Chapter 310 I won't have any more children after this one.
When Zhao Xuan heard Doctor Li say that the baby was gone, a look of pain and regret flashed across his tired face. His first child was gone just like that!
He turned around and slapped Su Wan'er hard across the face, who was standing behind him.
"Smack!—"
Su Wan'er was spun around twice by the slap, then fell to the ground with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and was so frightened that she kept backing away.
"I didn't expect her to be behind the door, I didn't mean to..." She shook her head in denial, trying to beg for mercy, but when she met Zhao Xuan's murderous gaze, she dared not speak.
"When will you change your temper? If you could be as composed as Yiyi and hadn't rashly barged into Yue'er's courtyard, you wouldn't have offended Yue'er, and you wouldn't have killed my child. You deserve to die!"
Zhao Xuan reached out and drew the guard's sword, walking towards Su Wan'er.
Liu Yiyi stood in front of Su Wan'er and pleaded for him, "Your Highness, Wan'er didn't mean it. Please forgive her this time. She has learned her lesson and will be more careful in the future."
"In the future? Do you expect me to keep her alive so she can kill my child again? Get out of my way, or I'll kill you too! Get out of here!" Zhao Xuan flipped his sword and used the blade to swat the man away.
Dr. Li was terrified when he heard the commotion outside; someone was about to die.
He is a doctor, and he can only save lives, not kill them. If his lies indirectly lead to someone's death, it is equivalent to him killing someone, which violates his teacher's teachings.
He quickly inserted the last silver needle and waved for the maid to hand him a silk cloth to wipe his hands.
He quickly wiped himself down a couple of times, handed the cloth back to the maid, wiped it on his body a couple more times, and then rushed out.
The sword pressed against Su Wan'er's heart, piercing inch by inch.
Doctor Li rushed out and shouted urgently, "Your Highness, please wait! Don't kill anyone!"
"Doctor Li, this is my family matter, it has nothing to do with you! You only need to save people."
“Your Highness, I shouldn’t be meddling in family matters, but when it comes to life, there is an old saying among physicians: if a child is miscarried, the parents should immediately stop the killing and protect the life.”
"Nonsense! Why have I never heard of such a thing? Don't try to fool me."
As a prince and the future emperor, he could kill whomever he wanted.
Doctor Li held up three fingers. “Your Highness, I dare to guarantee with my life that this is not superstition, but in accordance with the way of life and death. The spirit of a miscarried child is weak. If the parents commit murder, their blood and qi will be in a state of chaos, which may disturb the child’s peace and make it difficult for the child to enter the cycle of reincarnation. On the contrary, observing a vegetarian diet and doing good deeds can accumulate merit and help the child to be reborn in the Pure Land sooner.”
Zhao Xuan felt guilty towards the child he had never met, and since he heard him speak so convincingly, he believed him. "How many days are needed before one can kill?"
"...Seven Seven Forty-Nine."
"Fine! I can wait more than a month. Forty-nine days later, I will take your life to accompany my son in death!" Zhao Xuan threw the sword to the guard, looking at Su Wan'er as if she were a dead person, without a trace of affection in his eyes.
It was as if she wasn't a woman who had served him, but rather a maidservant he could kill at will.
Sitting on the ground, Su Wan'er shrank back in fright, her expression frozen, tears streaming down her face. She really didn't mean it.
She walked in a bit too fast, but surely not to the point of miscarrying from a single collision?
There must be something wrong with Yun Jiaoyue's child, that's why it died after just one fall.
This is not her fault. Why kill her? Why?
"Guards, lock her in the woodshed. She is not to come out without my order."
Su Wan'er knew he was angry and dared not argue with him. She rushed over and hugged his legs, begging for mercy, "Your Highness, please don't, please don't kill me. I know I was wrong. Please spare my life for the sake of the Su family."
"I only wanted to go inside to find a maid, but I didn't expect it to be the Princess Consort. I really didn't mean to. If I had, may I, Su Wan'er, and the entire Su family suffer a terrible death. Your Highness, I beg you to spare me, or divorce me and banish me from the manor."
Ignoring her pleas for mercy, Zhao Xuan coldly kicked her away, his icy gaze sweeping over the guard as he said in a deep voice, "What are you all standing there for? Take her away right now!"
Two guards stepped forward and dragged Su Wan'er to the woodshed, one on each side.
