At this moment, Wei Tingyu was neither as calm and composed as he was when facing the old empress dowager, nor as wise and determined as he was when facing the King of Dingbei. Instead, he was flustered and could only try his best to maintain superficial calm.
I didn't know how to respond to Xiaocao's words. It seemed that nothing I said was right.
Why did he choose to come at this time? Xuan'er had always slept well. After being together for so many years, he could hardly remember her waking up at night, but he still ran into her like this!
Did he have a bad life in the past few years? He couldn't sleep well at night. Last time in Zhou Qunshan, it was her who opened the door directly. I thought it was just a coincidence, but it turned out not to be? Thinking of this possibility, I couldn't help but feel distressed, "Xuan..."
Just as a word came to his lips, he swallowed it back because Xiaocao actually walked towards him. He didn't have a mask at hand, and even if he did, putting it on so suddenly would only make his identity more obvious.
Wei Tingyu tightly grasped the armrest, cold sweat broke out on his back, "It's late at night and the dew is heavy..."
"Hey, why did Miss Wenren get up? Is there anything you need? Just give me an order. Why did you come out so soon? It's late at night and the dew is heavy. You might catch a cold." The maid from King Dingbei walked towards Xiaocao quickly, but her eyes were wary of these "uninvited guests" who looked a little scary. "Miss, please go inside and rest. What do these servants do? Don't they know that you have left the house?"
"No, it's none of their business..."
"Let's talk about this tomorrow. Go back and have a rest first, girl. Tell me what you want." As he spoke, he pushed Xiao Cao with moderate force, his intention really shouldn't be too obvious.
Xiaocao was a little amused, but she could also understand her intentions. In the eyes of others, a lone woman facing a "group" of grown men was probably like a little lamb facing a pack of wolves. Even though there were only four wolves, and one of them was sick, it looked like she, the sheep, could easily knock them down.
Although Wei Tingyu was not happy about being treated like a wolf, she was his wife and he could not protect her enough. However, he was relieved in the end, and he did not care about it because it was to help him out of trouble.
"Let's go." Wei Tingyu said in a low voice. If he didn't leave, Xuan'er might really stand in front of him. When he thought of this possibility, he felt a suffocating feeling as if his heart was about to stop beating.
He actually wanted to come here without caring about anything in the daytime? He must be crazy.
Xiao Cao turned her head and saw their backs leaving in a hurry. The Prince of Wei was completely blocked and the back of his head could not be seen. She could only vaguely see a wheel turning. The main courtyard of King Dingbei was arranged in two parts, front and back. The rest of the people were outside. Xiao Cao didn't know about his pomp and circumstance. She was only sure of one thing, that Prince of Wei was avoiding her.
It would be fine if Xiaocao didn't notice it, but now it was obvious that Prince Wei was being targeted by her.
She had never done this to anyone before.
Xiao Cao's eyes flickered slightly. You can avoid the first day and the fifteenth day. There are still more than 20 days left in this month. Can you avoid it every time? She wanted to see what the reason was that made him avoid her.
After leaving Xiaocao's sight, Wei Tingyu's tense nerves relaxed a little. As a result, he started coughing uncontrollably again. It felt heart-wrenching and he couldn't suppress it no matter what. It made people wonder if he could cough out everything in his heart, liver and lungs.
The subordinates of King Dingbei who were also guarding outside, felt less unhappy and more sympathetic. Although it was unpleasant to do this late at night, they should be considerate of him as he was working hard despite his sick body.
It's just that they have a better mentality now. When they find out in the future that this is the person who is competing with them for the heir to the princess, their mentality will be completely different. Every time they see him, they want to cut off a layer of flesh from Wei Tingyu.
If Xiaocao saved the King of Dingbei, the most grateful people to Xiaocao were probably the soldiers, except for the old concubine. Therefore, they were extremely fond of Xiaocao. Moreover, they were rough people and did not have so many requirements. As long as they could live well, they would be very receptive to all kinds of things. Shocking? It didn't exist. They just knew that Miss Wenren was good and powerful. If the old concubine wanted to hire her back to be the successor of the king, she would definitely agree with it.
