Chapter 70
Chu Xiuming had enough evidence in his hands. Although he wanted to catch all those people in one fell swoop, he knew it was impossible. Liang Cheng's family were all close confidants of Emperor Cheng, and the people above him were also Emperor Cheng's confidants. Therefore, Chu Xiuming had to find a balance, how to make Emperor Cheng feel distressed but within the tolerable range.
So Chu Xiuming is very busy. He has to try to finish his work in the morning so that he can go back to accompany his wife in the afternoon. It's not that Shen Jin asked for it. In fact, for Shen Jin, it is enough to have Zhao Ma and the others there in the morning and see Chu Xiuming in the evening. It's just that Chu Xiuming felt that he left when Shen Jin just found out that she was pregnant. Just like Shen Jin said, he came back only when her belly was big. He felt indebted in his heart. It's not that he wanted to compensate, but he just wanted to be better to Shen Jin.
Compared with Chu Xiuming, Shen Jin had nothing to do all day. She would eat after waking up, play with the little one for a while after eating, and then wait for her husband to come back to eat lunch together. After eating, her husband would accompany her for a walk, and then Shen Jin would go back to listen to her husband's lectures on military strategy and take a nap.
After Shen Jin fell asleep, Chu Xiuming went to discuss work with his subordinates, and then estimated the time to wake up his wife and walk with her. When the wife was tired, he would bring her back.
"Ah?" With Chu Xiuming's pampering and Zhao Ma and others taking good care of her, Shen Jin always felt that he was not as smart as when he was in the Rui Palace. So when he heard An Ping's words, he was stunned for a moment before he realized who Li was. "It's born, is it a boy or a girl?"
"Madam, it's a boy," Anping said, "How about calling in the person who brought the good news?"
Shen Jin thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Well, are the gifts ready?" Then he looked at Madam Zhao.
Madam Zhao said, "It's ready."
"Oh." Shen Jin felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't think of it for the moment. He took a sip of water from the cup and said, "Then when the time comes, I will ask the person who gave the gift and this person will go back together."
Madam Zhao agreed and said, "Then I will check it again."
"Yeah." Shen Jin nodded and put the cup back on the table.
Anping said, "I will bring the person up."
Shen Jin nodded again, and when only An Ning and a few maids were left in the room, he suddenly asked, "I still feel something is wrong."
An Ning asked, "Madam, what do you think is wrong?"
"I can't remember." Shen Jin touched his stomach and sat up. "Forget it, it shouldn't be important."
Seeing that Shen Jin had figured it out, An Ning stopped talking and just straightened the blanket covering her legs and helped Shen Jin put on her shoes. Then she stood aside. An Ping quickly brought someone up. It turned out to be Mother Li from Concubine Xu's side. Shen Jin smiled when she saw Mother Li, kicked off her shoes and said, "If An Ping had told me earlier that Mother Li was here, I wouldn't have to wear shoes."
Mother Li smiled when she heard this and said, "Seeing that the princess looks so good, the concubine is relieved."
Shen Jin nodded and said, "How is mother?"
"The concubine has been quite busy these days, but everything else is fine," Mother Li said.
Shen Jin said, "Oh, by the way, Li's child is born, no wonder mother is so busy."
After Madam Li explained some of the child's situations, she continued, "The concubine has taken the time to make some small clothes recently. I originally planned to send them to the princess in the next few days. It just so happened that I got the good news today, so I asked for an errand to come here."
Shen Jin urged, "Bring it here for me to see."
Mother Li smiled and agreed. Anping asked the little maid who was waiting outside to come in. She held a bundle in her hands. Anping took it and put it next to Shen Jin, then opened it. Inside were small clothes, small shoes, and a tiger-head hat. They felt soft. Shen Jin took the small shoes and gestured with them in his hands, then took the hat and looked at it. Finally, he picked up the clothes and laughed, "So small."
"Because of Li's matter, these things have not been washed yet." Mother Li looked at Shen Jin's appearance, feeling comforted.
Shen Jin nodded and said, "Anping, put it away and come back to tell Aunt Zhao."
"Yes." Anping packed the things carefully.
