Gu Moran tapped his finger against the teacup.
"I had no idea that raising a child could be equivalent to issuing a proclamation to reassure the people."
"No matter how high the notice is posted, the wet nurse can't be allowed to take it out."
Su Yao strung the copper coins together and put them into the box.
Yun Shuyue had already gathered the sunflower seed shells to her side and asked Meng Jiuning in a low voice.
"Will the prince's future children be allowed to eat sweet candy? I can help them finish it if they can't."
Meng Jiuning picked up a melon seed and handed it to her, Gu Moran chuckled across the small table.
" Xiaoyue, have you forgotten that you are the most hardworking and chivalrous woman?"
"How come you've become such a glutton while living in the Prince's mansion?"
Laughter erupted in the warm pavilion. Gu Moran was about to take the opportunity to let the matter drop when Xie Wanqing raised her hand to steady her book. After everyone finished laughing, she remained sitting there calmly.
"The child must be born, and then there's the question of how to arrange for their future."
The prince always needs to give a statement to avoid unnecessary speculation outside and unnecessarily creating trouble within the household.
Gu Moran set his teacup down, looked at her first, then at Liu Ruyan. The two of them had been keeping up a close conversation today, and Su Yao was sitting steadily as well.
Clearly, the three of them had discussed it before entering.
"You're already arranging seating for him before he's even pregnant. Are you planning to add a few more relatives to his family?"
If the baby is a girl when it grows up, wouldn't all that effort have been for nothing?
Su Yao, are you confident you'll have a son with your first child?
Upon hearing this, Su Yao frowned.
Liu Ruyan placed the hand warmer within Gu Moran, her fingertips lightly touching the lid.
Even if Sister Su gives birth to a daughter, she will still love her dearly.
Being able to have children is good enough; at least it means you're better than the crown prince and can have offspring.
Once the principal wife is established, her child will be the legitimate heir.
Your Highness cannot afford to bluff your way through this problem.
Gu Moran leaned back on the soft pillow and picked up the teacup to cover half of her face.
This is so troublesome, so troublesome!
Normally, shouldn't these women be fighting amongst themselves, vying to become the principal wife?
How come they've become so harmonious? Three heroes fighting against this king?!
At that very moment.
A sound of shoes scraping against the stone steps came from outside the door.
"I'm tired of listening to this under the eaves. How come this is more troublesome than modifying a crossbow?"
Gu Moran removed the teacup from his lips, just as the curtain was kicked up by a coarse cloth boot stained with machine oil.
Zhen Meili slipped in wearing her sheepskin vest inside out, with blueprints tucked between her arms, and was still chewing something.
A gust of wind blew in from behind her, causing the fire in the charcoal brazier to flicker.
Gu Moran the pungent aroma of ginger and couldn't help but look at her puffed-out cheeks.
"Is the kitchen so poor today that they're serving ginger to the Zhen family's daughter?"
"No, no, no, it was left under the eaves. I just grabbed it and chewed on it to keep warm."
Zhen Meili pulled another piece from her sleeve and held it up to him, "Your Highness, try it? It's more effective than the medicine in your bowl."
"What an unpretentious girl from the Zhen family!"
Gu Moran smiled.
interesting.
Zhen Meili swallowed the ginger, and the spiciness made her sweat from the tip of her nose.
He then brought up what he had just overheard outside the door.
"Tell me, what exactly are you two discussing? Having a baby, and you can come up with a whole military report about it?"
Hearing such blunt words, Xie Wanqing suddenly didn't know how to respond.
"There are arrangements within the household."
Liu Ruyan gathered the papers scattered on the table into the box.
"You're here to deliver the blueprints? Put them down first, we can talk about other things later."
I listened for quite a while.
Zhen Meili tucked the blueprints tightly under her arm. "You're all going around in circles, like an old lady spinning cotton, you can't even get to the end of the thread."
Xie Wanqing pushed the account book away and looked up at Zhen Meili.
