Chapter 101 (2/2)
“How is it?” All three men turned their inquiring eyes on him.
Imperial Physician Zhang put down Ruan Zhu’s wrist: “The drug on niangniang was too powerful and taxed her strength so she needs to recuperate for two days. Later, this lowly one will prescribe a medicine to supplement her qi and mend her health. She will become much better after she has taken the prescribed medicine a few times. And another thing……”
“What else is there? Feel free to speak.”
Imperial Physician Zhang did not respond and looked around the bedroom twice before heading inside the drawing room and returning with a teapot a short moment later. His expression was one of displeasure: “Your Highnesses, please forgive this lowly one for speaking bluntly. It is fine for us men to endure it, but we must not do anything that will injure our wives. It is not that aphrodisiacs must not be used, but one must pay particular attention to its dosage. Too much will put enormous strain on one’s health. Have a taste of this tea. It is such a large dose that even men will not be able to stand it, to say nothing of a weak woman. For it to not have caused you all to have died on the spot from all the play is already miraculous.”
Imperial Physician Zhang thought it was because the married couple had been too excessive in their entertainment, but in reality, it wasn’t like that at all.
Zong Zhi took the proffered teapot and dipped a finger into the tea before placing it in his mouth. He didn’t taste anything other than the tea water. It seemed that if one wasn’t already aware of and understood medicine, one wouldn’t be able to tell the difference at all. No wonder this tragedy had occurred! He respectfully replied: “What Imperial Physician Zhang said is correct. I will certainly keep this lesson in mind and there will absolutely not be a next time.”
“To have actually come across such a man who disregards his wife’s life or death all for the sake of his own pleasure–what kind of man is this?” The old man was still dissatisfied and continued to nag.
“Okay, okay, hurry up and write the prescription. Zhu’er‘s waiting for you, ah.” Finding him annoying, Min Zhi dragged him to the drawing room to write up the prescription.
Wang Jing Yan waited until the sky had turned completely dark before very reluctantly leaving as it would be inappropriate for him, who had no title or legitimate relationship, to stay any longer. But he had decided to immediately discuss the matter of proposing marriage with his father as soon as he arrived home. He didn’t care about becoming her fifth concubine as long as he could be with her.
When Ruan Zhu woke, it was already the morning of the second day. Kneading her eyes, her body felt sore and ached all over as if she had just had a serious illness. Shifting a bit, she realized her two husbands were lying on either side, with Zong Zhi on her left and Min Zhi on the right.
Zong Zhi had been in a light sleep and opened his eyes as soon as he felt movement. Looking with relief at his awake wife, he reproached: “I have already reminded you multiple times to take more bodyguards with you when you go out so why do you still not listen?”
Ruan Zhu thought about Liu Fei Xu and her thick eyelashes became wet with tears. Although women not being chaste wasn’t an issue in Tian Chu, doing that thing with that kind of person really wasn’t her cup of tea.
“Okay, okay, it was my fault. I should not have said something that would upset you.”
She mumbled: “I took the coachman with me. Our family’s coachman’s martial arts isn’t weak and who would’ve thought something would have happened inside?”
He saw his wife was still quibbling and couldn’t help but to retort: “Wife, I am speaking of imperial bodyguards, not coachmen. Coachmen do not have the qualification to enter the inner rooms. Why on earth did you not take imperial bodyguards with you?”
“I’m not used to it, ah!” Although Ruan Zhu was an noble princess, she still unconsciously thought of herself as a small city commoner and was unaccustomed to being completely protected whenever she went out. But at this moment, she was hung up about another matter: “Who was the man that was with me yesterday?”
The feeling that that man had given her didn’t seem to resemble Zong Zhi or Min Zhi. Suddenly, her waist tightened as Min Zhi had hugged her from behind, smiling wryly: “My Zhu’er, you don’t even remember who you had slept with. Look at this brain. In the future, our children absolutely not be as silly as you.”
Ruan Zhu became absent-minded as she recalled the years she had spent with the Yun brothers. They had also frequently done this–Yun Shi Yi embracing her with his tender care while Yun Shi Wei hugged her waist from behind.
Eldest Cousin! She silently reminisced in her heart, longing crashing into her like a violent wave.
Zong Zhi knew his wife’s mind had floated far away again and pulled her to him, saying: “Wife, that man is called Wang Jing Yan; you know him. I and Min Zhi, along with Head Yun and the second Mister Yun, now with the addition of Mister Wang, perfectly makes it five. This amount is enough.”
“Eldest Cousin, Second Cousin, and there’s also Nuan Chun.” Ruan Zhu added in a small voice.
“Nuan Chun is a servant thus not valid to be counted.”
Ruan Zhu stayed in Mei Yan Ying Ying Chu to recuperate for two days and was then led by her husbands back to Guan Ju Villa. She really wanted to know what had happened to Liu Fei Xu but the news she received said he had hid inside the Crown Prince’s residence and had become a subject underneath the Crown Princess’s skirt.
At the beginning of the tenth lunar month, when the farm crops had ripened, the high-tech demonstration field by the side of the Lan River became heavily laden with the fruit of its labor. The rice fields achieved four dan per paddy, and the dazzling kernels were plumper than normal varieties with the straws also being much taller.
