Chapter 76 An Eager Pregnancy, the Dilemma of Zhangzhou…

At night, the moon rises above the willow branches.

“It’s not surprising that Lord Yan knows Auntie. After all, Auntie is quite famous and used to be an official in the court. They might even be comrades-in-arms.” Zong Suyi sat in front of the mirror, combing her hair with her head tilted to the side. Several strands of her hair were split.

His fair and smooth jawline was clearly reflected in the mirror, along with his prominent, rolling Adam's apple.

“Yes. That’s what I think too.” Zhang Ting picked up a pair of scissors and trimmed the split ends of her hair with a few snips. “But Lord Yan returned to his seat after asking his questions. I think the two of them might not get along very well.”

"Hmm." Zong Suyi's gaze fell on the fish-patterned jade pendant swaying at her waist. He gently smoothed the ends of his hair with his left hand and asked casually, "Did Lord Yan or any other official say anything else to you?"

Zhang Ting brushed away the stray hairs that had fallen on Zong Suyi's shoulder, stroked his smooth and fragrant black hair, and then picked it up and sniffed it. "I'm just a minor scholar who doesn't get involved in politics, while he's a third-rank official. What can he say to me?" After saying that, she suddenly sneezed. It smelled so good.

It's good that he didn't say anything else. Zong Suyi placed his hand on his stomach; he still had time.

"My lord, why don't you use the jasmine oil from the bathhouse?"

These words pulled Zong Suyi from his thoughts, and he glared at her fiercely. "Whose fault is this?" Don't let his usual calm and composed demeanor fool you; he loves to act recklessly when it comes to sex. That time in the bathroom, he insisted on trying to see the difference between the smell of jasmine oil on his body and the ends of his hair. He got it all over himself, and it took him ages to get clean. And that jar of jasmine oil is gone now.

Zhang Ting then remembered something and guiltily touched her nose. She silently put down the scissors, took the fine-toothed comb from Zong Suyi's hand, and combed his hair.

Changing the subject: "Why does the young master ask about Lord Yan?"

Zong Suyi lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting evasiveness in them. Her eyelashes trembled slightly. "Isn't it because I'm afraid that you, my wife, will be made things difficult by those adults?"

Zhang Ting looked at his reaction with disbelief, "Hmm?"

Zong Suyi was afraid that Zhang Ting would ask again, and she wouldn't be able to come up with a reasonable excuse to deal with it, since Zhang Ting was good at reading people's hearts.

He snatched the fine-toothed comb from her hand, got up and urged her to wash up, pinching his nose and pretending to be disgusted, saying, "You come back from drinking and don't even bother to tidy yourself up, instead you just come over here and criticize me."

"I'll comb my own hair, and the water in the shower is ready. Why don't you go?"

Zhang Ting didn't take it to heart. She cupped Zong Suyi's face and gently kissed him with her lips. Seeing him frown deeply and chuckle quietly, she took two steps back and turned to go to the bathroom.

Zong Suyi picked up a handkerchief to wipe her face, and only breathed a sigh of relief after watching her figure disappear into the room. Fortunately, she hadn't been discovered.

A moment later, he heard the sound of water next door, and there was a knock on the bedroom door. He glanced cautiously in the direction of the bathroom, then sneakily went to open the door.

Xiao Rong brought him a bowl of medicine from outside, saying, "My lord, this medicine has just been brewed."

Zong Suyi tested the temperature with his hand and, finding it wasn't too hot, grimaced and finished it in one gulp. He handed the bowl to Xiao Rong, whispering, "Don't let Miss know."

Xiao Rong nodded blankly, took the bowl, and retreated. On the way, she still couldn't understand why her husband couldn't let her know he was using the fertility-enhancing soup. Wouldn't it be better to have a child sooner?

Zong Suyi gently closed the door, tiptoed to the table, poured several cups of tea to rinse his mouth, and only when he felt that his mouth had no taste did he quietly walk to the bedside and lie down.

Almost immediately, Zhang Ting came out of the bathroom. She wasn't completely dry, and her undergarments were slightly see-through due to the water droplets.

She walked straight to the bedside and saw Zong Suyi lying upright, looking righteous and calm as if he were about to face his execution. She found it quite amusing, so she casually pinched his pert nose and laughed, "What are you doing? Sleeping so soundly today?"

