Chapter 402: Avoiding children]
Chen Fenghe didn't expect that a grown man would guess in this direction. She was stunned, then quickly shook her head and said with certainty: "No! I... ahem... I know medical skills. If I was pregnant, I would have definitely noticed it. It's just... I'm just a little tired."
After hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo couldn't help but show a disappointed expression on his face.
The fact that women would experience physical fatigue after becoming pregnant came to Chen Fenghe's mind one day when he was reading a medical book in the corridor. He fell asleep due to drowsiness and the book fell to the ground. When he picked it up, he happened to flip through it and took note of it.
Seeing that he was disappointed, Chen Fenghe couldn't help but feel guilty.
It's not that there were no contraceptive methods in ancient times, especially in the palace or the inner houses of high-ranking families. The intrigues and struggles among women were no less intense than the struggles for power among men. Methods such as contraceptive soup and musk were even recorded in medical books.
However, this kind of thing never happens in ordinary families. Therefore, after a woman marries into her husband's family, she will basically become pregnant within a few months.
If a woman is still not pregnant after a year of marriage, she will be treated coldly by her parents-in-law and husband, and will not be able to hold her head up in front of family members and outsiders.
If a woman still can't get pregnant after two or three years, her husband's family will basically arrange for her to take a concubine. Families that don't have the financial resources to take a concubine, or those who are more eager, will simply divorce her for "no children."
Calculating the time, she and Xiao Yunshuo have been together for several months, and the frequency of their sex life is quite high.
Logically speaking, her belly should have moved a lot earlier.
Qin Mengyue only looked at her belly occasionally at first, but in recent days, she would take a quick look at her belly almost every day. She would also ask about her diet, whether her body was deficient, and whether she felt like vomiting.
Although it was never made clear, Chen Fenghe could naturally see the anxiety in Qin Mengyue's heart.
This is probably something that all ancient mothers-in-law would care about. No matter how enlightened they were, the most important thing for ancient families was to have a continuous family line, a thriving population, and many children.
If you marry a woman who is infertile, your mother-in-law will always be worried.
Chen Fenghe didn't blame Qin Mengyue, but instead felt guilty towards her.
This was not because she felt guilty for not getting pregnant, but because... she deliberately did not want to get pregnant.
Contraceptive soup or musk were too big a target, so she took a simpler and more brutal approach.
Contraceptive pills in space.
Modern medicine is much more effective and safer than those unreliable ancient remedies. Although there are still some side effects, it is the best compromise. She couldn't possibly trick an ancient man into wearing that thing, right? It was difficult to say, but with Xiao Yunshuo's intelligence, he would probably figure out her intentions quickly.
Choosing to avoid pregnancy was a rational choice she made so that she could withdraw from this relationship at any time.
Otherwise, she couldn't guarantee that she would be able to really pull away when the time comes.
After all, even in modern society, once a couple has children, divorce becomes extremely complicated, and children are very likely to become a woman's weak point.
Moreover, according to Xiao Yunshuo's idea, once they have a child, it will be a dragon seed. If it is a son, he will be the eldest son of the emperor.
If she disappears with the child at that time, Xiao Yunshuo will probably chase her to the ends of the earth and never let her go!
If she was the only one who disappeared, then to him, perhaps it was just one woman who ran away. When he met another woman in the future, he would quickly let it go and let her go, right?
Based on these considerations, she made the decision to avoid having children.
But now seeing Xiao Yunshuo's disappointed expression, she really felt that she was deeply sinful.
"Even if you know medical skills, isn't it said that a doctor shouldn't treat himself? I think you should find another doctor to take your pulse tomorrow."
Xiao Yunshuo was somewhat unwilling to accept the reality.
Chen Fenghe laughed dryly twice and said, "Well... that's fine. Hehe... haha... I'm sleepy, I'll talk first."
She yawned deliberately, then turned over and went to sleep.
However, Xiao Yunshuo pulled her into his arms from behind, kissed her hair, and whispered, "It doesn't matter if you don't get pregnant. I guess I'm not trying hard enough. I can try again later."
Chen Fenghe: “…”
Why is she feeling more and more guilty?
In the middle of the night, Chen Fenghe took advantage of Xiao Yunshuo's deep sleep, carefully pulled his arm out of his arms, took out the pills from the space, and was about to swallow it, but Xiao Yunshuo suddenly moved, not knowing whether he was dreaming or what.
Chen Fenghe's hand trembled, and the pill slipped out of his hand and fell under the bed.
