They are all concubines, so of course they choose the future emperor.

Recently, Jiang Wanyue has been keeping an eye on Zhu Zhiwen. With the help of housekeeper Cao, he has found out almost everything about the personnel affairs in Zhu's family over the past ten years.

Commander Zhu’s deceased wife was from the same hometown as him and came from a farming family. The two grew up together and could be said to be childhood sweethearts.

The lady's surname is Wu.

But Wu had a good sister who was also her fellow villager. After her husband died and she was kicked out of her husband's home, she had nowhere to go, so she was taken in by Wu and became the wet nurse of her two children.

This wet nurse's surname is Cui.

After Mrs. Wu and her two children died one after another, there was no trace of Nanny Cui in the Zhu Mansion. Everyone in the Zhu Mansion said that she had returned to her hometown.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wanyue took a deep breath and pressed her chest to calm herself down.

"It should be just a coincidence... There are so many people with the last name Cui in this world. Besides, Commander Zhu's hometown is in Jingzhou, and the Cui brothers and sisters are near Datong Prefecture. They are so far away from each other, it's impossible for them to travel that far."

Jiang Wanyue muttered to herself in a low voice.

"How about trying to ask?"

But asking such a question for no reason is too abrupt.

You can't just tell Cui Yan that you suspect you are the daughter of Lord Zhu, the commander of the imperial guards, right?

Then Cui Yan would probably think that he was crazy.

Just when Jiang Wanyue was hesitating, Cui Yan came to her door in the evening.

She came to return the gift.

In addition to some gold locks, jade pendants and children's clothes, she also brought a jar.

When the jar was opened, a strong sour smell instantly filled the whole room.

Jiang Wanyue stretched her head and saw that the jar was filled with pickled vegetables.

Cui Yan said with a smile.

"I made this with my maid. It may not look very good, but it tastes good. When I was pregnant, I had no appetite and couldn't eat, so I relied on this!"

Jiang Wanyue waved to Xiuchun to accept it, and pulled Cui Yan to sit down.

"Thank you, sister. I haven't had much of an appetite lately. This jar of pickled vegetables is just right for me."

She said politely and then asked again.

"Sister, do you like sour food?"

Cui Yan waved her hand.

"I'm not picky. I eat both sour and spicy food. But since you're pregnant, it's better to give you something sour. A sour boy and a spicy girl is a good omen."

Jiang Wanyue laughed.

"I don't believe in this. As long as it suits your taste, that's all."

Cui Yan clapped her hands.

"Isn't it? In fact, when I was pregnant with my two children, I preferred spicy food, but they all said sour food was better, so I didn't dare to eat too much."

The two of them started chatting.

When it was time for dinner, Jiang Wanyue warmly invited Cui Yan to stay for dinner and asked the kitchen to prepare two spicy dishes.

Seeing that Cui Yan was eating happily, Jiang Wanyue put down her bowl and chopsticks.

She wanted to ask just now, but swallowed the words back when they came to her lips.

For some things, asking too much seems too deliberate.

Cui Yan is not that cunning and not very scheming, but Zhu Zhiwen has been the commander of the imperial guards for more than ten years, so he must be no simple person.

Let Butler Cao go to Zhu Zhiwen’s hometown to inquire first. If he gets any useful information, tell Cui Yan!

After thinking it over, Jiang Wanyue temporarily put her worries aside.

After dinner, the two sat together drinking tea and discussing parenting tips.

Cui Yan gave birth to two children. The birth of the first child was a little difficult, but she was born successfully. However, she did not expect that the second child would be born prematurely and with difficulty. She almost lost her life before giving birth to a son, but he did not grow up.

When she thought of this, her expression became a little gloomy.

"It's also because I have no experience. I had a miscarriage and everyone around me told me to rest, so I stayed in bed and seldom moved. By the time I gave birth, I had no strength at all. Sister, you are seven months pregnant now, so you should walk more often so that you can feel more relaxed when you give birth."

In fact, Jiang Wanyue had already heard what Cui Yan said from her mother and Doctor Zeng.

Her mother had given birth to four children, and she had long ago started to remind Jiang Wanyue of various precautions during pregnancy. So, although Jiang Wanyue rarely went out, she would walk around the house instead of sitting.

But Jiang Wanyue was still very grateful for Cui Yan's sincere reminder.

The princess didn't remind me of this.

Cui Yan also told some interesting stories about her daughter.

The time interval between her two children was too short, and the damage was too great, so it is difficult for her to get pregnant again. Xiao Yin'er is everything to her.

Only after night fell did Cui Yan stand up and say goodbye.

Jiang Wanyue sent Cui Yan to the gate of the courtyard and watched her walk away before returning to the house.

It was midsummer now, and even though she had only been walking outside for a short while, she was already sweating profusely.

Xiuchun ran to look at the Bingjian.

"The ice is almost melted. Can I and Xing'er go get some more? It's been too hot these past two days. Even the cicadas on the trees haven't chirped. This little bit of ice won't last all night."

Jiang Wanyue didn't say anything, just nodded.

After Xiuchun went out, she insisted on completing the number of steps for the day and took a bath before resting.

The next day, Jiang Wanyue asked Xiuchun to take a message to Butler Cao, asking him to find someone to go to Jingzhou to inquire about the situation in Commander Zhu's hometown.

Jingzhou is far away from the capital, and it is unknown how long the round trip will take. The result cannot be known in a short time.

Jiang Wanyue had no choice but to control her temper and busy herself with other things.

At the same time, the wet nurse and midwife that Shen had asked her parents to find arrived and were settled in the Jiang family.

Shen also started preparing other supplies just in case.

However, it was still too early for Jiang Wanyue to get pregnant. She ate well and slept well every day. After meals, she would walk back and forth in the house for three quarters of an hour. Although her stomach was still heavy, her legs and feet felt a lot lighter.

Breathing is also smoother.

In a blink of an eye it is July 7th.

This day is the Chinese Valentine's Day, a festival for girls. In the past, when Jiang Wanyue was at home, her mother would take her and her sister to make snacks, dye their nails, and pray for skills and worship the Weaver Girl.

Even though her needlework skills have remained poor for more than a decade, she still enjoyed playing with them that day.

Prince Jing's Mansion also held a Qiqiao Fair.

The princess invited many girls from familiar families to come and help the eldest daughter thread the needle and throw the needle, which was quite lively.

As the eldest daughter of Prince Jing, Li Chengyu was naturally the center of attention and everyone revolved around her.

The second young lady, Li Chengyin, also went there, but the girls around her were all eight or nine years old or even early ten years old, and no one wanted to play with a four-year-old baby like her.

Li Chengyin went there happily and returned to Nianyun Pavilion dejectedly.

She also warned the maid who followed her.

"Don't tell mom about it."

The maid slapped herself on the mouth.

"How dare I? I will obey you in everything."

Li Chengyin imitated her father, frowned and nodded.

When she reached the door, she rubbed her face again, tried to put on a cheerful smile, and then walked in.

Before she could figure out how to explain why she came back early, she heard the maid guarding the gate say that her mother was reciting scriptures.

Li Chengyin breathed a sigh of relief.