joy and sorrow
"It's definitely a pregnancy pulse! I'm not mistaken."
Under Fan Wenlan's questioning, Doctor Wen took Zhao Mingyan's pulse on the bed for the third time, and his tone became more and more confident.
"Young Madam's pulse is smooth and round, like beads rolling on a plate, and it beats strongly. If it's not a happy pulse, what else could it be?"
Fan Wenlan still hesitated, then looked at Tan Linshuang, who also knew how to take a pulse. The latter nodded at her with an affirmative look.
call……
Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, then she felt relieved and smiled again.
"Very good!"
"The Tan family's incense has finally been continued!"
“Buddha bless you…Buddha bless you…”
"Madam, the most urgent thing is to protect the fetus." Doctor Wen said quietly.
He warned with a stern face, "Although the young lady has a good foundation, this fainting still disturbed the fetus, and there are signs of spotting. It is best to stay in bed before the pregnancy begins. Don't get emotional and rest."
"Okay, okay!" Fan Wenlan nodded hurriedly.
Spring, the eighteenth year of Yongle.
The red fireworks are eye-catching, and the spring breeze is blowing.
The Tan Mansion was bustling with activity inside and outside, with all kinds of lanterns decorating the four courtyards. Even the usually deserted South Residence was decorated with many lanterns, lighting up the bamboo forest with a riot of color.
Fireworks exploded in the sky and the sound of overlord whips rang out on the ground, dispelling the chill of winter. However, Zhao Mingyan, who was curled up in bed wrapped in two quilts, still felt cold.
"Yan'er, are you feeling warmer now?"
Li Yuzhu brought Nanny Li and Xiaozhu into the room, brought two braziers and placed them beside the bed.
At the invitation of the Tan family, she and Nanny Li were to stay here for a month. On the surface, the two families were to celebrate the Lantern Festival together and congratulate Zhao Mingyan on her pregnancy, but in reality, they wanted her to come and help protect the fetus.
Fan Wenlan is old and Zhao Mingyan has no mother-in-law, so it is most appropriate to let her mother-in-law come to take care of her. Besides, if the first child is a son, it will belong to their Zhao family, and Li Yuzhu will naturally care about it.
When it comes to the issue of offspring, Fan Wenlan and Li Yuzhu were of one mind from beginning to end. They attached great importance to this hard-earned first child. Even if it was a daughter, it was still a great joy.
If there is one, there will be two. If the first child is born, are you still worried about not being able to have a second or third child?
"Come, come, come...hang up a few more rabbit lanterns, and you will have many children and good fortune."
As soon as the brazier was set, Li Yuzhu led Nanny Li and Xiaozhu to continue hanging lanterns. "Hang the horse-shaped lantern in my son-in-law's study. It means 'instant success'. He will definitely pass the autumn exam next year."
"As for the crane-shaped lanterns, hang a few more over to the old lady for good luck and longevity."
"What about the old lady?" Xiaozhu asked in a low voice.
"Well……"
Li Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "Let's take a few over as well, but the number must be less than what we gave to the old lady."
"The crab lantern symbolizes 'wealth coming from all directions.' Take it to the South Courtyard and give it to the Second Master... Oh, and where's the toad lantern? Why can't I see it?"
Matron Li speculated, "Did he forget to take it?"
"Oh! Send someone to the shop quickly to get a few more lamps. They mean winning the first prize in the imperial examination and hanging them in the study, staggered with the horse-shaped lamps, so as to achieve a two-pronged approach." Li Yuzhu ordered.
As the sound of their footsteps hanging lanterns faded away, their conversation was soon drowned out by the fireworks and firecrackers. Silence finally returned outside the door, and Zhao Mingyan sighed heavily.
"Why!"
"Why are you sighing, my lady? At least one of your two wishes has been fulfilled. That's heaven's will, isn't it?"
Tan Linshuang sat down beside the bed and held her hand. "Why is it still so cold?"
He frowned. In his impression, Zhao Mingyan's hands were always warm, and when she was making peace with him, she could easily light a fire on him.
"Still cold?"
Zhao Mingyan shook his head, drooping his eyelids, and muttered, "The prosperity of the world is concentrated here. I imagine that Donghua Gate must be looking like this right now."
"It's a pity that our lanterns still can't shine brightly in the capital."
Hearing this, Tan Linshuang held her hand tighter, eyes full of pity, "My dear, actually, this is not a bad thing."
"Why?" Zhao Mingyan looked up at him in confusion.
Tan Linshuang said, "While you were racking your brains to research new lanterns, lantern makers in the capital and even other places were also innovating."
"The stars are shining, the lanterns are still shining."
"The stars are shining, the lanterns are still shining..."
Zhao Mingyan repeated this sentence with a faint smile, but soon frowned again, "Husband, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to research new lanterns in my current state. I can only watch other lantern makers innovate."
"Why did I have to get pregnant at this time? It would be better earlier or later than now." Her brows gradually furrowed.
"My wife..."
Tan Linshuang squeezed her palm and comforted her, "Getting pregnant isn't easy. It depends on fate. Otherwise, with our frequent intercourse, wouldn't you have been pregnant long ago?"
"Similarly, creating a stunning lantern also requires fate."
"Don't be impatient, take your time."
Zhao Mingyan gave a wry smile. "Making that Phoenix Lantern took a lot of thought... Maybe I'm not cut out for it."
"If you are not, then who is? Your cousins?" Tan Linshuang asked back.
Zhao Mingyan was stunned, then heard him say, "Take good care of the baby first. Once the fetus is stable, I'll take you for a walk. Don't stay cooped up in the house. A poet can write hundreds of poems by traveling thousands of miles."
