1452 A Man Should Only Have One Wife
Lin Qingyuan gave him a questioning look. “A maid would be more adept at this work compared to a male servant, and they would be more meticulous. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to keep a few of them by your side? Besides…” She paused and gave a light cough before saying pointedly, “If you happen to find some of them pleasing to the eye, you can keep them by your side as a personal handmaiden.”
Chu Qi frowned. He did not like hearing about such things.
Ji’er, who was playing with Yuanyuan, suddenly heard the words ‘personal handmaiden’, which she could not fully comprehend. She asked Lin Qingyuan, “Big Sis Qingyuan, what’s a personal handmaiden?”
Yaoyao looked curious as well.
Baoyu gave the same questioning look.
Lin Qingyuan gave a light cough. She realized she had let her tongue slip.
These children had been strongly influenced by Li Liangwei and believed that a man should only have one wife. They had never been exposed to things such as personal handmaidens or concubines. These girls lived in the Palace and no one ever dared mention such topics to them.
Even though Lin Qingyuan also felt that men should be this way, it was not the common practice in this day and age.
It just so happened that she was surrounded by people with that unique mindset who were loyal when it came to matters of love. There were actually countless men out there who had multiple concubines.
When she saw the children’s reaction, she suddenly felt that Weiwei might have protected these children a little too much.
Even though they were quite young, it was not a good thing for them to remain unaware of such things.
“Big Sis Qingyuan, what is a personal handmaiden?” Yaoyao became even more curious when Lin Qingyuan stayed silent and quickly pushed for an answer.
Ji’er and Baoyu looked curiously at Lin Qingyuan as well. They waited for her to resolve everyone’s doubts.
Zhao Qian and Chu Qi’s expressions changed. They were about to stop Lin Qingyuan when she suddenly blurted, “A personal handmaiden is a maid who accompanies their master to sleep.”
The children looked at Lin Qingyuan incredulously, not completely understanding what her words meant.
“Only children would need adults to accompany them to sleep, right?” Baoyu mumbled.
Yaoyao and Ji’er nodded too. “That’s right. You’re being funny, Big Sis Qingyuan. Lil Qi isn’t a child anymore. Why would he need a personal handmaiden?”
Lin Qingyuan wiped the sweat off her brows. It was precisely because Chu Qi was an adult that he would need a personal handmaiden.
However, faced with the children’s innocent looks, she pressed her lips and laughed drily as she continued, “You’re right. Adults don’t really need personal handmaidens.”
Zhao Qian and Chu Qi were both secretly relieved, but they still had some reservations about Lin Qingyuan shooting her mouth off.
Ji’er looked at Chu Qi and said seriously, “Lil Qi, you’re not allowed to have a personal handmaiden, alright?”
Chu Qi frowned. “I won’t have one.”
Ji’er was relieved. “That’s good to know. If you do, I’ll make fun of you. Why would you need a personal handmaiden when you’re a grown man? My Royal Brother is only nine and he doesn’t need a personal handmaiden to sleep with him either.”
Long Yin, “…”
Why would she drag him into this conversation for no reason?
Zhao Qian wiped the sweat off his brows and quickly changed the topic. “The weather is so nice today. Why don’t we have lunch in the garden?”
“Yes, let’s do it!” Yaoyao agreed happily.
There were not many of them, but even so, the huge table was filled up once everyone took their seats. Even though the group was mostly children, the atmosphere was quite lively.
Before long, Chu Yi and Long Xuan arrived as well.
They were both hearty drinkers and, with Zhao Qian in tow, the three of them quickly started to guzzle down wine.
Long Xuan looked at where Chu Qi was sitting. Chu Qi was busy taking care of Ji’er and did not touch any alcohol. He could not help thinking about the night before. He rubbed his chin and said, “Chu Qi, being hungover isn’t a great feeling, is it?”
Zhao Qian and Chu Yi were astonished when they heard this. “Lil Qi got drunk yesterday?”
“Yup. He was lucky I was there. Otherwise, he would have fallen off the roof.” Long Xuan added dramatically, “He finished an entire vat of wine and I had to haul him back to his room.”