Farm Girl's Manor-Chapter 1385: Extra Episode 15: Going to Give Birth_2

Mo Yan touched her belly again and turned to the man, "I don’t know whether the one in my belly is a boy or girl. When we return to the city, should we invite someone to take a look?"

In the absence of modern medical equipment that could reveal the sex of an unborn child, experienced doctors and midwives could still make educated guesses based on the pregnant woman’s condition. Though not entirely accurate, they often had a seventy to eighty percent certainty.

With his hands gently caressing his wife’s semi-circular belly, a glint of hope flashed in Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes, "Your husband hopes for a daughter, one just like you."

"A daughter?" Mo Yan had never before heard the man explicitly express his longing for a daughter. Surprised, and with a touch of mischief, she asked, "My parents said the Xiao Family has few heirs and they are all hoping for a son from this pregnancy. If your wish for a daughter comes true and I don’t want to give birth again, what then?"

Xiao Ruiyuan frowned and chose to be candid, "Just one daughter would indeed be lonely. Your husband actually hopes for both a son and a daughter. However, if my wife does not wish to bear more children, your husband will not force you."

Seeing that the man was not deceiving, Mo Yan’s heart was delighted, and she leaned over to reward him with a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

The heavy snow had fallen intermittently for half a month. Only after five days of clear skies did the accumulated snow thoroughly melt, with the slush on the roads drying up under the sunshine.

Mo Yan did not want to return to the capital and protracted her stay for several days. It wasn’t until the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month that she could no longer delay and had to pack up her things to return to the General Mansion.

By this time, Mo Yan’s belly was seven months along, round and bulging as if she had a watermelon stuffed inside. If all went well, the child would be born at the beginning of March next year.

Upon returning to the General Mansion, Mo Yan sent word to the Mo Family and the Shen family then began arranging for the Laba Festival the following day. After Laba, there were still Little New Year and the Lunar New Year to celebrate, and gifts for the holiday needed to be prepared. Whatever was lacking had to be bought immediately; otherwise, it would be too late to deliver the New Year presents.

Xiao Ruiyuan did not want his wife to wear herself out over a festival, so he took over the arrangements, not minding whether these trivial matters should be handled by a man.

This left Mo Yan with some free time, so she spent it studying medicine or asking the chef to prepare delicious food to indulge her hardworking husband. She wanted to cook herself, but Xiao Ruiyuan flatly forbade her from setting foot in the kitchen.

In the eyes of those who cannot cook, the kitchen is full of dangers: one misstep could lead to burns, scalds, or even slips. While ordinary people might take the risk, pregnant women must not set foot in there at all.

After more than ten days of busyness, all the preparations for the New Year were finally in place before Little New Year’s Eve. Then, after a few days of relaxation, the couple was ready to welcome Lunar New Year’s Eve.

This was the couple’s first New Year together since their marriage, and both Mo Yan and Xiao Ruiyuan took it very seriously. Although their New Year (with the child yet to be born) seemed somewhat quiet, Xiao Ruiyuan was very thoughtful. He not only had the steward buy a lot of firecrackers but also ordered people to decorate the courtyard’s plants with red, purple, and yellow artificial flowers, not neglecting to adorn even the green leaves.

Overnight, the somewhat desolate General Mansion underwent a complete transformation, bursting with life and greenery. If not for the still chilly weather, Mo Yan would have thought she had entered the warm days of early spring in March. freewebnσvel.cøm

The decorations were beautiful, indeed, but Mo Yan felt a twinge of pain seeing so much cloth used for the fake flowers and greenery, which seemed rather extravagant and wasteful. On the other hand, she was touched by her husband’s sentiment and accepted the gesture with joy.

However, when news of the affair inadvertently spread throughout the mansion, what was initially admiration for Mo Yan and Xiao Ruiyuan’s deep love and Xiao Ruiyuan’s doting affection for his wife twisted into something else in the eyes of those with ulterior motives.

