Aunt Mei spoke earnestly, her tone full of encouragement and trust.
"OK."
Wen Zhu smiled slightly and agreed.
At this time, in the room, the Duke's wife was talking with Fu Yu.
"It's not uncommon for the wife to give the concubine medicine to prevent pregnancy. Don't take it too seriously..." The Duke's wife said calmly, trying to comfort her son.
"But mother, you have never used this medicine on either Concubine Liu or Concubine Zhou before."
Fu Yu responded in confusion, still having doubts in his heart.
Speaking of Aunt Zhou, Fu Yu remembered that she had a daughter. The mother and daughter rarely went out and spent most of their time living in their own small courtyard, leading a quiet life.
"At that time, Shuyao and I already had children. As for Manxiang, she still hadn't had any children yet, so there was nothing wrong with giving her some. What's more, after I reminded her once, she never did it again."
The Duke's wife patiently explained, trying her best to allay her son's worries.
"But that kind of medicine is very harmful to the body. She deliberately prevented Wen Zhu from having her own child soon. In fact, she wanted to secretly make Wen Zhu infertile from then on."
Thinking of this, Fu Yu clenched his fists and tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart.
After a moment's silence, the Duke's wife slowly spoke, "If Manxiang agrees to dissolve the marriage, and you both live happily and don't interfere with each other, I naturally won't object. Although your career advancement has been slow, our family still has the support of the nobility. Furthermore, you are young and promising, having already reached the position of a fourth-rank official."
"Thank you, mother, for your understanding."
Hearing this, Fu Yu's expression eased slightly.
His furrowed brow finally relaxed a little, and a hint of relief appeared in his eyes.
"However, if Manxiang doesn't agree to a divorce, then your decision to divorce her is absolutely unwise. This will incur resentment from the Shangshu Mansion. You must know that they not only control the important positions of the Ministry of Personnel and the Second Assistant Minister of the Cabinet, but their family background is also deep and extends throughout the court. If they target you, the consequences may not be limited to stagnation in your career."
The Duke's wife analyzed the pros and cons in detail, her tone calm but revealing a seriousness that could not be ignored.
She is well aware of the power struggles in the court and knows that every decision may have long-term consequences.
After hearing this, Fu Yu frowned and fell into deep thought.
He weighed his mother's words over and over in his mind, thinking about every detail and potential risks.
There seemed to be countless possible outcomes before my eyes, and none of them was optimistic.
"I know you're incredibly busy right now and have many things to worry about, but don't worry, I'll take care of Wenzhu and provide her with adequate support. As for Manxiang's ability to manage the household, I'm also concerned—despite repeated admonitions, she appears obedient when I offer gentle advice, but acts otherwise; harsh criticism only exacerbates her emotions."
The Duke's wife's tone was full of understanding and concern.
She knew that as a daughter-in-law, Manxiang's personality was not entirely suitable for managing household chores, but she couldn't treat her simply or roughly either.
"From the current situation, letting Wen Zhu help manage Manxiang is a good choice. She can comfort Manxiang and mediate conflicts among the servants. The atmosphere in the whole house has become warm and orderly."
There was a touch of intimacy in the Duke's wife's tone.
Wen Zhu is indeed a rare good child, smart and sensible, and always able to handle things just right.
After a while, Fu Yu whispered, "This arrangement is indeed very good. I would like to thank you, mother."
His voice was a little low, but his tone was gentle and his gratitude was evident.
"We're all family, no need to be so polite. You should go and rest, I should be leaving too."
Having said that, the Duke's wife stood up and prepared to leave.
She patted her son's shoulder gently, giving him silent support and encouragement.
As she turned and walked out the door, her steps seemed particularly firm.
After his mother left, Fu Yu returned to his room.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw Wen Zhu chatting with Hong Sheng in the porch.
The two of them were chatting and laughing, and seemed to be very engaged in the conversation.
After adjusting his attitude, he slowly walked in and asked, "What are you talking about?"
He tried to sound relaxed, not wanting to interrupt their pleasant conversation.
Seeing his brother coming over, Wen Zhu said with joy: "I just heard good news. Hongsheng won first place in the school's martial arts competition!"
Her eyes were full of pride and excitement, as if this honor belonged to her as well.
Upon hearing the news, Fu Yu didn't show much surprise, but he still praised: "Well done! Do you want a reward?"
However, Hong Sheng shook his head firmly and said, "I don't learn martial arts just to get all kinds of rewards."
"Then why do you want to learn?"
This suddenly aroused Fu Yu's curiosity, and he decided to continue asking.
When answering this question, Hong Sheng's eyes flashed, "I want to be a brave and outstanding general like our Duke!"
Seeing her younger brother's ambitions despite his young age, his sister felt truly proud. "Look, he may be young, but his ambitions are so great."
Moved by this persistence, Fu Yu, who rarely gives praise to others, gave Hong Sheng a thumbs up and said, "You are really courageous!"
This is the greatest affirmation and encouragement to Hongsheng.
At this moment, the attentive Hong Sheng noticed some minor scratches on his sister's ankle. "Also, another reason I learned martial arts was to protect my family, especially my sister. My father once taught me that as a boy, I must be able to take responsibility..."
When he said this, Hong Sheng's eyes began to moisten.
After feeling the sincere and pure feelings from his brother's heart, the originally strong Fu Yu couldn't help but soften a lot. "Don't worry, protecting you is not just your responsibility. I will also do my best to protect everyone in this process."
He is the one who says and does this.
Even after hearing this, Hong Sheng still felt somewhat concerned and worried: "But sometimes even the prince finds it difficult to take care of all of us all the time. For example, the fire the night before last almost scared my sister and me..."
He tried to explain his thoughts so that the other party could understand.
Mentioning this matter seemed to touch the most sensitive and fragile part of his brother's heart, causing him to fall silent immediately. He slowly lowered his head, immersed in his own thoughts, and did not respond.
Noticing the tense atmosphere, Wen Zhu, fearing he might anger the other party, immediately stepped forward to appease them, saying, "Rumors circulating outside often exaggerate the truth. The actual situation is not as scary or dangerous as the rumors say!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
