Chapter 122
Life in the village was very peaceful, and there were a few chickens in the yard. They were chicks that An Yi bought from the village chief. They were furry and particularly cute. The soldiers in the border town not only had to train, but also did farm work during the busy farming season, so these things were not difficult for Yue Wen and his men. An Ning also pickled the prey that Yue Wen and his men could not finish eating, and made it into bacon and other easy-to-store products. After all, when the weather gets colder, it will be difficult to catch animals in the mountains.
Shen Jin was a little afraid of the cold, so he wore a thick coat and wrapped himself tightly. Yue Wen bought a lot of firewood and piled it in the corner of the yard. They had already started preparing for the winter. Shen Jin drank the hot red date soup with both hands and asked, "Is Jiayi going to the border town by now?"
An Yi was sewing clothes and said, "It should be time. But if the road is difficult to travel, we may have to wait a little longer." If nothing unexpected happens, Shen Jin will give birth around February, so An Yi and the others began to prepare things for the child.
After Shen Jin finished her soup, she put the bowl aside and picked up the half-finished piece of clothing. Her needlework skills were not as delicate as An Yi's, but they were not bad either, she just worked slowly. An Yi and the others had made several pieces, but Shen Jin had not finished hers yet.
An Yi said, "Second sister, please keep your eyes open."
Shen Jin nodded. Since that day, Shen Jin never asked about An Tao and the others, as if he had forgotten about it. However, both An Yi and An Ning knew that it was not the case. Madam just didn't want them to worry. Life in the village was not easy, although they tried their best to take care of Madam. The conditions here could not be compared with those in the border town or the Rui Palace. Even going to the toilet every day was a problem.
Most people in the village here don't have toilets at home, so they have to go to the fields. Taking a bath is even more inconvenient. It's better in the summer, but it's particularly troublesome in the winter. The same is true for food. Although there is no shortage of meat, there are few vegetables. There are a lot of cabbages stored at home, thanks to An Ning who can store sauerkraut, and she can give Shen Jin a change of taste. There's no need to think about fruit, but Shen Jin never said anything and uses a lot every day.
An Ning came in from outside. She looked cold but didn't come near me. She said with a smile on her face, "Second sister, Yue Wen caught a nest of rabbits, and there are some baby rabbits."
"That's great." Shen Jin's face also showed joy when he heard it, "Where did you catch it?"
"He found it some time ago, but the rabbit was too small at the time, and he was afraid it would not survive, so he waited until today to catch it." An Ning said with a smile.
An Yi went to pour a cup of hot red date soup and brought it to An Ning. An Ning took a few sips and came in when she felt warm. Shen Jin said, "Are you outside?"
"Well, Yue Wen went to make a nest for the rabbit." An Ning said, "When the weather gets warmer and the rabbit gets used to it, I'll go wash the rabbit and bring it over for my second sister to play with."
Shen Jin nodded, "Okay."
An Ning felt a little sad when she saw Shen Jin's appearance. When Madam was pregnant with Young Master Dongdong, her complexion was very good. Not only was her face rosy, but she also looked much more beautiful. However, although Madam's complexion is not bad now, it is not comparable to that time. Her hair has become a little dry and yellow. Moreover, because she did not take good care of herself in the past few months, Shen Jin now spends most of her time in bed resting. If the general saw this, he would not know how distressed he would be.
Shen Jin seemed not to notice An Ning's thoughts. He waved for her to come over. Just as he was about to say something, he heard voices outside. Jiayi was sent to deliver a letter to Chu Xiuming. The only ones left with Shen Jin at this time were Yue Wen and Jiasi. Because Jiasi looked simple and honest, he was usually the one who went to the town to buy some things and inquire about news.
An Ning was closest to the door at this time, so she opened it and asked, "Jia Si, is there any news?"
Jia Si heard this and said, "Yes."
Shen Jin put down the small clothes in his hand and said, "Let Yue Wen and Jia Si come in."
"Okay." An Ning responded, then asked Yue Wen and Jia Si to come in. She went to the kitchen and brought a large bowl of hot soup for them.
After they both drank the hot soup, Shen Jin asked, "Did something happen?"
Although the village they lived in was remote, it was not far from the capital, so they could still get a lot of information if they really wanted to. In particular, there were spies arranged by Chu Xiuming in the town. Jia Si contacted the people there, and the spies would also send some information. If anything happened, they could be prepared in advance.
Jia Si said respectfully that within just one month, two princes had died in the palace, one from illness and the other from drowning. Emperor Cheng suddenly fainted during the morning court session...
Shen Jin frowned, "Is the news credible?"
The prince’s death could not be concealed, but the news of Emperor Cheng’s fainting somehow got out.
Jia Si heard this and said, "The news has spread all over the capital. Because the Queen Mother is not here and there is no Crown Prince now, Emperor Cheng fainted during the morning court session and there is no one in charge in the harem. The ministers, guards, and even the maids and eunuchs know about it."
Shen Jin gently stroked her belly and said, "Where's the queen?"
"There is no news about the queen." Jia Si said.
Shen Jin pursed his lips and said, "Ask someone to find out if Duke Cheng'en's Mansion has made any moves recently."
"Yes." Jia Si responded.
Yue Wen was stunned for a moment and said, "Madam, do you suspect that the Queen was behind those things in the palace?"
