strictlysupreme Chapter 237 Extra 3
Chapter 237 Extra 3
Time flies, and several years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Fang Hengsheng became the Minister of Personnel, one of the emperor's most trusted advisors. His status rose rapidly, making him a popular choice for marriage alliances among many noble families.
Although he had two children and had once been in love with Princess Yulin, his status, appearance, and demeanor still deeply attracted a large group of young women.
The threshold of the Marquis of Zhongxin's residence was worn out from being walked on so many times.
Mrs. Ying was incredibly excited and proud. Now, with thousands of suitors vying for her son's hand in marriage, she no longer had to worry about him not finding a good wife!
"Heng'er, Yunduo and Rufeng are not young anymore. Shouldn't you get married soon? You're getting on in years and have been single for so many years without even a maidservant. This can't go on. You should get married quickly!"
Fang Heng: "Waiting two more years is fine." Let's wait two more years, until Ru Feng and Yun Duo are a little bigger and have the ability to protect themselves, then we'll talk about it.
Now, Yun Duo and Ru Feng practice martial arts with Shangguan Yi and Yu Han every day, and have become Shen Laihui's disciples. The children of Prime Minister Cai also practice martial arts together. Over the years, Yun Duo and Ru Feng have become much healthier and have some ability to protect themselves.
Madam Ying couldn't help but sigh: "You're just too stubborn. You've suffered so much for the sake of the two children. Actually, I don't think there's a big problem. The children spend most of their time studying at Wuliping Academy. They can only come back once or twice a month. What's the big deal?"
Fang Heng shook his head again: "Having a stepmother and not having a stepmother make a world of difference for children. With a stepmother, they'll live in constant fear, afraid that she'll suddenly appear and harm them. Without a stepmother, they can live carefree and relaxed lives. This is beneficial for their healthy physical and mental development!"
Madam Ying grew anxious: "I don't care! If you refuse to marry, then take a concubine! No, two concubines! Yun Duo and Ru Feng are at the academy most of the time and rarely come home. I don't even have any grandchildren. If you take two concubines and have a few more children, I won't force you to marry for the rest of your life!"
Fang Heng thought for a moment and finally nodded: "Taking concubines is not an option. At most, I can take two maids as concubines, but I don't like illegitimate sons and daughters." The reason he wanted to keep two was because if there was only one, she would inevitably become spoiled and do something vicious.
Seeing that her son had loosened his grip, Madam Ying said happily, "That's fine. If you don't like your illegitimate sons and daughters, I'll give them a medicine beforehand. This medicine will keep them from having children for a year!"
Although she was a little disappointed that her son didn't want any illegitimate children, he finally decided to stop torturing himself and agreed to take two maids as concubines. She should be happy about that.
Upon hearing that Fang Heng had taken two maids as concubines, Zisu couldn't help but sigh. She couldn't help but wonder to herself: if she had married Fang Heng, would he have taken Fang's maids as concubines?
Seeing that her son would sleep in the rooms of the two maids for two or three days each month, Madam Ying felt very comforted. She found an opportunity to say to her son, "Isn't this good? When I told Princess Yulin that you should take a concubine or two maids before you marry her, she actually turned against me."
And you, you actually strongly resist taking concubines and maids? What's the point? A grown man works so hard outside every day, and when he comes home at night, he doesn't even have a maid to care for him and keep him warm in bed. What kind of nonsense is this?!
Fang Heng couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Mother, if I am to marry Princess Yulin in the future, then no matter how many years I have to wait for her, I will not take a concubine or a maidservant. Because I love her and can't bear to see her sad and heartbroken. Now, there is absolutely no hope between us, so there is no need for me to remain chaste! Unless one day I meet a good woman worthy of my sincere devotion, then I will be willing to remain chaste for her!"
Upon hearing her son's words, Madam Ying was dumbfounded.
So that's what her son was thinking. If she had known this beforehand, why would she have gone to Wuliping and said all that nonsense to Zisu? If she hadn't made that scene, wouldn't Zisu be her son's wife? In the end, it was all her fault that she harmed her son, and perhaps also Yunduo and Rufeng.
You see, given Princess Yulin's personality and character, if she had married Heng'er, she would definitely have treated Yun Duo and Ru Feng well, and would never have been a wicked stepmother. Unfortunately, she realized this too late. If she had come to this realization earlier, her son wouldn't have had to remain a bachelor for so many years.
Judging from her son's words, he doesn't plan to get married if he doesn't meet a woman similar to Princess Yulin in this lifetime! Otherwise, he wouldn't have so readily accepted two maids as concubines. If he planned to get married soon, why would he do this? In the end, it's all her fault for harming her son. Princess Yulin is such a good person, yet she personally pushed her far away.
Fang Heng solemnly said to Ying Shi, "Mother, I've stopped thinking about having children. I have Ru Feng and Yun Duo, and I feel that's enough for this life! Anyway, I absolutely will not have any illegitimate children. Please keep a close eye on them for me. If the maids in the concubines' quarters give birth to children, they will surely become greedy and cause a lot of trouble."
If things go wrong, it could bring immense disaster to Yunduo and Rufeng! On this point, I hope Mother won't be confused and will be firm in her stance. Yunduo and Rufeng are both excellent students, ranking among the top in Wuliping Academy. If we nurture these two children well, the Fang family will surely prosper in the future!
At this moment, he had made up his mind that he would not take a second wife before Yun Duo and Ru Feng got married. He knew his own limitations; he had missed his chance with Princess Yulin back then, and he was not so presumptuous as to think that he could meet another woman as pure and kind as Princess Yulin.
