"Cao'er, what nonsense are you talking about? Madam is just pregnant and has gained weight. It's normal for a pregnant woman to have a big appetite and eat several meals a day," Liu Ma quickly said.
Cao'er immediately told Zhou Xiaoyun that it wasn't true; she had never seen a pregnant woman gain so much weight, but she had seen the pigs in the village get fat.
Zhou Xiaoyun really wanted to scold Cao'er for calling her a pig, but in the days that followed, she was heavily pregnant and needed Cao'er and Aunt Liu to take care of her, so she held back.
"I'll have a doctor come and take a look at my back injury. When will it heal?" Zhou Xiaoyun said after thinking for a moment.
"Yes, Madam. You've just returned. Are you planning to go back to your room to rest, or what?" Liu Ma was, after all, older and knew how to speak.
"I'll go back to my room and lie down first. Check if there's any food left at home. If not, go outside and buy some. I also brought some snacks in my bundle; put them in my room," Zhou Xiaoyun instructed.
Back in her room, seeing that things were going reasonably well, Zhou Xiaoyun felt a little better. "Aunt Liu, here's ten taels of silver for you. We'll still need to buy things we need later. I have a big appetite now."
Aunt Liu immediately took the money; Zhou Xiaoyun had never been so generous before.
Now that she was back, Zhou Xiaoyun began to ponder whether she should thank her mother-in-law. She figured her return was likely due to her mother-in-law saying something to her father-in-law, which was why he had relented. Staying here, she worried about being alone and helpless if anything happened. Should she beg her mother-in-law to let her go back to the Tao family home?
Zhou Xiaoyun fell asleep again while thinking about it, and when she woke up, she was hungry again.
Tao Wanniang knew Zhou Xiaoyun had returned to the city, and Ling Yunzhou had even come to tell her about it, but she couldn't be bothered to pay any attention. Her only reason for agreeing to Zhou Xiaoyun's return was concern for her pregnancy. After all, the overweight Zhou Xiaoyun was pregnant and probably couldn't compete with Shishi.
As for Ling Yunzhou's offer to send her off to war, this wasn't the first or second time he'd asked, and she hadn't paid any attention to it. So why should she send Ling Yunzhou off to war?
The day after Lingyunzhou set off on his expedition, a distinguished guest arrived at Zhaixing Tower, and Tao Wanniang was specifically summoned to a private room.
“I know Chen Bin’s death is related to you.” The princess said directly when she saw Tao Wanniang, “Chen Bin was someone I sent to deal with you.”
Tao Wanniang was taken aback. This person had come and immediately started to be blunt. How was she supposed to deal with this?
"Your Highness, this humble woman is ignorant and does not understand what Your Highness means," Tao Wanniang replied, glancing at the man and woman beside the princess. These two guards must be highly skilled!
"Don't understand?" The princess scoffed. "Tao Wanniang, I don't know what secret you're hiding that could cause Chen Bin's death, so I won't touch you for now."
Tao Wanniang breathed a sigh of relief; as long as she didn't move, it would be fine.
“Ling Yunzhou isn’t in the capital, so even if something happens to you, he can’t help you. Isn’t that pointless?” the Princess continued. “Tao Wanniang, do you think he can still be with you after betraying me for ten years?”
“Your Highness, you are mistaken,” Tao Wanniang said directly. “Lingyunzhou is Lingyunzhou, and I am me. He and I are really not family.”
"Not now, but who knows if it will be in the future?" the princess sneered. "You have two children, and your grandson is still in his general's mansion. Who would believe you two have no relation?"
“Your Highness, I truly have no ill intentions towards Lingyunzhou. I only wish to conduct business honestly,” Tao Wanniang said earnestly. “I am exposed to cooking fumes every day, and I am from a completely different world from Lingyunzhou. Your Highness, are you perhaps mistaken? It is absolutely impossible for a cook like me to be with a general.”
"I don't care about your possibility or not, Tao Wanniang. Listen to me carefully: from now on, if Lingyunzhou ever shows you any kindness, I will make you suffer." The princess said fiercely, "I hate him, and I will destroy any thoughts he may have!"
This princess's hatred stems from love, but it's better to deal with Ling Yunzhou; why make things difficult for her?
Just because Ling Yunzhou is clinging to her, does that mean she's doomed? Tao Wanniang was furious. Was this princess out of her mind?
"Your Highness, I am truly wronged," Tao Wanniang said helplessly. "I hope Lingyunzhou's expedition will last a long time this time, and please don't come back, lest it bring me disaster."
"The person I've taken a liking to is so insignificant in your eyes, Tao Wanniang, you're insulting me!" The Princess glared at Tao Wanniang and said angrily.
"This princess really has some problems," Tao Wanniang thought to herself. Then, her eyes darted around, and she said, "Your Highness, actually, the fact that you were able to take over Lingyun Prefecture after ten years shows that you have a lot of problems."
"Taowan girl, how dare you!"
"Ten years have passed. If you were to give him a son or daughter, I guarantee he wouldn't dare to go west if you asked him to. Why does Your Highness think Ling Yunzhou associates with me? It's because I gave him two sons, and those two sons have grandsons. Men value offspring, and Ling Yunzhou is no exception. If you still have feelings for him in the future, you might as well take the initiative or use some methods!"
Tao Wanniang bluntly stated that the princess was not very bright and was extremely self-righteous; she was just making things up.
"How dare you be so disrespectful to me!" the princess said angrily.
"No, no, Your Highness. I teach by example. If Your Highness hates him, then wait until you are pregnant with his child and do not marry him. That's how men are; the more unattainable something is, the more they want it."
“Since Your Highness also hates Ling Yunzhou, then get pregnant with his child, but don’t marry him. Let him never see his child call him father. But out of a sense of responsibility, he will come to the princess’s residence every day.” Tao Wanniang became more and more excited as she spoke. “Your Highness, isn’t that enough to vent your anger? He comes every day, and you block him every day, so that his child will not recognize him.”
The eldest princess was stunned. Could this really be happening?
"That's utter nonsense." The princess reprimanded coldly, "Tao Wanniang, you're such a vulgar country bumpkin, get out of here right now."
"This humble woman takes her leave!" Tao Wanniang couldn't wait to leave. Women who hate because of love are very stubborn, and stubborn women are prone to taking extreme measures. She might come up with a bad idea, and maybe the princess will take it to heart.
In that case, Ling Yunzhou and the Princess will have an inextricable relationship. Whether they are entangled or troubled every day will be none of her business!
Ling Yunzhou is still clinging to her, probably because they have a child together. Besides, a man can only forget his old love when he has a new one. So, Princess, just go for it! Tao Wanniang thought wickedly to herself, "Won't I be able to get rid of Ling Yunzhou then?"
"What's making you so happy?" Tao Wanniang had just stepped out of the private room when she ran into Xiao Yi. "I heard the Princess has arrived. Has she given you any trouble?"
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