Chapter 63 Daily Life of Raising a Child

Chapter 63: Daily Life of Raising a Child

Lu Feng is of royal lineage.

Jiang Wanrou had several sturdy maids carry the items to the Jin Guang Courtyard, going through them one by one against the list. Apart from the phoenix hairpin, there were also a coiling dragon jade pendant, a golden belt adorned with a dragon motif, and a purple robe... and more.

Under the emperor's rule, the regulations are stringent, and everything from food to clothing has its regulations. For example, the emperor's robes and ornaments feature nine-clawed dragons, and only the empress is entitled to wear a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin. Princes and royal sons are permitted to wear garments featuring five-clawed dragons, while other consorts, princesses, and noblewomen may use phoenix-patterned hair accessories. The hierarchy is strictly observed, and no one may overstep their station.

No matter how favored an official is, they cannot flaunt themselves in a prince's dragon robe.

Jiang Wanrou felt a headache brewing as she looked at these gifts that exceed her rank.

She asked Jintao, who was standing beside her, "Did the master leave any message?"

Jintao quickly thought for a moment and cautiously replied, "The master left no specific instructions. He only said to let the lady of the house handle it."

Usually, during festivals or when receiving imperial gifts, Jiang Wanrou would decide how to distribute them to the second and third wives, keeping some for herself and storing the rest in the treasury. Lu Feng never interfered.

"Oh, right!" Jintao's mind raced, and she added, "When the master received the edict yesterday, he glanced at the list and said that a few hairpins were quite nice, suggesting the mistress might wear them for amusement."

Jiang Wanrou's lips curled slightly. Those golden hairpins were opulent and majestic, adorned with either "flying phoenixes holding pearls" or "kingfisher feather phoenix tails," none of which were befitting a woman of her standing.

She sighed and said, "Return them to the treasury, secure them with a copper lock, and leave them untouched for now."

By nature, she was cautious and would never use these items that exceed her rank, no matter how beautiful or luxurious they were. However, the emperor wouldn't act without reason. What was the supreme ruler's intention?

Surely the Imperial Household Department couldn't have made a mistake?

Fortunately, Lu Feng had left a message, telling her to "wear them for amusement." Though it sounded casual, it greatly reassured Jiang Wanrou. It meant that in Lu Feng's mind, this wasn't a big deal, or at least it was within his control.

After thinking for a while, Jiang Wanrou instructed Jintao, "Tell the kitchen to prepare some of the master's favorite dishes and send them to the Commander of the Forbidden Dragon Bureau at noon."

As the Commander of the Forbidden Dragon Bureau, Lu Feng would never lack for food. In the past, when Lu Feng didn't often return home, Jiang Wanrou would send him meals whenever she needed to discuss something or seek his support. Grasping the implied message, Lu Feng would typically return.

He didn't like to discuss court affairs with her, but his background was closely tied to politics. Jiang Wanrou couldn't tolerate being left in the dark. Taking advantage of their harmonious relationship, she wanted to clarify what was really going on so that she could handle any future situations properly.

In the past, they had treated each other with respect, and Lu Feng had always given her this courtesy. Jiang Wanrou never expected that this time, she would return empty-handed.

Jintao returned with the food box and respectfully reported, "Madam, the master said... he said for you to sleep early tonight and not wait for him."

Incense smoke rose from the burner as Jiang Wanrou loosened her robe to breastfeed Mingzhu. She had been eating nourishing foods recently, such as pig's feet and fish soup, and her ample breasts were full of milk, enough to feed both children.

Hearing this, Jiang Wanrou frowned slightly and looked up at Jintao. "Not coming back... has something happened?"

Lately, Lu Feng had more free time and had been spending more time at home. Even if she hadn't sent this lunch, she had expected him to return.

Jintao hesitated for a moment, observing Jiang Wanrou's expression, and cautiously said, "I didn't dare to ask too much, but the master instructed... for you to rest assured and not overthink things."

This was Jintao's "polished" version of the message. When she had brought the food box to the Commander of the Forbidden Dragon Bureau, Lu Feng, clad in a solemn black robe, was sharpening a cold blade. Jintao knelt on the icy stone floor in the chilly wind as Lu Feng calmly instructed, "Tell your mistress to read more books, proper books. Less of those nonsensical plays. Focus on raising the child and stop overthinking."

