The survival rule of a concubine's daughter 125: There is joy, some people are happy and others worry.

  ……

  Li Xiu usually returns to the mansion quite late at night, and often has dinner with Empress Dowager Cixi, taking care of her mother-in-law, younger sister-in-law, and other relatives.

  Old Master Wang seemed to have something to say to Rujing, but seeing Rujing standing in front of him with a smile, pouring tea and serving dishes, attending to him extremely attentively, the words that had reached his lips were swallowed back.

  But thinking that this matter is related to the inheritance of the Wang Fu, he kicked the Empress Dowager under the table again, hinting her to bring it up.

  The empress glanced at her husband, she thought to herself that she wasn't a cruel mother-in-law, and the daughter-in-law was obedient and served her wholeheartedly. The palace was also managed quite well. Moreover, since the daughter-in-law entered the palace, both the unruly daughter and the arrogant son had improved significantly, all thanks to Ruo Xue's influence. How could she bear to say such a thing?

  It seemed that Ru Qing hadn't noticed her parents' exchange, and she was being unusually attentive to Li Ying, "Eat a bit more, sister, look at how loving Father and Mother are. Father is a rare responsible man, with such a father, you must keep your eyes wide open, just like Mother, and find someone like Father, a dragon among men."

  The princess looked at Old Master Wang with a faint smile, as if she was about to say something but held back.

  Old Wang's expression was awkward, not daring to look at the queen's expression, but thinking that he hadn't gone to the bridal chamber for many years either, and couldn't help but puff out his chest, glaring at his wife.

  It was Li Ying who asked Ru Qing, "How did you know that Father King has taken responsibility?"

  "According to rumors, though. But Father King is indeed a true gentleman, good to Mother Queen and to us children as well. I'm truly fortunate to have married into the royal family."

  Li Ying gazed at her and asked softly: "Aren't you angry about Brother forcing you to be his wife?"

  Yu Qing smiled: "I was definitely annoyed at first, but Father and Mother treated me so well, treating me like their own daughter, and there's also a younger sister who is closer to me than my own sister. Thinking about it this way, I guess it's my good fortune."

  Old Master Wang couldn't help but relax his eyebrows, thinking that this daughter-in-law was still pretty good, at least she knew the ropes and had a sense of propriety.

  The princess seemed to be thinking about something, staring at Ruqing with a look that couldn't be deciphered. On the other hand, Li Ying listened to Ruqing's praise and was very pleased, but her mouth refused to acknowledge it, "Are you trying to flatter me again? I'm not buying it."

  With a gentle smile, "I know my sister is the smartest, these little tricks of mine can't be performed in front of my sister, but I still want to say, thank you so much to Father and Mother, if it wasn't for your careful upbringing, how could I have a husband who can shield me from the wind and rain, and a lovely and clever little sister-in-law?"

  Thousands of flatteries and hundreds of thousands of flatteries, but the horse's fart is not flattered. With a sincere expression, even if you know she has a flattering component, it's still very enjoyable.

  As expected, a faint smile appeared on Old Master Wang's usually stern face. "You're actually using the same tricks you use on Rong Xiu on me."

  The princess smiled lightly and said, "You child, your mouth is quite sweet."

  Li Ying also hummed: "Indeed, Father King, Mother Queen, you two elders married a daughter-in-law who was smeared with honey, hehe..."

  As if following the covering of her lips, she smiled naturally and shyly. "When I was young, my grandmother often taught me that my mouth should be sweet, so that I could have sugar to eat. And what I said is indeed true, compared to my several sisters, my wife should thank you two elders."

  The empress pointed at the old king and burst out laughing, "You hear, you see, our son's vision is really sharp, he actually found a daughter-in-law with such a sweet mouth, oh my goodness, my heart is melting away."

  Of course, the two old men were delighted, and what they had originally wanted to say was long gone.

  As if relieved, she wondered what she would do if the two elders really said those words - whether to continue pretending to be virtuous or refuse.