Liu Yiyi glanced at Zhao Xuan, wanting to plead for him but not daring to, and quickly lowered her head.
Zhao Xuan glanced at her and noticed the injury on her wrist.
He rarely showed concern, asking, "Did you hurt your hand?"
Liu Yiyi lowered her eyes and pulled down her sleeve to cover the injury on her wrist. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It's just a minor injury and nothing serious. It's nothing compared to the Princess's miscarriage."
"The reason I had you go to work in the fields before was because I was worried that the escort team had spies in the capital. Starting tomorrow, you will no longer need to go to work in the fields. Just tell the guards what you need and they will buy it for you. You will temporarily take over the management of the inner quarters in place of the Princess."
He had only been gone a few days when the house was in chaos. His first child was gone. Yun Jiaoyue had miscarried and needed to recuperate. The household needed someone to manage it. Liu Yiyi was calm and steady, making her the most suitable candidate.
Liu Yiyi was flattered and surprised. She blinked her long eyelashes to hide the joy in her eyes, and curtsied to him. "Yes! This concubine will certainly not disappoint Your Highness!"
...
The guards had the right tools and processed the snails quickly. In half an hour, they had cut off the tails from a whole basket of them.
Considering that their identities needed to be kept hidden and not seen by outsiders, Yun Zhaoxue told them to take half of the snails to the next village to find Hua Murong.
Hua Murong's hometown is in Miao territory, and she likes to eat spicy food and drink strong liquor.
When he arrived in Lingnan, he often muttered that the food there was too bland and tasteless, and that he missed the food from Miao territory.
This terrified Hongzao and Lüzhi, who tried every possible way to prepare various spicy foods for him and keep him in Lingnan.
In two months, the princess will give birth to twins. Twins are like walking through the gates of hell twice. They will only feel at ease with the divine doctor around. No matter what, they will not let anyone leave. The divine doctor can only be released after the princess has given birth safely.
Yun Zhaoxue also picked more than a dozen small chili peppers for them to stir-fry together. She also told them the recipe. If they didn't know how to cook, she told Hongzao and Lvzhi, who were good at cooking. She said that if she told them how to cook, they would know how to do it.
After seeing them off, Xiao Xuance and the others who had gone to work in the fields returned.
When Xian'er saw them return, she happily told her mother and grandmother about what she had gained that day.
Everyone nearly fainted upon hearing this. Their entire family had unanimously gotten up earlier than the chickens and slept later than the dogs every day to finish all the housework, just so that Yun Zhaoxue wouldn't get tired.
As a result, she even went to the fields to dig for snails and pick wild vegetables.
"Xue'er, what do you want to eat? Tell us and we'll figure something out. How could you go to a place like that while you're pregnant? What if something happens? Please don't go there again."
Yun Zhaoxue said, "We've already come this far from being exiled. It's only a few steps to the river. Mother, don't worry."
“It was out of necessity before… but it’s different now. You’re carrying twins, and your belly is as heavy as if you’re about to give birth, so you need to be even more careful.”
"Thank you for your concern, Mother. I know what I'm doing. Moving around more during labor is more conducive to a smooth delivery."
Xiao Xuance saw the processed snails in the basin, took her hand to check for any injuries, and said, "Did you cut all of these? Are your hands injured? From now on, leave this kind of work to us."
"Yes, Third Sister-in-law, tell Shuer what you want to eat in the future, or I'll go with you. Don't go alone. You scared me to death just now."
They all surrounded her, asking about her well-being and expressing their concern for her and the child.
Yun Zhaoxue was grateful for their concern, but she was just too nervous and overly concerned, which was unnecessary.
“I know everyone is concerned about me, but I know what I’m doing. Going to the fields is just like taking a walk and getting some fresh air. I didn’t do anything. I just sat on the bank. It’s all thanks to Xian’er’s capable work.”
"My third aunt is amazing. She kicked the bad guy who tried to grab me down with one kick. When I grow up, I want to be as amazing as my third aunt."
Yun Zhaoxue tried to cover her mouth, but it was too late.
Xian'er, we're allies, yet you turned around and betrayed your third aunt, do you know that?
Xiao Xuance was also somewhat frightened upon hearing this, "You encountered bad people? And you even kicked someone down, and none of the guards showed up? Why were you ordered to take action? Who was it?"
