Tuoba Hong put the two children outside the palace to raise them, also giving himself time. At least in recent years, the Shangguan family will not be able to propose that they be made crown princes, Tuoba Hong makes good use of these few years, it is possible to completely destroy the Shangguan family, and at the very least weaken their power.

  So it has to be said that Shangguan Li's move was very much to Tuoba Hong's taste. Although she had been exiled, Shangguan Li still hadn't completely surrendered, and everything was possible in the future. Moreover, what's wrong with leaving the palace for their fief? Shangguan Li and her two sons went to Yangzhou to be local emperors, and there would no longer be any harem struggles; local officials and commoners would all have to treat them as ancestors, and their quality of life would definitely be better than in the palace.

  Under the care of Shangguan's family, the two children grew up safely without any issues.

  As Lin Wan had expected, on the second day at dawn, the Emperor did not investigate the cause of the flooding in Jingren Palace, but instead used the name of "Heavenly Decree" to cover it up.

  As a result, the civil and military officials of the court also believed that the third and fourth princes had a predetermined fate. All the officials advised the emperor that it was indeed a wise move to send the two princes out of the palace. Wang Qinglian, the university scholar of the Hanlin Academy, who had a stubborn personality, spoke out against it, saying: "The twin princes should inherit the throne, how can they be placed outside the palace?" However, he was quickly refuted by others: "The two princes are so weak in body, if they die prematurely due to illness, how can they have a chance to inherit the throne? It's better to take the lesser of two evils, even if it means sending them out of the palace for their own safety!"

  After discussing for several days, the matter of the third and fourth princes leaving the palace to recuperate was settled, with no further changes. Later, in the rear palace, Chang and the Imperial Concubine Gui seemed impatient, and after giving birth, they didn't even complete their month-long confinement before hastily departing under the arrangements of Shang Gongzhong. Originally, the Empress Dowager had wanted to keep her and the two princes until after the New Year's celebrations, but the Imperial Concubine insisted on leaving, submitting a tearful memorial to the Empress Dowager: "Not being able to give the two princes healthy bodies is already a great fault; now with heavenly omens and the imperial physician advising an early departure from the palace, I dare not stay in the palace any longer."

  She was in such a hurry that Empress Dowager did not say anything, and Emperor Xiaoming also nodded in agreement. When she left, it was early dawn, and the imperial consorts did not have time to see her off, only Emperor Xiaoming sent her off at the palace gate before bidding farewell.

  The Imperial Consort, although leaving the palace, heard that her procession was still very grand, with half of the Empress's ceremonial escort and thousands of attendants and palace staff following in an array to Yangzhou City. In addition to the Imperial Consort and the two princes, the young Princess Zhaochun also went together.

  After that, Tuoba Hong finally got rid of a heart disease and his expression was much more relaxed than in the past few days. On the second day after Changhe Guifei left the palace, he summoned Lin Yuan and Tian Pin and several other favored concubines to go together to Shanglin Garden to enjoy the scenery.

  Inside the Shanglin Garden, there are four pavilions: Wan Chun, Fu Bi, Qian Qiu and Cheng Rui. On a winter day, one naturally wants to go to the Cheng Rui Pavilion. The Cheng Rui Pavilion is square with multiple eaves, with a corridor extending south from it, and outside is a stone bridge over clear water, a common structure in imperial palaces that is not particularly novel. However, all around are planted a large number of plum trees, of varying species, which bloom in a riot of color, making it the most suitable place to visit on a winter's day.

  Tuoba Hong and the others sat in a circle in the pavilion, today's weather was very good, not only did it not snow, but the sun was also warm. The fire basin was lit in the Qingrui Pavilion, and the "beautiful woman" with three open sides had a hundred-leaf screen on its head, several people wore thick brocade and wore gloves, naturally they didn't feel cold anymore.

  Lin Wan and Tian Pin sat next to each other, while Wen Pin, Zhao Shu-Yuan, and Princess Chang Ning sat opposite them. Tian Pin smiled and personally poured wine for everyone, raising her cup in a toast to the Emperor: "Your Majesty has been busy for many days, and the sisters of the harem rarely see Your Majesty; today, you must drink well."

  Tuoba Hong drank the wine with a pleased expression. The six-year-old Princess Changning, who had just picked a bunch of red plum blossoms and entered, smiled and paid her respects: "Your child has not seen Your Majesty for a long time. I wish Your Majesty longevity and boundless happiness, peace and good fortune."

  Chang Ning Emperor's daughter was young, but very quiet and knowledgeable about etiquette. Tuoba Hong smiled as he looked at her, taking the red plum from her hand, but his mind wandered elsewhere. He said to Chang Ning, "Although Father is busy, he will always come to see you. But your sister and two brothers do not have such good fortune, Father has not been able to see them for a long time."

  The several consorts present did not expect the emperor to mention the noble consort at this critical juncture, and their faces all looked somewhat unpleasant. The phrase "lingering ghost" was most apt when used to describe the noble consort. As for food, color, and sex, it's not just in the harem, but probably throughout the land, that you couldn't find anyone more beautiful than the noble consort. Although she had the misfortune of giving birth to two sickly children and had to leave the palace, the emperor would never forget her.

  Zhao Shuwan took her own daughter's hand and gently comforted the emperor, saying: "Your Majesty can rest assured that in Yangzhou City, they are building a palace to welcome the noble consort. Princess Zhaochun and the young princes will not suffer in Yangzhou. When they grow up and return to the capital, Your Majesty will see the princesses standing tall and elegant, and the princes strong and handsome, and you will only feel joy."

