Chapter 82 (1/2)

Glossary

里 | li | unit of measurement that has varied over time but has now been standardized to 500 meters (Wikipedia)

Ruan Zhu placed the twins on the bed and one at a time, personally nursed them. Though there wasn’t enough milk for them to drink, it was still better than nothing and was also able to nurture their relationship.

The rich ancient families had a multitude of children and because the mothers were pampered and frail, wet nurses had to be hired after a child was born. After a long time, the dependence the child felt towards their wet nurse would exceed what they feel towards their mother. Ruan Zhu absolutely would not allow that scenario to happen. Watching the little mouths incessantly sucking, her heart was packed full of blessed happiness. Her husbands were all more capable than one other and also treated her well. Nowadays, her children were all sound and her sole regret was that Yun Shi Yi was not by her side. If she could return to Lan Zhou a little earlier, then all would be good.

Xuanyuan Zong Zhi stepped inside the bedroom and saw this precise warm scene. Striding over to the head of the bed, he picked up the children and pressed kisses upon them for a while before calling for their wet nurses to come in and take care of them.

He led his wife to the study: “Zhao Hai was paraded through the streets yesterday on the wooden donkey and finally died atop it when evening approached. His corpse has been pulled outside the city for burial.”

Ruan Zhu had heard the servants discussing this, and it could be considered the true removal of the stone that had continuously been suspended in her heart and thoughts. Via the Internet in her past life, she has seen some information regarding the punishment of riding a wooden donkey. It was extremely inhuman and could be described as cruel and merciless. She had not gone to the streets to see the noise and liveliness as she was precisely unwilling to look at that sort of spectacle.

“There is one thing that is very strange. When Zhao Hai was being lifted out of prison by the bailiffs, they unexpectedly discovered he had no tongue.”

“No tongue? Why, don’t tell me it was cut off by someone?” She had only made him mute.

“Who cares who cut it off. The most important thing is that Zhao Hai, that man, has now completely disappeared from our sight and we can now be free of worries.”

Xuanyuan Zong Zhi was sitting atop the taishi chair. With a pull of his arm, he perched his wife atop his leg and pressed a long kiss against her red mouth. Thinking it wasn’t satisfying enough, he tore open her lapel and fondled the lovely soft mounds inside. Unexpectedly, a little milk dribbled out. His heart squeezed while his eyes darkened,and he couldn’t help but to bury his head and suck.

Ruan Zhu had been teased until she was very much enamored, but they were only separated from the wet nurses and their children through a door, and it would not be good if they were to hear the sounds of them doing it. Restraining her physical desire, she pushed aside his head and straightened her lapel.

“What?” Xuanyuan Zong Zhi was very unhappy.

“That……there is something I am very worried about.” In order to divert his attention, Ruan Zhu told him about how she had met the Prince of Dai yesterday at Princess Long Yuan’s residence. “The Prince of Dai is the Empress’s secondary husband and I’ve heard that he is also quite favored. Look, doesn’t this mean that I have even offended the Empress?”

“The Empress is not the biggest authority in the entire harem so what are you so worried about?” Xuanyuan Zong Zhi lazily responded: “Is not the old Empress Dowager still there? The elder’s impression of you is not bad, hmm?”

“That is true.”

After coming once to the Ruan residence, Empress Dowager Zheng became addicted and would run over every few days. Using her words, the palace was ‘damned stuffy’ and the Ruan residence was filled with spirit. The elder was really troublesome and Ruan Zhu frequently had to coax her children into doing some tricks to try and please her.

“The Empress Dowager is the master of the inner palace. When she is angered, her dragon-headed cane will swing and even Emperor-Father will suffer terribly. That’s why ah, my beloved wife, you only need to nicely curry favor with the Empress Dowager as that will guarantee you a smooth journey in the future.”

Ruan Zhu teased: “The way I see it, how can the Empress Dowager be the only lord in the inner palace? All of you Xuanyuan clan members are super domineering. We’ve already agreed to give this time’s son to the Ruan clan and we haven’t even waited for my Pa to return from Mongolia when the paternal grandfather first sent down an imperial decree and snatched away the rights.”

Many times, Ruan Zhu would unconsciously blurt out some phrases and vocabulary from her previous life.

Xuanyuan Zong Zhi had heard her slip-ups many times and was able to remain calm in the face of the unexpected. From the beginning to now, it had been one of her distinct charms that had so deeply attracted him, like it had brewed for a long time, and the longer it aged, the richer and more mellow her charms became.

“Ever since Emperor-Father became aware that I had secretly married a wife and even lowered myself into a concubine position, he sent men to investigate you. In the beginning, he was very opposed as he had wanted to wed the prime minister’s daughter to me. But the daughter of the prime minister is arrogant and impertinent, and just like Empress-Mother, disdains me for having stayed in a brothel before. How could I possibly be able to stand that kind of temper?”

“It has been hard for you.” Ruan Zhu hugged him and silently transmitted over her love.

“For Zong Zhi to be able to have Ruan Zhu accompanying me for a lifetime, this life is also worth it.” Warmth trickled into Xuanyuan Zong Zhi’s heart and he spoke again after a while: “Emperor-Father genuinely approved of our marriage after you had improved the military weapons. He was in disbelief that a woman in her boudoir was actually a rare genius.”

“How am I a genius?”

“Emperor-Father’s and Empress-Mother’s marriage is not particularly successful, therefore Emperor-Father hopes I can be happy.”

“His Majesty treats you very well, ah!”

“I have said before that he has highly valued me ever since I was a child.” Xuanyuan Zong Zhi’s face was dark and gloomy. If he hadn’t suffered from Third Brother Min Zhi’s persecution in childhood, causing everyone to believe he had burned to death within that large fire, perhaps the position of Crown Prince would have been precisely his.

Ruan Zhu was also thinking of this and asked him in a quiet voice: “Do you want to sit in that chair?” If he wanted to sit there, she would do her best to help him.

“My biggest desire is to be with you and the children forever.”

After he met her, thoughts of striving for the position of heir had weakened. It was lonely at the top and sitting on that chair at the peak was not necessarily easily done. Emperor-Father could be considered a diligent emperor, but a rebellion still occurred at the southern border, natural disasters and ** ravaged the country, and civilians were displaced.

“But you have such a sensitive status; even if you do not intend to compete, the others can also not just let you off, right!”

The fighting within an imperial clan was very bitter. If one was successful, one was called a king; if one was defeated, one was called a bandit, and losing often meant the ruin of their entire household. It was such that even after Li Shi Mi, that sort of golden monarch, had seized the title of Emperor, he still removed the trouble behind him and cleanly eradicated all of the children at Jiang Chen’s and Yuan Ji’s knees.[a]