Chapter 83

Within the princess's properties, there is a teahouse that is a favorite spot for nobles to visit on regular days. This is mainly due to its tranquil environment and excellent confidentiality.

The Eighth Prince and Princess are the least ambitious couple in the entire royal family. For the past twenty years, they have been solely focused on finding a son and have shown little interest in the affairs of the court.

Now that they have found their son, they consider it a major accomplishment and seem to have no other concerns, eagerly awaiting the arrival of grandchildren.

As a result, this teahouse has gradually become a relaxing spot for many people.

Princess Duanrui is currently enjoying tea in the innermost teahouse with the Eighth Princess. She lifted the tea bowl, sniffed it, took a sip, and remarked, "This tea has a wild charm to it."

The Eighth Princess laughed and said, "More than just a wild charm, can you guess what kind of tea this is?"

Princess Duanrui looked at the amber-colored tea, tasted it again, and said, "The fragrance is not strong, with a slight bitterness at first, but then a sweet aftertaste... I really can't tell."

The Eighth Princess chuckled and said, "This is not a valuable tea leaf, but one that my daughter-in-law picked and processed from their own mountain. They brought it here because they didn't like the other teas available. I found it quite pleasant after trying it, so I asked them to leave a jar. Although it's not expensive, the yield is limited, or else I wouldn't be willing to bring it out for us to drink."

"Listen to you, hiding such a good thing from me. I'll have someone write to your daughter-in-law later and ask for ten or eight catties of it." Princess Duanrui almost rolled her eyes.

The Eighth Princess scoffed and said, "Ten or eight catties? Do you think you're buying Chinese cabbage? This kind of wild tea from the mountains is meant to be enjoyed for its wild charm. If you drink it every day, you might not even get used to it... Oh, Jingning is here."

Princess Jingning, dressed in a striking black and red outfit, rode her horse into the adjacent garden, walked through a path from the garden, entered the teahouse through one of its doors, and was then led by a servant into the teahouse next to the eighth princess.

Zhou Yulin had been waiting inside early on and stood up quickly when she entered. "I have been waiting for the princess for some time."

Princess Jingning sat down on a nearby chair straightforwardly and said, "I don't think we need to beat around the bush with pleasantries. Do you know why I'm here today, Your Excellency?"

Princess Duanrui sighed and whispered to the Eight Princess, "She usually performs all those etiquette rituals perfectly, but she refuses to do so here."

The Eighth Princess replied, "The princess is being true to herself, it's fine to put on a show for others, but if we are going to be family in the future, there is no point in pretending. It loses its meaning."

Zhou Yulin poured a cup of tea for Princess Jingning and said, "Have a drink of water to moisten your throat first. This tea was picked and roasted by my elder sister on our family's mountain. It's rare to have a jar of it. Although it doesn't have the strong fragrance of high-quality tea leaves, it's quite interesting to savor."

Princess Jingning drank the tea in one gulp and said, "Actually, I can recite the entire tea ceremony backwards and forwards, like how to observe the leaves, color, and aroma to distinguish the origin and year of the tea leaves. But water is primarily meant to quench thirst, focusing on so many formalities when it comes to drinking water seems to deviate from the original intention. I think this tea is good for quenching thirst."

Zhou Yulin laughed heartily and said, "Princess, you are absolutely right. I can't stand those gatherings where you have to hold a tiny teacup and engage in endless praise and discussions. Even if your throat is parched and smoking, you're forced to sip delicately as if putting on a show. I often wish I could just pick up the teapot and drink heartily. But sometimes, we have to play along. However, at home, I also drink tea from a big cup without so many fusses."

Princess Jingning smiled and poured herself a cup of tea from the teapot. This time, she sipped slowly twice and remarked, "It has a slightly rough texture at first, but the aftertaste is very refreshing. After drinking, my mouth feels moist, although the bitterness is also pronounced. It may not be suited for grand occasions or receive compliments from gentlemen, but it is a good thirst-quenching tea, best enjoyed with big gulps, truly satisfying." After saying this, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one go.

The two conversed about tea, discussed martial arts, and touched on the Northern war and the drought in the northwest.

Zhou Yulin spoke fluently, and Princess Jingning shared her unique insights. The conversation flew by unnoticed for two hours, while Princess Duanrui and the Eighth Princess on the other side were nodding off.

"Enough, I should go back for dinner too..." Princess Duanrui gestured for a maid and instructed, "Go and ask the princess when she plans to return for her meal."

Suppressing a laugh, the maid approached the neighboring room, entered, and asked, "Princess, when do you plan to have your meal? It's getting late..."