Zong Suyi remained silent, patted the spot beside her with her left hand, glanced at Zhang Ting indifferently, and gestured for her to come up.

Zhang Ting raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity on his face. He obediently lay down on the couch next to Zong Suyi, waiting to see what tricks he was up to.

Zong Suyi thought that Zhang Ting would be setting off for the capital in two months. If she didn't get pregnant in those two months, it would be difficult for her to be chosen by a powerful family.

The mere thought of another man taking Zhang Ting's place beside him sent a bitter churning through his heart, seeping into his very bones, accompanied by a suffocating and resentful feeling that nearly consumed him.

But he was just a lowly servant who had recently escaped slavery, and had no one to rely on except his aunt. Women are naturally flirtatious and love to be beautiful. What would happen when his aunt passed away and he grew old and faded? Who knew how much favor he would receive then?

Therefore, he must get pregnant as soon as possible!

Zong Suyi still felt some pain down there, but he gritted his teeth and rolled over onto Zhang Ting, showering him with delicate, peck-like kisses. He then loosened his shirt, revealing half of his fair, tender shoulder with red marks, as well as his cherry-red breasts, which were only slightly swollen and trembled slightly when exposed to the air, looking pitiful and endearing.

Zhang Ting was a little dazed when she was suddenly kissed. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. She pressed her hand against his chest and pushed him away, asking, "Xiao Yi, didn't you say it still hurts?" Even when she was rough before, it never hurt so quickly.

He lowered his eyelids and pleaded with her, "But I want it, my wife, please give it to me. I beg you." But his expression was somewhat forlorn, and there seemed to be a few tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

Although Zhang Ting didn't understand why Zong Suyi was acting this way, the current situation was clearly not right. She sighed, suppressing the surging desire in her lower abdomen, and re-fastened his clothes. She pulled him into her arms and kissed his fair and delicate forehead. "What's wrong? Tell me." She patted his thin back to comfort him.

Zong Suyi pouted and shook her head, then grabbed Zhang Ting's collar and looked up at her, repeating the same words: "I want it, please be gentle with me." There were strands of sorrow between her brows, like unbreakable threads tightly binding her heart.

Zhang Ting rubbed her temples; her head ached. She was keeping something bottled up inside, unwilling to say it.

Zhang Ting simply pulled him into her arms, letting Zong Suyi rest his head on her shoulder, and comforted him, "You're not feeling well, so it's not advisable to have sex. Let's go to sleep tonight." She smoothed his worried brows and gently tapped the tip of his fair nose.

The more meticulous Zhang Ting was in her care, the more painful it became for Zong Suyi, who buried his face in her arms. He longed to ask Zhang Ting: Could you only have him for the rest of your life? He would give her many, many children.

But throughout history, which woman hasn't had a harem of husbands? And which man hasn't lost his love as his beauty fades?

Even figures like his mother and grandmother, who had husbands, still took one or two maids for entertainment, let alone him, who was just an insignificant maid.

Seeing that he was even more depressed after being rejected, and even seemed to be sobbing, Zhang Ting frowned, then relaxed her brows and put on a smile, deliberately teasing him: "Young master, have you been thirsty for too long? Were you not satisfied a few days ago?"

Zong Suyi, who was pouting and on the verge of tears, was suddenly amused by her anger. Her reddened eyes glared fiercely at her, and she cursed, "You're the one who's thirsty! You bull!"

Seeing his lively expression, Zhang Ting smiled silently and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Don't cry, my lord. Although your wife is not wealthy, she would never let you suffer."

"Look at those eyes, they're bound to swell up tomorrow. I'll have to roll an egg around them. If you want to use tea leaves, just tell Xiao Rong again."

"Mmm," Zong Suyi replied in a muffled, nasal voice. Her low spirits had been interrupted by her, and she couldn't continue. Hearing her gentle voice, she felt a surge of warmth and comfort, as if the pain she had just felt had been soothed.

Zong Suyi lowered his head and nestled in her arms, holding her hand, closing his eyes peacefully, a smile playing on his lips.

I wish it could stay like this forever.

...

The day after the Deer Cry Banquet, Zou Yueru came to Zhang Ting to ask her when she would be going to Kyoto.

This time, she and her cousin both passed the provincial examination with flying colors, thanks in large part to the books and classics that Zhang Ting had sent from the capital years ago. However, their rankings were not prominent; they were near the bottom of the list.

