Chapter 41 Queen, Youning is hungry!
The Third Elder nodded, a loving smile on his old face. "Yes, this is my Junior Uncle. Junior Uncle, come and meet the Emperor."
Yu Youning had just learned how to perform formalities, and now he put them into practice, "Youning greets His Majesty."
"Hurry up and get up!" The emperor said in a very gentle manner. "I would also like to thank you for giving the prince candy beans. After eating them, the prince is much better."
"You're welcome! The prince also gave me his jade pendant."
The jade pendant was hanging on Yu Youning's clothes, swaying gently with her movements.
The emperor laughed at this scene, and his voice became gentler. "Well, well, well, it's good that you have a give and take."
As he was speaking, Gao Yu, the chief eunuch beside the emperor, walked in.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, and Concubine Rong have come to pay their respects, along with Miss Lin Ruoli from the Yong'an Marquisate."
"Oh?" The emperor showed some interest. "Since they are here, let them in!"
Concubine Rong was selected to enter the palace six years ago. Before entering the palace, she and Lin Siqiong were close friends.
After six years in the palace, Concubine Rong had no children, but she loved Lin Ruoli very much and loved her like her own daughter, often summoning Lin Ruoli into the palace.
Not long after, a woman dressed like a goddess walked in gracefully, holding Lin Ruoli's hand.
The two of them saluted the emperor and the empress at the same time, their movements almost identical.
Rong Fei is at the right age, and her movements are graceful and pleasing to the eye.
Lin Ruoli is still young, and although her appearance is pretty, it seems a bit mature, which is not the posture and behavior that she should have at her age.
"Why is Concubine Rong here?" the emperor asked with a smile.
Concubine Rong was beautiful, charming, and knowledgeable in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She was also proficient in poetry and dance, and was quite favored by the emperor.
Before Concubine Rong could speak, she smiled softly at the emperor, her eyes fixed on him, as if she could not see anyone else except him.
"I heard the Empress' place is bustling with activity, and Li'er happened to be in the palace, so I brought her along to join in the fun. Your Majesty, I think the Empress wouldn't mind, right?"
The emperor laughed heartily, "More people makes it more lively. The queen will naturally not mind."
The Queen also had a gentle smile on her face and nodded slowly, "I understand Rong Fei's sincere feelings, so why would I mind it? Rong Fei is overthinking."
Rong Fei's cheeks flushed slightly. "It's because of your little girl's nature that I'm not as tolerant and generous as the Queen. Li'er, weren't you worried about your prince's health just now? Now that you see he's fine, are you relieved?
Li'er, this little girl, is always worried too much, and her body has become much weaker because of this. Every time I see her, I always give her some advice, but she never listens. Your Majesty and the Empress must have a good talk with her.
After hearing what Concubine Rong said, the emperor and the queen looked at Lin Ruoli at the same time.
This is the girl destined by heaven as mentioned by the director of the Imperial Observatory. Only when she marries the prince can his health be completely cured.
Because of this, the emperor and the empress treated her with special favor since she was born, giving her rewards every now and then and allowing her to enter the palace at any time.
Even the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion was given more time and respect because of her.
But for some reason, the prince was always indifferent to Lin Ruoli and never got too close to her.
The queen couldn't help but sigh in her heart when she thought of this. Of course, she valued her son's health, but she was unwilling to ignore her son's feelings. Her son was unwilling to get married to Lin Ruoli, and she didn't force him. She just wanted to wait until they were older.
But recently, Concubine Rong, the Yong'an Marquisate, and Lin Ruoli's father, Shen Qingmo, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, have become increasingly anxious, wishing that the emperor would issue an order immediately.
The emperor was already looking at Lin Ruoli with a smile. He had some affection for this little girl who could save his favorite son.
Although this little girl is too restrained and has been very strict since she was a child, and she acts like a Crown Princess at such a young age, and looks less lively, as the future Crown Princess, it is not a bad thing for her to be a little strict with herself.
"Li'er, your aunt Rong is right. You don't have to worry too much about the prince's health. The prince has been eating the candied beans that Youning gave him these past few days, and he's feeling much better now."
These were words of comfort to the emperor, but they stabbed into Lin Ruoli's heart like a knife.
Lin Ruoli's nails dug into her palms tightly to prevent herself from losing composure.
But no matter how well she hid it or how scheming she was, she was just a five-year-old girl and couldn't help but glare at Yu Youning.
The glance faded away in an instant, and Lin Ruoli quickly lowered her eyes to hide her fierce look.
She thought she had hidden it well, but she didn't know that everyone present was taller than her, and they all looked at her because of the emperor's words, so they all saw her glance clearly.
The queen frowned when she saw this.
What does Lin Ruoli mean?
Doesn't she want the prince's health to improve?
No! It shouldn't be that bad!
She should be hoping that the prince's health will improve just because of her!
After figuring out Lin Ruoli's thoughts, the Queen's mood became more complicated.
A little girl who is only five years old has such a narrow mind and such a vicious look...
There were a lot of people standing in the room, but no one spoke.
Yu Youning just felt that the atmosphere was weird, but more importantly, she was hungry.
"Empress, Youning is hungry! When can we eat?"
Hearing Yu Youning's soft and sweet voice, the Queen felt relieved, and the smile on her lips became more genuine. "Youning is hungry! Let's eat now!"
A group of people moved to have their meal and sat down according to their order of importance.
The emperor and empress sat at the top, with Chu Huaixu and Rong Fei sitting on the lower left and right respectively.
As soon as she sat down, Concubine Rong waved to Lin Ruoli, "Li'er, come and sit with your aunt."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruoli immediately walked over and gave Yu Youning a proud look.
She and Concubine Rong sit together and can see the Crown Prince face to face!
Yu Youning's attention had long been drawn to the delicious food on the table, and he didn't even notice Lin Ruoli's look.
She walked towards a table, sat down, and then looked at the emperor and the queen eagerly.
The emperor and the empress had already noticed Yu Youning's greedy look and thought that she would eat as soon as she sat down, but they didn't expect that she would look straight at them.
The Queen asked curiously, "Didn't Youning say she was hungry? Why isn't she eating?"
"My mother said that when eating with elders, we should wait for them to pick up their chopsticks first." Yu Youning answered seriously.
The emperor laughed heartily upon hearing this. "That's right! Your mother taught you well. Then the Queen and I will have a bite first, lest you, the little greedy cat, starve to death."
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