Next, Fu Yao and Shu Lan stayed in the mansion.

They could have a day off every five days, and on that day, Liu Tangxi took them to visit the capital, eat and drink. The two sisters had a great time.

About half a month later, after finishing the work in the fields, Li came to the capital to see Liu Tangxi.

Seeing that everything was fine with her, she felt relieved.

However, she also asked the two sisters Fu Yao and Shu Lan whether they disturbed her.

Seeing that Liu Tangxi really didn't mind their quarrel, he left the two granddaughters behind.

When her son first suggested that the two sisters come over, she disagreed. Her daughter-in-law was five or six months pregnant, and her belly was so big that it was not convenient for her to do anything. If there were two more children at home, wouldn't it bother her?

But the son said that his daughter-in-law was bored at home and wanted someone to accompany her. She said she would come to take care of her daughter-in-law, but her son refused.

Now that she saw that her daughter-in-law got along well with her two granddaughters, she began to believe what her son said.

That day, when Li left, she took the two sisters with her. After all, they had not been home for half a month and it was time for them to see their family.

However, they returned to Liutangxi the next day.

The fruits on the farm were indeed harvested for her by Yin, and the orchard was still open to the public and charged admission, just like last year.

When Fu Yao and Shu Lan were resting, Liu Tangxi took them there. Mainly, she also wanted to see how many apples were left in the orchard and how many days they could be sold this year.

Liu Tangxi knew that the situation in the capital was complicated, and she was pregnant, so she didn't go to crowded places. She waited until the latter part of the afternoon, when most people had left, before she went in.

The place they went to was open to ordinary people, because there were still a few nobles in the garden next to it who had not left, and she didn't want to talk to those people.

"Wow, Third Auntie, you are so amazing. You can actually come up with such an idea." Fu Yao praised.

Shu Lan looked at the apples on the tree, swallowed her saliva, and said, "The apples are so big and red, and they look better than the apples we grow at home."

Liu Tangxi glanced at the maid following beside her. The maid understood and immediately picked a few red ones and went to wash them aside.

Next, the three of them walked inside, each chewing an apple.

"It's delicious. Everything grown by Third Auntie is delicious." Fu Yao praised while eating.

"Yes, everything Third Auntie cooks is delicious." Shu Lan also praised.

Liu Tangxi smiled and patted their heads, thinking that it would be nice if the baby in her belly was a girl. A girl would be so cute and considerate, and she would support her in everything she did.

If I'm unlucky and give birth to a child with a personality like Wei Hanzhou, I'll be depressed to death.

It’s enough to have one quiet person in the family. If there’s another one who has a cold face and doesn’t talk every day, it would make people very uncomfortable.

Thinking about how the men in the Wei family, from the third son to the middle son, didn't talk much, Liu Tangxi touched her belly and prayed that she would have a daughter as the first child. When the daughter grew up, she would have a son.

After eating an apple, the three of them walked back.

However, when she turned around, Liu Tangxi spotted a figure. The person was sitting under a tree, and from her angle, he seemed to be asleep.

Looking at the sun, Liu Tangxi said to Madam Cheng, "Madam, go wake them up. The sun is going down and the weather is getting cold. Don't let them catch a cold."

"Yes, ma'am."

After Nanny Cheng walked over, she was about to talk to the man, but she found that he was not asleep, but was reading a book with his head down.

Madam Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Sir, it's getting late. Our garden is about to close. You——"

Before he could finish his words, the young man under the tree raised his head.

Nanny Cheng came from a marquis's mansion, and she knew almost all the noble families above the third rank in the capital. At this moment, looking at the familiar young man in front of her, she suddenly widened her eyes and said in panic: "Second... Second Prince, I have met the Second Prince."

She really didn't expect to meet the second prince here.

The Second Prince was no less shocked than Nanny Cheng at this moment.

He had clearly been hiding here, so how come someone recognized him? Is he so famous now?

If people knew that he paid ten cents a day to eat all day long... I wonder if my father would scold him for being useless again.

"Ah? He is the second prince? How is that possible?" said the servant who was cleaning here.

How could there be such a prince, who would come here every day to take advantage of others and pay ten cents to eat for a day. Not only that, he had also stolen food from their house before.

The second prince's heart beat wildly as he looked at the servant's inquiring eyes.

He had been scolded by this servant before, and he also met him when he went to steal vegetables that day.

"I...I...I'm not the second prince. You've got the wrong person." The second prince picked up the book to cover his face, stood up in panic and wanted to run.

