Rebirth of the High Gate Mistress

Chapter 454: Overlooking thousands of families and looking up at the stars

 The Spring Festival is here in a blink of an eye.

In previous years, around the Spring Festival, the palace was most lively. Often just after the twelfth lunar month, there would be constant banquets in the palace every day. Either Emperor Ming would banquet his ministers, or the queen would banquet his wife, and noble concubines would entertain each other. During the banquet, the palace was filled with music and music day and night.

 Compared with previous years, this year’s Spring Festival seems to be particularly deserted.

The new king, Emperor Jing, only invited a few important ministers into the palace, saying they were attending a banquet. Not only were there no songs and dances to entertain them, but they also talked about political affairs during the banquet.

The empress did not summon any concubine, and only gave some rewards to the wives of several meritorious officials. The rewards were nothing more than mediocre, not as valuable as in the previous dynasty.

Therefore, although some people criticized the empress's stinginess, no one dared to complain, because the empress also practiced frugality.

The new emperor's huge harem only had the queen, and no concubines. The number of palace servants serving the queen was only half of the previous dynasty's regulations.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Li Ling was still handling political affairs in the Qinzheng Hall. It was not until the middle of the afternoon that he returned to the Jiaofang Hall and took his wife and children to the palace of the Supreme Emperor Ming. The family celebrated the festival.

Over the years, Emperor Ming was used to having fun. Not only could he not listen to ditties or enjoy singing and dancing on weekdays, but even the New Year was so deserted. The old man was really uncomfortable with it. He waited and looked forward to the left side of the palace, and finally waited until Li Lingjingshu came with The children came over, and Emperor Ming finally showed a smile on his sad face.

Li Ling took his wife and children to pay tribute to Emperor Ming.

Emperor Ming personally helped Li Ling stand up, and then called Brother Xuan and Sister Bao to his side. Emperor Ming looked at his lovely grandchildren, and the smile on his face grew stronger. He said angrily: "You don't know how much the emperor's grandfather is looking forward to your coming." , why don’t you come here earlier.”

Sister Bao, who has always been cheerful, pouted and replied: "My brother and I wanted to come earlier to pay our respects to the emperor's grandfather, but the emperor has been busy in the imperial study, and we and the queen mother have been waiting for the emperor to come."

When Emperor Ming heard that Li Ling was still busy with political affairs during the New Year, his complaints about not being able to listen to music and dance disappeared. Emperor Ming nodded slightly at Li Ling and said with a smile: "Bo Yue is really a good and diligent emperor. "

Although Li Ling recognized Emperor Ming as his biological father, he only treated Emperor Ming with superficial courtesy, and there was no closeness between father and son.

Facing Emperor Ming's overtures, Li Ling just remained silent and did not answer the question, not even showing a perfunctory expression.

Whenever this embarrassing moment comes, Jingshu always comes out to smooth things over. With a gentle smile on her face, she says to Emperor Ming: "Father, I asked them to bring Ji'er over today."

Ji'er is the youngest son of Li Lingjingshu.

Ji, the **** of grains. Because the weather was good in the year when her youngest son was born, Li Lingjingshu named her son this name to express the couple's desire to pray to God to show mercy to the world and make the people have a good harvest every year.

When Emperor Ming saw his daughter-in-law handing him the steps, he quickly replied: "Hurry up and show me the child. I haven't seen this child since he was born."

According to the etiquette, a grandson should be brought to his grandfather to see him when he is born, but it was the cold winter when Ji'er was born. Li Ling loved his wife and protected his son. He was worried that his youngest son would catch a cold when he was taken out of the palace, so he stopped him.

Now Ji'er is about to turn a hundred days old and spring has begun, so Jingshu took the initiative to bring her young son to see her grandfather.

Emperor Ming looked at his infant grandson, his eyebrows curled up with joy. He stared at his grandson for a long time, then looked at Li Ling and said: "This child's features look like Shu'er, and he also has the charm of our Zhao family. He is really a good boy." Zhou Zheng’s children, all of your children are good-looking and smart, haha, Boyue is really a lucky one.”

  Emperor Ming’s words were all intended to please Li Ling. In other families, all the sons try to please me, but this family has the opposite.

After hearing this, Li Ling's expression softened a little. He glanced at his wife subconsciously and replied: "These children's looks are more like Shu'er's, so they are good-looking."

With one sentence, Emperor Ming, who was so weak from choking, almost died.

But at least his son gave him some smiles, and Emperor Ming only took it as a good word. He laughed and said: "This child is your first son after becoming emperor. This hundred-day banquet should be organized properly and celebrated. That’s it.”

After hearing this, Li Ling's face darkened again.

Jing Shu hurriedly smoothed things over and said, "Your Majesty means that nowadays the imperial court has a lot of money to spend, so it is better for the harem to be more frugal. For Ji'er's 100-day banquet, we plan to invite relatives from Zhenguo's palace, and then invite relatives from my concubine's mother's house. Please come, set up two tables, and let the family lively and lively. Although our children were born in an imperial family, they should be more considerate of the people's hardships and not let them develop extravagant habits."

 After saying this, Jing Shu looked at Emperor Ming and asked gently: "Father, do you think this arrangement is okay?"

This gentle daughter-in-law is much better than the arrogant son.

Emperor Ming had no reason to disagree. He smiled and hurriedly agreed. Then he called the palace servants and took out several treasures and gave them to his young grandson as a meeting gift for the two grandsons.

Although he came to accompany Emperor Ming to celebrate the New Year, Li Ling just sat aside with a sullen expression. Jing Shu and the children chatted with Emperor Ming for a while. Finally, when it was time for the eve dinner, the family came in surrounded by palace officials. Front hall.

After having the New Year's Eve dinner with Emperor Ming, Li Ling returned to Jiaofang Palace with his wife and children.

The wet nurse carried Ji'er to the side hall to feed her baby. Li Lingjingshu and Brother Xuan and Sister Bao sat around and ate wedding cakes as usual.

The two children took a few bites, and when they heard the sound of fireworks and firecrackers outside, they couldn't hold back anymore, and they all clamored to go out to watch the fireworks.

Li Ling Jingshu personally put on thick cotton clothes for the children. Li Ling smiled and said to the children: "In the past, when we were in the palace, we would watch the fireworks in the corridor. This year, my father will take you to watch the fireworks on the high platform of the city wall. Let's Standing high will make the viewing more enjoyable.”

The two children said goodbye happily, and the family happily went out. When they arrived at the city wall, they had only climbed a short flight of steps when Sister Bao shouted that she was tired and insisted on pestering Li Ling to hug her.

Jingshu scolded her delicate daughter and said, "How old are you, and you still want your father to hold you?"

Sister Bao looked up at her tall father and said coquettishly, "Is it because Father has a younger brother that he doesn't favor Sister Bao anymore?"

Li Ling had always been helpless in the face of his daughter's coquettishness. He leaned over and picked up his daughter and said with a smile: "Who said this? My father had to punish him for his crimes. How could my father exist?" My younger brother will not pamper Sister Bao, but my father will always love Sister Bao."

Li Ling held his daughter up to the high platform before putting her down. He looked at his daughter dotingly and teased her: "You should eat less in the future. My father is struggling to hold you now. If you continue to be greedy, But I can’t be a treasure princess anymore, I’m going to be a fat princess.”

When Sister Bao heard this, she turned away in anger and deliberately ignored Li Ling. Li Ling condescended to coax her again.

Countless fireworks bloomed in the vast night sky. The family stood on a high platform in the imperial city, overlooking the lights of thousands of houses and looking up at the bright sky.

 (End of this chapter)