"How could my delicate cousin's hands be tainted with the smell of birth control pills..."
After a lot of questioning, it was learned that the child in her womb was only a month and a half old. The physician did not dare to say for sure, only that she was probably pregnant.
Upon hearing the news, Ji Changyue hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in, saying, "How could you not know you were pregnant? This journey must have been tiring for you!"
Banban stammered, distressed, "I never expected this..." Her periods had always been irregular, and even after giving birth to Zhao'er, she would still experience abdominal pain when her period came occasionally. She had thought it was just delayed this month.
Moreover, there is another crucial reason.
Previously, she and her cousin used contraception because her cousin pitied her young age and worried that having a child too early would harm her health. After she turned twenty, her body functions were close to maturity, so she no longer deliberately wore a sheep intestine sheath every time. Instead, he would wash her body after each time they finished and use his finger to pull out his penis.
Therefore, despite frequent sexual activity over the past three or four years, she has not conceived.
The couple fell silent for a moment upon hearing the news of the pregnancy, indicating that this method was ineffective and that some babies would inevitably slip through the net.
In this regard, Banban was completely clueless. In her previous life, she had never grown up and had never been exposed to these things, and Ying Zheng had never had any similar experience.
It's astonishing that the King of Qin would actually go to such lengths to prevent pregnancy in order to preserve his wife's health.
Normally, to avoid frequent pregnancies that could harm her health, the legal wife would proactively arrange for her husband to take a concubine to share his affections. However, since the two lovers loved each other and did not want an outsider to interfere, contraception that would not affect their experience became their top priority.
"Where is Zheng'er?" Ji Changyue looked left and right, but did not see Ying Zheng.
"..." Banban was a little embarrassed. "My cousin went out for some fresh air." After carefully asking the physician about her health, he seemed to be filled with guilt and self-blame.
Ji Changyue didn't understand why she was going out for fresh air at this time. She thought he was changing clothes, so she had someone bring thick cushions and pile them up tightly at the four corners of the carriage, afraid that she would bump into them.
Banban watched silently, wondering if Zhao'er would be unhappy.
Ji Changyue recalled that when Zhu was pregnant with her second child in Handan, Banban had made a huge fuss and was heartbroken for many days. "How could that be?" she comforted. "Zhao'er is a kind-hearted child. He is willing to share whatever food or drink he has with others."
The biggest difference between Zhao'er and Banban lies in their possessiveness.
In Ji Changyue's view, Banban has been a possessive child since childhood. Her domineering nature is not simply about not allowing her parents to have more children, but rather it carries a faint sense of fear, as if she is afraid of being abandoned. She always wants to eat the best food and drinks first, and she is also extremely stingy when it comes to food. But this child was born into a wealthy family and has never experienced the feeling of being abandoned. Why is she like this?
She assumed that this was just her character; after all, she hadn't allowed Zheng'er to take a concubine for many years after their marriage.
It's impossible for a person to be without flaws; this is harmless.
Zhao'er was born into an environment of loving parents. He was always generous and knew nothing of jealousy. Everyone around him doted on him and loved him. He was carefree, intelligent and clever.
He always sat alone at the New Year's Eve banquet, while his close friends all had younger brothers and sisters or older brothers and sisters.
He once told Ji Changyue that he also wanted older brothers and sisters. Why didn't he have any older brothers and sisters?
After thinking it over carefully, Banban thought, "Zhao'er is indeed generous and carefree."
The main reason she insisted on not allowing Zhu to have any more children was fear. In her previous life, she was abandoned in an orphanage and experienced the coldness of human relationships. She was hungry and cold, and had to work hard sweeping and wiping tables to please the director and teachers.
She wasn't as smart as the other children in the orphanage. She was slow and clumsy in doing things. Occasionally, adults who wanted to adopt children would come to see her, but she was never chosen.
She was a girl, and a little slow-witted, so of course she wouldn't be chosen.
