Drugs that prevent offspring
On the last day of the year, snow suddenly began to fall. When Jiang Jin woke up, she felt the warmth of the room.
"Madam, the General said today is a day off due to the heavy snow," Ah Bei explained, holding a copper basin and waiting to make sure Jiang Jin had slept well.
"It's snowing?" Jiang Jin lifted the curtain and Abei quickly draped a cloak over her. "It just snowed last night. We had the snow swept from the roads early this morning, but the snow in the courtyard was left by the general. He said that when the madam woke up, she wasn't allowed to play with it."
Jiang Jin opened the window a crack, and a gust of cold wind rushed into the room. In just a moment, she could see the trees covered in snow.
"The people of the capital are going to suffer. Take some silver from the accounts and go with the officials to buy some rice for distribution." In the past, Lou Xuan would send people to distribute rice when it snowed, but now that she was Wei Shu's wife, she couldn't just think of Lou Xuan and neglect Wei Shu.
"Send some more to the orphanages in the capital, and also have the fruits and vegetables from the estate transported into the city for distribution." Jiang Jin coughed, and Abei quickly closed the window.
"Madam, why bother with such worries?" Abei said tenderly, pulling Jiang Jin's cloak tighter and adding a few more pieces of charcoal to the fire.
"Oh, right, send some more charcoal to the people. We have enough money in the coffers; it won't cost much." Jiang Jin felt the warmth of the fire, but his heart couldn't stop worrying about the people outside.
"Even if Madam does this, she can't salvage the General's reputation abroad, can she?" Abei thought Jiang Jin wanted to take this opportunity to salvage some of Wei Shu's reputation.
"Wei Shu uses these methods to instill fear in the world. I just think that since those things are going to rot in the warehouse tonight, it's better to distribute them so that the people can have enough to eat." Jiang Jin didn't believe that Wei Shu's reputation could be salvaged by these things.
"So you don't need to worry, it's just a simple act of kindness." Abei helped Jiang Jin put on her coat and placed the hand warmer in her palm before feeling at ease.
"I'm not a snowman outside, I don't have anything so precious." Jiang Jin brought the hand warmer into the courtyard, looking at the snow that Wei Shu had specially left behind.
"Madam, please be careful not to slip." As Abei prepared to leave with the butler, he glanced at Jiang Jin, who was playing in the snow.
"Okay!" Jiang Jin poked at the snow on the ground with her finger and had someone bring a bowl to make small white glutinous rice balls.
"Madam, would you like some ginger tea?" Looking at Jiang Jin, Mo Niang was reminded of watching the eldest and second mistresses build snowmen in the courtyard when she was a child.
"Mo Niang, it's snowing outside, so your family might be a little late in arriving." Jiang Jin smelled the ginger tea to make sure there was nothing wrong before taking a sip.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam. We'll meet again sooner or later, so there's no rush." Mo Niang always felt a sense of guilt towards Jiang Jin. Although Jiang Jin now had a harmonious family and a successful official career, she still felt a lot of sorrow buried in her heart.
“Madam used to say that Second Madam was the most lively, and sometimes only Imperial Censor Jiang could keep you in check. Later, when Madam became pregnant and missed her family, she asked me to take some things from the capital to Sangzhou.” Mo Niang frowned as she touched the calluses on Jiang Jinwen’s fingertips.
"Later, when we returned, we encountered a flood. I suppose that beast had already taken over our home by then, but we endured it so as not to worry my wife." Mo Niang choked up as she spoke.
"Actually, I should have found out sooner. When the news of my wife's pregnancy came, the family should have been happy, but at the time, we were all putting on a brave face. It was my stupidity that delayed the family."
Mo Niang's tears dripped onto Jiang Jin's hand. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and smiled as she said to Jiang Jin, "Don't worry, my wife. Although there is no news from my maternal family, I always feel that there are still people alive. That beast treated us like ants back then, so he probably wouldn't have taken us seriously and tried to wipe us out."
Jiang Jin nodded and comforted Mo Niang instead, "I asked Wei Shu to help me find my maternal grandfather's family. I think we'll have news soon. You should rest well and wait for your family to reunite in the capital." Jiang Jin took a cloak from the maid and draped it over Mo Niang's shoulders.
“The fur inside was a tribute from a foreign land. His Majesty bestowed some upon Wei Shu, but he didn’t need it, so I had two pieces made. One for Mo Niang and one for me.”
Mo Niang looked flustered and hesitated to touch the cloak she was wearing. "This is worth a fortune, I absolutely dare not wear it." Even when Jiang Luo entered the Censorate's household, he only wore cotton-padded clothes; this was the first time Mo Niang had ever seen something bestowed by the emperor.
"Although Wei Shu is unpopular, he's still considered a favorite of the Emperor. The treasury has plenty of these things; otherwise, how could he be called His Majesty's confidant?" Jiang Jin smiled as she adjusted Mo Niang's cloak.
"The outside is just ordinary embroidery, but the inside is fur. It won't attract attention, but it's the warmest thing in winter." Jiang Jin led Mo Niang into the house, where a maid was adding charcoal to the fire.
"If it's cold in the room, Mo Niang, have someone fetch some charcoal. It's quite chilly in the capital in winter; catching a cold wouldn't be good." Mo Niang had only been sitting for a short while when she started sweating. She quickly took off her cloak and carefully placed it to one side.
"With Madam in such a state, I imagine Your Highness can rest assured." Looking at Jiang Jin's current life of luxury, Mo Niang realized it truly lived up to her name.
