Chapter 163 Father

The next morning, Meng Yan brought the stewed Tremella, Snow Pear and Wolfberry Soup, and rode on a sedan chair with Doukou to Zhonghe Hall.

She had been thinking about it for most of the night. Doukou's reluctance to be close to the Emperor wasn't going to last long. But she also didn't want to force Doukou to please the Emperor, as she might end up turning a beautiful young lady into a servile person.

Now there is only one strategy, which is to create opportunities for the two of them to spend more time together.

As time went by, Doukou and Lu Haozhi became familiar with each other, and things naturally got better.

As for the emperor, Doukou is his niece. No matter how hard they try, the little girl is still so cute. He must like her.

There was no conversation along the way. When the ceremonial procession reached the outside of Zhonghe Hall, Rong An was guarding the door.

Upon seeing her arrive, Rong An quickly put on a smile and came forward to greet her, "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine is here. Your servant greets you. Oh, Princess An is here too. Your servant greets you as well."

Meng Yan looked at Rong An's grin, which almost reached his eyebrows, and smiled. "I came to pay my respects to the Emperor, and brought some sweet soup to relieve internal heat. I wonder if the Emperor is free to see me right now?"

Rong An hurriedly said, "Of course it's there! Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will go in and pass it on."

Having said that, he turned around and ran into the hall.

Yunxiang came with Meng Yan today. She stared at Rong An's waist and frowned, saying, "Your Majesty, this eunuch Rong looked thinner recently, but today he seems to have gained weight again. His clothes are almost too tight for him."

Meng Yan noticed it too, but she knew exactly why Rong An had lost weight recently. She couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to herself that during that time, she and Lu Haozhi had been at odds, which had really made things difficult for the Imperial Steward. She would definitely reward him someday.

A moment later, Rong An came out and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is reading memorials in the inner hall. Please come in."

Now, no matter who he meets, he is not as close as the Imperial Concubine. As long as the Imperial Concubine comes, the Emperor will definitely be happy, and everything will be fine.

Meng Yan took Doukou's hand and walked inside.

The hall was empty, so she led Doukou to the right. The imperial maid guarding the moon-shaped door opened the pearl curtain and bowed to move aside.

When Meng Yan walked into the room, she saw Lu Haozhi sitting behind a large rosewood desk.

Lu Haozhi wore a simple, duck-egg-blue, plain Hangzhou silk gown and a white jade crown. His complexion was as elegant as a crowned jade, refined and refined, like a figure in a painting. Dressed like this, he didn't look like a king, but rather like a handsome scholar from a distant family.

Seeing the mother and daughter come in, Lu Haozhi smiled and said, "It's so hot, thank you for coming here so early. No need to greet, just come over."

Meng Yan wasn't being pretentious. She walked forward slowly with a smile and said, "The weather is dry, and the emperor is busy with government affairs. It's inevitable that he's a little angry. I've made some sweet soup to clear the heat. Please enjoy it slowly, Your Majesty." As she spoke, she didn't bring out the soup first, but lowered her head to Doukou and said, "Doukou, what did your mother tell you before? What do you want to be called?"

Doukou pulled her skirt, half of her small body hidden behind her, and looked at Lu Haozhi timidly.

She had just beaten this man yesterday, so she felt a little scared today.

Lu Haozhi turned his head slightly and looked at her.

The uncle and nephew stared at each other, and neither of them spoke for a long time.

Meng Yan felt a little embarrassed, so she said softly, "Your Majesty, the princess is probably still a little shy..."

Lu Haozhi scratched his head, opened the desk drawer, and took out a cloth tiger from it!

He bent down and handed the cloth tiger to Doukou, clearing his throat. "My dear daughter, this is for you. Do you like it?"

Doukou was at the age of playfulness. She had a few stuffed chicks and ducklings, which she arranged on her bed every day, but she had never had a stuffed tiger. Seeing this, she was naturally attracted by it. Her eyes lit up instantly. After a moment's hesitation, she glanced at Lu Haozhi again. Seeing that he was smiling and not angry at all, she suddenly took the stuffed tiger and held it tightly in her arms.

Looking at the sweet smile on the little princess's face, Lu Haozhi was very satisfied. Rong An finally came up with some reliable ideas.

Just as he was about to raise his hand to stroke the child's head, Doukou suddenly opened his mouth and said in a soft and tender childish voice, "Father..."

Lu Haozhi was stunned at first, but then he was overjoyed. He picked up the child and said excitedly, "Be good, call me again!"

But Doukou turned her face away and refused to shout anymore.

Lu Haozhi didn't take it to heart at all. He sat down on the chair again, holding Doukou on his lap, and grinned at Meng Yan, "Yan'er, she called me, she called me father!"

As he spoke, his big hands rubbed the child's head again, and the two neatly combed buns when he came were immediately messed up.

Meng Yan looked at the joy on Lu Haozhi's face and the obedient appearance of the child sitting on his lap, and felt a soft, warm and sweet feeling in her heart.

This is probably what family happiness is like.

If her child from her previous life was born safely, and she and he had another child, it would probably be like this.

When Meng Yan thought of this idea again, she no longer felt sad. Even without the past, she would still have a future.

"Where did the emperor get this?"

Besides feeling emotional, Meng Yan was also a bit curious. As an emperor, how could he have the leisure time to ponder these children's toys?

Lu Haozhi smiled and said, "The princess always refuses to be close to me, and I'm worried about this. Yesterday, the Minister of Revenue, Su Tongnian, came over. Coincidentally, his daughter is only three years old this year. After discussing government affairs, I asked about it. Minister Su told me that little girls always love to be close to their mothers, and I'm always busy and have no time to care. He told me to get some things that the child likes to coax her, and it will get better over time. I also asked Rong'an, and Rong'an found this cloth tiger and brought it back. Look, my daughter really likes it today!"

Meng Yan listened and felt a slight pain in her temples.

As the emperor, he actually asked his subjects about his family affairs. He really has the nerve to do that.

Looking at Lu Haozhi's cheerful face, Meng Yan's lips curled slightly, "Your Majesty, you really are... not ashamed to ask questions."

"Of course!"

Lu Haozhi agreed immediately and said proudly, "I am like this. I open the channels for people to speak freely. Whether it is state affairs or family affairs, I can handle them clearly and understandably."

Meng Yan smiled slightly, "As long as the emperor is happy."

Lu Haozhi suddenly remembered something and smiled at her, "Yan'er, I thought about it last night. Doukou is still young and always sleeps with you at night. It would be really inhumane to take her away by force. So, I came up with a good idea."

Looking at Lu Haozhi's excited eyes, Meng Yan suddenly felt uneasy. "Your Majesty...what good ideas can you come up with?"

"Well, the child still sleeps with you at night. How about we be husband and wife during the day?"

Lu Haozhi said excitedly.