Chapter 10 She always kept musk hidden in her blankets.
Xiao Mingzhang was decisive and efficient.
Having just discussed having a child that day, the very next morning, he got up and immediately called for a doctor to examine his and Yunzhu's pulses.
Moreover, just in case, when Yunzhu heard this, he did not take the easy way out and directly send someone to invite the physician that the Prince's own family had hired. Instead, he specially went to invite the most famous gynecologist in Yunzhou City, who was renowned by word of mouth.
Yunzhu sat at her desk, propping her head up with her hand, clicking her tongue in amazement at Xiao Mingzhang's unusual behavior.
She knew that ordinary men were often reluctant to seek medical help when it came to children. This was because they had some unfounded pride and did not want the doctor to have too much contact with them, much less say anything that would damage their reputation.
Xiao Mingzhang had no grudge about this matter.
Hearing her voice, Xiao Mingzhang turned around and glanced at her, asking, "Have you finished practicing your calligraphy?"
"..."
Not yet.
Yunzhu immediately shut her head and stared at the calligraphy copybook on the table, no longer saying a word.
Xiao Mingzhang really doesn't give her a moment to breathe. This morning, he made an appointment with a doctor, but before the doctor arrived, he even made her practice calligraphy as usual.
Yunzhu had no choice but to concentrate on copying the large characters on the table over and over again.
Xiao Mingzhang then sat down opposite her, organizing her books while supervising her studies.
After she finally finished writing a calligraphy copybook, Yunzhu stretched and looked at Xiao Mingzhang, suddenly remembering the question she hadn't had a chance to ask yesterday.
"By the way, what about the locust plague in Qingzhou? Does the imperial court have any solutions?" She finally seized the opportunity to ask for clarification.
Xiao Mingzhang looked up from among a pile of books, surprised that Yunzhu was still thinking about this matter.
He glanced at Yunzhu's calligraphy and said, "The locust plague was reported to the court by the Prince of Sui a month ago. His Majesty sent people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture to Qingzhou to help, hoping that the people can get rid of their suffering as soon as possible."
“The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture…” Yunzhu murmured, knowing that the Ministry of Revenue was responsible for allocating funds, while the Ministry of Agriculture, as the name suggests, was in charge of agricultural affairs.
"It's good that someone was sent to resolve it." She muttered to herself, then added, "Have other places in the Central Plains experienced similar locust plagues or livelihood problems before? Locust plagues don't sound like they've only happened once. Were the previous solutions difficult to implement? How were the people eventually resettled?"
Her question was a bit too broad.
Xiao Mingzhang raised an eyebrow, but this time he did not answer directly.
Yunzhu waited silently for a while, and seeing that Xiao Mingzhang was looking at her but did not say anything, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
Did she... ask another inappropriate question?
Well then, if it's not her place to know, then she shouldn't know. Yunzhu quickly lowered her head again and picked up her brush to practice calligraphy.
But after a short while, she heard Xiao Mingzhang's voice ring out again, saying, "In the past, the Central Plains has experienced no fewer than ten locust plagues or droughts, large and small. Each time, the people suffered greatly. The court either built water conservancy projects and handled the situation well, or it was corrupt officials who were incompetent and directly led to the downfall of the dynasty. If you are interested, there are relevant records on my bookshelf. But you will have to learn to read them first, right?"
"..."
It turns out it wasn't that I didn't want her to understand, but that I thought she didn't know enough words!
Yunzhu suppressed the faint smile on her lips, raised her head and looked at Xiao Mingzhang with a hint of resentment: "Don't worry, I will learn all the characters in your Central Plains sooner or later. By then, I'm afraid the books on your bookshelf won't be enough for me to read!"
A spirited young woman always carries the most beautiful vitality in the world.
Xiao Mingzhang smiled faintly and said, "Then I will wait."
Yunzhu was full of confidence. She hadn't really been in the mood to practice calligraphy that early in the morning, but after talking to Xiao Mingzhang, she felt full of energy.
She stopped thinking about the locust plague and focused on practicing calligraphy. Just as she finished another calligraphy practice sheet, she heard footsteps outside the study.
She and Xiao Mingzhang both thought the doctor had arrived, so they went out to see, only to find Ying's figure standing prominently between the light and shadow.
Yunzhu glanced at Xiao Mingzhang subconsciously.
Because of her status, Madam Ying rarely visited Yunzhu's courtyard after Yunzhu married into the Huan Prince's mansion. Whenever there was something to discuss, she would either send someone to deliver a message or directly call Yunzhu or Xiao Mingzhang over; she rarely made her own way.
But today, for some unknown reason, she was deliberately provoked.
"Are you going to call a doctor from outside to examine your health?"
Ying made no attempt to hide anything, and after Yunzhu and Xiao Mingzhang placed her in the main seat, she got straight to the point.
Yunzhu kept her eyes down, seemingly lost in thought; it turned out she had come for this very reason.
"Yes." Xiao Mingzhang said directly without waiting for her reply.
Ying looked at Xiao Mingzhang reproachfully: "I disagree with this matter."
"Why would Mother Consort disagree?" Xiao Mingzhang seemed not at all surprised that Ying Shi knew about this matter and came to stop it.
"Are you really unaware or pretending?" Madam Ying asked urgently. "If a couple has no children, it's one thing for an ordinary woman to examine herself, but you're a man, and you even called in a doctor from outside. What if..."
