Chapter 234 Husband and wife should be honest with each other

When this sound fell, both the master and the servant were shocked.

Ruizhu quickly turned around, walked quickly to the door, and bowed, "Your servant greets the emperor!"

Meng Yan lowered her eyes slightly and leaned back against a soft pillow made of lake blue goose feathers and decorated with golden lotus flowers and lotus leaves. The lonely and unhappy look on her face disappeared, and her red lips curled slightly, her expression lazy.

She didn't move at all, showing no intention of getting up to greet him.

But there was the sound of footsteps outside the door, and a tall figure strode in.

Without even looking up, Meng Yan raised her delicate little hand and picked up an embroidery frame from the embroidery basket. She examined it carefully and said casually, "Yuxin's needlework is truly exquisite. Look at how vividly she draws this little tiger. The Needlework Bureau has hired so many Suzhou embroiderers, but none of the patterns they sent can compare to Yuxin's."

Everyone looked at the embroidery frame in her hands. It was a half-finished child's bellyband. Beneath the intricate stitches, a small tiger painted in powder blocks could be vaguely seen. The tiger wasn't the typical folk or palace style—a winding gourd vine hung with a lush, green gourd. Below, a plump, yellow-and-brown little tiger stood on tiptoe, attempting to poke the gourd. Its naive appearance, exquisitely depicted, and auspicious in its meaning, spoke volumes about the artist's meticulous attention to detail.

Everyone in the palace knew that Concubine Bai was an expert in needlework.

However, the Empress's embroidery skills were truly...unbearable to look at.

Under the crisscrossing needles and threads, the originally delicate patterns have been mostly covered up, and only half of the tiger's body can be barely recognized through the balls of yellowish-brown silk threads.

Ruizhu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then quickly lowered her eyes.

My master's needlework is not good enough...

She and Yunxiang had urged the Empress to hand the embroidery over to the skilled palace maids. If she couldn't trust outsiders, she could give it to them.

However, the queen said that she had to sew the clothes for her child herself, which was her true love, and she would not allow others to interfere, so they could only watch helplessly.

Not only that, the Empress often talked about striving for perfection and frequently asked people around her to appreciate her work.

Concubine Bai was now the busiest person in the palace. With the Empress pregnant, everyone was counting on her. She could find an excuse to escape. The rest of the Changchun Palace ladies couldn't just shirk their responsibility.

The palace maids who couldn't enter the presence of their mistress were fine, but Yunxiang and Ruizhu suffered greatly. They had to worry about the Empress's health, fearing that a single misstep would upset her and harm the dragon fetus. They couldn't just blindly flatter her, as the Empress was astute and could detect even the slightest exaggeration. If she were to erupt on the spot, even if it calmed her down, it wouldn't be a problem. But they feared the Empress would keep this matter to herself, dwelling on it for three days and five nights, becoming ill from worry and harming her health.

Yunxiang and Ruizhu racked their brains every day, carefully choosing their words, and even muttered to themselves before falling asleep at night, so much so that the young palace maid who served them thought that the two aunts were haunted by ghosts.

It is really unexpected that a small embroidery now concerns the health of the Queen and the safety of the future crown prince of the Great Zhou.

At this moment, the Empress brought up this matter again, and I wonder how the Emperor will respond?

Everyone held their breath and watched as the Great Zhou Emperor Lu Haozhi walked steadily towards the Queen's side.

"Lady Bai's needlework is beyond question."

Lu Haozhi lifted his clothes and sat down next to Meng Yan. He stretched out his long arms and hugged the queen's waist.

After more than four months of pregnancy, her originally slender figure has become increasingly plump, but she looks even more delicate and soft.

Meng Yan smiled faintly, without comment, and obediently let him hug her.

As soon as the delicate body entered his arms, Lu Haozhi felt a sweet fragrance coming towards him, which was sweet and lingering, making him feel intoxicated.

Lu Haozhi's heart fluttered, and he pecked his wife's snowy cheek lightly, "This is a good scent. Did you change to fumigation today?"

Meng Yan smiled lightly and said nothing, just playing with the embroidery frame in her hand. After a moment, she said lazily, "The emperor has been busy with government affairs recently and has not set foot in Changchun Palace for a while. Naturally, he doesn't know anything."

Lu Hao was stunned, not knowing what his wife meant.

He lowered his head slightly and met Meng Yan's eyes.

The clear black and white eyes, the emerald pupils, were like a pool of autumn water, with a faint smile, reflecting his shadow.

Ever since Yan'er became pregnant, she has become more and more mature and charming. Her plump body is like a ripe peach, sweet and fragrant.

The beauty before him was breathtaking, yet Lu Haozhi, her legal husband, felt a little uneasy.

Whenever she smiled at him like this, it must be because he had done something bad and made her unhappy.