Even though she didn't awaken to those bitter memories from childhood, that fear was etched into her bones. She was afraid that the hard-won love from her parents in this life was just a mirage, shattering with a wave of her hand.
Since I have a happy family in this life, of course I will guard it carefully.
Ultimately, she wanted someone to care for her, and Ying Zheng at the time perfectly fulfilled that role. As a result, she relied on him in everything, which alleviated much of her panic caused by Zhu's pregnancy.
The two talked for a while, and when Ying Zheng returned, the carriage set off again.
He didn't say anything, just quietly held her, gently stroking her shoulders, occasionally glancing at her lower abdomen, his thoughts unknown.
Out of respect for her son, and believing that he should also know all the important and trivial matters in the family, Banban took Zhao'er back to Zhaoyang Palace and immediately told him about it.
Little Ying Zhao, his belly bulging from eating, hesitated for a long time before asking, "Does Mother have a little brother or sister in her tummy?"
He hesitated for a moment, then touched Banban's belly with his small hand. "It's so small here, how can anyone hide in it?"
"Is Mother lying to me?" He clearly didn't believe her.
“It will grow bigger in the future,” Banban explained. “Zhao’er was also in my belly before, and she grew day by day like this. When she grew this big, she came out.” She gestured to indicate the size.
"Then what will I eat?" he asked, puzzled. "Eat my mother's belly?"
This... this...
He gave a vague and perfunctory answer, saying, "Whatever I eat, you eat too."
"???" Ying Zhao was incredulous. "I ate what my mother swallowed? How disgusting."
"..." What's the key point here?
"Will my baby be unhappy?" Banban gently patted his head.
Ying Zhao thought about it carefully for a long time, and then uttered a solemn sentence: "Don't choose the ugly ones."
"...?"
He added, "My sister-in-law Yongning's child is ugly; I don't like him."
Banban: "Where is she ugly?"
Ying Zhao insisted: "Ugly."
"Newborn babies are all like this, red and wrinkled. You looked like that when you were little too!"
Then Ying Zhao burst into tears.
Banban: ...Is this child's obsession with looks inherited from her?
The next day, she hurriedly took the little prince to the Li family to carefully examine Ying Yue and Li You's child. Only after seeing with his own eyes that the child had grown up and was not ugly at all did he stop crying.
"Mother, I want a little sister." After finishing, Ying Zhao said earnestly.
"Why not a little brother?" Banban asked him.
"My little brother is growing too slowly and will be ugly for a while. All the little girls I've seen are beautiful. Having a little brother is too risky. What if he's ugly all the time? Maybe I shouldn't have one."
...He was also aware of the risks.
Sometimes I wonder how my son's brain works, how he can have so many thoughts at such a young age.
After that, every day after the young prince got up and ate his meal, he would come over and touch his mother's belly, muttering to himself, "Why isn't she growing up yet? She's growing so slowly, she must be eating too little."
He shared half of his meal with his mother so that she could eat more.
It was both funny and frustrating.
It wasn't just the son who was unconventional; the husband was too.
The Qin state won a battle, bringing the long-standing conflict between Qin and Zhao to a complete end. The Zhao state was destroyed, and the entire Qin state was immersed in joy.
Half a month later, the Queen's pulse stabilized, confirming her pregnancy. Ying Zheng lifted the alcohol ban for three days, and all the celebratory policies were the same as when the Queen was pregnant with the Crown Prince.
Logically, Ying Zheng should have been very happy, but he spent all his time immersed in medical books.
The Chu princess was doing very well in Shu, so he specially sent people to bring her to Xianyang and treat her with great courtesy.
Mi Chenke had been jostled to death on the way here and arrived in Xianyang full of anger, but he dared not show it. He carefully bowed and greeted the king, but the first thing the king asked him was about contraception... He actually asked how to prevent pregnancy in a healthy way!
Mi Chenke: "..."
"Is there no solution that will last forever?" Ying Zheng frowned.
The look in her eyes even questioned her, doubting whether her reputation as a gynecological expert was genuine.
