Xue no longer ate with the old lady and the third wife. Ever since the old lady had forcibly imprisoned her and had Yu Niang carried off to Prince Shu's palace in a sedan chair, Xue had never forgiven the old lady of Dechang Marquis or the third wife. Since then, she had never eaten with the old lady or anyone from the third wife, and her food and clothing expenses were no longer paid for by the palace. Even though she had little money and initially lived a simple life, these seven years had gradually eased her way. Later, thanks to the recipes Yu Niang had taught her brother, she received a red envelope every month. Later, Yu Niang sent her more and more money each year, but her daily life remained much the same, saving the money, hoping that Yu Niang might need it someday.

The reason why Xue had not separated from the Dechang Marquisate was because her husband was an official. If they forcibly separated, her husband's career would be ruined.

When Yu Niang first went to the border town, the old lady of Dechang Marquis also had the idea of ​​dividing the family. Later, for some reason, the attitude of the third wife changed, and the old lady's attitude also changed. Xu Qinhui would come to the second wife from time to time, and even wanted to give money to Yu Niang and the second wife, but Xue confiscated it and has never been kind to Xu Qinhui over the years.

Xu Qinyu went to the small kitchen, which was fully stocked with rice, flour, grain, oil, vegetables and meat.

In fact, the ingredients prepared in the small kitchen of the second house on weekdays are relatively simple. Xue knew that Yu Niang was going back to the capital, and was worried that her daughter would not have enough to eat when she came back, so she bought a lot of ingredients from the small kitchen in the past few days.

Xu Qinyu looked at the ingredients and made squirrel fish, garlic pork, and sour bamboo shoots and old duck soup. The weather was still cold, so Xu Qinyu stewed mutton and radish in a mutton pot, and fried two vegetarian dishes, one with fresh mushrooms and cabbage hearts, and one with fried tofu.

Five dishes and a soup are just enough for a family.

Xu Qinyu cooked in the kitchen, and Xue helped to light the fire.

Even Master Xu and Brother Li squeezed into the kitchen to help out to the best of their ability.

While waiting for Xu Qinyu to start cooking, there were dishes cooking on the stove, sour bamboo shoots and old duck soup stewing on the other stove, and mutton and radish stewing on another stove. The whole house was filled with the aroma, and even Cui and the others couldn't help swallowing their saliva.

Needless to say, Xu Qinyu's cooking was delicious. Even before it was ready, the aroma had already spread far away. Even the neighboring mansions could smell the rich aroma and couldn't help but wonder, "Where is this aroma coming from? I've never smelled it before. Who got a new cook?"

"What are you talking about? Could it be next door?"

"What's next door?"

"It's the Marquis of Dechang's Mansion next door. Don't you know? The Empress is back home today. You all know what the Empress did in the border town before. She used to be a cook, so it should be the Empress next door who is cooking."

"They actually let the Empress cook for them? Are Marquis Dechang and his wife really that old and confused?"

"How could it be cooked for them? It must be cooked for the Second House. You all know the goings-on in the Marquis of Dechang's mansion. The Second House hasn't eaten with the other houses for a long time. Except for still living in the mansion, it's almost like a separate family. The Empress must be filial to her parents. She hasn't been with them for seven years, so she wanted to cook a meal for them on the first day she came back."

"Ah, the Empress has indeed suffered a lot in the past few years. She was a good girl from the Marquis' Mansion, but because of the Third House's petty schemes, she was married to Prince Shu and exiled to the border town. But things change over time. Who could have thought that Prince Shu would eventually inherit the throne and become the Empress? But now, she is the only one in the Emperor's harem. Tsk tsk, Xu Qinhui must be pissed to death."

"Of course. If Xu Qinhui had honestly married Prince Shu and not resorted to such cunning tactics, she would have inherited the throne and been favored by the emperor. She must be regretting it now. It's really funny. She deserves it."

"This is fate."

In the main courtyard of the Marquis of Dechang's mansion, the first and third wives were enjoying evening meals with the two elders. Upon smelling the fragrance, the old lady couldn't help but mutter, "She really has no manners at all. She hasn't been home for seven years, and when she did come home, she didn't even bother to greet her grandmother. She even refused to eat with us, and she didn't even bother to offer us the food she cooked. What does she mean by this? She's really thinking out of the ordinary, isn't she?"

Marquis Dechang frowned and said, "Please be quiet for a while."

The old lady said angrily, "Did I say something wrong? She is my granddaughter no matter what. And if she hadn't been married off in place of Hui Niang, would it be her turn to be the queen now? Shouldn't she be grateful to us? But she is acting so arrogantly and is so unfilial. I don't know what the emperor likes about her. She even said that she is the only one in the harem in this life." When she said this, the old lady's chest was already heaving violently, and she was obviously very angry.

She just felt sorry for Hui Niang.

Hui Niang later told her that she actually liked Prince Shu, but she was too scared at that time. She didn't want to leave her grandparents and wanted to be filial to them, so she had no choice but to leave Prince Shu and let Yu Niang marry for her. However, she never forgot Prince Shu in her heart. Otherwise, she would not have deliberately broken her legs and face to avoid Emperor Sheng Yuan's harem selection, and even refused to get married in the past few years, just to wait for Prince Shu.

