Chapter 1429 - 1336: Mother and Daughter’s Nature (Part 3)

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t truly believe that the empire was solely hers. To put it bluntly, being the emperor was just a job, a job where she could fulfill her ambitions and realize her blueprint.

Since it’s a job, there should be a clear distinction between public and private matters.

Seeing Zhao Hanzhang’s displeased expression, Qing Gu quickly interrupted Mrs. Wang from continuing her persuasion, laughing, "Your Majesty, weren’t you looking for His Majesty about the Eldest Prince’s hundredth day celebration?"

"Ah, yes," Mrs. Wang remembered and quickly said, "Princess Hongnong has sent many things for the child. Previously, because of the former King of Xiliang’s funeral, we didn’t celebrate Mingming’s full month properly. We must have a proper celebration for the hundredth day, right?"

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at the icy snow outside. Though twenty-seven days of national mourning had passed, she still shook her head, "Invite the Princess and the Prince Consort into the palace. We can celebrate with just our family. Let’s wait until her first birthday."

Mrs. Wang felt distressed.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Mother, don’t worry. In the future, her siblings will be the same. We won’t celebrate their full month or hundredth day extensively; we’ll only celebrate their first birthday."

Mrs. Wang: ...felt even more distressed.

Zhao Hanzhang knew that Mrs. Wang’s wishes were fulfilled, especially as she loved Mingming the most at this moment. Let alone her, even Zhao Erlang and her combined couldn’t compare to a single finger of Mingming.

She gave the child a nickname, Zhu Yu, meaning ’as precious as pearls and jade’, but Zhao Hanzhang found it too common and thought Mingming was more appropriate. That loud cry when she was born startled both her and Fu Tinghan, which is why she insisted on calling her Mingming.

Mrs. Wang wanted the child to stay by her side, but she worried the child wouldn’t be close to Zhao Hanzhang. So she planned for Zhao Hanzhang to play with her during the day, and at night, since Zhao Hanzhang needed to rest for the next day’s work, she would take care of the child at night.

But Zhao Hanzhang thought it was troublesome to move the child back and forth. The weather was cold, making it easy for the child to catch a cold. Moreover, changing locations day and night might be uncomfortable for the child’s eyes, so she insisted that the child be raised in her rear palace.

The front and rear palace were connected, but there was a certain distance between them. The palace maids could take care of the child in the rear palace without affecting the front palace, and she could occasionally go back to check on her.

In less than three months, the mother and daughter had quarreled several times over childcare matters, ranging from the child’s eating and sleeping to the nursemaid’s daily life.

In contrast, Princess Hongnong’s neither near nor far demeanor was more comfortable for her.

Since giving birth, Princess Hongnong visited the palace often to see the child, but she never interfered. Each time she came, she would only bring things and then leave after a brief visit.

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but tell Fu Tinghan, "I wish my mother could be like the Princess."

Fu Tinghan, having played the role of peacemaker for two months, maintained his usual expression, teasing Mingming on the bed with a colorful ball, "If Mother were like the Princess, you might feel sad, thinking she doesn’t care about you."

Zhao Hanzhang swore, "I would never think that. Oh heavens, please let her not love Mingming so much."

Fu Tinghan couldn’t help but laugh, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "The mourning period is over, and the Capital City has seen several snowfalls. Guo Pu says there will be more snow later in the month. I’ve heard the plum grove outside the city is budding, and these days have been sunny. By the end of the month, the buds might be half open. If you don’t want Mother to focus entirely on you and the child, perhaps she could host a flower viewing banquet and take a break outside the palace."

Zhao Hanzhang agreed immediately, "Perfect timing. In this cold weather, the flower viewing banquet could be charitable. The collected funds could be donated to Yushan Hall and the needy in various regions. Even providing more firewood, clothing, and blankets would be good."

The Imperial Family’s charitable affairs have always been under the Empress Dowager’s name. Since Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan hold real power in the front palace, many charitable investments are made in the name of the Empress Dowager.

Zhao Hanzhang noted this down, planning to discuss it with Mrs. Wang the next day. With busy work to distract her, their mother-daughter relationship shouldn’t deteriorate rapidly because of the child, right?

Zhao Hanzhang leaned over the bed to watch Mingming, who was eagerly grabbing at the colorful ribbons, and gently tapped her soft cheek, saying, "It’s all your fault for being so lovable."

Mingming seemed to know her mother was talking to her. She excitedly shook her legs, waved her hand, then clenched her small fists, and her eyes widened as her face turned red for a moment.

Zhao Hanzhang’s body stiffened. Fu Tinghan immediately kneeled and prepared to take her away, saying repeatedly, "Wait, wait, just wait a bit."

Mingming already exhaled, and a foul smell quickly filled the hall. She seemed pleased, her complexion relaxed, and she grinned widely, happily waving her hands again.

Zhao Hanzhang stepped off the bed with her usual expression, took two steps back to distance herself from the father and daughter, then turned her head and called out, "Someone—"