Finding Long Star

Women in this era didn't have much of a concept about pregnancy care.

Aqiao never considered herself a heavily pregnant woman.

On the contrary, A-Qiao was quite agile and had no other symptoms of discomfort except for abdominal distension.

"My lord has been gone for months. Why is it so difficult to be an official in the capital!"

The mansion hired a farmhand and also found an old woman to help chop wood, start a fire, and cook.

It was getting late, and instead of greeting anyone, Aqiao personally cooked for Zhang Xuezhou.

While tending the fire, she cooked the two pounds of meat in the cauldron, keeping Zhang Xuezhou's meal warm as usual.

The firelight beneath the cauldron illuminated their faces, revealing Zhang Xuezhou's composure and A Qiao's gentleness.

Although they lived in an official's residence, the two were no different from ordinary people and did not have the strict rules of a wealthy family.

Zhang Xuezhou, having experienced much, no longer needed to rely on rules to assert himself, while A Qiao, caught between the King of Huainan's Household and the freedom granted by Zhang Xuezhou, was caught in a dilemma and did not consider herself the mistress of the mansion.

She asked Zhang Xuezhou a question as a normal married couple would, but then felt that her question was like trying to spy on the King of Huainan's Household, which made her even more embarrassed.

"What life isn't difficult?" Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "As a servant by His Majesty's side, my job is no different from Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi's; the only difference is the person I'm with!"

"Will things be like this from now on, sir?" Ah Qiao asked.

"I'll have some free time for a while, let's talk again after our child is born," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "It just so happens that Lady Wei gave birth to a princess, so I took the opportunity to ask His Majesty for some good news for the child. As long as His Majesty is on the throne, he should be set for life!"

Zhang Xuezhou pointed to A Qiao's belly.

The deeds of officials will gradually be forgotten. After all, there are many capable officials in the court, and Zhang Xuezhou is just one of them no matter what he does.

However, as long as the Supreme Qi and Blood Fortune Pill and the Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill are in the new emperor's possession, the new emperor will remember his contribution every time he uses the pill.

The lifespan of the Supreme Qi and Blood Fortune Pill may only be ten or eight years, while the interval between uses of the Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill can be much longer.

Having witnessed the efficacy of the Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill, and knowing that the refining process of this elixir is extremely costly and almost impossible to repeat, the new emperor will be very cautious in using medicine and will not give it to people indiscriminately. Perhaps it will be decades before these elixirs are used up.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou lost the battle against the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, he felt that Zhang Xuezhou Qiao and her son would not have a hard time.

He began to recount the good news, which made A-Qiao extremely excited.

"Master is truly a man of great ability!"

Aqiao was thrilled, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou had recently had another stroke of good luck.

Of course, Zhang Xuezhou's good fortune was as unstoppable as ever; this reward was not used on himself, but was instead given to his unborn child.

All of this is no different from what Princess Liu Ling said, nor is it different from Zhang Xuezhou's original promise. If they are lucky, Zhang Xuezhou will leave it to his family, instead of letting the good fortune go to outsiders.

Thanks to Zhang Xuezhou's great fortune, Aqiao not only gained real benefits, but she was also able to respond accurately to the King of Huainan's Household's King of Huainan's Household, thus avoiding any pressure from them.

"My lord, I've exchanged messages with the princess several times, and it seems they've found Changxing in Huainan!"

"Is there anything special about that long star that made the princess unable to contain her emotions and tell you about it?"

"I used to be by the princess's side, and she would tell me many things. I heard that this long star is a blessed land, and there are incredible treasures inside!"

"Oh!"

Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

He and Rong Tianding made a quick trip to Huainan, but instead of finding Changxing, they unexpectedly rescued the people of Zhang Household Village.

Zhang Xuezhou had finally put an end to a matter on his mind, but was subsequently entangled in many other matters, which led him to put Changxing of Huainan aside. He never expected that the King of Huainan would actually find Changxing.

He and the new emperor worked themselves to the bone, almost to the point of collapse, before finally finding the secret place left behind in Shanglin Garden. This was probably the only way to barely balance the welfare terms between the two sides.

