To be honest, Mian Tang didn’t want to go. It wasn’t her place as a subject’s wife to make decisions for the Empress. If she went, regardless of Shi Empress’s final decision, it would seem as if the idea came from her. She didn’t want to involve herself in such trouble.
However, at this critical moment, with the Shi Empress summoning her, she couldn’t use her pregnancy as an excuse not to go. Such an evasion would be too obvious.
Cui Xingzhou, on the other hand, didn’t share her concerns. “The Empress probably doesn’t want those old ministers to see the Empress Dowager, but she doesn’t want to take sole responsibility. She’s looking for you to share the blame. Since that’s the case, we might as well bear this burden. Go along with the imperial will, then use your condition as an excuse to return early. I’ll accompany you and wait outside the palace gates.”
Having decided to accept this responsibility, Mian Tang quickly changed her clothes, did her hair, and boarded the carriage.
However, the child in her womb gave its soon-to-be-unfortunate parents an excellent idea.
As the carriage bumped along the stone-paved road to the palace gates, Mian Tang suddenly went into labor…
Perhaps the carriage ride had broken her water. Mian Tang felt a sudden warmth beneath her, and the carriage floor became wet.
The palace attendants waiting at the gates panicked, rushing to call for an imperial physician to deliver the baby in the carriage.
As a result, the physician, having lost his hat in his haste, hadn’t even reached the palace gates when the Huai Sang County Princess had already given birth! The cry from the carriage was earth-shattering.
The entire process took less than the time it took to brew a pot of tea.
The anxious eunuch, hands shaking at the base of the carriage, exclaimed, “Oh my! Your Highness, couldn’t you have held on a bit? Who gives birth so suddenly like this?”
Cui Xingzhou had imagined the process of Mian Tang’s labor before, but he never expected it to be so quick!
Mian Tang herself was stunned. Where was the promised heart-wrenching pain? She had only felt her belly loosen, and the baby had simply slipped out.
After the physician briefly dealt with the infant’s umbilical cord, Cui Xingzhou used cotton quilts to block the carriage’s windows and doors. They returned directly to the manor, airtight, until they reached Mian Tang’s chambers. Only then did Mian Tang, holding the baby, step down from the carriage as if nothing had happened, and went inside to begin her confinement.
Hearing that Mian Tang had given birth at the palace gates, the Dowager Princess hurried over, supported by her maids, and asked Cui Xingzhou, “Is it a boy or a girl?”
The Prince of Huaiyang was uncharacteristically caught off guard by the question. In the rush, he had only asked about Mian Tang’s well-being and briefly glanced at the wet bundle wrapped in her outer garments. He hadn’t even checked whether the baby was male or female.
Unable to bear her son’s dumbfounded silence, Princess Dowager Chu pushed past him and entered the room.
At this moment, the pre-arranged wet nurse was bathing the newborn. Seeing the Princess Dowager enter, she smiled and said, “Congratulations to the Princess Dowager and the Prince! Our Princess has given birth to a boy!”
Princess Dowager Chu looked at the chubby arms and legs, and the little bottom pushing up and down. It was clearly a robust baby boy. Although Mian Tang’s belly hadn’t looked big, this little one was not small at all. She clasped her hands in gratitude to the heavens for protecting the mother and child.
Cui Xingzhou entered then, taking the swaddled son from the wet nurse. Looking at his still-closed eyes and the little mouth opening and closing in search of milk, the baby’s features greatly resembled his own.
Mian Tang and Cui Xingzhou had already decided that if it was a boy, his milk name would be Xiao Yi’er.
Now, little Xiao Yi’er was behaving well, nuzzling into Mian Tang’s embrace. Holding this warm, soft bundle, Mian Tang felt as if she were in a dream – what had been in her belly this morning was now lying in her arms.
Not wanting to disturb her daughter-in-law’s rest, Princess Dowager Chu took her grandson and left, content.
Cui Xingzhou quietly watched Mian Tang holding their son, unable to resist embracing her and kissing her forehead. “You’ve worked hard,” he said.
