Zhu Qingruo has a weak body and cannot walk too fast. However, she is naturally impatient and always runs to see her mother and concubine after school.
Xu Zhihuai came to the door early to greet her. Seeing her running out of breath and her face flushed, he hurriedly said distressedly: "An'er, slow down."
Zhu Qingruo threw herself into her arms and coughed violently, making the palace people tremble with fear.
Xu Zhihuai was not in a hurry to pick her up. He gently stroked her back and whispered, "How many times have I told you not to run away?"
Zhu Qingruo coughed for a while before finally breathing again.
"Mother, who are they? Do they smell like paste?"
"Guard."
Xu Zhihuai picked her up and patted her back. He looked at Jinhua behind him and pointed at Xiao Yi and Qin Mu who were following her: "You two go back first and come back after the princess wakes up from her nap."
"It's the empress."
Xiao Yi had a loud voice, while Qin Mu saluted quietly.
Xu Zhihuai carried his daughter back to the house. Jinhua served the pear soup with her own hands, opened the lid, and let it cool slowly.
"Does An'er like those two brothers?"
"dislike."
What fun is there with boys?
Xu Zhihuai smiled when he heard this, lowered his head and squeezed his daughter's little hand: "Why don't you like it?"
"Mom, I don't want a brother, I want a sister."
"younger sister?"
"Well, the sister who plays with dolls with me."
Xu Zhihuai touched his daughter's head: "It will happen in the future."
Zhu Qingruo immediately took it seriously, raised her head and asked, "When?"
Xu Zhihuai smiled helplessly: "When you grow up."
"ah?"
Zhu Qingruo pouted and said, "I want a sister."
"good!"
Suddenly someone outside the hall raised his voice in response.
Xu Zhihuai raised his eyes and saw that Zhu Xuxing was back.
"Father!"
Zhu Qingruo smiled happily and twisted around and got off the ground.
Zhu Xuxing came back before lunch. He didn't bother to take a tea break, so he played with his daughter on the swing for a while.
Zhu Qingruo brought up the matter of his sister again. Zhu Suxing smiled brightly and looked at Xu Zhihuai: "Father, I promise you, An'er will have a sister."
Xu Zhihuai smiled, feeling melancholy in his heart.
After giving birth to An'er, her menstruation had been irregular, either protracted or protracted, or the menstrual flow was constant. She drank too much decoctions and tonics, but it was difficult to see any results.
Although Taiyin Hospital didn't say anything explicitly, she knew it.
Gong Han suffered from blood deficiency and experienced another dystocia. It was more difficult to have another child than to reach heaven. Even if she had one, she would not have the chance to give birth to her.
Originally, after Xu Zhihuai saved his life in Fengdu, he no longer thought about heirs.
Being teased like this by Zhu Xuxing today, it was inevitable that I would be a little worried.
Unexpectedly, when it was time to go to bed at night, the Tai Hospital sent someone to deliver medicine.
"Your Majesty, this is Warm Palace Blood Replenishing Soup. The emperor personally ordered the director of the Taiyuan Hospital to prepare the recipe. From now on, one bowl will be given every day, at this time."
"Um?"
Naturally, Xu Zhihuai would not suspect that Taiyuan Hospital was lying, but he was just a little confused.
The maid opposite was so frightened that she knelt down and begged for mercy: "Mother, every word I said is absolutely true. If I dare to tell a lie, I will be struck by thunder..."
Xu Zhihuai frowned slightly: "I haven't asked anything yet, so why did you make a poisonous oath first? You are so sincere and frightened, as if I am bullying you."
Grandma Yue next to her said, "Put down the medicine and go back quickly. Don't disturb your queen's purity."
Xu Zhihuai drank half a bowl of medicine, put on his clothes and went to bed.
Even though I rinsed my mouth, the strong smell of medicine still came back.
She couldn't sleep, so she just closed her eyes and rested.
After a moment, a figure walked by outside the curtain.
Xu Zhihuai opened a corner of the curtain and saw Zhu Xuxing standing by the window. He was dressed in moon white, with long hair disheveled, and a wet mist all over his body, as if he had just taken a bath.
"Have you been to the hot springs, Your Highness?"
Zhu Xuxing turned around and walked over with his clothes half open, revealing his tight muscles and chest. He opened the curtain and then flicked it, blocking out all the light.
Xu Zhihuai looked up at him and saw a smile on his lips and light in his eyes. He couldn't help but ask: "Why is your highness so happy?"
Zhu Xuxing didn't answer, lowered his head and kissed her slightly open mouth.
Xu Zhihuai touched it with his hands and realized that his body was hot and his breathing was staggered but there was no smell of alcohol.
Today's Zhu Xiuxing is a little different. He is running rampant, and there seems to be endless strength in his hot body, and he can't stop no matter what.
At the second watch, the maids came in cautiously to change the wax, and then hid one by one with red faces.
After Zhu Xuxing went to court, Xu Zhihuai murmured for someone to come and tidy up.
She lay there for a long time before slowly coming over.
Unexpectedly, at night, Zhu Xingxing was still the same as yesterday, endless.
The next day was like this...
The same goes for the third day.
On the fourth night, the palace guards who were on duty heard a few faint cries coming from the inner hall.
For seven consecutive nights, they were inseparable.
Xu Zhihuai took a bath and changed clothes, looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but blush and his heart beat.
The waist, abdomen and back are all covered with his marks, large and small, green and red, and there are also those crescent-shaped bite marks that are still lingering.
Xu Zhihuai lowered his eyes and put on his clothes.
At night, Xu Zhihuai looked at the steaming bowl of soup and hesitated.
When Zhu Xiuxing came back, she first begged for mercy.
Zhu Xuxing hugged her with a smile, causing her to whisper: "Your Highness, please rest tonight."
His eyes were clear and he said straightforwardly: "I promised An'er, you won't make any jokes."
Xu Zhihuai couldn't laugh or cry: "Your Highness is too anxious."
Zhu Xuxing raised his eyebrows: "I can't help it, it's all your fault."
"Concubine? What happened to my concubine?"
"As long as you are ugly, stupid, foolish, bad..."
"..."
"Even if it weren't for the emperor's heir, I would still be moved by you every day."
The words of love coming out of his mouth were particularly convincing.
Xu Zhihuai was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a tingling current surge through his body.
"Don't hide from me, no."
His voice was calm, but he could not refuse.
Xu Zhihuai hummed slightly, bent his little finger, and lightly hooked his collar.
After the beginning of summer, there were no major events in the capital. Only rumors about the emperor and Concubine Rong's incomparable love spread throughout every street and alley in the city, and were regarded as love stories.
The Queen Mother was also thinking about her belly and looking forward to good news. It's a pity that the good news has not come for a long time, but it has added a lot of troubles.
Entering June, states and counties frequently experience extreme weather conditions of drought and no rain, and the crop fields that should be lush with leaves are withered and yellow.
The summer is short and there is no food in the autumn.
The imperial court reduced and exempted many taxes at the beginning of the new year, but now it is difficult to make ends meet, and many yamen cannot even issue regular salaries and wages.
This is the biggest trouble Zhu Xuxing has encountered since he succeeded to the throne.
The people had no food to eat, and the court had no money for disaster relief, let alone military pay at the end of the year.
The three provinces and six ministries of the DPRK and Central Government refused to give in to each other and only wanted to take advantage of others.
Zhu Xuxing could only place his hope in Wei Li, hoping that he would be decisive and bring good news as soon as possible.
