When the mother-in-law left, the happiest person was the daughter-in-law. Seeing Mei Qingxue happy, Du Guqing was also very happy. His mother had gone to her hometown in the south of the Yangtze River. There was no need to worry about her at all. It was that general who Du Guqing's eyes squinted slightly. Couldn't he write letters? Since he loved to meddle in other people's business, Du Guqing thought for a while, then immediately picked up the red pen and arranged a job for the general.
Father Tang was grinding ink for Du Guqing. Seeing what he had written on the imperial edict, he couldn't help laughing. Du Guqing and Mei Qingxue were together. The two of them really did things a bit alike.
"Father Tang, do you think this is okay?" Du Guqing thought of his method and even thought it was funny.
"The old servant thinks it's okay. That general should be punished. Anyway, the old servant thinks that there are a few people who can be sent down. Otherwise, they will forget their roots!" Father Tang was referring to those old antiques who played to the emperor to take concubines as soon as they went to court.
"Although those old adults are a bit pedantic, they really think about the court." Du Guqing couldn't bear to let those old people suffer. That general was a military officer. It should be okay to do some insignificant things.
"Yes, the old servant also thinks that these years they have been used to living in high positions and getting rich salaries. They should be reminded of the past." Father Tang laughed and ground the ink. Thinking of the general's appearance, his old face laughed like a chrysanthemum.
Mei Qingxue's trip had never been successful. She was afraid that the empress dowager and the grand emperor would make a comeback. It would be difficult to explain at that time. She didn't want to be caught by her mother-in-law and father-in-law. However, in ancient times, if a woman didn't get pregnant and give birth to a child, it seemed to be a big mistake. The husband could completely divorce his wife on this ground.
"Your Highness, the sun is very good today. The maid has set up a chair for you under the tree. Would you like to go and enjoy the cool?" Seeing Mei Qingxue bored, Xuan Qiao gave her an idea.
"It's so hot. No. You go to the internal affairs department and get some ice cubes back." Mei Qingxue missed the cold drinks in her previous life. It was a pity that there were none in ancient times.
Xuan Qiao said, "The imperial doctor doesn't allow you to use ice!"
For the sake of the empress's body, Xuan Qiao resolutely disobeyed the order. Mei Qingxue was not angry either. She knew that she was unreasonable and pestering.
"The palace knows!" Mei Qingxue propped her chin with her hand. Immediately, she thought that she could go back to her mother's home. She immediately got up. "Xuan Qiao, go back to my mother's home with the palace."
Xuan Qiao was also afraid that her master would come up with some new tricks. Seeing that it was just going back to the prime minister's mansion, she let out a long breath. This was okay...
"You go to the warehouse and find some things that can be used by your sister-in-law's children. Don't take the food." Mei Qingxue was afraid that there was something wrong with the food she received, so she wouldn't take the food back. If they were all adults, she would dare. In the previous lives, she had a lot of research on palace dramas. She knew that eating and using were the objects that others liked to make trouble with. Even if there were no other concubines in the harem, she was still not safe.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Hearing the order, Xuan Qiao entered the warehouse. She knew what the empress meant, so she chose some gold, silver, jade and other things. Adults could put them away if the children didn't use them for a while.
Then she chose some cloth for the young mistress. Going back to her mother's home was also visiting relatives. It was always bad to go empty-handed. Xuan Qiao also chose a sword for the young master. She counted all the people in the family before she stopped. Anyway, it was for the prime minister's mansion. The empress wouldn't feel bad.
"Xuan Qiao, are you looking for treasure?" Seeing the maid enter the warehouse and not come out for a long time, Mei Qingxue, who was waiting impatiently, urged outside the door.
This guy, even if he touched one by one, should have touched it well.
"Your Highness, the maid will come out immediately." Xuan Qiao carried a small burden and a sword in her hand.
Mei Qingxue nodded secretly. "You chose well."
That sword was prepared for her elder brother. She wanted to give it to her elder brother personally, but she didn't have the chance.
"Let's go!" The empress led the maid back to the prime minister's mansion.
As soon as she entered the yard, she saw Luo Jiao holding Yi'er in the yard to bask in the sun. This was what Mei Qingxue told Xia Ruolan. She didn't expect Luo Jiao to believe it.
"Sister-in-law!" Mei Qingxue called sweetly.
"Sister-in-law." Luo Jiao could now adapt to the situation of no etiquette in the prime minister's mansion.
Hearing from her mother-in-law that sister-in-law said that it was good for children to bask in the sun more, on days when the sun was good, Luo Jiao took Yi'er out to bask in the sun.
"Sister-in-law, the sun is too strong now. Take it out when it is a little bit biased. Let's go. Let's go and see mother."
When they came to Xia Ruolan's yard, they found that she was sitting there sewing children's clothes and hats.
"Mother, why do you sew this again? There is nothing lacking in the family. Sister-in-law, please persuade mother quickly." Seeing that she couldn't persuade her mother-in-law, Luo Jiao was afraid that her mother-in-law would strain her eyes, so she asked Mei Qingxue to persuade her.
"Children grow up fast. What do you do so much for? Did you make mine by the way when you made it for Yi'er?" Mei Qingxue's stomach was flat. God knew when there would be any movement. Mei Qingxue knew her mother's psychology, so she said, "Sister-in-law, let mother do it. You give birth to a few more in the future, and I will give birth to a few more too."