“Zhou Lao Er, one of Meng Da Hu’s men, ambushed us in the bushes, trying to use me and Xian’er to blackmail my husband. Later, Zhui Ying and Zhu Feng showed up and took care of them. I didn’t really lift a finger. I have a child with me, so I can’t risk her. You can all rest assured and don’t worry.”
It's just a pregnancy, why are you making such a fuss? It's like she can't do anything. If this keeps up, she really wants to give birth early.
Xiao Xuanwu asked, "Third Sister-in-law, where are they? I'll go and teach them a lesson again."
"Zhu Feng hit him a bit too hard; he probably won't be able to stand up."
"They're lucky they can't stand up; they should be killed!" Xiao Xuanwu was filled with righteous indignation. They dared to harm his family; they deserved to die!
Seeing the murderous aura emanating from her youngest son, Madam Yang said worriedly, "Xiao Wu, you're still a child. How can you be so violent? Even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners. Our status is different now than before. You must be careful with your words and actions. Don't make a big mistake because of a momentary impulse."
“Mother, they have caused trouble for the Xiao family many times, and they have even set their sights on Third Sister-in-law and Xian’er. If we don’t get rid of them, there will be endless trouble in the future.”
"Xiao Wu, listen to your mother. Leave the matter of disciplining them to your third brother."
"Alright, Third Brother, we absolutely cannot let them get away this time."
Yun Zhaoxue's stomach rumbled.
"Ouch~" she cried out, clutching her stomach.
Everyone else was terrified. "What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt? Xiao Wu, quickly go and get a doctor, no, go and get a miracle doctor."
"Wait, wait a minute, I'm hungry. How about we cook first?"
"I found something spicy in the field that looks like pepper and dogwood. It would be delicious to stir-fry them together."
Yang said, "It's good that you're alright. You can sit down and rest for a while. We'll go cook, it'll be ready soon."
"No, that won't do. I happened to see a recipe in a book that tastes really good. I'll tell you about it in a bit."
Xiao Xuance was in charge of cooking.
The kitchen was filled with smoke, so they wouldn't let her in.
Yun Zhaoxue offered guidance from outside the window without lifting a finger.
Prepare the ingredients in advance: snails, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, and perilla leaves.
Take the green-shelled snails and clean them of sand. Heat plenty of oil in a wok, sauté minced ginger, garlic, and fragrant fennel sauce and millet peppers until fragrant. Add the snails and stir-fry over high heat. Add Shaoxing wine to remove any fishy smell, drizzle with soy sauce, and season with salt and sugar. Once the sauce has thickened, sprinkle with perilla leaves and stir-fry until cooked through. Serve immediately.
After several dishes were cooked, the whole family sat down.
Yun Zhaoxue was hungry, and everyone told her to eat first, but she didn't stand on ceremony. Her lack of enthusiasm for eating suggests there's something wrong with her thinking.
By the time all the dishes were cooked, the ones that had been cooked earlier had gone cold.
She ate a dozen or so pieces and then stopped, waiting for everyone to sit down before starting to eat.
Xiao Xuance asked in confusion, "Why aren't you eating? Is it not tasty?"
Yun Zhaoxue shook her head, "No, pregnant women shouldn't eat too many snails. Just eat a little to taste it. You guys eat."
She pinched the man's thigh under the table, and whispered to him, "It's all your fault. I'm so young and you made me pregnant, and twins at once. I can't do anything, I can't eat what I want. You're happy to have two babies, but I'm suffering."
After giving birth to this child, she didn't want to have any more.
In her past life, she was a staunch advocate of remaining single, or if she met the right person, she would only have one child, regardless of gender.
Xiao Xuance put down his chopsticks and coaxed her, "It's all my fault, don't be angry. The food is delicious, and the soup is tasty too. Eat more, and you can go wherever you want in the future, or go into the city for a stroll if you want."
The book says that pregnant women are emotionally unstable before labor, so you should go along with them and not do the opposite. He will feel at ease if he arranges for more people to accompany them and protect them.
"Hmph, more or less, I've been wanting to go out for a stroll for a while now."
As they were eating, several heads suddenly appeared outside the bamboo door.
The group shrank back and remained silent for a while. Xiao Xuanwu noticed this, grabbed a bamboo pole, and rushed out, shouting, "Who are you doing in front of my house?"
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