This made it difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to describe the extraordinary fortune of the King of Huainan.

"Do you know what kind of treasure it is?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"The princess didn't elaborate," A-Qiao shook her head and said, "The princess didn't return to Huainan, so perhaps she herself doesn't know the details, she only knows that Changxing was found!"

"The King of Huainan is truly a man of great fortune!"

Zhang Xuezhou praised it repeatedly.

Compared to his opportunistic approach, the King of Huainan practically monopolized everything, with only the clash of Fortune Technique potentially causing any unexpected outcome.

The two sides did not clash directly, but seemed to be competing with each other behind the scenes.

Something new happened on the new emperor's side, and the King of Huainan's side did almost the same thing, each gaining something in their own way.

Zhang Xuezhou was quite curious about whether the King of Huainan had any periods of low Fortune Technique. If he could maintain a high level of luck or not be affected by periods of low fortune, Zhang Xuezhou would really like to learn from him. After all, he had never fully understood the Fortune Technique over the years. His understanding of Fortune Technique had always been useful, but he would occasionally experience a break in his luck.

Has anyone named Dong Zhongshu visited us recently?

Thinking of the King of Huainan, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but think of Dong Zhongshu, a member of the Fortune Technique Alliance.

He asked a question, and A-Qiao shook her head repeatedly.

"Then I'll go check on the old house tomorrow!"

Zhang Xuezhou also doesn't do things like searching for people in the middle of the night.

The Empress Dowager and the new emperor promoted the recommendation of filial and incorruptible officials, once again selecting talents recommended by various counties and prefectures, as well as those recommended by officials. Talented people from all over the country flocked to Chang'an City.

Zhufu Yan a disillusioned official like Zhu Fuyan had come to Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou figured that Dong Zhongshu, who was plotting something, had most likely also arrived, and he might even see Gongsun Hong he hadn't seen in a long time.

In Zhang Xuezhou's view, Dong Zhongshu had the most master-like qualities, while Gongsun Hong was also a potential half-master.

If you discuss matters of spiritual practice with these people, they will not be stingy with their knowledge or refuse to contribute; instead, they will have a strong desire to explore.

Confucian School is the school of thought that covers the broadest range of knowledge, and Zhang Xuezhou was obviously happy to see familiar and respected cultivators in Chang'an City.

He spoke quietly with Aqiao, who went from being somewhat awkward at first to talking about everything, recounting almost everything that had happened during the days Zhang Xuezhou was away.

"I will bring two excellent doctors to stay at our residence tomorrow until you recover from childbirth," Zhang Xuezhou said as he finished speaking.

"Should we call a doctor?" A-Qiao asked curiously. "The princess told me that after the baby is born, I just need to cut the strap on the baby's body with a pair of scissors. That's what midwives do. I can do it myself!"

"The princess has never had children; how would she know anything about such things!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, indicating to A Qiao not to believe Liu Ling's nonsense.

If he happened to be there during A-Qiao's delivery period, Zhang Xuezhou would indeed be capable of severing the umbilical cord with a single cut and then allowing it to heal quickly.

But if Ah-Chiao were to do it herself, and accidentally cause an infection, there wouldn't be enough lives to go around.

Zhang Xuezhou had to educate Aqiao about women's pregnancy, childbirth, and care, and also about the need to minimize the impact of childbirth, since childbirth and trauma are not much different and both require conditioning and recuperation.

Of course, it's not difficult for A-Qiao to maintain her health.

Zhang Xuezhou has far too many Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill.

If one 'Wei Zifu body is not weakened by methods like those used to treat yin-yang imbalances, even a Tenfold Complete Great Tonic Pill can help a normal woman recover and reduce postpartum complications.

The two chatted until nearly midnight before A-Qiao finally succumbed to sleepiness and had to go back to her room to rest.

Zhang Xuezhou, who had been working tirelessly without sleep, touched the unremarkable Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag and found three pills inside.

Clearly, he was trying to strike while the iron was hot and quickly master the Nine Revolutions Qi Uniting Technique, aiming to reach the seventh revolution first.