But now that Prince Shu has inherited the throne, he says that there will only be Yu Niang in the harem. What will Hui Niang do? Hui Niang has waited for him for seven years without marrying. Now Hui Niang is already twenty-two years old, an old maid. Because of her past relationship with Emperor Shengwu, she is ridiculed by outsiders and cannot get married.

Outsiders have no idea of ​​the inside story and can only mock poor Hui Niang.

Marquis Dechang said coldly, "Everyone knows what you were thinking back then. You just doted on Hui Niang, worried that she would suffer in the border town with Prince Shu. You didn't care about Yu Niang, and it wouldn't matter even if she went to the border town. Now you have the nerve to say that it was your credit that Yu Niang became the empress. It's simply ridiculous. Also, Emperor Shengwu is very different from the previous emperor and Emperor Shengyuan. His thoughts and temperament are difficult to predict. He has been on the throne for more than a month, and the eunuchs around him don't even know his preferences. You better be careful. If you continue to make trouble like this, be careful that our Marquisate will be buried with you."

The old lady was a little panicked when she heard this, but she couldn't help but mutter, "I'm just feeling sorry for Hui Niang. Back then, Hui Niang didn't follow him to the border town just because she wanted to be filial to us. Seven years have passed. Hui Niang even deliberately injured herself and didn't go to Emperor Sheng Yuan's selection, just to wait for him. Hui Niang has waited until she's an old maid. Now the Emperor says that there will be no other concubines in the harem, only one Empress. What should Hui Niang do then? Besides, Yu Niang is already the Empress. Is he really going to do anything to our Marquis' Mansion?"

Marquis Dechang said coldly, "Then go ahead and try it. See if the emperor dares to do it. Do you really believe what Hui Niang said?"

Marquis Dechang glanced at his granddaughter. The only reason Hui Niang was unwilling to go to Prince Shu's mansion was that she didn't want to suffer in the border town.

I just don't know what happened later that made Hui Niang change her mind. She refused to enter the palace to be a concubine, and she also refused to get married. It seemed that Hui Niang suddenly realized that Prince Shu would definitely be able to ascend the throne in the future, and that this day would come sooner or later.

But since Hui Niang knew this clearly, why was she unwilling to marry Prince Shu in the first place?

Or maybe Hui Niang didn't understand at that time.

Marquis Dechang didn't care about his granddaughter, but just looked at Xu Qinhui with an inquiring look.

Alas, who could have known that Prince Shu would have such great ability? In the final analysis, he was also wrong. When it was suggested that Yu Niang should marry Prince Shu instead of Hui Niang, he also acquiesced.

But he knew in his heart that times had changed. It was impossible for Hui Niang to become Emperor Shengwu's concubine. Even if Emperor Shengwu would hold a beauty contest in the future, he would not allow Hui Niang, who had been unwilling to share the joys and sorrows with him, to enter the palace to be his concubine.

The old lady then stopped talking. She knew it very well, but she felt sorry for Hui Niang, so naturally she believed whatever Hui Niang said.

Xu Qinhui, who was sitting next to her, bit her lip and said nothing. She was filled with despair.

She didn't know what was going on. It seemed that from the very beginning, her second sister hadn't died of illness on the way to the border town. Everything had started to feel different. Although Prince Shu had rebelled in the end, just like in her previous life, it happened three years earlier, leaving her with no time to do anything. No, she had done something. She had written countless letters to Prince Shu, but he had ignored her. Now that Prince Shu had ascended the throne and her second sister had become empress, what else could she do?

During the half month that her second sister had not returned to Beijing, she had tried countless ways to enter the palace, but to no avail.

Now her second sister has returned to Beijing and her home, but she couldn't even see her even once.

She even heard that her second sister opened a restaurant in the border town and made a lot of money. Why was it completely different from her previous life?

What happened to my second sister?

Xu Qinhui now can't wait to see her second sister.

She was unwilling to accept the fact that she had wasted seven years and gained nothing in the end. How could she accept the fact?

She would never allow herself to become a laughing stock in the capital, and she must enter the palace to become a concubine.

Xu Qinhui secretly made up her mind...

…

When Xu Qinyu's evening meal was ready, it was already getting dark. The family brought the food to the hall, but the doorman staggered into the yard.

The doorman's face turned pale. After entering, he trembled and said, "Second Master, Second Madam, the Emperor is here."

Xu Qinyu was stunned. Why did Fourth Brother come here?

Mrs. Xue and Mr. Xu were also startled and hurriedly stood up to greet them.

Xu Qinyu had no choice but to go out to greet him.

By the time the whole palace knew that Emperor Shengwu had come to the Marquis of Dechang's residence, Pei Weixuan was already preparing evening meals at the second house.

He sat beside Yu Niang and was talking to her softly, "Now that I'm done with government affairs, I'm here to have dinner with you and visit my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

Master Xu was very frightened and said hurriedly, "The house is simple and I am afraid I will neglect His Majesty."

Xue was also a little bewildered, but seeing that Yu Niang looked calm, she simply said, "Fourth brother is hungry too, come and eat. I made dinner for you tonight, please eat more."

Fourth brother has worked very hard over the past year and has lost weight.

Pei Weixuan nodded, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, please sit down and eat. There's no need to be so reserved. Yu Niang and I are just like an ordinary couple. Father-in-law and mother-in-law should just treat me as an ordinary son-in-law."

In front of them, he wouldn't even call himself "Zhen".

Only then did Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xue realize what the emperor's feelings were towards his daughter.