  Just as she was rejoicing in her good fortune, having just passed the test and not being forced to send her husband to the concubine's bed for a while, news came from the Yongning Marquis' manor that Guang County had died.

  ……

  That pale and thin young woman, though worried, still held the pride of being a Tianjia daughter, but ended up so miserably in her husband's family. Along with her was her child who was not yet three years old.

  Thinking of He's words, and thinking of Yun Ping'er's arrogance, I don't know whether to congratulate her or be angry for her. This poor woman, her mother-in-law is always trying to climb high branches and find connections, her husband doesn't love her, the concubine is eyeing her covetously, she was poisoned, and even implicated her child. Every day looking at her sickly child, I reckon Yun Ping'er's heart has been eaten away by worry.

  A proud woman like this, for the sake of revenge, forced herself to swallow the hatred in her heart, and only after arranging everything did she finally swallow her last breath.

  Afraid that his son would suffer even more after he left his mother, he ruthlessly gave his son an overdose of "Anshen Tang" before his death.

  Of course, these are just guesses by Qing himself. The real official version is that Ping'an County is so cruel that it even poisoned its own son.

  However, after the servants' cries and complaints around Kaian County, outsiders finally understood that Kaian County had killed his son for two reasons. Firstly, his son was physically weak and wouldn't have lived to adulthood anyway. Secondly, Yunshi's niece, Ping Niangniang, was cruel and vicious, not only treating the servants poorly but also often causing trouble in front of the county lord, even giving the county lady eye drops that made her ill, which was a major reason for her long illness. Furthermore, seeing Ping Niangniang's arrogance, Kaian County feared that after his death, his son would suffer at her hands, so he endured the pain and "took" his son with him as well.

  Among the various rumors, the most reliable one was that Ping's wife forced the county lord's mother and son to their deaths. Everyone was happy to spread this rumor. What reaction would Jiang Yuran have? How would Madam Jiang handle it? It was impossible to know.

  But as soon as a withered, proud and cold face appears in his mind, he has a premonition that the future days of Yongning Bo's mansion will not be too good.

  ……

  The cause of the feud between the Jiang and Fang families is well-remembered by those who recall it, and naturally the Fang family would not go to offer condolences.

  But the King's mansion is different, no matter what, it's a noble family, and they still have to save face. The queen also sent someone to offer condolences, and on the day of the funeral, she will definitely go to pay her respects.

  But as it happens, I'm torn about whether to go or not.

  Li Xue was already unhappy about what had happened between Jiang Yunran and him before, so he rolled his eyes and said: "What are you doing? As a new bride, you should be full of joy, why go and seek out bad luck?"

  The princess also felt that it was not suitable for him to go, but her words were more gentle than Li Xiu's. "This matter will be settled if I take the lead. You just take good care of the Wang Fu and that's all."

  It's just as I thought, and upon hearing this, he let out a sigh of relief.

  However, although Qing didn't go in person, the Jiang family's affairs were spread through various channels. After Ping Niangniang forced the mother and son of Kai'an County to death, it was followed by rumors that the Princess of Chengguo led her family members to knock on the door of Yongningbo's mansion, claiming to want back the dowry of Kai'an County.

  Mrs. Yongning Bo was furious, she thought back to when her daughter married into the Jiang family of Tai'an County, they had given away half of their family's property as dowry, now that her daughter and grandson were both dead, how could these people still have the nerve to come asking for the dowry?

  Yun said that returning the dowry was fine, but they must also return the betrothal gift that Jiang's family had given initially.

  The county king's wife was also a shrewd woman, and she argued with her based on reason. Since ancient times, when a married daughter died in her husband's home without any children, her natal family could reclaim the dowry. Her younger sister-in-law, a living person, had been married to the Jiang family for less than five years before she passed away suddenly. It was definitely because the Jiang family mistreated and bullied her, which led to her untimely death. Therefore, it was only right that she wanted to reclaim her sister's dowry, and even if it meant going to court, she wasn't afraid.

