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Ji Xingxuan was sent directly to the Imperial Guard's dungeon, and the child was carried back by Yu Shu.
Zhu Muzhao told her that the only way to identify the Great Bone of Destiny was to use the Yellow Spring in the secret cave of the Imperial Mausoleum in the eastern suburbs. On the ninth day of the fifth month, the altar would be opened to worship the ancestors, and the entire skeleton would be soaked in the Yellow Spring. If it was a real bone, the bones would turn golden. If it was a fake bone, there would be no difference.
Hearing this, Yu Shu looked down at the swaddle in her arms. The little guy had just woken up and was looking at her curiously with a pair of crystal-like eyes. His chubby cheeks were puffing up and down, and he was stupidly blowing bubbles. He was not afraid of strangers at all.
"Then when should I take the bone?" she asked.
"Anytime." Zhu Muzhao's eyes were slightly cold as he looked at the child. "A long delay may cause trouble. It's best to take the bone as soon as possible. Wait until the ancestral worship ceremony next year, and then you can do the identification. If it's useful, you won't have to worry about nurturing the Great Bone of Destiny."
Yu Shu was silent for a moment, and then she raised her head and said, "Since it can only be verified next May, why don't I take the bone then? This child is innocent, so let him live for a few more months. "
How could Zhu Muzhao not see that she was soft-hearted? He shook his head and said, "I'm afraid you won't be able to do it then."
Yu Shu sneered, "Why won't I be able to do it? I don't have the heart of a Buddha. Let's not talk about the fact that Ji Xingxuan and I are mortal enemies. If I don't kill this child, will I skin my own child and tear his bones apart in the future?"
Zhu Muzhao stared into her eyes and confirmed that she was not bluffing.
Yu Shu did not avoid his gaze, and her face darkened slightly. "It's fine if the Grand Secretary doesn't believe me. You can do whatever you want with this child." As she spoke, she walked over to the reclining chair at the side and casually put down the swaddling clothes. The little guy whimpered twice and stretched out his two little hands towards her. When he saw that she was ignoring him, he began to cry loudly. However, she didn't even look at him as she bowed to Zhu Muzhao and excused herself.
"Wait," Zhu Muzhao called out to Yu Shu, who was walking to the door. He held his forehead and said, "It's not that I don't believe you, but I'm just being cautious. Forget it, you have an ill-fated relationship with this child. Since you are willing to plead for him, let him live for a few more days. "
He didn't want Yu Shu to think that she was just a puppet in his hands and provoke her rebellious heart. Moreover, what he needed was not a meek successor. The stronger she was, the more assured he was.
Yu Shu stood still and touched the inconspicuous ring on her left index finger. She turned around and her face relaxed a little. She walked back and picked up the child again, ignoring his crying and hiccups, and said in a gentle tone, "Celestial Commissioner, I don't think there is a place to keep children, so I took him with me."
Zhu Muzhao did not stop her this time and waved his hand to let her go. Listening to the sound of the child's crying fading away, he closed his eyes tiredly. As the day of the coronation approached, he was very aware of his own weakness. This weakness was not because of physical aging, but because of mental exhaustion. He could foresee that his days were numbered.
Since the creation of the Book of Mystic Fairy Six Rens, there were very few people who lived a long life. Usually, after a new emperor ascended the throne, they would pass away in less than a year. Some of them died suddenly, some of them had a relapse of an old disease, and some of them died unknowingly in their sleep.
This was a riddle that could not be solved. Zhu Muzhao had always regarded it as a curse from Empress Ningzhen, cursing those who violated her last words, gave birth to the Tai Bone of Fairy Maiden without authorization, and abused the Book of Fairy Maiden.
In the mourning hall on the top floor of Taixi Tower, there was only one memorial tablet that had no words engraved on it. That was actually Empress Ningzhen's memorial tablet. They respected the woman who single-handedly established the Celestial Commissioner, and that blank memorial tablet represented their awe.
*
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*
Yu Shu returned home with the child. As soon as she entered the door, she had someone go to Zhao Hui's place to borrow a wet nurse. He Xiaochuan was more than a year old and could eat some rice paste. In addition, Zhao Hui was more willing to feed him herself, so the wet nurse was most likely a decoration. It just happened to save Yu Shu the trouble.
When the maidservants of the North Chamber saw Yu Shu come back with a white and chubby baby, they were so shocked that their jaws dropped. Perhaps the child was hungry, his small hands tightly grabbing onto Yu Shu's collar, and he continuously arched towards her chest, whining pitifully. Xin 'er and Lin' er looked at Yu Shu with a frown as she stared at the baby, afraid that if she became impatient, she would throw the child out.
"Miss, let this servant carry him. You should first go in and wipe your sweat and change your clothes." Yun Dou really couldn't stand it anymore and reached out her hand.
Yu Shu hesitated for a moment, and was about to hand the child over to Yun Dou. Who knew that the little fellow seemed to have recognized her, and with a forceful kick of his legs, he actually stood up from her embrace. His two lotus-like little arms tightly wrapped around her neck, and his mouth muttered "pu ma pu ma", not willing to come down. A wave of milk fragrance entered her nose. She blinked her eyes and laughed out loud. With this laugh, the frost on her face seemed to melt, and even the flame between her eyebrows softened a bit.
This kind of innocent child who didn't know good from evil, how could she bear to strangle him? She had a sentence that deceived the big point. She indeed didn't have the heart of a bodhisattva, but she never did anything that went against her conscience.
