I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 444 Dongfang Jin is pressured to have a baby again

Cang Nanxi listened from the side, his expression complicated.

Well, now we have an even better reason to send the Second Prince to our daughter's side.

He sighed inwardly, his face full of helplessness, thinking to himself: Ugh! This is really frustrating!

The Duke of Zhenguo and the Imperial Tutor exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison.

With smiles on their faces, they congratulated His Majesty in unison, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The Duke of Zhenguo was overjoyed, his face beaming with happiness, and he said "good" three times in a row.

As she spoke, she remarked with admiration: "I never expected my niece to be able to get pregnant at almost forty. That's amazing!"

Duke Su and the others also offered their congratulations, their faces beaming with sincere smiles: "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Cang Nanxi sighed silently, then looked up and said, "Let's go, let's go take a look."

The Duke of Fu clapped his hands in delight, his face beaming with joy: "Excellent! Truly, double happiness!"

As she spoke, she turned to Cang Lingxuan and instructed, "Xiao Xuan, go and invite your grandmother over."

Dongping quickly stood up and said anxiously, "We've already sent people to invite them."

Sister Dai'an also sent someone to fetch the royal physician; everyone is now in the young princess's courtyard.

The Imperial Tutor chuckled, his wrinkles radiating joy: "Let's go, let's old folks share in the good fortune."

Looking at the happy faces of everyone, Duke Rong felt extremely aggrieved.

Thinking of his youngest son, who was not only afraid of his wife, but also hadn't been able to get her to give birth to a child or two all these years.

Because his daughter-in-law was afraid of pain, the son endured it all, suffering alone.

But as elders, they couldn't say anything, so they could only keep their helplessness to themselves.

Jinxiu Residence.

Everyone congratulated the Empress on her pregnancy, while Dongfang Jin sat in a corner.

Try to minimize your presence.

[The Empress is already pregnant with her third child, and you're still not tempted?] Ruyi's words carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"What, even you want me to have a child?" Dongfang Jin was somewhat annoyed.

So many years have passed, and I still haven't gotten over that hurdle.

When you give birth, I can give you extra painkillers.

"That way it won't hurt anymore, how about it?" Ruyi continued to tempt her.

"No, I haven't thought about that yet." And painkillers, too.

The thought of myself carrying a huge pregnant belly fills me with dread.

If you keep insisting on this, it's becoming a bit selfish.

When your elders start talking about having children, don't say you're afraid of the pain and don't want to have them.

Be tactful when you talk to them. Besides, whether or not to have the child is ultimately your decision.

Dongfang Jin listened to Ruyi's words and looked at everyone congratulating the Empress's cousin-in-law.

The smile on her mother's face, and the fleeting sadness in her eyes when she looked at her.

A sudden pang of sadness welled up inside me. Was I really wrong?

Okay, I will.

Sure enough, the first person to bring up the topic of having children was her maternal grandmother.

Her maternal grandmother still holds the title of the Gu family's old aunt, so she has more say than anyone else in urging her to have a child.

This topic acted like a fuse, once ignited...

After that, everyone chimed in with their own words, joining the ranks of those offering advice.

"I...I'll think about it."

Grandma, Mom, I'm going to get some things for my cousin-in-law to help her recover.

Disturbed by these words, Dongfang Jin hastily threw out this sentence and hurriedly fled from this suffocating scene.

As soon as I stepped outside, I caught a glimpse of my father and his entourage walking towards me.

Filled with fear, afraid of being entangled by them again, she quickly turned and hid behind the door to the side.

She didn't dare to breathe loudly. When she saw Cangji and Longyi looking in her direction, she made a "zipper" gesture towards their mouths.

Only after their figures had completely disappeared into the distance and she was certain it was safe did she emerge from behind the door and hurried towards Fengwu Courtyard.

While passing by the artificial hill, I was suddenly hugged tightly from behind.

She was startled; if it weren't for that familiar scent entering her nostrils, she probably would have immediately drawn her gun and fired back.

“It’s me.” A calm and reassuring male voice rang in her ear.

