Chapter 225 Bribing the Enemy
"Reason?" The Fourth Lady asked in confusion, "Do we need a reason to have a child?"
If she told the reason, it would be like she thought her life was too long.
"You don't want a child?" The Fourth Madam put the soup bowl on the cabinet beside her, climbed over to Zhao Qiyuan's side, and rested her chin on his broad shoulder. "Zhao Jue is about to have a child, don't you want to be a father?"
Zhao Qiyuan raised his hand to wipe the soup from the corner of her mouth: "Are you not afraid of the pain?"
"I'm an elder now, how can I be afraid of pain?" The fourth lady's eyes flickered as she looked at the man with a smile: "Even if I'm afraid of pain, I still want to give birth to a child for you."
The next moment, she was thrown onto the bed by the man, and she was a little dazed.
"Say it again." Zhao Qiyuan stared at her with his dark eyes. "What do you want to do?"
The Fourth Madam looked at him fiercely, as if she would eat her alive if she said it again.
She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he kissed her deeply and fiercely.
The fourth lady struggled subconsciously, but he held her hands and clasped them beside her ears.
"Give birth now."
“…”
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Early the next morning, Zhao Qiyuan went to Si'an Hall to pay his respects to the Duke and the old lady.
The Duke and the old lady are having breakfast.
"Old Four, have you eaten yet?" The old lady ordered the maid to bring a set of bowls and chopsticks: "Have a little with us two elders."
Zhao Qiyuan was a casual person, so he didn't refuse and sat down directly.
"Father, you asked me to come to your study last night. What do you want to tell me?"
When Zhao Qiyuan returned home from the northern border, he did not see the fourth lady in the room, so he knew that she had gone back to her parents' home.
After finishing his business, he wrote a letter and sent it to the Minister of Personnel's residence for her. Then he went to the residence to pick her up in person. Just as he reached the corner gate, he saw her rushing back.
Last night he planned to wait for her to finish her meal before going to the study to find the Duke, but she eventually lost control because of a word he said.
"It's not a big deal." The Duke put down his bowl and chopsticks, rinsed his mouth with tea, and said, "You'll be thirty next year. You should consider having a child."
Zhao Qiyuan corrected him, "Twenty-nine."
"Twenty-nine and thirty are only a year apart, and it will be there in the blink of an eye." The Duke said earnestly, "Even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least consider your wife. You've been away from home for so long, and she's inevitably lonely without a child by her side."
Zhao Qiyuan still didn't say anything.
The Duke's face darkened. "Tell me what you think."
"You can give birth." Zhao Qiyuan finished a bowl of porridge, put it down, and looked up at the Duke: "I have a condition."
When the Duke heard him speak, his expression softened a little: "Go ahead."
Zhao Qiyuan said: "Our children will not be fostered under anyone else's name."
The Duke fell silent and did not respond to Zhao Qiyuan for a while.
Because from the moment he urged Zhao Qiyuan to have a baby, he already had a plan.
If Zhao Qiyuan had given birth to a son, he would have been fostered under the name of the eldest son and raised as a legitimate descendant.
"I know what you're thinking. As long as Zhao Yi is alive, I'll be your heir." Zhao Qiyuan drank a cup of tea and glanced at the Duke. "If you agree to this condition, I'll give you a younger generation next year."
Zhao Qiyuan knew full well that his father had no shortage of children; what he lacked were legitimate ones. His father hadn't pushed the first and second wives to have children, instead setting his sights on him, a bastard. He didn't need to think to understand his father's motives.
Zhao Yi is seriously ill. If his illness cannot be cured, there will be no descendants of the first wife to inherit the title.
The second branch of the family has evil intentions, and my father will not entrust the title to them.
The Duke thought for a long time and nodded, agreeing to Zhao Qiyuan's conditions.
"When I was transporting grain to the northern border, I received a letter from Northern Qi, trying to bribe me to collaborate with the enemy and delay the delivery of grain to the northern border. They even planned my escape route."
Zhao Qiyuan pulled the letter out of his sleeve and placed it in front of the Duke. "The envoys from Northern Qi are coming to the capital this time. You should be on guard against them."
"Our Duke's Mansion has been loyal and righteous for generations, and has never produced any traitors. Given our current status, why would the people of Northern Qi risk bribing you to collaborate with the enemy?"
As he spoke, the Duke seemed to be thinking of something, and his expression was very solemn. He immediately opened the letter, quickly read the contents, and his cloudy eyes dimmed.
As expected, they knew something about Emperor Jing'an and Princess Yizhen during the Northern Qi Dynasty.
The Northern Qi has come with ill intentions this time.
The Duke put the letter into an envelope, went to the inner room to change into casual clothes, and took a carriage to enter the palace.
In the imperial study, the Duke presented the letter to Emperor Jing'an.
Emperor Jing'an read the contents of the letter over and over again, his expression gloomy as he said, "Although it is said that envoys from two warring countries should not be executed, if Northern Qi has ill intentions, what harm would there be in executing them?"
In the letter sent by Northern Qi to bribe Zhao Qiyuan, Princess Yizhen was mentioned repeatedly, which touched the sore spot of Emperor Jing'an.
He said with rage, "Northern Qi must not threaten me. If they think of using Yizhen to control me, they are miscalculating. My cavalry will surely crush Northern Qi."
"Your Majesty, please calm down." The Duke knew very well the position Princess Yizhen held in Emperor Jing'an's heart, and said worriedly, "Yier..."
"Yier is the eldest grandson of the Duke's Mansion." Emperor Jing'an emphasized this point. His expression brightened slightly when he mentioned Zhao Yi. "They found Zhongyuan. He went to Baohua County for treatment. I hope he will be cured when he returns."
The Duke of Zhenguo was in a very complicated mood: "Your Majesty, Yi'er is a lucky person and will be safe."
Emperor Jing'an was determined to save Zhao Yi's life at all costs.
He received news from the assassins today and got the exact news that Zhao Yi's disease could be cured.
A wish that has been weighing on my heart is finally fulfilled.
-
Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi stayed in Baohua County for a few days. After Gu Changsheng's treatment, Zhao Yi's health improved a lot, so he immediately set off back to the capital.
This time, it only took three days to return to Beijing and reach the suburbs of Beijing.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped.
The driver said outside, "Second Master, Second Madam, there are soldiers blocking the road ahead. They appear to be a group of envoys from Northern Qi."
Shen Qingtan lifted the car window curtain and saw a long queue in front.
She frowned and was about to tell Jiang Mu to find out what was going on when she saw Jiang Chao approaching quickly: "Second Master, Second Madam, the envoys from Northern Qi are waiting at the city gate to be received by officials. If we want to enter the capital, I'm afraid we'll have to wait another hour or two."
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