blenderwars Chapter 326 Save the Mother or the Child?
Chapter 326 Save the Mother or the Child?
Cui explained it so clearly; there was no way the Empress Dowager wouldn't understand.
Her support for the Cui family was aimed at competing with Shen Shixi.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager still remembered the story of "Duan Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan" and did not dare to make a decision on her own. She also felt that the matter was unlikely to succeed, so she sent Sun Qingcheng, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, to ask the Emperor for his opinion.
If she bestows the title "Ke" upon the emperor, and then the emperor issues an imperial edict to change it, where will she, as the empress dowager, put her face?
"In my opinion, no matter how good these characters are, they are not as good as the emperor's name. It was also a name bestowed by the late emperor. Since Chenyuan already has the character 'Yuan', why not give the character 'Ke' to the Cui family?"
Why don't you make a trip and ask the emperor what he thinks?
Sun Qingcheng thought to himself, "Isn't this just asking for trouble? Would the Emperor agree to this?"
But he had no choice but to run, and Lady Cui even said from the side, "Thank you so much, Lord Cui, for making this trip for me!"
Shen Shixi and Li Yuanke had just finished eating when Sun Qingcheng arrived. She was drinking plain water when she heard this and almost choked. She said, "What, is the Emperor of Great Zhou going to follow the example of Bei Sha and marry three wives? Or should I step down?"
Li Yuanke was furious. He looked coldly at Sun Qingcheng and said, "If you can't do the job of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, I'll find someone to do it for you!"
This is definitely a case of being caught in the middle!
If the subject cannot accept it, should the emperor be made to accept it as well?
As Sun Qingcheng was about to take his leave after apologizing, Shen Shixi stopped him, saying, "Lord Sun has failed in his duties. In my opinion, he should be fined three months' salary!"
Sun Qingcheng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly came to his senses. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"
In this way, he would have an explanation to give to the Empress Dowager.
When the Empress Dowager heard that the Emperor was angry and had punished Sun Qingcheng by deducting three months' salary, she rewarded Sun Qingcheng with fifty taels of silver. Finally, she had Cui choose the character "容" (Rong) from the titles proposed by the Imperial Household Department.
Under the Empress Dowager's patronage, Consort Cui rose to the rank of Consort Rongxiu.
Everyone envied her for receiving ten lashes from the Emperor during the Mid-Autumn Festival; it was clearly the Empress Dowager's way of compensating her.
Shen Shixi ignored the matter. A letter arrived from the Quanzhou Charity Hall, saying that due to obstruction from someone in the court, the construction of the port and the opening of the port in Quanzhou were not progressing smoothly.
Several large merchants who had previously supported the imperial court are now taking a negative stance and are unwilling to abide by the agreed-upon terms, clearly indicating their lack of cooperation.
Pei Yanli was also eager to make this happen, and he was a little obsessed. Just then, the daughter of Huang Shouli, the richest merchant in Quanzhou, took a liking to Pei Yanli. She proposed that if Pei Yanli was willing to become a son-in-law of the Huang family, the Huang family would be willing to call on the merchants of Quanzhou to support the project again.
Pei Yanli was ready to agree.
Shen Shixi had Chaoyu write a reply. First, she would not accept threats. Second, she would proceed with the matter if it could be accomplished, and if not, she would take it slow. If Quanzhou did not support it, would Guangzhou not support it either? Furthermore, Mingzhou and Huating could also be opened as ports. Third, she asked Pei Yanli to come back in late February or early March so that she could ask him about the marriage in person.
The letter was addressed to Lin Mao, who then gave it to Pei Yanli after reading it.
Pei Yanli held the letter, and as he read it, his nose tingled, his eyes welled up with tears, and he couldn't help but shed them.
The aunt was extremely worried and asked, "Did Her Majesty the Empress scold you? Her Majesty the Empress has been incredibly kind to us, mother and son. If she really said anything unpleasant, please don't take it to heart."