Though she wasn't there, Jiang Wanrou could imagine Lu Feng's expression as he said this. She laughed in frustration, her movement startling little Mingzhu, who sucked harder in fear of losing her meal.

"Ouch—sweetheart, Mother isn't mad at you, it's your father's fault!"

"Good girl, it's all yours, no rush, no rush. Let's take it slow."

Jiang Wanrou patted, held, and coaxed, finally managing to get Mingzhu to let go. Looking down, she saw that her tender skin had been sucked red.

"This little girl, she's quite strong indeed."

Jiang Wanrou took the silk handkerchief passed by the wet nurse, wiped off the saliva and milk stains, placed Mingzhu in the rocking bed, and bent down to fasten her robe.

The wet nurse, who had been standing by, took the opportunity to advise, "My lady, now that the two young masters are small, in a few months when they grow teeth, it will hurt even more."

"My lady, with your noble status, such tasks should be left to us servants in the future."

High-born ladies rarely breastfeed their own children; firstly because the children's crying disturbs the mistress's sleep. Secondly, it's a tough job; not every child feeds gently, many bite hard, and a strong one can bite the mother until she bleeds.

Being a mother is not easy; raising a child involves much more than just surviving childbirth.

Fortunately, the Duke of Lu's household is wealthy, and Jiang Wanrou only needs to give birth to the children to rest easy. The experienced nannies are better at taking care of the children than she is; she has carefully selected the best wet nurses to ensure her children are fed well and grow healthy.

Jiang Wanrou touched Mingzhu's tender little face and nodded, "Alright. As winter approaches, go to the accounts office and withdraw ten taels of silver to buy two thick cotton coats for yourselves."

When the children were first born, her maternal instincts were strong, and the children didn't like the wet nurses' milk, so she hid from Lu Feng and secretly breastfed them. Now that the two children are growing bigger and stronger, each feeding causes her pain, and she has gradually reduced the number of times she breastfeeds.

With six wet nurses, the children won't go hungry, why should she suffer?

As for the engorgement of her breasts, with Lu Feng around, she never worries about that.

...

Jiang Wanrou, being clever, guessed most of it from Jintao's hesitant expression and stammering words. She muttered softly, "What's wrong with opera? I haven't complained about him being boring, and he's already criticizing me for being improper?"

"Honestly, who knows who's really being improper."

Lu Feng doesn't waste words, nor does he like to hint around like Jiang Wanrou. He lays everything out plainly and simply.

Jiang Wanrou understood his words, which had three meanings.

First, he is busy with affairs, do not disturb him.

Second, everything is under his control, no need to worry.

Third, take good care of the children, and don't ask unnecessary questions.

Jiang Wanrou pouted, fine, she won't ask, as long as she has a clear answer, at least she doesn't have to be overly anxious.

***

Recently, the political situation in the court has been unstable. First, Vice Minister Pei of the Ministry of Personnel tried to reduce taxes for a border town, involving the Ministries of Personnel, Revenue, and Justice, causing a huge uproar; then the Forbidden Dragon Bureau and the Five City Guard joined forces to capture alleged members of the Chen Faction, almost turning the capital upside down. No one dared to search the Lu residence, but with the chaos outside and the cold weather, Jiang Wanrou stayed in the mansion, not keen on going out.

She trusts Lu Feng; since he said she doesn't need to worry, she doesn't need to be overly anxious and scare herself. Lu Feng hasn't returned to the mansion for ten days, but she isn't panicked, eating and drinking as usual, living her small life behind closed doors.

Previously, when Lu Feng went to the southern regions and was away for so many days, she missed him; but recently, with him being free and spending every day together, their marital relationship has improved, but her body can't keep up.

Now with some distance between them, she can take the opportunity to rest and recuperate.

Without having to serve a man, no one in the mansion criticizes Jiang Wanrou. She eats well, sleeps soundly, and in her leisure time, plays cards with her two younger sisters-in-law for half a day, or on a sunny afternoon, has the mansion's opera troupe perform new plays.

As for the "educational texts" Lu Feng mentioned, they have been completely forgotten by her. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and she doesn't need to take the imperial exams, so why work so hard? In the whole world, besides Lu Feng, there probably isn't a second person as boring.

