Chapter 136 – After the Political Change

Prince Huaiyang looked at the empty plate and immediately tightened his face. He walked over a few steps and grabbed her plate, saying, “Why are you still eating this? Are you asking for a beating?”

 

Miantang licked the corner of her mouth and said with some grievance, “I’ve only eaten three. Servant Li is afraid that I’ll eat too much. Each fried pancake is made very small, not half the size of the one bought in the street outside. I’m not enjoying it at all.”

 

Cui Xingzhou still said with a stern face, “You still have the face to say you haven’t eaten enough? Your greedy mouth has become someone else’s attack on you! If it weren’t for Empress Shi informing you earlier, wouldn’t you really have had an accident?”

 

Miantang smiled and took his hand, letting him touch the belly, saying, “Look, isn’t this the right size?”

 

Recently, to confuse the ears and eyes of Prince Sui, Miantang had to add a layer of cotton pad to her belly every day, so at first glance, her belly looked very large.

 

The snacks outside the residence were also bought without any mistake, but Miantang didn’t even touch them. The food she often ate was made by Servant Li herself, who personally checked.

 

With Servant Li watching, Miantang couldn’t even take an extra bite. Tonight, she pretended to give birth and went from the tunnel of the royal residence to the small courtyard facing the street. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to let Bicao bring two boxes of food over. Taking advantage of Servant Li’s care of the Old Princess Consort in the royal residence, she took a few big bites to relieve her craving.

 

Watching Cui Xingzhou’s face stiffen, Miantang blinked and quickly changed the topic, “How’s it going? Has everything been accomplished?”

 

Prince Huaiyang nodded and said, “The situation in the palace has stabilized, and Prince Sui has also been taken down. However, those old officials have not been released from the palace. After all, Prince Sui is closely related to the interests of the palace family, and the parties of Prince Sui in the capital have not yet been eliminated. As for the Empress Dowager, she will live long to ‘care for’ her later years, and we as vassals do not need to worry.”

 

After finishing this, he didn’t forget his previous remarks and snatched half of the fried cake from her hand, saying, “Although it is rumored that your production day is fake, your day of giving birth is indeed approaching. If you continue to eat it, you don’t need someone else to feed you any medicine, and you will contribute to the growth of your child personally! From tomorrow on, only green vegetables and rice will be allowed for you to eat. Who dares to give you these greasy things to eat, I will sell them away.”

 

This last sentence was clearly meant for Bicao outside to hear.

 

Bicao’s reaction was quick, and upon hearing the prince’s anger, she lowered her head and walked in, swiftly carrying out the snack box.

 

Miantang curled her mouth, and at the end of her pregnancy, for some unknown reason, she became even more greedy. Upon hearing Cui Xingzhou’s arrogance, a sense of grievance surged in her heart, “Pregnancy is so hard, I can’t eat anything, I can’t go anywhere. I heard that when giving birth, it hurts so much that I will shout in pain. Why don’t you find another one to give birth for you in the future?”

 

After speaking, she even sobbed. Cui Xingzhou half tilted her face and saw that she was really crying. His voice immediately dropped a lot and said, “Who else baby will be as handsome as yours? It’s just these few days of hard work, you can bear it. I asked the residents to hire more cooks to prepare, and after you give birth, you can eat with open arms, and I don’t mind even if you gain weight.”

 

Upon hearing this, Miantang immediately stopped crying and took out a small copper mirror from beside her. She nervously said, “Why? Have I gained weight recently?”

 

Cui Xingzhou gave her a peck on the face and said, “It’s better to be fat, it’s more delicious to kiss!”

 

He was quite right about this. Although Miantang has only slightly become more mellow, it feels even softer when held. Her fragrance and softness were much more tempting than that fried cake!

 

She would cry after only taking a few bites. Speaking of it, he ‘eats’ lesser than her, but has he ever cried to her for milk?

 

After she gave birth… Cui Xingzhou couldn’t help but think.

 

Miantang looked up and could see his tight chin. Cui Xingzhou had been tossing and turning at night these days, unable to sleep. He had been training the fist techniques all night, and Miantang naturally guessed the prince’s thirst.

 

Now she couldn’t help but touch his chin and chuckle, “It tastes good, but you can’t eat it. You are indeed pitiful, your highness.”

 

Cui Xingzhou looked at her playful expression and took another bite from her plump face.

 

The palace changed in one night, and the capital the next day was destined to be filled with swords, but that night in the alleys and courtyards, there was a moment of peace and warmth.

 

In the early morning of the next day, the news of the palace and Prince Sui’s residence being locked down overnight shocked the court and the public.

 

As for the humeral ministers in the court, most of them were detained in the palace and never came out.

 

The armies of the Shi and Cui families entered the city to exchange defenses, and the defenders at the entrance of the palace also changed their military names. Many officials who had close ties with Prince Sui have disappeared, and their lives are unknown.

 

Even the mansions that weren’t involved are tightly closed, refusing to see guests to avoid unnecessary incidents.

 

However, compared to the wives of other homesteads who are struggling to make ends meet, the Huaiyang Prince’s Residence felt a sense of sweetness after the hardship.

 

That night, when she realized that the delivery room was filled with pots of pig blood, Old Princess Consort Chu almost asked Steward Gao to bring out the family rules and severely punish her lying son and daughter-in-law.

 

Miantang held her stomach and gently explained to the Old Princess Consort the various ways inside.

 

When it came to the collusion of Imperial Concubine Yun in the palace with Prince Sui and the use of medication to promote the growth of a baby in the food she bought, Old Princess Consort Chu took a cold breath and could no longer reprimand her son and daughter-in-law for pretending to be mischievous.

