lady, please calm down

At night, at the end of the Xu hour, Chen Chu just returned home.

In the study room in the main courtyard where Mao'er lived, three older children, Ji'er, Rao'er and Ran'er, were lying in a row beside the desk, meticulously copying the Thousand Character Classic under the light of the lamp.

The cat sat aside and quietly did needlework.

When Chen Chu entered, Rao'er was as if she had been pardoned. She cheered and jumped off the chair, rushed forward and hugged Chen Chu's legs, calling "Daddy, Daddy" non-stop.

Ji'er also rubbed his sore wrist and greeted him in a serious manner, "Father, you have worked hard."

Chen Chu chuckled, glanced at the cat, and said to the three children, "Okay, it's getting late today, so let's stop writing and go play in the yard."

"Hehe, Daddy is so nice."

Rao'er opened her arms upwards, and Chen Chu understood and bent down. Rao'er tiptoed, hugged Chen Chu's neck, and gave her old father a kiss on the face.

Only then did he hold Ran'er's hand and flee from the study at full speed.

Ji'er was obviously tempted, but did not move. Instead, he looked at his mother expectantly.

The cat had no choice but to put down the work in his hands and said, "Go, go back to your room to wash up and go to bed before midnight!"

"Yes, Ji'er knows."

After another bow, Ji'er rushed out in a hurry.

"The weather has been warmer recently, and the ice has become thinner. Bailu, keep an eye on them and don't let them get close to the pond. Also, bring Rao'er back later, and let her live in the South Warm Pavilion with Ran'er for the time being."

Maoer rambled on and on about Bailu, then glanced at Chen Chu with a look of anger and resentment, "Master, you only like to spoil the children. Ayu hasn't finished the evening lesson assigned for them yet. How can I take care of them in the future if Master is like this?"

Just now, in order to maintain the dignity of Chen Chu's father in front of his children, Mao'er did not object to the official's suggestion to let the children go play.

At this moment, there were only the couple in the study, and Maoer briefly expressed his attitude towards his children's education.

Chen Chu smiled and said, "The child is still young, take it slow."

Mao'er said seriously, "No, Ji'er and his friends have been rich since they were young. Everyone around them only says nice things and does what they want. If I am not stricter, when they grow up, won't they think the whole world revolves around them? Who knows, they will get into trouble."

Chen Chu only wanted to make the children's childhood happier, but what Mao'er said did make sense. Since ancient times, there has never been a shortage of aristocratic children who behaved eccentrically and were ignorant of suffering. It would be fine if these people were to be idle parasites who just eat and wait to die, but if they suddenly gain a high position, the sins they create can easily cost millions of lives and cause turmoil in a country.

Although Mao'er was born in poverty, he did not lack this simple cognition.

Chen Chu felt that Mao'er's words made some sense, and he couldn't help but bow and said with a smile: "The Queen is far-sighted and thoughtful, and she is indeed worthy of being the mother of a country!"

In front of outsiders, Chen Chu always acted calm about his ascension to the throne, as if he was just completing an ordinary job.

But after more than ten years of hard work to get to where we are today, how could we not be filled with the ambition to achieve our goals?
It was during this joke with the cat that he revealed a little bit of his feelings.

The title of "Empress" made Mao'er suddenly feel an indescribable feeling, excitement, but also a sense of unreality and absurdity.

But she suddenly grinned, raised her hand and rubbed her arm back and forth a few times, and responded in a playful tone: "Oh, I have goose bumps all over my body."

"Hahaha"

"Hey hey hey"

The couple looked at each other and smiled, just like when they earned their first fortune after the watermelon harvest.

With the candlelight in front of him, the atmosphere was harmonious. Chen Chu stretched out his hand, wanting to invite Maoer back to his room.

But the cat looked up at Chen Chu and smiled, then reached out and held Chen Chu's hand, but did not go to the bedroom as he wished. Instead, it pulled Chen Chu out of the yard.

