Ma Xiuying did not speak. The thread for sewing clothes was almost used up. Ma Xiuying skillfully tied a knot with the thread, cut the thread, and took out new thread from the box next to her where needles and thread were placed. She pulled out the thread and handed the needle in her other hand to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Help me sew it."

"it is good!"

Zhu Yuanzhang took the needle and thread, put the thread end in his mouth for a while, and then skillfully threaded the thread into the eye of the needle.

Ma Xiuying took over the needle and thread and said to Zhu Yuanzhang while working: "Do you want Kai'er to take charge of Liaodong and the grassland?"

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Ma Xiuying had guessed it, so he did not hide it at all: "There are also Yanjing and Qilu. That kid is a person who can't sit still. He stays at home this year and wants to go out next year. So I want to hand these things over to him. I won't make him a king, but let him take full responsibility. As the head of the royal family, the identity of the head of the Zhu family is enough."

"I plan to separate the ancient Youzhou and attach it to Yanjing to form a new provincial capital. Kaier said that we should govern Liaodong first and use the grassland as a military town."

Zhu Yuanzhang told Ma Xiuying about Zhu Kai's plan, and then said, "Sister, you won't know until you go out and see. You'll be shocked when you go out. Usually, we can only see Yingtian Prefecture and its surroundings, or Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Jiangnan. In the north, the people's lives are still very poor. They are suffering now. Sometimes I even doubt whether they can fully cultivate the land they are given with their physical condition."

"Sister, we can't bear to part with Kai'er, but he is capable and he is our son. He has the responsibility to make the people live a good life. Besides, Biao'er and I are not as concerned about the people as Kai'er."

"Ah."

Ma Xiuying hummed and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "I understand, but you have to promise that you will let Kai'er do it and not force him."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled bitterly: "It's good enough that Kai'er doesn't control me. How can I force him? Sister, don't you know this guy very well?"

"Humph."

Ma Xiuying snorted through her nose and rolled her eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a typical person who took advantage of others and still acted ungratefully. Ma Xiuying did not intend to talk to Zhu Yuanzhang anymore: "The food is in the pot. Ask Zhang Cheng to serve you some."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy to eat the food prepared by Ma Xiuying. He was even happier to take this opportunity to take advantage of Zhang Cheng: "Zhang Cheng, did you hear that, old man? Hurry up and prepare food for us."

After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head to look at Ma Xiuying and gave her a thumbs up: "Sister, I think you did the right thing. You shouldn't have told that brat in advance. He would be so shocked when he got home! Haha... Interesting!"

Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang who was as happy as a big boy, Ma Xiuying didn't bother to pay attention to him.

Ma Xiuying was reluctant to inform Zhu Kai in advance, not because she wanted to see Zhu Kai's jaw dropping, but because she wanted Zhu Kai to feel for himself that he was no longer a child, he was a father, and he should learn what it meant to be steady.

……

Zhu Kai was taken by Zhu Biao to Fengxian Hall. When they arrived at the door, Zhu Biao did not go in. Instead, he made an excuse that he had something to do and asked Zhu Kai to go back and rest.

Zhu Kai did not doubt him, opened the door and walked into Fengxian Hall: "Wife, your husband is back!"

Soon, Xu Miaoyun and Feng Yuting came out, each supported by two maids.

Seeing the two of them, Zhu Kai wanted to tease them, saying that they even needed support when walking and were becoming more and more arrogant, but when the words came to his lips, Zhu Kai was suddenly speechless.

Ok?
Zhu Kai widened his eyes and looked at the abdomen of the two men.

Xu Miaoyun and Feng Yuting's bellies are already bulging... Is this... pregnancy?

Zhu Kai's head buzzed.

No, the information came too suddenly and Zhu Kai couldn’t accept it.

Everything was fine when they left, so how come they both got pregnant after they came back?
In his two lifetimes, this is the first time Zhu Kai gets married and the first time he sees his wife pregnant... Is this going to be a father?
Why so fast?
Zhu Kai was not prepared to be a father at all.

Xu Miaoyun and Feng Yuting asked the maid to let them go, then walked slowly to Zhu Kai and held Zhu Kai's arms on the left and right.

"Husband, you are going to be a father."

Xu Miaoyun was a little shy, but she still decided to tell Zhu Kai the good news: "It's been five months, and the midwife said that she will give birth soon after the Chinese New Year."

"Ah good……"

After two lifetimes, Zhu Kai becomes a father for the first time.

Five months... probably the time it took to get married. Zhu Kai was having so much fun at that time, the three of them would get together to play Landlord all day long.

"You, you two take a break, go and take a break."

Zhu Kai didn't know what to do. He just thought that Xu Miaoyun and Feng Yuting were pregnant women and should be taken care of. He quickly called the four maids over and said, "You guys, come and help them."

