The daily life of a cold and aloof general raising his wife

More than two months have passed in the blink of an eye. In previous years, Emperor Mingde would take his concubines and officials to the Summer Palace to escape the heat during the hottest part of summer. This year, however, Emperor Mingde had no mood to escape the heat, and the officials in the court were on high alert every day.

Because the officials in the court did not go to the Summer Palace to escape the summer heat, the supply of ice in the capital was insufficient. Jiang Shuwan had anticipated this and discussed it with Dai Yingying. The two of them made a fortune this summer.

The ice supply to the General's Mansion and the Grand Princess's Mansion never stopped.

These past two days, apart from being a bit hot at midday, the mornings and evenings have been much cooler. Dai Yingying arrived at the General's Mansion with her entourage carrying a wooden box.

As usual, the two exchanged pleasantries before Dai Yingying handed over her share of the profits to Jiang Shuwan.

"I owe this all to the princess, otherwise I wouldn't have earned so much money."

"I was just chiming in, but you really have connections to get so much ice."

Jiang Shuwan chimed in, but if Dai Yingying didn't have the ability, they wouldn't have earned so much money.

"The princess has truly discerning eyes."

Jiang Shuwan picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Seeing that Xie Mingyu was not in the room, Dai Yingying asked, "Princess, why is Miss not here today?"

"They should be playing in the garden right now."

Since she learned to walk, Xie Mingyu has disliked staying indoors. As long as she wakes up and has eaten and drunk her fill, she runs outside.

"This is a rare find I came across from outside. I don't know if you'll like it, young lady."

After Dai Yingying finished speaking, the maid behind her placed a red box on the table.

“You always bring her gifts when you come, but you can’t take them next time.”

"It's nothing valuable, Princess, please don't refuse. I'm delighted to see you, so I had someone find some unusual things for you to play with."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuwan said to Feiyue behind her, "Feiyue, go and call the young lady here."

"Yes."

After Fei Yue bowed and left, she returned shortly with Xie Mingyu.

"Mother." Xie Mingyu called out and then saw Dai Yingying standing to the side. She recognized Dai Yingying.

"Auntie."

Dai Yingying wanted to get up and bow to Xie Mingyu, but Jiang Shuwan stopped her.

"You've come so many times, and you always bring her gifts. Don't be shy."

The social hierarchy is: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Dai Yingying is a merchant, while Xie Mingyu, as the daughter of a princess, naturally has a much higher status than Dai Yingying.

After so many years of getting along, Jiang Shuwan truly considers Dai Yingying her friend.

"Did my aunt give this to me?"

Xie Mingyu saw the toys in the box on the table.

Jiang Shuwan chimed in, "Yes, you should thank Aunt Yingying."

Xie Mingyu smiled sweetly at her, "Thank you, Auntie."

Dai Yingying's heart melted at her smile.

"You're welcome. You can tell Auntie what you want."

Jiang Shuwan shook her head helplessly. Dai Yingying looked exactly like the Empress and the others.

Xie Mingyu blurted out the compliment when she heard that it was free.

Dai Yingying was not only flattered but also couldn't stop smiling.

Jiang Shuwan, "..."

This girl is definitely not like me and Xie Huai'an; the two of them combined don't have as sweet a tongue as Xie Mingyu.

Xie Mingyu asked the wet nurse to take her toys to the next room. Jiang Shuwan, thinking of the recent situation in the capital, kindly reminded her.

"The capital is not peaceful lately, so you should be extra careful. When you go out, bring as many attendants as possible."

Dai Yingying nodded; she had naturally noticed the tension in Beijing over the past six months.

"Princess, do you think the Turks can really attack?"

Dai Yingying knew that Jiang Shuwan definitely knew more than she did.

"Nobody can say for sure."

Jiang Shuwan knew she had to take responsibility for her words. Even if she knew, she couldn't say it. If she did, it would cause panic, and she would lose her composure before the enemy even arrived.

Dai Yingying immediately understood.

"Things are not peaceful outside right now, so we should let those caravans stop for a while."

Once war breaks out, those bandits and outlaws will run rampant. They will take advantage of the chaos to go down the mountain to rob and plunder, causing immense suffering to the people.

Although these traveling caravans were large, they couldn't stop these desperate people. Money can be earned back, but if you lose your life, you have nothing left.

Dai Yingying nodded, "I'll give the order when I get back to have the returning caravans suspend their rest."

Jiang Shuwan trusted her to get things done.

Dai Yingying stayed at the general's mansion for a while before leaving.

No sooner had Dai Yingying left than someone came with a message saying that Emperor De had been assassinated in the palace and was now unconscious.

After listening, Jiang Shuwan dismissed the others. It seemed that things were about to change. Her intuition told her that a tough battle was about to begin.

Jiang Shuwan could have pretended not to know anything by not going to the palace, but she was worried about the Empress. She sent someone to inquire and learned that Prince Xian and Prince Ning had rushed into the palace. She waited for half an hour before getting into the carriage and heading to the palace.

When Jiang Shuwan arrived, not only were Prince Xian, Prince Ning, and their two consorts present, but also several high-ranking consorts from the harem, headed by the Empress.

Jiang Shuwan greeted everyone with a bow.

The Empress looked unwell, but her brows relaxed a little when she saw Jiang Shuwan.

Jiang Shuwan silently walked to the Empress's side and took the Empress's arm.

The Empress held Jiang Shuwan's hand and patted it gently a few times.

Everyone present looked worried, but what they were really thinking was anyone's guess.

A short while later, the imperial physician came out.

The imperial physician first bowed to the Empress.

The Empress asked anxiously, "Imperial Physician Liu, how is the Emperor?"

"The bleeding has stopped, and His Majesty is fine."

After the imperial physician finished speaking, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Even though it was already autumn and much cooler, he was still sweating profusely from nervousness in the room.

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

The others were the same, but Jiang Shuwan noticed that a few people didn't look too good.

After looking around, the Empress said, "Since the Emperor is alright, you should all go back now. I'll stay here."

"Your Majesty, I am worried about His Majesty. May I stay by His Majesty's side?"

It was Consort He who spoke.

The Empress asked, "Do you know anything about medicine?"

Consort He lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, I do not understand."

"Since you don't understand, why are you causing trouble here!" The Empress's voice was somewhat cold.

Consort He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I am only concerned about you."

The Empress said sternly, "Who here doesn't care about the Emperor? What the Emperor needs most right now is peace and quiet to recuperate. No one should disturb him."

Consort He felt her face burning. She lowered her voice and said, "It was my oversight. Please don't be angry, Your Majesty."

Prince Ning couldn't bear to see his mother being scolded like that, so he stepped in to help Consort He out of the predicament.

"Since it is inconvenient for Mother and the other concubines to visit Father, as your son, I would like to go and see Father so that I can rest assured."

The Empress looked at him, then said to the Prince Xian beside her, "Of course, Prince Xian, you should take your two younger brothers and go first."