The next day, Zhao Xuwan remembered that she should probably tell her parents about her pregnancy, and also let them know not to send her any more eggs.
After Zhao Xuwan married the Prince, her family was brought under the protection of the Shangren, and they no longer had to worry about where their next meal would come from as they did before. Life had finally become a little less bitter.
After her marriage, Zhao Xuwan and the Prince lived in the city, while her former home was outside the city walls. That area was mostly inhabited by Shuren, with vast stretches of farmland belonging to various nobles.
"Sister!"
Seeing Zhao Xuwan arrive, her younger sister A Yue was both surprised and a little frightened.
She fidgeted nervously, clutching her clothes, and forced a dry smile. "Come in, come in."
The Prince had sent people to accompany her. These men were actually from the Shangren. Perhaps because of the incident when Zhao Xuwan was taken away, A Yue was afraid of them and trembled at the sight of them.
"Wait outside," Zhao Xuwan instructed briefly before entering the house.
The house was newly built, no longer leaking wind or rain. There were several more rooms now, so the family no longer had to squeeze together to sleep.
"Sister, have some water." A Yue poured some water and handed it to Zhao Xuwan. "Father and Mother are in the fields. I'll go call them in a moment."
"Alright." Zhao Xuwan nodded, noticing A Yue's tightly clenched hands. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.
A Yue burst into tears. "Sister… sister…"
She didn't know how to say it, only crying uncontrollably. She grabbed Zhao Xuwan's hand, crying until her eyes were red and her throat felt raw.
"There, there." Zhao Xuwan stood up and patted her sister's shoulder gently, just as she had done when they were children.
A Yue gradually calmed down, wiping her tears somewhat sheepishly. "Sister, how are you? Are you doing well over there? Is he treating you well?"
"I'm doing fine." Zhao Xuwan thought for a moment. The Prince treated her well—they had meat every day, and now that she was pregnant, she received even more care.
Looking at Zhao Xuwan's still slender wrists and sallow complexion, A Yue swallowed her words. "As long as you're doing well, sister."
Zhao Xuwan sighed and gently placed her sister's hand on her abdomen.
A Yue froze for a moment, her eyes reddening again.
"A Yue, I'm with child." Zhao Xuwan reached up to wipe her sister's tears. "You're going to be an aunt."
"I… I…" A Yue's lips trembled, and it took her a long time to choke out, "Father and Mother will be so happy."
Father and Mother were indeed overjoyed. Even their son, who hadn't been home for days, sneaked back when he heard his sister had returned. No one was unhappy.
For lunch, the main dish was boiled beans. When Zhao Xuwan saw it, her expression darkened.
Father waved his hand. "We're used to it, we're used to it."
"Why aren't you eating the rice and flour I sent last time? If it's not enough, I'll have them send more." Zhao Xuwan insisted firmly, determined to make them eat it.
Father and Mother had no choice. Mother turned away to wipe her tears. "Ah, I cooked rice too. I'll serve it to you. I just boiled the beans first."
Zhao Xuwan refused, setting the beans aside and watching Mother and Father finish a proper meal before leaving.
When it was time to leave, her younger siblings reluctantly saw her off. After comforting her sister, she gave her brother a meaningful look. Zhao Adi scratched his head and followed his sister a few steps.
"Why haven't you been coming home lately?" Zhao Xuwan asked softly.
"I… I had business outside," Zhao Adi said, turning his head away.
Zhao Xuwan stepped forward, grabbed his sleeve, and yanked it open. The coarse linen was tough to tear, but the garment had been worn for many years and was already worn thin.
On his exposed wrist, there was a clear, dark bruise.
"Where did you go?" Zhao Xuwan asked, her voice thick with emotion.
Zhao Adi opened his mouth, but seeing his sister's reddened eyes and frail frame, he closed it again.
"Tell me now!" Zhao Xuwan's voice rose, barely restrained.
A few people who had been following her from a distance seemed to hear the commotion and glanced over, but Zhao Xuwan paid them no mind. She just wanted her brother to explain clearly.
"Last time, Zhu San said there was a chance to join the military camp as a soldier. I thought I'd give it a try. They require being able to draw a ten-stone bow or walk a hundred li in half a day. I've been training hard lately. I… I really haven't done anything wrong."
Watching tears slowly trickle down Zhao Xuwan's face, Zhao Adi's initially confident voice gradually softened.
"I… I just thought earning military merit would be easier. If I make something of myself, Father and Mother wouldn't have to farm so hard, you wouldn't have to work so much over there, and A Yue's dowry could have some hope. I…" Zhao Adi turned his head away. "Sis, don't be angry."
