As soon as Jiang Xuan saw her father, she obediently stood up and walked over to greet him respectfully.

Jiang Wang, unusually gentle, smiled and patted his son's shoulder, inviting everyone to sit down and talk.

The group then sat down again, creating another commotion.

Jiang Wang didn't know what to say to the group of women, but he just smiled and asked Shen Mingrong, "Is Yan'er five years old now?"

Shen Mingrong was taken aback when Jiang Wang suddenly asked about his daughter's age. He quickly replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, Yan'er was born in the twelfth lunar month and is already five years old."

Jiang Wang smiled and nodded, then beckoned Lu Yan to come closer. "Do you still remember me?"

He smiled and lowered his head slightly, which startled Shen Mingrong. When had His Majesty ever spoken to anyone with such humility? He was so gentle with his daughter, which made her feel uneasy.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Wang just smiled and instructed Tan Yonglin, "I remember that the envoy from the Western Regions sent two sets of crystal tea sets. Have someone go and find them. These kinds of crystal cups are most suitable for young girls. I remember there is one set in the Jiaofang Palace, and the one used in the Empress's inner chamber is also one."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingrong's legs went weak. There were only two sets in total, one for the Empress and one for her daughter Lu Yan, which showed how precious the crystal tea set was. She stepped forward and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is too kind to Yan'er. She is still young and mischievous, and I'm afraid she will disappoint Your Majesty's good intentions."

Jiang Wang frowned in displeasure upon hearing this, "You shouldn't interfere with the little things I bestow upon the child."

Although these words were somewhat domineering, they were also comforting. Shen Mingzhuang laughed and said, "Why don't you, as a mother, know how to be more clever? If it were me, I would definitely make the child thank the Emperor properly, say a few auspicious words, and coax the Emperor to bring out all his treasured treasures. How can someone accept something and then refuse it!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the hall. Shen Mingrong covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed. She realized that in the past five years, it seemed that Shen Mingzhuang had really just taken a nap.

Her stunning beauty remained unchanged, and her smile and personality were just as carefree and relaxed as they were five years ago, as if nothing had happened and it was all just a dream.

Soon Tan Yonglin walked in with the crystal tea set.

When a crystal tea set, packaged in an exquisitely carved rosewood box with upholstered corners, was unveiled, everyone couldn't help but look on with amazement.

Liu felt only envy, but dared not have any other thoughts. After all, the fact that she could still stand here unharmed was already a blessing from heaven, let alone receiving any reward.

Madam Gu was happy that her granddaughter had won the Emperor's favor. Her good manners allowed her to appreciate the beautiful amethyst tea set without any other thoughts.

However, the two women, Zhao and Wan, almost got angry.

Both of them were waiting to see if Jiang Wang would reward them with something of similar value, just like Shen Mingzhuang had done.

But who is Jiang Wang? When has he ever needed to consider other people's feelings? He never intended to reward the Shen family's eldest son with anything.

In her opinion, the second branch of the family was more humane towards Shen Mingzhuang than the other two branches. When Shen Mingrong brought Lu Ming to the palace to rescue Shen Mingzhuang, she did not blame him. In her opinion, she loved Shen Mingzhuang and therefore cared for him. She was willing to do anything to help him, whether it was to promote him or to be biased.

Looking at Lu Yan and her son Jiang Xuan, who are both around the same age and equally beautiful, they stand together like a pair of golden boys and jade girls, a very pleasing sight.

Jiang Wang thought for a moment and then laughed, "Xuan'er, didn't you say you don't have any playmates? Why don't you ask your Aunt Rong to bring your cousin Yan to the palace to play often? Wouldn't that give you playmates?"

If Jiang Wang's meaning was ambiguous before, it is now unavoidable, and his meaning has become very clear.

Shen Mingzhuang also realized that, as usual, Jiang Wang was looking for his future daughter-in-law!

She also liked Lu Yan very much. Firstly, she trusted Shen Mingrong's character and believed that the child he raised would definitely be good. Secondly, since she had watched the child grow up from a young age, she knew the child's temperament and had no worries about anything else.

She has always believed that marriage should be a matter of personal choice and dislikes arranged marriages or marriages decided by matchmakers and parents. Even with her son, if he likes someone in the future, she hopes that he can choose for himself rather than marrying someone else based on someone else's wishes.

Since Jiang Wang had already spoken, she couldn't refuse him outright. After all, they were still just children, and the palace was desolate. Her son was all alone and was indeed quite lonely. It would be nice if he could have a playmate.

However, if only Lu Yan was summoned to the palace, it would seem somewhat deliberate, and others would be able to guess their intentions without much speculation.

If the two children are destined to be together and marry, that's fine. But if they are not, when it comes to marriage, it's easy for Jiang Xuan, being the Crown Prince, to marry whomever he chooses, as no one will dare to object. But Lu Yan is a girl. If she enters the palace to study for many years but cannot marry the Crown Prince, she will likely hear endless ridicule and sarcasm.

Shen Mingzhuang thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "How about this? I think Shen Xingtai is about the same age as Xuan'er. They are both children of the Shen family. Why don't they go to the palace together with Yan'er and study with Xuan'er? They can keep each other company."

Boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. Nowadays, children are still young, so they don't have so many restrictions.

Hearing this, Shen Mingrong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and cast a grateful glance at Shen Mingzhuang.

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