Anyone who stands in the way of this must be a class enemy! If I can cut it into sixteen pieces, I will definitely not cut it into eight!
Wei Tingyu took the medicine, which was the medicine Xiaocao prescribed for him last time. It was made into pills. According to Xiaocao's intention, he should eat it like candy beans. He could take two pills when he felt uncomfortable. Of course, the effect of this medicine was not so fast. He could only try his best to be patient and restrained. Everyone knew that it was not an easy thing and it was very uncomfortable.
After taking a break, Wei Tingyu looked a little listless, with tears in the corners of his eyes.
With one hand on the armrest, his body tilted, rising and falling slightly with his breathing.
Wei Tingyu has always been conscientious in his work, so even in the middle of the night, he was in the study, recording and organizing the news he got from King Dingbei bit by bit. Whether it was his memory or his ability to summarize and extract key points, they were all first-class, so even if he relied on memory alone, there would be no omissions, and he could organize everything clearly very quickly.
Wei Tingyu squinted his eyes and tapped his fingertips on the table. Some things were hard to say for the time being, but he found that things might not be that simple. It was just that he couldn't make the next judgment for the time being. He needed to wait until the person was brought back from the northern border for interrogation, and perhaps he could get a better understanding of the situation.
Putting things aside, although it was already late, Wei Tingyu was not sleepy at all. He sat back in his chair, tilted his head slightly, and his eyes were a little unfocused. Obviously, his mind was distracted again. There was only one person in the world who could make him like this. Later, Wei Tingyu finally rested for a while, although he still didn't sleep very well.
The warrant from King Dingbei was delivered very quickly, and Wei Tingyu immediately sent people to rush to the northern border at full speed. After all, things should be done as quickly as possible. If delayed for too long, accidents might occur.
After making sure that King Dingbei would not have any other complications and that both his leg and waist injuries were recovering well, Xiaocao packed up his things and prepared to go home. From then on, he only needed to check on him every two or three days. Anyway, the people serving King Dingbei were already adept at taking care of the injured and were not worried about any problems.
When she returned home, except for the fact that her father Wenren Taibo was very busy and she was rarely seen, everything else was normal and she lived her life as usual. Xiaocao was a little helpless because of her elder sister Wenren Hui's excitement.
In fact, it was the "parenting manual" that caused all the trouble. Although this woman didn't have a child yet, she was sure that after her husband recovered, she would be able to get pregnant soon. So she was very passionate about parenting. She read it from beginning to end over and over again. Not only herself, but also her husband, maids, and nannies, all read it. Of course, the two elderly people in the family were also very interested, as if their grandchildren were right in front of them.
If Wen Renhui was just reading a book, it would be fine, but that was not the case. She had a lot of questions before she saw Xiaocao. In fact, they were not questions at all. Wen Renhui asked the questions herself and then gave the answers herself. Can this be called a question? She just kept talking about it tirelessly.
Xiaocao couldn't stand it anymore, so she pushed her eldest sister into her brother-in-law's arms and said, "Please take your wife away and go anywhere to discuss life, children, and how to have children. As long as it's not with me, it's fine. Thank you." This treatment was completed, and she pushed the two of them out and slammed the door.
Wen Renhui was still a little confused, and looked up at her husband, "Am I disliked by my fourth sister?"
Lu Deyuan also smiled a little helplessly, "You keep saying those things over and over again, Fourth Aunt's sister might, um..." At home, he wanted to hide away. He had even memorized a parenting manual. You can imagine what the situation was.
Wen Renhui reflected on himself for a moment, and it seemed that he did have a little…
Then Wenren Hui finally restrained himself, and Xiaocao breathed a sigh of relief.
However, because of the gynecological manuals and parenting manuals, occasionally people would come to Wenren for medical treatment, and most of them wanted to have children. Xiaocao could understand this kind of thing. Children were too important for a married woman. Not to mention now, women without children would always lack confidence, would not be able to gain a foothold in their husband's family, and would suffer losses everywhere. Even in previous lives, this was still a problem for many people. Therefore, if Xiaocao could help them solve the problem, she would naturally be happy to do so.