 

Moreover, Miantang also explained why she was hiding it from the Old Princess Consort and her sister because the Prince’s Residence had planted the ears and eyes of Prince Sui. Even if she had screened them before, she was afraid that the search would not be clean enough.

 

She was afraid of getting the news leaked, so they had to hide it from them. It scared their mother and sister for a while, and when this matter was over, the couple would naturally kneel and be punished.

 

Now Miantang has removed the cushion around her belly, and her belly was neither big nor small, and it doesn’t look as shocking as before.

 

Although the old princess consort was so scared that her soul flew three times that night, what could be more important than ensuring the safety of the people in her residence? If being scared once can eliminate those cunning people, then she was willing to be scared again.

 

And that night, many ghosts and monsters in the outer courtyard of the residence were exposed. Just as the capital was undergoing a crackdown and rectification, many people were also bundled out of the outer courtyard of the royal residence.

 

After the ministers were finally released from the palace, many ladies took the initiative to knock on the door knocker of the Huaiyang Prince’s Residence, all of whom came to inquire about the meaning of the emperor.

 

Unfortunately, the Huaiyang Princess Consort has not yet given birth, and she was afraid of being tired, so all visitors will be restricted.

 

When Miantang was free, she took the trouble to inquire about Princess Consort Sui. There are rampant snakes and mice in Prince Sui’s Residence, but Princess Consort Sui was a pity. She just married the wrong person and she doesn’t know what was her situation now.

 

If the people of the royal family are sent out in the future, Miantang still hopes to lend a slight helping hand to support Princess Consort Sui.

 

When she asked Cui Xingzhou, Cui Xingzhou looked at her and said. “I know you pity her for her weakness because I had slandered her reputation and felt that you owed her a debt. But there is no end to the egg in the nest. If this matter were up to me, you don’t have to say, I would spare her a life. But… The night Prince Sui committed the crime, he untied his belt and committed suicide in prison. After hearing that Prince Sui had died, Princess Consort Sui and their son died by sacrificing themselves and jumping into the well. You don’t have to worry about those who are no longer there.”

 

Miantang couldn’t help but widen her eyes and hesitated, “Prince Sui… Doesn’t seem like someone who will commit suicide, and Princess Consort Sui shouldn’t have such a strong and chaste temperament.”

 

Thinking that Prince Sui was not favored by the previous emperor at the beginning, he led his cultivation and has been accumulating strength. What perseverance does he have? How could he be caught and die disheartened?

 

Besides Princess Consort Sui, she was rumored to have been kidnapped by bandits and was able to survive under the stigma. How could she jump into a well with his son now just because Prince Sui committed suicide?

 

Cui Xingzhou glanced at her and said faintly, “Although you have been a bandit before, you always show a bit of softhearted toward people. In this regard, you are not as good as… Others…”

 

On that day, all the soldiers who went to Prince Sui’s Residence were personal soldiers of the Shi family. The specific details of the situation were unknown to Prince Huaiyang, but he could probably imagine the tragedy that night.

 

The Shi family certainly does not want the miracle of Liu Yu’s escape to happen again to the son of Prince Sui, so they are determined to eradicate the root and leave no trace of vitality behind.

 

Miantang listened in silence and finally sighed in her heart, “So it seems that Ziyu is truly an intelligent person, knowing what kind of virtuous wife can help him reach the top. Even if I didn’t run away in those days, the person he wanted to marry in the end would never be me.”

 

These are Miantang’s true words. If the two armies were to face each other and engage in a battle, it would not be a problem for Miantang. Whatever plot was to use, she will accept all of it and fight back.

 

But these people are wiring thousands of miles, cutting down the roots of their political enemies, and even being ruthless to the young children. She was not to that standard.

 

Just as Liu Miantang was silent, Cui Xingzhou didn’t speak either. He just slowly shook the teacup in his hand, allowing the water to gently ripple.

 

The room was extremely quiet for a moment.

 

When Miantang regained her senses, she asked Cui Xingzhou if he had the same idea as her.

 

“After careful consideration, although the strategy of Prince Sui was clever, he lost every opportunity. In the end, it was he and Imperial Concubine Yun who made us the primary enemy, but they overlooked one person…”

 

Miantang didn’t continue, but Cui Xingzhou had already guessed who she was talking about.

 

The reason why Prince Sui was defeated this time was entirely due to the rebellion of Huaping around Imperial Concubine Yun.

 

Miantang also listened to Empress Shi when she was visiting her pregnancy. When Sun Yunniang first befriended her, Empress Shi had unintentionally assisted Huaping several times. Therefore, this time when Imperial Concubine Yun conspired with Prince Sui to poison and falsely accuse Prince Huaiyang, Huaping felt that it was inappropriate and secretly approached the Empress to reveal the truth.

 

Miantang didn’t know how much help Empress Shi had given to Huaping, but this time she was able to uncover the poison plot of Prince Sui. It was indeed due to the help of Empress Shi.

 

This empress, who was carefree and contented, finally helped her husband secure the throne after cutting off the power of Empress Dowager and pulling out Prince Sui.

 

Nowadays, people all over the capital envy Prince Huaiyang as a royalist party, standing firm in this capital coup and becoming the mainstay of governing the court.

 

But Miantang felt that there might still be undercurrents flowing beneath the river, and they couldn’t take it lightly.

 

However, the imperial family, led by the Empress Dowager, did not establish their roots in the court recently. She heard that although the Empress Dowager was trapped in the deep palace, several old princes directly wrote a letter, imploring His Majesty to permit them to meet the Empress Dowager, to make the people of the world feel at ease.

 

This was a matter for the harem. Empress Shi was in a difficult situation and wanted to discuss it with someone. Therefore, she summoned Liu Miantang to enter the palace.