After thinking it over, Mi Chenke guessed what had happened.
Throughout history, contraception methods have been extremely limited in matters of love between men and women. While external objects can provide a barrier, sheep intestines are difficult to manufacture. The main reason is that it is not easy to make them the right size. If they are too big or too small, they will be uncomfortable, and there is also the risk of them falling off or breaking.
Therefore, slaughtering countless sheep is not appropriate.
Medication is harmful to the body, and there is no solution in the short term.
If you're asking for a solution, there really is one.
Mi Chenke mustered her courage and said, "Your Majesty, I do have a solution that will solve the problem once and for all, but I don't know what you would offer in exchange?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng suddenly leaned back, creating distance between them, and scrutinized her closely from head to toe.
What do you want?
Mi Chenke, neither humble nor arrogant, asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, do you intend to attack the State of Chu in the future?"
The man before her suddenly calmed down, as if all superfluous expressions had been burned away by flames, leaving Mi Chenke unable to fathom his thoughts.
At this moment, the man who loved his wife vanished, and what appeared before her was the ambitious and ruthless King of Qin.
His gaze was condescending as he scrutinized her. "What do you intend to do?"
Mi Chenke remained calm and composed, deftly changing from kneeling to kneeling. "Your Majesty, please allow me to speak. I fully support your conquest of the other kingdoms. If we can unify the six kingdoms, then there will be no more strife in this world, and we can rest and recuperate. All peace must be exchanged with blood and tears, and I understand that very well."
"I have only one purpose. The women's clinic I currently run requires a large amount of precious medicinal herbs, but I usually charge very little for consultations. This is because there are too many poor people in this world who cannot afford the high consultation fees. The low consultation fees are already barely enough to keep the clinic afloat, and I still have to pay high taxes every month, which is a double blow to me." She is practically paying out of her own pocket to treat patients. If this continues, she will not be able to make a living.
“If I am fortunate enough to witness the completion of Your Majesty’s unification, please allow me to open a branch in this land,” Mi Chenke said, raising his head to reveal his true purpose, “without having to pay taxes.”
The man at the head of the table was taciturn, his gaze filled with suspicion.
Mi Chenke was nervous. Could it be that his demands were too high? The taxes in Qin were harsh, and the laws were even more severe, allowing no one to disobey.
He slowly spoke: "That's it?"
Mi Chenke: "Ah? Ah, yes, yes."
Ying Zheng: "..." He thought this woman was going to make some unreasonable demands, such as giving her the State of Chu.
"I grant your request," he asked. "What is your plan? Tell me."
"Really?" Mi Chenke was in a daze. That's it? No, the King of Qin's tone just now was exactly the same as her tone now, as if he were saying, 'That's all?'
"You don't believe me?" Ying Zheng frowned in displeasure and waved for someone to bring him paper and pen. "Make a contract, and I will never take it back."
Mi Chenke was flattered and, after a moment's reaction, quickly crawled forward on his knees.
After Ying Zheng finished writing the contract in his own hand, she checked it and wrote her name on it. He also had someone bring the King of Qin's inkpad to stamp it.
A strong sense of unreality swept over her heart. She was in a daze for a moment, then, meeting the Qin King's waning patience, she knew it was her turn to speak.
Clearing her throat, she said, "In the southwest corner of this land, there is a country called Dian. Their culture is very special. They are skilled in poisons and incense making. There is a plant that, when eaten alone, can cause hallucinations and make people die in their dreams."
"However, if it is used in medicine with the herb 'Mingmingcao' to make incense pills, and then burned to fumigate the house or worn on the wrist every day, it can serve as a contraceptive."
Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Is this fragrance intended for women or men?"
Mi Chenke was unsure, so she carefully observed his expression and told the truth, "Both men and women are fine."
"Is it really safe to eat?" She just said that eating it alone would cause one to die in a dream.
