Chapter 309 Chasing Shadows, Flattering and Fawning
Yun Zhaoxue made Zhuiying and the others stay behind to do hard labor, processing the snails.
There are already quite a few in half a basket, and even with the right tools, cutting off the tails is a hassle.
She didn't have the patience for it, nor did she want to do the work. There was plenty of available labor, so she absolutely couldn't let it go.
Find some rusty iron pliers in the room, and have them sharpen them with a whetstone to remove the rust.
They deliberately picked out rusty ones, making them look like products of this era, before they felt comfortable letting them use them.
Several generals who had already led troops to kill enemies on the battlefield were now squatting in the courtyard processing snails.
Yun Zhaoxue lay on a recliner in the shadow of the eaves, gently rocking back and forth.
Xian'er poured her water and washed some fruit, placing longan, grapes, and plums in a porcelain dish so she could easily take them.
"Third Aunt, eat."
Yun Zhaoxue picked up a grape and fed it to her, "Mmm, thank you, my Xian'er, you have some too."
"Auntie, eat first. Xian'er isn't hungry yet."
Xian'er placed the fruit on the table and went inside to get a fan to fan her.
She lay there enjoying herself, looking at her bulging belly. How wonderful it would be if her child were seven or eight years old when born, saving her the trouble of changing their diapers and potty training. They could even fan her and help her with chores.
After fanning herself for a while, Xian'er asked her to bring a stool over and sit with her to eat fruit while they waited for dinner.
She wouldn't dare to treat other people's children too harshly, but if they were her own, she wouldn't be so polite.
Zhuiying, being very perceptive, came over to take over Xian'er's job of fanning.
"What does the princess think of this force?"
Yun Zhaoxue picked up a grape and put it in her mouth. "Move down a bit, your little prince is so hot he's punching me in the belly."
Children who move around a lot tend to sweat on their lower back.
Zhuiying glanced at her protruding belly, then looked away, not daring to look any longer, and laughed, "Boxing? Young master, you can already box at such a young age. If you are young, you will surely be as accomplished in both literature and martial arts as the young master, becoming one of the top masters in the world. If you are young princess, you will surely be as intelligent as the princess."
"They can wait until they're born to start boxing. They've been tormenting me in my belly. When they come out, I'm going to give them all a good spanking."
Recently, the signs of fetal movement have become more and more obvious. As soon as one baby calms down, the other starts moving again.
She was exhausted from all the fuss, but thankfully she didn't have to get up early in the morning. She could sleep until she naturally woke up, and Xian'er would heat up her breakfast for her.
Zhuiying immediately flattered, "The princess is right. Children will not amount to anything if they are not beaten. I have often heard the older generation say that the more you beat a child, the more successful they will become."
Yun Zhaoxue nodded in agreement, "Yes, they need to be punished for being disobedient."
Zhuiying smiled obsequiously, "You've been through a lot while carrying the young prince, and this is all I should do. But there's another saying: a promising child will be promising no matter what. The prince and the princess are a master of martial arts and a wise woman like Zhuge Liang, so the child you two will surely be an outstanding individual."
"Ying'er, I didn't expect you to not only control the force of your fan perfectly, but also to be more eloquent than before. I'll ask your young master to give you a raise later."
"It's all thanks to the county bishop," Zhuiying said.
Zhu Feng and Gu Huai, along with other guards, were still squatting in the courtyard cutting snail tails until their hands ached.
Zhuiying only fanned the wind a few times and did some easy work to earn extra monthly salary.
Several people whispered their complaints.
"How did Lord Zhuiying become like this? I don't even recognize him anymore."
"The princess asked the young master to increase Zhuiying's salary. Is it really possible to increase his salary just by fanning him and saying a few nice words? Will the young master listen?"
"The young master can't possibly listen to the princess in everything, can he?"
Zhu Feng was focused on his work and didn't say a word, so how could he not listen?
In their prince's heart, the princess was more important than the queen. How could the prince dare to disobey?
Xian'er thoughtfully brought them low stools.
“My third uncle listens to my third aunt the most. My aunt says that a man who loves his wife will have a prosperous life.”
Zhu Feng and the others were flattered and startled, and stood up abruptly. "Young Miss, you are the mistress. You can leave the task of getting the stool to your subordinates. Please go back and rest."
"Squatting is tiring, and besides, chairs are for sitting." Xian'er put down the stool, smiled, and turned to leave.
During her exile, she learned to cook, sweep, and tidy her clothes, without any servants to attend to her.
On the way to the prison after the imperial edict was issued to the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, their mother told them that the glory of their ancestors was gone, and they would no longer be the young master and young lady of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion. No one would serve them, and they would have to do everything themselves.
He urged his two elder brothers to study hard and practice martial arts, so that they could bring glory to the country like their father and clear the name of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
She always kept her mother's teachings in mind.
At noon, the people who went to work in the fields returned half an hour earlier.
