Xiangji Temple was surrounded by mountains and rivers. There were many pagodas and halls, and it occupied a vast area. There were only a few places that the womenfolk could go to. Therefore, other than offering incense, the temple also had the function of having fun.
In the third month, the peach blossoms at Xiangji Temple were in full bloom. After Mu Mingtang, Mrs. Zhu, and the young misses of the Zhu family asked for a sign, they naturally went to the rear courtyard to look at the flowers. Hsieh Hyun-chen and Zhu Yanghong escorted the womenfolk out of the door. The womenfolk were in front looking at the flowers, while the two of them walked behind and slowly followed behind.
Both sides were filled with the sound of birds chirping and the fragrance of the flowers. The flowers fell like rain. Although Zhu Yanghong and Hsieh Hyun-chen couldn't appreciate the flowers, being in this kind of environment, their minds unconsciously relaxed. Zhu Yanghong casually chatted with Hsieh Hyun-chen and asked, "Long time no see. Has Wangye been well recently?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't delve into what Zhu Yanghong was asking. After all, it was normal to greet someone when meeting. Hsieh Hyun-chen looked forward and casually said, "Not bad."
Not bad. Zhu Yanghong silently pondered the meaning of these two words. His question was vague, and Hsieh Hyun-chen's answer was also vague. The meaning of these words could only be understood by the two of them.
Zhu Yanghong pondered and couldn't help but secretly look at Hsieh Hyun-chen. He wanted to see some clues from Hsieh Hyun-chen's expression. When he looked, he realized that Hsieh Hyun-chen's gaze had been fixed in front of him.
Zhu Yanghong followed his gaze and saw that his daughter was following behind An Wangfei. From time to time, she would point at the flowers by the roadside for Mu Mingtang to see. Zhu Yanghong knew his place. At least he knew that Hsieh Hyun-chen was not looking at his daughter, which meant that he was looking at the Princess Consort.
Zhu Yanghong couldn't help but think of Hsieh Hyun-chen's appearance. At that time, Hsieh Hyun-chen was young and frivolous, heroic, and full of ambition. How could he have the leisure to admire the flowers and the moon? But now, Hsieh Hyun-chen was walking slowly under the flowering trees. His face was still handsome, but there was a gentle look in his eyes. It was as if the sharp sword that used to be aggressive was hidden in its scabbard, no longer causing people to be on guard when they looked at him. However, his lethality was even greater than before.
Zhu Yanghong couldn't help but have mixed feelings about the comparison between the past and present. It was also because the atmosphere was relaxed. Zhu Yanghong had a jovial tone as he chatted with Hsieh Hyun-chen: "Wang ye became famous early. You are still young for making a name for yourself. But in the family, you are not young. Since wang ye is already married, and you have a rare peaceful life these past two years, why don't you consider having children? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen had only paid a small amount of attention to Zhu Yanghong. When he heard Zhu Yanghong's words, he froze for a moment before replying: "You are talking about children?"
Zhu Yanghong thought that Hsieh Hyun-chen still had the mentality of a youth, or that the young couple still wanted to spend more time with each other, so they purposely didn't have children during this time. Zhu Yanghong put aside his political standpoint and used the tone of someone who had been there before to advise: "This general knows that wang ye is still young and doesn't want to be tied down by a child. However, life and death are unpredictable in the army. When wang ye is older, you will know how precious these days of going out early and coming back late are. Now that you have a rare peaceful life, you should make plans for having children. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen kept a straight face the entire time. He tried his best to appear calm and collected, as if he was used to all kinds of storms. But in his heart, there was a storm raging inside.
Was he being urged to have a child?
Heaven and Earth could be his witness. Until now, he had been very well-behaved. Regardless of whether it was day or night, he had never crossed the line. How was he going to have children?
However, this kind of thing wasn't something to be proud of. In any case, Hsieh Hyun-chen was too embarrassed to tell his former colleagues that even though he had been married for almost a year, they had never done anything as husband and wife. In fact, they hadn't even had any physical contact other than hugging.
Hsieh Hyun-chen's heart was pricked. He felt very uncomfortable, so he tried his best to maintain a battle-hardened appearance in front of outsiders. He calmly said: "What's the rush? She and I are still young. Right now, we're not in a hurry to have children."
Zhu Yanghong understood as soon as he heard this. He earnestly advised: "Wang ye and wang fei are still young. It's inevitable that you want to relax for a few more years. But this general feels that taking advantage of this period of leisure, with wang ye guarding the home, you should hurry up and have children. Otherwise, if war breaks out and wang ye has no choice but to lead the army and miss out on the child's growth, it will be a regrettable thing in the future. "
When Hsieh Hyun-chen heard this, he was startled. He was very familiar with this tone. Previously, when he was still fighting in the army, when he chatted with others in his free time, many people had sighed like this. He didn't expect that Zhu Yanghong, the dignified commander-in-chief, would have the same regret.
Hsieh Hyun-chen asked: "How old is your eldest son?"