  The Yun family was not willing to return the dowry of Kai'an County, and since the fabric store went bankrupt, her husband had been idle at home. Although their son held a modest position in the Five Cities Military Command, he did not receive much salary. Every year, they received a substantial amount of silver and grain from the imperial court, but the large mansion required expenses for everything. In recent years, the social interactions of Yongning Bo's mansion had become increasingly burdensome, but the income was far from proportional. If she were to return her daughter-in-law's dowry, she would surely vomit blood.

  But the county princess was already fully prepared, and with three sentences that didn't match, she loudly said that the Jiang family's concubine had been driven to death by her younger sister-in-law, a concubine. If Yunshi refused to return the dowry, then go report it to the officials, let Magistrate Ma come and settle this case.

  Yun heard the report, her temper subsided, she knew that according to custom, if a daughter-in-law passed away and there were no children under her knees, the bride's family could ask for the return of the dowry. But although this was the custom, he had also spent a lot of betrothal gifts when marrying his daughter-in-law.

  "This county princess's mouth was also sharp, and she said: 'But my sister is dead, how can you explain it? Don't tell me that my sister's illness has nothing to do with your family. If it weren't for the Jiang family's concubine killing my wife, how would my sister have died young? Today, if you don't return the dowry to me, we'll meet in court.'"

  Yun was so confident in his status and upbringing, but he encountered such a shrewish woman, got angry to the point of dizziness, and finally had his pride provoked, agreeing to return the dowry for Kai'an County.

  However, Yún Shì agreed, but Yún Píng'ér disagreed. Her reason was also sufficient: "After marrying into the Jiāng family and giving birth to a child of the Jiāng family, even in death, she would be a ghost of the Jiāng family. Having already taken on the Jiāng family name, how could they possibly return the dowry?"

  The Marquis's wife suddenly sneered and slapped Yun Ping'er, "What are you? A concubine actually dares to come out and meddle in external affairs? Where did you learn such etiquette?" The last sentence was directed at Yun.

  "Earlier, my sister's maid and others all said that Jiang's family favored the concubine and bullied his wife, which eventually led to the death of my poor sister and nephew. I didn't believe it at first, thinking that Jiang's family was a decent household after all. But now, looking at you, this shameless and worthless thing, I have no choice but to believe it." The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and she slapped Yunping again, sneering repeatedly. "You cheap thing, since you're willing to be a concubine, you should behave yourself and not overstep your bounds. How dare you claim to be on equal terms with my sister? You drove my sister and nephew to their deaths, and now you even want to take possession of my sister's dowry? Is there anyone as shameless as you in this world? This is the first time I've encountered someone like you. Jiang's family indeed has good teachings!"

  Yun's anger was about to make her vomit blood. Recently, due to the rumors from outside, she had been extremely strict with Yun Ping'er. It seemed that the early death of Kai'an County was indeed related to Yun Ping'er. This time, seeing her recklessly standing up and interrupting, she was caught by Chengguo Wangfei's ridicule and sarcasm, which actually confirmed the rumors of Jiang's family favoring one wife over another. Even more infuriated, she slapped Yun Ping'er and scolded her out. Then, with eyes that were about to turn black from anger, she reluctantly agreed to return Kai'an County's dowry to Chengguo Wangfu.

  ……

  Thinking of Yun's accompaniment to his wife and the miserable green face he got, she couldn't help but laugh, but she didn't laugh for long.

  That day, while serving breakfast to her mother-in-law, she suddenly smelled the squid slices on the table and felt nauseous. She couldn't help but say to the maid who was serving the dishes: "This fish smells so bad, didn't the kitchen buy some bad ones again?"

  The princess suddenly stopped her chopsticks and looked at Ruqing.

  The girl was frightened and was about to explain when the imperial consort said: "Take this fish away, bring another dish in."

  She did as she was told, but when she took over the fresh squid slices, she still couldn't stand the smell and hastily covered her nose, taking a few steps back. The empress smiled knowingly and said, "You child, why do you react like this to fishy smells? Could it be that you're pregnant?" Then she ordered someone to call for the imperial physician.

