Taoyuan Residence increasingly no longer resembled a place within the imperial palace, but rather more and more like a utopian paradise outside the mortal world.

Behind the several rooms where Hua Zhuyu and the others lived, several new rooms were constructed for the children and wet nurses to reside in. On a patch of grassland outside the peach grove, a cow shed was also built for a large milk cow to live in.

The wet nurse was for feeding the children, while the large milk cow was for providing milk to Hua Zhuyu.

Speaking of the wet nurse made Hua Zhuyu quite angry.

Because Hua Zhuyu had suffered from difficult labor with excessive blood loss, leaving her body weak, Ji Fengli used the excuse that “the postpartum confinement period most easily leaves behind the root of illness” to have two wet nurses take on the heavy responsibility of breastfeeding. Moreover, fearing that the children would disturb her sleep, he even refused to let the children sleep with her at night. She vehemently opposed this, but her opposition was ineffective.

Speaking of the milk cow made Hua Zhuyu even angrier.

During the postpartum confinement period, Ji Fengli ordered the imperial kitchen to present her with a nourishing medicinal dish every hour, causing the imperial kitchen staff to be thrown into chaos and confusion. He himself would also occasionally cook personally, preparing delicious dishes for her. Hua Zhuyu loved eating these delicacies. But there was one thing that Hua Zhuyu found unbearable—the two cups of cow’s milk she had to drink daily.

This large milk cow was no ordinary cow. It was one that Ji Fengli had A’Gui obtain from a particularly famous eccentric physician in the martial world. It was said that this cow had grown up eating ginseng, astragalus, and angelica, making it a genuine medicinal cow. The cow’s milk it produced was extremely nourishing and had been prepared by that eccentric physician for his own wife.

However, this nourishing cow’s milk was extremely difficult to drink, with a strange taste even more terrible than medicinal broth.

This evening, taking advantage of the serving palace maids’ inattention, Hua Zhuyu secretly poured out the cow’s milk again. The palace maids in this room were all Ji Fengli’s informants, making it quite troublesome for her to even dispose of some medicine.

When Ji Fengli returned, she pretended to be asleep on the bed. She heard Ji Fengli quietly ask a young palace maid, “Did Her Majesty drink the cow’s milk tonight?”

“She drank it,” the young palace maid said softly. What a cute young palace maid, Hua Zhuyu’s lips curved slightly.

“However, this servant did not see it with her own eyes!” the young palace maid added another sentence.

Hua Zhuyu’s body trembled slightly. This wasn’t fair—she had just praised her for being cute.

“I understand. Bring another cup of cow’s milk,” Ji Fengli said in a low voice.

A series of footsteps left and returned, and the room was immediately filled with the strange smell of cow’s milk. Hua Zhuyu couldn’t help but cover her nose.

“Bao’er, get up and drink the cow’s milk!” Ji Fengli’s voice came from behind her, carrying an ill-intentioned seductive tone.

Hua Zhuyu didn’t move at all, pretending to sleep.

“Bao’er, covering your nose while sleeping?” The mellow voice this time lingered by her ear, with warm breath stirring up an indescribable tingling sensation.

Hua Zhuyu continued pretending to sleep. Whoever got up would be a fool.

There was no more sound in front of her. Hua Zhuyu couldn’t help but let her lips curve slightly—she had won. But before the smile could fully bloom, her lips were blocked, then her teeth were pried open, and the strange-tasting cow’s milk filled the space between her lips and tongue.

She was startled and opened her eyes. Ji Fengli’s heart-stopping face came into view.

After feeding her a mouthful of cow’s milk, Ji Fengli looked down at her with lowered eyes, his thin lips lightly pressed together, the corners slightly curved, smiling lightly as he said, “Bao’er, doesn’t it taste better when drunk this way?”

Hua Zhuyu glared at him irritably, picked up the cow’s milk from the table, pinched her nose, and drank it all in one gulp.

“Now that’s a good girl,” Ji Fengli lightly kissed her forehead.

Hua Zhuyu raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that she would sneak out tomorrow morning to slaughter that milk cow.

“Someone come!” Ji Fengli suddenly called out loudly.

Outside the door, his head eunuch, Eunuch Zhao, immediately responded.

“Eunuch Zhao, convey my imperial decree. Have the Imperial Guards send people to protect the milk cow in the grove. If the cow lives, the people live; if the cow dies, the people die!” he ordered in a stern voice.

Hua Zhuyu’s body trembled again, silently grinding her teeth as she thought: Damn it, does it have to be this ruthless?!

Just like this, Hua Zhuyu, continuously nourished by the strange-tasting cow’s milk, became plump and well-rounded with a full figure after two months.