Chapter 121

After more than a month, Fu Xiao and his small group seemed to have disappeared without a trace, and no news about them came from the northwest.

Although Emperor Zhang He did not relax the guard of Fu Mansion, fortunately, Fu Xiao did not bear the label of traitor.

Perhaps it is true as Jiashan said, at this moment and in this situation, no news is equivalent to good news.

In just a few years, the Fu family once again experienced the rise and fall of tall buildings, and naturally there were many people who watched and laughed at them.

Even when Jiashan went out for social events these days, she received many discriminatory looks. Many people were afraid of her because she was a princess, so they didn't dare to say it to her face, but they still talked about it behind her back.

Until the truth comes out, Jiashan can only pretend not to see it.

At this time, Zhao Youcheng had some good news - Princess Lu was pregnant again.

Zhao Youcheng had never taken a concubine since his marriage. Apart from the Princess Lu, the only women serving him were one or two concubines who had been with him in the past.

Most concubines were born as palace maids, with low status, so they naturally could not give birth to royal heirs. Therefore, Zhao Youcheng now only has one daughter, Huaiqing. The fact that Princess Lu is pregnant is a rare happy event for both of them and Princess Zhuang.

Even Emperor Zhanghe showed some joy on his face. According to custom, he gave many gifts to Prince Lu's mansion.

Zhao Youcheng was in high spirits, and for several days, he kept smiling. Since he was so high-profile, Jiashan and Zhan Yue lowered their profile accordingly.

Apart from attending court and government offices, Zhan Yue almost refused all other social engagements. Jia Shan also stayed at home, concentrating on teaching Xuan Ge'er.

On this day, Jiashan was preparing to take a nap with Xuan Ge'er when Dancui suddenly hurried in.

Jianlan's face was a little solemn. Jiashan thought that the Fu family had new news and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong?"

Jianlan leaned over and whispered in Jiashan's ear, "Someone just came from the Anguogong Mansion and said that the Duke has been feeling unwell recently."

Hearing that it was about the Duke of Anguo's residence, Jiashan immediately lost interest and snorted, "Since you are ill, why don't you go and ask a doctor to come to my princess's residence?"

Jianlan hesitated and said, "The tone of the visitor... seems to indicate that he wants to invite the Prince Consort to his house to take care of him."

"Attending to the sick? What a grand gesture." Jiashan sneered, "Then I'd like to take a closer look to see what serious illness the Duke has."

Duke Anguo had always been in good health. According to Jiashan's memory, after hearing that the old lady had passed away, Duke Anguo lived without any illness until the day she died, which was longer than the life of her granddaughter-in-law.

At this moment, someone from the Duke of Anguo's mansion suddenly wanted to summon Zhan Yue back to take care of his illness. Jiashan's first reaction was that the Duke of Anguo was going to use the issue of filial piety to control Zhan Yue again.

After what happened between Zhan Shaoying and the Fu family, how could she not be angry?

After settling Xuan'er, Jiashan took Jianlan and others to visit the Duke's Mansion.

Jiashan hasn't been to the Duke's Mansion for a long time. After hearing the death of the old lady, it was tantamount to erasing the only warm connection that Zhan Yue had with the Duke's Mansion.

Jiashan rarely sets foot here except on occasions when he has to attend.

In the house of Duke Anguo, Zhang and Yu's daughters-in-law were all there, as was Qi's eldest grandson's daughter-in-law. Zhan Tai and Zhan Shaoying were both at the yamen at this time, and although they had received the news, they were not as fast as Jiashan, so they had not returned yet.

Seeing Jiashan, the Yu family members all greeted him, but Zhang pretended not to see anything and turned her head away, giving a few instructions to the maid beside her.

Jiashan had long been accustomed to Zhang's attitude, so she turned a blind eye and slowly walked to the bed where the Duke of Anguo was resting. She looked at the bed and saw that the Duke of Anguo had his eyes tightly closed and looked unwell, as if he was really ill, and even his face lacked the spirit of the past.

Jiashan was puzzled and asked with a frown, "I heard that the Duke was ill. What's going on?"