Chen Chu asked in confusion: "Where to go?"

Cat looked at a lighted attic hidden deep in the shadows of the trees and said, "I am accompanying you to Xiyuan. Someone is waiting for you to come back to Xiyuan. I want to tell you some good news in person."

The western wing of the palace's rear compound was named Xiyuan, and was Yunong's residence.

"Very good news?"

After hearing Chen Chuxiang's question, Mao'er couldn't help but said with a smile: "You have it again."

"You're pregnant? I've only been back for over a month."

Chen Chu was full of surprise. Since he came back from Liaodong, he first welcomed Tiedan into the family, and later had to appease Jiarou. Chen Chu had only spent one night with Yunong.

What surprised him was the efficiency of him and Yunong.

But Mao'er was frightened when she saw him like this, and she quickly explained for Yunong: "Master, have you forgotten? You returned home on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, and late that night, you went to Xiyuan! I have a book in my room, and it's all recorded."

"Booklet? Why are you writing these down?"

"."

Mao'er was slightly embarrassed, but still told the truth: "There are many people at home. If the master gets drunk one day and forgets who he had sex with, he won't be able to explain it when she gets pregnant in the future."

In the harem, the book that records where the king stayed overnight is also called Tongshi.

In addition to what Maoer said, Tongshi also has another function, which is to maintain the purity of the royal bloodline.

Maoer learned all these things from Jiarou.
It seems that although Mao'er didn't say it, he had already begun to learn how to be the master of the harem.

After a while, the two entered Xiyuan.

The maids and servants in Xiyuan seemed to know that the prince would come tonight and had been waiting downstairs early.

As soon as Chen Chu entered the courtyard, the maid guarding downstairs shouted, "Greetings, Prince and Princess."

As if receiving a signal, the originally quiet upstairs was immediately filled with the sound of dry retching "Ouch~Ouch~".

Chen Chu couldn't help but look at Mao'er, both of them had funny looks on their faces. The girl upstairs was really a little drama queen, as if she was afraid that Chen Chu didn't know how hard her pregnancy was.

I went up the stairs and entered the house.

"Ugh~ vomit~"

Yunong, who was lying on the bed and retching into the washbasin, raised her head weakly and groaned as if she was dying: "The prince is here."

"What's wrong with Yunong? Are you feeling unwell? Have you asked Dr. Wang to treat you?"

Mao'er looked at the official who was also possessed by the spirit of drama and tried hard to suppress her smile.

Yunong leaned on the bed, her long and curly eyelashes fluttering, her oval face slightly shy, and she said softly, "It's okay, I felt a little unwell today, so I asked Dr. Wang to see me. Dr. Wang said... that I'm pregnant again."

"oops!"

Chen Chu was full of surprise. He sat down beside Yunong's bed, holding Yunong's hand and said, "I was wondering why there was a magpie calling when I went out this morning. It turned out that Yunong was going to have another baby in my family! Oh, Yunong has worked hard for ten months again."

Wow, the emotional value is full.

Seeing Chen Chu's worry, Yunong tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, sir. I've given birth to Rao'er before, so I'm more experienced this time! Just relax and wait and see what happens to me."

"Hahaha"

Chen Chu laughed so hard that even Mother Qin, who was serving him, couldn't help but smile.

Outside the evening garden.
Cai Huan, who had just returned from the Prime Minister's Residence, showed this place when she was heading to Mao'er's yard. Suddenly, she heard a hearty laugh from afar. After asking carefully, she learned that Chen Chu was here at the moment, so she turned around and went to Xiyuan.

When Cai Huan entered the room, there was laughter and joy inside, but her eyes were red and her eyelids were slightly swollen, and it was obvious that she had just cried.

Mao'er didn't know what was going on yet, so he took the initiative to hold Cai Hua's cold hand and whispered, "What's wrong with you?"

