Under the dim candlelight, the purple clay pot slowly steamed up, releasing a strong and bitter medicinal fragrance.
Jinhua prepared a spoon and a bowl, carefully opened the lid and scooped out the thick soup.
This is medicine for Zhu Qingruo, so she doesn't allow others to interfere. She does everything herself from preparing the medicine to brewing and delivering it.
In the warm tent, Xu Zhihuai softly coaxed his daughter who was sobbing softly. She didn't cry a few times and then coughed, making her face turn red.
Xu Zhihuai hurriedly picked her up, patted her back and helped her calm down.
An'er was crying on her shoulder, her big black grape-like eyes moist and shining, the corners of her eyes slightly red and swollen, like an innocent injured animal.
If Zhu Qing is born with deficiencies and is weak, he will always be sick most of the time in the spring, summer, autumn and winter of the year.
A little bit of cold wind will make you cough, a little bit of heat will cause you to get angry, and it takes a lot of effort to eat on weekdays.
Jinhua came with the medicine, and Xu Zhihuai reached out to take it. Jinhua slowly shook her head and gestured to herself.
"You've been up for half the night, go over and lie down for a while."
Xu Zhihuai also shook his head.
Jinhua smiled and indicated that she was fine.
When An'er saw Jinhua, she cried less and reached out eagerly to hug her.
Jinhua hugged her to drink the medicine. She obviously had no tongue and couldn't speak, but she coaxed the child thoroughly.
Xu Zhihuai watched her every move and sighed: "You spend more time taking care of An'er than I do. For more than a year, she has been either in your arms or on your back."
Jinhua smiled shyly.
Xu Zhihuai couldn't help but feel sad when he heard her singing softly: "Jinhua, don't you hate me?"
Jinhua was startled when she heard this and didn't know what it meant.
Xu Zhihuai continued: "Your tongue was cut off for me. Since you followed me, you have not enjoyed a single day of happiness. Moreover, An'er... is not just my daughter."
Jinhua shook her head repeatedly and wanted to speak even more in desperation.
She was anxious for a while, but she didn't dare to delay giving An'er the medicine.
An'er cries as soon as she takes the medicine, coughs as soon as she cries, and sheds tears, which is heartbreaking.
Seeing that she was crying and out of breath, Xu Zhihuai just said: "Don't drink it yet. I'll take her for a walk. If she keeps crying like this, she will spit out the medicine after taking it."
She carried her daughter to the outer hall. Jinhua hurriedly picked up a few dolls and followed closely behind.
After coaxing her for a while, An'er felt sleepy and could only barely take two sips of the medicine.
Xu Zhihuai was helpless: "We'll wait until she wakes up. Let them all retreat. I'll guard her alone tonight."
Jinhua sent everyone back, leaving only herself.
Xu Zhihuai frowned and said, "Go ahead and squint for a while. If you also fall ill, An'er will cry even more."
Jinhua shook her head, obviously looking like she had something to say.
Unfortunately, she couldn't tell.
But she can write.
It would be bad to always leave evidence in black and white.
She only wrote in the palm of Xu Zhihuai's hand, one stroke at a time, seriously.
Xu Zhihuai's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Jinhua wrote: I won’t leave, this is my home.
An'er had been ill for several days, which made the queen worried.
"There are more than 20 people inside and outside, but they can even take care of a child. How do you do this in the hospital?"
The Taiyuan Hospital also told the truth. In the final analysis, the child was born with deficiencies and it was difficult to feed him.
There is more than one spring, summer, autumn and winter, and we must be more careful every year in the future.
Don't be cold, don't be hot, don't be tired, don't be distracted.
After hearing this, the Queen became even more angry: "Listen to what you are saying? According to what you said, that child is born a cripple."
"I would never dare."
When she saw Xu Zhihuai again, the queen's anger had not subsided and her words were not pleasant.
Xu Zhihuai lowered his head and listened quietly.
Neither aggrieved nor impatient.
Zhu Xuxing came down from court and hurried over. Before he entered the door, he heard the reproachful words of his mother.
"When I kicked you out of the palace, you should have been more honest. Why did you have to suffer the consequences of giving birth to this child? Apart from you, there is no room for others around the prince. Are you so impatient that the mother will be more valuable than the son?"
Zhu Xuxing frowned slightly, then returned to his usual gentle expression in an instant.
Xu Zhihuai lowered his eyes and didn't notice the footsteps outside.
When Zhu Xiuxing appeared, a sweet smile instantly appeared on her face, as if they were just chatting.
Zhu Xuxing couldn't bear to expose her disguise of kindness, so he exchanged a few words with his mother and prepared to leave.
"Stay for lunch."
The queen felt sorry for her son and wanted him to take more supplements.
Xu Zhihuai stood up and said, "Your Highness, please stay here to have dinner with your Majesty. I will go back first and take care of An'er."
"Let's go back together."
Zhu Xuxing looked at his mother and said, "My son, I will come to have dinner with my mother tomorrow. An'er kept coughing last night. I want to go over and comfort her."
The Queen was slightly unhappy, but didn't say anything.
On the way back, Xu Zhihuai was the first to speak: "Your Highness has time, so you should spend more time with the Queen."
"Mom will understand. As a father, it is natural to put your children first in everything."
Zhu Xuxing smiled faintly: "You have suffered a lot of grievances just now, so don't take it to heart."
"Your Highness, please don't get me wrong. My Majesty is so harsh on me because she feels sorry for An'er. It's because I didn't take good care of her, it's because my body is useless..."
Zhu Xuxing held her hand and turned to look at her: "You don't need to listen to what others say, I know your heart."
Xu Zhihuai smiled slightly: "When will His Highness be able to read minds?"
Zhu Xuxing followed her words and said: "I can't read others, but I can understand you."
"Then tell me, Your Highness, what did you see?"
"I can see everything."
Zhu Xuxing said meaningfully: "What you think, what you see, what you fear, what you like."
Xu Zhihuai's pupils were trembling, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. Zhu Xuxing raised his hand to comb the broken hair on her temples behind her ears, with gentle eyes.
After Xu Zhihuai realized it, he asked, "Is Your Highness trying to comfort me?"
"Not really."
Zhu Xuxing said frankly: "As a mother, An'er is sick, and you are the one who feels most distressed."
Xu Zhihuai felt warm in his heart: "His Highness's words are enough."
An'er, who had been coughing for half the night, couldn't eat well or sleep well, and could only rest for a while on Jinhua's back.
Seeing this, Zhu Xuxing said, "I will learn this trick later."
Xu Zhihuai smiled: "Your Highness has so many things to do every day, how can he carry a baby on his back?"
"I can take care of the wealth, life, safety and joy of so many people, but naturally I can't take care of my precious daughter. I will take her with me to the court tomorrow."
Zhu Xuxing's tone was serious, not joking at all.
Xu Zhihuai said hurriedly: "Your Highness, you must not be impulsive. How can you be a child's play in the court?"
Zhu Xuxing smiled brightly: "This is a good idea, lest those old ministers make An'er cry with their nagging, I just have a reason to punish them."
