Chapter 111 The Unclaimed Harem

When Lianzhi returned home, he told his parents about today’s events. The Chief of the Ji Family and Mrs. Ji remained silent for a long time.

Not long after adopting Lianzhi, Mr. Ji passed the imperial examination, and later Mrs. Ji became pregnant. Therefore, they always considered Lianzhi as a lucky star and treated him very well, almost as if he were their own child.

Having Lianzhi go to another family as their daughter made the couple feel a bit sentimental.

But it was the Duke of Wei’s daughter! The legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei’s family, they couldn’t block Lianzhi’s path.

Mrs. Ji hesitated and said, “Since you have found your biological parents, Lianzhi, then… you should go back to the Duke of Wei’s mansion.”

Lianzhi, feeling unhappy, said, “Mother, if you don’t want me, I’ll stay at home. I don’t want to go to the Duke’s mansion. I’m a bit scared of the high-ranking and wealthy families.”

Listening to Lianzhi’s words, Mrs. Ji couldn’t suppress the smile on her face but still said, “You silly child, you are of marriageable age now. Being the young lady of the Duke of Wei’s mansion can also lead to a good marriage.”

…

The next day.

Chen Gongzi came to Lianzhi’s house again, looking to cause trouble for Lianzhi.

He saw the carriage of the Duke of Wei’s mansion heading towards Lianzhi’s house.

Mrs. Luo and Wei Wushuang got off the carriage and entered Lianzhi’s house together.

Chen Gongzi found it extremely strange. What kind of family was the Duke of Wei’s mansion? Wei Wushuang was very proud, so why would she come to Lianzhi’s house?

Chen Gongzi waited outside for almost an hour, and the Duke of Wei’s mother and daughter had not come out yet. The servants began to worry, “Young Master, it seems that Miss Lianzhi won’t come out today. Should we come back tomorrow?”

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

Chen Gongzi was somewhat worried and said, “This Lianzhi is quite fierce. Could she have offended that woman Wei Wushuang?”

“The Wei family is not easy to provoke!”

The servant said, “Isn’t this good? Someone will help you vent your anger!”

Chen Gongzi angrily said, “You don’t understand anything!”

The servant dared not speak further.

Finally, when the Duke of Wei’s lady and Wei Wushuang came out of Lianzhi’s house, Lianzhi also came out. The Duke of Wei’s lady was holding Lianzhi’s hand, looking very intimate, and they got on the Duke’s mansion carriage together and left.

Chen Gongzi was dumbfounded.

He followed the carriage for a while, but it disappeared. When he returned home, he instructed the servant, “Go find out what happened.”

“Got it, I’ll go right away.”

After Mrs Luo recognized Lianzhi, she temporarily put this matter aside in her heart and returned the jade pendant to Lianzhi.

—–

At this moment, Mrs. Shu happened to come to the palace to visit Shu Yuwan.

She said, “Wenyue previous ceremony were not grand. This time, we should celebrate the Ceremony properly.”

Shu Yuwan nodded, “I didn’t want to neglect the Three Rituals, but now, there is no one in the palace to take charge, and I haven’t finished my postpartum recovery.”

Talking about this, Mrs. Shu also felt very strange and couldn’t help but say to her daughter, “Why doesn’t the Emperor let the Empress take charge of the harem and leave the harem without a master?”

shook her head, “I don’t know either.”

“Now, the Ceremony for the child is still being managed by the palace.”

This matter ultimately concerned the Emperor’s harem, and after the mother and daughter mentioned it, they didn’t talk about it anymore.

Mrs. Shu looked at the child and couldn’t help but smile, “Look at how peacefully the child is sleeping. This child looks really good, the eyes and eyebrows are like you, and the nose and mouth are like the Crown Prince.”

When he was just born, it wasn’t very obvious, but now he looks more and more like him.

Shu Yuwan looked at the child and agreed.

The nose and mouth really look like the Crown Prince.

“And this head of jet-black hair, I’ve never seen a child with such good hair.”

The two chatted for a while, and Shu Yuwan mentioned Lianzhi’s situation.

Mrs. Shu was surprised, “So, Lianzhi is actually the Duke of Wei’s daughter?”

Shu Yuwan nodded.

Mrs. Shu herself was from a collateral branch of the Wei family, so it turned out that Lianzhi was from the same family as her. Mrs. Shu smiled and said, “The Duke’s lady lost her child back then and she was very ill. Now that she has found her back, you must remember this favor.”

Mrs. Shu was very happy.

The Duke of Wei’s mansion has always wanted to betroth Wei Wushuang to the Crown Prince. This is well known among the noble families in the capital. She has always been worried that the Duke of Wei’s mansion would cause trouble for, but now, owing such a favor, it might be good to not trouble her again.

Shu Yuwan didn’t expect this.

Before marrying the Crown Prince, Wei Wushuang had come to visit. She had always been very cautious of the Duke of Wei’s mansion, but they had been quiet all along.

She smiled and said, “If the Duke of Wei’s mansion really wanted to do something, I’m afraid they would have second thoughts because of Lianzhi.”

Mrs. Shu thought her daughter made sense and didn’t dwell on the matter any longer.

After chatting for a while, Qing Dai came to report that the Crown Prince had returned. Mrs. Shu got up, greeted the Crown Prince, and went to see the baby.

The baby was playing ball with her little playmates, having a great time. When she saw Mrs. Shu, she ran over happily and said, “Grandmother!”

Mrs. Shu hugged the baby and joyfully said, “The baby has grown taller.”

Mother Zhao, who was standing by, bowed to Mrs. Shu.

Mrs. Shu said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Mother Zhao quickly replied, “It’s no trouble for this servant.”

Mother Zhao was originally Mrs. Shu’s dowry maid, later became the maid for Shu Yuwan, and now helped take care of the baby. She had indeed worked hard.

“Take good care of the baby and don’t let her suffer.”

“Lady, rest assured, this servant will fullfill her duty.”

Mrs. Shu nodded.

With Mother Zhao by the baby’s side, she felt more at ease.

After the baby clung to Mrs. Shu for a while, she went back to play with her little friends. Mrs. Shu carefully asked about the baby’s daily life and bid farewell to the baby before returning home without seeing Shu Yuwan again.

Shu Yuwan knew her mother must have felt that it was inconvenient for the Crown Prince to come over, so she didn’t say much.

The Crown Prince said, “Today, the Emperor said that after the baby’s  Banquet, he will let me handle state affairs independently. If there are any undecided matters, I can go to him.”

Shu Yuwan didn’t expect the Emperor to be in such a hurry and asked, “Is the Emperor not in good health?”

The Crown Prince chuckled, “From what I see, the Emperor’s health is almost back to normal.”

“Why then?”

Throughout history, few emperors chose to transfer power to the Crown Prince while still alive, especially considering the Emperor’s relatively young age.

The Crown Prince said, “Perhaps this time, the incident with the Third Prince has cast a shadow on the Emperor.”

The Crown Prince laughed, “The Emperor also said that since there’s no one managing the harem, he will abdicate soon, allowing me to ascend the throne, so I can have you take care of it and stop complaining about the harem being without a master all day.”

Shu Yuwan chuckled at the reasoning.