At this moment, Yunong, who once again felt surrounded by people and felt extremely safe, naturally noticed that something was wrong with Cai Huan, and said, "Sister Cai, what's wrong with you? Did anyone bully you? I'll help you get justice."

Yunong, who wanted to avenge Cai Huan, suddenly realized that if someone could bully Cai Huan to tears, then she must not be as strong as the other person, so she immediately changed her words and said, "Who bullied Sister Cai? Let me avenge you."

Chen Chu guessed why Cai Huan's eyes were red, and couldn't help but ask, "Has Huan met her father-in-law?"

Cai Hua nodded, her eyes turning red again.

Tonight, not only were his parents present in the Xiangfu, but his elder brother Cai Yun also came to Tokyo to catch up with his brother-in-law's coronation. Before dinner, Cai Yun told his sister a lot, such as what his father had secretly done for Cai Huan over the years, and what happened in the Privy Council's duty room today.

Cai Huan was not stupid, so she could see that her father was retreating to advance.

But she also knew that her father knew how much effort and energy the old man had put in on his way up from a clerk to a prime minister. However, this father who was obsessed with power in her mind unexpectedly sacrificed his own future in exchange for Cai Huan's wish.

Although Chen Chu did not agree to let him return home, this was a gamble after all. Since it was a gamble, there was a possibility of losing.

It can be said that when Cai Yuan proposed to beg for resignation, whether to stay or go was entirely up to Chen Chu.

While having dinner at the Prime Minister's residence in the evening, Cai Huan, who was sitting at the same table with her father, wanted to talk to her father about this matter several times, but she didn't know how to start.

Cai Yuan saw through his daughter's thoughts and said calmly, "Dad used to think that nothing in the world was as important as prospering the family. He was obsessed with this and made you and your sister suffer. Now Dad has come to terms with it. The so-called family is just you and your sister. As long as you are safe and happy, Dad will be satisfied."

At that time, Cai Hua couldn't help but ask, "Dad, if the prince really agrees to let you return home as a beggar, what will you do?"

Cai Yuan laughed carefreely, "Since Dad can say it, he must be mentally prepared to return home. Now your elder brother and second brother are both working under Yuan Zhang, and you, a clever little boy, are here. Even if Dad doesn't become an official, will he still be hungry and thirsty?"

"Little clever ghost" was the nickname that Cai Huan's father often used when she was a child. However, he hasn't called her that for many years since the rift between father and daughter began.

Cai Huan couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat, but she said, "Daddy, what's wrong with you today? Compared to the position of prime minister, the position of imperial concubine is insignificant. Daddy has worked hard all his life to become the prime minister, but you are willing to exchange it for an empty title for me?"

Hearing this, Cai Yuan looked at his daughter with a kind look and sighed, "What nonsense! You already have a child, but you still don't know the painstaking efforts of your parents? People often say that if children want the moon, parents would want to pick the moon to please their children. Now, if I can make my daughter happy, what does being a prime minister mean to me?"

After saying this, Wang couldn't help but burst into tears.

Cai Yuan was silent for a few breaths, and then slowly said: "Just like back then, if Daddy could exchange his death for his daughter's reputation, Daddy would be willing to do so. But at that time, Daddy didn't even have the qualifications to fight Dan Ninggui to death."

This is the first time that Cai Yuan has taken the initiative to bring up this matter after more than 20 years.

Perhaps thinking of the public opinion violence that Cai Huan had experienced over the years, Cai Yuan's tone became weak and lonely, and the pain on his face was particularly evident.

At this moment, he no longer had the majesty of a prime minister, but was just an old father who blamed himself for failing to protect his daughter.

At this point, Cai Huan just called out "Daddy" softly, and then burst into tears.

It’s not that she was sad about what happened back then, but she just felt a little regretful. Over the years, the thorn in her heart had been pulled out by Chen Chu, but she not only forgot to pull out the thorn in her father’s heart, she even ignored her father’s feelings.

Let’s talk about Xiyuan.

