HLnovel Chapter 317 Just in case 1
Chapter 317 Just in case 1
"I guess the imperial edict has already been sent to Connecticut. It looks like he will come to the capital to report on his work after the New Year."
Xiao Zhixue was not very interested in this and thought that she didn't need to worry about these things.
Seeing that she didn't care, Fan Yanmu didn't mention the matter again.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Xiao Zhixue entered the palace early in the morning and did not return to the palace until dusk.
Because she was pregnant again, the Queen issued an edict, allowing her to visit the palace today and she did not have to go to the palace for the banquet on New Year's Eve.
When the nine-month-old Xiao Mu saw his mother return, he jumped on the ground with excitement, almost scaring Aunt Wu, who was supporting him, and her heart almost skipped a beat.
"Qingzhi, quickly take this naughty kid away and let Aunt Wu take a breath."
Xiao Zhixue shouted with a smile.
Hearing the sound, Qingzhi quickly stepped forward and picked up the little wood.
Xiao Zhixue changed her clothes first, warmed her hands by the brazier, and then took the smiling little guy.
At this time, Fan Yanmu stepped into the room, and the scene before him was warm and harmonious.
But he didn't think twice and directly picked him up from Xiao Mu's arms and handed him to Qing Zhi: "How did you take care of him? Didn't you know that the princess was pregnant, and you let her hold the child?"
Upon hearing the sound, Qingzhi, Aunt Wu and others knelt down immediately.
Xiao Zhixue rolled her eyes helplessly: "Forget it, it was me who insisted on holding Little Wood, it has nothing to do with them."
Fan Yanmu's expression softened a little: "Take the child away, and be more careful next time. If the princess forgets, you should also remember to remind her."
Watching everyone trembling as they exited the door, Xiao Zhixue sighed softly, "Your belly isn't noticeable yet, it'll be fine if you hold the baby for a while. You're always so nervous, you scare them all."
Fan Yanmu stared at Xiao Zhixue closely: "Do you still remember that you are pregnant? I almost thought you forgot. Although Xiao Mu is small, his legs are very strong."
After hearing this, Xiao Zhixue pondered for a while and realized that she had indeed inadvertently ignored the potential risks and must be extra careful in the future.
"Okay, I was wrong. I underestimated this kid's power."
Fan Yanmu's expression softened: "You are a mother too, don't spoil this kid all day long."
On the last night of the second year of Kangzhong, which was also the eve of New Year's Eve of the third year of Kangzhong, Fan Yanmu left the prince's mansion at dawn and went to the imperial palace, because Emperor Kangzhong was going to hold a banquet in the palace to entertain civil and military officials above the fourth rank.
Princess Rui seldom attended palace banquets in the past few years due to her poor health. She had planned to attend this year, but she was worried about Xiao Zhixue being pregnant, so she wrote a letter requesting to stay at home to take care of her pregnant daughter-in-law and asked for leave.
Emperor Kangzhong and the Empress naturally agreed to her request.
At noon of the You hour, there were only three main characters at the dinner party at Prince Rui's Mansion: Princess Rui, Crown Prince's Consort Xiao Zhixue, and Xiao Mutou.
It was not until the beginning of the evening that Xiao Zhixue returned to the Liuli Courtyard where she lived from Princess Rui's courtyard. The atmosphere of the New Year was quietly descending upon this peaceful palace.
The hour of Xu was almost over, the night was deep, and the sky was illuminated by stars. Fan Yanmu walked slowly into the palace with tipsy steps. The aroma of wine that filled his body almost solidified, making the air a little drunken.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhixue's eyes flashed with a helpless yet gentle smile, and she "ordered" him, half jokingly and half seriously, to go take a bath, so that the strong smell of alcohol would not disturb the little life that was about to be born in her belly.
This year, because she was pregnant, all preparations for the Spring Festival in the palace naturally fell on the shoulders of Princess Rui.
Xiao Zhixue was quite happy about this. Not only did she avoid the complicated etiquette and social engagements, but even the chores of welcoming and seeing off guests were shared by Princess Rui and Fan Yanmu, allowing her to enjoy a rare period of quiet time, waiting for the arrival of spring in the warm sunshine.
By February of the third year of Kangzhong, the protracted negotiations between Dayan and Daliang finally came to an end. The agreement between the two sides was like a huge rock thrown into a lake, causing ripples.
Daliang was forced to promise to compensate Dayan with one million silver coins, ten thousand fine horses, fifty thousand strong cattle, one hundred thousand fat sheep, five hundred thousand taels of gold and five hundred boxes filled with various dazzling gems.
When Xiao Zhixue heard the news, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed across her brows, and she complained in a low voice that her demands did not meet her expectations, but her tone could not hide her concern and calculation.
Upon hearing this, Fan Yanmu just smiled gently and explained, "My lady may not know the details, but the treasury of Daliang is empty at this time, and gold and silver are already scarce for them. If you want to ask for more, it will be harder than climbing to the sky. Moreover, such a heavy indemnity will take ten years to pay off."
He added casually, "Perhaps you haven't heard yet, but for the next ten years, Daliang must be fully responsible for the food and fodder supply for the 100,000 soldiers of the Yizhou and Qingzhou armies. If they are unable to supply, then Dayan's cavalry will step into Daliang's land and 'demand' it in another way."
Xiao Zhixue heard this and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: "But these terms are not clearly written into the agreement. What if Daliang regrets it in the future?"
Hearing this, Fan Yanmu caressed Xiao Zhixue's gradually bulging belly lovingly and comforted her, "It's okay. I asked the other party to sign two copies of the agreement, just in case."
On the other hand, Pan Luonan received a document from the Ministry of Personnel before the New Year, ordering him to report to Beijing in February of the following year.
He was supposed to set off immediately before the New Year, but for various reasons he postponed his departure until after the Lantern Festival.
He lived in the mansion specially arranged by the Ministry of Personnel. He felt uneasy and thought for a long time whether he should send a visiting card to Prince An's Mansion.
Finally, after some hesitation, he hardened his heart and handed over the heavy post.
However, time passed like fine sand, and February was coming to an end, but there was still no response from Prince An's Mansion. It was as if a stone had fallen into the ocean, which made him feel disheartened and he dared not take the initiative to approach that noble mansion.
Xiao Zhixue didn't know all this.
The visiting card handed to Fan Yanmu by the gatekeeper was the result of Fan Yanmu's careful arrangement.
He knew very well that Xiao Zhixue didn't care much about her biological mother and Donglai's family. In order to prevent her from worrying about this, he instructed the doorman in advance that any letters or posts from Donglai, Connecticut should be handed over to him for personal review first.
Pan Luonan received an urgent transfer order to Yangzhou to serve as the magistrate. The travel date was tight and he had to take up the post before three months.
In desperation, he had to hurriedly write a letter and send it to his hometown in Donglai, asking his wife to bring his parents to Yangzhou.
He went ahead and rushed to Yangzhou to handle all the preparations before taking office.
Xiao Zhixue was completely unaware of all these things. She was currently immersed in the intense reactions of her pregnancy, struggling with morning nausea and vomiting almost every day. This sudden discomfort made her miserable.
I thought it would get better after the first few months, but after six months, this feeling of "nostalgia" became even stronger.
The little boy, who was about to turn one year old, seemed to be able to feel his mother's hard work. Whenever he saw his mother lying in bed uncomfortably, he would hobble over, put his tender little face against his mother's face, gently stroke his mother's bulging belly with his chubby little hands, and make "baby" sounds from his mouth, as if he was using his own unique language to comfort his mother and unborn brother, asking them not to suffer like this anymore.