12
In the afternoon, the sun was radiant and bright.
Feeling completely light and strong enough to kill a calf with his bare hands, Wen Huai’an gazed at the white clouds drifting across the sky. For the first time, he felt that the sky above him was truly blue.
Only through personal experience could one appreciate the miraculous effects of the body-strengthening medicine.
“Tang Cheng, thank you!”
All his gratitude was condensed into a single “thank you.”
The Marquis of Nanyang snorted. If he hadn’t trusted Wen Huai’an’s character, he would never have agreed to let his precious daughter give him the medicinal bath.
But deep down, he couldn’t help worrying: now that Young Lord Wen had taken the body-strengthening medicine, would his difficulty in fathering children still be an issue? If not, even if the engagement wasn’t called off, the Duchess of Zhen would likely be unwilling to let his precious daughter occupy the position of Young Lord’s wife.
The Marquis of Nanyang narrowed his eyes, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. Then, remembering his daughter’s startling words, his mouth twitched. Perhaps his worries were unnecessary. At worst, as her father, he could find a son-in-law through matrilocal marriage. As long as he lived, he would be his daughter’s backbone, and no one would bully his precious girl.
The only regret was that the formula and preparation process of the body-strengthening medicine had been exposed. Otherwise, it could have given his daughter a bit more leverage.
Tang Cheng accepted his thanks with composure, then fixed her gaze on him without blinking.
“I like people who know how to repay kindness. Verbal thanks aren’t as good as something tangible.”
She asked for thanks so openly, yet Wen Huai’an didn’t find it the least bit off-putting.
“What do you like?”
“You decide. I don’t have anything I particularly like. Of course, I wouldn’t turn down silver, even if refined scholars call it vulgar.” Tang Cheng waved her hand, tossing the question back to him.
Wen Huai’an nodded. “I understand.”
He decided to send her a generous thank-you gift after returning home.
“Alright, you should go now. I need to take my afternoon nap. Ah, wait—I almost forgot there’s something very important I need to ask you.”
Tang Cheng slapped her forehead in mild annoyance.
“What is it?” Wen Huai’an rarely felt a spark of curiosity.
“Do you have any other bedchamber maids or concubines?” Tang Cheng raised her delicate little face and asked bluntly.
The Marquis of Nanyang looked at Wen Huai’an with gleaming eyes.
In fact, the marquis had long since secretly sent people to investigate Wen Huai’an down to the smallest detail and knew his situation very well. But he didn’t mention this—he wanted to see how Wen Huai’an would answer his precious daughter’s question.
Would he tell the truth, or lie to protect his masculine pride?
The marquis was very interested.
Wen Huai’an met the burning gazes of the Marquis of Nanyang and his daughter, his back stiffening slightly. He clenched his fist against his lips and cleared his throat uncomfortably. “No.”
“Do you have any bedchamber maids who add fragrance to your study?” Tang Cheng thought for a moment and asked again.
“None either.” Wen Huai’an shook his head.
The people who served him were all young male servants.
Tang Cheng looked utterly unconvinced.
“Really? You’re not lying to me, are you? I’ve heard that you sons of noble families get chambermaids as early as thirteen or fourteen.”
Wen Huai’an’s mouth twitched.
“My situation was special.”
He had been born with congenital toxins. After they were removed, his constitution was already ruined and required careful nurturing. He couldn’t expend his primal essence too early, or he would die young. To live long, he had to keep his desires in check. The imperial physician said his condition was severe—the toxins had nearly damaged his very foundation. It wasn’t just that fathering children would be difficult; in fact, it was very likely he would never have children at all.
Wen Huai’an didn’t want to die young. He wanted to live well, even if that meant adopting an heir.
The incident with Tang Cheng had been his first time, and it had already damaged his vitality. He had needed half a month of recuperation to recover. The Marquis of Zhen’s manor had kept the matter under wraps. There was no way he would let Tang Cheng know about something so damaging to his masculine pride.