However, he and Liu Tangxi had a bad relationship.

Liu Tangxi just heard Nanny Cheng's voice and walked over here.

Although she didn't have a very good impression of the Second Prince, she still saluted him respectfully: "Meet the Second Prince."

The second prince pursed his lips, feeling embarrassed and at a loss.

He could fool Madam Cheng, but he couldn't fool Liu Tangxi. After all, they had known each other since childhood.

"Yeah." The second prince tried his best to calm down and responded.

The relationship between the two was not good to begin with, and Liu Tangxi didn't say anything.

The second prince had mixed feelings.

He now relies on the things grown by Liu Tangxi to keep a clear mind. Liu Tangxi is like a panacea to him. But he was beaten by Liu Tangxi when he was a child, and he hated Liu Tangxi and slandered her behind her back.

However, since Liu Tangxi returned to the capital, he seemed like a different person, much gentler than before, which made it difficult for him to say unpleasant words.

"The apples are delicious, thank you." The second prince said in a low voice.

Liu Tangxi was very surprised and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Seeing that Liu Tangxi was about to speak, the Second Prince was afraid that she would say something unpleasant, so he stepped aside and ran away.

Fu Yao looked at the Second Prince's back and asked in a low voice, "Auntie San, is this really a prince? Why does he look nothing like one?"

Liu Tangxi carefully recalled the image of the Second Prince and said, "He is a prince, but he has a strange temper."

"oh."

Liu Tangxi pondered the current situation and said to Madam Cheng, "Have someone pick a basket of apples and send it to the Second Prince's residence."

"Yes, ma'am."

Liu Tangxi thought that more friends are always better than more enemies.

Even if the Second Prince was not familiar with the affairs of the court, he knew the current situation. Therefore, he did not go to the residence of Prince Jian at night, but returned to his own residence. On the way back, he was still thinking, Liu Tangxi had discovered him, and whether he could not go there tomorrow.

In fact, he could also buy it and eat it at home.

But, somehow, he always felt that he was clearer in the apple orchard.

Moreover, whenever he was in the palace, many people came to see him, such as his eldest brother, his third brother, and some unrelated officials. Especially recently, more and more people came to see him, which was very annoying.

He just didn't understand what was so good about the throne and why so many people were fighting for it.

Moreover, even if others were fighting, he didn't want to fight. Why bother him? Can't he be left alone for a while?

When it was evening, looking at the basket of apples sent by Liu Tangxi, the second prince suddenly felt that he had been judging others by his own standards, and his opinion of Liu Tangxi gradually changed.

That night, Wei Hanzhou returned very late as usual.

Because he slept until almost dark in the afternoon, Liu Tangxi was not sleepy at the moment.

Thinking about it carefully, she and Wei Hanzhou hadn't had a good chat for a long time. Every time Wei Hanzhou came back, she had already fallen asleep. And when she woke up in the morning, Wei Hanzhou left early again.

While he was not feeling sleepy today, Liu Tangxi wanted to talk to Wei Hanzhou.

After Wei Hanzhou went to bed, he found Liu Tangxi looking at him with his eyes wide open.

"Did I wake you up? Sorry." Wei Hanzhou said.

Liu Tangxi said: "No, I slept too much in the afternoon, so I'm not sleepy now."

Hearing his wife's sober voice, Wei Hanzhou asked, "What did you do today?"

In fact, he had already asked the servants before entering the house. He would ask every time he returned home.

The whole mansion was filled with Liu Tangxi's people, so Liu Tangxi also knew about this. When she heard Wei Hanzhou's question, she blinked and said teasingly, "Didn't you ask Madam what I did?"

Wei Hanzhou was not embarrassed at all. He lay on his side, raised his hand and touched Liu Tangxi's slightly red face, and said, "Yes, I asked. But I want to hear it from you in person."

Liu Tangxi smiled and told Wei Hanzhou what she had eaten this morning, what she had done, what she had eaten before, how long she had taken a nap, etc. As she listened, Wei Hanzhou knew why she was not sleeping at this moment.

"Did you meet the Second Prince today?"

"Yes, I saw you in the orchard."

"Did he say anything?" Wei Hanzhou asked. He remembered that the Second Prince didn't say anything good when he first met his wife, and later he even said bad things about her behind his back.

"No, he seemed terribly frightened when he saw me, and he said something and ran away."

"Um."

"The Second Prince has a very different personality from the Crown Prince and the Third Prince."

Wei Hanzhou said: "Well, the Second Prince likes reading and can hardly put down his book."

