No one knew whether the regent's grand wedding had emptied the state treasury, but when the queen wanted to build a princess mansion for Tong Qianqiao, she found herself in a bit of a dilemma.
If they were to build a simple princess mansion, it would surely not satisfy the queen, who always strived for perfection in everything. Fortunately, Tong Qianqiao was still young, so it was okay to postpone the construction for a while.
So Tong Qianqiao temporarily lived in the palace.
The male master of the palace, the emperor, was in poor health, and the eldest prince was still young. The only person she needed to avoid was the regent.
But Shen Yuning wasn't a person who cared much about taboos. Although they lived in the same palace, the palace was vast, divided into the east, west, south, and north. The Yuming Hall was in the east, while Tong Qianqiao lived in the west, with the central palace where the emperor and the queen lived in between.
The queen was a considerate person. Since she had invited Tong Qianqiao to live in the palace, she must have thought everything through. How could she let Tong Qianqiao's reputation be tarnished?
After the New Year, Shen Yuning was already five months pregnant. Besides her duties, she would occasionally invite Xue Yuxin and go to stay at the Xue family's for a few days.
Yin Zidu was quite annoyed by Shen Yuning's behavior. However, every time he saw her, he couldn't bring himself to scold her. Instead, he hugged his beloved wife and coaxed her, "You're holding the emperor to order the princes. You always act first and then report later. Do you think I can't do anything to you?"
It wasn't that Shen Yuning deliberately hid her trips from him. It was just that he watched her too closely. He even wished he could move into the Xue family's with her.
Shen Yuning forced a smile and stroked his hair, coaxing him, "You're so busy with state affairs but still worry about me all the time. That's not good. When I go to the Xue family's, my mother and sister - in - law can take care of me. You won't have to worry about me."
Yin Zidu glared at her. Since she got pregnant, considering her condition, he didn't dare to be too willful in their intimate life. He had been holding back for so long and could only hug and kiss her to satisfy his cravings.
Now, hearing her sophistry, he really wanted to push her onto the bed. But he endured it. After kissing her on the lips again and again to get a little satisfaction, he snorted, "When other men get married, their wives take care of all the personal affairs. Look at you. You don't even help me with anything, and I can't even see you for days on end. Did you marry me but don't want to take responsibility?"
Shen Yuning burst into laughter, "When you married me, you promised me that you wouldn't make me a woman who never left the inner chambers. Now, are you going back on your word?"
Yin Zidu felt like he had shot himself in the foot. He didn't think a few kisses could resolve the matter. Immediately, he reached into her clothes.
Shen Yuning quickly grabbed his hand and scolded, "Don't be so reckless. The imperial doctor said that it's not allowed during pregnancy..."
Yin Zidu carried her to the bed. Unlike before, he was very careful as he restrained her hands. While undressing, he said with red - rimmed eyes, "The imperial doctor also said that after five or six months, the fetus is stable. As long as we're not too rough, it's okay. Yuning, I only had you for two months before you were found to be pregnant, and I've endured for so long. You're really heartless."
Shen Yuning was so lost in his kisses that she couldn't dodge. Moreover, considering her pregnancy, she didn't dare to move around.
"Xuanzhi, Xuanzhi, please let me go. I'll tell you in advance next time I go to the Xue family's. Okay?"
But her pleading look only made Yin Zidu even more unbearable. Suppressing his desire, he managed to relieve himself hastily and then carried her into the bathroom.
Shen Yuning was afraid that if they bathed together, he would get aroused again. She quickly begged for mercy, saying that she could go by herself.
Yin Zidu felt that it wasn't enough. He insisted on going to the bathroom with her and even wanted to take a bath in the same tub.
Shen Yuning couldn't push him away, so she pretended to be angry and turned her head away, ignoring him.
Yin Zidu found it funny and hugged her, asking, "Do you dislike me so much? But once you married me, you'll be mine for the rest of your life."
When Shen Yuning was angry, she would say anything. She snorted, "That's not necessarily true. Who said that once I marry you, I'll be yours forever? According to the laws of the Great Zhou, women can get divorced and remarry."
Yin Zidu was angry. He pinched her chin and his face darkened, "Do you really want to leave me so much? I'm telling you, as long as I'm alive, you'll never get divorced. If you want to remarry, it's only possible after I'm dead."
Shen Yuning couldn't bear to hear him say the word "dead". She was both angry and anxious. She punched him on the body and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're the regent. You'll surely live a long, long life."
Yin Zidu then laughed and hugged her tighter, "Yes, I'll live a long life. You're my wife, so you have to live a long life with me, okay?"
Shen Yuning rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.
Seeing this, Yin Zidu laughed again, "But you ignore me every day. You always leave me alone and go to the Xue family's. You don't even care if I'm lonely, sad, or cold at night. The bed is so cold without you. It's really hard for me."
Shen Yuning rolled her eyes at him again, "The floor - heating in the Yuming Hall will be on until March. It's so warm. How can you still feel cold? If you're still cold, should I find a maid or eunuch for you to warm the bed first so that you won't be cold?"