“Indeed, to kill someone, you must put them in your mouth,” Mi Chenke explained. “If Your Majesty does not believe it, you can ask the imperial physician to verify it, or you can order someone else to conduct the experiment.”
Ying Zheng waved his hand and told her to leave without saying anything more.
When Banban heard that her cousin had brought the Chu princess from Shu to Xianyang, she became extremely jealous, shouting and yelling, and sulking, refusing to talk to him.
"I have important business to discuss with her."
"What important matter do you have to say?" she cried out, tears welling up in her eyes. "My cousin has been neglecting me lately. It turns out he's eyeing another woman. I'm no longer a novelty to him."
"Don't talk nonsense." Ying Zheng frowned in displeasure, but his heart softened instantly when he saw her crying. She turned her body away and refused to look at him, so he walked to her other side. "Have I really been neglecting you?" He thought back for a moment.
"Really!" she sobbed.
Looking back carefully, aside from being busy with court affairs, he spent the past half month reading medical books and learning about Mi Chenke's great reputation in Shu. That's why he ordered someone to bring her back. Indeed, his mind was not on his cousin.
"It was my fault," he immediately apologized. "It won't happen again."
An apology is too simplistic; the anger lingers, and the person feels uncomfortable all over.
Left with no other choice, Ying Zheng had to reveal the reason for his search for Mi Chenke.
"Netherworld Grass?" Banban was slightly taken aback, thinking, "The name Dian Kingdom sounds like Yunnan, right? Could it be a poisonous mushroom? Does such a thing even exist in this world? In modern times, wouldn't it be sold out in no time?"
However, since they've all traveled through time, it's not impossible to understand some of the unusual and magical things that happen.
"Will it really work?" she asked hesitantly, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.
Ying Zheng wiped away her tears and coaxed her gently, "I don't know, let's get it and try it first. If it's real, it'll be good to make it into a bracelet and wear it on your wrist."
Upon hearing this, Banban was no longer angry. Intrigued, she raised her wrist and asked, "Can I choose the color? The pill sounds dark and doesn't look good on me."
"How could my cousin's delicate hands be stained with the smell of medicine? And the black bracelet does detract from her appearance."
"What?"
Banban was puzzled. Actually, the scent of the medicine was quite pleasant. She had never liked burning incense before. As for the black pill bracelet, wasn't it the same as a Buddhist prayer bead bracelet? It wasn't ugly either; it was just that there was no Buddhist or Taoist culture at that time.
"I will wear it."
-----------------------
Author's Note: My second child is a girl, so let's have a queen conquering the other side of the ocean! At this time, those powerful countries of later generations are quite weak, so we'll directly cut off the Western powers from the root.
I've come up with a really exciting and captivating modern male ghost and female side story, and I'm about to write it, but I can't cut in line, damn it!
The main storyline is now more than halfway through. After unifying the six kingdoms, we'll cover some ethnic integration, and then there'll be basically no more plot. I've compiled a list of side stories I'd like to write, which are below. Feel free to suggest anything you'd like to see, and I'll write whatever I can. Let's write as many as possible!
1. Forum format (including wedding headdresses, paintings, imperial diaries, etc.)
2. Sky Curtain Wind
3. Modern side story: The story picks up after the female lead dies in her old age and returns to the orphanage. The main text mentions a hint about her childhood. The world is set in an imperial marshal-like setting, and she continues to be the ruler of the country. The domineering CEO is not worthy of the political brother.
4. Mythological Animal World Edition: Dragon and Tiger Gods x Little Rabbit (Does anyone know that dragons have two penises?)
5. Three "what if" side stories: 1. If the female lead wasn't the male lead's cousin, a side story of unifying the six kingdoms; 2. If the female lead didn't like the male lead, a forced marriage storyline; 3. A widower male lead raising his child alone.
6. The male protagonist from the official history travels to this world for a three-day trip.
7. Modern setting, normal worldview, male ghost Zheng Ge, various ghost-induced sleep paralysis and erotic dreams, bewitching the female protagonist to find the First Emperor's underground palace.
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