SGEIRS -Chapter 334 A Secret Recipe for Having Children

Zui Xian Tower.

Princess Jingning and Meng Jinyao booked a private room for lunch.

While waiting for the dishes to be served, Meng Jinyao looked at her still-pouting friend and smiled. It was obvious that Young Lord Shen liked A-Yan very much, but A-Yan was too slow-witted to realize it. She neither sensed his affection nor knew that she had already fallen for him.

With a smile, Meng Jinyao asked, “A-Yan, do you really hate Young Lord Shen that much?”

Princess Jingning nodded. “Yes. He’s petty—pettier than a woman.”

Meng Jinyao carefully chose her words and probed, “Actually, Young Lord Shen seems quite decent. Maybe you misunderstood him before. As the saying goes, it’s better to resolve grudges than to create them. Why not find some time to talk things out and see if it was just a misunderstanding?”

Princess Jingning disagreed. “A-Yao, you’ve been fooled by his gentle and refined appearance.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao stopped trying to persuade her. It seemed that Young Lord Shen would have to work harder in the future.

Suddenly, Princess Jingning lowered her voice mysteriously. “A-Yao, let me tell you some gossip. I heard it from my mother.”

Meng Jinyao’s eyes instantly lit up. She gestured for her to continue. Most people loved gossip—it always lifted one’s spirits.

Princess Jingning didn’t beat around the bush. “Didn’t the Duke Shen’s wife’s biological son get bitten to death by wolves at the end of last year? Now she only has the eldest son from the first wife and some concubine-born sons and daughters. She has no biological children left. Even at her age, she still wants to have another child, so she’s secretly been looking for doctors to get secret fertility recipes.”

Meng Jinyao was shocked, but it also seemed reasonable. Having lost her only biological son, it was natural that she wanted another child for security. The others weren’t her own flesh and blood, so she probably felt they weren’t reliable.

Moreover, Madam Shen might even want to harm Young Lord Shen again. In such circumstances, if he died and she gave birth to a son, that child would become the new heir of the duke’s household.

Even if she couldn’t get pregnant herself, as long as she got rid of Young Lord Shen and adopted a concubine’s son under her name, making him the legitimate heir, she could still control him easily, since his birth mother would be of low status.

Of course, these were only speculations. But judging from how Young Lord Shen had nearly lost his life before, secretly returned to the capital, and how Second Young Master Shen later died, it was clear there were undercurrents between them.

Princess Jingning added, “Do you think Madam Shen can still give birth at her age?”

Meng Jinyao nodded. “She’s only a little over thirty. That’s not old. It’s still possible. Some women can even get pregnant in their forties.”

“You don’t know this, do you?” Princess Jingning shook her head. “Other women in their thirties might be able to, but she might not. When she gave birth to Second Young Master Shen, she injured her body. She hasn’t been pregnant again all these years.”

Meng Jinyao was startled. “She was injured back then?”

“Yes,” Princess Jingning replied. “That’s why she’s looking for secret formulas. And they’re specifically recipes for giving birth to a son.”

A son?

Meng Jinyao frowned slightly. This further confirmed her suspicions. If it were only to ease her grief, she wouldn’t necessarily need a boy. Insisting on a son was most likely for the noble title.

Princess Jingning continued, “My mother said that compared to the first wife, Duke Shen actually prefers his current wife. He and the first wife were respectful but not deeply in love, while he’s genuinely affectionate with his current wife. To comfort her and fulfill her wish for a child, he rarely stays in his concubines’ rooms nowadays.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao found it ironic. “They can be loving spouses and still take concubines and have children with them.”

Princess Jingning was silent for a while before saying, “My parents have a good relationship too, but that doesn’t stop my father from taking concubines. Looking at the men in the capital, most are like this. Men who don’t take concubines are rare—unless they’re incapable and can only stay with one woman for life. Some men start with only one wife, but once they get rich, they’ll take concubines.”

Meng Jinyao fell silent. When she was young, she had once wondered: why could men take concubines, but women couldn’t take secondary husbands?

After a moment, she said gently, “A-Yan, I think your future husband won’t take concubines.”

Princess Jingning laughed indifferently. “I don’t think I can accept that either, but it’s probably unavoidable. Even if he doesn’t take concubines, he’ll likely keep maids as bed servants when I’m pregnant. All I can do is turn a blind eye. Forget it—let’s not talk about men. It’s depressing.”

Meng Jinyao nodded lightly. Still, if A-Yan really married Young Lord Shen, she believed he wouldn’t take concubines. He truly liked A-Yan. The way he looked at her when they parted was exactly the same way her husband looked at her.

After lunch, they left Zui Xian Tower.

Princess Jingning first thought about going to the opera house, but quickly remembered that her friend disliked opera and would just doze off. So she gave up the idea and instead went shopping at clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics shops.

When women got into the mood for shopping, it was hard to stop—unless their purses were empty.

They bought many things: clothes, jewelry, rouge and powder, incense, cute trinkets, and snacks.

Meng Jinyao bought even more. After all, she had a husband now, so she always considered him when shopping.

Princess Jingning noticed that everything her friend bought came in pairs. When she bought herself a dress, she bought Marquis Gu a matching outfit. When she bought jewelry, she picked a jade hairpin for him. When she bought cosmetics, she bought incense to make him a sachet.

She asked blankly, “Are all married women like this?”

Meng Jinyao was puzzled. “Like what?”

“Like… whenever you buy something for yourself, you also buy something for your husband.” Princess Jingning glanced at the maid Ningdong behind them, whose arms were full of things meant for Marquis Gu.

Meng Jinyao followed her gaze and paused slightly. Only then did she realize it. She hadn’t even noticed—whenever she bought something for herself, she subconsciously bought something for her husband too.