Liu Tangxi thought of what the servants said about the Second Prince going to the orchard to read almost every day, and he would read all day long, so he complained: "Then he is not suitable for the Ministry of Rites, but for being a library manager."

"Librarian?" Wei Hanzhou asked puzzledly.

Liu Tangxi realized that he had said something wrong and said vaguely, "I just went to the library to work. I can work and read books at the same time."

Wei Hanzhou agreed: "Well, this is a good idea."

The Second Prince was only slightly better than a stranger to Liu Tangxi. After talking for a few words, she didn't want to continue discussing such an irrelevant person with Wei Hanzhou and started talking about other things.

Coincidentally, Wei Hanzhou didn't like discussing other men with his wife in bed, so he followed Liu Tangxi's words and talked about other things.

As he was talking, Liu Tangxi thought of a question he had thought about today and asked, "Do you prefer a son or a daughter?"

Liu Tangxi had asked this question before, but Wei Hanzhou answered that he liked them all.

This time, Liu Tangxi added: "I can't say I like them all, I have to choose one!"

Wei Hanzhou thought about it for a while and said, "If this is the first child, I hope you will give birth to a son."

"Why?"

Liu Tangxi was slightly surprised. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that Wei Hanzhou should like daughters. She clearly felt that among his nephews and nieces, Wei Hanzhou liked Shulan the most. She didn't expect him to say that he wanted a son.

Preferring sons over daughters? This is unlikely. No one in the Wei family favors sons over daughters. In their family, men don't talk much and have little sense of existence, but the two girls were spoiled and brought up. Especially Shulan, who is soft, cute and well-behaved. Everyone in the family spoils her the most.

"Because, when I am not at home, my son can protect my wife on my behalf."

Liu Tangxi didn't expect Wei Hanzhou to suddenly say such a cheesy love word. If someone else said it, she would be so embarrassed that her toes would dig into the ground. But now, when she heard Wei Hanzhou say it, although she felt embarrassed, she felt happy in her heart.

"Really? So that's what you think." Liu Tangxi said with a smile, "Then can't you stay at home every day? Your son hasn't even been born yet, and you let him shoulder the responsibility of looking after the house. You are such a cruel father!"

Although he was criticized by his wife, Wei Hanzhou did not feel guilty at all, nor did he think he had done anything wrong.

"But what if I want a daughter?"

Wei Hanzhou thought for a moment and said, "Then I will try harder in the future."

Liu Tangxi burst out laughing, raised his hand and gently hit Wei Hanzhou, saying: "It's as if you can give birth to whatever you want."

"Well, if one time doesn't work, try twice. If two times doesn't work, try three times."

Although Wei Hanzhou was talking about having a baby, Liu Tangxi suddenly thought of something else. Thinking about how they hadn't had sex for several months, Liu Tangxi's face suddenly turned red.

"You think I'm a pig? I won't give birth to so many babies."

Wei Hanzhou continued in a serious tone, "My lady, you can have as many children as you want. If you don't have a daughter, let Fuyao and Shulan accompany you."

"I won't talk to you anymore, go to sleep."

"Well, go to bed. It's getting late."

Because many fruit trees were planted this year, several farms transplanted them and a lot of them were exported to the capital. Therefore, by the time the fruits were almost sold out, Liu Tangxi had already earned nearly 20,000 taels.

She exchanged all the money for banknotes, keeping some with her and putting the rest together with the tens of thousands of taels she had previously obtained.

Looking at these amounts that she had never dared to imagine before, Liu Tangxi prayed silently that she would live long enough to spend them.

In mid-November, the first snow fell in the capital.

This snow is heavier than in previous years.

Wei Hanzhou had come back for dinner recently. However, he often disappeared after dinner, and Liu Tangxi had no idea when he came back. If she hadn't smelled the familiar smell of Wei Hanzhou after waking up, Liu Tangxi would have suspected that he hadn't come back all night.

That day, Wei Hanzhou returned in the snow and wind.

Looking at the snow on his body and hair, Liu Tangxi frowned and said, "Why didn't you take the carriage?"

Wei Hanzhou had already learned to ride a horse, and now he went to court on horseback.

Seeing that it was snowing today, Liu Tangxi asked Dongsheng to drive the carriage.

"Well, since the snow isn't heavy, I'll go riding."

"Don't do this again next time. It's cold today and it would be bad if you catch a cold."

"Okay, I'll remember that." Wei Hanzhou took Liu Tangxi's hand and said, "Let's go back to the house. It's cold outside."

