"But mother, what can I do?" Zou's tears fell again, sobbing. "I also hope to have a child, but His Highness doesn't want to, I really have no words to say..."
"Then don't let him know. I remember that kind of pills become colorless and tasteless after being dissolved in water." Concubine Shu interrupted Zou's words. While holding Zou's hand, she said slowly, "Put the medicine into the tea quietly. He won't notice it."
"But His Highness will definitely notice it later, and by then, His Highness will probably be completely alienated from his daughter-in-law." Zou looked at Concubine Shu with a worried look on her face. She hesitated and said, "Mother, His Highness has a good temper and doesn't get angry easily. But once he gets angry, he will be extremely angry. Your daughter-in-law is worried..."
"You have a child. What else do you have to worry about? Besides, you have your mother to support you," Concubine Shu said slowly. While taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping Zou's tears, she continued slowly, "You are doing this for him to have children. With this child, his position will be stable and he will have the opportunity to ascend the throne. Even if he is angry for a while, what's the big deal? You are doing this for his own good, and he is grateful to you in his heart."
"But mother..." Zou hesitated.
"Listen," Concubine Shu interrupted Zou, took a sip of tea, and then said slowly, "Next year on Laba, you will have to go to Cining Palace for dinner. Da'an will naturally bring the young master with you. What about you? Will you still go alone? This year, you got the purple jade ruyi awarded by the empress dowager because of Da'an, but what about next year? Are you going to get the reward because of someone else's child? You are not young anymore, you have to think it over carefully."
Zou's face suddenly turned pale, and she said with trembling lips: "Yes, thank you for your guidance, mother. I understand."
…
December 24, 2013
Ningguta.
The 24th, sweeping the house, is an old custom in the Zhou Dynasty. When she was in the laundry department, Achou also had to be busy on this day. She had to get up before dawn and start cleaning the laundry department with a group of palace maids. Every corner had to be tidyed up. This is a rule that has been developed over the years, and naturally this year is no exception.
"Why do you have to get up so early?" Zhong Mingwei was a little unhappy. He held Ah Chou and refused to let him get up. "Isn't it just cleaning the room? I can clean it in a few seconds. You don't even have to do it. Let's... sleep a little longer."
"Although the house is not big, cleaning is a meticulous job and very tiring," Ah Chou was unwilling to stay in bed. He twisted his body and got out of Zhong Mingwei's arms, mumbling non-stop, "The bedroom is left to you. I will clean the side rooms and the outer hall. Although there are only three rooms, I'm afraid they won't be cleaned until the afternoon."
"I know," Zhong Mingwei sighed, then he lay back on the bed, complaining softly, "It's getting old, and it's not good for people to stay in bed."
"You used to be a very lazy person, but now you are even lazier. It's a big job to wake you up every day," Ah Chou muttered, ruffling his hair randomly and leaning over to kiss Zhong Mingwei's forehead. "Sleep a little longer. I'll wake you up after I've prepared dinner."
"No, I'll get up and light the fire for you..." Zhong Mingwei put his arms around Ah Chou and kissed her for a while, saying self-loathingly, "I haven't brushed my teeth yet, just bear with it. Anyway, I can't wait to brush my teeth before kissing you..."
"You are quite self-aware..." Ah Chou muttered. After kissing enough, she carried Zhong Mingwei's clothes to the kang, then carried the bucket and went out of the outer hall.
As soon as he arrived at the well, Ah Chou could not help but frowning. The well was frozen. It was said that well water was not easy to freeze. The well water in the laundry bureau had never frozen before. He didn't know if Ningguta was too cold, but the well water was frozen and it looked quite thick.
Achou walked around the well, then went to the kitchen, fetched a stone, and threw it into the well.
With a "plop!", the ice in the well broke, and at the same time, Zhong Mingwei's exclamation was heard from the room.
"What's wrong?" Zhong Mingwei, who had only one leg in his pants, was startled and hurriedly opened the window to look outside. "Girl, what's wrong?"
"It's okay, the well is just frozen. I just threw a stone into it and it's fine now," Ah Chou explained hurriedly, while waving at Zhong Mingwei, "Close the window quickly, don't freeze."
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