Luo Jiao's face immediately blushed shyly. "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about?"
Sister-in-law had no scruples in her words, but her mother-in-law didn't mind.
Seeing her daughter-in-law's face blushing pink, Xia Ruolan glanced at her daughter. "Shameless. Look at how you embarrassed your sister-in-law. In fact, your mother is just going to do this."
Xia Ruolan laughed and looked at her daughter with a little regret. She had been married for more than a year. Why was there no reaction at all?
If there were no more children, she was afraid that she would be criticized. Xia Ruolan thought to herself. When would she go in front of the Avalokitesvara statue to beg the Bodhisattva for Xue'er.
"Mother, I just said it casually." Mei Qingxue was speechless. Just now she saw her mother looking at her stomach too.
She wasn't pregnant. She wasn't pregnant. Why did everyone look at her stomach?
"Mother, where is father?" Mei Qingxue didn't see Mei Zhenguo, so she asked.
"Your father likes to raise turtles now. He took a few people to catch turtles."
Were there turtle friends who played with turtles in ancient times? Qingxue didn't know when it became popular to play with small pets. What she saw on TV was that those men played with crickets and grasshoppers. She had never seen a turtle friend, but there was a turtle master.
"Where can you catch turtles in the north?" Generally, land turtles were rare. The ones she saw were also a few common varieties. There was nothing rare.
"Someone has seen them in the mountains behind the capital. They went to look for them in the mountains." They had been gone for several days. Xia Ruolan was worried. "Your father is so old. I don't know what he is tossing about."
"Mother, isn't it just that he likes to play with something? You let my father play. He will get bored when he gets tired of it." Mei Qingxue knew very well that generally it was lively to play. It was just a momentary impulse. There were few people who could persevere. After all, it was a plaything.
Even in modern times, there were few people who played with turtles. Because many varieties were rare, the price was very high.
"Sister-in-law, is Yi'er easy to take care of? Does he cry at night?"
"Yi'er doesn't cry. Mother said that Yi'er is like her husband." Luo Jiao hugged the child and shook it gently. Mei Qingxue didn't dare to think what it would be like if she had a child. She would throw it to her mother to take care of it at that time. She wasn't at ease handing it over to the wet nurse or the nanny.
"Then I know what my elder brother was like when he was a child. Only mother knows. Even father doesn't know."
Mei Qingxue thought for a while. At that time, Mei Zhenguo was always away from home. It was Xia Ruolan who took care of them, the brother and sister. However, it was what her mother said. When she came to this world, she was already a few years old. She was still a mute young lady. She didn't know many things when she was a child.
"By the way, mother didn't ask you when you came back for half a day. Why did you come back today?" Xia Ruolan looked at her daughter. Wasn't it that she came out of the palace by herself again?
By the way, Mei Qingxue gently patted her forehead. "If mother didn't say it, I would have forgotten."
She almost forgot the gifts. If she took them back in the same way later, wouldn't it be embarrassing?
"Xuan Qiao?"
"Hey, the maid is here!" Xuan Qiao took a small burden and came in. Mei Qingxue took the sword from Xuan Qiao's hand. "This is for elder brother. Sister-in-law, remember to give it to him at night."
Mei Qingxue took out a few more. "Father's, mother's, this is for Yi'er, and this bracelet is for sister-in-law. Okay, it's divided." Mei Qingxue clapped her hands. It was okay.
"Mother, sister-in-law, I'm leaving." She had to go back to the palace. Mei Qingxue scolded herself for being stupid. If she wanted to see her elder brother, she just had to find an excuse to call her elder brother in front of her to "lecture" him. Wasn't this method very simple?
When Mei Qingxue returned to the palace, she saw a eunuch holding an imperial edict going in another direction. Immediately, her curiosity rose greatly. She had nothing to do. What imperial edict did Du Guqing issue?
Thinking about it, she went to Du Guqing's study. Xuan Qiao stamped her feet behind her and whispered, "Your Highness, the imperial palace is here."
She was sweating to death. Couldn't she know where her imperial palace was? This Xuan Qiao wouldn't think that she was really that confused, would she?
"Xuan Qiao!"
"Your Highness!"
"Do you think your empress looks like a person who doesn't know where her imperial palace is?" Mei Qingxue was both amused and annoyed by what her maid said.
"The maid doesn't mean this." Xuan Qiao's sweat came out. Who was shouting all the way in front? As soon as she entered the palace, she went back to sleep first. Didn't that mean she was going to enter the imperial palace?
Xuan Qiao just thought that the empress was sleepy and confused... only!
"Don't mean this?" Mei Qingxue secretly rolled her eyes. She got up a little bit early today. The matter of making up for sleep could be said later. She still had to see if the emperor who she hadn't seen for half a day had done something.
If he got her a younger sister in such a short time, she would definitely tear down his imperial study.
"Go and prepare lunch for your empress. Your empress has important things to deal with now." Mei Qingxue's eyes looked in the direction of the imperial study.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Xuan Qiao heard the strangeness in the empress's voice. She wished she could grow two more legs and run farther away from the empress.
It was just right that Mei Qingxue asked her to go to the kitchen to order lunch. Otherwise, she really didn't know what to do.
"Give father Tang's food to be soft and glutinous. His teeth are not very good." Now Mei Qingxue also asked the big kitchen to do father Tang's food together.