Chapter 4

 

After breakfast, Hua Yang strolled around the small courtyard of Siyi Hall.

This was really a small square courtyard, with all the rooms visible.

There was a locust tree planted in the middle of the yard that was obviously transplanted not long ago. The main trunk was as thick as a barrel. Half a person’s height above the ground it branched out into three leg-thick secondary trunks, growing and winding in different directions. The crisscrossing branches were higher than the roof of the house, and the green leaves were layered on top of each other. In midsummer, under the tree was the coolest place in the entire yard.

Hua Yang raised her head, and the bright morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, causing her to squint her eyes slightly.

Chen Jingzong was clearly not here, but she seemed to see him standing by the tree, leaning against the trunk, holding a bunch of white flowers in his hand, while stuffing the petals into his mouth and chewing them, and asked her condescendingly: “This is locust flower. Princess, do you want to try?”

At that time, Hua Yang despised him. Seeing that he actually ate flower petals raw, she felt that this man was extremely boorish and looked nothing like a son of the Chen family.

She ignored Chen Jingzong and turned back to the house.

Looking back now, Hua Yang was calmer. He died so tragically, so what if he caught pheasants and chew wild flowers while he was still alive?

The courtyard was like this. There were two simple small cross yards behind the east and west wing. The east wing its cross yard were specially used for washing and drying clothes, and the west wing was for her four maids to live.

Hua Yang walked to the Moon Gate in the east cross yard. She didn’t intend to go in, just swept it causally and saw Chen Jingzong’s wet middle coat.

She thought of what Zhen’er said that Chen Jingzong washed and dried this clothes himself.

Even though he was shameless, he didn’t throw the clothes stained with that thing to her maid.

Hua Yang was about to walk away when her footsteps suddenly stopped.

Last night, Chen Jingzong, that “hungry ghost”, ate her for at least half an hour.

That thing was like a tight-mouthed water bag. Although most of it was held inside, who could guarantee that he didn’t spill any at all?

Her face changed slightly, and Hua Yang hurried back to the inner room.

She didn’t call Chao Yun in, and closed the door. Hua Yang walked to the two small trunks placed in the Babu bed, squatted down, and opened one of them.

Inside were her commonly used jewelry, as well as a small cyan porcelain bottle with three bean-sized pills in it.

There were all kinds of rare and exotic treasures in the palace, including all kinds of miraculous elixirs.

Among the concubines in the harem, some hope to conceive dragon seeds, while others do not.

The former was easy to understand. If you conceive dragon seeds, even if it was just a princess, you would be stable for the rest of your life.

As for the group of people who didn’t want to have children, there were many reasons. Either they didn’t like the emperor and were so disgusted that they don’t even want to conceive dragon seeds, or they have already given birth to enough dragons and were eager to sleep with the emperor to invite favor or to keep in shape. There was also the most daring kind, which were some unloved concubines who thought of some spring due to loneliness and took risks to hook up with some guards. This kind only wanted to seek pleasure so naturally must try every means to avoid pregnancy.

Over time, various kinds of Bizianti-pregnancy drugs appeared among the women in the harem.

The bottle in Hua Yang’s hand was prepared for her by her mother before she left the capital.

At that time, Hua Yang went to the palace to find her mother, complaining because she did not want to follow the Chen family to Lingzhou to mourn. She was indeed married to Chen Jingzong, but why did she have to go to mourn an old country woman she had never met before?

Hua Yang hoped that her Mother Empress would support her decision and approve her staying in the capital.

But Mother Empress told her a lot of principles, saying that as a princess, although she could enjoy a lot of imperial power, she must not deviate from “filial piety”. Chen Jingzong’s two sisters-in-law were coming to Lingzhou, but if she didn’t come just because she was a princess, what will people think if word gets out?

There was another point that Mother Empress did not say, but Hua Yang knew in her heart that the mother empress admired father-in-law’s talents very much and believed that father-in-law would be the next chief minister. Mother Empress wanted her to marry Chen Jingzong, so she had the intention to win over father-in-law.

