After Consort Wu gave birth to a prince in the twelfth lunar month, the entire imperial palace was filled with joy.
Preparations for the New Year were underway everywhere in the palace. Decorations of lanterns and festoons were hung all around, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year suddenly became several times stronger.
Everyone felt at ease in their hearts, which was why they were so enthusiastic about celebrating the New Year.
Now that things had settled down, Jiang Yunshu was surprised to find out, through comparison, how restless the people in the palace had been before.
Taoye, Zhezhi, Xiazhi, and Xiaoman around her all had beaming faces.
Only then did Jiang Yunshu realize belatedly what the emperor meant to the people of the Great Qi Dynasty.
In the hearts of the people at this time, a country could not be without a ruler, just as the sky could not be without the sun.
In this strong festive atmosphere, Jiang Yunshu also felt at ease and happy.
The arrival of the Young Emperor in the Great Qi Dynasty was, of course, also a great thing for her!
When the emperor died, his son should succeed him. If there was no son, then his brothers would come to fight for the throne.
Jiang Yunshu wasn't clear about how many brothers the late emperor had and how many princes there were in the Great Qi. There were probably seven or eight of them. They were all not in the capital but in their own fiefs.
If seven or eight princes fought for the throne together, wouldn't there be a war!
Just thinking about the war made Jiang Yunshu extremely scared.
Moreover, the princes were all grown - ups. After ascending the throne, they would surely not be willing to be Xie Lin's puppets and might even deal with Xie Lin!
Now Jiang Yunshu relied entirely on Xie Lin's protection, so she definitely stood on Xie Lin's side!
Of course, it was better for the Young Emperor to succeed to the throne. Everyone would be safe and sound. Even if the Young Emperor didn't want to be a puppet, that would be a matter more than a decade later...
Moreover, the Young Emperor had been in Xie Lin's control since he was born. Xie Lin would surely not give the Young Emperor a chance to develop "rebellious thoughts".
So it was really good for the Young Emperor to succeed to the throne! There would be at least a decade or two of stability, and the common people could live and work in peace. If she was lucky enough, she could continue to eat, sleep, and dance as she did now.
Xie Lin noticed that since Consort Wu gave birth to the young prince, Jiang Yunshu had been happy every day.
Xie Lin couldn't understand it. "You're very happy?"
Jiang Yunshu nodded. "Yes."
The Great Qi Dynasty had a Young Emperor, and the New Year was coming soon. It was a double - joy occasion.
Xie Lin couldn't understand. Didn't Jiang Yunshu feel jealous?
Both being concubines, Consort Wu had given birth to the Young Emperor and would be the Empress Dowager in the future.
She, Concubine Jiang, served him, a eunuch, every day.
Jealousy was a natural human emotion. Xie Lin remembered Jiang Yunshu's elder sister. When she saw the East pearls on her shoe tips, the expression on her face was distorted.
Didn't Jiang Yunshu ever think about... becoming the Empress Dowager herself?
But there was really no trace of jealousy on Jiang Yunshu's face. She was genuinely happy.
Xie Lin frowned. "What on earth are you so happy about?"
Jiang Yunshu replied without hesitation, "With the Young Emperor, the capital will be stable."
"When the capital is stable, I can continue to live my peaceful little life. Of course, it's worth being happy about."
Jiang Yunshu smiled with a calm and contented look on her face. Her eyes were bright, as if filled with stars.
Such a smile, which Xie Lin used to think was beautiful, now seemed glaring to him because he had been in a bad mood these days.
Xie Lin couldn't help but pierce through Jiang Yunshu's innocence.
He sneered, "Do you really think an unprotected Young Emperor can grow up safely and secure his throne?"
"A helpless baby. The more precious his status is, the more dangerous his situation will be."
Xie Lin's eyes changed several times. It was unknown what he was thinking about.
"Like a child carrying a lot of gold through the market... His throne is his death warrant."
Jiang Yunshu looked at Xie Lin in confusion. "Won't the Chief Eunuch protect the Young Emperor?"
Jiang Yunshu thought that Xie Lin wanted the Young Emperor to survive more. He needed the Young Emperor to be his puppet. Otherwise, why had he gone against all odds and left the throne vacant for several months, waiting for Consort Wu to give birth to the young prince?
Xie Lin smiled sinisterly. "If he wants my protection, then it depends on whether he can satisfy me."
Jiang Yunshu didn't understand. The Young Emperor was just a baby. What was there to be satisfied or not satisfied about?
Was it about whether he drank a lot of milk or whether his burps were loud?
Seeing Jiang Yunshu's blank expression, Xie Lin leaned over and pinched her chin, and said again, "If you want my protection... then it depends on whether you can satisfy me."
An hour later, Jiang Yunshu came out of the bath limply and finally understood that what Xie Lin had said just now was not meant for the young prince... but for her.