Shen Jin looked at the little maid who came with the bundle and said, "Anping, take the people downstairs to drink some hot soup to warm themselves up, and bring a bowl of hot soup to Mama Li. By the way, Mama Li, please sit down. I keep forgetting things lately."
Mother Li would not care about these little things at all. Besides, Concubine Chen often lamented in the house that other people were stupid for three years when they got pregnant, but her own daughter was stupid enough, and if she continued to be stupider, it would not be three years anymore. It was also thanks to Chu Xiuming that she did not mind.
After Mother Li sat down, Shen Jin asked, "Mother Li, who do you think was prettier when he was a child, my brother or me?"
Mother Li smiled when she heard this, "Of course the princess is beautiful. Not long after she was born, her fair and tender face became rosy."
Shen Jin was satisfied. An Ning came out holding a brocade box. Shen Jin said, "This is the gold lock that my husband and I prepared for my brother."
Mother Li took it with both hands and said, "I will personally hand it to the concubine."
Shen Jin nodded, then suddenly remembered and asked, "Wait, why do I feel like it's not time for Li to give birth yet? By the way, is Li okay?" Mother Li said that Concubine Chen mentioned the child, but didn't mention Li at all. It took Shen Jin a long time to react, and she also remembered why she had always felt something was wrong.
Mother Li said, "There was a small accident, so the date of Li's launch was moved forward."
Shen Jin looked at Mother Li with a look of surprise. Mother Li said, "The Third Young Master somehow found the pair of cups that Earl Yongning gave to the Prince. The Prince happened to come back, and the Third Young Master accidentally broke the cups."
"He's unlucky." Shen Jin said affirmatively. After all, it wasn't her who gave the cup away, so Shen Jin didn't feel distressed at all. She hugged her stomach and changed her posture and said, "What was my father's expression at that time?"
"It's a pity that I don't know." Mother Li said, "But I heard that even Princess Rui was alarmed."
"But how is it related to Li's?" Shen Jin was even more confused.
Mother Li sighed and said, "I don't know what the Third Young Master was thinking. Maybe someone said something to him, thinking that he was punished because Li was pregnant. Since he was not the youngest in the mansion, the prince didn't like him. So when he saw Li, he pushed her..."
Shen Jin was stunned for a moment before he exclaimed, "Ah..." Li was really in trouble.
Mother Li nodded, said a few more words and left. Anping was the one who saw her off. As soon as Mother Li left, the smile on Shen Jin's face disappeared, and he suddenly asked, "How long will it take for lunch?"
"Madam, are you hungry?" An Ning looked at Shen Jin's expression and asked with some concern.
Shen Jin shook her head, but didn't say anything else. Instead, she lay on the chaise longue, touching her belly with one hand. An Ning took a small quilt and covered Shen Jin with it, and asked, "Madam, are you feeling unwell? How about I call a doctor?"
"No need, I'll take a rest for a while." Shen Jin said in a low voice.
An Ning stopped talking, feeling a little worried. When An Ping came in, she said something to An Ping and went out to find Zhao Ma who was in the kitchen. She whispered a few words to Zhao Ma, who frowned and said, "I know. You and Yue Wen go after her and ask if something happened to Li."
"Yes." An Ning agreed and hurried to call Yue Wen. Yue Wen was brought up by Chu Xiuming and has stayed with Shen Jin since coming to the capital.
Nanny Zhao did not go in right away. Instead, she waited for the Jade Bean Cake to come out of the pot. Then she put the snack in the food box and carried it into the house. After entering, she saw Shen Jin lying on the chaise longue with her legs curled up. She was looking at the plum branch in the porcelain vase not far away. Her eyes were a little confused and no one knew what she was thinking. Nanny Zhao nodded to An Ping. An Ping took the food box and put it aside. She took out the Jade Bean Cake inside. Nanny Zhao said gently, "Madam, do you want to try the cakes that have just come out of the pot?"
Shen Jin pursed his lips and said, "I don't really want to eat."
Zhao Ma Ma asked An Ping to bring some cakes and put them in front of Shen Jin. Shen Jin's nose twitched, and after taking a look, he said, "You should eat some."