Reputation and profit, when those two principles were laid down, Hua Yang had no choice but to relent.

Then Mother Empress gave her this bottle of Bizi elixir.

As an experienced person, Mother Empress told her that it was basically a fool’s dream to expect a newly married man to leave his beloved wife alone and do nothing. If couldn’t bear it anymore, it’s okay for the young couple to hide in the house and sleep secretly once, but they must not give birth to a child. This bottle of bizi pill was the mildest in nature. Use it once every three months, which could ensure infertility, and it won’t hurt the body at all.

Chen Jingzong was a grandson, he only had to mourn for one year. Three pills allowed him to occasionally indulge in forbidden pleasures, which was better than nothing.

Hua Yang asked angrily: “What if he wants to come a few more times?”

Mother Empress’s face darkened and she said that if Chen Jingzong was gone too far, just let her show off her majesty as a princess. Husband and wife should be considerate to each other, rather than indulge in unprincipled connivance by one party.

Hua Yang finally felt comfortable after hearing this, knowing that although her mother focused on the overall situation, she still cared about her daughter.

.

The taste of bizi pill was slightly bitter. After taking it, Hua Yang drank half a bowl of water to dilute the remaining medicinal taste on her tongue.

It’s unknown if it was because the medicine was taking effect or because she felt awkward in her heart, she always felt that her stomach was not very comfortable.

Hua Yang lay on her bed angrily.

She had never taken bizi pill in her previous life.

Mother Empress’s statement might apply to most men, but Chen Jingzong was an exception.

He was a boorish man, and sometimes he was indeed shameless. Hua Yang was just joking with the maids, but when he saw her smiling face, he thought she was in a good mood, so he dared to press her down at night.

But during that time in Lingzhou, except for socializing in front of her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Hua Yang almost never smiled. Privately, she didn’t even have a good face for Chen Jingzong, venting all the grievances she suffered in the Chen family’s old house on Chen Jingzong.

Without good food and good sleep, Hua Yang was not in the mood to sleep with him. Chen Jingzong probably noticed this, and he honestly lay on the ground to block the snakes and insects that might crawl over for her every night. He never asked for sex once.

Hua Yang turned over.

She used to take all this for granted. She was the princess and Chen Jingzong was the prince consort. The prince consort should listen to the princess. It would be disrespectful to dare to offend her.

She was used to bossing him around and treated her close maids better than him.

But now that she thought about it, Chen Jingzong, a man who was obviously very greedy, could insist on not forcing her for such a long time, it was also a kind of gentleman’s demeanor, right?

She had always regarded him as a boorish man, and all his actions were very vulgar. She even compared him time and time again to his eldest brother, the Zhuangyuan scholar, and Third Brother, the Tanhua scholar. The more she compared them, the more she looked down on him.

However, Chen Jingzong never lost his temper on her. The shamelessness in her eyes, was it not a kind of broad-mindedness?

Therefore, there were still many advantages to him, but in her previous life, she was completely immersed in her own situation and never noticed it.

Then, she should be nicer to him in this life.

.

When the sun was three poles high, Chao Yun and Chao Yue stood at the door of the hall, discussing in a low voice what to eat for the princess at noon.

Suddenly, there was a “plop” sound from the west wing room.

Chao Yun’s face turned pale. In such remote town, could it be that a thief dared to come and commit crime?

Not to mention that the princess disliked the Chen family’s old house, they also disliked it. The courtyard was small, the walls were low, and snakes and insects occasionally appeared, making people fearful every day!

Chao Yue had been cooking every day recently, and she had become stronger and more courageous. She asked Chao Yun to stay here and quickly ran to the kitchen to get the kitchen knife!

After she grabbed the kitchen knife and ran out, she saw the prince consort carrying a pheasant with bright feathers in one hand and a fat fish still dripping water in the other hand walking from the west wing. Under the eaves, Chao Yun was stunned.