So even before the New Year had fully passed, someone couldn’t hold back any longer. They incited the Imperial Censor to submit a petition harshly criticizing Xiao Ruiyuan. They accused him of being extravagant and of neglecting his private morals. They also mocked his lack of lasting heroic spirit, claiming he didn’t deserve the title of "War God," let alone the position of Great General.

Xiao Ruiyuan was honest and straightforward in nature. He appeared cold and detached, and when dealing with matters, he typically addressed the issue rather than the person involved. Thus, it was inevitable that he would offend certain individuals. These people seemed amiable on the surface, but who knew what resentments they harbored in their hearts? Previously, they found no handle to use against Xiao Ruiyuan, so they could do nothing. But now, with this rare opportunity to kick a man when he was down, how could they let it slip by?

Moreover, Xiao Ruiyuan had requested six months of leave. Apart from a few informed individuals like Chu Heng and Yan Junyu, not a single person in the court truly believed that he would actually take the leave to accompany his wife. To most people, wives were like garments, how could they be more important than one’s own future?

With this in mind, everyone assumed that Xiao Ruiyuan had offended Emperor Huian’s taboo and had fallen out of favor with the emperor. Although Emperor Huian had granted him six months of leave on the surface, he was actually giving Xiao Ruiyuan the cold shoulder, intentionally keeping him away from the center of power.

If the original instigators had personal grudges against Xiao Ruiyuan, then most of the others who joined in afterward did so believing they had correctly interpreted Emperor Huian’s thoughts. They wanted to crush Xiao Ruiyuan ruthlessly, hoping to curry favor with Emperor Huian and gain opportunities for promotion and wealth.

Little did they know, with the reports piling up like snowflakes in the Imperial study, Emperor Huian didn’t show the slightest reaction. At first, the officials could contain their impatience, but as the year was about to end and there was still no movement from the palace—not even a rebuke—the officials involved in this affair were massively disappointed. They also became increasingly worried that they had misread Emperor Huian’s thoughts, that they might fall out of his favor, and feared Xiao Ruiyuan’s potential retaliation afterward. They had always known that Xiao Ruiyuan, who had been granted the title of "War God," was not someone to be trifled with.

"You, you’re still the same as before, always keeping everything to yourself. You’re lucky the Father Emperor is astute; otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to avoid a reprimand," said Chu Heng in the Prince’s Mansion as he shook his head at his cousin, who seemed unaffected by this troublesome affair.

Those fancy flowers and leaves were made from scrap material bought from the Cloth Shop. It was a simple explanation, but this cousin of his didn’t offer even a single word of clarification. He just let others slander him. Chu Heng wondered if his cousin was confident because he trusted that the Emperor would not wrong him, or if he simply didn’t care and never took those people seriously.

Xiao Ruiyuan glanced at Chu Heng and said indifferently, "If the Emperor doesn’t trust me, wouldn’t I still have you, cousin?"

"You... in the future, just be more careful!" Chu Heng’s face showed a helpless expression, but the smile on his lips betrayed his true mood. "By the way, is Hejia about to give birth soon?"

Seeing that his cousin didn’t wish to talk more, Chu Heng remembered another matter and said half-jokingly, half-seriously, "Yao is already two years old. If your family has a daughter, she would make a perfect wife for my son. Have you really not considered it?"

"Not considering it!" Xiao Ruiyuan refused curtly and without hesitation. "If this child is a girl, when she grows up, I will choose a husband for her from those who come asking for her hand in marriage."

"A husband from suitors?" Chu Heng was surprised at first, then nodded in understanding as if making light of the remark. "That makes sense. You treasure Hejia so much that I don’t know how spoiled your daughter will be once she’s born. An ordinary family couldn’t afford such a bride, it might as well benefit your cousin," he said.

Xiao Ruiyuan gave Chu Heng a sidelong glance and said coolly, "I just don’t want her to suffer injustice in another’s household and don’t hope for a son-in-law who can’t be scolded nor beaten!"

Chu Heng: "..."

An in-law like that was too terrifying; perhaps it was best he declined...