Yu looked around and was the first to reply, "He was fine in the morning, but suddenly fell down in the afternoon. We were all confused, so we asked a doctor to come. The doctor said, 'The Duke has been invaded by the evil cold, and his spleen is not functioning properly, and his qi and blood are weak.' He prescribed a few medicines and told us to feed the Duke with them no matter what."

Jiashan nodded and said casually: "In that case, let's do as the doctor says."

At this moment, Zhang casually asked, "Have the people sent to Guanglu Temple and Tongzhengsi returned? When will the prince and his men arrive?"

"When the Duke is like this, he will definitely need someone to accompany him. As his children, the Crown Prince, Ying'er and I have no choice but to do our duty." Zhang said loudly.

Jiashan knew that she was telling him this on purpose, and just as he gave her a murderous look, Qi smiled and said, "Mother is right, and I, your wife, have nothing to say about it, just like you."

Zhang was still surprised that this always tough daughter-in-law would stand on her side, but she heard Qi's next sentence: "However, the princess is a king, a royal family, so it is naturally impossible for her to serve her grandfather."

Zhang said hurriedly: "The princess is a king, but her husband is not."

The implication of these words was too obvious. Jiashan raised his eyes and a hint of coldness flashed across them.

Qi said calmly, "Fourth Uncle is not the emperor, but he is in charge of the military affairs of the entire capital, and he is busy on weekdays. I remember when my great grandmother was alive, she taught us that 'the family should be based on the country first, and there is no family without the country.'"

"Looking back, I really feel that my great grandmother's voice and appearance are still there." Qi shook her head slightly, as if she was really regretful. "Everyone in the mansion respects my great grandmother so much. I think no one will disobey my great grandmother's wishes."

Zhang gritted her teeth and looked at Qi hatefully.

She actually brought up Old Lady Wen to put pressure on her, what a slut who eats at home and eats outside!

Qi smiled calmly and continued, "It seems that the princess and fourth uncle may not be able to lead the troops like us."

Jiashan appreciated Qi's kindness in her heart. Although she was reluctant to flatter the Duke of Anguo, she also didn't want to give others the opportunity to gossip. She straightened her posture and said, "When I gave birth to Xuan'er, my father gave me a branch of snow lotus from Tianshan Mountain as a reward. It has been in my house and I have never had the opportunity to use it."

"Snow lotus has the effect of removing cold and strengthening yang, which is just right for the Duke's condition. I will send someone to deliver it later," Jiashan said calmly, "It will be regarded as a way for me and the Prince Consort to fulfill their filial piety."

Jiashan's action left Zhang completely speechless. Seeing that Zhang was finally speechless, Jiashan leisurely left the Duke's Mansion.

After Zhan Yue returned home, he learned that Duke Anguo was ill. He was indifferent at first, but when he heard that Jiashan had taken the initiative to send a snow lotus to the Duke Anguo's mansion, he became a little emotional.

He frowned and said softly, "How can we give him something so precious for nothing? It's just like using a marble pickle press."

Jiashan was still feeling a little depressed, but after hearing him describe it like this, she couldn't help but smile and said, "How can you talk about people like this? It's really mean!"

Zhan Yue also tilted his eyes: "I am just lifting him up."

Jiashan knew that he disliked the Duke of Anguo, and the last of their father-son affection was about to be worn out in the past few years, so she said, "It's just material things. At this time, you can't let them ruin your reputation."

"What will you do next time you give birth?" Zhan Yue held her hand seriously and said softly, "You will have nothing to replenish your body."

Jiashan blushed slightly and hit him: "There's no sign of you coming back next time."

"Who said that?" Zhan Yue kissed her lips, his eyes showing a hint of earnest tenderness: "I calculated with my fingers, Xuan Ge'er will have a younger sister next year."

"Really? When did you learn fortune-telling?" Jiashan kissed him back lightly.

Zhan Yue buried his head in her neck and blew hot air on her earlobe. He raised the corner of his lips and said, "When did you say?"

Jiashan's breathing became increasingly disordered, and she soon bore down on his fiery passion.

Neither of them took the matter of Duke Anguo to heart. Whether he was really sick or faking it, Jiashan and Zhan Yue didn't care.

However, this time, Duke Anguo's illness lasted for nearly half a month, and until Jiashan passed by the Duke's Mansion again, Duke Anguo showed no signs of improvement.