"Besides, although the Phoenix lanterns cannot fly in the capital, they will surely amaze everyone in Xuzhou Prefecture, leaving your cousins who always try to imitate your family's lanterns to watch but not do it, and they won't even know where to start imitating." Tan Linshuang pinched her palms again and winked at her.
Thinking of those relatives who were trying to wipe out her family, Zhao Mingyan instantly perked up. When she spoke again, her voice was even louder: "They must have known about my second cousin's failure. Maybe they are laughing at us behind our backs right now."
"This year, I will never let them spend the New Year smiling!"
"What do you plan to do, madam?" Tan Linshuang's eyes lit up.
Zhao Mingyan gave him a sly smile and whispered the idea she had just come up with into his ear...
After hearing this, Tan Linshuang smiled and said, "We can also add one more thing, to celebrate the double happiness of the Tan and Zhao families, but I won't tell you what the happiness is for now."
"Double happiness? But it's not clear yet. I'm pregnant with twins?" Zhao Mingyan wondered.
Tan Linshuang smiled, "If you have a boy, both the Tan and Zhao families will have grandsons. If you have a girl, the Tan family will have a granddaughter and the Zhao family will have a granddaughter-in-law. It will be a great joy for everyone."
"Hahaha..." Zhao Mingyan laughed.
After the bright moon and falling flowers, Zhao Mingyan's mood suddenly brightened like fireworks. After eating sugar-boiled eggs in bed, her hands were no longer cold, and sleepiness came over her. Soon she fell into a deep sleep. The noise outside the house had no effect on her.
"It's good as long as you can eat and sleep." Seeing this, Fan Wenlan said to Li Yuzhu with a smile.
"Yes, yes! When I was pregnant with Yan'er, I couldn't eat or sleep..." Li Yuzhu walked out of the house, chatting and laughing with her.
At this moment, the two people who originally had their own calculations against each other became the people who liked each other the most, and their minds were all on Zhao Mingyan's pregnant belly.
Overjoyed, Fan Wenlan became more fond of Tan Moxiang and Jiang Yu'e, and sent people to deliver a lot of good things. He also agreed to Tan Moxiang's request to visit her husband's family to pay New Year's greetings. Of course, in order to prevent her from doing something secretive, in addition to Nanny Qiu and Nanny Yin accompanying her, he also sent two guards, ostensibly for protection but actually for surveillance.
When the house became quiet again, Tan Linshuang left, leaving Xiaozhu alone to take care of her by the bed.
"Master, are you worried?"
Following Tan Linshuang to the study, he closed the door to block out the noise outside and allow Ayun to ask the questions in his heart.
Ever since Zhao Mingyan was diagnosed with pregnancy, Tan Linshuang has become worried. It’s not that she is unhappy, but besides being happy, there are other emotions hidden in her that Ayun cannot understand.
"Is it obvious?" Tan Linshuang frowned.
There was no mirror in front of him, so he had no way to look at himself.
He was indeed in a state of mixed emotions, but he had been trying hard to hide them, fearing that others would notice. But after hearing what Ayun said, did he wonder if he hadn't hidden it well enough?
Ah Yun shook her head and said slowly while boiling water to make tea: "I have been with the young master for many years and am more familiar with your mood changes than the young mistress."
Tan Linshuang understood and felt relieved. "It's okay as long as she can't see it."
"Young Master, what are you worried about? Are you afraid that the government in Yunlian will go back on their word, or that things won't go well on Aye's side?" Ayun frowned and asked with concern.
None of them!
Tan Linshuang answered in his heart.
For him, the original plan was completely ruined. Not only did he not get Zhao Mingyan to be a formal wife, but the matter of taking a concubine was also put on hold.
What made him even more upset was that he seemed to have fallen in love with Zhao Mingyan... over time!
"How could this happen?"
Amidst the hustle and bustle, there was another person who was also feeling upset.
Tan Mozhu sat in the yard, letting his servants gather together to set off "ground rats" while he drank alone with a worried look on his face.
After downing half a pot of wine, he propped up his slightly sunken head with one hand and continued to mutter to himself, "If Lin'er gives birth to a child, will Mother hand over the real power of the business to him?"
"Most likely! Wasn't letting Yan'er try to get involved in the company's business paving the way for Lin'er to inherit the company in the future?"
"It's good to be able to give birth to a child. No matter how dear my mother is, if I can't give birth to a child, I will just be a decoration in the house...but..."
He narrowed his eyes slightly and propped up his head with his other hand. "That sickly fellow is about to reach adulthood, but he shows no signs of dying. Instead, his health is getting better and better. Could it be that he has been faking his illness all these years?"
"Hiccup!"
After a full burp, he picked up the wine jug and took a few more sips. The scene before him felt increasingly blurry, just like his long-held impression of Tan Linshuang...
Bang--
Suddenly, a burning "ground rat" jumped in front of him and exploded, startling him so much that he almost dropped the wine jug in his hand.
"Please forgive me, Master!"
The servant hurried over and knelt down to admit his mistake.
Tan Mozhu waved his hands, rarely showing anger, but stood up and left.
Everyone looked at each other, puzzled but relieved.
It’s not that Tan Mozhu isn’t angry, but the explosion just now brought out an idea that he had hidden in his heart for a long time.
"Yan'er is already plump, and if she shows her pregnancy, she will definitely be even more graceful..."
He moved his fingers and felt a little itchy in his heart.
Immediately, he scratched his chest and strode towards the gate.
He was going to relieve the itch.
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