bayedsolid Chapter 687 Imperial Decree Issued to Enter the Capital!
Chapter 687 Imperial Decree Issued to Enter the Capital!
Mu Xin Nuan was slightly taken aback. "Deliberately arranged? But why?"
Chu Chu roughly explained Fu Hongyang's idea, and Mu Xin Nuan understood it.
"His idea is quite sound. If Zhang Ruilan causes trouble again, like threatening suicide at home, it will be awkward for the family to meet again. And in the eyes of the Zhang family, the cause of all this is you. So, you are in the most difficult position."
"Yes, I also think that since we are all women, why should we make things difficult for each other?"
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head. "You, I thought that after managing the business for several years, you would have a tougher personality. How come you are still so soft? Don't you think that with Zhang Ruilan's personality, if you don't teach her a lesson, would she be as obedient as she is now?"
Chu Chu was speechless for a moment, and had to admit that what the princess said made a lot of sense.
"Chuchu, there are naturally some shady and clandestine things that can't be brought to light in the inner quarters. The more women there are, the more of these kinds of things will happen. What wouldn't they do to win favor and gain status?"
As Mu Xin Nuan spoke, she shook her head helplessly. Even she, if it weren't for Duanmu Chu Ze's refusal to take a concubine, would probably have become one of the most ruthless women in the inner quarters.
"Teacher's wife, I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I will definitely not let you down. As long as he has me in his heart, I will be content."
Mu Xin Nuan didn't know what else to say. Some things are better left unsaid.
"Fortunately, Fu Hongyang only has you in his heart. If you two are together in the future, his attitude towards you won't be too bad. You, remember to get along well with Madam Fu. You are different from me. I live comfortably in this palace without my mother-in-law to look after me, but you will have to serve your mother-in-law personally."
As Mu Xin Nuan spoke, she suddenly realized how fortunate she was.
Thinking back to my past life, I remember how hard it was to visit my mother-in-law's bedside every morning and evening, and to serve her meals.
Looking at myself now, I feel like I'm living the life of a god!
She didn't have to serve her in-laws, and she was so doted on by Duanmu Chuze. She didn't even have a concubine. Such a life was something she never dared to imagine before.
"Chuchu, remember this: although we are women, we are not obligated to take concubines for our husbands after marriage."
Chu Chu was slightly taken aback. She was naturally aware of the fixed mindset of some young ladies from wealthy families, but she never expected that her teacher's wife would do the opposite.
Generally speaking, any young lady from a prominent family who becomes pregnant after marriage, or who has no children after a year, will take the initiative to help her husband take concubines or other women.
But why is it that what I heard from my teacher's wife today is exactly the opposite of what I heard from others?
"But, Madam, won't people say we're jealous?"
"So what if she's a jealous woman? Do you know that the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family, Liu, took the initiative to accept a concubine for her husband? In the end, she gained a reputation for virtue, but she herself was living a miserable life!"
"Look at Gao Chunhua. She married a military general. Her husband never mentioned wanting to take a concubine, and she never brought it up either. That's what a truly clever person does."
Chu Chu seemed to understand. "What you mean is, as long as my husband doesn't bring it up himself, then I don't need to force him to take a concubine?"
“That’s right! Even if your mother-in-law pressures you, just push it onto Fu Hongyang and say that you discussed it with him and that he himself refused to accept it. Don’t say anything else.”
Chu Chu listened, feeling a little guilty. "Is this okay?"
Aunt Fang smiled and said, "Your Highness, isn't it a bit too early to talk about this with Miss Wang?"
Mu Xin Nuan was taken aback. That's right, the wedding hasn't even taken place yet. Let's talk about this kind of thing after the wedding.
"I was too hasty. Let's go see if Xiao Zonghua has woken up yet. That rascal, he really likes you now."
"The little prince is adorable and clever. He's so young, yet he can already crawl."
Aunt Fang was naturally pleased to hear that the young prince had been mentioned. "Yes, the young prince is indeed very clever. He was crawling before he was seven months old, and he's quite strong. I reckon he'll be walking before he's even a year old."
Since that day, Madam Zhang and her daughter have kept a low profile, partly to avoid trouble, and partly because Madam Zhang was thinking long-term; if things really didn't work out, she would marry her daughter off to Yu County.
In the past two years, quite a few people in Yu County have become wealthy merchants. Although these merchants may not be of high social standing, if their daughters can marry into the county, they will at least be able to live comfortably. With money in hand, things will naturally be easier.
"This morning, Father Emperor issued an edict ordering everyone to return to the capital for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year." Duanmu Chuze frowned as soon as he returned.
"What's wrong? Going back to see Father and Mother is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Why are you frowning?"
"Anuan, this time, everyone goes back. Do you think things will still be peaceful?"
Mu Xin Nuan was silent for a while, "A Ze, I'm not worried about anything else, but what about our little Zong Hua?"
Duanmu Chuze's brows furrowed even more. "Don't worry, I won't give anyone the chance to hurt our child."
"Aze." Mu Xinnuan couldn't completely relax and gently leaned against Duanmu Chuze's chest. "I thought we would live a peaceful life here forever. Although we are far away from our relatives, at least everyone is safe and sound. Now, if we go to the capital again, I am really scared."
"Don't be afraid, Anuan. I didn't have anyone I particularly wanted to protect before, so I didn't care much about anything. Until I met you, Anuan, our family will be alright."
Mu Xin Nuan remained silent. She knew that this return to Beijing would likely not be peaceful.
Even if it doesn't cause any bloodshed, for the Ming King, this might just be an opportunity.
"Has Father Emperor said when we can enter the capital?"
"The imperial decree says that we should arrive in the capital before the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, ostensibly to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's impossible that we'll actually arrive in the capital on the fourteenth. Besides, the Empress Dowager must really want to see our little Zonghua."
"By the way, does Mother know that the two of us are taking care of this child?"
Duanmu Chuze nodded. "They should know. There's no need to hide this kind of thing. We can raise our own child however we want, and it's no one else's business."
Mu Xin Nuan chuckled, "It's rare that Mother didn't say we were being disrespectful."
“Raising our child ourselves is the most sensible thing to do. How can we know how difficult it is to be a parent if we haven’t been one ourselves?”