The Marquis Who Liked Children

It has been almost a year since Wei Shao gave birth.

For Wei Shao'er, this was a painful survival experience she would rather not recall.

She successfully gave birth and survived; under normal circumstances, all the suffering should be over.

But Wei Shao'er discovered that the matter was not over yet.

Her and Chen Zhang's life in the Marquis of Qu Ni's mansion was very difficult; they were living under someone else's roof and still had no official status.

If it weren't for the help of his younger brother Wei Qing, Wei Shao'er felt that life would have been even more difficult.

Life can be tough, but there are some things that Wei Shao'er finds hard to bear.

"You mean you're pregnant again? Can you two not have sex so frequently? Can't you do something else after dark?"

Wei Shao'er received news that Zhang Xuezhou had returned to Chang'an City, and also came to visit him in a hurry.

She wanted to clarify some things and see if Zhang Xuezhou was aware of them.

After inviting Zhang Xuezhou into the study, Wei Shao'er revealed her deepest secret.

Her little secret left Zhang Xuezhou speechless.

"Please don't misunderstand, I didn't have sexual relations with Chen Zhang after giving birth," Wei Shao'er said with a hint of shame. "I wanted to ask if there was any baby still inside me after I gave birth?"

"You mean you were pregnant with twins, gave birth to one a year ago, and the other one has been stuck in your belly ever since?" Zhang Xuezhou asked suspiciously.

That's roughly the idea!

Wei Shao'er nodded.

She generously unbuckled her belt in front of Zhang Xuezhou, revealing her slightly bulging, fair belly.

If you poke it with your finger, you can feel soft, fluffy chunks of meat.

"I'm sorry, I've only studied postpartum care for sows, and I'm not familiar with your situation!"

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and touched it, only to realize that his limited knowledge was completely insufficient to understand the current situation.

In order to deliver Wei Shao'er's baby, he hurriedly read two books on genetics.

This is not an essential skill for making a living. After delivering the baby, Zhang Xuezhou did not pursue further education, nor did he excel in the field of childbirth.

After touching it, he only felt that the flesh was a little soft, and other than that, he had few other sensations.

"I visited Dr. Zheng, but he's never home," Wei Shao'er said helplessly, fastening his belt. "And we can't find the two female doctors either!"

They all have things to do!

"I want to know what exactly happened to me back then, and why I still have a baby in my belly!"

"This... this isn't my child, how was I supposed to know this would happen!"

Zhang Xuezhou shrugged.

If Wei Shao'er needed to stop the bleeding, Zhang Xuezhou could provide a large quantity, but he couldn't handle matters involving gynecology.

Many things happened during Wei Shao'er's childbirth, and Zhang Xuezhou even lost some of his family's savings.

"Wait, could it be that the painting demon is inside Wei Shao'er's stomach?"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a few seconds, then couldn't help but touch Wei Shao'er's belly.

"True Person?"

"Master Taiyi?"

"The great Taiyi Immortal?"

"The Law Power Immortal Taiyi?"

Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly asked questions, but the flesh inside Wei Shao'er's stomach did not respond, and the painting demon did not jump out happily.

"What Taiyi?" Wei Shao'er pressed, "What does this Taiyi have to do with the child in my belly?"

"This is a long story, involving many related matters, and it's difficult for me to explain in detail!"

Zhang Xuezhou found it difficult to explain the many things about Wei Shao'er, as it even involved secrets he himself did not disclose.

"I think you need to see a professional doctor," Zhang Xuezhou suggested.

"I've seen several doctors, and I've already drunk three catties of safflower tea," Wei Shao'er said painfully.

What are safflowers used for?

Abortion!

Wei Shao'er pursed her lips. She felt as if there was a child in her belly, but she had never seen a child with such a slow pregnancy.

Having experienced the life-or-death ordeal of childbirth, Wei Shao'er has absolutely no desire to have any more children.

Despite taking medication repeatedly, the lump in her stomach never went away.

If it weren't for the fact that she could feel the soft flesh inside her belly, Wei Shao'er would have seriously wondered if the people who delivered her had left some kind of medical equipment inside her.

Raising a child and having an abortion took Wei Shao'er nearly a year, while the latter took her almost half a year to resolve.

Many doctors congratulated her on her pregnancy and the birth of her son, but Wei Shao'er became more and more afraid as she took the medicine.

She survived one brush with death, but there's no chance she'll be lucky enough to survive another.

"You should see a more professional doctor and take more specialized abortion pills," Zhang Xuezhou finally advised.

"My younger brother met a marquis, and that marquis summoned a top-notch physician from the palace to take my pulse," Wei Shao'er said helplessly. "He also advised me to take good care of the pregnancy, and when I asked him what could be done to abort the pregnancy, he told me to eat safflower!"

"And then you just kept eating safflower?"

"Yes, other people only need to eat one qian (a unit of weight) and they'll start bleeding, but I ate three jin (a unit of weight) and didn't miscarry!"

"So you took 480 times the dosage of someone else."

Zhang Xuezhou stared curiously at Wei Shao'er's belly, feeling that even the most outdated folk remedies and abortion pills could work miracles, and that Wei Shao'er's pregnancy was incredibly resilient.

"I can't help you either. If you keep bleeding, I can stop it for you," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Or you could wait for Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying. To be honest, I'm waiting for them too!"

Is that so?

Wei Shao'er had placed a sliver of hope on Zhang Xuezhou, but seeing that he couldn't offer any help, she felt slightly disappointed.

"How did you know I was back today?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise. "Are you so well-informed these days?"

"I only learned that you had returned to Chang'an City because I overheard a marquis mentioning you," Wei Shao'er said after regaining his senses.

"What marquis?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously, "I have no connection with any marquis. All I know is that you've managed to curry favor with the Marquis of Quni's family!"

"It was the Marquis of Pingyang, the prince from the Marquis of Pingyang's residence. He invited us to stay at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence temporarily, which gave my son and me a place to stay!"

"He?"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about the Marquis of Pingyang who had given him the pills, then suddenly remembered another 'Marquis of Pingyang'.

"Where is that marquis?"

"He was playing with Qubing and even teaching him to speak, which is why I was able to find some time to come here!"

"Qubing, oh, the child you gave birth to, it seems the Marquis of Pingyang quite likes children!"

Zhang Xuezhou hesitated for a moment, unable to understand why the new emperor would help Wei Shao'er take care of the child.

This bizarre and outrageous incident almost completely overturned his impression of the new emperor.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that someone his age could never enjoy taking care of children, but then he thought about the different social developments. In the Great Han Dynasty, many men and women got married and started families in their teens, and he forcefully corrected his misconception.

In short, the new emperor has matured to the point where he has begun to enjoy raising children.

As for Zhang Xuezhou, a 27-year-old youth who was still unmarried, he was a social anomaly in the Great Han Dynasty.

"He's left the palace, likes children, and even calls himself the Marquis of Pingyang?"

Upon receiving news from Wei Shao'er that the new emperor had left the palace, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the new emperor had a rather unique personality.

Even if the new emperor likes children, there's no need for the other party to leave the palace to help Wei Shao'er take care of the children.

Either the new emperor had other matters to attend to and taking the children out of the palace was just a side trip, or the new emperor had some special needs that forced him to help Wei Shao'er take care of the children.

Zhang Xuezhou thought about it for a while, but couldn't come up with any business opportunities from this kind of thing.

However, since the new emperor has left the palace and changed his identity, there will be fewer problems when dealing with him in the future.