"What if what?"
Ying was speaking when she couldn't continue. Xiao Mingzhang waited a while, then asked on behalf of his mother.
That bastard son...
Madam Ying gritted her teeth; naturally, she couldn't finish her sentence in front of so many servants.
She stubbornly and arrogantly told Xiao Mingzhang, "In short, I disagree with this matter! Tell that doctor to go back to where he came from. If he insists on an examination, arrange for Yunzhu to come to my room another day, and I will personally have Doctor He examine her."
"Mother's words are strange."
If just now Xiao Mingzhang thought his mother was just being unreasonable, now he began to carefully observe Ying's expression.
"Your son and Yunzhu have been married for two years now. Mother, you went to the Qin family for a banquet yesterday. If I remember correctly, the second son of the Qin family got married half a year later than me. Now their child's one-month celebration has already been held. Mother, are you really not in a hurry at all?"
"Yes, Physician He has been in the household for many years and his medical skills are trustworthy. However, if we only consider gynecology, Physician He is not the best in Yuncheng. Why can't Mother invite a doctor from outside to take a look? Could it be that you really don't want to see your own grandson born?"
How could she not want to see her grandson born?
No one knows a mother better than her son. Provoked by Xiao Mingzhang's words, Ying Shi unconsciously revealed a hint of regret on her face.
But only for a moment; soon, those regrets were overshadowed by her unwavering resolve and vanished in an instant.
"It's definitely not your problem!" Madam Ying said decisively. "If you really want to see, then arrange it for tomorrow. Tomorrow, you two bring that expert gynecologist to my room, and I'll have him take your pulses, okay?"
not good.
Xiao Mingzhang stared intently at Ying's expression.
He originally wanted to find a doctor from outside today just to have himself and Yunzhu examined more thoroughly, but now he thinks he must have stumbled upon something by accident.
If we wait until tomorrow, it's uncertain whether we can believe the doctor's words.
“There’s no need to trouble Mother. Since we’ve already called the doctor, let’s get everything done today,” Xiao Mingzhang insisted. “Mother, I specifically canceled my duties at the yamen today so I could stay at the manor. There’s a ton of work to do at the yamen tomorrow, and I really don’t have the time.”
"You..." Madam Ying was exasperated, never imagining that the one who would oppose her the most would be her own son.
She gritted her teeth, looked around at the servants filling the room, and then looked at Yunzhu with an inscrutable expression. She sat at the head of the table for a long time before finally saying, "Fine, I can't make decisions for you now anyway. You can do whatever you want. But I have something to tell you today. You should call everyone out first."
The people she was referring to included Yunzhu.
Xiao Mingzhang knew that his mother wanted to confront him, so this time, he finally did not refute her. Instead, he squeezed Yunzhu's hand to comfort her.
Yunzhu, being quite self-aware, led her servants away first.
Once only the mother and son were left in the room, Xiao Mingzhang asked, "Mother, are you now going to tell me why Yunzhu and I haven't had a child for so long?"
"..." Madam Ying gasped. Being forced to tell the truth by her son was truly an unpleasant experience.
But what other options does she have now?
She only has herself to blame for giving birth to such a smart son.
“Every time I change the quilts you and Yunzhu use, I ask someone to put some musk in them.”
"What?!" Xiao Mingzhang couldn't believe what he had just heard.
Even though he was completely ignorant of medical principles, he still knew the uses of musk.
Ying, however, thought he was unaware and explained, "Don't worry, this thing will only cause infertility in women; as for men, it's basically harmless."
"..." Is that what he cares about? Xiao Mingzhang was momentarily at a loss as to whether he should feel fortunate or heartbroken.
"For two whole years, Mother Consort did this?" he asked, finding it utterly absurd.
“This is not my fault!” Madam Ying frowned. “No matter how much I dislike Yunzhu, I would still want to hold my grandson as soon as possible. But you also know your father’s ambition. If Yunzhu is pregnant, she will definitely be a hindrance to you for life! Mingzhang, you are too soft-hearted!”
Xiao Mingzhang, you're too soft-hearted.
Ying's accusations were forceful and resounding.
She has no children now, and you can't bear to touch her; but what if you two really have children one day? Will you really put your father's grand ambitions on hold? You know perfectly well, you know perfectly well, that he is the most suitable prince to be emperor! His talent and his ambition are all worthy of that throne!
"...But does Mother know that excessive use of musk can cause a woman to become infertile for life?"
Xiao Mingzhang was at a loss for words to say to his mother. He questioned her, word by word.
How could the Ying family not know this?
She looked at Xiao Mingzhang with a troubled expression, wanting to ask him if he really thought she had wanted to do this to Yunzhu willingly. Why would she want to harm this little girl who was actually a complete stranger to her? She was his biological mother, and she also wanted to hold her grandson and be surrounded by joy as soon as possible!
“…Mingzhang, don’t pressure your mother. If there’s anything, go and discuss it with your father.” But she couldn’t say anything to defend herself, so she could only turn her head away and hide her heartache.
Yes, Xiao Mingzhang nodded. He would naturally consult with his father, since the root of all the problems lay with him.
He stopped talking to Ying, turned around, opened the door, and went out.
Tu Liu Ying watched his retreating figure.
This is the first time...
For the first time, Xiao Mingzhang left her sight without bowing to her.
A note from the author:
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Here it is! [Let me see][Let me see][Let me see]
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