Chen Fenghe: “…”
She originally wanted to pry Xiao Yunshuo's hands open to pick up the medicine - these were modern Western medicine pills, and if she was discovered, how would she explain it? - But Xiao Yunshuo was too strong, and she was afraid of waking him up. After trying for a long time, she finally gave up.
Forget it, I can wait until tomorrow morning to look for it. Xiao Yunshuo might not be able to find such a small pill.
Early the next morning, Chen Fenghe opened her eyes groggily and saw Xiao Yunshuo already dressed, holding something in his hand and observing it carefully.
Chen Fenghe took a closer look and was so frightened that she woke up instantly.
What Xiao Yunshuo was holding in his hand was the contraceptive pill that she had dropped last night!
Why are this man's eyes so sharp?
Seeing Shen Fenghe wake up, Xiao Yunshuo turned to look at her and said with a smile: "Awake?"
Chen Fenghe nodded and said, "Yeah. Ah, I'm so hungry. I'll quickly wash up and go have breakfast..."
She just wanted to divert Xiao Yunshuo's attention as quickly as possible and minimize the presence of the pill.
However, Xiao Yunshuo did not let her have her wish. He handed the pill to Shen Fenghe and said with a smile, "I found this by the bed early this morning. It looks like a strangely shaped pill. But Fenghe, did you lose it?"
Chen Fenghe was helpless. It was ok that this man had sharp eyes, but was his intuition also so accurate?
She forced a smile, took it and examined it for a moment before saying, "Oh, this is a new medicine I developed... specially for women. I accidentally lost one last night and didn't expect it to fall here..."
As he said this, he put it into his sleeve.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo laughed and said, "Medicine specifically for women? What does it treat?"
Chen Fenghe blushed and said, "Your Highness, please don't ask about this kind of thing..."
Seeing that she was shy, Xiao Yunshuo thought it was medicine to treat women's hidden illness, so he didn't ask any more questions.
Only after Xiao Yunshuo left the room did Chen Fenghe breathe a sigh of relief.
Men in ancient times were easier to evade, and they believed whatever she said. If it were modern times, if he took the pills directly to the hospital for questioning, she would be exposed in minutes.
But... because she had concealed the truth again, Chen Fenghe couldn't help but feel even more guilty...
After breakfast, Xiao Yunshuo indeed sent Yuan Xu to find a doctor. After taking Chen Fenghe's pulse, the doctor confirmed that she was not pregnant.
Everyone, especially Qin Mengyue, was disappointed.
Chen Fenghe could only chuckle twice. It happened that someone from the village came to visit, so the matter was brushed aside.
It was Madam Yang who came to visit. She first talked to Qin Mengyue about the village school, then about the drought. Then, as if remembering something, she whispered, "Speaking of natural disasters, I remember something. This village was looted by bandits from the Northern Rong a few years ago. Most of the villagers died, and the village has been abandoned since then. Madam Qin, you must have heard about this, right?"
Qin Mengyue's heart skipped a beat when she heard her suddenly bring up such an unlucky thing, but she still nodded patiently and said, "I've heard of it. It's because the border guards were too lax that innocent people suffered..."
Madam Yang said, "Who says it isn't? I heard from people in other villages that the year this village was looted, just like this year, there were constant natural and man-made disasters, including a severe drought, and the crops in the fields failed. The Northern Rong bandits didn't farm, but were nomadic, raising horses, cattle, and sheep. Because of the drought, all the grazing grass for their horses, cattle, and sheep dried up, and the Northern Rong people's horses, cattle, and sheep starved to death. In winter, to survive, they came south to plunder the people of Dayu. Back then, the other neighboring villages prepared for the rainy day and hired bodyguards skilled in martial arts to protect the villages, so they didn't suffer the same terrible consequences as this village. When I heard this, my heart pounded, and I hurried back to tell Madam Wu about it. I just wonder if those Northern Rong bandits will come again this year..."
After hearing this, Qin Mengyue probably understood what Madam Yang meant.
I guess he came to tell me about hiring bodyguards to protect the village.
Naturally, the final decision on this matter will be made by the village chief, who will then decide how much money each household will contribute and then notify each household.
Madam Yang's son, Yang Baozong, was a lively man who had previously run errands for Chen Fenghe, earning some money. The matter of finding a bodyguard for the village was likely due to Yang Baozong's connections, which was why Madam Yang had been so thoughtful and had leaked the information in advance.
However, Qin Mengyue didn't think Madam Yang was being cunning and opportunistic. It was also true that the Northern Rong bandits often harassed villages, towns, and even cities near the border. The army's inadequate protection left the people on their own, a dereliction of duty on the part of the court.
