amaotonovel Chapter 265 Meeting
Chapter 265 Meeting
Lan Qingwu finally saw his mother again after a few years.
Mrs. Lan was naturally very happy, but there was always some worry in her happiness. Lan Qingwu just thought that Mrs. Lan was worried about his own situation.
Madam Lan was naturally worried about Lan Qingwu's situation. After the mother and daughter exchanged pleasantries for a moment, Madam Lan sighed, "Your Majesty, I never thought you would become the Queen. But, Your Majesty, the Queen's position is indeed noble, and the responsibilities are also heavy. Your Majesty is now pregnant with the Emperor's child, and has been favored by the Emperor for many years. A tall tree attracts the wind, and your mother is really afraid!"
Lan Qingwu also restrained the smile on her lips: "Mother, don't think too much. I know what's going on. Besides, in this harem, do you think anyone will appreciate it if I give in? Besides, His Majesty is not someone I can control. Mother, when you go back, please advise father not to interfere in His Majesty's harem affairs!"
Madam Lan shuddered. "Your Majesty, you've guessed correctly. Your cousin Lan Qingtong from the Second House has been instigating your Second Uncle, saying that the Empress has been favored for too long and isn't a role model for women. She's asking your father to persuade Her Majesty to be magnanimous, to consider the royal heir, and not to be... narrow-minded. Your father has heard this so often that he's become concerned, though he couldn't bring himself to mention it in a letter. Father and Mother never intended to interfere with you and His Majesty, but we were simply worried, so we asked Mother to mention it. Now that you understand, Mother is relieved."
Lan Qingwu smiled slightly. Reassured? Mother and father wouldn't really be relieved, but now that she was the queen, even her parents had to follow the rules and pay their respects when they saw her, let alone discipline her.
Madam Lan added, "Your cousin Lan Qingtong also came to the Imperial City this time, and she brought her two younger sisters from her husband's family with her."
There was a hint of sarcasm in Mrs. Lan's tone. Lan Qingwu frowned slightly. This Lan Qingtong was just like when he was a child, always causing trouble for him.
Lan Qingwu said calmly, "That's fine. She has to bring him before His Majesty. Mother, how is Grandfather? I've been getting worse over the past few months. I haven't seen Grandfather for a long time. I can only give him some more medicinal herbs."
Madam Lan replied, "Your grandfather is in good health, Your Majesty, don't worry! Your health is the most important thing right now. Only when you are well can your grandfather and the Lan family be well."
Lan Qingwu's eyes flickered as she nodded gently, "Mother, His Majesty has granted his daughter special permission to hold a small banquet in a few days. All the female members of the Lan family can come to the palace. Please inform them when you return!"
Madam Lan nodded in agreement, then hesitated, "Your Majesty, on the 22nd of this month, it will be your Thousand Autumn Festival, and on the 28th, it will be His Majesty's Longevity Festival. Wouldn't it be too conspicuous to hold a Xiaoyan banquet at this time?"
Lan Qingwu soothed her, "Mother, the Millennium Festival and the Longevity Festival are both for the world to see. Xiaoyan in a few days will be the time for our family to truly reunite. This is also the grace of His Majesty. Mother, there is no need to be too cautious or worried."
Only then did Madam Lan nod again. She looked at Lan Qingwu's slightly emerging figure and said, "Your Majesty, this is your third child. Are you feeling any discomfort? It would be even better if it was another little prince."
Lan Qingwu smiled and said, "Your Majesty and your daughter hope that this is a little princess. After all, we already have two princes."
Mrs. Lan nodded and asked a few more questions about Lan Qingwu's physical condition. Lan Qingwu understood that his mother hoped that he would give birth to another prince to consolidate his position. His mother was really worried about his situation and only hoped that he could give birth to another prince to shut up the former dynasty, the harem and even the people of the world.
Lan Qingwu sighed softly in her heart. How pitiful are the hearts of parents in the world! She finally understood the meaning of this sentence thoroughly.
