Chapter 171 The question of having children
“Principle?” Meng Xuan looked at her serious face and said with a smile, “Tell me anyway. I want to know everything about you.”
He Danggui said cautiously, “What I want to know is that since you have no other women until now, can you keep it like this all the time? In other words, you can’t marry anyone but me. I can do what they can do. In that way, there will be no fights between the legitimate sons and the sons of the concubines, and the relationship of your sons will be deeper. Isn’t it good?”
Meng Xuan was stunned and then smiled again. He didn’t expect this girl who seemed to be indifferent would also have the jealousy as an ordinary woman, which looked quite lovely. He couldn’t help but reach out to scratch her nose. Then he smiled and said, “You don’t want me to be with other women. Does it mean that you care about me very much? Even if what your words are reasonable, I’m sorry that I can’t agree with your request. But I will make up for you from other aspects. Well, we can have more children. If you mind me having children with other, I’ll only have children with you. Is that okay?”
He Danggui didn’t fully understand. Meng Xuan said that he couldn’t promise not to marry others. He was so resolute and had no doubts, which made her be upset. However, he said that he would only have children with her, which made her be a little happy. As if her heart floated up. When she opened her mouth, it was full of cold wind. She said, “Since you will not have children with others, why do you marry them? If someone marries you but refuses to give birth for you, won’t you be angry?”
“Angry? Why should I be angry?” Meng Xuan smiled and touched her hands again. He said, “As long as you are willing to have more children for me, I can always see you when I miss you, just like when I reach out to catch you, it’s not a mirage. Then I won’t be angry with other concubines. If you think it’s unfair to them, I’ll barely have a child with them.”
He Danggui flung off his hands and sneered. She said, “You are really brilliant to ‘choose the best advice’. Why don’t you consider my first proposal? And why can’t you not marry other women at first? In this way, no one will be hurt and feel that their marriage is worth nothing.”
Meng Xuan thought He Danggui was really childish and lovely, so he patiently explained to her, “Girl, calm down. Although I’m not interested in women, I have to take a few more concubines because of the family training and the identity of Meng’s Family. Besides, I have 3 concubines now, so I can’t throw them away just because I want to marry you, right? In addition, if you are the fourth, I should reserve 3 quotas to prevent the situation of having to marry again. In the previous life, I made great efforts to Zhaoxin General. In this life, I will be higher than it. If a general has no concubines, it is not nice to talk about it, is it? Girl, don’t split hairs any more. Don’t you know you are always the first in my heart? So, even if you don’t fight for anything, I will give the best to you.”
He Danggui opened her eyes widely and said in surprise, “3 women? You just said that I was the first one. You are lying to me!”
Meng Xuan said carefully, “Have I ever lied to you? What I mean is you are the first woman I want to marry, but my mother and grandmother gave me 3 women, and I was forced to accept them. In the past 3 years, I can’t see you, and I’m not interested in other women. Therefore, I never pay attention to them. I heard that you left Duan Xiaolou because he has been cheating on you. How can I make the same mistake? I really didn’t cheat you.”
He Danggui played a doll in Gaojue’s appearance and a doll in Lu Jiangbei’s appearance. She said with a smile, “You haven’t been 16 years old, but your elders have given you 3 women. It is thus clear that you accepted every woman. However, you don’t care about them. What do you think of women? Decorations in the room? How do you know about something between Childe Duan and me?”
Meng Xuan argued for himself, “I don’t accept everything. When I was a child, my mother selected many beautiful maids for me. I took the opportunity to send them out because I thought they were too noisy. Later, both Ninth Brother and Eleventh Brother accepted waiting-maids (maid in name, concubine in reality), and my mother only thought about me. Last year, during the Spring Festival, she urged her grandparents to give each of us a beautiful maid as a concubine. In front of all relatives, it’s not good to disobey my grandmother. Besides, my 2 brothers accepted them. Later, I learned that the women my 2 brothers received were all maids, but what I received was the daughter of a landlord selected by my mother. She knew that I would not accept them, so she asked my grandmother to convince me. And I involved my brothers in adding concubines.”
“Oh, you have a grievance about it. It seems that you and your brothers are reluctant to accept concubines.” He Danggui sneered and continued, “Who told you about me and Childe Duan? Apart from Qing’er and Bai Yangbai who is easy to lurk, others don’t know anything about it. Did Childe Duan mention it to others after he returned to the capital?”
Meng Xuan said, “I’m telling the truth. I didn’t even remember the woman’s name. I tried my best to forget you all these years. I thought I did it. But when I saw you, I found that I still remember you. If you go to my separate courtyard in the suburbs, you will understand.”
He Danggui made the doll in Gaojue’s appearance sit on the doll in Lu Jiangbei’s appearance and asked with a smile, “How did you accept the other 2 concubines reluctantly?”
Hearing her bad tone, Meng Xuan felt aggrieved and said, “Most of women keep on the rails before they get married, and they even hardly go out. Before they get married, they even never see their future husbands. However, they still get married happily and are very satisfied. Now I look for you regardless of the past. How can you be extremer than before? I can’t marry you alone, but my heart is always with you. Is it okay?”