Hearing Chen Chu's question, Cai Huan slowly sat down on the stool opposite Chen Chu. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly raised her head and said seriously, "My Lord, tell me the truth. Was it because of my father that you decided to make me a noble concubine in the Privy Council today?"

Inside the house, Mao'er and Yunong were surprised, as they had not known about this until now.

Chen Chu smiled and asked, "What's the difference?"

Cai Huan shook her head and said, "If it's because of my father that the prince is in trouble, I can give up being the imperial concubine."

Now, not only Mao'er and Yunong were more surprised, but even Chen Chu was surprised.

Everyone knows Cai Huan's personality. She attaches great importance to things like status. Why did she change her personality today?

Mao'er even thought that Cai Huan was speaking sarcastically, but when he saw the latter's serious look, Mao'er couldn't help but deny his guess.

"Hey, why is Sister Huan so generous today?" Chen Chu asked with a smile.

Cai Huan smiled back, but said more directly: "If the prince gives me the position of imperial concubine because he loves and respects me, I will accept it with joy. I will fight anyone who wants to snatch it from me! But if the prince gives me the position of imperial concubine because of my father, I will always feel that I owe the prince and my father, and the job of imperial concubine will be meaningless."

The person is still the same person. Even when facing Chen Chu who is about to ascend to the throne, Cai Huan's words are still direct.

In the entire palace, only this person dares to do this.

Chen Chu smiled softly, looked at Cai Huan and said, "Huan'er never owed me anything. On the contrary, as I said to my father-in-law today, I owed Huan'er. Since the seventh year of Fuchang, Huan'er helped me start the rebellion, helped me with military funds, and helped me do many things that I wanted to do but was inconvenient to do. She bore the infamy for me, but never bothered to explain to the world. How can a mere position of a noble concubine be enough to repay Huan'er for even a little of what she has done?"

Cai Huan, who was the best at hiding her emotions in the palace, became red-eyed again when she heard this.

Mao'er, who was standing by, hurriedly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and stuffed it into Cai Huan's hand.

Seeing this, Chen Chu sighed deeply and said, "Back then, I was a runaway kid with no money, no land, and no household registration. How could I have won the favor of Mao'er and Sister Huan? People outside only think that the runaway brothers, Mr. Cai and Mr. Chen helped me a lot, but they don't know that without the help of Mao'er and Sister Huan, how could I be where I am today?"

Mao'er, who was originally trying to persuade Cai Huan, couldn't help but become teary-eyed when he heard the official's high evaluation of him.

Yes, people only know that men are fighting outside, but they don’t know that when they stay at home, they are busy with businesses and markets during the day, and how many times at night they worry about the safety of their husbands, watching the window paper turn from black to white, and unable to sleep all night.

Fortunately, he still remembers all my efforts.

But Yunong, who had been lying on the bed, was a little unhappy. Chen Chu felt that his sleeve was gently pulled several times. Turning back, he saw Yunong pouting slightly and looking at him pitifully with innocent big eyes.

Chen Chu immediately understood what he meant and added, "Yes, yes, yes, and there is also Yunong. Without Yunong's help, I wouldn't be where I am today!"

She's a pregnant woman, so it's not illegal to coax her against your will.

When it comes to Yunong making her family happy, Cai Huan and Mao'er both acknowledge it, but when it comes to her assisting Chen Chu, Mao'er and Cai Huan look at each other in tacit understanding, and the latter can't help but burst into laughter with a chuckle.

With Chen Chu's affirmation, Yunong ignored Cai Huan's ambiguous laughter and just pulled Chen Chu's sleeve, expectantly saying, "Young Master, Sister Cai is going to be a noble concubine, and Sister will definitely be the queen. What about Nunu? What kind of concubine will you make Nunu?"

"Hahaha"

There was another burst of laughter in the room.

All the women in the palace had some ideas about their future status, but only Yunong would ask about it in person.

The cat, who was in a good mood, couldn't help but ask: "Tell me yourself, what kind of concubine do you want to be?"