Dongfang Jin was both surprised and annoyed. Her eyes widened and she turned around abruptly.

Looking at the person in front of him, he lowered his voice but couldn't hide his anger: "Gu Chenglin, are you out of your mind!"

Gu Chenglin's lips curled up slightly, revealing a doting smile.

She reached out and gently patted Dongfang Jin's head, saying softly, "Be good, don't be angry."

Dongfang Jin frowned, her face full of doubt, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Gu Chenglin looked serious, his gaze fixed on Dongfang Jin's eyes, and said affectionately, "I waited for you here on purpose."

That's the truth. Once he learned that the Empress was pregnant again, his wife would definitely be "besieged" by others.

So he and Jun Qirui waited for her by the artificial hill.

Dongfang Jin raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You knew I would pass by here?"

Walk from here, through the plum grove path, and you'll reach her residence, the Phoenix Tree Courtyard.

Gu Chenglin nodded slightly, his eyes filled with certainty, and explained, "Yes, my cousin's wife is pregnant. I thought that no one else would mention it, but my grandmother definitely would."

As you know, your maternal grandmother and aunt are also members of the Gu family, not to mention your father is also there.

My mother-in-law has always wanted you to have a child of your own, and my father also wants you to give me a child that belongs to us.

Suddenly, Dongfang Jin spotted Long Yi and his second brother, and knew something was wrong; he was extremely anxious.

She grabbed Gu Chenglin's hand, her palm slightly sweaty: "Let's go back to Fengwu Courtyard. I still need to go to my space to find some things for my sister-in-law to take care of during her pregnancy."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted towards the direction of Fengwu Courtyard, his expression suggesting he was genuinely looking for something to nourish the Empress during her pregnancy.

“Okay, I’ll go with you.” Gu Chenglin glanced at the entrance to the garden without leaving a trace, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and agreed without hesitation.

He lowered his head slightly and placed a kiss on Dongfang Jin's forehead, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure, his eyes filled with deep affection and doting.

"gone."

Jun Qirui, Cang Lingxuan, and Long Yi stood on the other side of the artificial hill, watching the loving interaction between the couple.

Jun Qirui was lost in memories.

"Bang!" The heavy sandalwood tabletop suddenly trembled as a plain white letter of recommendation was slammed down next to the gilded beast-patterned inkstone.

Master Qiao's long, silvery-white beard trembled with rage, his bloodshot eyes fixed on him: "Zi Chen! What a charlatan!"

The examination documents pressed under the jade paperweight were slightly curled, and the vermilion annotations were like two ferocious bloodstains tearing the paper—the four words "No such person found" in the father's column were distorted by the vermilion circle.

There was also a crooked cross next to the registered address, and two large characters for "return" were soaked in ink, spreading out like glaring dark clouds on the rice paper.

The air was filled with a cacophony of voices, the snickers of classmates, and the teacher's heartbroken rebukes, yet they seemed as if separated by a three-zhang-thick palace wall.

No such person found?

All recommendation letters returned?

Did he become a fraud?

Jun Qirui ran his fingertips along the jagged edges of the document, a metallic taste rising in his throat.

The surrounding clamor suddenly turned into an eerie buzzing sound, and only the scarlet "X" in front of him stung his eyes.

He stumbled open the door, his clothes, embroidered with gold thread, still covered in mud.

He wanted to ask his father and mother what exactly happened.

I clearly passed the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the provincial examination.

The name and address match, so why did it fail the provincial examination?

But what did he see when he got home?

The octagonal table in the main room was overturned, and broken porcelain shards were scattered like sharp stars in the cracks between the blue bricks.

The mother slumped on the faded brocade couch, her silver hairpin askew, her once gentle eyes now filled with murky tears.

The younger sister huddled in the corner, a blood-stained handkerchief wrapped around her wrist, her empty eyes seeming as if her soul had long since been ripped away.

After learning from the maidservant beside her mother about the "changes" in the family.

He finally understood that all of this was thanks to his good "father".