He Danggui revealed her thoughts, “You don’t have to feel aggrieved anymore. In fact, I’m not only mean, but also cheating you. I didn’t plan to marry you at the beginning. As I said just now, I didn’t have a good time in Luo’s Mansion, but I found it myself. I love to stay in Luo’s Mansion, waiting for those people to trouble me and then fail. I will be happy to eat 2 more bowls of rice. But I once offended a man who I could not afford to offend. I heard that the man would come to seek revenge recently. I’m panicking, but I happened to meet you. I thought immediately that Immortal helps me. Since life is too hard, why don’t I depend on you first? I can stay away from trouble temporarily and make another plan when the issues pass.”
After being silent for a moment, Meng Xuan sighed, “It turns out that you’re trying to avoid revenge, so when we meet each other, you were so cute. Why don’t you just keep going? Why do you confess it to me?”
He Danggui grabbed the long rabbit ear of the doll in Lu Jiangbei’s appearance and confessed, “At first, I just wanted to ask you to get me out of Luo’s Family in the name of your concubine. When my enemy forgets me after a year, I’ll go back to Luo’s Family to find my old friends.” When Zhu Yuanzhang died and Zhu Quan’s nephew ascended the throne, Lord Ning, Zhu Quan, whose interests were seriously touched, would be so busy that he had no time to think about her. At this time, He Danggui’s strength was too strong, and she took one of the ears off. She had to put the broken ear into her pocket, and she planned to sew it in the evening before returning it to Qing’er.
Seeing that Meng Xuan didn’t speak, He Danggui continued to confess her crime, “Before I saw you, I was worried that you would refuse to help me because I had a bad attitude towards you in the past. You are the most suitable person I can find. So, if you didn’t help me, I would be very passive. I didn’t expect that you still hugged me like in our childhoods and kissed me suddenly, so I guessed that you liked me. I couldn’t help but feel relieved and asked you to help me more. I only plan to be a fake concubine for one or two months, so that the enemy will give up finding me. And I don’t plan to have any intimate behavior with you. But after all, I begged you, so I just pretended to obey you. Different from the women staying indoors all the time, I’m an open-minded person. I can accept someone who I ask for help to kiss me once–I’m sorry that I really don’t have any affection for you, Meng Xuan.”
Meng Xuan picked up the doll in Duan Xiaolou’s appearance on her skirt and asked, “What about him? Do you like him? Did he kiss you? You let me marry you alone, but you said you have no affection for me. I don’t believe it! If you don’t like me, why do you care about how many women I have?”
“Don’t mess with it. I’ll return it to Qing’er tomorrow. This is the sample of our new rabbit doll series.” He Danggui grabbed it back and frowned. She said, “I don’t deny that I was moved by Childe Duan. I wanted to be nice to him for a while and wanted to be his wife, but I can’t accept that he had other wives and concubines. In addition, later, he framed Xiaoyou and let Xiaoyou be put in prison. He even did what he never did before. Just for me. I felt distressed and realized that there would be no future for us, so I chose to let it go. And I am determined to choose a monogamous marriage, so I will ask everyone I want to marry in this way. If he cannot accept it, I will give up considering him. If he can consider about it, I will know more about him.”
“Monogamy?” Meng Yu frowned and said, “In addition to Duan Xiaolou and I, who else have you asked? Has anyone promised you?”
He Danggui apologized and said, “I’m sorry. These are the most real ideas in my heart. I originally wanted to use you to avoid my enemy. Later, I heard that you were interested in me, so I couldn’t help asking about your views on monogamy. I thought that if you agree with me, even if I have no affection for you, I must be your wife. Later, my conscience was found out. I should not use you so recklessly when I thought that you transmitted martial arts and disclosed your life experience secrets to me. Besides, you plan to have more concubines, which is unacceptable to me. It’s doomed that you and I are still suitable to be master and apprentice. Of course, if you are angry that I cheated you, you can also sever the relationship with me, just like the past 3 years. We will have no contact until death, and I will never dare to defend myself.”
Meng Xuan gnashed his teeth and said, “You mean that only Duan Xiaolou is the one you like. If he can’t be monogamous, you won’t marry him. And other people are even more impossible?”
He Danggui nodded and said, “Basically right. You have a strong understanding.”
Meng Xuan sneered and said, “Then I’d like to congratulate you. Duan Xiaolou has successfully terminated his engagement with Guan’s Family and moved out of Duan’s Mansion to build a small Duan’s Mansion. It needs a hostess, so I guess he will come to you after he doesn’t need to wear mourning for his father.”
He Danggui frowned and asked, “Childe Duan’s father died? Is he OK?”