  It's been three months since she married Li Xiao, but her monthly letter has never arrived, I guess she really is pregnant.

  As expected, the imperial physician came and took Ruyi's pulse. It was indeed a joyful pulse, and she was already two months pregnant. The old king and queen were overjoyed and immediately instructed Ruyi to take good care of herself. They also gave strict orders to the maids in Longxian Hall to serve her well.

  After everyone left, she lay in bed, still unable to react for half a day. She's not even 18 years old yet, and she's going to be a mother?

  ……

  That night, Li Xue returned and heard about this matter. He was so excited that he almost couldn't find his way north. In one swift step, he rushed in and stopped three steps away from Ruxin's side, staring at her belly with an incredulous expression.

  The usual reaction of the expectant father is quite varied, but Li Xiao's silly expression still makes him feel a bit pleased. However, seeing him staring at his own belly all the time also makes him feel that he has lost his majestic image as a king. He scolds with a smile: "How annoying, it's not like you've never been a father before, who are you putting on this silly act for?"

  Li Xue smiled foolishly, then withdrew his gaze and sat down beside his wife, one arm around her slender shoulders and the other hand on her belly, grinning from ear to ear. "What did the imperial physician say?"

  "It's been more than two months."

  The man's lips curled up, a proud look on his face. "Really? Oh my, that means she got pregnant before the new year..." Suddenly, he thought of something and changed to a terrified expression, "Last night, last night..."

  Thinking of last night's brutality, Qing also felt a lingering fear and couldn't help but punch his chest, scolding: "Don't mention last night, when have you ever been gentle?" She too felt that this body was quite resistant to tossing and turning.

  Li Xiao scratched his scalp and smiled foolishly, "Ignorance is bliss, after all. But I'll be more careful next time."

  Although he was supposed to be careful, that night Li Xiu couldn't help himself as he stroked his little wife's slightly chubby belly and the soft, smooth small white rabbit, and gradually lost control again, flipping over to prepare for a passionate encounter. His wife stopped him, "Don't be naughty, hold back a bit." Although the imperial physician said she was healthy, they still needed to be careful for the next few months. This guy would get completely carried away when he got started, and his wife was actually a little scared.

  Li Xiao said: "I'll be gentle, don't worry, I won't hurt you."

  Struggling in vain, thinking that the previous turmoil was fine, believing that being more careful in the future would also be okay. So she half-heartedly accepted his invitation.

  On the second day, as she found out that her aunts who came to visit her were all very happy and kept congratulating her with words of blessings, their sincere tone seemed to be genuinely happy for her.

  At first, I didn't understand what was going on, but when the mistress got pregnant, they were overjoyed.

  "Alas, my foolish princess," sighed Lady Zhou, shaking her head. "By convention, once the mistress is with child, she can no longer share a bed with men. At this time, the mistress must be virtuous and either find a concubine for the young master or let him go to the concubine's quarters... Princess, for the sake of your reputation, you should arrange for several ladies-in-waiting." Lady Zhou gazed at the princess's face, which was gradually losing its smile, and said softly, "As long as you give birth to a legitimate son, even if the other ladies-in-waiting are favored, they won't be able to surpass you. Princess, you should take a longer view... Given the prince's status... If he doesn't distribute his favors equally, outsiders will criticize you for being jealous."

  As if lost in thought, her hands unconsciously twisted the handkerchief together.

  Zhou's mother saw the situation and sighed secretly, then further persuaded: "The original imperial concubine was originally a careless person, and she is also the distant niece of the empress dowager. The queen must not be lenient with her. Continue to keep her under house arrest for three to five years, and all her temper will be gone, making it easy to control her. Xiang Niang has no children, and she doesn't take good care of herself, so she can't maintain her favor. Hua Niang, Shun Niang, and Mei Niang have already lost their favor, so there's no need to worry about them. Only Yu Niang is a cunning one, the queen must be careful with her. The queen cannot serve the king now, this Yu Niang will definitely take her place. To prevent her from becoming too powerful, the queen still needs to think of ways to deal with her."

