Chapter 462: Fanning the Flames

Honestly, Li Lizhi really felt a bit uncomfortable at this moment.

In theory, as the only son, Chen Yan could simply pick a few concubines for him to bear children; the Chan er he brought and the Xiang Lan that Gao Yang brought could both take over this position at any time.

But the problem is, she herself hasn't had any children yet.

If Gao Yang gave birth to a daughter, and if she becomes pregnant again and also bears a daughter, then Chen Yan would marry a concubine without a second thought.

After all, continuing the family line is the most important thing for Chen Yan right now.

If indeed no son is born, even without Chen Yan mentioning it, Li Lizhi would voluntarily send Chan er up.

Now, …

Gao Yang smiled and said, "Sister, if I listen to you, I should agree, right?"

"Since you've already agreed, I have no objections either, but we can skip the selection. I heard the former husband has a childhood playmate, though of low status, still a virgin widow; making her a concubine should be sufficient."

"If she doesn't work out, aren't there still Qing'er, Chan er, and Xiang Lan?"

"Especially Qing'er, who was originally prepared by the mother‑in‑law for the husband while she was alive; now it's quite fitting for her to rise."

Li Lizhi forced herself to endure the discomfort, thought seriously for a while, and gave a slight nod.

If it's Qing'er, she can still accept it.

After all, as Gao Yang said, Qing'er was originally a maid prepared by her late mother‑in‑law for Chen Yan, which is actually common in the Meritorious Nobles circle.

Generally, once Chen Yan grows up and understands worldly affairs, such a maid would have been taken.

However, Qing'er is rather special; after all these years she remains a virgin.

"Then today I'll talk to Qing'er and let her…"

"Fine, fine, fine!" Chen Yan, genuinely headache, said, "Don't listen to Gao Yang's nonsense; she's lying to you. When would I ever marry a concubine?"

"Besides, I'm not even twenty yet, you both are equally young; we have plenty of time later to continue the family line, no rush right now!"

Lying to me?

Li Lizhi was stunned, turned her head to look at the smiling Gao Yang, then at Chen Yan, feeling a wave of embarrassment.

So what does all the thinking I just did amount to?

I even seriously considered whether Qing'er was suitable, and all my inner feelings were displayed on my face; you think I'm a laughingstock, don't you?

"Gao Yang!" Li Lizhi gritted her teeth.

Gao Yang raised an eyebrow, "Sister, I didn't lie to you; Chen Yan is the one who deceived you. After leaving Zheng Guanyin today, my husband personally told me to fulfill my duty as a wife and quickly marry two concubines to continue the family line."

"I guarantee every word I say is true; Tang Dynasty people don't deceive Tang Dynasty people!"

"Bullshit, Tang people don't deceive Tang people!" Chen Yan said speechlessly, "Look at your gloating expression, enjoying the spectacle without thinking it's serious. Do you not realize why I said those things?"

"I was already ready to act on Qing'er early; does it even belong to you two to discuss?"

Gao Yang hummed twice, fell silent, and focused on feeding the child.

Anyway, judging from Li Lizhi's expression just now, she was definitely sad; given Chen Yan's temperament, he'll definitely try to soothe her, so it depends on whether she can seize the chance and make some small requests.

"Husband…" Li Lizhi said softly, "Do you really intend to take a concubine?"

"No!" Chen Yan denied outright, grabbing her hand, "Having the two of you is enough; I truly have no intention of taking any concubine."

"Mm!" Li Lizhi lightly nodded, "I trust you, husband. Though Gao Yang was joking just now, one statement was spot on: as the only son of the family, having no offspring is certainly unacceptable."

"Gao Yang's younger sister just gave birth to Xiao Sui An, which is a bit inconvenient. I've been married to you for over half a year; perhaps…"

"This…" Chen Yan heard the words and was momentarily at a loss.

It's not that he doesn't want a son; it's just that the circumstances of Gao Yang giving birth to Xiao Sui An are still vivid.

Back then, Gao Yang was already quite lucky, the delivery went fairly smoothly, but she still suffered many hardships and nearly couldn't hold on.

Chen Yan temporarily doesn't want children; he plans to wait two years before Li Lizhi wants them.

"Lizhi, listen to me…"

He pulled Li Lizhi to sit, patiently saying, "I'm a doctor. When Gao Yang gave birth to Xiao Sui An, I was right there beside her. She was simply lucky; the delivery was smooth, but there were still many dangers involved."

"I'm not unwilling to have a child with you; it's just truly not suitable now. After two years, you can restore your health, and we can start preparing for pregnancy a bit earlier then; that would be safer, okay?"

Li Lizhi listened quietly, and her previously firm stance wavered a bit.

It was evident that Chen Yan was sincere; not that he didn't want a child with her, but simply worried about her.

If she continues to insist, it would seem rather obstinate.

Li Lizhi hesitated, glanced at Xiao Sui An in Gao Yang's arms, and was about to agree to wait two years as Chen Yan suggested.

Unexpectedly, Gao Yang suddenly said, "Sister, he's lying to you. He once told me the same thing, swearing he'd wait until I'm older to have children, but in truth he himself really wants kids, and the contraception was never properly done."

"I was lucky and conceived Xiao Sui An."

Li Lizhi, upon hearing that, shifted her gaze to Chen Yan, remaining silent and staring intently.

Chen Yan glared at Gao Yang irritably, "Can you be like her? You can eat and drink, your body is as strong as a calf, you mastered climbing trees and wading rivers since childhood, whereas Lizhi…"

"She inherited some of Her Majesty the Queen's qi illness; although not as severe as Sizi's, her body is indeed weaker than a normal person."

"When I share a room with Lizhi, the contraception measures have always been very thorough."

"Is that so?" Gao Yang was startled, recalling the frantic days a few days ago; Chen Yan indeed seemed to have taken an extra step.

Having reached this point, she stopped speaking.

It was originally because Li Lizhi always envied her for having a child; thinking of helping her, but since her situation differs from hers, never mind.

"Sorry… it's my fault…"

Li Lizhi's expression dimmed; since meeting Chen Yan, Sizi's health improved, the qi illness only flared once in a long time and not severely, whereas she herself had never experienced it, and over so long a period she had almost forgotten such a thing existed.

"It's okay." Chen Yan gently comforted, "Did you see the exercises Gao Yang does regularly? Actually you could learn them; they're for strengthening the body."

"When you get your health back, we can slowly have children; having ten or eight is no problem."

Li Lizhi burst into a helpless laugh, "Ten or eight? Do you think I'm a pig?"

"But…" she asked curiously, "Do the strange movements Gao Yang's younger sister does regularly really work?"

This time, without waiting for Chen Yan to answer, Gao Yang eagerly said: 'Useful! Very useful! The effect is incredibly good!'

Sister, tomorrow I'll take you to do it together!