she caught a cold when giving birth, and for fear of infecting the young master, she was 'placed' in the side yard?
In order to save charcoal, she moved into the stable in the side yard, and gave birth to Ma in the stable, so she was named "Ma"?

I can only say that this is the art of language.

According to Empress Cao's understanding of the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion, the real situation was probably far from as good as Ma said.

—I have caught a cold and am afraid of infecting others, which can be almost directly translated as: I dislike Ma’s mother and the Ma child she is carrying in her belly, and I think it is unlucky for a slave to give birth in the mansion;
Therefore, the mother horse was locked in the only stable in the Pingyang Marquis Mansion in the side yard and left to fend for herself.

As for going to the stable to save charcoal and keep warm with the horses, it is even more ridiculous.

Where did this servant get the charcoal?
It would be nice to have horses to keep each other warm...

"It's hard for you too."

"Born in a stable, I took the name Ma..."

"——From now on, you should change your surname to Cao."

"Call Cao Chun."

When Empress Cao said this, Ma, who was originally organizing her words and preparing to continue telling her life story from the time when Pangu created the world, was stunned.

A moment later, Ma's face was filled with ecstasy again. She immediately slid off the couch, knelt down in great excitement, and kowtowed repeatedly to Empress Cao.

"The maidservant thanks the queen! The maidservant thanks the queen!!!"

"The Queen is so kind and gracious. I will serve you like a slave for the rest of my life..."

As she spoke, Ma began to sob.

Oh, yes;
Now, it should be called Cao.

Everyone knows that the greatest favor a master can show to his slaves is to give them a name.

Because the given name meant that the slave was recognized by the master and was confirmed as the master's private property.

For example, Cao Chun, who had just changed her name, was originally a maid in the Pingyang Marquis family, and before that a dowry maid in the Pepper Palace. It was only after being given a name by Empress Cao that she became Empress Cao's exclusive slave.

It is somewhat similar to the fantasy world, where people and their mounts or spirit beasts test their kinship through blood.

In addition to bestowing a name, there is another kind of favor that is even more valuable than bestowing a name.

This is the bestowed surname and clan name.

To be precise, slaves were allowed to take their master's surname.

For example, in today’s Han Dynasty, the greatest gift to foreign officials is to grant them the surname of the emperor.

The same principle applies to nobles - the greatest favor they can give to slaves is to grant them the family name.

Because they were given their family surname, slaves were no longer slaves, but family members with the same surname.

The "family" that the later Internet celebrities talk about without any basis can still make thousands of poor people feel close to them;

Not to mention how much value the solemn and formal word "family" has to the originally humble and lowly slaves.

——Cao Chun cried because he was happy.

From now on, Cao Chun will no longer be 'Maid Ma in the Mansion of Marquis Pingyang' or 'Maid Ma who comes as a dowry in the Pepper Palace'.

Regardless of whether she can give birth successfully and become the mother of a prince/princess, Cao Chun will be officially called: the daughter of Pingyang Marquis, the good man/beauty/Madam Cao.

But for Queen Cao, this favor was just a piece of cake.

"Since they are Gai Cao, they are our sisters."

"Even though he is older than me, we have been master and servant for so many years after all."

"——Just call me sister."

"I won't wrong you."

Empress Cao spoke gently, and Cao Chun kowtowed like crazy.

But he didn't dare to say it, not only did he not call Empress Cao "sister", he also stopped calling her Empress as he had done in the past.
Instead, he changed back to the name he used to address Empress Cao before entering the palace: Xijun.

In the past, servants in Pingyang Marquis's Mansion could only call Empress Cao "Shaojun". Only Cao Chun, a personal maid, was allowed to call Empress Cao "Xijun".

Now, Cao Chun called her "Xiaojun" again, which finally eliminated the last bit of unhappiness and confusion in Empress Cao's heart.

"Earlier, I had asked His Majesty for a reward on your behalf."

"According to the custom of Queen Mother Tang of Changsha, she will probably be given a title of nobility."

"——The imperial physician also felt the pulse;"

"It's your son."

"Since he is the eldest prince, when he is born, he will be able to be promoted to the rank of a beauty..."

As Empress Cao told the story, Cao Chun knelt down and kowtowed obediently, expressing his gratitude again and again.

It was not until Empress Cao personally reached out her hand and helped Cao Chun up from the ground that her face turned slightly cold and she looked at the eunuch not far away from her.

"Go to Changle in person and tell the imperial physician that the child Cao is pregnant with is your majesty's eldest son."

"If the doctor's medicine is inappropriate or his medical skills are not good enough, then the doctor should go to the Gao Temple to apologize to Emperor Taizu."

...

"Another order to the palace: Whenever Cao goes out, all palace servants should carefully avoid her and not bump into her."

"——From the eunuchs down, all are like this."

"Anyone who disobeys the order will be beaten to death on the spot!"

...

"Also keep an eye on meals and daily life."

"Don't let anything go wrong."

After explaining all this, Empress Cao finally stood up slowly.

He turned his head and glanced at Cao who had hurriedly stood up with him.

Seeing that Cao was still carefully supporting her arm as she did in the past, Empress Cao smiled gently and patted the back of Cao Chun's hand which was on her arm.

"Everything else is mine."

"Just rest assured and take care of your baby, and try your best to give birth to the emperor's eldest son."

"——If you don't want to live in the Pepper Room in the future, you can move to the Phoenix Palace;"

"If you are willing to stay, please take me with you for a while and teach me how to raise a child..."

(End of this chapter)