  As if by instinct, she asked what method to use. Zhou Mama lowered her voice again, "Among the king's concubines, Lan Yin Shu and Pin Lan Pin He are all quite pretty, the king has given them a nod of approval and promoted them as imperial consorts."

  Generally, the main wife, in order to show her virtue, will proactively find a concubine or take on a new wife after becoming pregnant herself. Most main wives, in order to simplify things, will promote one of their own maidservants to become a secondary wife, firstly because they know each other's backgrounds and secondly because they have control over the maid, so there is no fear that she will rebel.

  In the group of maidservants, Pinlan and Pinhe were the most outstanding in terms of beauty and talent. Next to them were Lanyin and Shishu. However, Pinlan and Pinhe were given by Mistress Li, and their contracts were not in her own hands, nor were they her trusted confidantes. Lanyin and Shishu could be considered half-trusted, but if they were really promoted to the position of concubine, with their mediocre talent, they would not be favored for long. Moreover, even if a trusted maidservant was promoted to concubine, no matter how deep the master-servant relationship was, who could guarantee that she would not harbor second thoughts?

  Ru Qing shook her head, "Lan Yin has been serving me for many years, although she doesn't have any outstanding qualities, she has been loyal to me all these years. I won't break ties with her because of this matter."

  Mother Zhou thought for a moment and suggested, "Then let's raise Pinlan and Pinhe. Anyway, they're not by your side since childhood, so if there's any mistake in the future, just blame them."

  Ru Qing shook her head again, "These two girls are already restless, if they were really to be made into concubines, wouldn't it be even more chaotic?"

  Zhou Mama sneered, "What's there to be afraid of? Once the prince goes into their room, the princess will give them a bowl of cleansing broth to drink under her supervision. If necessary, I'll personally take action and guarantee they'll behave themselves."

  It's still not very pleasant for her, why should she push her own man away just because of kindness?

  Mother Zhou continued to educate and persuade her, saying that a virtuous woman should be wise and capable, as it has been since ancient times when the lady of the house did things this way. She couldn't just tie a man down by her side, or people would gossip.

  As soon as the words were spoken, she felt annoyed and her face turned gloomy. Seeing this, Mother Zhou, considering her physical condition, did not dare to say more and only advised a couple of sentences before leaving.

  Lying on the couch, covered with a thick velvet quilt, looking at the whole piece of glass window frame, the craftsmanship of the Daqing dynasty was already very advanced, and the whole piece of glass could be manufactured, but it had not yet been popularized among the people, only the imperial palace could use large pieces, and the glass mirrors and glass windows in the prince's mansion were also visible everywhere, making the house even brighter.

  Everyone envies her current glory and honor as a queen, but these luxuries are built on her humiliation and endurance.

  ……

  That day, as usual, she went to the imperial concubine's place to pay her respects. The imperial concubine said: "Now that you're finally pregnant, you can dispense with the morning and evening greetings. Take good care of yourself and try to give birth to a big fat grandson for the old king."

  She then instructed Ruo Xian on some matters related to her pregnancy, and rewarded her with many precious supplements. She also admonished Ruo Xian on the virtues of being a wife and mother, telling her to be wise and magnanimous. "You are already the official consort of Xiao Er, regardless of whether you have children or not, you are the mistress of the Wang estate. You should broaden your horizons. Those concubines may not be able to match up to you, but they can still share some burdens with you. You should also let go and focus on having a safe pregnancy, don't worry about competing with them for now, lest you harm the child in your womb."

  After returning, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was off. It seemed that Taifei was comforting her, now that she was pregnant, she couldn't go on like this anymore, and she also couldn't keep holding onto men without letting go. She had to let Li Xiu go to the concubine's quarters.

  In ancient times, people had very old-fashioned ideas. When a wife became pregnant, she was not allowed to have sex with her husband again until after childbirth and the postpartum confinement period ended. Otherwise, it would be considered unlucky. At this time, more open-minded women would either actively find their husbands concubines or let their maids serve them.