"How did Duke Cheng'en get the title?" Shen Jin moved slightly. An Yi put the cushion in front of Shen Jin so that she could lean on it more comfortably. Because of her pregnancy, Shen Jin had been suffering from back pain recently. "How did Duke Cheng'en become the prime minister?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone who knew the inside story understood that the Cheng'en Mansion had made a great effort to enable Emperor Cheng to succeed to the throne. If they could do it the first time, they could naturally do it the second time. Moreover, it didn't take any thought to know which one was more beneficial to the Cheng'en Mansion, whether it was the son-in-law or the grandson who was the emperor.
Especially since the queen already had a son who died.
Shen Jin remembered that when she left Beijing, Emperor Cheng was still in good health, and there was even a pregnant concubine in the palace. So...
If that’s the case, I’m afraid the capital city is going to be in chaos. So, will I be able to see my husband soon?
Shen Jin pursed her lips, lowered her eyes slightly and looked at her belly. Her eyes felt a little hot. She missed her husband, Dong Dong, and even more her mother.
"Yue Wen, you guys should buy more food recently." Shen Jin bit his lip, exhaled, and then spoke, "And more medicinal materials, can you please invite a doctor?"
An Yi knows how to deliver a baby, but to be on the safe side, it is better to ask a doctor, especially if the baby is just born and if he or she feels uncomfortable, it is better to have a doctor there.
Jia Si said, "Don't worry, Madam. We have already contacted the doctor." The doctor was also a spy arranged by Chu Xiuming, so he was absolutely reliable. "And the doctor's wife also has some medical skills. She can take care of Madam when the time comes."
Shen Jin smiled and said, "Okay."
Yue Wen also spoke up, "The cellar in the courtyard will be ready in the next two days. Jia Siduo and I will go get some food and store it down there. Even if something happens, we will have a place to hide."
Shen Jin agreed, and several people started to discuss about choosing some things that are easy to store. In addition, they also needed to clean up the place where the doctor's family lived.
In the border town, Jiayi did not see Chu Xiuming, but only saw Chu Xiuyuan. After hearing Jiayi's report, Chu Xiuyuan's face changed drastically, "Sister-in-law is pregnant!"
Jia Yi said respectfully, "Yes."
Chu Xiuyuan stood up and walked around the room anxiously, "How is sister-in-law?"
"Madam is not in serious condition. The doctor said she just needs to rest." Jia Yi said.
Chu Xiuyuan said with a serious face, "No, we need to send someone to pick up my sister-in-law right away."
"Major General." Jia Yi said in a deep voice.
Zhao Duan also said, "Young General, don't be impulsive."
Jia Yi looked at Chu Xiuyuan and said, "Madam, it would be better for you to stay in the village. Besides, you can't stand the bumps on the road."
Chu Xiuyuan pursed his lips tightly and said nothing. Instead, Zhao Duan said, "Young General, why don't you invite Princess Rui and Madam Chen?"
The reason why Zhao Duan said this was not because Princess Rui was his sister, but because Zhao Ru once said that if Zhao Duan was really unsure, he should ask his sister Princess Rui for advice. In fact, the person Zhao Ru was most proud of in his life was his daughter. She was extremely talented and had a good character, but unfortunately she had a bad fate.
Chu Xiuyuan thought of what Chu Xiuming said before he left, nodded and said, "Please ask Prince Rui, Princess Rui, and Madam Chen to come together."
Zhao Duan quickly sent someone to invite him. Chu Xiuyuan looked at Jia Yi and said, "Tell me the details of the situation."
"Yes." Jia Yi respectfully told the whole story from the journey to Beijing to what happened afterwards.
Chu Xiuyuan pursed his lips and said, "So there is a reason why the Queen Mother was so anxious to leave the palace."
Jia Yi did not speak, Chu Xiuyuan asked, "Do you know that the Queen Mother is now..."
Before he could finish his question, he saw someone running back from outside. It was the servant that Zhao Duan had just sent to invite people. The servant said, "Young General, the generals and their men are back. They have already reached the city gate. I'm afraid they have already entered the city."
Chu Xiuyuan said with surprise in his eyes, "That's great."
The servant asked, "Then should we invite Prince Rui and Princess Rui to come?"
"Not for now." Chu Xiuyuan waved his hand, impatient to wait in the house, and walked out directly, "I'll go pick up my brother."
Chu Xiuyuan had seen Chu Xiuyao before, but he was still young at that time, so when he saw the gray-haired, silly, and skinny man in front of him, he did not recognize him. Chu Xiuming was not surprised and just said, "This is your third brother."
Chu Xiuyuan's eyes turned red when he heard this. Men don't cry easily, but he was not too sad. Even though he was young at that time, he still remembered Chu Xiuyao wielding a big sword in the martial arts training ground. "Third brother..." As he called out, he could no longer hold back his tears, "Third brother!"
Chu Xiuyao didn't react at all.
Chu Xiuming smiled and said, "It's good that you're back. That's enough. Let's talk about it when we get back home."
Chu Xiuyuan nodded vigorously, then walked to the side of Chu Xiuyao, rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, wiped away his tears and said, "It will be fine, I will definitely cure the third brother."
Chu Xiuming responded.
Chu Xiuyuan suddenly thought of Shen Jin's matter and said, "By the way, brother, Jia Yi is here to deliver a letter."
Chu Xiuming paused and asked, "Are you settled?"
"Well." Chu Xiuyuan said, "It's just that my sister-in-law is pregnant." As soon as he said this, Manager Zhao's face changed. This... doesn't sound right.
Chu Xiuming trusted Shen Jin and did not think about anything else. He just felt pain in his heart. His wife was pregnant and had suffered so much...
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