Zhu Kai was overwhelmed. He was already busy enough and had no time to take care of them. The maid responded, then held back her laughter and took Xu Miaoyun and Feng Yuting over to support them. Only then did Zhu Kai breathe a sigh of relief.

Huh...all of a sudden, I feel so stressed.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Kai said to Xu Miaoyun and Feng Yuting: "Wife, you stay for a while. I'm going to go out for a while and I'll be back when it's time for dinner."

After saying that, Zhu Kai ran out of Fengxian Hall without looking back.

Zhu Kai is going to find Ma Xiuying, who is the most experienced person. Zhu Kai plans to take a small notebook and write down Ma Xiuying's experience.

Walking out of Fengxian Hall, Zhu Kai saw Zhu Biao, Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di and Di Baonu standing in a row outside.

When they saw Zhu Kai running out of Fengxian Hall in a panic, they all smiled mockingly.

"Hahaha!"

"I knew that my second brother would panic!"

"Haha... Second brother, it was that stupid Zhu Gang who came up with this stupid idea. He didn't let me tell you because he wanted to see you make a fool of yourself."

Di Baonu had no idea what his brothers were laughing at, but when he heard Zhu Di say that they were making fun of Zhu Kai, he also started laughing foolishly.

I feel happy just by watching Zhu Kai make fun of him...he is definitely the leader of the black fans!
When Zhu Gang heard that Zhu Di had sold him out, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He came to see Zhu Kai laugh, but he didn't want to become the laughing stock, so he immediately argued, "You're talking nonsense!"

"Whoever lies is a dog!"

“…I’ll bite you to death!”

Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang were fighting. Di Baonu was watching from the side and wanted to join in, but since it was their first meeting and they were not very familiar with each other, he was too embarrassed to start a fight.

Zhu Kai looked at Zhu Gang and Zhu Di who were in a mess, and said, "Tsk~ you little bastards!"

We don’t even have children. We are going to be fathers now, so we shouldn’t bother with such a little brat.

Zhu Kai went straight to Zhu Biao and said, "Brother, I have children too. Haha... I have two children!"

"Know, know."

Zhu Biao patted Zhu Kai on the back and said earnestly, "Brother Kai, you are going to be a father now, so be more mature and steady in the future, and don't act like a child."

"How is that possible? I have always been a master! The head of the Zhu family, the head of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Kai said that Zhu Biao was slandering him, and he had always been the most mature and stable one: "I won't talk to you anymore, let's go, let's go find mother together."

You see, when it comes to taking care of the child, I just find the person who knows the most. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?
Zhu Biao: Nothing wrong, nothing wrong.

...When they arrived at Kunning Palace, Ma Xiuying was still making clothes. Zhu Yuanzhang had eaten and drunk his fill, and was joking with Zhang Cheng next to him, trying to see who would blink first.

Zhu Kai ignored Zhu Yuanzhang, moved closer to Ma Xiuying, and looked at her with bright eyes: "Mom, I have a child."

Ma Xiuying said without even raising her head: "I know."

"Mom, I'm going to be a father!"

"I grew up!"

Zhu Kai let Ma Xiuying know that she was no longer a child and she must pay attention to herself.

"Ah."

Zhu Kai was very depressed: "Why am I the last one to know that I have a child?"

Ma Xiuying glanced at Zhu Biao and said, "Your elder brother won't let me tell you."

"..."

Zhu Biao was very surprised. Why did Ma Xiuying also learn to blame herself? Did Zhu Yuanzhang teach her?
Zhu Kai didn't believe it: "I know what kind of person my eldest brother is better than you. Mother, let me ask you how to take care of your wives. They are pregnant, so I have to take care of them, right?"

"Oh?"

This surprised Ma Xiuying. He even knew how to take care of his pregnant wife. It seemed that he had really grown up.

But how would I know how to take care of my pregnant wife?
Ma Xiuying thought for a moment, and nodded to Zhu Yuanzhang, who was staring at Zhang Cheng, "Look, your father is good at taking care of people. Go find him."

"what?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was suddenly called by Ma Xiuying. He stopped playing games with Zhang Cheng and came over to ask what was going on.

Zhu Kai asked Zhu Yuanzhang the same question he had asked Ma Xiuying. This time, Zhu Yuanzhang was stumped. He had never thought about this question in his life. If a woman is pregnant, how can a man take care of her? Isn't it enough to find an experienced midwife and a maid to serve her?

What else can a man do?

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment and said, "There are midwives and midwives at home, experienced maids to take care of us, and a cook in the imperial kitchen. Isn't that enough? What else do you need? What can you do when you are pregnant?"

"You can't just do nothing, can you?"

Zhu Kai spread his hands and said, "My wife is pregnant, am I just going to watch her?"

