0p0 Chapter 465: Receiving the wind and washing away the dust
Chapter 465: Receiving the wind and washing away the dust
In fact, the prince just realized once again that the Crown Princess and his own mother were completely different. The two of them cared about different things, focused on different things, and had different ways of doing things.
When the Crown Prince paid his respects to Lan Qingwu once again, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Mother, I am your son who has disappointed you."
Lan Qingwu glanced at the prince and said, "What do you mean by that?"
She paused and continued, "Chu Ming, the Crown Princess has just entered the palace and is already familiar with these palace affairs. We should give her some more time. Besides, the matter of taking charge of Qingciyuan should be done slowly. If the Crown Princess really does not want to take over this responsibility in the future, then the Queen Mother will naturally choose someone else. This requires willingness. Don't put pressure on her. Otherwise, even if she takes over Qingciyuan in the future, she won't be able to do it well. If something goes wrong, it will go against the Queen Mother's original intention."
The prince nodded and replied, "Mother, I understand."
Rumors were still circulating secretly in the palace. When Lan Qingwu learned that Hai Lanshan's pregnancy was stable, he invited her and the concubines in the harem to a banquet, under the pretext of welcoming Madam Zuo. Naturally, the Crown Princess, the princes' wives, and the female relatives of the royal family were all present.
Among them, Emperor Shenwu's younger sister Princess Yuhua came happily upon invitation, and Prince An's newly married wives Princess An, Princess Ding, and Princess Kang all arrived as promised.
The Crown Princess was slightly stunned when she received the invitation. Rumors were flying everywhere outside, but her mother-in-law did not take any action at all. Instead, she went straight to the core of the problem and exposed the people caught in the vortex of rumors.
A group of the most distinguished women of the Dasheng Dynasty were gathered together by the Empress of the Central Palace. Naturally, they would pay close attention to this woman who had been the subject of the most recent rumors. After all, the Emperor Shenwu was in his prime, yet he hadn't accepted any women into his harem for many years. How could they not be curious?
Lan Qingwu directly moved Hai Lanshan's seat to his left, making her more respected than all the other female members of the royal family. "As you can see, this is the only female general of our Dasheng Dynasty. She has been guarding the people of Liuyun City since she was young. She has shed blood and sweat for the people of our Dasheng Dynasty, killed pirates and trained soldiers. General Hai is also the wife of General Zuo Xiaohu. This time, General Hai traveled thousands of miles to the imperial city to plead for the people of Liuyun City once again. She is truly a pillar of our Dasheng Dynasty and a heroine! General Hai, on behalf of the people of Liuyun City, I would like to offer you a toast! I will drink this cup to the bottom, General Hai, please do as you please!"
When Hai Lanshan heard such high praise from Lan Qingwu, her eyes turned slightly red. She hurriedly picked up the teacup and took a sip, but found that the cup had been replaced with sour plum juice by the palace servants.
"Your Majesty, you are trying to embarrass me!"
Over the years, the words Hai Lanshan heard the most were that women will get married and have children sooner or later. Now that you are married, don’t be willful anymore, don’t go to the military camp, and let the men guard Liuyun City well!
It wasn't that she wasn't heartbroken, it wasn't that she wasn't upset. Just because she got married, how could all her past achievements be erased? She could give up the command, but why couldn't she continue to be a general? Hai Lanshan was also a stubborn person. She refused to give up, she refused to accept. In short, she had been tossing and turning for several years. If it weren't for Zuo Xiaohu's deep affection and respect for her, she thought she would have given up long ago.
Hai Lanshan didn't expect that the mother of the world was right here in the majestic imperial harem, praising her generously, without reservation, sincerely, and openly, telling herself that someone had always seen and remembered what she had devoted and worked hard for over the years!
Hai Lanshan drank more than half a cup of plum juice in a state of excitement. Lan Qingwu smiled and said, "General Hai, don't drink too much! This plum juice is a bit cool!"
Several princesses and princes' wives were about to stand up and toast Hai Lanshan, but were stunned for a moment by what Lan Qingwu said.
Princess Ding immediately broke the silence: "Your Majesty, since you said so, is General Hai feeling unwell?"
She was one of the people who knew the truth early on, and she cooperated with Lan Qingwu's question at this time in order to dispel those ridiculous rumors.
Lan Qingwu said in a deep voice, "General Hai was selfless and righteous. He braved all the hardships on his way to the Imperial City, but he didn't even care about his almost two-month-old baby. Fortunately, God is watching over us. Our ancestors and loyal martyrs of the Dasheng Dynasty are all silently protecting these loyal and brave soldiers."
Princess Ding immediately responded, "General Hai is truly a heroine! This princess offers a toast to General Hai!"
The next few princesses, princesses, and princes' wives were all full of admiration and raised their glasses.
Lan Qingwu stopped them and said, "You better take it easy. General Hai, there's no need to drink too much. Just tell the younger generation more stories about Floating Cloud City in the Sea Region!"
Hai Lanshan readily agreed. The First and Third Princes' wives also became interested and frequently asked about the sea, occasionally sighing, "Hearing General Hai's description of the sea as boundless, vast and deep, it makes me yearn for it!"
"What a pity I can't see the sea!"
For a moment, the banquet was very lively, and everyone was in high spirits, toasting each other.
The Crown Princess kept speculating in her mind that the Empress had done a very smart job. Not only did she welcome Hai Lanshan and express the royal family's attention to the sea, but this step also directly and effectively shattered the rumors that had been circulating in the palace. After this banquet, who would dare to say that Emperor Shenwu had a new love and a son? Who would dare to question that Emperor Shenwu was finally tired of the Empress and that the Empress would fall out of favor with the emperor?
The Crown Princess hadn't anticipated this. Lan Qingwu truly admired Hai Lanshan, the female general! This was incredibly rare and difficult in the Dasheng Dynasty! Women didn't live by relying on men. Looking at Hai Lanshan, Lan Qingwu felt as if she were seeing someone from that world!