“Yes, why not? Earl Anning, General Duan, got his son when he was elderly, so he loved his son so much. Before he went to the battlefield, he promised his son that if he would win the battle this time, he would ask the emperor to grant a marriage for his son, so that his son could marry the woman he had daily and nightly in his thoughts. Duan Xiaolou was very happy after hearing this, because the emperor’s order cannot be disobeyed. And the status of woman the emperor granted is certainly higher than other concubines’ status. If Guan Yun refuses to live under your status, he will break off an engagement with the Guan’s Family and meet your demanding requirements.” Meng Xuan had a faint smile on his face and said, “Later, although Earl Anning died in the battle, the emperor not only let Duan Xiaolou inherit the title of nobility, but also promoted the title from Earl to Marquis. The Marquis Duan got the imperial decree to terminate the marriage contract from the emperor. Duan’s mother was so angry that she didn’t let him go home, so he had to live in another house. However, there was something wrong with Marquis Duan who was very happy last month. Haven’t you heard of it?”
Hearing this, He Danggui was very anxious. She asked, “What’s the matter with Duan Xiaolou? Don’t keep me guessing. Tell me the details quickly!”
Meng Xuan asked with a smile, “Girl, who have you asked for monogamy? Has anyone ever promised you?”
He Danggui became angry and said, “It’s none of your business. Just tell me what happened to Duan Xiaolou!”
Meng Xuan said slowly, “It’s not a big deal. He gave his concubines money to send them away after he got out of the marriage with the Guan’s Family. Everyone else took the silver and left. There was a stubborn concubine named Lian. She threw herself and her half-year-old son into the lotus pond. Later, her life was saved, but the child died of lung disease. So, now Duan Xiaolou not only gives filial piety to his father, but also mourns his son.”
He Danggui rooted to the spot and felt unease.
“I was wondering why he didn’t ask the emperor to grant marriage directly or come back to you after taking the title. It turns out that he didn’t meet your standards, but he was still clearing the way for you.” Meng Xuan smiled and said, “Girl, you can’t make the rude request like ‘monogamy’ optionally. If someone like me hears it, he will only take it as a joke. If you meet someone like Duan Xiaolou, who really obeys it, he won’t go back his home anymore. Once upon a time, the relationship between Duan’s mother and Duan Xiaolou were very close. Now Duan’s mother even refuses to see him once. Before you get married, you have already made a big complaint with Duan’s mother. Do you dare to be Duan’s Family’s daughter-in-law?”
He Danggui’s hand was full of cold sweat. She pinched one ear of the doll in Lu Jiangbei’s appearance repeatedly and apologized to Duan Xiaolou in her heart. Sorry, she said heartlessly at that time. She just wanted him to get along well with Guan Yun after he gave up marrying with her. She thought Duan Xiaolou thought about things positively when she saw him off at Chang Ye Pavilion. He wished her to find her husband early at that time, didn’t he? Didn’t he and she be friends again? Didn’t he say that he thought about things positively? She felt so sorry that she caused him to lose his father and son.
Meng Xuan sighed, “You tell me that you have no love for me, which makes me be disappointed. But in the future, I don’t believe that your heart will never be hot. Since you asked me to help you and let me go to Luo’s Mansion to ask you to be my concubine, I didn’t have any loss. But I’m afraid that after being my concubine, it’s not easy for you to get married in the future when you make ‘another plan’... How about this? I will ask the matchmaker in the name of my parents to ask you to marry me as my wife with the letter of appointment. Anyway, it’s a fake marriage proposal. It’s okay to borrow their name. They seldom come to Yangzhou City, and it should not be exposed. You probably settled on Meng’s Mansion. You want to frighten your enemy– the fiancée of the Seventh Childe of Meng’s Family. Can this identity prevent your enemy from seeking revenge? Who is that man? And why are you at enmity with him?”
He Danggui said stiffly, “I’m so malevolent. Why do you help me? Let me die with my enemy, who is a big villain. I can’t guarantee that he won’t trouble you in the future. I’ve hurt Duan Xiaolou, and I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
Meng Xuan shook his head and said, “I am not Duan Xiaolou, and I won’t do the stupid things like him. There is only one Duan Xiaolou in the world, girl. Since you have no room to recover from him, you should take it easy in the future.” Meng Xuan took the blue camellia from his arms and put it on his nose to sniff. He said, “In fact, if a man falls in love with you, he will inevitably become that kind of person like Duan Xiaolou. Fortunately, I have experienced a life and death, and I always want to be more relaxed instead of being crazy. And I have tolerated that I haven’t seen you for 3 years. Now I can not only see you, but also hold you in my arms. I can hold you for another 3 years. Maybe I will like other women in the future.”
He Danggui nodded and said, “Yes, a wise and open-minded person like you should have thought about things like this. By the way, why hasn’t Bai Yangbai come back? Won’t he have an accident? What’s it in that thick growth of wormwood?”
Meng Xuan smiled and said, “Did you say that after being poisoned by Shi Hua Poison, Qian Mudan would become a ‘living dead’? It’s said that there is a Ganshi School in Jianghu, but I’ve never seen it. I don’t know whether it’s true or not. There are only steps and no breath sound in the wormwood. I guess the murderer may be there, or something come to find its ‘companion’.”
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