It seemed that the problem was not serious. Nanny Zhao heaved a sigh of relief, helped Shen Jin sit up, and covered her with the quilt. She put the cake aside, and then wrung out a cloth to clean Shen Jin's hands. Shen Jin pinched a piece of cake and ate it, and asked, "Mammy, do you think giving birth will be painful?"
"It will be a little painful." Nanny Zhao said, "But don't worry, Madam. The general has prepared everything carefully and even invited a doctor to the mansion."
"Oh." Shen Jin thought about it and nodded, then ate two pieces and stopped eating.
Mother Li and the others didn't go far, and they were carrying things, so Yue Wen and An Ning caught up quickly. Mother Li sighed and told An Ning everything, "The princess and the concubine don't want the princess to know about this, for fear that it will affect her."
An Ning said, "Don't worry, Madam Li. I just saw that Madam's expression was not right, so I was afraid that she might have guessed something, so I came to ask."
Mother Li nodded, "My princess... has always been thoughtful, and I was the one who gave myself away."
An Ning comforted him, "When Earl Yongning comes back, I will tell him about the matter. With Earl Yongning here, Madam will be fine."
Mother Li didn't say anything else. Seeing that An Ning had no more questions, she took her people and left.
Yue Wen couldn't help but frown and said, "What is this all about?"
An Ning didn't know what to say. If possible, neither Princess Rui nor Concubine Chen wanted Shen Jin to know. However, the news of the birth of a new baby in the Rui Palace could not be kept secret. If Shen Jin was the only one who didn't know, it would be even worse. So the person who came to report the news only mentioned the child and Concubine Chen. Who knew that even so, the lady still saw through it.
When the two came back, they were both in a heavy mood. Yue Wen was waiting outside. When An Ning came in, she returned to her usual self. When Aunt Zhao saw An Ning, her eyes flickered and she asked, "Madam, is there anything you would like to use at noon?"
Shen Jin said, "Let's get some sour noodle leaves."
"Okay." Madam Zhao agreed with a smile, "Then I'll go and prepare it."
Shen Jin nodded and said, "Anping, bring me some fine cotton cloth."
"Yes." Anping agreed.
"Something softer." Shen Jin requested.
Anping took note of it and went downstairs to get something. Anning touched the cup and found that the water was a little cold, so he poured out the water in the cup and replaced it with warm water.
When Zhao Mama arrived at the door, she saw Yue Wen and nodded to him. Yue Wen followed Zhao Mama to the side and told her everything that Li Mama had said. Zhao Mama sighed and said, "This matter...you go to the door and guard it. When the general comes back, tell him about it. Madam seems to have guessed something and is in a bad mood."
"Yes." Yue Wen agreed and left immediately.
Nanny Zhao went into the kitchen and asked the cook to help her and started making the sour noodles that Shen Jin wanted to eat.
Chu Xiuming came back at a pretty much fixed time every day, so it didn't take long for Yue Wen to see Chu Xiuming. He told him what happened in a low voice, and Chu Xiuming frowned and nodded without saying anything else.
When Chu Xiuming came in, he saw Shen Jin half leaning on the cushion, sewing something with a piece of cloth in his hand. The moment he saw Chu Xiuming, Shen Jin couldn't help but looked at him with red eyes and tears in his eyes, like an abandoned little animal. Chu Xiuming couldn't help but feel softened in his heart, and walked over and touched Shen Jin's head, "I'll go change clothes." He had just come back from outside and was so cold that he couldn't get too close to Shen Jin.
Shen Jin put down the things in his hands, took Chu Xiuming's hand and shook it gently. Chu Xiuming said, "Will you accompany me?"
"Okay." Shen Jin was a little happier now. She stood up carefully and followed Chu Xiuming into the inner room. "Husband, Mother Li is here today."
An Ning and An Ping accompanied Shen Jin to the door of the inner room and did not go in. After Shen Jin followed Chu Xiuming in, they carefully closed the door.
"It's from my mother-in-law. I guess she misses you." Chu Xiuming is serious outside, but not in front of Shen Jin. Chu Xiuming can clearly distinguish between subordinates and wives, outsiders and insiders.