“So, you’re saying that before, your special situation forced you to be abstinent, but now that you’ve used the body-strengthening medicine and your health has improved, are you going to take a bunch of bedchamber maids and concubines?”
Tang Cheng frowned. A year was a long time—too many variables. Besides, the child’s father was now healthy and had no more restraints. She had heard that once a man tasted sex, he craved it endlessly, especially someone who had been forced into abstinence for health reasons. Once his body improved, he might become promiscuous and indulge in affairs.
Should she be proactive and start observing a few virtuous, clean-handed, handsome young men from noble families?
Tang Cheng thought to herself.
Wen Huai’an was momentarily speechless.
“I won’t.”
He had cultivated self-discipline for many years and truly hadn’t thought about such things.
“Is that so? I plan to have the child before getting married. If you can’t wait, you can break off the engagement. I won’t be anyone’s secondary wife or concubine.”
“If within this year you become intimate with another woman, our marriage is off. I will not share my husband with another woman neither before marriage nor after. Don’t give me any excuses about being forced by circumstances. If you can’t accept this, just say so, so I can prepare and find someone else.”
“Besides, we can always divorce after marriage.”
“Then the child will have a stepfather who dotes on him, that wouldn’t be so bad either.”
Tang Cheng didn’t explicitly say whether she believed him or not. She was simply stating her stance upfront, putting the ugly truths out first.
Tang Cheng was a proud person. She had no intention of sharing her husband with another woman.
If he couldn’t meet that standard, she would find another husband. There were so many men in the world—she wasn’t going to hang herself on one tree.
The Marquis of Nanyang interjected slowly.
“Making preparations is indeed the right thing to do. Cheng’er, starting tomorrow, I’ll gather dossiers of the talented young men in the capital for you.”
“Father, you’re the best!”
“I like handsome, tall, and dashing men. Those who are average-looking or ugly—don’t bother.”
Tang Cheng happily linked arms with the Marquis of Nanyang, making her demands as if no one else were around.
The marquis shot a glance at Wen Huai’an, whose face had darkened, and agreed with a smile.
“Alright.”
The four maids: “…”
The two servant boys: “…”
The elderly physician: “…”
Nanny Cao and Nanny Gao were stunned.
His fiancée was constantly thinking about climbing over the wall, finding a stepfather for his unborn child, and his future father-in-law was right there handing her a ladder.
How utterly heartbreaking.
Wen Huai’an’s handsome face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
“Please rest assured, Marquis. I will never wrong your daughter.”
Nor would he let his child call someone else “father.”
The Marquis of Nanyang raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. “Nice words are easy to say. Whether you can actually do it is another matter.”
Tang Cheng nodded in agreement.
“Father is right. Making preparations in advance is still the way to go.”
Wen Huai’an felt as if a breath was stuck in his chest.
The spring afternoon was warm and cozy. A wave of drowsiness washed over Tang Cheng, and she yawned.
“Alright, I’m going to take my nap. Oh, and by the way, the body-strengthening medicine is for strengthening the body. It doesn’t cure infertility or difficulty bearing children. If you don’t believe me, you can have an imperial physician check.”
With that, Tang Cheng went back to her room for her afternoon nap.
In the empire, the function of the body-strengthening medicine was simply to strengthen the body.
Of course, if a man without fertility issues used the body-strengthening medicine, it would make it easier for him to have children.
But Wen Huai’an’s situation was special.
The body-strengthening medicine only strengthened his body. Unless he was with a woman who had a highly fertile constitution, he would never have children in his lifetime.
Tang Cheng felt she was a soft-hearted person. After all, he was the father of her child. It was better not to give him false hope, lest he be unable to handle the blow later.
That would be too cruel.
The Marquis of Nanyang smiled with satisfaction.
Just like his precious daughter—well done!
Wen Huai’an: “…”
He had already known his own situation and hadn’t held out much hope.
Tang Cheng’s words only crushed that tiny, faint glimmer of hope he had left.
**