Jiang Jin only felt slightly relieved after confirming that Mo Niang was alright, having had A Bei keep an eye on her. Now, she seemed to understand why Wei Shu had tested her so relentlessly. The struggles in the imperial court were indeed thrilling; one wrong move could lead to utter destruction.
"Madam has been married for half a year now. Has she sought any medical help for her health?" Seeing Jiang Jin's somewhat bewildered expression, Mo Niang's heart sank.
“Madam is naturally not in a hurry to get pregnant, but what if the General is anxious?” Mo Niang reached out and stuffed a small paper packet into Jiang Jin’s hand. “This is for my own use. If you are worried, you can have someone check it secretly, but you must do so in secret from the General.”
Jiang Jin glanced at the maids in the room and told them to leave. Then she said to Mo Niang, "I don't need to take care of my health. Besides, neither the general nor I have any such plans."
“So, by putting this drug in the general’s food, even if he has a mistress outside, he won’t end up having an affair.” Mo Niang looked at Jiang Jin with a knowing expression. “I’m not questioning the general, but men can be foolish sometimes. It’s better to strike first so that we can at least keep our position.”
Mo Niang looked at Jiang Jin with a serious expression, as if what she had just said was nothing out of the ordinary. "I gave the general a contraceptive?"
Jiang Jin felt the paper packet in her hand burning her palm like a ball of fire. "Madam, this is only temporary. You can stop taking this medicine when you want to have a child. Don't worry, it won't harm the man." After thinking for a while, Mo Niang handed Jiang Jin another paper packet from her waist.
"If the general has any ill intentions, and you have children, you should take this to prevent future troubles." Jiang Jin stared blankly at the two different paper packets in her hand.
"I thought Mo Niang would advise me to hurry up and get pregnant to secure my position as Madam Wei." Mo Niang stared at Jiang Jin's face for a long time.
"The lady is very much like the wife, especially her eyes, which are as clean and pure as an autumn lake. Back then, the master saw the talent of Imperial Censor Jiang and married her early. Later, she passed the palace examination and entered the Censorate. Everyone said that the master had good taste. It's a pity that the wife is gone. What's the point of keeping the position of Madam Jiang?"
Mo Niang had grown up alongside Jiang's mother, so their bond was naturally special. She had seen Jiang's mother's charming and youthful side as well as her anxious side, as she had not yet given birth to a legitimate son.
"So, Madam, your most important task right now is to take care of yourself. If you don't have a legitimate son, you can adopt one. In any case, with the current affection, you can always secure your position. Even if the affection fades, you still have your official rank, so no matter what, you won't have a falling out." Mo Niang reached out and tucked a stray hair behind Jiang Jin's ear.
“Since the eldest daughter-in-law has married out of the family, her husband, unlike Imperial Censor Jiang, will naturally treat her well. The Imperial Censor will likely promote her, but not too much. If he were to overshadow the Imperial Censor, the eldest daughter-in-law's situation might change.” Mo Niang spoke ramblingly, as if she wanted to express all the worries she had kept hidden for many years.
"Madam and the General still have a tender relationship, so it's time to plan for the future." Mo Niang's eyes held an emotion Jiang Jin couldn't decipher.
"Alright, Madam, please have your breakfast. I'll go to the kitchen to see if the black chicken soup I'm making for you is ready." Jiang Jin nodded with a smile and then beckoned Yi Yi to come out.
"Have you investigated everything about Mo Niang's life?" Jiang Jin nestled on the soft couch, clutching a hand warmer.
“Cangzhou is quite far, so for now we can only find out about her husband and child.” Yi handed the booklet to Jiang Jin. “It’s all very ordinary, there are no problems.”
"Do the times all match?" Jiang Jin asked, looking at the booklet which appeared normal.
“Sure, but that farmer doesn’t seem to need medicine. Besides, this kind of medicine isn’t something you can just buy whenever you want.” Yi Yi pointed to the paper package that Jiang Jin had placed to the side.
"Check carefully to see if Mo Niang has any close relationships with anyone, preferably merchants or officials' wives." Jiang Jin handed the booklet to Yi Yi. "Has the porridge distribution at the clothing store been arranged?"
"The porridge will be distributed outside the city as usual. This time, the steward is personally overseeing it, so there shouldn't be any problems. His Highness has also sent palace servants to distribute porridge at the palace gate, so the people in the city should have no worries."
Jiang Jin rubbed his temples. "Have the clothing store send some more charcoal to the temple outside the city. There must be beggars sheltering from the wind and snow there."
"My lady, there are rumors outside that the Imperial Concubine is unrighteous and unworthy to be Empress, so Heaven sent down snow as a warning." Yi Yi finished speaking and looked at Jiang Jin, waiting for her reply.
"I know who spread it without even thinking. Instead of investigating properly, those few are resorting to these underhanded schemes. If a snowfall can make His Majesty rescind his decree, then everyone can use disaster as a pretext from now on. Be careful, you might end up losing more than you gain. Since His Majesty has issued the decree, there's no going back." Jiang Jin snorted coldly, looking at the snow falling again outside, and sighed.
"However, the snow this year is really heavy. I wonder what the situation is like outside." Jiang Jin was worried about the various prefectures and naturally had no appetite.
"Don't worry, my lady. If the snowfall causes disasters in any of the prefectures, they will send us a letter." Jiang Jin could only say this for now. Because of Jiang Jin's actions, people in various prefectures in the capital went out to distribute porridge, making Jiang Jin's presence less noticeable. But this was a good thing for Jiang Jin, since no one could stay in the spotlight forever.
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