Speaking of hard work, Mian Tang felt almost guilty about her easy delivery. Hearing the words “worked hard,” she felt undeserving and murmured, “It was so easy, I am like a cow now…”
The baby in her arms seemed to understand his mother’s words, and with closed eyes, the corners of his mouth turned up as if smiling.
Mian Tang gently tapped his little forehead, saying, “You dare to laugh! It’s all your fault that your mother has lost face. By tomorrow, the whole capital will know about my giving birth at the palace gates.”
Cui Xingzhou kissed his son’s little cheek. “Good boy, you’ve cleared your father’s name. People all say your mother would hemorrhage during childbirth, but you just bumped your way out in a carriage! If you’re naughty in the future, your father will spank you a few times less!”
Mian Tang, looking at the two faces cast from the same mold, couldn’t help but smile sweetly.
Xiao Yi’er’s birth saved his mother from quite a few troubles. At the very least, she no longer needed to enter the palace to advise Shi Empress. However, rewards from the palace arrived by the cartload.
Hearing of the Huaiyang Princess’s perilous delivery in a carriage at the palace gates, Shi Empress felt quite apologetic. She ordered ample tribute of nourishing foods to be prepared, along with gifts for the little heir’s use, all sent to the prince’s manor.
This display clearly showed the depth of Shi Empress’s private friendship with the Huaiyang Princess.
Under such favor, no one dared to gossip anymore about the Huai Sang County Princess’s past as a bandit, or her previous entanglement with Emperor Liu Yu. When it came time for Xiao Yi’er’s full moon celebration, those bringing congratulatory gifts were numerous.
Looking at the gift list, Mian Tang was surprised to find she had connections with so many people.
Shi Empress personally came to see Mian Tang, even bringing the young prince. Standing by the cradle, he curiously poked the little heir’s soft cheeks, exclaiming, “Mother, he’s fatter than my sister!”
Xiao Yi’er was indeed very chubby.
Mian Tang insisted on breastfeeding herself, and her milk was plentiful, so Xiao Yi’er’s little arms were like lotus root segments, with dimples on his chubby hands.
However, Shi Empress looked noticeably thinner. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that Liu Yu had been unwell recently, requiring the Empress to review memorials on his behalf. As a result, Shi Empress had become worn out and lost weight.
Seeing Mian Tang’s plump cheeks from her confinement, Shi Empress expressed her envy: “A woman should be like you, Princess, not needing to worry about anything. Now everyone envies me as the head of the six palaces, but I greatly miss the happiness of my little courtyard when I first married His Majesty.”
Mian Tang replied, “What’s there to envy about me? I’ve been cooped up in the manor for my confinement, almost growing mold. I don’t even know what new things have happened in the capital lately.”
Shi Empress sighed, “What new things could there be? Just some old ministers clamoring every few days to see the Empress Dowager. But Her Majesty’s phoenix body is unwell, how could she endure such disturbance? The palace family was deeply involved in this recent palace upheaval, and His Majesty must deal with it to prevent others from harboring rebellious thoughts. But some unknown person has been spreading rumors among the common people that His Majesty is not of the royal bloodline and has harmed Prince Sui, the imperial uncle…”
Mian Tang frowned, “Only fools would say such things. The two holy ones shouldn’t be troubled by this. The common people only care about living good lives, what do the affairs of the deep palace have to do with them?”
Shi Empress smiled, “If all the court officials were as sensible as you, Princess, it would be wonderful. You’re out of confinement now, so come to the palace often to keep me company!”
Mian Tang nodded with a smile, agreeing, though she knew the Empress likely didn’t need company. She had both internal and external palace affairs to manage.
For some reason, Sun Yunniang was still alive, albeit confined to the Cold Palace with scant food and clothing. The Shi family, besides dealing with the palace family, was also gradually squeezing out the power of the Eastern Palace’s old faction, particularly settling scores with the Sun family.
This maintained a delicate balance and harmony between the Shi family and the Prince of Huaiyang.