Although she is no longer the queen, her father and brother are both generals at the border, and the idea of defending the country and protecting the people can be said to be engraved in her bones and blood.
If you can protect the lives of a family or a village just by spending some money, then there is naturally nothing to say.
Qin Mengyue immediately smiled and said, "There are many women and children in our village. If those Northern Rong bandits really come to attack, relying solely on the men in the village is not optimistic. If Baozong can find good bodyguards to protect the village, that would be great. Village Chief Wu and everyone in the village are discussing this matter. If everyone agrees, our family will naturally have no objection. As for the cost of hiring bodyguards, how much we should contribute? The village chief will let us know when the time comes."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yang knew her selfish motives had been seen through, and instead felt a little embarrassed. She smiled and said, "Madam Qin, you're sensible. Spending some money to protect the safety of the entire village, young and old, is an extremely cost-effective deal. Unfortunately, some of the villagers are short-sighted and object to everything just because they're worried about a few dollars..."
Every family has its own problems.
It was also because she followed Xiao Yunshuo and Shen Fenghe that, although she was exiled, she had never suffered any injustice in terms of money and food along the way. Moreover, she was originally a noble lady from a military family and had never experienced financial hardship and poverty since childhood. Therefore, she could generously say that they would pay for whatever amount was needed.
But of course there are also days when people live in poverty and wish they could spend every penny wisely.
For a family like this, asking them to pay money in advance for an unknown misfortune is really asking too much.
Because of these thoughts, Qin Mengyue did not respond to Madam Yang's words.
Mrs. Yang looked a little embarrassed, and then she changed the subject and chatted about family matters for a while before leaving.
During the day, Shen Yichuan, Xiao Yunhao and Shen Qingxing went to the village school. After a while, the sound of loud reading could be heard from the school.
Many adults in the village who had sent their children to the village school gathered at the door and windows, peeking in. They saw the little children sitting upright, with their hands behind their backs, reciting word by word with Xie Gao.
Seeing their children, who used to come back covered in mud after playing outside, now study hard like little students, they can't help but feel proud, as if their children will be admitted to the imperial examination tomorrow.
No one dared to make a sound and disturb the children. After watching for a while, they quietly dispersed.
Among these people, there were two people with unusual expressions.
After everyone had left, the two exchanged glances and secretly met in a secluded place.
"You should have received the master's secret letter, right?"
One of them asked.
The other person didn't say anything, just nodded.
"Xie Gao is such a troublemaker. He has already retired and returned to his hometown, but why does he still accept the job of village school teacher? He is clearly adding to our troubles. What is there to teach these village children? It is impossible that all of them will become top scorers in the imperial examinations and become pillars of the country in the future, right?" The man in front could not help but complain.
Another person sneered, "You're completely clueless. Anyone with a discerning eye can see why Xie Gao, a great scholar in a high position, would condescend to be a teacher in a small village school. Isn't it because he has other interests?"
The first person, feeling mocked, was in a bad mood and said coldly, "Can't I see he's here just for that little brat, the Ninth Prince? It's just that the Empress's appearance has been ruined, and she's asked not to return to the palace, and the Emperor granted her request. Now the Empress is just a village woman, and the Ninth Prince is living with the Empress in the countryside, and the Emperor's nephew hasn't mentioned bringing him back to the palace, which shows he doesn't like the Ninth Prince either. So, even if Xie Gao were to be his teacher and teach him attentively, what would be the point? In my opinion, the masters are being too wary of this little brat! With only an old man who's retired, two powerless former Empresses, and the remarried Crown Princess, what can the Ninth Prince possibly do?"
The other person also agreed with what the previous person said to some extent.
They had already started preparing to sneak into the village and lie in wait before Qin Mengyue and Shen Fenghe arrived in Shili Village. However, they had gained nothing during the period of surveillance.
Whether it was the Queen or the Crown Princess, they were all focused on cooking every day, making tofu and pickles, going up the mountain to hunt and pick things, and never revealed any ambition or wrongdoing.
The Ninth Prince even mingled with the other two children and the children in the village. How could he still look like a noble prince?
Originally, they thought that after some time, they would no longer need to monitor and could return to Beijing to report.
They were really fed up with staying in this damn place.
Who would have thought that, by coincidence, at this critical juncture, something unexpected would happen and the incident with Xie Gao would occur.
At this moment, a new secret order came from the palace, and his wish to return to Beijing was naturally dashed again. How frustrating!
"Complaining is useless. Are we going to disobey our master's orders? I think we should do it thoroughly this time and get rid of it once and for all."
