Chapter 334 Secret Recipes for Having a Child
Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)
Princess Jingning and Meng Jinyao booked a private room for lunch.
While waiting for the food to be served, Meng Jinyao looked at her still angry friend and smiled. She could tell that Prince Shen liked Ayan quite a bit, but Ayan was oblivious and didn't realize that Prince Shen liked her, nor did she know that she had already fallen in love with him.
She asked with a smile, "Ayan, do you really dislike Prince Shen that much?"
Princess Jingning nodded: "Yes, he's stingy, even stingier than a woman."
Meng Jinyao carefully considered her words and tentatively said, "Actually, Prince Shen seems to be quite nice. Perhaps you misunderstood him before. As the saying goes, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Why don't we find a time to talk things over and see if we've misunderstood him?"
Princess Jingning disagreed: "Ayao, you've been deceived by his gentle and refined appearance."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao stopped trying to persuade him, but she figured that Prince Shen would have to put in more effort in the future.
Princess Jingning suddenly said mysteriously, "Ayao, let me tell you some gossip, which I heard from my mother."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's eyes lit up instinctively. She gestured to Meng Jinyao that people probably like to hear gossip, and that gossip always invigorates them.
Princess Jingning didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "Didn't Lady Shen's own son die from being bitten by wolves at the end of last year? She only has her firstborn son and her illegitimate sons and daughters now, and no biological children. So even at this age, she still wants to have another child and has been secretly seeking a doctor for a fertility formula."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was astonished, yet also felt it was normal. With her only biological son dead, she would definitely want to have another child to rely on. Other children who weren't her own seemed unreliable.
Moreover, the Duchess of Shen might still want to harm the Heir Apparent. In this situation, if the Heir Apparent dies and she gives birth to a son, he will become the new Heir Apparent of the Duke's Mansion.
Even if Lady Shen loses her child and can no longer conceive, as long as she murders the heir apparent whom she considers a thorn in her side, she can then place the son born to her concubine under her own name, making him the legitimate heir apparent. Since the child's mother is of humble origin, wouldn't she be able to control him?
Of course, these are all speculations. Based on the fact that the young master Shen almost lost his life and then concealed the fact that he returned to the capital, and then the death of the second young master Shen, it is speculated that there are undercurrents between the duke's wife and the young master Shen.
Princess Jingning then asked, "Do you think Lady Shen, at her age, can still have children?"
Meng Jinyao nodded and replied, "The Lady of the State of Shen is only in her early thirties, not very old. If she wants to have another child, she can still give birth. Some people can get pregnant at forty."
"You wouldn't know that, would you?"
Princess Jingning shook her head repeatedly and continued, "Others may be able to have another child in their early thirties, but not necessarily the Duchess of Shen. She injured her body when she gave birth to the Second Young Master Shen, and has not been able to conceive again in recent years."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback: "Did the Duchess of Shen injure her health before?"
Princess Jingning nodded: "Yes, that's why she sought a secret formula to have a child, hoping to have another child through the formula, and the formula is specifically for having a boy."
Is it a boy?
Meng Jinyao frowned slightly, which further confirmed her suspicions. She wanted to have another child to soothe her pain, and it didn't necessarily have to be a boy. The insistence on a boy was probably for the sake of the title.
Princess Jingning said, "My mother told me that Duke Shen actually prefers his current second wife to his first wife. Although he and his first wife are respectful to each other, they don't have any deep feelings for each other. He is truly loving and harmonious with his second wife. In order to appease Duchess Shen and fulfill her wish to have a child, I heard that Duke Shen no longer often stays overnight in his concubine's room."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao suddenly felt a bit ironic: "A loving husband and wife can still have concubines and have children with them."
Princess Jingning was silent for a while before saying, "My father and mother have a good relationship, but that doesn't prevent them from taking concubines. Just look at the current situation of men in the capital. Most men are like this. There are few men who don't take concubines or maids, unless they are incapable men who can only have one wife for life. Some men initially only have one wife, but one day when they have money, they will also take concubines."
Meng Jinyao remained silent. In fact, when she was young, she had thought about a question: Why can men take concubines, but women cannot take secondary husbands?
After a moment, Meng Jinyao said gently, "Ayan, I don't think your future husband will take a concubine."
Princess Jingning smiled nonchalantly: "I think I can't accept my husband taking concubines in the future, but I guess it's unavoidable. Even if he doesn't take concubines, he'll still take in maids while I'm pregnant. I can only turn a blind eye. Anyway, let's not talk about men. It feels a bit off-putting to bring them up."
Meng Jinyao nodded gently, but if Ayan were to marry Prince Shen in the future, she felt that Prince Shen would not take a concubine, because Prince Shen seemed to really like Ayan. When they said goodbye earlier, she saw the way Prince Shen looked at Ayan, just like the way her husband looked at her.
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After lunch, we left Zuixianlou.
Princess Jingning was about to go to the theater to watch a play when she quickly remembered that her friend didn't like watching plays and would fall asleep while listening to them, so she had to give up and instead went to the clothing, jewelry, and cosmetic shops that women usually frequent to see if there were any new items.
Once a woman has the urge to buy something, she can't stop, unless she's broke.
Princess Jingning and Meng Jinyao bought a lot of things, including clothes, jewelry, rouge and face powder, spices, and some interesting trinkets, as well as some snacks.
Meng Jinyao bought even more, after all, she had a husband, and she took him into consideration when buying things.
Princess Jingning noticed that her friend bought clothes in pairs: a dress for herself, and a matching men's outfit for Lord Gu; jewelry for herself, and a men's jade hairpin for Lord Gu; rouge and face powder for herself, and spices for making sachets for Lord Gu, which she then used to make sachets for him.
Princess Jingning asked hesitantly, "Are all married women like this?"
Meng Jinyao, puzzled, asked, "What do you mean?"
"I just... bought some things for myself, and I didn't forget to buy some for my husband too." As Princess Jingning spoke, her gaze fell on the hands of the maid behind her. The maid named Ningdong was holding the things that Ayao had bought for Lord Gu.
Meng Jinyao subconsciously followed Princess Jingning's gaze. She was slightly taken aback. Ayan hadn't mentioned it, so she hadn't noticed anything. She had bought something for herself and subconsciously thought of buying something for her husband as well. Unexpectedly, she ended up buying a few things for her husband.
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I've been stuck on this writing block for ages, but I've finally broken through it. I'm starting to get going, haha! I'll get up tomorrow (the 26th) and write an extra chapter. Seriously, really. If I'm not, please come over here and beat me up.
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