Chao Yue was also dumbfounded.

Chen Jingzong looked at the kitchen knife shining in her hand.

Chao Yue quickly hid the knife behind her back, her face turned red and she looked embarrassed.

Chen Jingzong understood in an instant. He glanced at the central house and asked Chao Yun, “What about the princess?”

Chao Yun whispered: “She went to bed after breakfast.”

Chen Jingzong was not surprised. She was weak and must be tired after last night.

Carrying the gamein case you got confuse, game here means animals that was hunted and walking up to Chao Yue, Chen Jingzong frowned and said, “Who in radius of ten miles not know that this is the Chen family’s house. Ordinary thieves will never dare to come. Those who dare to come will not be afraid of your kitchen knife. Next time you encounter this kind of thing, call people directly, the guards can hear you.”

Chao Yue lowered her head, thought for a moment, and asked, “What if it’s you?”

Chen Jingzong: “When I come back from now on, I will whistle first.”

Chao Yue breathed a sigh of relief: “Don’t worry, Prince Consort, I remember everything.”

Chen Jingzong handed her the game in his hand: “The fish will be stewed in soup for today, and the chicken will be saved for tomorrow. Remember to tie the beak to prevent it from squawking.”

Chao Yue’s eyes widened: “Isn’t this inappropriate?”

Chen Jingzong: “If you don’t stew, then let your princess continue to starve.”

Chao Yue compromised instantly.

Chen Jingzong glanced at the kitchen, turned around and said, “Bring me my breakfast.”

There were a lot of things going on, so Chao Yun ran over to help Chao Yue.

Chen Jingzong strode to the central house, stood in the main room for a while, and then went to the inner room.

It was quiet inside, and the gauze curtain was put down outside the Babu bed.

Chen Jingzong lifted the curtain and saw her sleeping in the middle of the bed. She was already thin and slender, but she was made even more petite and frail by this luxurious bed.

Suddenly, Chen Jingzong sniffed and felt a faint medicinal smell.

Noticing her frown, Chen Jingzong’s heart sank. Could it be that he used too much strength and hurt her?

Even though he was puzzled, it was not good to wake her up at this time, so Chen Jingzong left silently.

After sitting in the main room for about a quarter of an hour, Chao Yun brought a bowl of noodles, which was still green vegetables and egg noodles.

The clear soup was watery and there was no oil speck at all.

Chen Jingzong stopped Chao Yun who was about to leave and asked, “Is Princess sick?”

Chao Yun shook her head: “No.”

Chen Jingzong: “I seem to smell the medicine.”

Chao Yun: “Then you must have smelled wrong. Princess was in a good mood this morning and had a bowl of noodles.”

Her tone was so cheerful, which showed how bad Hua Yang’s appetite was before.

Chen Jingzong couldn’t ask her anything, so he told her to retreat.

He went hunting in the mountains early in the morning, exerted a lot of energy, and was very hungry. When eating noodles, he picked up a large chunk with his chopstick and sucked it noisily into his mouth several times.

Hua Yang, who had been sleeping for an hour, was woken up by his noise.

When she first woke up, she was still wondering what the sound was. When she heard Chen Jingzong ordering Chao Yun to bring another bowl, she suddenly realized it and frowned.

She didn’t like Chen Jingzong’s way of eating.

She decided to be nice to Chen Jingzong, but if Chen Jingzong continued to frequently challenge her patience, she might not be able to show a good face.

After simply tidied up, Hua Yang walked out.

Chen Jingzong was about to eat the second bowl and had already picked up the noodles with his chopsticks, but when he heard the movement, he turned his head and met Hua Yang’s rosy but slightly gloomy face.

Why are you angry again?

Chen Jingzong lowered his eyes and ate the noodles on his chopstick first.

He took a big mouthful, and Hua Yang frowned even deeper. She signaled Chao Yun at the door to retreat with her eyes. Then she walked to the dining table, looked at Chen Jingzong and said, “Can you eat more slowly? It’s best not to make any noise.”

