CHAPTER 303: CHAPTER 272: LU YANLI

The Empress Dowager had calculated the month her daughter would give birth and had already sent word, but since the Capital had already started to snow, the Shadow Guard delivering the letter was delayed on the road, so the letter only arrived today. Otherwise, it should have arrived earlier under normal circumstances.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingzhou got up, opened the door, and took the letter from Ye Zong.

Upon learning it was from the Imperial Palace, he did not open it but handed it directly to Fanghua.

Fanghua opened it to find the Empress Dowager’s handwritten letter, asking if the child was born safely, whether it was a boy or girl, what name was given, and also inquiring about Fanghua’s health.

Fanghua had not let anyone send news back to the Capital regarding her low fetal position and the risk of miscarriage at any time.

Thus, the Empress Dowager was unaware of the suffering her daughter endured in Ningzhou, and her words of concern did not seem feigned.

When they first arrived in Ningzhou, the Empress Dowager had sent messages, but at that time Fanghua was preoccupied with thoughts of Lu Yanqing, and the psychological burden was exacerbated by inadvertently learning some past experiences of her daughter on the day of leaving Beijing, so she did not seriously reply to the messages.

Thinking about it now, Fanghua could hardly recall what she specifically wrote in her replies.

Lu Xingzhou, sitting beside her, glanced at the contents of the letter over her shoulder and seeing her lost in thought, he said, "This letter should be carefully responded to, regardless of anything, we ought to share some good news with the elder."

Fanghua smiled and nodded, "I know."

The arrival of Yan Li dissipated many of the knots in her heart.

The worries and unsolvable issues seemed to become less important.

Let Ye Zong move the table over and set up the paper and pen, Fanghua turned sideways, sat directly on the bed, and wrote the response.

In the letter, she answered the Empress Dowager’s questions one by one, stating that on the day they received the letter, she had just given birth; it was a boy, and Second Master had named him Yan Li.

She also mentioned that there was temporarily no opportunity for Yan Li to visit his maternal grandmother in Beijing, but once he grows a bit older, they will have the Hidden Guard take him there.

...

The couple is penalized to guard the spirits in Ningzhou for a lifetime, which is unrelated to Yan Li; the Empress Dowager is still his grandmother.

...

Apart from matters concerning Yan Li, Fanghua also took the initiative to inquire about the Empress Dowager’s health.

Writing this part, her pen paused slightly.

Thinking carefully, from the time she was brought back to the Capital seventeen years ago until now, except for the remorse she felt before leaving the Capital, she hadn’t had a single day to truly sit down and talk with her birth mother, let alone proactively care about her mother.

"Ah Yin, the ink is about to smudge."

Lu Xingzhou’s reminder instantly snapped Fanghua back to reality. She smiled awkwardly, quickly finishing the letter, then placed it on the table to dry.

Once the ink was dry, she had Ye Zong take it to be sealed in an envelope and sent back to the Capital.

After completing all these tasks, Fanghua lay back on the bed once more.

Her mind involuntarily reviewed the bits and pieces of these past years.

When she was pregnant with Wanwan, half of the time was spent on the run, and the remaining half was spent at the Wen Family, where Mrs. Wen Ma’s harshness kept her perpetually busy. Even with severe abdominal pain several times, she ultimately had to endure it.

Due to adverse conditions, she did not receive proper care during her pregnancy, resulting in Wanwan being born thin and small, looking pitiful.

The second child, Yanqing, was discovered during the journey back to the Capital when she became pregnant.

To provide her with a dowry, the Emperor granted a Princess Mansion, along with a considerable amount of gold, silver, and servants.

Compared to Wanwan, the conditions during Yanqing’s time were undoubtedly superior. However, unfortunately, she could not readily accept having let Lu Xingzhou down, and gradually fell into depression, unable to eat well or sleep.

Thus, when Yanqing was born full-term, he didn’t fare much better than Wanwan, being similarly thin and small.

At the time, it was stated publicly that Lu Yanqing was a premature baby. People who saw him did not doubt much because indeed he was very small.

Yan Li, unlike his brother and sister, initially faced issues due to a low fetal position and his mother being unable to eat, which led to inadequate nutrition, but later, with proper care according to the doctor’s prescription, he fully recovered in no time.

The midwife commented on his weight at birth.

Having birthing experience, Fanghua didn’t need to see how chubby her son was. Just by weighing Yan Li’s swaddling clothes in her hands, she could feel that this boy was noticeably meatier than his older brother and sister at their birth.

With her thoughts wandering, Fanghua drifted into a deep sleep once more.

Upon waking again, a brazier had been added to the room. Lu Xingzhou sat not far from it, engrossed in writing something.

Curious, Fanghua asked.

Lu Xingzhou smiled and said he was writing to his older brother and parents.

Fanghua responded with a gentle "hmm," not saying much.

No matter how much she disagreed with the Old Marquis and the old lady, they were still her legitimate in-laws and had the right to know that their daughter-in-law had given the Lu Family another child.

Concerned Fanghua might be upset, Lu Xingzhou explained, "It’s just to simply inform my parents, to let them know that the Lu Family has another child now. Nothing more will be said."

Fanghua pursed her lips, "I am an outsider married into the family, not writing a letter isn’t an issue. But you are their biological son; failing to share joyous news indeed would not be right. As for your parents, there’s no need to be reserved. Say what you wish, without worrying about my feelings."

Lu Xingzhou only smiled.

He wrote two letters, one for the Old Marquis and the old lady, and the other for Lu Pingzhou.

The former was written briefly, essentially just notifying them casually, while the latter covered two pages and detailed many situations.

Lu Xingzhou’s disregard for the Old Marquis wasn’t to accommodate Fanghua’s feelings; it entirely stemmed from his own position.

Regarding the affair between the Old Marquis and the Mei Family’s girl back then, Lu Xingzhou truly felt his father wasn’t manly.

Especially when later, Fanghua was ordered by the Empress Dowager not to have interactions with the men of the Lu Family, Lu Xingzhou took Fanghua to plead with the Old Marquis, asking him to enter the Imperial Palace to soften up and apologize to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager, having harbored resentment for so many years, wasn’t waiting for his return. After all, their positions were already determined — he had remarried, and she had also remarried — no one could change the circumstances.

The Empress Dowager was waiting for a single "I’m sorry."

However, even when Fanghua knelt before the Old Marquis as a Princess, he remained indifferent.

For the sake of an antique, he let down the Mei Family’s girl. Whether or not he regretted it, Lu Xingzhou did not know, but he had seen with his own eyes how his father’s heart was as hard as iron, and for decades, he refused resolutely to utter that "sorry."

A real man dares to own his actions; having dared to let someone down, he must dare to admit it afterward. He never understood why his father was so stubborn. Were those three words "I’m sorry" so hard to say?

...

After the third-day bathing ceremony, Lu Xingzhou hired a wet nurse for Yan Li.

Actually, it was just a precaution; most of the time, Yan Li was still fed by Fanghua.

Even though the little one was born in the countryside, his mother’s nutrition was adequate, and she had ample breast milk, he grew rapidly. By the time he was a month old, he was already a chubby little lump, surpassing even Jinbao at that age.