Yan'er has learned bad things now. When she is annoyed with him, she changes her usual temper. Relying on the fact that she is a bisexual, he dare not do anything to her seriously, so she teases him at will. After arousing his evil desire, she throws him aside and doesn't even allow him to hold his hand. This forces Lu Haozhi, the dignified emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who has three palaces and six courtyards and countless beauties, to endure such matters in bed by taking cold showers.

Lu Haozhi often thought of this incident, feeling aggrieved and helpless, and hated her to the core. He wanted to kill her on the spot, but he was concerned about her body and tried to persuade her. But she raised her slender hand and asked someone to bring all the green-headed girls in the harem to him for him to choose from, which made Lu Haozhi lose his temper.

At that moment, Lu Haozhi raised his thick eyebrows slightly, twitched his thin lips, and put on a smile, "Yan'er, there are a lot of things going on in the court recently, and several major cases are about to be concluded. I can't spare the time to accompany you. I have neglected you, and I know it in my heart. After this busy period is over, I will definitely spend more time with you." As he said that, he was about to pull Meng Yan's hand again.

Meng Yan raised her arm slightly, and her delicate little hand, as white as jade, lightly touched the broad chest and pushed him.

Although the force was light, Lu Haozhi was caught off guard and fell backwards.

He looked up and saw Yan'er's beautiful face, her red lips slightly curved. "Your Majesty, what you said makes it seem like I am ignorant and disregard the affairs of my family and country, and I must pester Your Majesty."

Her coquettish and angry look, her eyes fluttering, and her sweet smile made Lu Haozhi's heart itch. He quickly sat up, caught up with her, and put his arms around his wife's waist again.

"Yan'er is the most virtuous woman in the world and the most virtuous queen in the Great Zhou. Anyone who dares to say that Yan'er is ignorant will be severely punished by me!"

Meng Yan then laughed and said, "If this is the case, doesn't it confirm the accusation that I am a seducer? Your Majesty, are you trying to kill me?" She smiled and continued, "I know that since I became pregnant, my figure has become increasingly plump and my appearance has become ugly. I know I am not worthy of serving the king. Your Majesty can't stand my ugliness and is too lazy to enter the Changchun Palace again. It is understandable. Besides, Your Majesty is busy with all kinds of affairs every day, so naturally, the matter of spices is not something you would care about."

It turned out that ever since the Empress became pregnant, no trace of spices had been found in Changchun Palace, and only fresh flowers and fruits were displayed daily. Meng Yan's daily clothing was meticulously cared for and carefully preserved by the palace servants. Even the purses, sachets, and silver hydrangeas in the incense baskets had been put away, not to mention the incense for clothes.

Meng Yan's words imply that Lu Haozhi only spoke sweet words, but actually didn't care about her at all.

She knew very well why Lu Haozhi came at this moment. She wanted to explain the matter to him clearly, so she used these words to suppress his aura first, so that he would not act like an emperor, which would make it difficult for him to speak next.

In past lives and present lives, they had been married for seven times and had experienced life in the deep palace for a long time. She already understood how to control Lu Haozhi's temper and what the queen did.

As expected, Lu Haozhi immediately caught on to her hidden meaning. He glanced around and immediately understood what was going on. He hurriedly apologized, "Don't blame Yan'er for being angry. It was I who was negligent. I'm afraid Yan'er wouldn't be comfortable with those strange smells while she's pregnant. The greenhouse has some newly cultivated hostas, which are white and fragrant, and smell quite refreshing. It's not blooming season right now, and we've only cultivated six pots in total. I've ordered them all to be sent to Changchun Palace."

Before Meng Yan could respond, Yunxiang burst out laughing, earning the Queen a glare. "You've completely forgotten the rules in front of the Emperor!"

Yunxiang knelt down to apologize, saying, "I'm rude, Your Majesty. I hope you'll forgive me. But I just remembered that the Empress Dowager had already ordered the flower shop to send those six pots of lilies to Changchun Palace."

The implication is that Your Majesty is still a step too slow in trying to please our Empress.

Lu Haozhi was indeed embarrassed and was speechless for a moment.

Meng Yan smiled faintly, her beautiful eyes turned slightly, and she said in a low and soft voice, "Your Majesty's intentions, I understand in my heart."

This statement means that the matter is over.

Lu Haozhifu breathed a sigh of relief, but then he saw Meng Yan raised the embroidery frame in her hand and said, "Your Majesty, what do you think of this embroidery of mine?"

Here we come!

Outsiders didn't know why, but the hearts of the servants in Changchun Palace were suddenly in their throats.

Lu Haozhi took the embroidery frame, stroking it in his hands for a while, as if carefully appreciating it, before saying, "I've seen that the Queen's embroidery is unique and rare in the world. The Queen went through a difficult pregnancy, and yet she still had to sew clothes for the child herself. Regardless of her embroidery skills, this motherly heart alone is priceless!" As he spoke, he shook Meng Yan's hand and whispered to her, "While Lady Bai's needlework is indeed exquisite, Yan'er's thoughtfulness is the most precious treasure in the world."

