Eunuch Qin had a big smile on his face, and his posture was even slightly ingratiating.

"Alright! Eunuch Qin, you've worked hard. From now on, let Auntie Pang handle these matters. She will be my maid and cook from now on. You're not feeling well, so take good care of yourself. When we return to the capital, I will have the servants of the Princess's residence prepare a special place for you so you can retire comfortably there."

"You've taken such good care of me throughout the first half of your life, now it's time for you to enjoy your retirement. Don't do such trivial things, it will make this princess feel bad."

Cen Xi glanced at the Eight Treasures Duck placed on the stone table. It was indeed a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, and it was also one of her favorite dishes. She praised it and then talked to Eunuch Qin about retirement.

Eunuch Qin was so moved by the princess's deep affection for her that he burst into tears and nodded repeatedly.

He was quite old, and since his injury, he had become unable to do anything. If the princess could provide him with a place to settle down, he would be extremely grateful.

"Stop crying. If you keep crying like this, Mother will crawl out of the ground and scold me for being unfilial. You took good care of me before, and I will naturally remember this kindness, won't I?"

Cen Xi hadn't expected that her few simple words would move Eunuch Qin so much, and her goodwill towards him increased even more.

Think back to when she was mentally impaired, this eunuch must have had a tough time taking care of her. And even though he escaped the palace, he probably took a lot of money with him, but it would all run out eventually. His nervous look just now was probably because he was worried about his future.

That would be a good idea to reassure him; such a loyal servant deserves our gratitude.

“Princess, you mustn’t say that. You should say that Her Majesty the Empress is protecting us. This old servant is just an old servant and cannot bear the weight of your filial piety.”

Qin Gonggong burst into laughter through his tears, yet remained trembling with fear; such respect from Cen Xi was far too much for him.

"I am only alive today because of your unwavering protection. What is there to be ashamed of? If you say that again, I will get angry!"

Cen Xi was genuinely grateful. Her father-in-law had done so much for her. Even though she had no memory of him, she subconsciously felt that she had to take care of him, which showed that he had been very good to her back then.

"Very well! Whatever the princess says, this old servant will obey."

When Eunuch Qin saw that Cen Xi's tone was very sincere, he felt a great weight lifted from his heart and was very gratified.

"The New Year is in five days, Your Highness. Are we going to spend the New Year here before heading to the capital?"

Seeing that the master and servant had finished their conversation, Su Nianniang put down her plate and asked the questions she wanted to ask.

She hasn't seen her child for over two years and really misses him.

"Yes! We still have to wait here for someone. It's been a month and a half now, and he should be here by now."

Cen Xi calculated the time; the battle in the north should be nearing its end. She could wait here for at most a month, and the man should arrive by then, right?

This place is nice; she can finally settle accounts with him properly.

Some things are like this; you can only discover the problem by revisiting the place. She had a guess in her mind and was eager for Shen Jinchen to confirm it, so she didn't plan to move again and would wait for him here.

"oh!"

Seeing Cen Xi say this, Su Nianniang's eyes dimmed, and she simply responded before starting to eat.

"Nianniang, don't worry, Jiuyi and Xiaoyu are being taken good care of. It won't take long. You've waited a long time, so what's a little more? If you're really bored, you can urge Auntie Pang to lose weight. This arduous task is entrusted to you."

Because of her relationship with Jiu Yi and Xiao Yu, Cen Xi had already considered Su Nianniang as one of her own. Seeing that Su Nianniang was unhappy, she offered a few words of comfort.

"Yes! Good! Princess, Nianniang... Nianniang is not an unreasonable person, she just misses them too much."

Su Nianniang said somewhat shyly.

"I understand! I understand! Little Fish is so cute, I miss her too, so I'll just bear with it for a while."

Cen Xi readily accepted this remark and then invited everyone to sit down and eat together. It was already midday, and the food looked delicious. Eating together was perfect.

"No! No! Princess, you are the master, and Auntie Pang and I are just servants. Su Nianniang is not of a high enough status to sit with you. Besides, we have already eaten, so there is no need for the princess to worry about us."

Eunuch Qin was an extremely principled man. Even when they were on the run, he always prioritized the princess when it came to food and drink. He absolutely could not tolerate anyone breaking the rules.

"I…!"

The plump auntie's mouth watered as she looked at the Eight Treasures Duck and several plates of exquisite side dishes on the stone table. She hadn't eaten a single grain of rice since last night and was now starving.

What a great opportunity, but this damned old eunuch blocked it. She really wanted to strangle him, but she had already tried and found she couldn't beat him!

"Yes, Princess, Eunuch Qin and I have already eaten. These were all carefully prepared for you, so please enjoy them. I will go and prepare the things for our journey to the capital."

Su Nianniang was a local. Her father had only ever been a scholar and had never seen such distinguished people before. How could she dare to sit down and eat with them? Besides, she always felt that the princess had ill intentions towards her.

He always looked at her with a lecherous gaze, which made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Alright! I won't force you. Fat auntie, according to my deduction, you probably haven't eaten anything from last night to this morning, right? You're not going to deny it and say you've already eaten, are you?"

Cen Xi nodded, indicating that she understood what they were saying, but her eyes swept towards the fat aunt.

"I... um!"

The plump aunt was about to say that she really wanted to eat it, but before she could open her mouth, Eunuch Qin covered her mouth.

Not only did Eunuch Qin cover her mouth, he also took the opportunity to press the fat aunt's pressure points.

"Eunuch Qin, please let her go. It's alright to treat her to a meal once in a while. She'll be my princess's head maid in the future, so we can't treat her like this. I can't finish all this food today, so let her spend one last good New Year in her hometown. The capital is far away, and she might never come back."

Cen Xi felt a little sorry for the plump aunt who was blushing, especially since it was indeed because of her that she and her husband had divorced.

Moreover, "divorce" is just a nice way of putting it; the current situation is clearly a divorce, hence her tone became much gentler.

“Princess, a master is a master, and a servant is a servant. Now that she has become your servant, she must abide by the rules. Not sitting at the table with the master is a rule that has been in place for thousands of years. You cannot allow her to disregard the rules.”

"If the princess is thinking of her and knows she won't be able to go home in the future, then you can give her the leftovers. This shows how much you care about her."

Eunuch Qin took the rules very seriously, so when Cen Xi spoke, he immediately dismissed her. In his eyes, imperial power was inviolable by anyone, including the master himself; otherwise, order would be disrupted, and the imperial dignity would be damaged.