Outside the study, the respectful voice of the old housekeeper was like a basin of cold water, dousing the restlessness in Zhu Yi's heart at this moment.
As the saying goes, suffering makes people grow.
During this period of time, Zhu Yi was forced to transform from an "ordinary" child of an aristocratic family into a person responsible for all the affairs of the government. He was already hard-working enough.
What's more, now, he needs to constantly reflect on and deduce various situations, be cautious in everything, and even dare not disclose many things to the people closest to him.
This kind of life was not easy, so during this period, Zhu Yi couldn't sleep almost day and night. His wife, Mrs. Hu, felt sorry for him, so she often made calming soup and sent it to him.
After letting out a long breath, Zhu Yi returned to the chair, sat down, and gave instructions.
"come in."
Then, the door was gently pushed open, and the old housekeeper walked in with two maids.
Looking at the soothing soup in front of her that was just warm enough to be eaten, Zhu Yi pondered for a moment, picked it up and drank it in one gulp, and then said.
"Go back and tell Madam that I still have some things to deal with today, and it will take a while so that Madam doesn't have to wait for me."
Seeing this situation, the old housekeeper hesitated for a moment and looked at the maid aside, then the maid who came over with the soothing soup said.
"Back to the young master, my wife said that if the young master has anything to do, just deal with it. She will wait in the room for the young master to go back to his room to rest."
This made Zhu Yi feel a little surprised. He had a good relationship with Mr. Hu and knew the character of this lady. Although she was the apple of Hu's eye and had been pampered since she was a child, she had a general understanding of her personality.
She has a little temper, but she has never been willful since the incident in the Chengguo Palace. What happened today...
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Yi looked at the memorial in his hand, then at the empty porcelain bowl in front of him, then simply stood up and said...
"Okay, since Madam said so, it doesn't hurt to deal with these matters tomorrow."
After saying that, Zhu Yi got up and left the study, heading towards the bedroom in the inner courtyard.
It should be said that it was indeed getting late at this time, but when Zhu Yi returned to the bedroom, Mrs. Hu was still sitting in the room waiting.
"My husband is back!"
Since it was already night, Mrs. Hu was wearing a light silk robe, had taken off her hairpin ring and makeup, and was waiting in the room.
When she saw Zhu Yi coming back, she greeted him and directed several maids to undress Zhu Yi.
Looking at Mrs. Hu who was busy going around, Zhu Yi clearly felt that she was different from usual, and there was a look of joy in her eyebrows and eyes.
Under the service of the maid, Zhu Yi also changed into a comfortable wide robe, then took Hu's hand and sat down beside the couch, and asked.
"Madam, what's going on today?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Hu seemed to feel that she was a little too excited. A bright red flashed across her face, and she was a little embarrassed and said.
"Husband, I felt a little uncomfortable today, so I invited the doctor to come and take a look. Later, the doctor said that I am... pregnant."
"real?"
Zhu Yi's eyes also lit up and she almost stood up from the couch.
The Chengguo Duke's family has a strict family tradition. Although Zhu Yi came from a noble family, he was married to an important minister in the court. Therefore, up to now, Zhu Yi has never taken a concubine. In the inner court, there is only one official wife, Mrs. Hu.
Of course, this was also the Hu family's own ambition. In the second year after her marriage, she gave birth to Zhu Yi's eldest son, Zhu Fu. Two years later, she got another daughter.
Although Zhu Yi did not take any concubines, in just three years, Zhu Yi already had a son and a daughter.
However, after that, in the past few years, Hu's stomach has been quiet. Although there is no need to worry, for a noble family like Chengguo Gongfu, the more prosperous the heirs are, the better.
Mrs. Hu was obviously very happy too. She gently placed her hand on her lower abdomen, nodded with a gentle expression and said.
"Really, the doctor said that it has been two months. I was afraid that the diagnosis was wrong, so I asked the housekeeper to go and invite another person back in the afternoon. He also said that he had a positive pulse."
"Okay, okay, God really bless my Zhu family!"
Zhu Yi breathed out softly, a smile appeared on his face. Looking at his wife's gentle face, he suddenly realized that his worries just now were actually unnecessary.
In the current situation, the old father-in-law may have guessed his true position, and he can also vaguely sense what he is doing.
But, so what?
Thinking about it carefully, one of the reasons why Zhu Yi was anxious and panicked just now was because he suddenly discovered that his deepest secret had been discovered, and he had doubts about himself. He subconsciously thought that Hu Xi could guess it, so had the news been leaked? Yes, will others already know about it?
As for the second one, he was worried about what Hu Xi would do after he found out about this matter. After all, until now, Zhu Yi did not dare to say that he knew enough about his father-in-law.
However, now that he has calmed down, Zhu Yi feels that the idea he just had just cannot withstand scrutiny.
The first is whether others will guess his position like Hu Hui. Of course, it is unlikely.
It's not that there isn't anyone as smart as Hu Hui in the imperial court, but that after Zhu Yi came out of the palace that day, his true thoughts and situation at that time were only told to Hu Hui.
With the cautious character of the old father-in-law, it is unlikely that this matter will be leaked out.
After understanding this point, Zhu Yi was already determined. Because this point was clear, the second point was easily solved.
Seeing Mrs. Hu caressing her belly carefully, Zhu Yi suddenly remembered what Zhu Yong said when he decided to propose marriage to the Hu family on his behalf.
"...This daughter of the Hu family is a good match, but more importantly, when you marry Yueniang, you take advantage of this eldest uncle. Hehe, this old guy has been slipping around in the court for so many years, and everyone can take advantage of him. There is no way, but who would have thought that I would end up with such a daughter in my old age."
"Yi'er, you believe in my father's vision. This old guy will never cheat anyone else, but he will never cheat his own daughter..."
As soon as he thought about this, Zhu Yi couldn't help but feel a trace of sadness in his eyes.
Although his father was strict with him since he was a child, he also treated him very well. Now that Zhu Yi has shouldered the heavy burden of the Chengguo Palace, he can feel the difficulty of his father more and more.
A long time ago, Zhu Yi had wondered why his father wanted to be close to these civil servants even though he was from a noble family. He treated even the fifth and sixth grade officials with courtesy.
But now, when Chengguo's palace was really in trouble, he realized how useful the good fortune and connections left by his father were.
It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for his father's favor back then, the title of Duke Cheng would have been lost long ago.
"Husband, are you unhappy?"
Hu's muffled voice woke Zhu Yi out of her emotion.
He looked up and saw Mrs. Hu pouting, looking rather dissatisfied.
Zhu Yi hurriedly shook her head, sighed and said.
"No, why would I be unhappy? I just remembered that when I first married you, my father said that you would be a good candidate to become the mistress of the Duke's palace because you have an IKEA room."
"Now we have two children, you are pregnant now, and we are about to have a third child, but my father... can't see such a scene full of children and grandchildren..."
Feeling her husband's depression, Mrs. Hu's little emotion was immediately forgotten.
Seeing her husband's somewhat sentimental look, Mrs. Hu felt heartbroken. After thinking about it, she stood up and hugged Zhu Yi's head, placed it against her belly, and said softly.
"Husband, don't worry, everything will get better..."
Through the silk robe, Zhu Yi felt the slight stirring in her ears, as if she could feel the breath of new life gestating in it.
As a result, his heart gradually calmed down and his eyes became gentle and firm.