The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

In the West Warm Hall of Kunning Palace, sunlight shines in through the carved window lattices, casting a faint halo on the calm and solemn furnishings in the room, making it appear particularly warm and pleasant.

The jade bracelet with gold beads was given by His Majesty to Concubine Shu after she gave birth to the eldest princess.

There is only one such item in the entire harem. Its uniqueness and preciousness are self-evident. More importantly, it represents the emperor's special favor for Concubine Shu.

Today, Concubine Shu is wearing a purple wide-sleeved shirt embroidered with phoenix patterns. The same-colored shawl hangs down like flowing clouds, which not only adds a sense of layering and auspiciousness, but also adds a layer of gorgeousness and nobility to her.

Under her sleeves, her slender white fingertips were faintly visible. Although it was impossible to directly see the jewelry on her wrist, anyone who had seen Concubine Shu had seen the exquisite and meaningful bracelet.

The gold-thread jade bracelet seemed to have become a symbol of Concubine Shu's status. She wore it every day, unabashedly showing the emperor's love for her.

It was for this reason that Concubine Jing was so envious of the bracelet and had been brooding over it for so many years.

Concubine Shu looked up at Empress Cao, and slowly stood up, gracefully and unhurriedly performing a blessing ceremony:

"That day when my fifth brother brought his sister-in-law to the palace to express his gratitude, I gave the jade bracelet to them. This not only shows the great favor of the royal family, but also reflects the importance and love that the emperor places on the Jiang family."

Empress Cao's eyes flickered slightly, with a faint smile on her lips, and she asked, "Does His Majesty know about this?"

Concubine Shu showed a trace of guilt on her face, lowered her head and whispered: "It is my negligence. The next time I see Your Majesty, I will definitely mention this matter."

Empress Cao nodded slightly, picked up the teacup, and took a sip. She put the teacup down and said slowly:

"The Duke has made great contributions to the founding of the country. Lord Jiang has worked hard in the previous dynasty. The emperor will definitely not blame Concubine Shu."

Concubine Shu smiled and said, "My concubine and I are also young, and I dare not refuse the gift from the elders. Such a precious thing will only make her feel anxious every day, so she should cherish it carefully.

I heard from Yongle that Jinchu treasured it and planned to pass it down as a family heirloom. "

Concubine Jing turned her head, curled her lips slightly, and thought to herself: What a silver tongue.

However, she felt a little relieved when she thought that she would never see Concubine Shu wearing the bracelet in public again.

Empress Cao showed a trace of fatigue at the right time. Seeing this, Concubine Shu put the teacup in her hand on the tea table beside her and said softly, "I have bothered you for so long. I will come to pay my respects to you tomorrow."

As they spoke, all the concubines stood up, bowed to the Empress who was sitting at the top, and then left Kunning Palace one by one.

Empress Cao rested her elbows on the pillow at her side, her fingers on her temples, and turned her head to look at Aunt Fangruo who was in charge.

She asked softly, "Fang Ruo, what do you think His Majesty's reaction would be when he knew that this bracelet had entered the Duke Dingguo's mansion?"

Fang Ruo stood behind her master, raised her hand and gently touched Empress Cao's shoulder, and said in a very low voice, "I heard that Madam Jiang Wu is pregnant with twins..."

Empress Cao closed her eyes and said slowly, "What a pity for those two little lives..."

……

When Master Jiang Wu returned to Yuanyuan Hall, all the servants walking in the inner courtyard had smiles on their faces.

Red lanterns have been hung under the corridors, and the red stickers on the window sashes add a festive atmosphere to the green tiles and white walls.

Everywhere people are preparing for New Year's Eve which is just a few days away.

"Fifth Master."

"Fifth Master."

Holding the monthly salary they had just received in their hands, the servants stopped and bowed when they saw the Fifth Master come in.

Soon, the courtyard was filled with the sounds of greetings.

None of what he saw made Mr. Jiang Wu notice anything unusual.

He ordered his servants to carry hot water to the washroom. He had just come out of the imperial prison before returning home. He washed off the filth on his body and then walked towards the west room.

Gu Jinchu was covered with a thin fur coat, leaning back on a large pillow, looking out the window, looking absent-minded, no one knew what he was thinking about.

The bean curd in her arms had its forelimbs wrapped in bandages. Seeing Master Jiang Wu raise his head, he yawned lazily and then lowered his head again.

Hearing the voice of the head maid greeting, Gu Jinchu retracted his gaze, smiled faintly at Master Jiang Wu, and said softly, "Master Wu is back."

Uncle Jiang Wu walked to the big kang in the clinic, grabbed the bean bun by the back of his neck, and placed it on his palm.

The little thing that was only the size of his palm at the beginning has now grown as big as his arm.

He rubbed Doubao's ears and looked at Gu Jinchu with his eyes lowered and a faint smile.

Seeing this, Baizhi and Baishao retreated quietly and closed the door of the west room.

Master Jiang Wu sat sideways on the edge of the kang, stretched out his hand and gently rubbed her belly, his eyes full of tenderness and concern, and asked softly: "Are the two little guys well behaved today?"

Gu Jinchu sighed lightly. She had expected that Master Jiang Wu would come back, but she didn't expect that he would be so fast.

She hasn't organized her speech yet.

Her eyes couldn't help but fall on the kang table not far away. Master Jiang Wu frowned slightly and looked in the direction she was looking.

Then he smiled and said to her: "The gift that my elder sister gave to Jinchu is your things... It doesn't matter if it's broken. The current technology is more advanced than it was back then, so it can still be repaired."

He held Gu Jinchu and sat her on his lap. He checked her fingertips and wrists and whispered, "Did you get hurt?"

Gu Jinchu then hugged him, wrapping his arms around his tight waist and abdomen, shook his head, and asked him in a muffled voice:

"Fifth Master, when did His Majesty give this gold-thread jade bracelet to Imperial Concubine Shu?"

Master Jiang Wu thought that she was in a bad mood because of the broken bracelet. He rested his chin on the top of her head and said in a low and gentle voice: "...It was given by my eldest sister after she gave birth to Yongle."

"That means Concubine Shu has been wearing it for sixteen years." Gu Jinchu murmured in his arms.

In his impression, Jin Chu was not such a pessimistic person. Since he entered the room, she seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if she had something to say but didn't know how to say it, which made him feel puzzled.

Master Jiang Wu couldn't help but look at the table again. There was a jade bracelet with an obvious crack on it, but it was held together by a gold thread. On the handkerchief next to it, there were a few dark brown beads.

He stretched out his arm to take it, but Gu Jinchu raised his hand to stop him. "Fifth Master, the bead contains musk, and it fell out of the jade bracelet."

Gu Jinchu pursed her lips slightly and looked at him and said.