African Nationhood

(The previous chapter has been reviewed and will probably be released tomorrow)
Jiexiu Garden, Furong Pavilion.

Furong Pavilion is a large pavilion-type building on the west side of Zhonghe Hall. The running water from Jiexiu Garden passes through here. Large groups of koi can be seen in the stream. There is also Chairman Shi's musical instrument room here.

Because Chairman Shi would come here to play the guitar when he had nothing to do. He even learned how to play the erhu in order to relieve the pain of quitting smoking.

It's just that his level is too low, so once he starts playing the erhu, he will first dismiss the surrounding service staff.

But Sun Hu and other guards will endure Commissioner Shi's torture for a long time here.

Fortunately, Lady Maria entered the palace and had new people by his side, so Chairman Shi gave up the erhu as a substitute for quitting smoking.

Started playing guitar and piano with Maria, a young girl.

Maria was taught by her mother to play the piano and accordion.

In order to please Maria, Chairman Shi came up with the folk song "Katyusha", which Maria liked very much.

Then Maria composed the song into a tune and often played and sang it in Furong Pavilion.

Since joining the new family, Shi Jintang has spent more time with Maria, and the relationship between the two has gradually become harmonious.

As Maria became pregnant, Chairman Shi came here more often.

In the early years, he could not be with his wives who were traveling around most of the time. Maybe it was because Chairman Shi was old, or maybe he wanted to make up for it.

He took very careful and considerate care of Maria, making Kelly a little jealous.

However, Ye Rong didn't pay much attention and often came here to visit Maria.

Alice and Jin Xiyue came here to visit as a courtesy.

At the end of April, Maria gave birth to a boy. Shi Jintang was very excited at the time, fearing that the born son would suffer from hemophilia.

The midwife reported that the baby was fine, which made him relieved, and he immediately named his son Shi Sheng.

Because Maria and her son were safe and healthy, Shi Jintang could safely visit Europe.

……

After all, Maria was young and the daughter of a fighting nation, so she had to get out of bed and move around just a few days into her confinement period. This made Ye Rong, who accompanied her and took care of her, anxious, so he comforted her and stayed in bed as much as possible until she was out of confinement. Get out of bed again.

Maria was very resistant to this Eastern custom. If Kelly hadn't asked her to do this, she would have run away without hesitation.

As the months passed, her figure became plumper and more feminine.

Moreover, my son is chubby and very cute.

Maria was very satisfied with this. The news that her husband was going to be emperor made her even more excited.

……

Since her husband wants to be the emperor, her son will be a prince and will be granted the title of Grand Duke in the future.

Thinking of this, she felt happy in her heart.

When her mother asked her to sacrifice herself in exchange for the honor of the family, she was still very resistant at that time.

When she came to this oriental palace, she was in a very depressed mood.

But Marquis Henry was very considerate to her, even taking care of her emotions in bed without touching her.

After she got used to her new identity, he had his first pleasure with her.

Because of the other party's careful love and care, she had a good experience.

Since then, their relationship has grown by leaps and bounds, and she has gradually fallen in love with this wise and funny man.

Then she became pregnant. During the pregnancy, Sister Ye Rong and Mrs. Kelly took great care of her, which made her feel more comfortable.

Now that she gave birth to her son, her status here has also improved a lot.

Not only has her daily diet become more refined, but her daily expenses have also increased.

When her mother, sister, and brother arrived, they were all amazed at Henry's love and care for her.

Because Henry gave her many jewels, even beautiful pearls, one hundred and one hundred.

Such a beautiful day was something she had never expected. The only drawback was that she could not replace Mrs. Kelly's position.

...When Henry becomes the emperor, Mrs. Kelly will be the queen, but the crown prince is not her son Shi Zhao.

This made Maria very confused, but she didn't dare to ask about the mystery for fear of offending Mrs. Kelly.

As the days passed, she missed Henry more and more. During this period, this man only visited her and her son once when he came back from Europe, and then he didn't come over often.

It is said that he is busy with official duties and various preparations before ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor.

However, her family often comes here and stays here for a long time every time. Recently, her mother seems to have something to say to her.

Maria didn't know what her mother had to say. Since she didn't tell her, maybe she felt it wasn't time to tell her yet.
-
After breakfast this morning, Maria picked up her son from the nanny and found that little Shi Sheng was sucking her thumb.

She smiled and took out her son's fingers and started teasing him. The mother and son were having fun. Her Russian maid came over to report that her mother and brother came over.

Maria nodded, smiled and told the maid to invite them in.

After a while, Lady Alexandra and Alexey came in.

The family meeting was naturally a lively one, and Lady Alexandra kissed Maria and her little grandson passionately.

Alexey also came close to his sister and teased his little nephew.

Maria handed her son to her brother, then got up and went to the room. After a while, she took out an envelope and handed it to her mother. Inside was a wad of banknotes.

"This is my monthly money. Since I entered the palace, I have no place to spend it.

Mom, take it, your brothers and sisters all have room to spend. "

Mrs. Alexandra took the banknote, then nodded, with a slight smile on her quiet face, "Thank you Maria."

Maria smiled, leaned towards her mother and whispered: “You’re welcome, Henry dotes on me very much.

I am very grateful to you, mother. If you hadn't forced me to marry Henry, we don't know where we would be today.

I heard that the European War is over. Should I go and beg Henry to take my father and sisters over from Tsarist Russia? "

Upon hearing Maria's question, Madam Alexandra's expression suddenly changed, and she subconsciously held her daughter's hand, "No, Maria."

Seeing her mother's expression change like this, Maria couldn't help but curiously asked, "What happened to mom?"

Lady Alexandra's face became calm again when she looked at her daughter's concerned face and her son who was teasing her grandson.

"Let's talk somewhere else."

Maria nodded, then took her mother to the inner room, "Okay, mom, you can talk now."

Lady Alexandra took her daughter's hand and sat down, looked into her eyes and whispered softly: "No matter what I say next, don't get excited, let alone scream. Can you do it?"

Maria looked at her mother's seriousness, and she had a vague guess.

"Is it the news about dad and sisters?"

Lady Alexandra nodded sadly and told everything softly.

Her guess came true, and Maria didn't know what to do for a moment. Her tears kept falling like broken pearls, and she kept thinking about her father and sisters in her mind.

All this could never come back. She was angry and at the same time thankful that her family members in Nanhua had escaped.

If it weren't for Nan Hua and Henry, she would have died like her father and sisters. What a terrible thing.

Thinking of this, she couldn't bear it anymore and threw herself into her mother's arms and cried.

Lady Alexandra started to cry, and both of them soon wet their clothes with tears.

But Lady Alexandra quickly realized that she could not let Maria be immersed in sorrow for a long time.

So she picked up her daughter and wiped away her tears.

"Maria, you have to be strong. The fate of our family depends on you, remember, and you still have children to take care of!"

Hearing her mother's reminder, Maria immediately thought of her son, her lovely Julian.

So she quickly stopped crying, but she still couldn't help but miss her father and sisters.

Lady Alexandra and Alexey did not stay long and left quickly.

When Shi Jintang came to Furong Pavilion in the evening, he found that his little wife was in a very depressed mood. He approached her and asked with concern: "What's wrong with you?" (End of Chapter)