  She felt very resentful about this, but she didn't have the courage to refuse the princess, so she was depressed and downcast, even after returning home, she was listless and ate very little lunch.

  Chen Xiang couldn't help but worry, and he went to find Zhou Mama. Zhou Mama comforted him warmly, "Is the princess having a miscarriage?"

  He paused for a moment and said, "I'm not quite sure either, maybe it is."

  "Queen, don't worry," said Aunt Zhou with a smile. "The imperial physician has said that your body is strong and there won't be any major issues. You just need to take good care of yourself and you'll be fine. If you really can't eat, then have some snacks, but you can't not eat at all, it's not good for the fetus."

  Ru Qing suddenly asked: "Aunt Zhou, after Mrs. Li got pregnant back then, did Father stop sleeping with her?"

  Zhou's mother was stunned for a moment, and finally understood Ruxue's thoughts. She couldn't help but say: "So the princess is worried about this, huh? Cough cough, what's most important for a woman is being virtuous and gentle. Princess, put your mind at ease, there's nothing to worry about. Even if the prince really goes to the concubine's quarters, they won't be able to turn things around. The princess can rest easy, as long as the empress dowager is here. Besides, considering the prince's temperament, another Zhang Niang will not appear."

  Although Yu Qing shook her head, Zhou Mama still didn't understand what she meant. But... Alas, it's true that one can't keep him tied to their side forever. As Li Xiao's identity, it's indeed impossible to spend a lifetime with him by her side.

  That night, Li Xue returned home and suddenly felt that something was wrong. In the past, his wife would personally come out to greet him when he came back, help him take off his clothes, and sit down with him to eat dinner. But tonight, his wife seemed to be too lazy to do so, leaning silently on the kang without saying a word. At first, he thought that pregnant women were often like this, but after he took a bath and came out, she still looked unhappy, and he couldn't help asking: "What's wrong? Is there something that's making you unhappy?"

  Li Xiu had heard the imperial physician say that pregnant women would have emotional ups and downs, so he should be careful in his actions. He didn't believe it at first, but now he finally felt it.

  She stared at him for a while, the man had clear and bright eyebrows, a pair of handsome sword-shaped eyebrows, his facial features were still good, but compared to her two brothers at home, he was slightly inferior. However, after looking for a long time, she got used to it and thought he was quite handsome too. At this moment, he raised an eyebrow, looking worried, she opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything, just shook her head, "Nothing, I'm just not feeling very comfortable."

  Li Xian hastily sent someone to call the imperial physician, as she originally wanted to say that her body was very good, but thinking again, aunties usually use the child's fetal movement being unstable to tie down men, why can't she do it? So the words that were about to come out of her throat were swallowed back.

  The imperial physician arrived soon, and Ruqing carefully felt her pulse for a while. Since she was not ill, Ruqing simply told the doctor that she had a headache. The doctor didn't believe that he could diagnose her problem just by feeling her pulse, as the structure of the head is complex.

  The imperial physicians in the palace were all old foxes, and they didn't say anything clear about the tricks of the women in the inner chambers, but they also understood very well. They just prescribed some mild Chinese medicine to nourish the fetus and calm the mind, as well as clear heat and detoxify. However, when asked by Li Xiang, they seemed to be evasive and said some grandiose words, which made Li Xiang worried. After sending the physician away, he rushed to Ruxue's bedside, held her hand, and gently stroked her forehead, "Be good, just bear it a little longer, after taking the medicine brewed by the servants, you'll be fine."

  As soon as she heard that she had to take medicine, she regretted it repeatedly, but her mouth said: "I'm fine, don't worry too much." She got up and said, "It's just a bit stuffy, probably all pregnant women are like this, don't think I'm too weak either."