Seeing her constantly rejecting him, Yin Zidu frowned. He thought that maybe this elder sister of his had married him in a daze and didn't really understand what love was.
He let go of her and said sulkily, "That's not bad. I don't need a eunuch. You can find a pretty maid for me. She doesn't need to warm the bed. The bed will get cold again in the middle of the night. Just let her lie with me to keep me warm."
He had just said it out of anger, but he didn't expect that after hearing this, Shen Yuning was stunned for a while. Without saying a word, she climbed out of the bathtub. While wiping her tears, she put on her clothes.
Yin Zidu was shocked. He quickly got up and called out several times, "Yuning, Yuning..."
But Shen Yuning completely ignored him. After putting on her clothes, she didn't even wrap up her hair. She let the water drip onto her clothes, soaking them all. She didn't care and was about to go out.
It was only February, and it was very cold. Wearing a wet single - layer dress, she would surely catch a cold.
Yin Zidu quickly chased after her and hugged her into his arms, apologizing repeatedly, "Yuning, it's my fault for talking nonsense. Please don't be angry. I don't want anyone. I only want you."
But Shen Yuning's tears kept flowing and she couldn't stop them for a while.
Yin Zidu was completely flustered. He quickly carried Shen Yuning back to the bed and called out for Lvtiao and Bihuan.
Lvtiao and Bihuan knew that the prince didn't like servants to serve him closely, so they weren't waiting at the door. When they heard the prince calling so urgently, they were both shocked. They thought something had happened to the princess and rushed in immediately.
They saw that both the prince and the princess were in a disheveled state. At least the prince had wrapped his hair, but the princess's hair was loose and wet. Her clothes were completely soaked, and even the bedding on the bed was wet.
Lvtiao thought that the prince couldn't control himself and had hurt the princess. Angrily, regardless of the difference in status and her shyness, she stared at the prince with wide eyes, "Your Highness, the imperial doctor said that the princess's health is not good. Even if you can't bear it, you can't be so reckless. You have to think about the little prince in the princess's belly!"
She had a fiery temper. When she was anxious, she would say anything.
Even the calm Bihuan didn't have time to stop her. She quickly climbed onto the bed and hugged Shen Yuning, asking, "Princess, what's wrong? Is your belly uncomfortable? Don't cry. I'll go and call the imperial doctor..."
She rolled off the bed in a hurry. Her shoes flew off, but she didn't care and was about to run out.
Shen Yuning grabbed her and shook her head while sobbing, "I'm fine..."
Bihuan was even more anxious and asked repeatedly, "Fine? How can you be fine? You're crying like this..."
Yin Zidu didn't say a word in rebuttal after being scolded by Lvtiao. He just tucked in his clothes and walked into the bathroom. While walking, he said, "Change the princess's clothes first. Don't let her catch a cold."
By the time Shen Yuning was properly dressed and almost asleep in bed, Yin Zidu walked out listlessly. He climbed onto the bed but didn't dare to hug her actively. He propped up his arms and looked at her for a long time before carefully asking, "Yuning, are you feeling better?"
When Shen Yuning heard his voice, she couldn't help but think of the maid he said he wanted to warm the bed.
Her eyes turned red again. Actually, since she grew up in a wealthy family, she had seen many men taking concubines. But she had also lived among the common people for six years and was used to the one - husband - one - wife life of ordinary people. She thought that was the real and happy life.
Now, the man she had married was the high - ranking regent. It was impossible for him to have only her as his wife in his lifetime.
Thinking of this, Shen Yuning felt very uncomfortable. Maybe before marriage, she was just happy and thought that she liked him too. It was a wonderful thing to marry someone who was in love with her.
But now she felt sad. If she had agreed to marry someone else, for example, Chen Wenwei, and had to help him take concubines, she probably wouldn't be as sad and desperate as she was now.
If Xuanzhi really took other concubines in the future, what should she do?
Should she run away with the child? Or should she leave the child behind and run away alone? Just thinking about the possibility that he might fall in love with someone else in the future made her feel like her heart was being cut with a knife.
Seeing that Shen Yuning didn't respond, after a long time, Yin Zidu couldn't help but put his hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Yuning, I was just talking nonsense. With my personality, I can't even accept a eunuch. How could I accept a maid?"
After another long while, Shen Yuning finally calmed down a bit. She asked hoarsely, "You... Since you said so, you must have thought about it, right?"
Yin Zidu quickly replied, "No, I never thought about it. All I think about every day is you. I want to hold you in my arms every night when I sleep, and I don't want anyone else. Yuning, I swear..."
Shen Yuning gave a sad smile and looked back at him. The candlestick on the table hadn't gone out yet, and she could see his concerned and worried look. Yes, he had sworn to her, and he was so good to her. It was obvious that he loved her very much.
But what about the future?
"What about in the future? If in the future, you fall in love with someone else and also want to sleep with her every night, right?"