Zhu Yuanzhang: What else can you do? You can't have children!

Seeing that Ma Xiuying's eyes were becoming more and more hostile, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly had a bad feeling: You little bastard, are you here to sow discord between me and my sister?

"Dad, don't you do anything?"

Zhu Kai thought about it, stood up and walked out: "Forget it, I'll find a way myself."

Zhu Biao also felt that the atmosphere in Kunning Palace was a little strange. After Zhu Kai left, he also said goodbye and left.

"Sister, this...Kai'er doesn't know anything, he's still a child."

"Well, Kai'er is so young, but he knows how to take care of his pregnant wife."

"Ah, this... We are not busy, no, we are afraid of making things worse, right?"

As Zhu Yuanzhang explained, he cursed Zhu Kai in his heart: "You little bastard, you only know how to cause trouble for me. Just wait for me. If my sister doesn't let me live in Kunning Palace, I will spank you eight times, and I will not be named Zhu!"

……

Women, especially pregnant women, are unreasonable.

Zhu Biao returned to the East Palace after learning what he had learned in Kunning Palace. Chang was resting in the inner room. After she became pregnant, she became very sleepy. She usually went out for a walk, came home to do some needlework, and slept when she was tired.

Mrs. Lu didn’t. She didn’t know how to do needlework, so she studied at home.

Seeing Zhu Biao coming back, Lu quickly put down the book, stood up and saluted: "Prince."

"Ah."

Zhu Biao couldn't say that he liked Lu, but he didn't dislike her either. After she entered the Eastern Palace, she was very well-educated and well-mannered, and she arranged the palace in perfect order. In this respect, she could be considered virtuous. Besides... Lu was very beautiful. What man could dislike a beautiful woman?

Unless she did something that touched the man's bottom line.

Zhu Biao said to Lu: "You are pregnant now, so you don't need to perform formalities in the East Palace."

Influenced by Zhu Kai, Zhu Biao did not pay much attention to the so-called etiquette. Besides, home should have a homely atmosphere. If there are so many red tapes, home will no longer feel like home.

But Lu's family inherited poetry and literature, and she was a lady from a prominent family. She believed that etiquette should not be abolished.

After she arrived at the Eastern Palace, she found that Chang had no etiquette, so she wanted to use standardized etiquette to attract Zhu Biao's attention, but she didn't expect Zhu Biao did not agree with this, and Lu's plan failed.

So, Lu gradually changed her strategy. She tried to adapt to Zhu Biao's rhythm, and then take it step by step.

Lu had been studying since childhood and was familiar with the stories of some women in history. After marrying into the Eastern Palace, she hoped to become Zhu Biao's virtuous wife and help Zhu Biao deal with the rear area. However, when she arrived at the Eastern Palace, she found that the maids and eunuchs here respected Chang very much and would ask her about everything, while she was like a transparent person.

This feeling of being ignored made Lu feel dissatisfied. She tried every way to break the impasse, but after much thought, the final answer still lay with Zhu Biao.

But Lu found that she could not get into Zhu Biao's heart no matter what, as if she was always excluded. When she was at home, she was a rich lady, who would ignore her like this?

Even Zhu Kai's two wives were of higher status than her, which made Mrs. Lu very dissatisfied. The jealousy was gradually devouring her rationality.

"Sister is tired today and just went to bed."

Mrs. Lu stood behind Zhu Biao and helped him press his shoulders: "These days, the Queen Mother and the two wives of the Second Prince have been coming to see you, and you even cook for them."

"Well, Brother Kai wasn't with them a few days ago, so as the eldest sister-in-law, she should take care of her two sisters-in-law."

Zhu Biao said that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Kai were not here for some time, and he had to be busy with government affairs and had no time to deal with palace affairs: "In the future, if you have a chance, you can go and learn from your mother. She manages the harem in an orderly manner, and you can help her manage some things."

"it is good."

When Mrs. Lu heard that she was asked to be in charge, her heart was as happy as drinking honey. After marrying into the Eastern Palace for a year, could she finally be able to manage the palace affairs?

This is a good beginning.

Then, Madam Lu continued, "We are both pregnant now, and the Queen Mother is making clothes for the children. My two younger sisters, Miaoyun and Yuting, keep pestering the Queen Mother, wanting her to make two more clothes. The Queen Mother really dotes on them."

What Lu said sounded fine, but Zhu Biao couldn't help but frown.

Why does it feel like what Lu said is weird?

Just when Mrs. Lu wanted to continue the conversation with Zhu Biao, Mrs. Chang had already gotten up and came to Zhu Biao with a haggard look. She sat down and poured herself some water: "You're back? I just fell asleep again. The little thing in my stomach was disobedient and tortured me so much that I couldn't sleep well. When he comes out, I will definitely deal with him well." (End of this chapter)