Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1077 - 1075_1

Chapter 1077: Chapter 1075_1

After Young Master Jiang and the Fifth Princess left, Shangguan Xuanyi instructed Xiao’er to go back to bed.

Irritated, Xiao’er rolled her eyes at him. "Didn’t Doctor Luo say yesterday that the baby is developing well and I no longer need to always lie in bed? I should move around more, otherwise, I won’t have the strength when it’s time to give birth."

Since the space was opened, Xiao’er’s body felt lighter day by day. Initially, when the space was sealed, she had to use her own vital energy to support the basic functioning of all living beings in the space. This took a toll on her body. But now, the space could operate on its own, complementing her vitality, so Xiao’er felt much better.

Shangguan Xuanyi was not swayed, "You can’t just start moving around too much at once; you need to adjust slowly."

"Then you can keep me company for a bit, and I will lay down again later."

"Sure," Shangguan Xuanyi complied and sat down by her side.

"I want to eat these melon seeds." Hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi started to peel the melon seeds from the plate.

While eating the seeds peeled by Shangguan Xuanyi, Xiao’er told him about Princess Ling’er’s pregnancy.

Upon hearing the news, Shangguan Xuanyi merely responded with a nonchalant hum.

Seeing his reaction, Xiao’er asked, "Did you already know?"

"Yes," Shangguan Xuanyi nodded. He had been secretly monitoring Shangguan Wanru’s every move, so news of Princess Ling’er seeking her out had been reported to him.

The relationship between Princess Ling’er and Shangguan Wanru could not be considered friendly, yet Shangguan Wanru had managed to move past her grief over the loss of Zhuan’er thanks to Ling’er’s consolation, and had finally stopped playing the flute incessantly. Was this normal?

No, it was not! Anything unordinary warranted suspicion. Shangguan Xuanyi knew why Shangguan Wanru played the flute, although he hadn’t obtained the translation of the sheet music yet.

Shangguan Xuanyi believed that Princess Ling’er must have conveyed some information to Shangguan Wanru, which led to her giving up playing the flute.

Thus, Shangguan Xuanyi sent people to investigate Princess Ling’er. Her pregnancy was not a secret; many people knew about it, and so did he.

As for whether Ling’er was truly pregnant and who the father of her child was, Shangguan Xuanyi couldn’t care less.

One of his subordinates had made a jest, "The man Princess Ling’er is involved with is very secretive. We couldn’t find any trace of him."

This piqued Shangguan Xuanyi’s interest. He had someone investigate who the father could be, but they still found nothing.

All the men who could potentially have been around Princess Ling’er had been investigated. None of them was the one!

This was intriguing. Who could be so crafty as to secretly impregnate Princess Ling’er in the Duke of Zhen’s mansion without leaving so much as a trace? Even Ling’er’s personal maids didn’t know! They presumed the child belonged to Jiang Weijia.

"Who’s the father of Princess Ling’er’s child? Some guard in the Duke’s mansion?" Xiao’er asked curiously.

"No, I don’t know who the father is. I had people look into it, but they found nothing. He is definitely not someone as simple as a guard."

If he were not as simple as a guard, then how complicated could it be? Could he be the son of some influential family? Xiao’er thought, however,

"Actually, it’s quite simple to find out who the father of Princess Ling’er’s unborn child is!"

Shangguan Xuanyi turned to her upon hearing this, "How so?"

"We could test the waters and see who gets nervous about the child. Then we’ll know whose child it is, right?" Although this method might not work, it was plausible. Even the most ruthless person would show innate paternal love for their child unless they completely lost their humanity and neglected their flesh and blood.

Shangguan Xuanyi contemplated upon hearing this.

Xiao’er stopped talking after this. After all, she had no stake in who the father of Ling’er’s child was. Jiang Weijia did not seem worried, so why should she care who it was?

"By the way, why did Young Master Jiang come to our mansion today? What were you two discussing in the study that kept you there for so long?"

"I arranged fifty thousand soldiers for him to start secretly training." Shangguan Xuanyi then told her about the situation with Gong Qinghua and the analysis he made about national affairs at the Imperial Court.

"So, you’re saying that Gong Qinghua might wage war against Minze Country?" Xiao’er asked after hearing Shangguan Xuanyi’s explanation.

"It’s inevitable! It’s just a matter of time."

Shangguan Xuanyi’s gift to Gong Qinghua, a few human heads, had been received. Presenting these heads at Nangong Emperor’s feast was an explicit provocation towards a monarch. How could Gong Qinghua tolerate such a great humiliation! The sudden death of Zhuan’er had even provided a good pretext for someone to start a war!

"Ever since Gong Qinghua became the Emperor, Nangong Country has been extensively enlisting soldiers and selling horses, even going as far as to use large sums of money to buy good breeding horses overseas. Although they claimed it’s to reinforce Nangong Country’s defense against foreign threats, who is unaware of Gong Qinghua’s ambition? Why would he remain in one corner calmly? Moreover, Nangong Country is facing a population increase, which is leading to a shortage of resources."

Shangguan Xuanyi along with the Emperor and other ministers speculated that Gong Qinghua would attack Minze Country within two years.

Nangong Country has the largest population out of all the three countries and therefore, the largest army.

Xiao’er nodded. She understood this.

In those times, people did not believe in birth control. On the contrary, they believed in the more children, the more blessings principle. Thus, the population of Nangong Country kept increasing!

However, the amount of arable land was fixed and the annual grain produced was limited. As the population grew, the food supply wasn’t enough. This resulted in increasing number of citizens of Nangong Country struggling to find enough food.

Citizens living with hunger over time would lead to unease and unrest, which in turn leads to potential rebellion. Any unrest could destabilize the country, a concern for every ruler.

There were two solutions for this problem. One was to expand the territory to obtain more land for farming. And the other was to increase grain production so that one acre could yield more grain.

The most pressing issue in Nangong Country was the least of worry for Minze Country. As long as Nangong Country conquers Minze Country, all problems would be resolved. Thus, a war in the future was inevitable!

As for when the war would come, it would depend on how prepared Nangong Country was.

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