Zhou Miaosi is pregnant
With a multitude of thoughts swirling in her mind, yet trapped on this ship, looking out at the sun and contemplating the nine-day imperial examination, Fu Zhiqiao sighed, "It's truly not easy to take the imperial examination in such sweltering heat."
Yinxing chimed in, "That's right! I heard that during the exam, you eat, drink, and relieve yourself all in one small cubicle. It's not an exam, it's like being in prison."
When Xie Zhuo arrived, he overheard them talking about the scientific expedition, and he naturally thought of Zhou Lizhang.
Zhou Lizhang will also be taking the exam this year. Xie Zhuo still harbors resentment towards this man who almost got engaged to Fu Zhiqiao. He frowned deeply, thinking that Fu Zhiqiao was still thinking about Zhou Lizhang, and said sarcastically, "What? Still worried about someone?"
Upon seeing Xie Zhuo arrive, Yin Xing immediately bowed and withdrew.
Yinxing was afraid of Xie Zhuo, but Fu Zhiqiao was not. She frowned and said irritably, "Petty."
Xie Zhuo: "..."
The boat traveled at varying speeds, and after two more days on the river, the group disembarked when they reached Xuantai Town.
Xuantai Town belongs to the territory of the capital city and is the outermost town of the capital. It takes some time to travel from Xuantai Town to actually reach the capital city.
By the time they reached the city gates of the capital, it was already late afternoon. The palace gates would close in half an hour, so they had no choice but to split into two groups. Xie Zhuo led the Imperial Guards back to the palace to report, while Wang Qianxin escorted Fu Zhiqiao and Yinxing back to her home in the capital.
Xie Zhuo rushed into the palace for two reasons: first, to show the emperor the alcohol contract he had signed with Fu Zhiqiao; and second, to present the emperor with two jars of premium Taibai liquor with the highest serial numbers.
Looking at the clear Taibai wine, the Chengde Emperor was very curious and asked, "Is the alcohol extracted from this wine?"
"Your Majesty, the alcohol is indeed extracted from Taibai wine. However, this jar of wine is not ordinary Taibai wine, but a premium Taibai wine."
"Oh? What's the difference between the two?"
Xie Zhuo replied, "Brewing Taibai liquor requires making the starter culture during the hottest days of summer, carefully selecting fine grains, and using high-mountain spring water. It is then spread out to dry every three days and repeated every nine days to finally produce a fine brew. To brew a premium Taibai liquor, it is necessary to further age it in cellars for three years. The resulting liquor is viscous and clings to the glass, with a full-bodied aroma. When you swallow it, you will feel a warm current flowing to your chest and abdomen, and the aftertaste will linger for three days."
Emperor Chengde became interested upon hearing this, and a eunuch beside him served him a cup of wine. Emperor Chengde savored the taste of the premium Taibai wine and exclaimed, "It truly deserves the title of premium!"
Xie Zhuo remained calm and composed, smiling as he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I'm glad Your Majesty is satisfied."
Satisfied! How could I not be satisfied! Sending Xie Zhuo out on this trip has yielded many results. Take the purchase of alcohol, for example. A 10% reduction in profit may not seem like much, but in the long run, it can save the court a lot of money.
*
On the other side.
Wang Qianxin escorted Fu Zhiqiao back to the Fu residence in a carriage. Having been away from the capital for more than half a year, it would be a lie to say that she didn't miss the business there. Although Defu and Xiaoyue wrote to her every month to report on the situation, how could a few words in a letter compare to seeing it with her own eyes?
After returning to her residence and resting for a while, Fu Zhi Qiao glanced at the sky outside. It was almost time for dinner. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to go to Tai Bai Tower.
When they arrived at Taibai Tower, it was already closed. The waiters were straightening the misplaced tables and chairs in the lobby, and several servants were cleaning. Defu was standing at the counter checking accounts. When he saw Fu Zhiqiao arrive, he hurriedly got up to greet her, "Miss is back."
Fu Zhi Qiao nodded. "How have you been lately?"
"Good, everything is fine." Defu grinned from ear to ear when he saw her, and bowed to her in a serious manner: "Congratulations on being granted the title of County Lady."
"You all knew?"
"Yes!" Defu replied happily. "Wenjiang wrote a letter saying that His Majesty praised you in an imperial edict for your generosity during the flood and for developing alcohol that dispelled the plague. Miss, you are now a celebrity in the capital!"
All the staff at Taibai Tower looked proud and honored.
Fu Zhi Qiao smiled and said, "Keep it low-key."
In this capital city full of powerful and wealthy people, she, a mere county magistrate, was utterly insignificant.
The imperial edict was issued directly to Qingzhou. Few people in the capital noticed that His Majesty had bestowed an extra title upon a county lord. What they cared about were livelihood issues such as the floods in the south being under control and the price of grain in the capital not being affected.
Seeing that everything was alright at Taibai Tower, Fu Zhi Qiao felt relieved. After her happiness subsided, De Fu handed her a letter.
"This is a letter that Madam Qin asked me to give to you."
"Mrs. Qin?" Fu Zhi Qiao searched her memory, but she didn't seem to know anyone named Mrs. Qin.
Upon opening the letter, it turned out to be from Zhou Miaosi, who had already married Qin Xiuqi, the son of Qin Zhao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. No wonder Defu called her Madam Qin.
The letter contained very little; it was more like a note than a letter. Inside, there was only one sentence: Zhou Miaosi said that if she returned to Beijing, she must come to see her.
Not long ago, Zhou Miaosi sent someone to Taibai Tower to look for her. When she found that she was not there, she left a letter and told Defu that as long as Fu Zhiqiao returned to the capital, he must send someone to the Vice Minister's residence to inform her.
Why was Zhou Miaosi in such a hurry to find her? Could it be that something happened?
