Chun Jin returned to Huang Yarou's side and carefully handed Du Yun back to her.
"Is everything arranged, Chun Jin?" Huang Yarou took Du Yun, teasing him while asking.
"Yes, everything has been done according to Your Ladyship's instructions. Please rest assured, Your Ladyship." Chun Jin's face showed respect.
"Is that so? That's good. I hope this arrangement of This Palace will allow Huang'er (Imperial Son) to live happily in the future."
"He will, Your Ladyship. Your arrangement can eliminate dangers to the greatest extent."
"When this batch of infant girls grows into adults, they will become Your Highness's loyal death warriors and servants, ready to die for Your Highness."
Chun Jin spoke with conviction, giving Huang Yarou more confidence in her arrangements.
"I hope so, but we shouldn't expect too much."
"We also need to get our people outside the palace moving, to continue adopting and training more orphans."
"This way, even if Huang'er (Imperial Son) doesn't contend for power when he grows up, he will still have enough self-preservation ability."
"To avoid falling into sibling rivalry without any means of resistance."
The more Chun Jin listened, the brighter her eyes became: "Your Ladyship is truly far-sighted, This Servant admires you."
"If the little Your Highness knew how much Your Ladyship has done for him, he would surely be even more filial to Your Ladyship when he grows up."
Huang Yarou smiled faintly, temporarily offering no comment.
Her jade hand gently patted Du Yun, who had eaten his fill and was now soundly asleep.
As for what she was thinking, only she herself knew... When Du Yun woke up again, the sky outside had completely darkened.
However, the room was not dim, showing that the palace lamps' illumination effect was quite impressive.
After hastily dealing with today's memorials, Emperor Du Qian came to Vermilion Bird Hall again, wanting to see the current state of the mother and son.
Then, during a casual chat with Huang Yarou, Du Yun's name was decided.
"Your Majesty, This Concubine hopes that when Huang'er (Imperial Son) grows up, he can be like the white clouds in the sky."
"Carefree every day, Free and easy without worries."
"Therefore, I suggest the character 'Yun' (cloud). What does Your Majesty think?"
Looking at the expectant Huang Yarou, Du Qian also thought the name was good.
"Du Yun? It's not bad, I approve!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty. You are so kind to This Concubine. This Concubine is eternally grateful!"
The smile on Huang Yarou's face could not be hidden, which made Du Qian's mood much better.
"My beloved Concubine, there's no need for such formality between us!"
The two thus settled Du Yun's name in a few words, but the formal confirmation would have to wait until the hundred-day banquet.
Only then would the great name of the Ninth Prince of Dongxing Country be officially announced to the outside world... During Huang Yarou's confinement, Du Yun ate when he was full and slept when he was full.
He wasn't entirely idle during this time; through various cries and small movements, he directly identified all ill-intentioned individuals within his range of activity.
"Yun'er seems to dislike these people. Chun Jin, find an excuse to dismiss them."
"Then have someone thoroughly investigate if these people have any issues."
Huang Yarou's expression was calm as she decided the future of these individuals.
"Yes, Your Ladyship, This Servant will go do it now!" Chun Jin took the order and left.
If nothing was found later, that would be for the best. Once something suspicious was uncovered, the fate of these people was imaginable...
To determine if Du Yun was a martial arts 'waste', the Imperial Concubines in the harem displayed their Divine Abilities.
Only after confirming it was true did they gradually quiet down.
"Such a waste is not worth wasting energy on. It's better to pay more attention to those talented Imperial Sons!"
This was their final conclusion, and they acted accordingly.
However, even if they wanted to pay attention, they lacked the ability. Huang Yarou herself rarely left Vermilion Bird Hall.
She had already made it an impenetrable fortress, making it very difficult to find an opening.
Let alone sending people to deal with the mother and son on her territory.
Doing so would not only be a wasted effort but also expose the operatives they had painstakingly placed.
"It's indeed more comfortable this way; not only is no one bothering me, but I can also watch my other sisters scheme against each other."
In Vermilion Bird Hall, listening to the news from various informants, Huang Yarou was overjoyed.
"It's just a bit of a pity that these sisters who made moves ultimately did so in vain."
"Aside from losing some personnel, I haven't seen any Imperial Son actually get into trouble!"
"It shows that the sisters who successfully gave birth to Imperial Sons are not incompetent individuals themselves."
Huang Yarou sighed with emotion and was quite envious of them.
"It's good to have a powerful Family backing you. Not only do you have enough experts at your disposal, but you also have all sorts of talents who can help them ward off various schemes."
