Grand Secretary Bian added, "I specifically inquired about this, and it turns out that Compiler Ning also intends to compile a medical book on the treatment of common diseases."

"Let her write it. Also, if she needs anything, we can have the Imperial Hospital assist her."

As for medical books, she wasn't a medical student, so there would definitely be times when she needed to consult with imperial physicians.

Grand Secretary Bian received the order and withdrew. Around noon, the Emperor's reward arrived.

A thousand taels of silver, and a pile of precious medicinal herbs.

Honestly, these rewards alone are equivalent to Ning Yan's salary for several years.

A sixth-rank official's salary plus rice allowance was barely 180 taels a year.

Her house had a total of thirty-one people, including the kitchen, gatekeeper, coachman, personal maid, servant, and rough servants. The monthly salary for these thirty-one people alone was more than twenty taels.

If she had no other income, she wouldn't even be able to afford food.

Therefore, in ancient times, it was basically impossible for officials to live a life of luxury with a large retinue of servants and a salary.

Those who live well either have a strong family background or have outstanding wives who manage shops or estates with high incomes.

Or it could be bribery or embezzlement.

Of course, Ning Yan didn't have this problem. Not to mention that in her previous life as a bodyguard, she had collected 100,000 taels of gold and more than 700,000 taels of silver in her divine palace, even after coming to this world, she still had several thousand taels of silver left to give her by the Yuan family.

Therefore, after receiving the reward, she immediately went to the Brocade Robe Shop.

I personally designed the clothes and selected the best fabric suitable for both of us, asking the shopkeeper to make them as soon as possible.

After paying the deposit, Ning Yan bought some snacks that the two of them liked before returning home.

Upon entering, one sees servants from Shuhua Courtyard guarding the door.

"What are you looking around for? Is something wrong with your husband?"

The servant hurriedly bowed, his eyes full of smiles, "Reporting to Master, the young master has something to tell you."

Ning Yan was delighted. This was truly a rare occurrence. Xi Hua usually never allowed anyone from his courtyard to appear in front of her, and of course, His Highness was no exception. This was the first time someone had invited her home.

She quickened her pace and headed towards Shuhua Courtyard.

...

Shu Huayuan.

When Ning Yan arrived, Yuan Xihua was actually sewing clothes.

Upon seeing her return, Yuan Xihua immediately stood up, "My lady is back."

"Well, it's kind of you to send someone to wait for me, so I came here in a hurry."

Yuan Xihua smiled and said, "My lady, I have some good news to tell you."

Ning Yan pulled him into her arms and kissed him. "What good news? Tell me. It's not that you're pregnant, is it?"

Yuan Xihua gave her a "how did you know?" look. "It's been a month and a half already. The doctor said the pregnancy is going well. Just be careful not to overexert yourself."

Ning Yan quickly helped him sit down in a chair, while she sat on the other side, took his wrist and checked his pulse. "It's true, you're really pregnant. A month and a half, so you must have gotten pregnant the day you arrived in the capital."

Yuan Xihua blushed slightly. Wasn't that the day they got together? After being apart for so long, he couldn't even remember how many times she had tried to seduce him that day.

"Good, excellent! This is truly a joyous occasion! The servants of Shuhua Courtyard will be rewarded with three months' worth of silver!"

"Once your pregnancy is stable, we'll go tell your parents."

Ning Yan's joy was written all over her face. She summoned the steward and sent all the good things in the mansion to Yuan Xihua's courtyard. She even prepared the things the child would need.

"My lady, the baby is only a little over a month old, isn't there a need to rush?"

"Oh? Right, it's only been a little over a month. What's wrong with just over a month? That's the child we've been waiting for for over three years. I want to give him the best things in the world!"

Seeing his wife's excitement, Yuan Xihua finally felt at ease. She was also happy that he was having their child.

Upon hearing the news, the Third Prince personally made a trip to Shuhua Courtyard and presented Yuan Xihua with twelve bolts of fabric, all suitable for infants.

Dinner was simply served at Shuhua Courtyard, and the three of them ate together as usual. Ning Yan originally planned to stay for the night, but Yuan Xihua chased her away.

"The doctor said that we should not have sex for the first three months. My lady, you should go to His Highness's place."

Ning Yan: "...Can't I just simply spend time with you?"

Yuan Xihua looked at Ning Yan, his expression clearly saying: Are you a naive person?

Ning Yan touched her nose guiltily. This was her fault. Yuan Xihua was truly stuck in her heart. He had a perfect eight-pack, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a rugged face. The key was that he could withstand any kind of trouble. Whenever they came to his place, they never had a peaceful night. No wonder he thought that way.

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving now. You should get some rest too."

After saying that, he pulled the Third Prince away from Shuhua Courtyard.

On the way back to Wutong Courtyard, the Third Prince pouted, his face full of unhappiness.

Ning Yan stopped, waved her hand to signal the servants who were following her to leave, and after they left, she stepped forward, put her hand on the man's waist and asked, "What's wrong? Are you still unhappy?"

"We've been married for over a month, why haven't I gotten pregnant yet?"

Ning Yan kissed his pink lips. "I don't want you to get pregnant, you know that."

Her hints were so obvious that the Third Prince naturally understood and blushed. Even though it was already dark, Ning Yan's eyesight was so good that she could still see the change in his expression. She couldn't help but hug him and kiss him again.

"My lady..." This is outside, my lady is too bold.

"What's there to be afraid of? The servants have all been sent away, no one saw it." It's just a kiss, we're a proper married couple, what's there to be afraid of?

She let go of his mouth, but didn't release his hand; he was still being held in her arms.

The third prince looked around to make sure no one was there, then grew bolder and offered his lips.

...

The two stayed outside for a quarter of an hour before returning to Wutong Courtyard.

The third prince was quite excited. As soon as he entered the room, he took the person to bed without even arranging a bath.

He thought Ning Yan was just saying she didn't want him to get pregnant casually, since the two of them had never used any contraception when they had sex, and he figured that if they did it a few more times, they would eventually have a child.

This actually benefited Ning Yan. This person didn't like to exert himself much before, but tonight he finally acted "normal," allowing her to enjoy herself to the fullest.

The next day was a day off.

After breakfast, Ning Yan suggested that the three of them stay overnight at the estate.

He bought the estate along with his house. It wasn't a big estate, but it had mountains and water, so he could easily spend a day there.

"Should we prepare anything?"

"We're only going to stay for one day, so there's not much to prepare. If you have no objections, we'll leave right away. The carriage is ready."

Neither the Third Prince nor Yuan Xihua had any objections, so the three masters of the Ning family went together to the estate in the suburbs.

Because Yuan Xihua was pregnant, they could only travel by carriage. Ning Yan, worried the two men might find it boring, took out a deck of cards she had arranged and played cards with them. (End of Chapter)