Chapter 127 – Autumn Stage Poetry Society

Miantang’s mouth was pinched flat, like a duck, so she couldn’t speak out to refute.

 

What kind of cow, was it that he disliked her who was being pregnant and had a deformed waist? Suddenly, the circles under her eyes turned red again.

 

When Cui Xingzhou let go, she turned her head and sobbed, saying that he despised her.

 

Cui Xingzhou didn’t expect that after Miantang became pregnant, he would have the fate of Dayu’s flood control. He reluctantly hugged the little cow in his arms and coaxed her to say that being a cow was also very beautiful, with long legs and big buttocks, and could also produce milk.

 

It’s so out of tune, and naturally, made Miantang burst into laughter with tears. Now Miantang has a big belly, and Cui Xingzhou dared not be so rough. He only hugged her and kissed her again and again, hoping that his little cow would give birth smoothly.

 

If anyone had said before that he would have a day without the bandit leader Lu Wen, he would definitely sneer.

 

But now, even when others said that she will have a slight accident, he can’t bear it. Even if she was a disaster, she must be by his side for thousands of years!

 

However, the rumors about the estrangement between Prince Huaiyang and his wife are really getting louder and louder outside.

 

Anyone with some connections knows that the princess consort seems to have concealed some shameful past, deceiving the prince into marrying into the residence.

 

Imperial Concubine Yun, who knelt in front of the royal ancestral temple and had her knees red and swollen, had been resting in her palace these days. Upon hearing this, she was overjoyed. She just asked her maid Huaping, “Is that really the case?”

 

Huaping nodded repeatedly and whispered, “That’s what they all say. I heard that Prince Huaiyang had beaten her hard, completely disregarding her pregnancy. Isn’t he going to kill her? Maybe it’s going to lead to miscarriage and death…”

 

In addition to being pleasantly surprised, Imperial Concubine Yun also repeatedly clenched her wrists and said, “I didn’t expect that Prince Huaiyang had not found out her background before. I still wonder how the two people who had fought so hard before could have slept on the same bed without even knowing it. I even thought Liu Miantang was so lucky. It turned out that he had married the bandit leader. Hahaha, it’s really ridiculous.”

 

Immediately after, Yunniang’s face stiffened and she said, “Tell the people of the imperial examination department that this matter must not be told to the emperor. If Liu Yu found out that Liu Miantang had been rejected by Prince Huaiyang, he would be overjoyed and eager to bring that slut into the palace.”

 

Even considering the face of Prince Huaiyang and not taking Liu Miantang into the palace, it would be enough to be angry and have a homestead outside to raise her! So Liu Yu should not know anything about the conflict between Prince Huaiyang and his wife.

 

When Liu Miantang “accidentally” dies in the residence, Liu Yu will be heartbroken.

 

Thinking of this, Sun Yunniang unexpectedly opened her mouth and smiled coldly.

 

She was no longer the innocent girl who completely presented her heart to Ziyu.

 

In the few days when no one was paying attention to her in front of the ancestral temple, her heart became even harder and colder. She wanted to stand firm in this palace, wielding immense power, and for those who did not respect or love her, she will no longer give a d*mn to them anymore.

 

Now, she needed to get pregnant first, and only then could she have the capital to compete with Empress Shi. Thinking of this, she asked Huaping, “Is that medicine ready?”

 

Huaping whispered, “It’s all ready now. You only need to apply it to your body to emit a strange fragrance. The emperor will definitely stay overnight.”

 

Yunniang nodded and said, “Tomorrow is the day when the emperor will come to my palace. The empress has just given birth, and if this opportunity is not taken advantage of by our palace, we won’t have a chance once the fatso recovers her health.”

 

Huaping quickly nodded, but she was worried and said, “It’s just that the medicine will eventually be unhealthy, and there won’t be any accidents, right?”

 

Yunniang glared at her fiercely and said, “What accident? The most important thing now is that our palace’s belly should conceive a dragon son as soon as possible, otherwise, any cat or dog can bully our palace.”

 

Huaping was too scared to speak. When the master spoke, she couldn’t help but listen, but the emperor’s body was already weak. If she had used this medicine… Huaping dared not think anymore but secretly prayed that her master would conceive and stabilize as soon as possible.

 

The underground currents are surging inside the palace, but the weather outside was beautiful in early autumn.

 

Miantang’s Autumn Stage Poetry Society has officially opened.

 

Perhaps it was due to the strong curiosity aroused by the right and wrong of the Huaiyang Prince’s Residence. Although Huaiyang Princess Consort only posted a few dozen posts, those who took the posts were all attracted by friends, and almost all the ladies and madams of each mansion were out.

 

The Poetry Society values popularity, so it always tacitly agrees to bring friends. At that time, the opening ceremony of the Autumn Stage Poetry Society was very strong.

 

The newly purchased garden by Princess Consort Huaiyang was Xiaoxi Garden in the suburbs of the capital. This courtyard was originally the garden of Princess Sheng’an, the aunt of the late emperor, and was also known as a scenic spot in the capital at that time. Unexpectedly, the Huaiyang Princess Consort bought it.

 

The garden had been abandoned for many years, and the Huaiyang Princess Consort bought it shortly after, so the people who came here thought they were only seeing a half-old garden that had been hastily repaired.

 

However, when they got out of the carriage and entered the courtyard, even those who were accustomed to the bustling crowd were momentarily stunned.