With the arrival of summer, Zisu and Prince Duan took their entire family to Wuliping to escape the heat. Xiaoshitan, with its mild climate year-round, was a perfect summer retreat. Shangguan Mufeng and Madam Yu also went to Xiaoshitan with their two young children.
Yu Han has already achieved the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) and will take the Jinshi (a higher-level imperial examination) next year. Shangguan Yi has also passed the Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) and will take the Juren exam next year. The three children of the Cai family have also passed the Xiucai exam and are preparing to take the Juren exam with Shangguan Yi.
Fang Heng's son, Ru Feng, is already a junior scholar and will take the provincial examination next year along with Shangguan Yi. Moreover, these children all plan to take the civil and military provincial examinations simultaneously, aspiring to become dual-degree holders.
Shangguan Yi and Yu Han were both very happy to see Zisu.
As they grew older, their admiration and respect for this older sister deepened and became more sincere. This older sister was truly remarkable; she was knowledgeable in everything from astronomy to geography, and she was also stronger than others at giving birth.
Twins, especially boy-girl twins, are very rare. However, this older sister gave birth to two sets of boy-girl twins in a row. As a result, she became even more famous and attracted worldwide attention.
In particular, their elder sister Zisu gave birth to an extremely intelligent daughter, Jin'er.
Jin'er was overjoyed to see her uncle, Shangguan Yi.
"Uncle, I'm all grown up now, I'm five years old. Take me to the mountains to pick wild fruits tomorrow! Jin'er has always wanted to go to the mountains to play, but she has always been ruthlessly rejected, with the excuse that she is too young and there are many dangers in the mountains."
Finally, she turned five.
At five years old, she had already learned martial arts and could easily go into the mountains. You see, although she looked like a five-year-old, she actually possessed the soul of an adult.
Shangguan Yi refused without hesitation: "No, you're only five years old. Let's talk about it when you're ten! How can you go to the mountains at such a young age?" If something happens, how will he explain it to his older sister?
Little Jin'er said with a worried expression: "Uncle, I'm not an ordinary child. I'm so smart and cute that it won't matter if I go to the mountains alone. Anyway, I'm not going to the deep mountains. I'll just pick wildflowers and wild fruits in the mountains near the academy."
Zisu smiled and said to her younger brother, "Take her with you, just don't go deep into the mountains. Bring her a sachet to repel mosquitoes and snakes, and make sure she changes into sportswear!"
The sportswear was inspired by something Zisu saw in her dream, and she had the maids sew it for her. It's very convenient for both hiking and horseback riding.
"Oh my, Mommy is so cute!" Jin'er couldn't help but cheer.
Hua'er also shouted, "I want to go too!"
Little Jin'er patted her brother and said, "You're still too young. Wait until you're ten!"
Hua'er couldn't help but get angry: "I'm still young? I'm clearly your older brother. If I'm young, then aren't you even younger?!"
Zisu said to her son, "Good boy, Mother will take you to the sightseeing park, it's much better than the mountains!"
Hua'er said angrily, "I'm not going! I want to go to the mountains!"
Zisu whispered helplessly to her son, "Silly child, there are many fruit trees in the sightseeing park, and they are all ripe now. There are also endless sunflowers. It's so much fun! What's in the mountains? Although there are wild fruits, there are also a lot of poisonous snakes and mosquitoes! Your sister has been practicing martial arts since she was little. If she encounters danger, she can use her lightness skill to escape."
Hua'er, though reluctant, could only nod and say, "Alright, in that case, I'll go to the amusement park with Mother!"
Jin'er possesses exceptional talent in martial arts, especially in cultivating lightness skills, where she is practically a prodigy. Therefore, from the age of three, Prince Duan personally taught her martial arts. After two years, her martial arts prowess was quite high, especially in lightness skills, where she could be considered a master. Hua'er, on the other hand, lacks martial arts talent. Although she has practiced, she hasn't made much progress, and currently can only barely defeat two children of similar age.
Little Jin'er, dressed in her specially made sportswear, carrying a small basket on her back and holding a small crossbow in her hand, followed behind Shangguan Yi, Yu Han, Ru Feng, and the three young masters of the Xie family into the mountains.
Of course, Shen Laihui and Xia Tian would definitely need to provide close protection.
With these two experts around, Zisu and Prince Duan had no worries. They watched Xiao Jin'er walk up the mountain path, and then the two of them took Hua'er and the two younger children to the sightseeing park. Shangguan Mufeng and Madam Yu also followed closely behind with their two young children.
Shangguan Yi held Jin'er's small hand tightly, never leaving her side, his face full of worry. Yu Han stood on Jin'er's other side, highly vigilant.
Jin'er was a little amused and exasperated. She pouted and said, "Uncle, I already told you, I'm all grown up now. I can walk by myself. There's no need to be so nervous!"
Shangguan Yi: "No, how can this be? You're only five years old. Logically speaking, you absolutely shouldn't come up the mountain!"
Jin'er: "Why not? Even five-year-old children from poor families go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and gather firewood. I'm just here to play, what's the big deal!"
Shangguan Yi's eyes widened in surprise: "How do you know this?" It seems this is the first time this child has been to Wuliping, right? How did she know something like this?
Jin'er: "I read it in a book! It was something I read in a novel in my past life. In the novel, children from poor families had to do everything when they were five years old."
Shangguan Yi: "From which book did you see that?"
Jin'er: "It's a storybook that Mother made herself!"
Shangguan Yi: "Oh, I see." However, he had never actually read this kind of book before. Perhaps it was a new storybook his eldest sister had recently created!