The other person's eyes darkened and he spoke lightly.
The first person heard this and immediately asked, "How can we solve this problem once and for all?"
Another person sneered, "To solve the problem once and for all, of course we should take the Ninth Prince along with the deposed Queen and the former Crown Princess..."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and made a knife-like gesture on his neck.
The person in front saw this and was shocked. "You want to kill them? You should know that the people of the world love and admire the Crown Prince. The Queen and the Crown Princess played a key role in ending the plague in Youzhou. They are loved by the people of Youzhou. If you kill them, won't it immediately arouse public outrage? If anything goes wrong, we will be punished for our poor performance at the very least. We will most likely be pushed out as scapegoats and lose our lives!"
The other man looked at him as if he were a fool and sneered, "I told you you don't understand, but you still refuse to accept it. Did I ever say we should do it ourselves?"
The person in front was stunned for a moment before asking, "You mean... to kill someone with a borrowed knife?"
The other person didn't say anything else, but nodded slightly with a sinister look in his eyes.
A few days later, the village chief came to every household and asked everyone to raise money and hire some bodyguards to protect the village.
"The guy from the Yang family is leading the search this time, and he's reliable. I heard he's been stationed at the border before, fighting against the Northern Rong bandits. The best part is, if we hire him this year and the Northern Rong bandits don't come and attack, they're willing to return half of the money we paid, so we don't feel like we've lost out on the money."
Village Chief Wu explained.
The truth is that the village has been running a village school and hiring bodyguards to protect the village recently, and there are many situations where people are required to contribute money. In addition, there is drought and poor harvest, so families who are living in financial difficulties are somewhat reluctant to contribute these money.
This time, the other party promised to return half of the reward, and it was only after Village Chief Wu persuaded them that they agreed.
Xiao Yunshuo immediately asked Yuan Xu to take the silver and give it to Village Chief Wu. He smiled and said, "Village Chief Wu is a fair man. I have no problem trusting him. If this silver is insufficient, please feel free to ask for it."
After hearing this, Village Chief Wu was very grateful.
Regarding the matter of hiring bodyguards, many people in the village secretly said that he and Yang Baozong had secretly taken kickbacks, and they were quite resentful. Now Master Yun paid the largest share of the money and never doubted him at all. How could he be moved?
"These are enough. It's the matter of the village school, and now this time. Even if the Yun family is wealthy, we shouldn't let you spend so much money. I always feel guilty..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo smiled and said, "Village Chief Wu, since my family moved here, I'm naturally part of the village. As the saying goes, those who have money contribute money, and those who have strength contribute strength. I'm weak, and all the affairs of my family's farm depend on the care of everyone in the village. I deserve to pay this money."
After a few more words, Village Chief Wu went back.
Soon it was harvest time and the villagers began to get busy.
Although we are busy, the harvest is not that good due to the drought this year.
Everyone looked at the scorched wheat in the fields and became so anxious that their lips were blistered.
Even with this harvest, after paying taxes and grain in the autumn, the remaining portion may not be enough to support the whole family until the next spring harvest...
Therefore, the villagers were all dejected and looked at the situation in the fields in a daze.
That is, the fields of Shen Fenghe's family had a better harvest than those of other households, whether it was corn, wheat or sorghum, so she hired men in the village to help with the harvest.
In fact, this kind of work can be handled by herself, but she has piles of gold, silver and jewelry in her space, and she doesn't need the labor fee. It would be better to let the villagers help, let them earn some money, and live a better life, and she can save the hard work.
Rural life seems peaceful and happy, with good times, but once you really get into it, you'll realize it's really tiring.
Those who don’t feel tired are definitely experiencing it.
Chen Fenghe was not averse to these rural secluded lives or even things like cooking, but it would be a bit too much to ask her to do everything from start to finish.
So, she spent money and the villagers contributed labor, each got what they needed, and everyone was happy.
While helping with the harvest, everyone couldn't help but feel curious. Aside from corn, a crop that was said to have come from the Western Regions, the crops grown by Chen Fenghe were similar to theirs, consisting of wheat, sorghum, millet, sweet potatoes, etc.
But why is it that her family’s harvest is better than that of other families in the village?
This... doesn't make any sense at all?
"You guys, this is really strange. Speaking of farming experience, our ancestors have been farmers for generations, so how can we not be as good as a young lady? Look at the harvest of Miss Shen's family, it's at least 30% better than ours, right?"
"Could it be that the land allocated to her family by the government is more fertile? After all, Madam Qin and Miss Shen have special statuses, so it's understandable that they would be looked after by the government..."
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