There was still some left, so they worked on it in the afternoon. Old Liu had no intention of letting them rest. He instructed them to fill the fields with water after they finished plowing, and then plow the land.
It would be good enough if the land could be tilled in ten days, but they weren't even allowed half a day off. It would be better to leave the work to be done slowly, so we all went on strike half an hour early to go home for dinner.
Aunt Chen was distracted when someone tugged at her sleeve and pointed to the bushes, signaling her to follow.
She recognized Su Wan'er; she was one of the Prince Xuan's concubines.
Aunt Chen followed, "Does Madam Su need something from me?"
Su Wan'er asked, "Don't be afraid, I want to ask you if you know the whereabouts of the escort."
Aunt Chen shook her head. "I don't know. That day, Master Liao said he was going back to the capital. Perhaps he did go back."
After Hu Feng left with Master Liao that day, he never appeared again.
She felt deceived, but couldn't understand why Hu Feng would lie to her. He insisted on staying and wouldn't leave no matter how much she tried to chase him away.
He just left the next day. Was it fun to play with her?
She's been distracted these past few days, and has even thought about... ending it all.
She was all alone in this world.
People often sneak into her house in the middle of the night, trying to assault her.
She was so frightened that she didn't dare to sleep all night, holding the scissors until dawn.
Just as he was lost in thought, Su Wan'er said again, "Something happened to them."
Aunt Chen's heart tightened. "Something's happened? What happened? How's Hu Feng?"
"I don't know. I don't know where they are or whether they're alive, which is why I'm asking you."
"I'm sorry, I don't know either. He hasn't come to see me for several days."
"Wasn't he going back to the capital? Why would he come back to find you? I guess they escaped death and returned to the capital."
He said he would stay in Lingnan and not return to Beijing.
Su Wan'er had a guess in her mind, "If that's the case, he would definitely look for you if he were alive. Since you haven't heard from them, he must be in grave danger."
Oh dear, why did he have to die now of all times?
She couldn't even leave the village, so she was counting on Zhao Jiu to help her find the Su family's boat.
It's better to rely on yourself than on others, so she looked for opportunities to go to town to inquire or send messages to Lin'an.
There will always be a way.
"Is he dead, or is his chances of survival slim?"
"Maybe, I can't be sure. We must not tell anyone about this, or it will get us killed."
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Aunt Chen assured her.
Suddenly, Liu Yiyi's voice rang out, approaching from afar, "Wan'er, Wan'er, where have you been? Why have you suddenly disappeared? Are you over here?"
Su Wan'er went outside. "I drank too much water and couldn't hold it in anymore, so..."
"Oh, I see. You should have told me. I was so worried when you suddenly disappeared. I thought something had happened to you. It scared me to death."
"There were so many people around, I was afraid they'd hear us. I'm fine, I'm alright. Let's go back, I'm so hungry. The maids at home should have prepared the meal by now." She affectionately took Liu Yiyi's arm and shook it.
Liu Yiyi suddenly let out a soft hiss.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, my arm just hurts a little."
Su Wan'er grabbed his arm to check and saw that the skin on his exposed wrist was peeling, and a look of heartache appeared in her eyes.
"Your skin is peeling and the flesh is showing, and you still say it's nothing? It's so serious, why didn't you say so sooner?"
To prevent them from serving Zhao Xuan in bed and getting pregnant with his child, Yun Jiaoyue made them wear old clothes instead of giving them new fabric to make new clothes. The old clothes were not suitable for working, and when they stretched out their arms, their wrists were exposed, making them easy to get sunburned.
One day while working, I noticed that the Xiao family members seemed to be wearing gloves. On a whim, I also wrapped a layer of cloth around my wrists, which relieved the pain in my wrists and prevented sunburn and cuts.
Su Wan'er felt sorry for her good friend and stood up for her, so she angrily scolded Yun Jiaoyue, "She became a princess but doesn't have the demeanor of a princess. She can't tolerate the other women in His Highness's harem. If she wants to be with her husband for life, then she shouldn't marry a man who has concubines."
She's pregnant and can't serve His Highness, so she often pretends to have a stomachache and keeps His Highness in her room, afraid that you and I will get pregnant. Now she's keeping the maids from taking our place and forcing us to work in the fields until we're as tanned as rural women.
She's got people waiting on her while she's in bed, doing nothing but scheming against us all day. The baby's almost gone, and she's not even taking care of herself. If she really miscarries, it'll be karma! Humph!
The two went straight into the kitchen when they got home, but no one was there.
"Someone come here! Where have all the people gone? Is our lunch ready?" Su Wan'er heard a noise coming from Yun Jiaoyue's room, rushed in, and bumped into someone at the door.
The two of them fell backward at the same time, "Ah!"
Yun Jiaoyue, who had been knocked to the ground, clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, "Wan'er, why did you hit me? My child! Someone, please save my child..."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, someone come quickly and fetch a doctor!" Liu Yiyi rushed into the room and helped the person up, but after calling out several times, no maid appeared.
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