"If you get selected, remember to take care of yourself and don't push too hard," Zhao Xuwan said calmly, showing no trace of her earlier tears.
"Sis?" Zhao Adi was somewhat incredulous.
"It's good that you want to better yourself," Zhao Xuwan sighed. "But military merit isn't easy to earn. On the battlefield, blades and arrows have no eyes. You must be extra careful."
"I know," Zhao Adi said excitedly. "Once I pass the test, I'm sure I can earn it. I'll be careful not to worry Mother and you."
"Let's go back," Zhao Xuwan patted her brother's shoulder. "Train well. I've told Mother not to send eggs anymore. There are plenty over there. You, A Yue, and Mother should eat the rest to nourish yourselves."
Returning to the house in the city, Zhao Xuwan remained unsettled.
"Host, don't be sad. Once you focus on farming and complete the tasks, you'll have plenty of grain. Then your family can eat whatever they want."
001 had watched for a long time and finally couldn't hold back. He had wanted to comfort the host for a while, seeing them eat mushy rice and discolored vegetables. Even as an artificial intelligence, he couldn't bear to watch.
This was truly miserable. Was this what real ancient life was like?
"…Then you'd better guide me properly," Zhao Xuwan fell silent for a moment, thinking she might as well take advantage of the situation.
"Because of your mistake, I've lived all these years eating chaff and rough vegetables. Isn't this the perfect time to make it up to me?"
001: That sounded somewhat right, yet also somewhat wrong. Upon closer thought, he felt he really wasn't a good AI.
Filled with guilt, 001 went a little easy and instructed Zhao Xuwan on how to plant sweet potatoes.
Zhao Xuwan, in turn, directed the servants sent by the Shangren to plant them properly.
The heavy work of tilling the land was something Zhao Xuwan certainly couldn't do herself. She could only direct people to plow the field on the left side of the courtyard and form ridges.
Then she directed others to cut the sweet potatoes into several pieces. This task she could manage, though the knives here weren't as good as modern ones, always feeling dull when chopping.
After barely managing to cut one open, Zhao Xuwan couldn't continue. She left the rest entirely to the servants.
Who would have thought that planting a small sweet potato required first growing seedlings, nurturing them in sandy soil for a period before cutting the vines and planting them in the ground to cultivate.
Zhao Xuwan led the team in selecting about a dozen sweet potato pieces for cultivation.
After a long day of work, it was time for dinner. The Prince returned unusually early today and had dinner with her.
Tonight’s meal was still steamed buns, soup, and a few side dishes.
Most of the dishes were boiled, sticky and mushy. Zhao Xuwan had little appetite, taking only a few bites and half a bowl of soup before putting down her bowl.
“How did things go over there today?” the Prince asked.
He didn’t hold much respect for Zhao Xuwan’s parents, at most, he wasn’t as disdainful as he could have been.
Zhao Xuwan also knew that this was how things were in this era. The existence of Shuren (commoners) was solely to serve the nobility. Their lives were like grass by the roadside, not even comparable to the pets kept by the nobility.
“It went well,” Zhao Xuwan said slowly. “Everything at home is fine, thanks to you, Prince.”
“But it seems my younger brother wants to join the military. I wonder what you think about that, Prince.” Zhao Xuwan probed cautiously.
“To earn military merits?” The Prince was always like this, always able to see through what others truly wanted.
“Yes,” Zhao Xuwan admitted.
“It’s good to train in the military camp,” the Prince smiled. “Earning a future for the family is also his own ability.”
The candles in the study remained lit, but the Prince hadn’t returned yet. Zhao Xuwan didn’t pay it much mind, as she was lying in bed, bickering with 001.
“Can you make an exception and give me sanitary pads?” Zhao Xuwan pleaded.
“That’s not really possible,” 001 said awkwardly. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you? You don’t need them now, do you?”
“I’ll need them in the future,” Zhao Xuwan sighed helplessly. The duration of pregnancy wasn’t particularly long or short—it would pass in the blink of an eye. What would she do after giving birth when she had lochia? There was no cotton cloth here, only hemp or silk. Using silk all the time would be too extravagant.
“What about cotton cloth?” Zhao Xuwan persisted.
“None.”
“What about cotton?” She couldn’t back down now.
“There are cotton seeds,” 001 smiled.
“Forget it,” she sighed, realizing it was just wishful thinking. Even if she had sanitary pads, she wouldn’t dare use them, as she wouldn’t know where to dispose of them.