Shen Jin responded, and waited until Chu Xiuming changed his clothes before she stretched out her arms and looked at Chu Xiuming. Chu Xiuming hugged his young lady into his arms and carried her to the soft couch beside him. Shen Jin grabbed Chu Xiuming's hand and said, "I also think that mother misses me, otherwise she wouldn't have let Mother Li go on this trip."
Chu Xiuming responded, "When the weather gets better, I'll go back with you to visit my mother-in-law."
Shen Jin thought for a moment and shook his head and said, "Mother has to take care of my brother now."
Chu Xiuming leaned against the cushion and let Shen Jin sit in his arms. Now even Chu Xiuming couldn't completely wrap his arms around Shen Jin's waist. He put his hands on her belly, which was warmer. "In your mother-in-law's heart, you are the most important."
"I think so too." Shen Jin smiled when he heard this, "But when I think about how my brother is only a few months older than our child..."
Chu Xiuming found that Shen Jin suddenly stopped talking. He understood what Shen Jin was worried about, but now he was waiting for his young lady to speak out her concerns, only in this way could he comfort her better.
Shen Jin grabbed Chu Xiuming's hand, squeezed his fingers, and said in a trembling voice, "Husband, is Li... is she gone?"
"Yeah." Chu Xiuming was not prepared to hide it.
Shen Jin bit her lower lip, then lay sideways in Chu Xiuming's arms, her face resting on his chest, "My husband, I'm so scared..."
"I want to give birth to children for my husband, lots of children, like my husband's, like mine, like both of us... I want to watch the children grow up with my husband, watch them get married and have children... I want to grow old with my husband." Shen Jin cried softly. When she cried, she was never as painful as others, but sobbing softly, as weak as if she was discovered. "Husband, do you think I will..."
"No." Before Shen Jin could say anything, Chu Xiuming interrupted her, "I won't let anything happen to you."
Shen Jin buried his head in Chu Xiuming's arms, his whole body trembling, "But what if something happens?"
Pregnant women tend to think a lot, which is why Nanny Zhao and the others did not want Shen Jin to know about Li's accident. After all, Li and Shen Jin were too close, especially when they met Chu Xiuming. Li's affairs not only touched Shen Jin, but Shen Qi also felt uneasy after knowing it. However, she could not tell her husband about her uneasiness, because even if she told her, the Prince of Yongle would not understand. Although he would comfort her, he would think that Shen Qi was thinking too much.
But Chu Xiuming would not, because he knew Shen Jin. There would only be one Shen Jin in his life, his delicate little wife. Many people thought that it was Shen Jin's blessing to marry Chu Xiuming, but they did not know that in Chu Xiuming's heart, marrying Shen Jin was also a kind of redemption for him. Shen Jin was his family, his wife, the mother of his children, and the woman who would be with him all his life.
Chu Xiuming lowered his head and kissed his wife, then changed her position to make her sit more comfortably. He stroked her back gently and said, "Nothing will happen. Don't you believe me?"
"But..." Shen Jin raised her head, her dark eyes looked at Chu Xiuming, tears kept falling, "But it's not you who's giving birth to the child."
Chu Xiuming lowered his head and kissed away the tears from Shen Jin's eyes, saying, "I will be with you, so don't be afraid."
Shen Jin's lips trembled slightly, he sniffed, and said accusingly, "No."
"Huh?" Chu Xiuming looked at Shen Jin with some confusion.
Shen Jin scratched Chu Xiuming's palm and said, "Mother said you can't come in when the baby is born, it's unlucky..." At this point, he became more and more accusatory, "The child is obviously ours, why do I have to go in and you can't?"
Chu Xiuming was amused, and he grabbed Shen Jin's hand and said, "I will go in and accompany you."
Shen Jin's eyes showed joy, and he moved his fingers. When he found that he couldn't pull them out, he stopped making a fuss, "What should I do if my mother says so?"
Chu Xiuming lowered his head and kissed Shen Jin's nose and said, "I'll talk to my mother-in-law."
Shen Jin's face was clearly filled with joy, but he said seriously, "I can't let my mother say anything about me."
"How could my mother-in-law bear to do that?" Chu Xiuming's voice was exceptionally gentle. Although Concubine Chen often said that Shen Jin was naughty and asked her to be more sensible, she mostly said that to him.