Looking at the sun already slanting toward the West outside, Princess Jingning exclaimed, "Has it been this long already?" She added, "I've had plenty of snacks and melon seeds, and I'm not hungry... Well, it's time to go back."

Zhou Yulin also stood up and said, "It's getting late, let me escort the princess back."

Princess Jingning cocked her head, saying, "Have you thought about it? If you escort me back, who knows how people will gossip."

Surprised, Zhou Yulin asked, "What do you mean? Are you not satisfied with me, princess?"

Princess Jingning just smiled, said nothing, and walked away.

Zhou Yulin followed behind with a smile, the two of them walking side by side while leading their horses on the road, chatting as they went. Before they even reached the palace, news of their time together had already spread throughout the entire capital city.

Soon, matchmakers arrived, and the Emperor granted them marriage, leaving many astonished and dropping their jaws.

Many were shocked - the heir of the Eighth Prince's mansion, a man of such striking looks and charm, was suddenly going to marry that woman warrior?

Could he have been coerced?

Shizi, if you've been threatened, blink twice quickly, and we'll seek justice for you!

Blinking twice did not bring the expected outcome, instead, it ushered in a ten-mile procession of the auspicious color red.

Princess Jingning's dowry had long been prepared, awaiting the arrival of a destined partner and an auspicious day to promptly seal the marriage.

Many had eagerly anticipated witnessing Zhou Yulin nursing bruises and lamenting his misfortunes, yet all they saw was the couple displaying affection at every opportunity - be it riding horses together, the princess hunting while the Shizi roasted, practicing martial arts side by side, and already three months had passed...

Eh?

Has it only been three months since their union, which had just begun less than half a year ago?

Are they truly so loving?

But now that the princess is pregnant, should the heir consider taking concubines?

"If you're my brother, don't harm me." The Shizi portrayed the role of fear of his inner feelings vividly. "If that time comes, and my princess hesitates to discipline me, but whips you instead, I won't plead for mercy on your behalf. Furthermore, the princess is currently suffering daily discomfort. If I were to take concubines, wouldn't that make me less of a man?"

There are several who do not seem manly:

"I treated you like a brother, and you curse at me. I won't hang out with you anymore!"

While many secretly hoped that both Song Dingxiang, the county princess, and the Shizi's wife would not bear sons, in Wexian County, Song Dingxiang labored for a day and a night, birthing a pair of twins. When the news reached the capital, even the Emperor was overjoyed, looking at the verbose ministers with less agitation.

Princess Jingning was not as fortunate as the county princess; she gave birth to a daughter in her first pregnancy.

Good friends once again intervened, earnestly advising, "A man should have descendants, not to mention a large family of wives and concubines, at the very least a few daughters to brighten the household. Have you ever considered the possibility that if the princess continues to bear daughters only?"

Zhou Yulin, holding his chubby daughter who drooled all over him, rolled his eyes emphatically and responded, "Don't worry, even if they are all daughters, they won't be marrying into your family, so stop being overly concerned. And even if she gives birth to only daughters, so what? My eldest nephew, Yi Cheng, is still there. Ah, 'Yi Cheng' is his nickname, hahaha. My niece is called Bao Ya, my eldest daughter is called Chou Ya, apparently this way they'll only grow more beautiful."

Brother: ?

Princess Jingning looked at her husband playing with their daughter and asked, "Everyone says I can't bear sons. If I continue to only have daughters, what will you do?"

Shizi Zhou, who was passionately kissing his chubby daughter's chubby foot, didn't even look up and replied, "What can I do? I don't give birth to children."

Princess Jingning felt around under the pillow for her whip - it was gone. The whip had been confiscated after she bore her daughter, out of fear that the girl might chew on it. She then proposed, "How about I make the decision to take a concubine for you?"

Shizi didn't miss a beat and simply said, "Sure."

Princess Jingning:?

Her expression changed instantly, hands clenched in fists slightly trembling under the covers.

Was this how all men in the world behaved?

Always considering taking concubines whenever the opportunity arose?

Shizi continued, "But she must be someone who can stand up to you. Otherwise, even I won't be able to protect her. She not only needs to be able to best you but also be young, beautiful, eloquent, skilled in women's arts, and cooking. And her family background must be good, gentle, virtuous...absolutely can't be inferior to my princess, or else how could I consider her?"

Princess Jingning:...

"You jerk!" She grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him.

"Hey hey, be careful not to hit my daughter!" Zhou Yulin leaped up and scolded, "You, you can't even rest properly during your postpartum period. Get yourself back in shape quickly. Together, we'll have kids every three years, making them all envious. You have no idea how hard it is for me now, I can only look but not touch. If I do touch, I'll be scrutinized by my mother, and accidentally thrown into solitary confinement. Is that easy for me?!"