"When you were modifying mechanisms in the workshop, if the dimensions were off, you had to redraw them, which was even more troublesome. How come you complain when others are discussing family matters?"
"If the mechanism is faulty, it will get stuck. Can you even use a ruler to measure during childbirth? Or is there a specific position required?"
Zhen Meili wiped the sweat from her nose and Gu Moran, "Why is it so difficult?"
Whether you can have a baby boils down to two things!
It's simply a matter of whether the soil is fertile or not, and whether the oxen are strong or not; why make such a fuss?
As soon as those crude words were uttered...
Yun Shuyue choked on the melon seeds and started coughing while leaning over the table.
Meng Jiuning also started coughing.
Xie Wanqing and Su Yao both blushed.
"Where did you learn all this? A young lady like you, aren't you ashamed?"
Liu Ruyan tucked her sleeves into place, and her previously steady tone finally began to waver under Zhen Meili's pressure.
"Hey~ What are you pretending for? Do you even need to learn this? Matters between men and women are just like an ox plowing the field, aren't they?"
Liu Ruyan's sleeves, which she had just gathered, came undone again. She reached out to catch the slipped hand warmer ribbon, but grasped nothing.
Lin Qingdai had been holding her sword sheath against the doorpost, but when she heard Zhen Meili's question, her palm slipped, and the hilt of her sword hit the jade buckle at her waist, making a crisp sound that was particularly clear in the warm pavilion.
Just then, the curtain was lifted, and Shen Ling'er came in carrying a freshly brewed medicinal soup. Before she could even step over the threshold, she saw everyone in the room staring at the girl wearing a sheepskin vest inside out.
The bitter smell of the medicinal soup mixed with the pungent aroma of ginger wafted over. Gu Moran saw Shen Ling'er stop at the door and then pulled her hand back under the blanket.
Afraid of spilling the soup, Shen Ling'er placed the tray on a high table by the door and looked up at Zhen Meili.
"What are you talking about? I heard oxen plowing the fields."
Zhen Meili moved the blueprints she had been carrying under her arm to the other side and pointed towards the soft couch.
"Say something about him. You're discussing having a baby, but what's the use of just talking? You need to check if the baby is compatible first."
Gu Moran was originally waiting to watch the show, but upon hearing the last few words, she withdrew her fingers from the blanket.
Why did we have to include him in this fun?
Do I need to ask whether I am capable or not?
" Miss Zhen, if you're going to send me the blueprints, then so be it."
Xie Wanqing closed the scattered books again, the corner pressing a shallow mark into her palm. "There's no need for you to act like this during a meeting at the Prince's residence..."
"Why wouldn't you need to? You've already discussed the eldest son, but you haven't even discussed the most important things."
Zhen Meili placed the blueprints on an empty chair, stretched her wrists which were sore from rushing to finish the work, and walked directly to the soft couch. After standing still, she looked down at Gu Moran's shoulders and back.
Gu Moran glanced at Xie Wanqing, then at Liu Ruyan.
If they stop this girl, this interrogation will most likely fall back on their shoulders;
If she continues, the conversation will completely veer off course. Who will be able to maintain a composed demeanor when discussing offspring in the future?
He leaned back into the soft pillows, raised his chin, and gestured. "Looking is fine, but if you want to examine it, that won't do. I'm not one to do things casually."
"What's there to inspect? I didn't bring a saw."
Zhen Meili answered smoothly, patted his shoulder, and then pressed it through the fabric because she felt the loose nightgown was covering his shoulder shape. She then gave him a slap on the chest.
Gu Moran's clothes were wrinkled from the slap, but she didn't stop it; she just moved the teacup away.
Lest someone get angry and throw his tea at this girl.
Su Yao finally lifted her face from the copper coin box.
"Alright, do you think you're picking out timber?"
"The timber is of this quality? Your prince looks hunched over all day, but his shoulders haven't slumped."