My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

After Doctor Zhou confirmed the pregnancy, Princess Yangcheng almost worshipped Meng Ruohua like a sacred object.

The household management was handed over to Princess Yangcheng, so she didn't have to worry about anything. She even had Meng's mother and Fang Ling come over to keep her company from time to time.

Every time she came, she would bring Meng Sixiu with her, let Meng Sixiu gently touch Meng Ruohua's belly, and let him talk about his younger brother a few times.

With the birth of a son, Meng Ruohua was able to gain a foothold more quickly.

Meng Ruohua laughed and said, "If we have a daughter, wouldn't it be a waste of Xiu-ge'er's hard work?"

Despite his young age, Meng Sixiu was extremely sensible. He secretly glanced at Fang Ling and, seeing that she hadn't noticed, whispered, "Actually, I want a sweet and soft little sister, but Mother says a little brother would be better."

Fang Ling noticed him as soon as he finished speaking and walked over in a few steps, asking, "What nonsense are you spouting now?"

Meng Ruohua smiled and shielded Meng Sixiu behind her, saying, "Children speak without thinking, sister-in-law, don't be too harsh on him."

Seeing this, Princess Yangcheng smiled and said, "It's good that she's so innocent and romantic. We can't make the child too dull. Besides, what the child said is right. Isn't a daughter just a sweet and soft little cotton-padded jacket?"

Seeing how understanding Princess Yangcheng was, Meng's mother felt even more guilty. If she hadn't insisted on letting her marry into the Song family, she would have been spared those three or four years of torment. Therefore, she couldn't help but privately admonish her: "The princess is good to you, but you can't be too willful. You can't break the rules."

Meng Ruohua smiled and nodded, "Mother, don't worry, I know everything."

Although Princess Yangcheng forbade her to pay her respects morning and evening, she still insisted on going every day. Whenever the princess was not busy, she would stay with her in the main room and often help with one or two trivial matters.

Princess Yangcheng was even more satisfied with her. She did not take advantage of the favor, nor did she make any demands. She remained as humble as ever.

Of course, Princess Yangcheng didn't cause any trouble and didn't mention preparing a concubine for Yu Yan at all, for which Meng Ruohua was grateful.

In other families, it's customary to take concubines or maids after only two or three months of marriage, and to arrange for maids to be taken as soon as the principal wife becomes pregnant.

When Meng Ruohua had nothing to do, she talked to Yu Yan about it, expressing her heartfelt gratitude to the princess for her understanding and righteousness.

Seeing this, Yu Yan shook his head inwardly and laughed, "You don't need to test me. I don't want any concubines or maids."

Meng Ruohua feigned a surprised expression, "What test?"

Yu Yan couldn't bring himself to be cold to her, so he just pretended to be resentful and gently pinched her small, perky nose. "Don't worry, if anyone wants to be a concubine, I'll sell her off immediately."

He waited for her for seven or eight years; his heart simply couldn't hold anyone else.

Meng Ruohua wrinkled her nose, tilted her head to avoid his hand, and muttered, "You'd better keep your word."

"We can definitely do it."

Yu Yan wasn't good at saying sweet things, but every promise he made was firm and meant to be kept for a lifetime.

Although Meng Ruohua wasn't quite convinced yet, he had plenty of time to prove himself, as he had a long life ahead of him.

Dr. Zhou would come to check her pulse every ten days and often reminded her to move around more and not to take too many tonics.

Princess Yangcheng had seen too many filthy things, and she often asked Yu Yan to take Meng Ruohua out of the mansion to change her mood.

Meng Ruohua had no physical discomfort. Even the morning sickness that most people experience was very mild. However, she had a good appetite. She wanted to eat but dared not eat too much. Every day she would think about what she craved the most.

Whenever Yu Yan had a day off, he would take Meng Ruohua for a stroll in the streets and try some new dishes at restaurants.

As the days went by, Meng Ruohua's belly gradually became visible.

In the height of summer, with only light clothing, even though she was still quite pregnant, her waist appeared much heavier. Because of the hot weather, she rarely went out, though her mother and Fang Ling would occasionally come to visit her.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, Princess Pingyang returned to the capital and told Meng Ruohua that her marriage had also been arranged by the Empress Dowager. Her husband was the second son of Luo Hongchuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was currently stationed in Xingyuan Prefecture as a commander of a thousand men. They would get married when she returned to the capital at the end of the year to report on her duties.

The Luo and Meng families were close friends. Luo Hongchuan and the father of Princess Pingyang were also friends. Unable to bear seeing his friend's orphan orphan suffer alone, he took the initiative to ask the Emperor for a marriage proposal.

The two were of similar age, and Luo Hongchuan was a confidant of the emperor, so he immediately agreed.

Meng Ruohua said with relief, "Uncle Luo is an upright person, and Aunt Luo is straightforward and easy to get along with."

Since we're both in the capital, even if we haven't met often, we probably know a little about each other.

Princess Pingyang nodded. "You don't need to worry about me. I have the Empress Dowager and the Emperor behind me. I won't be mistreated no matter which family I marry into."

She didn't want to get married before because her uncles and aunts made trouble. Now that she's eighteen, she has long since taken charge of the family affairs and can make her own decisions. She handles everything herself, from the family arrangements to her dowry.

Meng Ruohua said, "It won't look good if you do it yourself. I'll have my mother prepare some for you later." She interrupted Princess Pingyang, saying, "Don't refuse. Our two families have been friends for many years. It's only right that we do these things."

If the Meng family had a suitable man, Meng Xin would also arrange for Princess Pingyang to marry him.

Meanwhile, Li Furong, far away in the south, had given birth to another daughter. She wrote to say that her daughter was growing up very healthily and was quite heavy, but she would not be able to attend Princess Pingyang's wedding.

River transport is impossible in winter, and traveling by bus takes more than twenty days, making the round trip too much of a hassle.

When Meng Ruohua got married, she was told to rest assured, jokingly saying: "Just add more makeup."

By the time the weather cooled down, Meng Ruohua was already more than four months pregnant.

To keep Meng Ruohua entertained, Yu Yan would occasionally take her out for walks, sometimes to the Meng residence, and sometimes to the residence of Princess Pingyang.

Yu Yan is usually expressionless when he is out, but he is very attentive when taking care of people. He always accompanies Meng Ruohua when she goes out and takes good care of her. He has never let Meng Ruohua bump into anything.

On this day, Xu Yong's caravan returned to the capital after traveling south. Meng Ruohua wanted to go to the warehouse to check on the grain that had been transported back this year. Yu Yan was worried and, after making arrangements, came along with her.

It was still the same warehouse, not far from the ferry crossing. People would depart from this ferry crossing whether they were going out to sea or heading south.

Meng Ruohua didn't go to the chaotic ferry crossing; instead, she went straight to the warehouse.

The large seven warehouses were filled with grain, two others were filled with cloth unique to Lingnan, and one contained various imported spices. When they were delivered to the shops of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, they only needed to share one layer of the profits.

Looking at the overflowing warehouse, Meng Ruohua felt as if she were looking at mountains of gold and silver.

If all these things are sold, I estimate I can earn forty to fifty thousand taels of silver.

Xu Yong pointed to the coarse cloth and said, "Although these cannot compare to Shu brocade or Yun brocade, they have bright colors and are not easy to fade, making them much better than ordinary cotton cloth."

It's perfect to ship them to Ronghui Cloth Shop to sell, saving us the trouble of opening a new store.