Chapter 1588 – Taking Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Part 2)
“I’ve been alive for over seventy years, and this is the first time I’ve been urged to give birth. It feels oddly like I’ve gained an extra mother-in-law.”
Preparing for the journey to Zhangzhou required some time. As the Lord, Jiang Pengji didn’t need to be busy; naturally, others would handle everything for her.
With free time on her hands, she casually mentioned Qi Guanrang’s urging to give birth to Wei Ci, whose expression looked like a spilled palette of colors.
Jiang Pengji thought he was puzzled about her seventy-plus years and smiled as she explained, “The world I lived in before is very different from this one. Ordinary folks can easily live to one hundred fifty or two hundred years. Those with exceptional strength and talent can even break limits, living up to three or four hundred. As for us, while we have that potential, due to our positions, we often meet untimely ends. Don’t think that because I’m around forty in my past life, I’m old; by this world’s average lifespans, I’m just barely an adult, still young!”
Jiang Pengji emphasized the word “young.” She didn’t want anyone thinking she was an old cow eating fresh grass.
Moreover, considering Wei Ci’s previous age, he wasn’t any younger than Jiang Pengji.
“Wei Ci laughed, ‘No, my Lord misunderstood. I’m just curious… where did this ‘mother-in-law’ reference come from?'”
If the Lord compared Qi Guanrang to a mother-in-law, wouldn’t that mean he suddenly had an extra ‘ma’?
Jiang Pengji answered nonchalantly, “Which father-in-law urges his son-in-law to quickly produce heirs?”
Usually, it’s the mother-in-law or the mother who does that, right?
Wei Ci nearly facepalmed in disbelief.
Is this the focus here?
Isn’t it more about why Wen Zheng referred to it as ‘mother-in-law’ instead of ‘mother’?
Thinking it over, Wei Ci understood.
The Lord couldn’t be on the marrying side, and he didn’t want another Qi Guanrang-like mother-in-law.
Either way, it sounded like a nightmare.
“Wen Zheng is just overly concerned.”
Wei Ci had a look of understanding on his face.
As someone who had been there, he too had stressed over the Young Master’s matters in his previous life, never expecting to catch the Emperor’s eye.
It felt oddly like stepping on a rock and hitting oneself.
Lost in thought, Wei Ci was pulled back to reality by Jiang Pengji’s words.
Jiang Pengji smiled, “A few days ago, he sent someone into the mountains to look for aphrodisiacs. Don’t you feel your diet has changed?”
Hearing this, Wei Ci’s face instantly turned pale.
Seeing his adorably shocked reaction, Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Wen Zheng really… it’s fine if my Lord doesn’t help me, but why add to the mockery?”
Wei Ci struggled long to find suitable words, while Jiang Pengji just laughed heartily, leaning half her body toward him.
To prevent the Lord from falling, Wei Ci extended his hands to support her, making their position appear affectionate, leaving no room for a third person.
“This can’t even be called mockery.”
Jiang Pengji cupped his face and gave him a kiss.
Wei Ci awkwardly turned his head away, struggling, “Daylight can’t be indecent.”
Even though they had crossed boundaries, Wei Ci was still fundamentally conservative, and he felt conflicted about the Lord’s occasional affectionate gestures. He was clearly happy inside, yet felt ashamed once he sobered up. After such moments, he couldn’t help but wonder if people saw him as the “beautiful disaster,” leading a formerly bright and capable ruler astray with his charm…
Even in his previous life, the Emperor had never been this open about feelings, tending to be particularly reserved, even indifferent.
Jiang Pengji glanced at both their clothes, neither having shed a single item.
“Is this considered indecent exposure in broad daylight?” she laughed, “Zixiao’s standards for ‘indecent exposure’ are really low.”
Wei Ci cleared his throat and noticed Jiang Pengji’s gaze seemed unusual; he instinctively tried to change the subject, showing a great desire to survive.
“Speaking of Wen Zheng’s matters, it’s probably not just his idea.”
Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but chuckle, but she didn’t expose Wei Ci’s clumsy attempt to steer the conversation.
“The Young Master, well, what’s meant to come will eventually come. After all, we have to wait until Nan Sheng’s Zhong Zhao is settled before considering heirs. With the current instability in this era, I can’t just have a kid without proper arrangements. A woman bears life with her body; life is troublesome, so I need to prepare thoroughly before thinking about this. Besides, our bodies are healthy, and we have no bad habits, so maybe we’ll have a child on the first try.”
Wei Ci agreed with her.
In their previous life, Princess Jiang Yan arrived not long after they began. At that time, their bodies weren’t as fit as in this life.
From discovering the pregnancy to giving birth, everything went smoothly for the Lord, and Jiang Yan was delivered in just one hour.
However, when it came to Wei Cong, things took a turn for the worse; the delivery room was infiltrated by evil forces, resulting in a day and night of difficult labor before that troublemaker was born.
Talking about kids often caused Wei Ci to zone out.
“My Lord is physically healthy; anytime you want the Young Master is fine, but as for Wen Zheng and the others? They have to wait.”
Jiang Pengji said, “What comes too easily is often not cherished. Letting them wait until their necks grow long will teach them to appreciate it.”
Recalling the past, Wei Ci chuckled, “Aren’t you worried the Young Master will be spoiled?”
“Do you think that’s possible? They didn’t spoil their own kids, so how could they spoil the Young Master?”
Jiang Pengji had seen the next generation of several kids; none of them turned out badly, especially Feng Zhen’s family, who were the perfect example of ‘like father, like son.’
“That’s true; just having a Young Master will make them grateful. They’ll wish for him to succeed, so they won’t dare to spoil him.”
In the previous life, Princess Jiang Yan was also the product of everyone’s longing; even though she was a girl, no one had anything negative to say, and she was trained by the standard of an heir. Even when the Emperor had another child later, only a few traitorous individuals suggested disposing of the heir, Jiang Yan, to nurture a male successor, and after that, their political stance leaned heavily toward Jiang Yan.
Of course, this was also related to how Crown Prince Zhang Zu first “died.”
If Fushou hadn’t been hidden away, both the Lord and Princess Jiang Yan would have been in danger; it wouldn’t have been easy for Jiang Yan to fight against her legitimate younger brother.
“You’re lost in thought again; that’s three times now.”
Jiang Pengji lightly pinched his cheek.
Recently, she had been stuffing him with good food; how come his face still wasn’t filling out?
Wei Ci replied, “I can’t help but think about Fushou.”
Jiang Pengji asked, “What made you think of him?”
She had seen both kids in Wei Ci’s imagination; the one named Wei Cong was quite endearing and looked like Wei Ci.
Wei Ci said, “As a father, I failed in my duties to educate him, causing him to go down the wrong path, and I feel guilty for failing the Lord’s trust.”
“Wei Zixiao, I’ve been holding back for a long time!” Jiang Pengji’s expression turned serious. She pinched his cheeks and pretended to be angry, saying, “Don’t you think it’s outrageous to mention another woman in front of me? Just look at my hair color; I could easily house a horse race on my head!”
Wei Ci: “……”
