Chapter 36

"Jingge'er is a good child, sturdy like a little calf."

The Empress looked at Xu Zaijing with a kind expression.

As everyone talked, Xu Zaijing sat quietly and sensibly behind the screen.

If the Empress had a question, he would answer; if there was no question, he would sit quietly.

By the time the noble ladies outside the screen had almost run out of topics to talk about,

everyone prepared to take their leave.

The Empress leaned on a large pillow and beckoned to Xu Zaijing.

"Jingge'er, good child, come before me, let me look at you again."

Hearing the Empress speak, Princess Pingning, the Cao family relatives, Sun Shi, and other noble ladies outside the screen stopped talking.

Xu Zaijing naturally walked to the couch obediently.

The Empress gently held Xu Zaijing's little hand, just about to say something.

Suddenly, the Empress's expression froze.

She turned Xu Zaijing's little hand over.

The Empress lived in luxury in the inner palace,

so her hands were naturally incomparably delicate.

Therefore, her sense of touch was also very keen; holding Xu Zaijing's hand, she noticed that Xu Zaijing's palms were full of calluses.

The web between the thumb and index finger of both hands, and especially the fingertips, were somewhat hard.

This was the result of long-term practice holding a spear shaft, as well as years of archery practice.

"Xu family, you are truly hard-hearted; Jingge'er is such a small child, what has his palm become? Someone, bring me that bottle of jade-like skin-tenderizing gel."

The Empress said to Sun Shi with heartache.

"Many thanks to the Empress for your thick love; this little monkey of my family just loves to dance with spears and sticks; before, when I returned to my maternal home, he even made my maternal nephews cry."

"This boy, he just needs to be lively; when his body is sturdy, he can also shoulder things." Not knowing what the Empress thought of, a melancholy flash passed through her eyes.

"Jingge'er, you are still young, you must not practice too much, it will be pulling up seedlings to help them grow. Good child."

"Yes, Empress."

"Good."

After the female official placed an exquisite wooden box into Sun Shi's hands, the Empress let go of Xu Zaijing.

Inside the box was the skin-tenderizing gel exclusively supplied to the royal family.

Waving her hand, everyone left the palace.

The soft sedan chairs in the palace sent the noble ladies to the palace gate.

Princess Pingning got off the soft sedan chair first, but she didn't leave directly; instead, she waited for Sun Shi behind her.

The Princess said goodbye to the Cao family noble ladies, and after seeing Sun Shi, she walked over.

The two walked out together.

Behind them were two teams of female officials and eunuchs carrying quite a few things.

"Madam, the Empress ordered me to bring some things for your family's Jingge'er; you must not decline."

Sun Shi showed surprise and said: "How could this be? As the saying goes, one receives rewards without merit; I am ashamed to receive this reward."

Princess Pingning's face was full of smiles: "Madam, do not think too much; the Empress also wants to seek a good omen."

There were words Princess Pingning didn't say out loud; her son Hengge'er had been very healthy from birth until now.

Looking at the sturdy Xu Zaijing, Princess Pingning believed that there was some good omen on Xu Zaijing.

The Empress had always had few offspring, and Princess Pingning was raised before her; the Empress raised her as her own daughter. Having such thoughts, the Princess, as a daughter, naturally said a few words to the Empress.

Before, during the New Year's visit, the Empress was the first to send good things to Xu Zaijing, and the other concubines also gave some.

The only difference was that the Empress sent it first, which quite had the flavor of the first incense stick at Xingguo Temple.

Every time the Emperor had children before, the Empress would send thousands of taels of gold to Daoist temples and monasteries, hoping they could grow up healthy.

So this time she gave birth to an imperial heir, she was even more unsparing with money, scattering it into monasteries and Daoist temples.

And Xu Zaijing, this walking auspicious omen, she would naturally reward him greatly.

After saying goodbye to the Cao family noble ladies at the palace gate, the stream of rewards behind Princess Pingning was moved into Sun Shi's carriage.

That box of pearls from Northern Liao was large and full.

There was a box of rare bird and animal skins from the Northwest, each one oily and smooth.

There were also jade from the Northwest, coral from the South China Sea, etc., six or seven boxes in total.

Sun Shi let Xu Zaijing get into the carriage.

She looked at Princess Pingning and said: "Princess..."

"Madam, do not think too much."

"Princess, I am truly afraid that my Jingge'er has thin fortune and will share the Empress's fortune."

Princess Pingning understood that Sun Shi was afraid that if something happened to this imperial prince in the future, her child would also be implicated.

"Going to temples and Daoist monasteries to offer incense and incense oil money, if one doesn't get what one wishes, will one tear down their Daoist temples and monasteries? It's mostly seeking peace of mind and a good omen."

While talking, Princess Pingning sighed, looked around, and said,

"I grew up before the Empress since I was a child, and several imperial heirs didn't grow up. Before I had a family and children, I couldn't understand the suffering of being a mother. After I had Hengge'er, I truly admired the Empress."

Sun Shi nodded; after several pains of losing children, the Empress could still be like this, not becoming resentful or sharp-tongued, which is enough to be called a great hero.

"The Princess is right."

The two parted, and Sun Shi sat in her own carriage, looking at her young child and secretly sighing, not knowing if this was a blessing or a curse for her child.

Returning to Quyuanjie Marquis Prefecture.

Xu Zaijing got off the carriage and returned to the courtyard, knowing that his father Xu Minghua had already returned to the prefecture.

Little Zhu ordered the servants in the prefecture to carry the rewards back to the mistress's courtyard together.

Xu Minghua left the room and saw his own Madam.

In front of the children, the two were not very intimate, and Xu Minghua naturally asked about this row of boxes.

Sun Shi only said it was the Empress's reward.

Xu Zaiduan and his brothers and sisters looked at their younger brother and looked at each other.

Xu Minghua pondered.

"Duan'er, you take your younger brother and sister to see the gifts I brought."

"Yes, Father."

After the children left the room, Xu Minghua said to his Madam,

"Madam's consideration is right; if the imperial prince is healthy, it's fine, but if there is something unspeakable, Jing'er might be implicated."

"Official, this mysterious matter, who can say clearly? Our family's Jing'er was calculated by an expert at the beginning, and it was said to be a girl. After birth, it was actually a boy."

"Jing'er has been sensible since he was young; it is somewhat unusual."

"However, I heard from Princess Pingning that in the palace, except for the Empress, the children of several other concubines did not reach full term, and because of various reasons, they..."

The voices of the couple gradually became smaller, and finally, the two discussed and prepared to spend money in the Marquis Prefecture to scatter it in Daoist temples to pray for the country.

Because the daily practice was delayed by entering the palace in the morning, Xu Zaijing finished today's lessons in the racecourse before lunch.

In the stable next to the racecourse, there were several more horses.

On the side, there were several young soldiers about twenty years old.

They looked at the fine horse in the middle in unison, their mouths making clicking sounds continuously.

At this time, someone looked back and saw Xu Zaijing practicing spear techniques; he was not very old, but his spear techniques were quite methodical.

He patted his companion, and the companion also looked over.

"That is the Fifth Young Master of the Prefecture,"

"The young master is not very old, but his spear techniques are quite methodical."

"I heard from Ninth Young Master Xu that some time ago, the young master performed archery in front of the Saint, and that little horse in the field was the reward."

"Huo, being able to perform in front of the Saint is truly amazing."

Another soldier said: "I grew up in Bianjing since I was a child; nobles of the young master's age are still playing."

As they were talking, the servant Qingyun ran and said,

"Young Master, Madam Bai invited the young masters and young ladies of our prefecture to go to the Marquis Prefecture to play."

(End of chapter)