"However, this also makes them busier, with less energy to deal with those Imperial Sons whose futures are temporarily bleak."
"Like my Yun'er, I really don't know whether to be happy or sad."
Huang Yarou sighed. Although she didn't disdain Du Yun for lacking martial Aptitude, it didn't stop her from wanting a capable child.
"Should I have another one? But that would have to wait until Yun'er is a bit older!"
No matter what Huang Yarou thought, time slowly passed amidst the open and covert struggles, and soon it was the day of Du Yun's hundred-day banquet...
The hundred-day banquets for Imperial Sons were always grand, entirely organized jointly by the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites, and guided and supervised by the Empress or Empress Dowager.
Currently, the Empress Dowager was not in the palace, so everything was decided by the Empress.
Those qualified to attend an Imperial Son's hundred-day banquet, besides members of the Imperial Family, included important court officials and their families.
This day was also Du Yun's first time leaving Vermilion Bird Palace, beginning to face the outside world.
It also gave others an opportunity to target him, so Huang Yarou took it very seriously.
For this, she had made many arrangements in advance to ensure everything was foolproof.
She even made a final confirmation before setting off.
"How are your preparations for this trip, Chun Jin?"
"Don't worry, Your Ladyship, everything is ready."
"From departure to return, we have already taken precautions for all possible events."
"Even if there are omissions, we can adapt to the situation and ensure the safety of Your Ladyship and the little Your Highness."
Huang Yarou nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this: "Very good, since preparations are complete, let's depart!"
Seeing that it was almost time, Huang Yarou, carrying Du Yun, officially walked out of Vermilion Bird Hall and headed towards the banquet venue.
To ensure the safety of the path ahead, several young eunuchs were at the very front, patrolling the route and scouting for those behind.
Every place where someone could hide had to be checked for suspicious individuals.
There were also guards on both sides to prevent sneak attacks that could be detrimental to Shu Consort and the Ninth Prince.
This left those conspirators who secretly wanted to cause trouble unsure of how to proceed.
Ultimately, they could only retreat helplessly, looking for the next target to harm...
Being taken out of a safe environment by his mother to face various malicious intentions from the outside world, Du Yun felt deeply helpless about it.
"This feeling of being out of my control is really unpleasant. If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to leave the comfortable and safe Vermilion Bird Hall."
Unfortunately, no matter how unwilling he was, he could only let Huang Yarou hold him as they gradually left the safe confines of Vermilion Bird Hall.
Fortunately, as long as the hundred-day banquet was successfully completed, he wouldn't have to attend every subsequent palace activity.
Unimportant ones could be declined with various excuses.
At that time, he could stay in Vermilion Bird Hall until Du Yun had the ability to protect himself, before considering whether to go out and participate in activities...
The Imperial Concubines preparing to attend the hundred-day banquet only found time today.
They wanted to see if there was an opportunity to conveniently eliminate Du Yun, this newborn Imperial Son.
Although his threat was no longer significant, it was hard to guarantee that no accidents would occur, so they would still act if the chance arose.
The prerequisite was to ensure their own safety, to avoid losing more than they gained, or even getting themselves involved.
It was only then that they discovered that their hidden agents placed in Vermilion Bird Palace had not approached the residence of Shu Consort and the Ninth Prince, Vermilion Bird Hall, during this period.
This also left them puzzled: "Strange, why is this happening? Were they discovered?"
Once the seed of suspicion was planted in their hearts, it was not so easy to dispel.
However, seeing that their hidden agents were still working for Shu Consort and had not been removed, they temporarily dismissed their suspicions.
"It must be This Palace overthinking things, but it's still better to be cautious. These pawns should temporarily lie low!"
"However, new pawns must still be sought, lest there be no one available in Vermilion Bird Palace."
Knowing that it was difficult to act within Vermilion Bird Palace, the Imperial Concubines with ideas began to focus on outdoor activities.
"The hundred-day banquet can be used. If there's a chance, let's give the Shu Consort and her son a big gift!"
Once the decision was made, the corresponding plans began to be implemented.
It was clear that the hundred-day banquet would not proceed smoothly.
Something would always happen during it, otherwise, how could it be worthy of so many people attending?
Furthermore, it wasn't just people from the harem causing trouble; the families of important court officials might also seize the opportunity to stir up trouble and undermine rival families.
Thus, the eunuchs and Palace maids, having received orders from various parties, all began to stir.
Once they found an opportunity, they would immediately take action.