  In Li Xiao's eyes, his little wife could run and jump, and even fight off horse thieves, knocking down two with one breath. Since their marriage, she had always been lively and energetic, and he had grown accustomed to her spirited and radiant personality. Now, suddenly seeing her frail and ill, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

  Li Xiu gently laid Ruxin down, seeing her obediently lying on her side, the large red brocade quilt covering up to her chin, only revealing a pale face, under the bright light of the morning pearl, she looked even more delicate and lovely, especially with a pair of big eyes flashing with some resentment. Li Xiu's heart almost melted, he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her cheek.

  Finally, after being forced to drink the bitter medicine, Yu Ru's face was still bitter. He wanted to pretend to be weak, but unexpectedly Li Xiao said: "The imperial physician has prescribed three days of medicine this time, remember to finish it all tomorrow." Yu Ru didn't dare to pretend to be ill anymore and directly said that the imperial physician's medical skills were excellent, and after taking the medicine, his headache was really gone.

  Li Xiu saw that she seemed to have really come back to life, and finally put down a worry, after lying down, he told Ruqing about the interesting things in the military camp, and directly made Ruqing laugh uncontrollably. Especially when Li Xiu said that the deputy general was over 40 years old this year and had just been promoted, but his wife had passed away due to illness, and now he is looking for a matchmaker everywhere to talk about marriage. Ruqing then said: "The fourth great joy in life, promotion, wealth, death of an old woman, hmm, that deputy general really has good luck."

  Li Xijie was silent for a moment, and finally understood what it meant, but didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

  Li Xiao also mentioned that the current Datong Sanbing Zong Yu Fu Jiangjun is 36 years old this year, and his wife is six years older than him. She doesn't look good either, but she controls General Fu very strictly. Then he asked Li Qing, "Can you guess why?"

  "As if reading her lips, 'If this Madame Fu is not a fierce wife from the east of the river, then General Fu must be henpecked.'"

  Li Ximu's face twitched, and he couldn't help but tremble at the corners of his mouth. He ignored his wife's sarcastic remarks and explained: "This Fu Shixiong has been plagued by disasters since childhood. Later, a fortune teller was invited to calculate his fate, suggesting that marrying a woman with a birthdate matching the 'Geng' element might dispel some of the evil aura surrounding him. Then, Fu's mother searched high and low, eventually finding this Mrs. Fu, whose father ran a martial arts school. Her martial arts skills were quite impressive, and it was she who personally taught Fu Shixiong half of his current abilities."

  She let out a long "oh" and couldn't help but laugh: "You can fight with your wife, you can beat up thugs, it turns out that fists are the way to go." With such an overbearing wife, and her fists being even harder than his own, who would dare to make a move? Even if he could properly take on a concubine, those concubines would probably not dare to climb into General Fu's bed once they heard about Madame Fu's reputation.

  Then, as if he had thought of something, he swung his thin arm and muttered to himself: "If I had known that fists could solve all troubles, I would have made Madam Fu my teacher long ago."

  Li Xiang couldn't help it and laughed until his stomach hurt, teasing his little wife, "Do you think this method will work?"

  "Of course I'd be okay with that. If anyone dares to seduce my man, I'll beat her up until she's a pig head. See if she still dares to have ideas about my man."

  Li Xī suppressed a smile and said seriously, "Mm, your method is not bad." Then he paused for a moment and asked again: "May I ask, madam, if I go to the concubine's room, how will you handle it?"

  She said with a huff: "If you dare to go, I'll divorce you immediately and remarry with the child in my belly." But after a while, she pitifully said: "If you go to them, I will definitely be unhappy and feel terrible. Can't you not go, King? Just accompany me, okay?"

  "Pitiful tone, coupled with a wronged expression, Li Xiao softened his eyes and lightly scolded: 'Foolish, what nonsense are you spouting? Of course I'll be by your side.'"

  ……

  Digression

  Even if you have the skills to manage your husband, you still need to follow his lead, right? Anyway, these two days men's complaints are quite big, oh dear, I have to go and comfort him. Don't let it become a double shift, my energy is really limited, don't make me die before becoming a rich lady, that would be miserable.