Of course, except for those who are sick, most problems can be solved by following the gynecology manual.
If you can successfully conceive, know the precautions during pregnancy, and give birth safely, and take care of all aspects, there will basically be no congenital deficiencies. Then, after birth, the baby will definitely be healthier and naturally easier to raise. With the help of a parenting manual, you may be able to reduce the child's mortality rate.
Population is definitely one of the most valuable resources under the feudal dynasty.
The impact cannot be seen for the time being, but if it is popularized little by little, from the upper circle of the imperial city to the lower circles, and also with the imperial city as the center, spread to the local areas, to the wealthy families, to the ordinary families, even if the ordinary people cannot understand the books, they will learn. They don’t need to know everything, just some, which is actually beneficial.
After a few years, a dozen years, or even decades, we may see a significant population growth.
Of course, this is something Xiaocao has not thought of at the moment.
During these not busy but fulfilling days, Xiaocao welcomed a guest, Xia Bihe, who had recovered and said she would come to visit Xiaocao. Near the end of March, she finally showed up and brought a lot of "thank you gifts".
It has been more than half a month, and this "thank you gift" has been delayed for a long time. However, no one cares about this.
Xiaocao saw that Xia Bihe was in good condition. Compared with the first time they met, her eyes were full of despair and gloom. Now she had a faint smile on her face. Although she was probably still affected by the bullying she had suffered in the past, she was still a little timid and didn't dare to look people in the eye, but at least she was lively and radiant.
Girls like this are more sensitive inside, and sometimes being too deliberate may make them timid. So Xiaocao seemed very casual, and did not shy away from asking directly about her current situation at home.
Xia Bihe's life had always been filled with malice, so after Xiaocao extended her hand in good faith, she developed trust in her without much process, and even became a little dependent on her, so she spoke without hesitation.
Her stepmother was sent back home and never came back. Later, her grandmother even wrote a divorce letter for her father. Xia Bihe felt that if it was just because of her, it wouldn't have happened. She only knew that her grandfather had someone conduct a thorough investigation and it seemed that they had found out something else.
Xiaocao thought that the death of Xia Bihe's mother might really be related to the stepmother.
Then the old lady of the Xia family really went back to her ancestral home. The Xia family was now completely ruled by the eldest lady, who was no longer oppressed by her mother-in-law. She was so happy that she treated Xia Bihe with a different cold eye. Apart from other things, she treated Xia Bihe with the same treatment that other girls in the Xia family deserved, and even showed her more care because she didn't have parents around.
Faced with these, Xia Bihe was not moved, but rather avoided them. Such a big change in a person's attitude was something that everyone knew was not sincere. She used to be bullied by her peers and ignored by her elders. This enthusiasm would only scare her.
"She treats you well because of your grandfather, so just go on. If you can handle it, then handle it. If you can't handle it, then just keep silent and listen. If you do it more than twice, she will naturally find it boring."
Xia Bihe's eyes lit up when she heard that and she nodded.
However, there was another thing that bothered Xia Bihe, and that was her marriage. Before, because of her stepmother, it had been delayed, and now it had become the top priority of her aunt. Moreover, because her younger sister was going to get married, even if her marriage was confirmed, it would be very hasty. Moreover, her stepmother had never prepared a dowry for her. You know, for some girls, their families have been preparing things since they were born, and for Xia Bihe, one can imagine how "shabby" she would be when she got married. Of course, this "shabby" does not mean that there are few things or they are of low value, but that they are pieced together from here and there, which seems very casual.
In fact, since she never had any expectations, Xia Bihe didn't care. What really bothered her was that her aunt actually asked her what she thought. After all, she was a daughter of the Du Yushi family. The treatment she received now was completely different from before. There were still many people willing to marry her, but she was asked to choose...
Moreover, the only information given to her was the other party's family background, nothing else. There was no information about his personality, his situation at home, or whether the house was clean. So, it was no wonder that Xia Bihe could not feel the true love at all and thought she was a fool.