Ruan Zhu was full of happiness and a sense of accomplishment, but it was a pity that she could never achieve the output levels of the future because there was no fertilizer in this era. Actually, making a phosphate fertilizer wasn’t difficult and it was possible as long as one had sulfate. But, she should just write down the method and have someone else make it! She was a small and delicate girl without that much energy or such ambitious goals. As long as it was close enough, it was fine. She would feel content with just properly managing her family.
On this night, she was laying down on the bed with Min Zhi. He embraced her while pressing kisses all over her body: “Wife, our Fifth is soon to enter the household so you should first give me a son, all right!” He was truly jealous from seeing the three little ones circling her every day without any of them being of his blood.
He had thought his wife wouldn’t agree but who could have imagined she’d nod in agreement: “Wait until after the new year. The coming fifth or sixth lunar month just so happens to be when your contraceptive expires so don’t retake it then……”
Since Number Two currently wasn’t returning, let’s just let Number Four have his turn first!
“Zhu’er, you’re the best.” Min Zhi became ecstatic and hugged her, not willing to let her go for a long time.
On the day of the Emperor’s grand fiftieth birthday celebration, news arrived that a major victory had been won on Cang Huang Mountain. The rebels’ twenty thousand-strong army had been annihilated and their survivors didn’t number past one thousand. The imperial army had pursued the retreating enemy and had recaptured most of the land between Cang Huang Mountain and the southern border.
The five hundred men that Yun Shi Wei led fought fast like lightning and thunder and were given the nickname of ‘Zhu Ri army.’[a]
His troops were tenacious and fierce, carrying out assassinations, sabotage, surprise attacks, and all sorts of other methods. When they killed, they were merciless, and in the case of one of them falling in danger from protecting a comrade’s retreat, they usually took down the enemy with them.
When the Red Eyebrow Army heard the news, all became terrified. Even if there were thirty li between them, as soon as they heard the Zhu Ri army had appeared, they would scramble to set up defensive measures.
During the last battle, Yun Shi Wei led his Zhu Ri army in transforming into soldiers of the Red Army and infiltrated the enemy’s camp. After the fighting started, he charged into the center of their camp and cut down their commander-in-chief’s head.
Thus, it just so happened that on the day of the emperor’s grand celebration, the army’s advance troops sent over news of the grand victory.
After fighting for several years, the day where the Eyebrows had been thrown off was finally ushered in, and the emperor and his retainers gathered in the main hall that was filled with laughter.
The country of Tian Chu’s Department of Agriculture was formally established and Wang Jing Yan was appointed as its supervisor. Within a few days of the Emperor’s birthday bash, he officially moved inside Guan Ju Villa, becoming Ruan Zhu’s fifth concubine.
A year and a half later, Ruan Zhu gave birth to male twins for Min Zhi. The older one was called Bo Zhao and the younger one was Ruan Yu Ze.
Min Zhi held his just-born sons, so happy his mouth didn’t close.
Bitterly alone since young, he did not have any close full-blood relatives, and now, his wife and children were his entire life.
………………
“Your Majesty, a letter from the Department of Shipping in Wan Zhou has arrived saying Ruan Zi Xu had returned by ship.” Xiao Zhou Zi entered the imperial study with a memorial between his hands.
The Emperor was currently writing and stared blankly at him before placing the brush back into the holder: “Ruan Zi Xu. It seems Zhu’er‘s father is called this name?”
“He is indeed the Princess of Qi’s father. Several years prior, he had visited Mongolia to purchase horses and then had men bring a herd of them back a year later. But he himself had not returned and instead had continued west on camels with some servants while taking along silk and porcelain. Later when he arrived in Persia, he became exceptionally wealthy and bought ten thousand good horses and loaded them onto ships before finally reaching Tian Chu after the greater part of a year. Your Majesty, this is the memorial the Department of Shipping in Wan Zhou has presented.”
“Bring it over for me to see!” The Emperor took the memorial from Xiao Zhou Zi and became extremely excited after reading it: “Persian horses are even better than the best. Ten thousand good horses–Ruan Zi Xu, you have done a great service for us.”
“Your Majesty is a sign of good fortune that floods the Heavens. With good horses, Tian Chu will be even more invincible against our enemies. This slave will immediately send a letter to the Princess of Qi to put her in a happy mood.”
“Go! I was wondering how that little girl could be so wondrous and it turns out her bloodline is good. Simply by looking at the father’s achievements, it is easy to tell the child will also be one with talent.”
Xiao Zhou Zi was just about to retreat when the Emperor suddenly seemed to have recalled something: “Return, how long will it take for Ruan Zi Xu to return to Lan Zhou?”
“Responding to Your Majesty, the courier said the Department of Shipping had immediately sent out the message over five hundred li on the day Ruan Zi Xu arrived on the docks of Wan Zhou once they realized the ships were full of horses that had been bought for the imperial court. He had also mentioned that Ruan Zi Xu wished to rest and reorganize himself for a few days in Wan Zhou before journeying back to Lan Zhou as he had been journeying by sea for a very long period.”
The Emperor snorted: “This Ruan Zi Xu dared to snatch a grandson from us. Xiao Zhou Zi, go do this for me……”
Xiao Zhou Zi retreated from the imperial study, shaking his head while forcing a laugh. The Emperor had truly become old to even vie for face on such a small thing! Ai, you said the Princess of Qi had given the Prince of Yong’s second son up for adoption to the Ruan clan? I really can’t take it anymore!
[a] 逐日军, meaning they are so fast they can catch up to the enemy in one day