Chen Jingzong glanced at her and said without raising his head, “I’m hungry.”

Hua Yang: “You can also eat slowly when you’re hungry, anyway you don’t have to do anything later.”

Chen Jingzong ate soft food and not hard fooda metaphor for accepting gentle persuasion but not coercion, and the more others try to interfere with him on such trivial matters, the more he disobeyed.

So, as if he didn’t hear anything, he continued to eat as before.

Hua Yang gritted her teeth in anger.

In the past, she would have left and hid far away until she could no longer hear the sound.

But she had decided to be nicer to him.

Hua Yang was willing to give him another chance and said bluntly: “The way you eat gave a headache. The more headache I have, the more annoying you will be. How can we live a good life in the future?”

Chen Jingzong raised his head unexpectedly, swallowed the noodles in his mouth, looked at Hua Yang and asked, “Do you want to live a good life with me?”

His eyes were direct and sharp, as if he could see into people’s hearts, with a bit of “no one can fool him” tough stand. Hua Yang subconsciously raised her chin and hummed equally proudly.

Chen Jingzong wasn’t quite sure what she was thinking, so he asked tentatively: “If I eat quietly, can I sleep on the bed with you from now on?”

Instead of worrying about the little twists and turns, he cared more about the benefits that could actually be obtained, otherwise it would be of no use what she said.

Hua Yang looked at him and said, “Yes, but there is a condition.”

Chen Jingzong snorted hard, how funny, they are husband and wife, it’s a natural thing if he wants to sleep in the bed, but when it reached her, she has conditions!

Hua Yang didn’t care about his ridicule and made her request directly: “In summer, you should take a bath every day before going to bed, or at least wipe your body. In spring and autumn, you can take a bath every two days, and in winter, you can take a bath every three days. Of course, if you sweat too much, then you must wash it every day. Also, whether you take a bath or not, your feet must be washed and your mouth must be brushed clean, so that no alcohol smell remains.”

Chen Jingzong said nothing.

Looking at his very stubborn expression, Hua Yang’s chest began to rise and fall again.

Chen Jingzong’s eyes swept over there, and he lowered his eyes and said, “If it’s just going to bed to sleep, I find all these rules of yours very troublesome.”

Hua Yang: “What do you mean?”

Chen Jingzong twirled the noodles in the bowl with his chopsticks, then suddenly raised his head, looked directly at her and said, “It means that if you’re willing to sleep with me happily every night, then I will do whatever you say.”

Hua Yang:…

How could he say such shameless and obscene words in broad daylight!

“You’re dreaming!”

When she turned around, Hua Yang really wanted to spit at him, but her upbringing made her hold back.

Chen Jingzong looked at her angry back and said with a smile: “Then I’ll compromise a bit. It doesn’t have to be every night. As long as Princess is willing to cooperate when I want to, I will meet all the conditions.”

Hua Yang continued to walk forward.

Chen Jingzong’s voice was slightly cold: “We’re husband and wife. Only once or twice a month, or not even at all, and it’s always me who begging for it while looking at your bad face, how can it be called a good life?”

Hua Yang stopped in her tracks and said sarcastically: “Actions have consequences. You did a lot of things that make me unhappy first, so I gave you a bad face.”

Chen Jingzong: “Back at you, you offended me first, and I don’t want you to get your way.”

Hua Yang laughed angrily, turned around and glared at him: “What did I do to you?”

Chen Jingzong: “On the first day we got married, you looked at me as if you were picking on a piece of merchandise. You didn’t regard me as your husband at all.”

He was not blind. On the day of the tea ceremony, she looked at his eldest and third brother with admiration, and after admiring them and looked at him again, she showed a disappointed look.

Since she wanted to marry a scholar, why should she agree when the emperor offered her this marriage?

The family is willing to indulge her princess temperament, but he has a backbone and is too lazy to be a lowly servant.

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