Chapter 629 - Oral Order
The third month of the year was the start of spring, and it was a time when all things were coming back. At a farmstead in the suburbs of the capital, the winter wheat was turning a verdant green and made all of the fields look lush and bright. The view of the fields reminded people of a beautiful ink-painting, awash with green. Xiaocao, who was dressed in a bright yellow dress, resembled the adorable and sweet looking winter jasmine flower. She gracefully stood in-between the fields as she watched the tenant farmers tending to the plants. She quietly worried about the army that was traveling to the northwest.
"Master! The emperor sent down an oral order, stating that you need to immediately go back to the capital." Chunhua ran like the wind towards her, not even taking time to catch her breath as she bowed down to greet the slim figure.
Yu Xiaocao frowned slightly and muttered somewhat to herself in a puzzled manner, "An oral command? Why did the emperor suddenly summon me back to the capital?"
Yu Xiaolian, who was currently bent over in the fields pulling up weeds, hurriedly walked over when she heard the news. She quietly said, "It must be something urgent. Otherwise, the emperor would just wait until you went back to summon you into the palace. I'll stay here and keep an eye on things. You should quickly head over."
The start of spring marked the busy time period for farmers. Yu Hai and his wife weren't the type of people to just sit back and relax. Thus, they brought their eldest son with them as they left the capital to go back to Tanggu well before the planting period started. Because they were afraid that their youngest daughter would be depressed after Royal Prince Yang was sent to the battlefield, they left behind Xiaolian to keep her company. That way, she would have someone to talk to on a daily basis and distract her from fretting too much. If it weren't for the fact that Xiaocao was doing work for the emperor, Yu Hai and his wife might have brought Xiaocao back to Tanggu with them.
Princess Consort Jing also frequently invited Xiaocao over. The future in-laws had a very good relationship with each other, so good that the wife of the heir often joked that her mother-in-law had forgotten the old for the new. Xiaocao knew that the princess consort was worried, so in order to relieve the older woman, she always pretended to be as carefree and adorable as usual. Furthermore, she also always came with delicious medicinal cuisines for her future mother-in-law. Consuming all of these foods made Princess Consort Jing glow with health from head to toe. In fact, she looked about seven to eight years younger than her actual age. It made all of the noble matrons in the capital envy her incessantly and created even more interest in the future Yu's Medicinal Cuisine House.
The wife of the heir had also benefited from her mother-in-law's relationship with Xiaocao. After eating a bellyful of delicious and nourishing foods, her body was also at the peak of health. Her belly, which hadn't had any stirrings for many years, was now even carrying a child. All of the lords and ladies of Imperial Prince Jing's Estate had an imperial physician come over every month to check their pulses. Last time, her pulse was normal, likely because it was too early to tell. This month, however, they had discovered that she had been pregnant for more than a month now.
Princess Consort Jing repeatedly complimented Xiaocao, stating that she was their family's lucky star. It truly was as the head priest of Huguo Temple had stated: Good fortune follows her, bringing luck to her family and her husband's family. She hadn't even married over but she had caused a whole host of good things to happen. Not only was the princess consort's body nursed completely back to health, but her youngest son's 'problem' was also fixed without requiring any medicine. Even her eldest daughter-in-law had benefited from Xiaocao. It had been eight years since the wife of the heir's last child but she was now pregnant again. She complimented Xiaocao so much that Xiaocao was a bit embarrassed and had to avoid going to the estate for a few days.