"Forget it, I'll carry him." Yu Shu supported his little butt and weighed it.
Thus, when Zhao Hui heard the news, she brought He Xiaochuan's wet nurse over. As soon as she entered the door, she saw a fat baby sitting on Yu Shu's lap. She held a small spoon in her hand and was feeding him water.
"Aiyo, whose family's little darling is this? Let me take a look. "Zhao Hui moved closer and stretched out her finger to gently rub the child's little face. Seeing that he was starving, she immediately had the wet nurse come forward to take him. Probably because the wet nurse had a milky smell, the little fellow didn't cling to Yu Shu this time. He turned his head and threw himself into the wet nurse's embrace.
"I picked him up." Yu Shu put down the small spoon and wiped the saliva on her collar in disgust. She said nonsense, "On the way back, I saw a big basket on the street. I heard the child crying fiercely, so I picked him up and brought him home."
How could Zhao Hui believe her nonsense? She glared at her and turned to look at the child in the wet nurse's arms. He was about eight or nine months old and had a handle. He was white, tender, and very cute. However, seeing that he was wrapped in a thin and soft quilt, and the small clothes he wore were meticulously stitched, she knew that he couldn't be an abandoned baby. But if he wasn't an abandoned baby, who would trust others to take care of their child at such a young age?
Zhao Hui stared at Yu Shu suspiciously. "Tell me the truth, where did this child come from?"
Yu Shu stood up and stamped her numb legs. She sighed and told her, "The child's father died and his mother ran away. No one wanted him, so I brought him back."
"God has mercy." Zhao Hui suddenly overflowed with motherly love. She no longer doubted her words. While helping the wet nurse pat the child's back, she asked Yu Shu, "What's his name?"
Yu Shu tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Yang Guo."
"The child's father's surname is Yang?" Zhao Hui looked at her doubtfully.
"No."
Zhao Hui laughed and scolded her, "Then why did you randomly give him a name? Is this a joke?"
Yu Shu snorted softly. She got up and went into the room to change her clothes. She stubbornly said, "Anyway, I saved his little life. I can call him whatever I want. I don't want to call him Yang Guo. Let's call him Yu Guo."
The maidservants in the same room as Zhao Hui stared at each other. Xiao Yu Guo lay on the wet nurse's chest and burped. She didn't know that she would have to change her name from now on.
.....
In the evening, He Fangzhi and Yu Xiaoxiu came back from the clinic. As soon as they entered the door, they heard that Yu Shu had adopted a baby who was not even one year old. Yu Xiaoxiu excitedly ran to the north to watch the fun, leaving Zhao Hui to sigh at He Fangzhi.
"She is an unmarried girl. How can she raise a child? If she wants to raise a child, then so be it. Why does she have to take her surname and raise him as a son? Is she not going to marry in the future?"
He Fangzhi was more open-minded than her, "Let her be happy. If she can't marry, then she won't marry. Don't talk about it in her ears all day. It's not like you don't know how much she has suffered. There are some things that you don't like to hear. Now that she has such a high official position, ordinary men are not worthy of her. If you look further up, it will be the families of princes and marquises. But such a family, how can they tolerate her. "
Zhao Hui's heart ached for Yu Shu no less than his. After he said a few words, her heart softened. Compared to marrying or not, Yu Shu's life was more important.
"But she can't live alone for the rest of her life, right? In the future, Xiaoxiu will also have to marry and have children. When the two of us are old, she won't even have someone to accompany her. How can that be?"
"Don't be anxious. Let's wait and see. Maybe it's not fate yet. Just like the two of us, didn't we only meet after half a lifetime of delay?" He Fangzhi held Zhao Hui's hand and wrapped it around her shoulder.
"If fate comes, it won't be too late no matter how late it is."
The husband and wife sat and worried, but Yu Xiaoxiu was smiling foolishly on the other side. There was no other reason. Yu Shu told him that she wanted to take Xiao Yu as her adopted son, so Yu Xiaoxiu was promoted to uncle in advance. He was different from their sworn brother, He Xiaochuan. They were a generation apart.
"Sister, can I really be his uncle?" Yu Xiaoxiu knelt on the Luohan couch and stretched out his hands to protect Xiao Yu, who was crawling around. His eyes were bright.
Yu Shu grabbed Xiao Yu with her long hands and let him sit on her lap. She pointed at Yu Xiaoxiu and said, "Call him uncle."
It was unknown if Xiao Yu understood or not, but he grinned foolishly at Yu Xiaoxiu, revealing a few snow-white baby teeth. He said incoherently, "Ji, ji, ji."
Yu Xiaoxiu immediately smiled. He reached out to hug Xiao Yu and lifted him up. "I'm an uncle, hahaha!"
"Ji, ji, ji!" Xiao Yu waved his small fists in cooperation.
A few servant girls in the room covered their mouths and snickered. Yu Shu couldn't help but raise the corner of her mouth. Just like that, a lively night passed. When it was time to sleep, Yu Xiaoxiu reluctantly left.
Not long after Yu Xiaoxiu left, Xiao Yu yawned and fell asleep on Yu Shu's lap. Only then did she call the wet nurse to carry him to sleep. There were still two empty rooms in the north wing. Before dinner, Yu Shu had people clean them up and use them as a nursery. She also asked He Xiaochuan's wet nurse, Mama Song, to come over and temporarily let her take care of the child for two days. When Yu Shu found a suitable wet nurse, she would let her go back.
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