Yunong looked at the bed curtains above, blinked her eyes and thought seriously for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Chen Chu's arm with excitement, shaking it, "Master, can you make me your beautiful concubine?"

The laughter started again.

Mao Er couldn't help laughing and reminded him, "According to the etiquette, the four concubines are Hui, Xian, De and Yi. Hui Fei is the first of the four concubines. Do you think Mei Fei is good? You are just conceited and afraid that the world doesn't know how beautiful you are, right?"

Wow, it seems that cats have done a lot of research.

Cai Huan looked at Mao'er in surprise, but she also saw through her thoughts. At this moment, Ayu, Jiarou and others were not here. Mao'er kindly reminded Yunong that "Concubine Hui is the leader of the four concubines."

While Chen Chu is happy at this moment, if Yu Nong acts coquettishly and asks for the title of Concubine Hui, Chen Chu will most likely agree on the spot.

Cai Huan, Mao'er and Yunong were all from Tongshan. Mao'er quietly fought for the opportunity for Yunong, and Cai Huan was naturally happy to see it happen.

But Yunong didn't know whether she didn't understand or pretended to be confused, and shouted: "Then Meifei doesn't sound good, so let's call her Liangfei!"

"Hahahaha" Chen Chu laughed again, raised his hand and pinched Yunong's upturned little nose, and said lovingly: "Silly."

Cai Huan rolled her eyes and said that all the cat’s efforts were in vain!
Night, end of midnight.

Chen Chu and others left one after another. In order to let Yu Nong rest assured and take care of her pregnancy, Mao'er let Rao'er live with her in the near future. The bedroom in Xiyuan was quiet.

Mother Qin coaxed her a few times, but Yunong still couldn't fall asleep because of the happy chat that night.

Seeing this, Mother Qin simply moved a small stool and sat beside the bed to chat with Yunong.

They talked about her time as a prostitute in Caiwei Pavilion, the first time Yunong was taken home by the King of Chu, and how the mistress was kind and tolerant.

Mother Qin repeatedly lamented that Yunong was lucky, but at the end of the conversation, Mother Qin couldn't help but whispered: "Hey, it's not that I'm saying anything bad about you, but Yunong, you are too honest sometimes. The princess was secretly helping you just now! You didn't even hear that. Today, the prince just found out that you are pregnant, and he is in a good mood. If you follow the princess's words and ask for the title of Huifei, it will definitely come naturally!"

Yunong smiled softly and whispered, "Mom, tell me, which is more important, the favor of the prince or the false reputation of Concubine Hui?"

After hearing her question, Mother Qin realized that Yunong did not seem to have failed to hear it, and couldn't help but say: "The prince loves you, so why not you try to earn that position?"

"Mom is thinking that even if the prince agrees today out of joy, it will be troublesome in the future. Behind Jiarou, behind Ayu, and even behind Tiedan, there are people who need to be appeased. If I fight for it, it will also make things difficult for the prince. Besides, even if I move into the harem in the future, it will still be my sister and sister Cai who have the final say. They may want me to be the first of the four concubines and suppress me."

Yunong did not say who specifically she wanted to suppress, but Mother Qin understood what Yunong meant. She could not help but look at Yunong in astonishment. To be honest, Mother Qin was blinded by the words of the head of the four concubines just now, but she did not expect this.

"It's already a concession for me to not be a noble concubine. If I can't be the head of the four concubines, even if she doesn't mind, her family will probably hate my sister. Maybe it's well-intentioned, but if I become the Hui Concubine, I will offend people."

Yunong analyzed it carefully, but the more Mother Qin listened, the more horrified she became. Finally, she asked, "Who taught you all this?"

Yunong patted her belly gently, chuckled, looked at Mother Qin and said meaningfully: "Mom, everyone says I am lucky. If I am just lucky, can I be favored by the prince, and can the princess and Sister Cai treat me as a sister?" (End of this chapter)