During Mian Tang’s confinement, her sister-in-law Lian Silan, and Aunt Lian visited a few times.
When Prince Sui was secretly moving troops in Qingfeng Town, it was one of the Fifth Master Cui Xingdi’s men who discovered it and informed him. The Fifth Master, sensing something amiss, immediately sent someone to inform the Prince of Huaiyang, allowing him to be prepared.
Mian Tang naturally had to acknowledge this favor on behalf of the Prince. So although Aunt Lian still retained her vulgar demeanor, Mian Tang responded with a polite smile, taking the opportunity to ask her sister-in-law when she planned to have children.
At this, Aunt Lian’s complaints came pouring out: “Speaking of which, he’s also the heir of the prince’s manor, why suffer for a few coins of profit, drifting about outside all day? I’m embarrassed to tell others that my son-in-law is the elder brother of the Prince of Huaiyang. Which prince’s heir needs to engage in trade to get by? Always away from home, if my daughter becomes pregnant, it’ll give people something to gossip about!”
Aunt Lian’s words were harsh, and Lian Silan’s face naturally showed discomfort, only managing to glare at her mother when she could.
Mian Tang understood the implication in Aunt Lian’s words and promptly gave her sister-in-law a way out: “Sister-in-law is still young, there’s no need to rush. I’ll speak with the Prince later to see if there’s any comfortable position in a government office. If we can find Fifth Brother a stable salary, he won’t need to toil outside so much.”
Lian Silan hurriedly said, “Please don’t trouble the Prince, Your Highness… Many of the Lian family members have already greatly inconvenienced the Prince. It would be inappropriate to bother him again now…”
Mian Tang, soothing the squirming little bundle in her arms, smiled and said, “This is arranging matters for our own Cui family, how can it be compared to before? It’s just that Fifth Brother has a leg condition, which might make it difficult for him to enter official service. But finding a comfortable clerical position in a government office shouldn’t be difficult.”
Aunt Lian found these words somewhat unpleasant. What did she mean by arranging matters for their own family? Wasn’t the Lian family also related to the Cui family? But she didn’t dare voice these thoughts.
Ever since she learned of Liu Mian Tang’s true background, she had made some inquiries about the deeds of Yang Shan Lu Wen.
The results terrified Aunt Lian to her core. The rumors about green forest bandits were mostly exaggerated – stories of flaying people alive, lighting human lanterns, and cutting open living people to dig out their hearts. There was even a tale about Yang Shan Lu Wen quenching his thirst with human blood.
Now, even a slight glare from Mian Tang made Aunt Lian’s legs wobble. She had heard that the palace’s Concubine Yun was Mian Tang’s mortal enemy. Now she was locked in the Cold Palace, her body festering, wishing for death. Aunt Lian wondered if Mian Tang had used some method to achieve this.
After all, she had a good relationship with the usually merciful Shi Empress. If she wanted to take revenge on Yunniang, it would probably be quite convenient.
With this newfound reverence, Aunt Lian spoke far fewer odd words in Liu Mian Tang’s presence.
Lian Silan naturally thanked the Princess for her kindness, saying they would come to the manor together to express their gratitude when the Fifth Master returned from his voyage.
Having completed her confinement, Liu Mian Tang wanted to go out for a walk, especially to see her brothers from the escort agency. She had been cooped up for so long, and now that she had “unloaded her cargo,” she could move about freely.
Speaking of which, those four brothers hadn’t quite lived up to the words “loyalty” and “righteousness.” Since she had hastily met them after rescuing them from prison, there had been no news of them. They and the other brothers from the escort agency hadn’t even shown up for Xiao Yi’er’s full-moon celebration.
However, thinking they might be out on an escort job, it seemed normal. So this time, Mian Tang had Bi Cao and the others prepare celebratory eggs and candies, ready to set out and let her former brothers share in the joy.
But when they arrived at the escort agency’s gate, Liu Mian Tang was dumbfounded. The agency’s main door was sealed with official notices, and the front looked desolate and rundown. It was clear that it had been sealed for more than just a day or two.