At noon, Lan Qingwu invited Madam Lan to have lunch. Madam Lan looked at the table full of rare dishes and looked up at Lan Qingwu. This was a bit too extravagant. Lan Qingwu explained with a little helplessness: "Mother, although I am the queen, I am not usually like this. It is really after I became pregnant that I have become particularly picky about food. His Majesty specially asked the imperial kitchen to prepare some extra dishes."
Madam Lan looked at the table full of delicious food and said, "This is the grace of His Majesty."
In her heart, she thought, His Majesty is showing too much favor to the Empress. Even if it's for the sake of the unborn prince, it's too much. Even the emperor's own meals are no more than this!
Although there were many dishes, Lan Qingwu did not eat much. She was picky about food and ate small amounts because if she ate something wrong, the baby in her belly would rebel. However, the remaining dishes were not wasted. Lan Qingwu skillfully rewarded the untouched dishes to the palace servants of Fengqi Palace.
Mrs. Lan looked at the overjoyed palace maids and nodded slightly. The Empress's meals were naturally not of the same standard as those of the palace maids and eunuchs, so the palace maids and eunuchs serving in Fengqi Palace were naturally happy.
After lunch, Ru Ping brought out another glass cup. Lan Qingwu drank the Jiuzhi flower dew in small sips. Mrs. Lan held the cup in her hand and suddenly remembered a rumor that the current emperor loved the empress so much that he specially sent a team of guards into Qiling Mountain to collect Jiuzhi flower dew for the empress to drink every day.
Madam Lan had always believed that rumors were just rumors. No matter how much His Majesty favored his daughter, it wouldn't be like this...right? But now, looking at the glass cup in Lan Qingwu's hand, Madam Lan's heart wavered. She wanted to ask something, but she didn't.
Madam Lan stayed a while longer before leaving the palace. Lan Qingwu instructed Ruping and Ruhan to prepare a small banquet in a few days. When Lan Qingwu woke up from his nap, Li Xiang personally arrived to deliver the Emperor Shenwu's message: "Empress, Your Majesty is about to wake up from his nap and has a headache. I would like to drink some tea that Your Majesty has personally brewed."
Lan Qingwu widened her eyes slightly: "Your Majesty, do you have a headache again? I will go to Qianzheng Palace now."
Li Xiang personally escorted Lan Qingwu's phoenix sedan chair to the Qianzheng Palace.
After Lan Qingwu arrived at the main hall, she saw Emperor Shenwu reading a memorial. She said with a hint of concern, "Your Majesty, aren't you still having a headache? Why are you still reading a memorial?"
After saying that, Lan Qingwu personally brewed the fragrant tea. The Emperor Shenwu took a few sips and then pulled Lan Qingwu over: "Sit down!"
Lan Qingwu was about to speak when Xiao Fuzi suddenly bowed and walked into the hall: "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Wujing and his son are waiting outside the hall for your summons."
Lan Qingwu was startled. She looked at the Shenwu Emperor, who remained calm and said, "Spread the word!"
Lan Qingwu understood instantly that the headache was fake, and the drinking of tea was also fake. The real thing was that Emperor Shenwu wanted him to take this opportunity to see his father and brother whom he had not seen for several years!
It was a normal job report for Marquis of Wujing Lan Youchen to meet the emperor with his eldest son Lan Yingrong. He had prepared everything and had thought about how he would respond when the emperor asked. However, after paying his respects to the emperor and looking up, he saw Lan Qingwu also sitting in the upper seat, side by side with Emperor Shenwu, and he almost got stuck.
Fortunately, his reflexes were still quite good after years of continuous training. He pulled over his eldest son, who was staring at Lan Qingwu, and knelt down again to pay his respects. "Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Empress. May you live a thousand years! I didn't realize you were here. Please forgive me for my disrespect."
Emperor Shenwu called out again, "Stand up! The Empress is only making tea for me. It won't delay your reports, my dear ministers. Please report back normally!"
Lan Youchen quickly responded, took a deep breath, and began to report to Emperor Shenwu.