Chapter 2662
Being an Empress Isn't Easy 8
Shangqing: "Not proactive at all."
Oh, don't worry, I know what I'm doing.
It's still early; next month is the Empress Dowager's fifty-seventh birthday. The subject's father and brothers died three years later and were sent back to the capital to congratulate the Empress Dowager on her sixtieth birthday.
The issue now is not the border at the front, but whether the fence at the rear is secure.
We can't rely on the military merits of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to save people like in the previous storyline, which is how the Empress's position was temporarily preserved.
Oh, right, we need to bring up the second son of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. How come this guy was found to have committed so many crimes just a year after his father and brothers were murdered? In the end, he was stripped of his title, the entire Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was exiled, and his whole family died in the southern borderlands.
So Xining sent someone out of the palace with a plaque to invite the original owner's mother, the Duchess of Zhenguo, to come and have a talk.
Lady Lu, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, came from a prominent family. Although not as high-ranking as the Wang family, she was certainly comparable to a branch of the Wang family. The Duke of Zhenguo was a branch of the Wang family, but he held a title and had his own family genealogy, so they were considered a good match.
Therefore, as soon as Xining saw Madam Lu, he immediately judged her importance based on her demeanor and attire.
When Madam Lu saw the Empress, she was immediately startled. Without even bothering to curtsy, she rushed over and grabbed her arm, asking anxiously, "Why are you dressed so poorly? Is it because you don't have enough money, or is someone mistreating you?"
"Don't worry, Mother, it's enough." Xining quickly explained, "Not counting the Empress's monthly salary, His Majesty always gives me the best of everything. Whenever my father and brothers receive a reward or something good, they eagerly send it to me. Last time we hunted a bear, only His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and I ate the bear paws; no one else got any."
Madam Lu finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Then why are you dressed like that? You look worse than the servants in the county government office. This time I brought a set of gold-embroidered brocade clothes, afraid that you would become plump after giving birth, so I specially made them a bit bigger, but I didn't expect you to look even thinner. Could it be that the old woman taking care of the child was lazy and the servants didn't serve you well?"
Madam Lu's personal maid quickly brought out the gift box she had brought. Inside was a bright red dress with glittering gold accents, which almost blinded her 24K titanium alloy eyes.
Gold brocade is made of gold, which is drawn into fine threads and then woven into the fabric. Its extravagance places it among the top luxury items.
Yun brocade and kesi (silk tapestry) are more expensive, but they take too much time and effort. Madam Lu wanted the Empress's daughter to stand out at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet next month, so she rushed to make them.
In my imagination, the original protagonist wore this dress and stood out among the beautiful women... But wouldn't that ruin the virtuous empress persona I just established? *facepalm*
Then mobilize everyone around you to maintain the glorious image of the virtuous empress.
Xining tried hard not to look at the gorgeous clothes; the temptation was simply too great.
It is said that after the Silk Road reached Rome, the city, because of the silk's beauty and its sheer thinness, once issued a decree forbidding women from wearing it in public. Women immediately objected, refusing to wear it even at the cost of their lives, and in the end, the men had no choice but to comply.
This isn't ordinary silk or satin; it's brocade woven with gold threads. Even folded neatly, it looks like a plate of gold and red. If you wore it, with the light reflecting off it, it would make you look like you had a shimmering effect.
So I must stay calm and be a virtuous empress.
“Mother.” She immediately tried to establish a closer relationship: “In the past three years, natural disasters and man-made calamities have been constant, and the national treasury is empty…”
"Empty mind, yet you're holding a talent show?" Madam Lu interrupted her with that bright and cheerful voice.
Uh… yes, holding a talent show does cost money. “Well, I did agree to the talent show, but the main problem is there aren’t enough people in the palace…”
“Your father only has me, and I gave him two sons and one daughter. You’ve already given him three sons and two daughters. Is that too few?” Shui Ling interrupted again.