Pei Yanli shook his head. "No! Things haven't been going well for me lately, but Her Majesty the Empress didn't blame me. I'm afraid there's another reason for what happened in Quanzhou."
The Empress has asked me to return to the capital at the beginning of the year. Mother, can you manage taking care of Heng'er alone?
Pei Xunli's son, named Yuheng by Pei Yanli, is a month older than the Seventh Prince and is already over a year old. He is very robust and looks quite like Prime Minister Pei. If he is with the Seventh Prince, they look like brothers from the same father and mother.
"Of course I can, why not? He's not naughty, and besides, there are plenty of children in the charity hall, so I don't need to worry about him." The aunt asked expectantly, "What does Her Majesty the Empress mean by asking you to return to the capital at that time?"
Pei Yanli said, "Her Majesty the Empress ordered the Ministry of Rites to give my father a grand funeral and asked me to return to the capital at that time. Firstly, she wanted me to hear about what was happening in Quanzhou, and secondly, she probably wanted me to visit my father's grave."
The concubine exclaimed, "Her Majesty the Empress is truly a living Bodhisattva!"
Pei Yanli said, "Her Majesty the Empress is magnanimous, and few in the world can match her. She regards my father as a political enemy, not a personal enemy."
The aunt said, "No matter what kind of enemy they are, they are still enemies. I am grateful to Her Majesty the Empress for going to such lengths. She is our benefactor for life!"
As the year draws to a close, Shen Shixi could give birth at any moment. The delivery room has been prepared, and all the items inside have been disinfected with undiluted concentrated alcohol after distillation.
Li Yuanke was so nervous he couldn't sleep for nights on end, which annoyed Shen Shixi. "What are you so nervous about? Are you the one giving birth? I'm not even nervous, why are you getting nervous too?"
Li Yuanke said, "I'm not as carefree as you. Everyone says that childbirth is like a woman stepping into the gates of hell. How big of a heart do I have to be to not worry at all?"
Shen Shixi said, "Li Yuanke, let me tell you this: if the midwife asks whether to save the mother or the baby, you must save the baby. If you dare to let my child, whom I've carried for ten months..."
Li Yuanke covered Shen Shixi's mouth, saying, "Shut up, I don't want to hear it!"
If it really comes to that, he will not hesitate to save the baby.
He hugged Shen Shixi, on the verge of tears, "You heartless bastard! If you dare abandon me, no matter where you go, I'll chase after you! Shen Shixi, do you understand?"
His voice choked with emotion. Shen Shixi sighed. How come it's like he suddenly had an older son out of nowhere?
Shen Shixi patted him, "Alright, Li Yuanke, I shouldn't be that unlucky, really. I'm not worried at all. Can you stop being so afraid of death?"
Countless women give birth every day in this world; how easy is it for them to die? These are all low-probability events, and it will never happen to me. Really, I have a feeling I won't die anytime soon!
Sigh, life and death are beyond our control! I already have a child, please don't ask me to die, I have to raise my child! A child without a mother is just a weed.
That bastard doesn't appreciate my kindness at all. He stole my empress seat, and my child was bullied. I'm afraid I'll be so angry I'll come back to life!
Shen Shixi patted Li Yuanke's back absentmindedly, and Li Yuanke relaxed completely upon hearing this.
On New Year's Eve, just like every year, Shen Shixi's belly could give birth at any moment. Fearing that she would go into labor in the main hall, she thought she should finish eating quickly so she could go back.
As a result, Chao En came in and whispered in Shen Shixi's ear, "Your Majesty, something has happened!"
Shen Shixi and Li Yuanke exchanged a glance, and Chao En helped her to the side hall. She was in her late pregnancy and was already experiencing frequent urination, so no one would say anything if she went out now.
"What is it?" Shen Shixi asked and drank a glass of water.
"Que Chongyi is dead!" Chao En said.