"He's eighteen this year. He's only a little younger than wang ye." Zhu Yanghong sighed, "When he and second son were born, I was just like wang ye. All I wanted to do was fight and recover lost territory. I always felt that family matters were trivial and that it was fine to slow down a bit. But two years ago, my second son died on the battlefield. When I was sending off his coffin, I suddenly realized that the last time I chatted with him was a few years ago. Since they were young, I've spent too little time with them. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen sighed silently. Men couldn't express their feelings as well as women. Hsieh Hyun-chen only patted Zhu Yanghong's shoulder and said in a low voice: "My condolences."
Zhu Yanghong slowly shook his head and said: "So last year, I thought of retiring and withdrew from the front lines. I've already missed out on several of my sons' growth. In any case, I don't want to miss out on my daughters' growth. They're about to get married. If I miss this period of time, when they reach their husbands' families, I can only see them once or twice a year. At that time, we'll be like strangers. While they're still at home, I want to spend more time with them. Wang ye, please don't think that I'm overstepping my boundaries. It's because I regret it for the rest of my life that I can't help but say a few more words to you. "
"I understand." Hsieh Hyun-chen said, "My father didn't have time to take care of me when I was young. So until the end, my relationship with him was very tense. After my mother died, I couldn't even see him properly. "
Zhu Yanghong said he regretted it, but how could Hsieh Hyun-chen not feel the same? Although Xie Yi was strict with him and spoke harshly to him, he was still his father. After Madame Yin passed away, Xie Yi was his last blood relative in this world.
However, Xie Yi also passed away suddenly. He didn't even get to see Xie Yi for the last time.
These things were a mess. Xie Yi was not a good father when he promoted his mistress. As a son, Hsieh Hyun-chen also didn't do a good job. At least, Hsieh Hyun-chen hoped that his son wouldn't repeat his father's mistakes in the future.
Zhu Yanghong and Hsieh Hyun-chen started to be wary of each other and tested each other. Now that they were talking about family matters, they started to talk. Zhu Yanghong said: "Thank you, Princess Consort, for your help in the marriage of my daughters. If Princess Consort didn't pull the strings, the marriage of my daughters would have been much more difficult. Our Zhu family owes Princess Consort a big favor. This humble general will remember it in his heart and can't thank you enough. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen said: "She always stays in the fu and is often bored. It's rare for her to get along well with someone. In the future, I'll have to trouble your wife to accompany her. She can only go out with peace of mind if someone invites her. "
Although Hsieh Hyun-chen was not convinced that Mu Mingtang said he was bored, at least he knew that staying in the fu all the time was indeed quite boring. It was rare for Mu Mingtang to have someone she could trust and talk about with her when she went out to relax.
After the two of them entrusted each other with a favor, their relationship became unprecedentedly harmonious. Zhu Yanghong took the opportunity to talk about trivial matters in the Bureau of Military Affairs. Although Zhu Yanghong was transferred back to the capital, which was a great promotion in everyone's eyes, Zhu Yanghong's experience in the Bureau of Military Affairs was not very pleasant.
He was a military general, while the Bureau of Military Affairs, and even the entire capital's officials, were all civil officials. There was a natural barrier between military and civil officials. Zhu Yanghong really couldn't get along with that group of people.
As a result, his position was very awkward. The military general felt that he was proud of his promotion and went in and out with the civil officials. It was inevitable that he would feel ill at ease. On the other hand, the civil officials looked down on him for being a boorish person and didn't let him handle any important matters. They were also secretly on guard against him. Even the emperor only put him on the surface as a decoration and didn't entrust him with any important tasks.
This kind of situation was completely different from what Zhu Yanghong had imagined. When Zhu Yanghong was in Ya Zhou, he was a famous commander-in-chief. His subordinates were respectful to him and the commoners were also respectful to him. He didn't expect that in the capital, his treatment would be completely different.
It was only because Zhu Yanghong was a military official that he was born a lower class. He should feel honored that a civil official spoke to him. Even if he was given the cold shoulder, it was also something that should be expected. Zhu Yanghong completely realized that in this kind of environment, he would never be able to make a name for himself.
This kind of feeling didn't feel good. Zhu Yanghong didn't mind that he was embarrassed. He had already lived half his life and his fame was nothing more than an illusion. However, his daughter's marriage was also affected. This was something that Zhu Yanghong found very difficult to accept.
Therefore, when Zhu Yanghong said that he was grateful to Mu Mingtang, he wasn't being polite. If it wasn't for Mu Mingtang pulling strings, the Zhu family wouldn't have been able to enter the capital's social circle in the first place. Moreover, no one would have taken a fancy to his daughter. Now, with Mu Mingtang's face, Mrs. Zhu's social situation had greatly improved. However, even so, Zhu Yuqing and her other sisters were still criticized and criticized by the civil official's wife.