He spoke with such righteousness that everyone was stunned.

You are taller, Your Majesty!

This paragraph alone is not blind boasting or empty exaggeration, which would cause annoyance. It is a roundabout and reasonable way to praise the queen.

He is truly worthy of being the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty who governs the country. No one else has this ability!

However, Meng Yan ignored this and smiled, "Your Majesty, are you serious? Is it not because my needlework is not up to par, and you are deliberately saying this to cheer me up?"

Lu Haozhi smiled and said, "You have these little thoughts. Husband and wife should be honest with each other. How can there be such deception?"

Meng Yan put away her smile and said seriously, "That's right, between husband and wife, we should be honest with each other, so how can there be any deception?"

Outside Xiefang Palace, Doukou was dressed in military uniform, raised his arm, drew his bow, and shot an arrow that hit the bull's eye.

She was overjoyed and jumped up to the tall man who was watching from the side. She said with joy, "Uncle, uncle, I finally hit the target this time! You must keep your word and teach me how to ride tomorrow!"

The man was none other than the elder brother of the current empress, the Duke Meng Changyuan, who was appointed by the emperor.

In terms of kinship, Princess He An should really call him uncle.

Meng Changyuan touched the tip of his nose, a somewhat embarrassed smile appearing on his resolute and majestic face. After a moment, he nodded and said, "Since I have promised the princess, I will keep my word. When I return today, I will personally select a tame horse for the princess. Tomorrow, when the princess dismisses the girls' school, I will teach her riding skills."

Doukou was overjoyed. She turned to her study partner and shouted, "Chenchen, did you hear that? Uncle agreed! Tomorrow, we'll learn horseback riding together! I'll ask the teacher for leave. It doesn't matter if I don't go to school!"

The princess's study companion, the young lady of the Liu family, Liu Chenxi, stood quietly on the side, tilting her head to look at the two of them. Although she was young, she already had the demeanor of a noble family.

Seeing the princess asking, Liu Chenxi replied, "Your Highness, although the Queen Mother and the Empress Dowager have agreed to our request, they also reminded us to focus on our studies at the girls' school. Asking for leave from the teacher just to learn horseback riding is absolutely unacceptable."

Doukou pouted her lips and muttered softly, "I don't think there's anything to learn in this girls' school. It's just the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, or needlework. It's definitely not as exciting as riding a horse or shooting arrows! It's clear that my mother's needlework isn't that great either, but now she's doing well and lovingly with my father, yet she's forcing me to learn..."

Meng Changyuan got a headache listening to this. He stroked his forehead and thought to himself, "Sister, you really did a great job. If you have a few more girls in the future who all have this kind of temper, I'll see how you'll discipline them."

It turned out that Princess He'an had heard from somewhere about her uncle Meng Changyuan's reputation on the battlefield, and she had been pestering Meng Changyuan like a piece of candy every day to teach her the art of riding, archery and military tactics.

Meng Changyuan was concerned about her status as a royal family and did not dare to cause any harm, which made him feel quite embarrassed.

This little devil was clever and full of tricks. Somehow, the Queen Mother was pestered into agreeing to this matter. Queen Meng Yan was pregnant at the time, so she was happy that the child would not bother her and did not ask too many questions.

Thus, an unwritten rule was added in the palace. After the princess finished her girls' school every day, she would be taught riding and archery by the Protector of the Country, Meng Changyuan.

Although Lu Doukou was a girl, she was the legitimate descendant of the late emperor. She was quite talented in martial arts and made rapid progress. After only a few days of learning archery, she was already clamoring to ride a horse.

Meng Changyuan didn't want her to be greedy, and even more so didn't want her to put all her energy into such things, so he made a deal with her: if one of her ten arrows hit the bull's eye during archery today, he would teach her to ride a horse the next day.

He was sure that Doukou would not be able to hit the target. After all, even those soldiers who had just joined the army and were talented would need to practice for seven or eight days before they could hit the bull's eye. This girl was still young, and it was God's help that her arrow did not miss the target.

As expected, Doukou only shot four arrows and hit the bull's eye, and the first three arrows did not miss the target!

Although the bow she used was specially made in the palace for the young prince and was not as strong as the bows in the army, such an achievement shocked Meng Changyuan, a brave general who had seen countless battles.

Such talent... was born to a girl, and a princess at that. What a pity!

Meng Changyuan was a man of his word, and he would not go back on his word even to a little girl. Although he felt a little annoyed, he still nodded in agreement.

At this moment, a female voice came from behind the screen wall, "Several curtains in Xiefang Palace need to be replaced urgently. The accounts you sent to Changchun Palace are not very clear. The Empress is currently focusing on taking care of her pregnancy and has no time for these things, so she asked me to come and take a look."

The voice was gentle and soft, like a trickle of water flowing through the deep palace.

As soon as she finished speaking, Doukou shouted happily, "Aunt Bai!" and ran over.