  Tuoba Hong sighed and said, "It's also." Zhao Chun was not his biological daughter, but after three years of living together, they had developed a bond - in fact, Tuoba Hong was really worried about the Empress and the two newborn princes. At first, he had been furious at Linji Palace, scaring the Empress so much that she lost her voice crying and begging for mercy, fearing that he would kill the children. But in reality, Tuoba Hong was also a human being with feelings, and although he was dissatisfied, he couldn't bring himself to harm the children. Now, as he banished them from the palace, Tuoba Hong felt a pang of sadness - having few descendants, he naturally loved children, and for the sake of his imperial ambitions, letting the two young princes suffer made him soften despite his anger.

  Moreover, the imperial concubine kept shouting that she was wronged, perhaps it was true. Her confidantes, Lan Rui and six female doctors, were severely tortured by the empress for several days, but nothing was gained, and no one changed their statement to say that the imperial concubine had taken any improper medicine. It is unknown whether they were telling the truth or being overly loyal to the imperial concubine.

  Now this matter has become a mystery, Lan Tai died by hitting the wall in the Censorate, and the six female doctors were also beaten to death by the Empress.

  Tuoba Hong thought of Shangguan Li's appearance when she left, and his heart was filled with melancholy.

  "The day before yesterday, the Empress Dowager was still muttering in front of the concubines, saying that Lin Meimei had won the Emperor's favor and might soon give birth to a little prince. Concubine Heng picked up a peeled chestnut and placed it on the ceramic plate in front of the Emperor, smiling softly and saying: 'Although the crown prince born to Noble Consort is weak and worrying, it's still an auspicious sign, indicating that there will be more children in the palace of Great Qin. The Empress Dowager has always valued Lin Meimei, often reminding her to have children for the Emperor, and the Emperor must also be looking forward to it.'"

  One remark made Wen Pei and Zhao Shuyu both turn their heads in surprise.

  The Empress Dowager did not care about worldly affairs and rarely appeared in front of the crowd, yet no one in the palace could ignore her. The Emperor valued filial piety, and the Empress Dowager's favor was a great honor for an ordinary concubine like Lin Yu. It wasn't the first time Lin Yu had caught the Empress Dowager's eye either.

  It's not easy to gain the favor of the Empress Dowager, as Wen Pin waited upon her with diligence and hard work, but was still squeezed out by Chu Huasheng, and in the end did not gain any benefits from the Empress Dowager. However, towards Lin Yuan, the Empress Dowager showed no restraint in her appreciation, even advising the Emperor to bestow more favors on Lin Yuan, hoping that she would give birth to a son or daughter. These matters were all known by the people of the harem, who grew increasingly jealous of Lin Yuan.

  Lin Yan was drinking a cup of jasmine milk tea, and upon hearing this, she gently put down her teacup and said slowly: "The Empress Dowager has been looking forward to it for so long, but unfortunately, Concubine Cheng's favor has not yielded any results in a year."

  "The Empress Dowager is right, Lin Yuer, you don't have to be too anxious." Tuoba Hong looked at Lin Yuer with a warm tone. Chu Shi's words comforted him somewhat. Although the Noble Consort and two princes had left, there were still people in the palace. The ladies of Lin, Chu, and Xu were all good. And wasn't there another child in Ye Shi's belly? In the future, having many children and grandchildren to enjoy family happiness was not an unattainable vision.

  Lin Wan lowered her head, a hint of sadness on her face: "Today, in front of the Emperor, I mentioned these things, and I am really uneasy. As a concubine, I have received more love from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager than I deserve, given my humble origins. Unfortunately, my body is not good, and Doctor Feng, who took my pulse, said that having children would be difficult for me. I have no merit to receive such blessings, and every time I face the Empress Dowager, I feel even more ashamed."

  She looked at Chu Huashang again, smiling faintly: "These days, the concubines are injured and cannot serve the emperor, it's all because of Concubine Tian serving the emperor. Perhaps soon after, Your Ladyship will have good news."

  As soon as this was said, the crowd indeed no longer paid attention to Lin Yuan. Wen Pin first turned her sharp gaze towards Chu Huashang, suppressing anger on her face. Zhao Shuyuan looked at her coldly, also harboring resentment in her heart about the favoritism shown to Chu Huashang day and night.

  If one were to say who in the palace dislikes Chu Shi the most, it would naturally be Wen Pin. She had originally lost favor because of Chu Shi, and although she later regained favor, in the emperor's eyes she was never as favored as Chu Huashang. Now that Chu Shi has been promoted to pin rank and is on an equal footing with her, she feels extremely uncomfortable and is always thinking of ways to suppress Chu Shi.

  Wen Pin's smile was as clear and bright as the autumn moon, and she leisurely said while pouring chrysanthemum tea: "Hui Guiyu is right, Tan Pin is indeed the emperor's favorite. Looking at the three palaces and six courtyards, only Tan Pin, with a lower rank than Guipin, holds the position of palace master, which shows how much the emperor values her." As she spoke, her eyes quickly swept across Tan Pin's face, and she said warmly: "As the saying goes, those who are capable will naturally receive what they deserve. Tan Pin has served the emperor with dedication and should have received these rewards. When I accompanied the empress dowager to worship Buddha, I often thought that we should cultivate our character and nature, share the emperor's worries, and learn from Tan Pin."