*Facepalm* My head hurts, I can't continue talking.
"Mother~" had no choice but to resort to shamelessness: "He is the emperor, he can't have only one woman, otherwise my family and I will be drowned in the spittle of the court."
"How dare you!" Madam Lu's almond-shaped eyes glared. "Although our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion is a branch of the Wang family, the Wang family never helps outsiders. With one civil official and one military officer, if our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion prospers, the Wang family will prosper even more. Daughter, you're foolish! How could you agree to the imperial concubine selection and then cling to it so stubbornly? It was that brat Liu Cheng who personally promised to treat you well back then..."
"Mother, Mother, my dear mother..." Xi Ning quickly raised her hand to signal her mother to shut up. She knew that the powerful clans were very influential, but the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was already being targeted for elimination. If it weren't for the power of the clans, the emperor would have directly started a nine-generation elimination game instead of just wiping out one family.
After looking around to make sure no one was around, she finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Things are different now. I've already had five daughters. Do you expect me to keep having more?"
Indeed, she had given birth to quite a few. Madam Lu hesitated for a moment: "If I take in more tonics, I can have one or two more, right? I saw that Wang family's eldest granddaughter-in-law, she gave birth to ten in one go, and her son is almost ready to get married, and she's pregnant again. If your father weren't away from home all year round, I could have had eight or ten children too."
Xining could only stare blankly; it was really difficult to continue the conversation.
Then they saw Madam Lu muttering to herself thoughtfully, "We've been married for sixteen years and only had five children. It's true that there are too many women around me."
It's truly both laughable and infuriating. She really is like that daughter-in-law of the Wang family, who gave birth to ten children in sixteen years. I wonder what kind of person the original owner of this body will become. Do they really think the original owner of this body is a pig?
"Let me be frank, I don't want to have any more children. Raising all five to adulthood is enough." He decided to be blunt: "I'm too old to have any more, and I can't stop other women from having children. Rather than falling out with His Majesty, I'd rather let nature take its course and have as many children as possible. Anyway, it's either the eldest son or the legitimate heir, so what's there to worry about?"
Madam Lu looked at her daughter, who was thirty-two years old. She was in the prime of her life, with a full figure like a ripe peach, juicy and fragrant. But she knew that she would only decline in the future and could not compare to those young girls in their prime.
After thinking about it carefully, he actually nodded: "What you said makes some sense. No man is honest. If I hadn't gone to see your father from time to time and given all the slave women in the military tents a potion to stop them from having children, the manor wouldn't be so clean."
Oh my goodness, is this something a daughter should hear...? Xining's molars are even starting to hurt.
"Let's not talk about that anymore. What has Second Brother been up to lately?" We need to ask him properly. He shouldn't be acting like a spoiled brat in the capital.
"What else can I do?" Madam Lu said dismissively, "Manage the accounts in the mansion, entertain guests, and occasionally go out for drinks and discussions with colleagues."
He's definitely living the life of a spoiled brat.
The eldest son is already stationed at the border, while the second son naturally stays at home.
Although this is still four years later, I still want to remind you: "I've heard that some people say that Second Brother bullies men and women, seizes farmland, and makes irresponsible remarks about the government. He often speaks wildly after drinking and is very dissatisfied with His Majesty."
It's not the right time to embezzle military funds. People are all in the government offices, where would they go to embezzle military funds?
Madam Lu's eyes widened immediately: "Is this really true? I'll go back and find out."
She quickly said, "Ask away, but don't take it seriously. If it is true, quietly resolve this mess. If not, be careful anyway. The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion now commands a large army; everyone sees it as a thorn in their side, and many are envious. Tell Second Brother to stay home less and stop drinking outside. If Second Sister-in-law can't control him, she should take a second concubine, or even two more maids. We should learn from His Majesty in this regard, to ensure the continuation of the Duke of Zhenguo's lineage." (End of Chapter)