Tianliangyuan

Chapter 376 Happy Event

Xu Zhaozhao has always insisted that the person in charge of the money must be one of her own.

Xu Chuan did a great job. Xu Zhaozhao felt that a few more honest and hardworking people could be selected from the Xu family.

It wasn't that Xu Zhaozhao was unwilling to use the Xie family, but it was best for her own businesses to be separated from the Xie family's businesses, so that it would be easier to handle any problems that might arise in the future.

Although the businesses Xie Zheng owns were all part of Song's dowry, Xu Zhaozhao is now simply letting the previous owners manage them well, and she tries her best not to interfere.

Xu Zhaozhao had just gotten up that day, and the bed next to her was already cold. Xie Zheng must have gone to the palace early in the morning to change shifts.

"My lord, this is wonderful news!"

Xu Zhaozhao turned her head and saw Haitang coming in to report something, her face beaming with joy.

"Look at you, your face is beaming with joy! Tell me, what's the good news?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Marquis's residence sent someone over early this morning to deliver a message, saying that the Third Young Mistress is pregnant and has been pregnant for three months. The Fourth Young Master's wedding is next month, so this is double happiness."

"Oh? My third sister-in-law is pregnant? That's great news! By the way, my fourth brother's wedding is coming up soon. Quick, let's go to the storeroom and make sure to pick out some nice things for him."

"Please don't rush, my lord. Have your breakfast first. The young master instructed us early this morning to make you a stew of red dates and bird's nest, saying it's to nourish you."

Xu Zhaozhao's face flushed red instantly, and she glared at her. Haitang, on the other hand, went to call for the meal to be served.

Xu Zhaozhao spent a long time selecting items from her private stash, and finally chose a large number of tonics for her third sister-in-law. She also found two bolts of fine silk, intending to take them back to make clothes for Little Tiger and the baby who was about to be born in her second sister-in-law's house.

As for her fourth brother, Xu Zhaozhao chose a set of writing implements and brought two bolts of bright red silk, which she could use for his wedding.

Xu Zhaozhao went back to her parents' home, and naturally she was kept there and not allowed to leave. She had lunch at the Marquis's residence that day, and afterwards she went to Ziyuan Garden for a short rest with Wang Ruolan.

They said it was just a short rest, but the mother and daughter lay on the bed chatting idly. As they talked, Xu Zhaozhao fell asleep.

Wang Ruolan glanced at her, sighed softly, and clearly showed a hint of sorrow in her eyes, but soon fell asleep as well.

Xu Zhaozhao slept for less than half an hour. When she woke up again, Wang Ruolan was already sitting in the outer room drinking tea.

"You're awake? Go and quickly wash up."

Xu Zhaozhao's eyes were not fully open yet, and her mind was a little foggy. She was helped to wash and dress in a daze, and then sat down to drink tea.

"Zhaozhao, your third sister-in-law is pregnant. How much longer are you going to have to wait?"

Xu Zhaozhao thought it was something serious, so she said nonchalantly, "Mother, why are you in such a hurry? It's nothing important. Besides, Third Sister-in-law is pregnant now, so you should pay more attention to Second and Third Sister-in-law."

Wang Ruolan poked her forehead in annoyance: "You girl, you're such a worry! Don't just think about making money, you should spend more time thinking about having children."

Xu Zhaozhao thought that she had made things clear last time, so why was her mother bringing it up again?

"But what's going on outside?"

Wang Ruolan sighed, "Yes. There are indeed some unpleasant rumors circulating outside, mainly that you can't have children. It's been more than half a year since we got married, and there's still no sign of pregnancy."

Xu Zhaozhao scoffed lightly: "I thought it was something big. I've only been married for less than a year, what's the rush? Besides, people who care about me this much are probably not good people."

Xu Zhaozhao was not referring to her own relatives; she felt that someone was deliberately spreading rumors about her.

There are only a few families who don't get along with her.

If she wasn't mistaken, it was most likely related to Jiang Ning again.

Even though Jiang Ning is confined to the inner quarters, he's still so restless.

It seems we really need to teach her a lesson this time to shut her up.

The Loyal King's patience with Jiang Ning was actually running out.

The Jiang family's support for Prince Zhong is not so obvious now. Prince Zhong also understands that his birth is a major flaw. As long as there is still a legitimate son, the Jiang family will not openly support him. This is mainly related to Grand Tutor Jiang, who pays special attention to etiquette.

If Grand Tutor Jiang abandons Prince An and supports him, then Grand Tutor Jiang's previous argument about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children will become a joke!

Therefore, it's already quite good that the Jiang family can provide some support behind the scenes.

The Prince of Zhong has been feeling frustrated lately, and the political intrigue and bloodshed in the court are not something he can easily avoid.

Moreover, His Majesty has recently shown a clear preference for Prince An, which has made Prince Zhong feel even more depressed and a little aggrieved.

He felt that his talent was no less than that of Prince An, but he had suffered a great disadvantage due to his birth.

How could he be willing to give up that position so easily?

When a man is in a bad mood, he naturally thinks of getting drunk to relieve his sorrows.

Inside the Hibiscus Pavilion, the Loyal King was quite drunk when he saw a beautiful woman dancing gracefully in red sleeves. How could he possibly resist?

That night, the Prince of Zhong returned to his residence late at night, bringing with him a beautiful woman.

Upon learning this, Zhao Yue simply instructed, "Take good care of him for now, and we'll discuss it again tomorrow when the prince has sobered up."

"Yes, princess."

Prince Zhong did indeed favor a beautiful woman, whom he met at the Hibiscus Pavilion. Prince Zhong initially thought she was some kind of entertainer or commoner, but after he sobered up, he discovered that things were quite different from what he had imagined.

Zhao Yue sat in the hall with a frosty expression. The Prince of Zhong realized his mistake last night and quickly came over to talk to her. He carefully apologized and coaxed her in a soft voice.

"Your Highness, you don't need to coax me now. Let's think about how to deal with the beauty from last night."

"Hmm? She's just an entertainer. Your Highness can arrange for her as you see fit."

Zhao Yue looked at him with a strange expression: "Your Highness doesn't even know who you favored last night?"

Upon seeing her expression, the Prince of Zhong probably guessed that things might not be as he had imagined.

"Aren't they entertainers from the Hibiscus Pavilion?"

Zhao Yue sighed helplessly: "Go, bring that girl over here."

"Yes, princess."

The woman had already dressed up, but her eyes were red and swollen, clearly indicating that she had been wronged.

The loyal king looked him up and down several times, but still couldn't recognize him.

Zhao Yue kindly explained, "She is the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Su's mansion, Liu Jiajia's half-sister. Her name is Liu Ying, and she is eighteen years old. Yesterday, she was ordered to deliver something to the Duke of Su's mansion at Furong Tower, but she was unexpectedly dragged into the room by you."

For a moment, King Zhong was at a loss for words.

How could it be such a coincidence?

The illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Su?

King Zhong was no fool.

"Why would the Duke of Su send her out to deliver something so late? Doesn't the Duke's mansion have any servants?"