The back room.
Lin Wan's sudden request left Qin Ze somewhat at a loss: "No, Mother, you... you're saying this too early."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan raised an eyebrow and looked her son up and down. Qin Ze felt a little uncomfortable under her sharp gaze, his face flushed, and he turned around and sat back in his chair.
"What? You said you wanted to marry her, but it wasn't just wishful thinking on your part? Did she never actually agree, and you just forced her?" Lin Wan frowned more and more as she questioned her.
"How could that be, Mother? I can't force her to change her personality. She's skilled in martial arts and has a very fiery temper."
"I never forced her from beginning to end. I asked her how she felt a few days ago, so we're both interested in each other, hehe." Qin Ze explained with a smile.
"Oh, so you haven't had it for long." Lin Wan nodded.
"Mother, what are you saying? How could you possibly get her?" Qin Ze defended himself.
“That’s settled then. It’s only June now. If you’re efficient, it should be ready by March or April next year,” Lin Wan said bluntly.
Qin Ze was taken aback, blushing at his mother's frankness. He nodded vaguely, "Well... that's true, let's see."
"What do you mean 'look again'? You think I'm joking? You just said you wanted to be good to me, but I only made a small request and you started stammering. It's clear you were lying." Lin Wan playfully tapped Qin Ze's forehead with her finger.
Qin Ze rubbed his reddened forehead and said, "Okay, okay."
"I'll try my best to handle it well."
Lin Wan, however, rested her chin on her hand and muttered, "But then again, this isn't something that can be accomplished overnight."
"It wasn't easy for me when I was pregnant with you."
These bold words greatly shocked Qin Ze, who thought to himself that this woman was indeed quite direct when it came to the matter of offspring.
At this moment, Lin Wan suddenly said, "However, you are the emperor, so you will naturally have no shortage of concubines in the future."
Qin Ze nodded repeatedly, then changed the subject, saying, "Mother, I'm hungry. You must be hungry too. It's time to serve the meal."
"Okay, let's eat first." Lin Wan didn't press the matter.
Qin Ze finished the plums in his hand in a few bites and then called for the meal.
"Invite Zisheng over as well," Lin Wan said, then turned to Qin Ze: "I heard from Zisheng that she sewed a dress for you when you returned to the capital last time."
"Yes, they made me a piece of clothing. It's very well made and comfortable to wear," Qin Ze said with a smile as his expression gradually returned to normal.
"But I heard her say that the clothes didn't fit quite right."
"Huh? Really? No, I think it's just right." Qin Ze chuckled.
Lin Wan didn't press for details, but simply said, "Zisheng is a thoughtful and gentle girl. She always gets things done quietly. She's a good girl."
What do you think?
Without hesitation, Qin Ze echoed his mother's words: "That's right, Sister Zisheng is a very nice person."
Hearing this, Lin Wan looked into her son's eyes and said in a slightly lower voice, "This girl is already of marriageable age, but she is still unmarried. I asked her earlier if she had someone she liked, but she didn't say a word."
"But as soon as you returned to the capital, she sent you clothes. Do you understand what that means?"
Qin Ze touched his nose: "We've always had a good relationship, haven't we?"
"Hmph, pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth." Lin Wan rolled her eyes and was about to say something more when footsteps gradually came from outside the door. She stopped talking and turned to look outside. Sure enough, she saw Zhang Zisheng walking slowly in with the maids who were serving the dishes.
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty," Zhang Zisheng greeted softly as she stepped across the threshold.
Qin Ze then stood up and went to greet her: "Sister Zisheng."
Lin Wan did not get up, but looked at Zhang Zisheng and said with a smile, "Girl, I wanted to tell you this before, but you keep calling me Empress Dowager, and it sounds awkward to me."
Zhang Zisheng was taken aback: "Then I..."
"Just call her Auntie, like before," Qin Ze said with a smile, pulling Zhang Zisheng to sit down.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan was delighted, thinking that the boy still knew how to handle things.
"Okay, Auntie." Zhang Zisheng, sitting down in the chair, blushed slightly and called out softly with her head down.
The maids were carrying plates of food to the table when one of them picked up a fruit plate to remove it. Lin Wan stopped her, saying, "Just leave this fruit plate here. I like it."
The maid agreed and put the fruit plate she had picked up back down.
The dinner was simple, just four dishes and a soup, and it was all served in no time. After the maids left, Lin Wan looked at Zhang Zisheng and smiled:
"I was chatting with him for a while, and he kept eating this plate of plums as if he'd never had any before."
Before Zhang Zisheng could even speak, Qin Ze said, "I haven't eaten any this year, but Mother, you must say, these plums are really delicious, I love them too." As he spoke, he picked up two more plums and handed one to Zhang Zisheng.
"Sister Zisheng, a plum won't fill you up, you should try one too."
Zhang Zisheng appeared rather reserved at this moment, and after accepting the gift, he whispered, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Qin Ze quickly waved his hand, saying, "There's no need for that."
Lin Wan, standing to the side, said with a smile, "These plums were brought by Zisheng today."
Qin Ze suddenly realized and looked at Zhang Zisheng, saying, "It's not from that plum tree in your backyard, is it?"
"Yes, that's the one," Zhang Zisheng said softly.
Qin Ze slapped his forehead: "I remember that tree. I even climbed it before."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan scolded, "You're just being naughty."
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