Although Wei Hanzhou came on horseback, for some reason his palms were warm.

"Okay." Liu Tangxi said with a smile.

"Third uncle."

"Third uncle."

Fu Yao and Shu Lan saluted Wei Hanzhou.

"Well, how was your reading today?"

Shulan smiled and said, "My elder sister is a good student. The teacher even praised her, saying that she has unique ideas."

Fu Yao was very happy, but he also praised Shu Lan: "Sister is not bad at reading, and her handwriting is better than mine."

Wei Hanzhou glanced at Fu Yao. He knew this niece very well. She was really smart, but also a little impetuous and couldn't calm down.

"If you can calm down, your calligraphy won't be surpassed by Shulan. The most important thing to avoid is being impatient. Write one more page of big characters tonight."

The smile on Fu Yao's face gradually disappeared, and he said, "Yes, thank you for your teaching, Uncle San."

Liu Tangxi said, "I heard from my mother that the teacher said Fu Yao is very smart and can learn everything very quickly, especially reading and playing chess. Shu Lan is quiet and has good handwriting and plays the piano well."

Fu Yao and Shu Lan both laughed again.

Wei Hanzhou glanced at Liu Tangxi and said nothing more about his two nieces.

Liu Tangxi smiled and said, "Okay, the meal is ready. Let's eat and stop talking about this."

"Um."

After dinner, Wei Hanzhou talked to Liu Tangxi for quarter of an hour, then left the mansion in the snow.

After he left, Liu Tangxi could clearly feel that Fu Yao and Shu Lan both breathed a sigh of relief.

Nowadays, rebellions are frequent outside the capital, and the neighboring country in the south seems to be beginning to stir.

Wei Lao San also knew about the terrible things that happened in the north.

He knew this because when Erhu was delivering goods to Quwei, he met a diner from the north. The diner was a wealthy businessman with a lot of money. Seeing that something was wrong, he quickly ran to the capital to seek refuge.

That place was very close to Weijia Village, so when Wei Erhu found out about it, he immediately asked for leave and ran home to tell Wei Laosan.

Wei Lao San quickly got in his car and went to the capital to find Wei Hanzhou.

When it was dark, Wei Hanzhou came back.

Wei Hanzhou still looked calm and told Wei Laosan not to worry. But how could he just say he wasn't worried about something like this? Even after Wei Hanzhou said that, Wei Laosan was still terrified.

However, after half a month, when he entered the second month of menstruation, Wei Lao San was no longer worried.

The reason is simple, because he found that people around him did not take □□ seriously.

The capital city was like a paradise, and people's faces were still filled with smiles. Everyone felt that no matter how chaotic things got, they would not be able to cause chaos in the capital city, and they felt very safe in their hearts.

In this atmosphere, the mood of Wei Laosan's family gradually calmed down.

When they heard from passersby that the land in Weijia Village was in chaos due to the increase in taxes last year and the decrease in production, Wei Laosan and others were afraid, but also somewhat glad that he brought his family to the capital.

Otherwise, if things got messed up, they really didn’t know what would happen to the fate of this family.

"The taxes are too high. No wonder those people rebelled." Li said in a low voice.

Although these words came out of Wei Lao San's inner thoughts, when he heard her say this, Wei Lao San hurriedly said, "Keep your voice down. I'm an official now. If people hear these words, I'll get into trouble."

Li was frightened and quickly shut her mouth.

Wei Lao San was not the only one who shared the same idea as Li, but most people would not say it out loud.

Liu Tangxi is not as optimistic as the people in the capital. Although the plot has changed, the throne is about to be replaced, and things will become even more chaotic by then.

Therefore, in addition to carrying money with her at all times, she also stockpiled a lot of food, which she placed in her mansion and on various farms. She also sent a lot to Li's house in case of emergency.

In the blink of an eye, the Chinese New Year is approaching. Liu Tangxi's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and it seems that the baby will be due in less than half a month.

Fuyao and Shulan are already on vacation and they are going back home too.

Liu Tangxi thought that if she waited for the baby to be born, she would not be able to go out for a month, so before the birth, she took them out for this trip to buy some New Year's goods.

When he had bought almost everything, Liu Tangxi finally went to the dried fruit shop.

There are a lot of dry goods here, including melon seeds, preserved fruits and the like, which can be eaten during the Chinese New Year.

While I was choosing, I heard a voice.

"Mrs. Wei."

Turning around, Liu Tangxi saw Princess Fuping.