Shen Jin suddenly said, "But mother said that I can't take a bath during confinement..." Shen Jin hesitated, "Will you dislike me?"
Seeing that Shen Jin had come to terms with it, Chu Xiuming stopped talking about the unhappy things and asked, "What do you think?"
"Maybe." Shen Jin pulled out his hand, grabbed Chu Xiuming's hand and started biting it. It didn't hurt, but it was itchy. "I even feel so disgusted..."
Chu Xiuming kissed Shen Jin's earlobe and said, "I'll accompany you."
"Will you stay with me and not take a shower?" Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming with disdain and asked hesitantly, "Don't want to?" For some reason, Shen Jin thought of the beard on Chu Xiuming's face when he first met him, and he started laughing again, holding his stomach.
"But I heard that there are many things you can't eat during confinement." Thinking of this, Shen Jin forgot about his fears.
Chu Xiuming kissed Shen Jin's fingers and said, "I'll accompany you. I'll eat whatever you eat."
Shen Jin was satisfied, but she felt sorry for her husband and said, "But you can eat it secretly behind my back."
"No." Chu Xiuming assured.
Chu Xiuming saw his wife's smile and gently rubbed her back. After she stopped laughing, he took the cup of water and fed it to Shen Jin's lips. Shen Jin didn't take it and lowered her head to drink slowly. "Actually, think about it, it's worth all the hard work to be able to see the child. What do you think our child will be called in the future?"
"What do you think, madam?" Chu Xiuming asked.
Shen Jin thought for a moment and said, "How about I give you a nickname and you give me a full name?"
"Okay." How could Chu Xiuming not agree? His wife had suffered so much for this child. As long as his wife was happy with such a small matter as the name, it would be fine.
Shen Jin held his stomach with both hands, "I'm hungry."
"Then let's go out and have dinner." Chu Xiuming stood up and looked at Shen Jin who was still lying on the couch. Shen Jin looked at Chu Xiuming expectantly. Chu Xiuming raised the corners of his mouth, bent down and picked up Shen Jin. Shen Jin shook his feet in comfort.
Nanny Zhao made the sour noodles that Shen Jin mentioned, and also made chicken noodle soup for Chu Xiuming. In addition, there were other dishes that were all Shen Jin's favorites. After dinner, Chu Xiuming accompanied Shen Jin for a walk, and then went back to the house to rest. However, today Chu Xiuming did not wait for Shen Jin to fall asleep before leaving, but stayed with her all the time. This time he did not talk about military tactics, but talked to Shen Jin about the wars that the Chu family had experienced. No matter whether it was a small conflict or a war involving tens of thousands of people, they would collect various information from the soldiers after returning, and then record it, as well as some annotations and the experience of the generals at that time. The children of the Chu family used these to learn to read.
At this time, Chu Xiuming added some of his own opinions. Seeing that Shen Jin was listening with great interest, he suddenly asked, "Why do you think Tianqi lost the battle with Xuyuan even though he had the upper hand? What would you do if it were you?"
The Battle of Xuyuan was a war between Tianqi and the previous dynasty. Although the ancestors of the Chu family participated in the war at that time, they were not famous enough, so they were only generals, and the elders of the Chu family were not the ones in charge.
Shen Jin was stunned for a moment. Chu Xiuming had never asked her these questions before. After thinking for a while, she said, "Me? Back off and gather yourself."
"Why?" Chu Xiuming asked.
Shen Jin said, "The food and grass can't keep up." Then he grabbed Chu Xiuming's hand and started drawing, "Look, the battle line... is so long, the soldiers can't even get enough to eat, and they have to keep fighting. It's very tiring."
Chu Xiuming suddenly asked, "What do you think is the most important thing to win a war?"
"Eat the soldiers well, and then save the lives of more soldiers. If the enemy has fewer people, fight. If they have more people..." Shen Jin hesitated, feeling that it might be inappropriate to say this to Chu Xiuming.
"Hmm?" Chu Xiuming asked.
Shen Jin whispered, "If the other side has a lot of people, it would be better to avoid them, or launch a sneak attack?"
Chu Xiuming was not angry at all. Instead, he said, "My little lady is smart."
"Of course." Shen Jin forgot his shame and said, "I'm smart."
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