The next day, Fu Zhiqiao sent an invitation to Zhou Miaosi.
Upon receiving Fu Zhi Qiao's message, Zhou Miao Si eagerly summoned her personal maid, Huang Li, to greet her. Upon seeing Zhou Miao Si's slightly protruding belly, Fu Zhi Qiao was astonished: "You're pregnant?"
Zhou Miaosi gently touched her belly, a little embarrassed, "Yes, I'm over four months pregnant."
Zhou Miaosi got married in March of this year, and judging by the dates, she conceived shortly after the wedding. Fu Zhiqiao sincerely congratulated her: "Congratulations."
After becoming pregnant, Zhou Miaosi's cheeks became much rounder, and she gained a little weight. She also had an indescribable charm. When she walked, she would unconsciously hold her belly with both hands, and her maternal instincts were fully displayed at this moment.
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time and chatted warmly for a while.
The voice of a nightingale came from the doorway: "Young mistress, it's time."
A woman carrying a tray entered and curtsied, saying, "Young Madam, this servant is here on your orders to serve you your medicine to help you with your pregnancy."
When Zhou Miaosi saw Li Rong, the smile on her face disappeared, and she frowned subconsciously. "Put it there first, I'll drink it later."
Li Rong advised, "The medicine will be less effective if it gets cold. You should drink it while it's hot." As she spoke, she held up the tray in front of Zhou Miaosi.
Fu Zhiqiao was close by and could smell the bitter odor of the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. Zhou Miaosi glanced at Li Rong, took the bowl of dark medicine, and drank it down.
"Alright, you can go now!"
"Yes!" Li Rong curtsied and then withdrew.
Fu Zhi Qiao noticed that Li Rong's hair was not styled into a symmetrical bun, but rather into a Chao Yun bun, with a butterfly hairpin inserted in her hair. Seeing that she was not dressed like a typical maid, Fu Zhi Qiao asked Zhou Miao Si with her eyes who this person was.
Zhou Miaosi pursed her lips and said awkwardly to Fu Zhiqiao, "She was a concubine that my husband used to take in."
Fu Zhiqiao understood. In wealthy families, young masters and noblemen all had a few concubines. Besides, Zhou Miaosi was currently pregnant and her body was not in a convenient position. Keeping a concubine by her side could help serve the head of the family.
Stealing a glance at Zhou Miaosi's face, and seeing that her expression was unpredictable and showed no anger whatsoever, Fu Zhiqiao frowned.
This scene caught Zhou Miaosi's eye, and she explained, "Zhi Qiao, don't worry, my husband and I have a very good relationship. It's just that... she's an old servant in the household. If I send away the servants in my husband's room right after we get married, I'll inevitably get a reputation for being jealous."
According to Zhou Miaosi, this maid named Lirong grew up in the Qin family mansion from a young age and was assigned to serve Qin Xiuqi, taking care of his daily life.
Zhou Miaosi touched her stomach, her gaze softening. "Don't worry, she's given me the medicine."
In wealthy families, it was customary for concubines not to conceive before the principal wife had given birth to a child. If any concubine took a chance and did not take contraceptive medicine, she would be removed from the widow's body and the child would remain.
There are plenty of maids who want to rise in status through their sons, but very few can actually do it.
The status of a maidservant in a concubine's quarters was one level lower than that of a concubine. She had no official title and her status was only slightly higher than that of an ordinary maidservant. Even if she gave birth to a child or daughter, she could raise the child under her own name.
If a concubine or maidservant is unable to bear children, the child can be adopted into her household. However, if the principal wife has her own children, the children born to her concubines or maidservants will not receive much attention from the family because of their mothers' lowly status. In cases where the concubine is unlucky enough to encounter a ruthless principal wife, the child may be arbitrarily beaten, verbally abused, or even expelled from the household.
Since it was Qin Xiuqi's family matter, Fu Zhiqiao didn't want to ask too much and changed the subject.
Logically speaking, a pregnancy is considered stable after three months of pregnancy, so why is Zhou Miaosi still taking medication to prevent miscarriage when she is already more than four months pregnant?
"Sister Miaosi, you're already over four months pregnant, why do you still need to take pregnancy-preserving medicine?" Fu Zhiqiao remembered that Zhou Miaosi was in good health, and shouldn't be so weak just because she was pregnant. She asked, "Have you seen a doctor? All medicines have some side effects. Now that you're pregnant, you should be careful about what you eat and use."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Miaosi's originally calm mood was slightly disturbed, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Fu Zhiqiao looked and became anxious: "What's wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"
Zhou Miaosi realized she had lost her composure and immediately wiped away her tears, saying, "It's nothing, I just got emotional."
"There's no one else here, so feel free to tell me what's wrong."
Zhou Miaosi wiped away her tears and sniffed: "Stop talking about me, tell me about yourself!"
Fu Zhiqiao was taken aback. A heart ailment requires a heart remedy; since Zhou Miaosi herself was unwilling to speak, there was nothing she could do. She immediately played along, replying, "Me? What do I have to say?"
"They're still hiding it! We all know about the Lady of Ming'an County!"
Hearing Zhou Miaosi's teasing, Fu Zhiqiao blushed for once, "You're laughing at me too."
The two of them immediately started laughing and joking.
Fu Zhi Qiao could tell that Zhou Miao Si didn't want to take the pregnancy-preserving medicine, but since the parties involved hadn't said anything, she, as an outsider, couldn't say anything either.
Before leaving, Fu Zhiqiao instructed, "Tell your young mistress to take good care of herself. I'll come to see her another day."
Huang Li quickly smiled and said, "This servant thanks Miss Fu on behalf of my young mistress."
However, less than two days after saying this, Zhou Miaosi sent Huang Li to fetch her to the mansion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com