Jiang Wanrou spends her days playing cards and listening to operas, living a carefree life. Only two things bother her. One is that with Lu Feng away, she has stopped breastfeeding the two little ones, and the milk is causing her discomfort, needing something to relieve it. The second is Huai Yi.

Last time, Lu Feng punished Huai Yi by making him copy the Classic of Filial Piety as punishment, with a deadline of three days. Lu Huaiyi finished copying it the next day and brought it over. Jiang Wanrou, touching his dark circles, felt heartbroken. She complained that Lu Feng's punishment was too harsh. Huai Yi is also inflexible, why be so honest? Even if he didn't copy a single word, would she, as his mother, blame him? She might even help cover for him.

Huai Yi, the one facing punishment, was more composed than Jiang Wanrou. He said earnestly, "Mother, I was wrong this time, and I willingly accept the punishment."

Although his mother was gentle and loving, he had taken advantage of her affection and disrespected her. Back then, his mother had risked her life to give birth to him. He was weak, and she had personally tested his medicine and stayed up all night for him. He truly shouldn't have acted that way.

At this point, Lu Feng had punished Huai Yi on her behalf, and Huai Yi accepted it willingly. The father and son were in harmony, which made her feel out of place.

Jiang Wanrou also knew the adage "spoiling a child is akin to killing them," but Huai Yi was too obedient. He was weak, and Lu Feng was too strict, so she couldn't help but want to pamper him a little more.

She gently straightened Huai Yi's small hat and asked, "Are your studies busy lately? Don't be too strict with yourself. If it's too much, tell your father and teacher. You're still young, there's no rush."

Huai Yi shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Mother, I can keep up."

Children often carry heavy thoughts and a strong competitive spirit. Even if they can't keep up, they won't say it out loud or ask their teacher to reduce their workload. Instead, they'll secretly work harder on their own.

Jiang Wanrou was unable to persuade him, so she asked Lu Feng to discipline their son. To her surprise, Lu Feng smiled, quite satisfied, and said, "My son should be like this."

This infuriated Jiang Wanrou so much that she pinched Lu Feng's waist hard, though of course, she paid the price for it later.

Since Lu Feng couldn't be relied upon, Jiang Wanrou could only focus her efforts on Huai Yi. She implored earnestly, "My son, look, this extensive family estate will all be yours in the future."

"You are the rightful eldest son, and no one will compete with you."

Lu Huaiyi nodded deeply in agreement but said, "Exactly because of that, I should work even harder to uphold the family in the future."

Jiang Wanrou sighed in resignation, "No matter how diligently you work, our Duke's estate is just this small piece of land. Why bother?"

Lu Huaiyi's eyes gleamed, and he lowered his head without refuting Jiang Wanrou's words.

For her weak eldest son, Jiang Wanrou was truly at a loss. He was even harder to handle than Lu Feng had been back then. Now that he was older, he kept his thoughts to himself and didn't want to share them with his mother. Jiang Wanrou couldn't understand his relentless drive for "self-improvement," nor could she figure out why he was in such low spirits.

Huai Yi had been in low spirits for quite some time, and it showed no signs of improving.

Jiang Wanrou had no option but to play a few rounds of spinning tops with Huai Yi and had someone bring in some fun little toys from outside, like crickets, tangrams, and Chinese puzzle locks, to cheer him up.

Unfortunately, Huai Yi was hard to please. At first, she was the one coaxing him to play, but later, after they finished assembling the tangram together, Huai Yi's face remained tense. He tentatively asked, "Mother, are you satisfied? I still have today's homework to finish. Can I come back tomorrow to accompany you?"

Aside from Huai Yi distracting her, Jiang Wanrou had been living quite comfortably during this period. In early November, as the weather grew colder, Lu Feng returned to the estate on a windy afternoon.

He returned without any warning. Jiang Wanrou had just woken up in the afternoon and dismissed the servants. She was performing the "Hu Xuan" dance alone in her room. She wasn't a "slender" figure, but her movements were light and her waist flexible. She was dancing for her own amusement, not to entertain others, so her movements were lazy and casual. She forgot a few steps, but it didn't matter—she just swayed as she pleased.

Raising her arms, touching her waist, tilting her head, turning around—

Suddenly, she saw Lu Feng's stern face. Jiang Wanrou was startled, her knees went weak, and she almost fell onto the woolen carpet.