"Fuyao, Shulan, long time no see." Princess Fuping greeted the two little girls.

"Hello, Princess." Fu Yao Shu Lan returned the greeting.

"Why is the princess here?" Liu Tangxi asked.

Princess Fuping said, "I came here to buy some candied haws."

After that, she took a look at Liu Tangxi's belly and said in surprise: "It's only been a few months since we last met, and your belly is so big."

Liu Tangxi touched her belly and said with a smile, "Well, the baby is about to be born and has grown a little bit."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Princess Fuping went to the room next door to chat with Fu Yao.

Both of them have carefree personalities and they get along well with each other.

Liu Tangxi glanced at them and continued to pick out dried goods for Li to use for the New Year.

At this time, a carriage drove towards this street.

"I didn't expect that Marquis Weizhen is such a fool that he can't even deal with a group of unarmed civilians." The third prince said angrily.

Although the girl from the Marquis of Weizhen Mansion became the consort of the Third Prince, Liu Luan still made an objective analysis: "It's probably not because the Marquis of Weizhen can't handle it, but because Prince Jian is behind this matter. I'm afraid there are people of Prince Jian mixed in among the common people."

The third prince narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Fortunately, the prince is even more useless, Lieutenant General Liu was hacked to death, and Marquis Weizhen was able to come back alive. In the eyes of the emperor, you are more useful than the prince." Liu Yanan said.

This was probably the better news among all the bad news, and the Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as he is stronger than the crown prince, then my father's throne will still be passed on to him. However, I am afraid that my father's throne will not be kept.

Seeing the obvious anxiety on the Third Prince's face, Liu Luan reminded him, "You need to calm down and not panic."

"Yes." The third prince nodded, but he was still upset.

Hearing the noisy hawking outside, the third prince lifted the curtain and took a look outside.

However, when the third prince saw a familiar carriage, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

“Stop!”

The carriage stopped immediately.

Liu Xuanan was a little surprised and looked at the third prince.

The Third Prince looked at the carriage outside, and Liu Yanan followed his line of sight. Judging from the logo, it was a carriage from Prince Jin's mansion, and looking at the specifications, it should belong to Princess Fuping.

"I heard that Prince Jian loves Princess Fuping very much. Tell me, if I use Princess Fuping as a threat, what will Prince Jian do? Will he dare to go against me?"

Hearing this, Liu Luan felt as if she was meeting the Third Prince for the first time. She really didn't expect him to say such words.

Immediately, she wanted to object.

But after carefully considering the situation, she calmed down and changed her mind.

"This is a good idea. If we capture Princess Fuping alive, King Jian will definitely make some compromises. But how do you plan to capture the princess? It looks like those guarding outside are all experts."

The Third Prince looked at Liu Xuan'an with a deep look in his eyes and said, "This shop belongs to Liu Tangxi, right?"

When Liu Luan heard this and looked at the Third Prince's eyes, he understood what he meant.

"Well, this is my eldest sister's shop. If I go in, it won't arouse suspicion. I heard that the princess has a very good relationship with my eldest sister. I think she will come out with me if I make up an excuse."

"An An, I leave everything to you." The third prince said with a smile.

Today is such a coincidence. If we can really capture Princess Fuping, everything will be twice as easy.

"But what if my elder sister is here too?" Liu Luan asked.

The Third Prince snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "Then arrest her as well. Wei Hanzhou is secretly on the side of the Crown Prince. Besides, she has never done anything good in the past. She has always bullied you. You should teach her a lesson."

Liu Yanan thought about it and felt that this method was feasible.

Her elder sister was stupid and Princess Fuping was young, so it was very easy for her to trick these two people.

However——

"My elder sister is pregnant now, and Princess Fuping is also a child. You promised me that after you capture them, you will only threaten them and not hurt them." Liu Li'an said.

"Of course. Princess Fuping is my cousin after all. How could I bother with a little girl? You said you won't bother with Liu Tangxi, so I won't either."

"Um."

"You go explore first, I'll mobilize troops, just in case."

"good."

Then Liu Luan got off the carriage.

She remembered that when they first met, the Third Prince was still a nobody in the palace and had a soft heart. But later, in the fight with the Crown Prince, his heart became harder and harder. Although hard, he had not crossed the bottom line. He was ruthless to the evil, but he would not drag innocent people into it.

But now, when the situation is almost irreversible, he has started to attack children and pregnant women.

But she had to admit that this was the best way at the moment.

If this move succeeds, perhaps they can turn the situation around.

After working hard for decades, she doesn't want to lose.