Cotton cloth would have been better, but there was none.
“How many points can I earn for my performance today? Can I exchange them for anything?” Zhao Xuwan asked with some anticipation.
“Hmm, cutting one sweet potato today adds two points,” 001 reviewed seriously. “That’s it.”
That’s it?
Zhao Xuwan sat up. “What about tilling the land? Doesn’t that count?”
“That was done by others. You are my host, and I serve you. Only what you do counts,” 001 shrugged.
Zhao Xuwan fell back onto the bed. “Even you’re bullying me.”
001 couldn’t stand it. “Actually, you can earn points by doing other things too.”
“Like what?” Zhao Xuwan asked weakly.
“For example, altering the course of history…”
“The course of history? Aren’t you a farming system?” Zhao Xuwan couldn’t believe it. These days, even systems have side jobs?
“Ah, well,” 001 scratched its head. “It counts as a significant performance for you.”
Zhao Xuwan turned her head away. “I’m just a Shuren (commoner). Altering the course of history? Why don’t you just ask me to become the King of Zhao?”
“If you want to, perhaps one day in the not-too-distant future, you might just become one,” 001 said matter-of-factly.
Zhao Xuwan rolled her eyes. She felt she should be going to bed early now, not wasting energy and time talking to an emotionless artificial idiot.
Another reason Zhao Xuwan wanted cotton cloth so much was for the child. After the baby was born, diapers would definitely be needed. Although wealthy families used silk, and Zhao Xuwan, now married to the Prince, had a different status and could afford silk, she carefully considered the situation and felt the Prince’s actual circumstances were not as good as she had imagined.
The Prince’s current finances mostly relied on the Shangren, and Zhao Xuwan, in turn, relied on the Prince. Watching the Prince leave early and return late without knowing what he was doing, Zhao Xuwan always felt uneasy.
Seeing that most of the servants in the household were the Shangren’s people, and the only one the Prince trusted and kept close was Ze, Zhao Xuwan sometimes wondered who the Prince really was. He had no parents, was not part of the State of Zhao’s nobility, so which state’s people was he?
Moreover, and more importantly, the Prince’s household was not as wealthy or affluent as Zhao Xuwan had imagined. Everything now depended on the Shangren—the house belonged to the Shangren, the servants were the Shangren’s, and Zhao Xuwan herself had once been a person bought by the Shangren. Who exactly was the Prince, that the Shangren kept supporting him like this?
Before, Zhao Xuwan had been muddling through, telling herself that great wisdom appears foolish, and that smart people think less and speak less. But now the situation was different—she had a child. Shouldn’t she at least know the true identity of the child’s father?
Pitifully, she still didn’t even know his name.
As Zhao Xuwan’s thoughts wandered, she drifted off to sleep again until she felt the other side of the bed sink slightly. She opened her eyes.
“It’s me,” the Prince’s voice came. He had been reading in the study and had just returned after washing up.
“Mm,” Zhao Xuwan responded, closing her eyes and turning over, nestling into his arms as she fell back asleep.
Pregnancy made her sleepier, and she really hadn’t had much energy lately.
Yiren looked down at the mother of his child, his wife in the State of Zhao. His originally stiff body gradually relaxed.
“Sleep,” he tugged the blanket and gently patted Zhao Xuwan’s back.
Today, news had come from the State of Qin: Qin had occupied Shangdang of Han, but Han had turned around and ceded Shangdang to the State of Zhao. Zhao Dan would surely take advantage of this. When Qin turned its spear toward Zhao, that would be the best time for him to return.
With Zhao busy fighting a war, they wouldn’t have time to care about him, a hostage, nor would they think he would run away.
As for whether they would try to pursue him after he escaped, Yiren looked down at the person in his arms, his thoughts gradually drifting away.
“If the Prince can steel his heart and follow my plan, Zhao Dan would never expect the Prince to leave,” the Shangren’s words seemed to echo in his ears.
Yes, even if one hostage ran away, another hostage would be left behind. Why would they bother to pursue him?
Author’s Note:
Regarding planting and breeding, I mostly referenced Baidu and books since I’ve never farmed myself. If there are any discrepancies, feel free to point them out in the comments. I’ll humbly correct them.
Additionally, here's the situation: I originally planned to save up more drafts before starting, but I accidentally scheduled the release a bit too early. Now I don't have many drafts saved, and I also need to prepare for an exam, which is quite important and requires a lot of review time. This means I might not be able to update daily, but I'll try to update every other day. I hope everyone can understand. Thank you all.