My cousin plans to study hard for another three years and try again for the imperial examination. Although Zou Yueru also knows that the chances of making the list are slim, she still wants to see the world, so she comes to Zhang Ting to discuss going to the capital together.

Zhang Ting had already made arrangements for this; her teacher wanted her and her senior classmates to participate in the imperial examination. These days, her senior classmates were traveling to Zhangzhou Prefecture for further studies and would not join her in Tongzhou Prefecture for another two months.

After listening to Zhang Ting's words, Zou Yueru pondered for a moment and then agreed, "Okay. I won't go back to Lvtian for a while; I'll just stay in the prefectural city and focus on preparing for the exam."

However, Zhang Ting knew that she had a husband and children, so he advised her: "Sister Zou has been away from home for almost two months to participate in the autumn examination. There are still about five months until the spring examination. If you don't return home and wait until the provincial examination is over before going back, your little girl may not recognize her mother."

Zou Yueru couldn't help but imagine the scene of returning home looking haggard after the imperial examinations, only to find her chubby daughter not recognizing her and refusing to call her "Mother." She shuddered. Oh dear, this won't do! She quickly said, "Sister is right. I'll come to the city to meet you again in two months."

Zhang Ting nodded, and the two chatted for a while longer about poetry, literature, and policy. Then Zou Yueru took her leave.

At this moment, the gatekeeper handed in a letter and a package, which was addressed to "Master Zhang Shu". Zhang Ting recognized the handwriting as that of his second senior sister and took the package and letter to find his teacher.

Zhang Shu had just woken up from his afternoon nap and was yawning. When he saw his beloved disciple arrive, a smile immediately appeared on his face, and he gently asked her to sit down.

This little disciple really made himself look good!

Not only did she achieve the highest score in the imperial examination, but she also kicked that old dog Yan, haha. Thinking of the day he bumped into Yan Hui on the street, and her expression, which resembled constipation and was full of jealousy, Zhang Shu couldn't help but laugh.

He accepted the letter from his beloved disciple with a cheerful mood, glanced at it casually, and was slightly surprised: "Ah, it was sent by that bastard, the second brother."

"This disciple also thinks the handwriting resembles Second Senior Sister's. This was just delivered. Zhangzhou Prefecture is nearby, so it's estimated that Senior Sister has only been away from it for five or six days."

Zhang Shu quickly tore open the letter and skimmed through it. Her lips were initially upturned, but the smile vanished in an instant. Her brows furrowed tightly, and after finishing the letter, she immediately tore open the package and opened the box to take a look.

Inside was a half-box of peaches, shriveled but red, much like people whose moisture had been sucked out and then roasted in the sun.

She handed the letter to Zhang Ting, her tone heavy: "The situation in Zhangzhou Prefecture is extremely dire. Countless people have died from fever. One family was completely wiped out, and the government actually let the corpses lie exposed in the wilderness, which almost caused an epidemic. Fortunately, your senior sisters passed by and dealt with this disaster."

"This half-box of peaches was sent from Zhangzhou Prefecture."

Zhang Shu sighed, "The people are suffering!"

Zhang Ting glanced at the peaches, understanding his teacher's meaning, "The peaches in Tongzhou Prefecture aren't like this either. The Yang River probably dries up by the time it reaches Zhangzhou Prefecture. If that's the case, the people's harvest will likely be..."

If the harvest is poor, the government will be unable to provide grain or money, and with a harsh winter looming, Zhangzhou Prefecture will likely be filled with corpses.

Zhang Shu looked up at her, his eyes resolute, and solemnly said, "I wish to give away all my family's wealth to raise rice and grain for the people of Zhangzhou Prefecture."

Zhang Ting's pupils suddenly contracted, his gaze fixed on her, and his heart trembled.

Zhang Ting could roughly guess how much money her teacher had, but it wasn't easy for her to accumulate such money at her age. Moreover, Zhang Shu was picky and had a penchant for expensive ingredients and all kinds of precious items. What would happen to her if she lost her retirement money and her disciples left her?

Zhang Ting admired her teacher's generosity, but also couldn't bear to see her suffer in her later years.

Even though he didn't want to get involved, Zhang Ting gritted his teeth and said, "This disciple has a plan that can temporarily relieve the predicament of Zhangzhou Prefecture."