 

This was not a renovation, it was a reconstruction. The garden flowers and plants are all exquisite, and everywhere exudes a sense of ‘I am very wealthy’.

 

But Miantang felt that her courtyard was filled with “I am very leisure”.

 

There was no other way, these days, Cui Xingzhou has been watching her closely and not allowing her to run around. So all her energy poured into this courtyard.

 

However, the elegant taste of the courtyard was not due to her, but rather to the fact that Prince Huaiyang hired an expert in gardening to plan.

 

It was said that this high-ranking scholar was not easy to attract even a thousand gold back then, and now returning to seclusion was even more difficult to obtain. If it weren’t for some old friendship between Prince Huaiyang and him, he wouldn’t have taken on this job.

 

Miantang has always respected those who have skills, and after hearing about this expert’s abilities, she was even more obedient to his words. As a result, the drawings became larger and larger, and more gold and silver were used to fill them.

 

Thanks to the strong family foundation accumulated over the years by Miantang and the support of the old wealth accumulated on the Mountain of Yang, it was able to survive.

 

However, every night when she dialed the abacus, the heart of Leader Lu was dripping with blood, and she needed to meditate on the Heart Sutra to control so as to not strangle the expert.

 

She even tugged at the sleeve of the prince’s clothes and asked if they had colluded to spend all her money to prevent her from running away.

 

Prince Huaiyang looked at his wife, who was as frugal as a mythical wild animal, it was funny and he said, “Otherwise, why do you think that garden can’t be sold? When you indicate that you wanted to purchase it, don’t I also advise you to change it? But you don’t want to listen, you still pester me to find someone who is not a layman to design a garden for you. Creating a garden is originally a matter of spending money, and some families with limited wealth may even need more than ten years to repair it. Now that this garden seems to have undergone a major renovation, but it actually relies on the original pavilion design. Don’t worry, the rent from the State of Zhen this year is about to be collected. You can make the most of it. If it’s still lacking, I’ll fill it out for you in the future.”

 

Miantang has become accustomed to careful calculation, and may never learn the carefree spirit of Cui Xingzhou when it comes to spending money.

 

However, after the garden was repaired and the flowers and plants were raised, Miantang walked around and had to admit that the money was well spent. Such a delicate garden was the first time she had ever seen it in her life.

 

Now, as she watched the guests’ admiring expressions as they entered the garden, the Huaiyang Princess Consort finally understood the joy of the black sheep teasing cats and dogs, and dissipating her wealth.

 

After looking at the garden, the ladies couldn’t help but blush with excitement. They have heard for a long time that the princess consort has always been in good business and has a very rich field store in her hands. Now, looking at this garden, it was true.

 

But what’s the use of being rich? It was heard that she was despised by the prince, and now her background has spread widely in the capital. The face of Prince Huaiyang cannot be ignored, and sooner or later he will despise her.

 

Since ancient times, how many wealthy merchants have reluctantly married into aristocratic families to gain access to wealth, but ultimately ended up with nothing? This kind of thing has happened before. No matter how good those women are, after marrying into a wealthy family, they basically become short-lived ghosts and die early, with all their dowries paid to their husband’s families.

 

For a moment, everyone looked at the Huaiyang Princess Consort with mixed emotions, both envious and sympathetic.

 

To cover her pregnant belly, Miantang was wearing a long skirt with pleats and a wide swing, with a moon-white bottom and narrow sleeves half revealing a pair of white wrists. The skirt was elegantly adorned with the embroidered phoenix butterflies of the State of Su. Although her slender waist was not visible, the gilded embroidered cloud band was high above her abdomen, making her shoulders thin and slender. The snowy peaks towered high, and a playful slanted bun was interspersed with a swaying tourmaline gold hairpin. Her pink face was like apricot blossoms reflecting the rosy clouds, and her agile big eyes were filled with laughter.

 

No matter how people look at it, she doesn’t seem like a pregnant woman, with no signs of being overweight or out of shape.

 

If only looking at the expression of the princess consort, they can’t tell that she was severely beaten by the prince not long ago.

 

But who among the noblewomen in the capital was uneducated to dress up and cover up their dirty linen? The Huaiyang Princess Consort has lost her teeth and swallowed blood, and it was understandable that she must pretend to be fine.

 

Unfortunately, among the guests who came this time, in addition to the guests invited by Miantang, some came uninvited to watch the excitement. Naturally, some people started secretly emitting sour water.

 

The wife of the Right Attendant of the Ministry of Works, Qian-Shi, was the niece of the Lady of the Duke of Qingguo. Her aunt was seriously ill with anger from the Huaiyang Prince’s Residence, and she was also angry as a niece.

 

She came with Princess Consort Sui this time. After looking at this exquisite garden and Liu Miantang’s pretty appearance, she couldn’t help but feel jealous and said, “What comes out of this small family is short-sighted. How could anyone in the capital be so ostentatious now?”

 

Princess Consort Sui did not answer but also let out a slight sigh. She was in Prince Sui’s Residence and naturally knew more than these ladies. Nowadays, her days are also full of scenery, but in reality, they are extremely bitter.

 

Due to the scandal of her being kidnapped from the State of Zhen, any concubine in the Sui Prince’s Residence can ride on her and act wildly. Prince Sui no longer entered her room, and the feeling of being a widow was really uncomfortable.

 

So for Princess Consort Huaiyang who had the same experiences, Princess Consort Sui felt empathy for the same experience.