ebookland Chapter 468: Adoption
Chapter 468: Adoption
Not long after Baoge returned from the Yangxin Palace, An Lingrong heard that the emperor had summoned Prince Yi Yinxiang, Prince Zhuang Yinlu, and the Zongzheng of the Ministry of Clan Affairs to discuss matters.
The lights in the Yangxin Palace remained bright until late at night, and the next day Su Peisheng personally stepped into the Yongshou Palace.
"Slave, please see the noble concubine."
An Lingrong extended her hand to give him some support and asked in a gentle voice.
"Eunuch Su, please get up. You came here so early in the morning, but what's the important matter?"
"Reporting to the Empress, today a clan member and his younger family members are entering the palace. The Emperor has specially ordered this servant to bring the Eighth Prince to the Yangxin Palace."
He paused, then added, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has also ordered the Shangshufang to take a holiday today, and the Sixth Prince will also be there."
An Lingrong's heart moved, and she asked casually, "What about the Seventh Prince?"
"Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince has been learning painting from the masters of the Imperial Observatory recently, so I'm afraid it would be inconvenient to disturb him."
Su Peisheng's implication was that the emperor didn't think of Hongxia at all.
"I see. I understand." An Lingrong nodded and smiled, requesting, "Hongyao is a lively boy. Please, Eunuch Su, take good care of him."
While the two were talking, Baoli went to the east side hall where Hongyao was studying to call for help.
Although Hongzhan has moved out of Yongshou Palace, the layout of the East Side Hall remains unchanged, and Hongyao and Zhaohua are still studying there.
After An Lingrong told Hongyao to follow his sixth brother, she asked Su Peisheng to take the person away.
The emperor brought the children of his clan members into the palace so quickly, probably because he wanted to personally examine those children and choose a suitable heir for the Prince's Mansion.
The reason why An Lingrong mentioned Hongxia was that some thoughts flashed through her mind at that time.
But then he remembered that he was registered under the name of Concubine Jing, so he put the idea aside for the time being.
After the emperor passed away, if the next successor was kind, he would allow the concubine who had children to live outside the palace with his son who had been granted the title.
Now that the emperor is still alive and Ye Lan'yi is in Prince Guo's mansion, it is really difficult to make arrangements for Concubine Jing.
She treated Hongxia like her own son and could not bear the pain of separation from him.
Let’s talk about Hongxia’s future later.
Hongyao stayed in the Yangxin Palace for most of the day before being sent back with pastries in his hand.
As soon as he entered the main hall, he leaned over to An Lingrong's ear and complained quietly.
"Mother, the Emperor didn't ask me to go out and play today. He was testing everyone's homework, and I...I was unfortunately picked..."
An Lingrong looked at Xiao Shunzi standing by the door with a face that looked like he was about to cry, and she understood how Hongyao was behaving.
She gently held her fat son in her arms to comfort him.
"Hongyao, you are still young. Once you enter the Shangshufang, you will no longer be afraid of the emperor's examination."
When An Lingrong mentioned this, Hongyao spoke again reluctantly.
"Mother, the Emperor said that my son will be born at the end of the year, so my seventh brother and I should go to the Shangshufang to study at the beginning of next year."
"Hongzhan, it's better to go to school at the beginning of the new year. Winter is hard, and your royal father can't bear to see you suffer."
An Lingrong knew that ever since the incident in the garden where the man fell into the water, Hongyao had always wanted to move to the prince's residence as soon as possible to learn martial arts from Xiao Wuzi.
So she squeezed her son's little hand and changed the subject.
"Mother, I saw you holding some cakes in your hand. Are they specially for your sister?"
"This is what I brought for my sister. I'll give it to her right away."
Hongyao specially picked the sweetest piece of dessert, and his palms were already stained with sugar.
An Lingrong's hand brushed casually across the pastry, and she smiled encouragingly.
"Zhaohua is embroidering with Nanny Suo in the back hall. Go and take a look."
"Embroidering for too long hurts your eyes. Take your sister and play with her for a while longer."
While An Lingrong was talking to Hongyao, she winked at Xiao Quanzi.
As soon as Hongyao ran out of the main hall, he knelt on the ground respectfully to pay his respects.
"Minion..."
He was interrupted by An Lingrong as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Xiao Quanzi, please stand up and answer. Tell me everything that happened in the Yangxin Palace today, no matter how big or small."
"Reporting to the Empress, when General Manager Su brought the Eighth Prince to the Yangxin Palace, the princes, dukes, and children of the same age from the Beile families had already arrived. The Emperor had not yet appeared, so the two young masters took them for a stroll around the area... I accidentally saw the Emperor standing there, looking through the peephole."
Xiao Quanzi tried hard to recall, fearing that he had missed something.
"The Emperor tested everyone's knowledge in the palace, even asking a few questions to the children who hadn't yet begun to learn."
"Later, Steward Su brought some snacks for the masters to enjoy..."
Xiao Quanzi stopped talking and looked at An Lingrong cautiously, as if observing whether the imperial concubine would be angry.
"If you have something to say, just say it directly. There's no need to hide it. I'm not an unreasonable person."
Xiao Quanzi breathed a sigh of relief silently, "Your Majesty, the Emperor saw that the Eighth Prince liked to eat cakes, so he asked General Manager Su to give his cakes to the Eighth Prince."
"At the time, a few ignorant children mocked the Eighth Prince for eating too much, and there was a quarrel between the two sides, and they almost got into a shoving match."
"My Lady, I failed to protect my Master. I beg you to punish me."
Xiao Quanzi knelt on the ground and apologized.
"Did the Emperor say anything?"
This is what An Lingrong cares about most.
Hongyao has always been carefree. Once her attention is diverted, he will put those little frictions behind him.
"Your Majesty, a clan member stood up to apologize, and the Emperor said it was just a fight between children and nothing to take seriously."
"That's good."
An Lingrong doubted the emperor's motive for calling Hongyao over.
Did he intend to use Hongyao to select the heir to Prince Guo's Mansion?
Otherwise, why would he give the pastries only to Hongyao in front of so many people?
"Did the Emperor specifically speak to any child later?"
"Your Majesty, the Emperor treats all the children in the palace equally. I haven't noticed anything unusual."
When An Lingrong got the news about the Yangxin Palace from Xiao Quanzi, the emperor had kept Hongzhan there.
"Hongzhan, you've been in the Shangshufang for some time. The Emperor is here to test you. Do you know why I brought the children of my clan into the palace today and asked you two brothers to accompany them?"
Hongzhan stood up and bowed.
"Your Majesty, I heard that Uncle Seventeen tragically passed away on his way back from his tour of Yunnan and Tibet. You have always loved him dearly. I venture to guess that you could not bear to see him without descendants to honor him. Today, we are selecting a suitable successor for Uncle Seventeen."
The emperor nodded with satisfaction. Hongzhan was indeed much smarter than the disappointing Hongshi.
"You're right. That's exactly what I mean. Your Seventeenth Uncle... can only be buried in the clothes he wore when he was alive. If there's no filial son to guide his soul, I'm afraid I don't know how much suffering he will endure."
The emperor beckoned to Hongzhan and said, "You have had contact with those children. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend for adoption?"
Hongzhan thought for a moment and replied.
"Replying to Your Majesty, I haven't had much contact with Uncle Seventeen, and it's hard for me to grasp his preferences. But I heard from Uncle Thirteen that Uncle Seventeen used to like following you the most..."