With that, he placed the giggling daughter on the bed, grabbed a pillow to prop up behind the princess, and playfully pinched her round face due to her postpartum plumpness. "They say women like to overthink, I thought you were exempt from this flaw. What are you daydreaming about? Even if I take concubines, not to mention you, my mother would break my legs. To maintain the dignity of my position as the heir, and ensure passing on the heirship to our son, I can't afford to take that risk."

Princess Jingning was truly at a loss for words. She rubbed her temples vigorously and asked, "Originally, our parents were planning to go to Weixian County this year, but now they can't. Will my elder brother and sister-in-law come instead?"

She had been eager to meet the extraordinary woman Song Dingxiang for a long time now, but a year had passed since her marriage and she still hadn't met her. It was somewhat regrettable.

Zhou Yulin looked at her suspiciously and inquired, "I deeply suspect that you only agreed to marry me because you wanted to be sisters-in-law with my sister. Tell me the truth, if my sister wasn't in the picture, would you still have married me?"

Princess Jingning smiled and replied, "What are you imagining? If I only wanted to befriend the county princess, why bother rushing to marry you? It would be better to go to Weixian County and marry the county princess's brother there, at least then we could see each other every day."

Zhou Yulin: This sentence pattern sounds familiar, didn't he say something similar just now?

Shizi decided not to engage in the same conversation as the princess; he hugged his chubby daughter and playfully kissed her. The chubby girl giggled, kicked her little legs, and ended up soaking her father's clothes.

The Eight Princess Consorts had been thinking about going to Weixian County to spend the New Year with their eldest son, as they had mentioned several times in their correspondence. However, the first attempt coincided with the county princess giving birth, and the second time was during the princess's postpartum recovery.

They calculated the ages of their grandchildren and pondered how they could travel by carriage when they turned two, but then the county princess became pregnant again.

After the county princess gave birth to her second child, the Eight Princess Consort was excitedly planning to celebrate the second grandson's full month, but the princess had another little bundle of joy in her arms.

"Do you think I'll ever get the chance to go to Weixian County in my lifetime?" The Eight Princess Consort sighed in disappointment.

The maid Liu Cui blinked and said, "When the young master grows up, the elder master and mistress can come to the capital city. Why does the Eight Princess Consort always long to visit Weixian County?"

Looking at her husband and her son playing with their granddaughter in the courtyard, the Princess Consort lamented, "Look, in a few months, Jingning will give birth again. At that time, the children will be less than a year old and won't be able to travel by carriage. When they turn two, Dingxiang will likely have another... and so the cycle continues. How come it was so difficult for me to conceive, waiting years for one child, yet they have them so quickly? Ah?"

Liu Cui simply smiled, unsure of what to say.

It was true that among the royal family, the Eight Princess Consort and her two daughters-in-law were the most proficient at childbirth.

Song Dingxiang had given birth to four children, two boys and two girls, and then decided to stop. Finally, when the fourth little girl turned two years old, they could take them to meet their grandparents.

However, they ended up staying at the royal residence for two months because it was inconvenient to drink contraceptive tea, and she became pregnant again.

Now, they couldn't even go back home; Jingning and the county princess, both heavily pregnant, were sunbathing in the garden, watching the three men and a group of children playing and laughing.

"I feel like even me are more fertile than pigs. I'm thirty already..." Song Dingxiang sighed, fanning herself with a small fan.

Although she was now thirty, her cheeks were rosy and elastic, making her look like she was in her early twenties, still beautiful and youthful.

Jingning also sighed and said, "Honestly, I finally understand why some people consider taking concubines for their husbands, the days go by so slowly... Sometimes, he irritates me so much that I just want to send him away, but thinking he'll have children with other women makes me furious."

"We should find them something to do..." Song Dingxiang rubbed her chubby chin, thinking about how to keep her energetic husband occupied.

"I made him practice martial arts, so that when he's exhausted, he'll calm down. But you know what? He used to be no match for me, but now we're evenly matched. I wonder if I've lost my skills..." Princess Jingning flexed her arm, feeling the hard muscles, "It shouldn't be the case..."

"How about you teach me martial arts after you've finished having your child? If we both tire them out, they won't act recklessly."

"Hey, I think that's a good idea, but we should wait until after delivery, right?"

"Why don't you come with me to Weixian County after you give birth, as the Shizi should have business to attend to here. Then I'll send my husband to the military camp, and we can both take a break."

"Great idea, we can go hunting in the mountains, I'm not boasting, but I'm quite skilled at hunting!"

"Let's make it a plan!"

Eight Princess Consort: ?

No, daughters-in-law, are you pretending that I don't exist?