Zhu Yanghong's life was almost over. Fame and fortune were no longer important to him. However, Zhu Yanghong discovered in despair that if this atmosphere was allowed to spread, his children and grandchildren would also be discriminated against like him. In fact, they would be far inferior to him.
When it came to his children, Zhu Yanghong couldn't sit still anymore. However, a new emperor had his own ministers. Different people ruled over different countries, so the atmosphere was also different. The emperor had made it clear that he was afraid of the generals and wanted to compromise for peace. Currently, there were several princes in the palace, but none of them had any relations with the military.
After thinking about it, their way out, their children's way out, and even the entire country's way out still fell on Prince Qiyang, Hsieh Hyun-chen.
Since the New Year, Zhu Yanghong had repeatedly thought about it for a long time. Finally, he made the decision to get closer to Hsieh Hyun-chen. However, there was a prerequisite for all of this. That was, Hsieh Hyun-chen's health. At the very least, he wouldn't die at any time. If he could have an heir, that would be even better.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yanghong sincerely advised Hsieh Hyun-chen from a political standpoint and a man's standpoint, "Your Highness, everything should be done sooner rather than later. You're not young anymore. It's time for you to have a child. "
If it were someone else, Zhu Yanghong would have asked him directly. They had been married for a year and there was still no news. Their fate was too low. If it were a scholar, it was very common to not have a child in a year. However, if it were a general … it was really quite low.
Hsieh Hyun-chen could tell from Zhu Yanghong's tone that he was implying something. His expression gradually became ugly.
Mu Mingtang had climbed the mountain today and also watched the peach blossoms in the Buddhist temple for a long time. He was really refreshed. Even after returning home, he was in a good mood.
However, Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't seem to be like that.
He became very quiet during the second half of the Buddhist temple. He always looked like he was thinking about something. Now that they were home, he didn't seem to be in a good mood.
Mu Mingtang decided to be an understanding flower for once. He very considerately went to Hsieh Hyun-chen's side and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so gloomy? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen glanced at Mu Mingtang. "What kind of description is that? Am I the kind of person who is sad and disgusting?"
Mu Mingtang wanted to say something but hesitated. He wasn't disgusting, but Hsieh Hyun-chen really was sad and sad.
Mu Mingtang had long discovered that although Mu Mingtang was a woman and Hsieh Hyun-chen was a man with strong martial arts, Hsieh Hyun-chen was actually the one who was more scheming. On the other hand, Mu Mingtang was the one who was scheming.
Hsieh Hyun-chen was really prone to letting his imagination run wild. For example, right now, Mu Mingtang had somehow touched his delicate and fragile glass heart, causing him to be depressed all the way.
Mu Mingtang couldn't guess Hsieh Hyun-chen's thoughts. He simply asked directly, "When you were at the Buddhist temple, your mood wasn't very good. Why? What did Zhu Yanghong say to you? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you really want to hear it?"
"Of course."
"Okay." Hsieh Hyun-chen nodded and lowered his head to look at her. He suddenly smiled. "He asked when we are going to have a child so that he can give you a big gift to repay the favor you did for matchmaking Zhu Yanghong's daughter."
Mu Mingtang was stunned. She was completely dumbfounded.
A smile appeared in Xie Xuanchen's eyes as he looked at her calmly. Mu Mingtang was stunned for a while. When she saw Hsieh Hyun-chen looking at her and smiling, she slowly reacted. "Are you joking with me again?"
"Where did this' again 'come from?"
"Sure enough, you're lying to me." Mu Mingtang didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or something else. At least she didn't feel so awkward. "You're such a stubborn person. Is it true?"
Mu Mingtang's eyes widened. It was obvious that she was anxious. Hsieh Hyun-chen said slowly, "Of course it's not true."
Just as Mu Mingtang relaxed, she heard Hsieh Hyun-chen continue. "He didn't intend to give the child a red packet. I was the one who said that I wanted to give him a gift."
Mu Mingtang's face froze. She was stunned. She was so angry that she hit Hsieh Hyun-chen. "Are you done?!"
Hsieh Hyun-chen leaned back slightly and held Mu Mingtang's hand firmly. "It's true. I'm really not lying to you. If you don't believe me, you can ask Zhu Yanghong. "
Mu Mingtang's face became redder and redder. Even her hands and feet felt uncomfortable. It was such an awkward topic. Mu Mingtang didn't know how Hsieh Hyun-chen could be so calm. He even looked into her eyes without hesitation.
Mu Mingtang also wanted to pretend to be calm. However, when she opened her mouth, her voice betrayed her. "Then … what did you say?"
"I can only tell you the truth." Hsieh Hyun-chen held back his laughter and looked at Mu Mingtang. He said seriously, "After all, I can't give birth to a child on my own. It's up to you."
After Hsieh Hyun-chen finished speaking, as expected, Mu Mingtang's face turned red. He knew that if he continued to talk nonsense, he would be alone tonight. Therefore, he obediently surrendered. "I'm just teasing you. I didn't tell him anything. I know what you're going to say. Don't be angry. Speak slowly. "
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