Chapter 380 The Emperor Visits
The little girl suddenly stretched out her hand, touched Xie Xingchuan's face, and said, "Can't a real man cry? Don't they have anything to be unhappy about?"
"Men don't shed tears easily. Even if they are sad, they have to hold it back!" General Xie said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Niuniu tilted her head, looked at him, and said, "Are men different from others?"
General Xie nodded.
Niuniu said, "You can't cry, you can't laugh, you can't make noise? Does that mean you can't eat either?"
General Xie choked.
He suddenly felt that there was something wrong with him, otherwise why would he debate with a girl who was no more than seven years old.
The little girl was still holding onto Xie Xingchuan at this time, and said with a worried look on her face: "Brother, you can stop crying, but you must not stop eating!"
In the eyes of the little girl, eating is always more important than anything else.
Xie Xingchuan's original reluctance was suddenly washed away.
"Okay, brother promises you that no matter how big the problem is, brother will not forget to eat." Xie Xingchuan assured Niu Niu very seriously.
Even though he knew the little girl was reluctant to leave, Xie Xingchuan finally walked silently to his father's side.
Xie Xingchuan had only been with the Gu family for three months in total, and now that they were facing separation, the Gu family was very reluctant to let him go.
"Grandpa, grandma, godfather, godmother, elder brother, younger brother, dear boy."
This was the first time that Xie Xingchuan spoke so many words in one breath.
Old Mrs. Gu wiped her tears and said, "He seems to be only thirteen years old, how... how could he go to the battlefield..."
Although Xie Xingchuan is now taller than Gu Mingda, his age is still there. No one can understand why General Xie is so cruel and rushes his son to go to the battlefield when his son is still so young.
General Xie ignored the questions and stood on the street corner, waiting for his son with an impatient look on his face.
"Peace...stay safe..."
Old Man Gu suddenly stretched out a hand towards Xie Xingchuan.
Xie Xingchuan held the old man's hand, but suddenly found something extra.
It is a wooden peace plaque the size of a baby's palm and carved from wood.
"Take it. Every child in the Gu family has one. They were all carved by your grandfather himself." Gu Mingda said.
Xie Xingchuan's heart softened, and he felt as if his whole body was wrapped in clouds.
General Xie at the corner of the street coughed lightly.
Xie Xingchuan knew that it was his father urging him, so he knelt down, kowtowed three times solemnly to the elders of the Gu family, then turned around and left with the big package on his back.
The package was full of snacks that Crazy Girl had originally prepared for Niu Niu. Because Xie Xingchuan left suddenly and there was no time to prepare anything, Niu Niu generously gave her snacks to him.
"Brother, you must come back safely. I'll be waiting for you at home!" Niu Niu shouted loudly at Xie Xingchuan's departing back.
Xie Xingchuan turned around and nodded heavily at the little girl.
Only when the figures of the father and son disappeared around the corner of the street did the Gu family turn back.
"I don't know what kind of war is so urgent that we can't even stay for one night and have to go there immediately." Zhang Yunniang said in a low voice.
Gu Mingda had vaguely heard some rumors and said, "I heard from a colleague at the banquet today that it seems that the Binzhou pirates are causing chaos, making life miserable for the people on the passing ships."
Zhang Yunniang was immediately worried: "If this is the case, wouldn't it be very dangerous? He is still a child..."
Gu Mingda patted his wife's shoulder soothingly: "The Xie family has strict family education. Following behind his biological father, I believe nothing will happen to him."
If a father with a less unpleasant expression had come to pick up his son, Gu Mingda would probably have thought that Xie Xingchuan had gone to the battlefield to gild his reputation.
But now looking at General Xie’s stern look, it is hard to say what the situation will be like on the battlefield.
Before the couple figured out what was happening with Xie Xingchuan, someone came from the palace.
The people who came were those whom the couple did not reject at all.
"Your humble servant Gu Mingda and my family are here to pay their respects to Your Majesty." Gu Mingda did not expect that the emperor would come out in person to greet him.
The emperor said casually: "Today I am out of town to visit an old friend, so I just came here to pick up the child."
The emperor's tone was as if Niu Niu was a child in the palace.
Gu Mingda felt uncomfortable, but the person he was facing was the emperor and he couldn't resist at all.
"My dear, come back to the palace with me." The emperor stretched out his hand to Niu Niu.
Niu Niu looked back at her family, feeling reluctant to leave.
Old Mrs. Gu never expected that receiving the Empress Dowager's decree today was not enough, and the Emperor actually came in person. At this moment, the old lady was so frightened that her whole body was shaking.
"I want to have dinner at home. My grandma told me that she will cook my favorite dishes in the evening." Niu Niu said.
The emperor casually asked, "What's your favorite dish?"
"Gingerbread." Niu Niu answered obediently.
Although the emperor loved Niu Niu, he was not the empress dowager. Unlike the empress dowager, he did not always pay attention to Niu Niu's preferences, so this was the first time he heard about this.
Like everyone else, he frowned and asked, "Why do you like eating such strange things?"
When Gu Mingda heard this, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, there is no distinction between high and low food in the world. It is only because of the difficulty of obtaining that the prices are divided. Since thousands of people have thousands of tastes, everyone has different tastes. Niuniu has loved eating ginger since she was a child. Ginger can promote blood circulation and drive away cold, so this child has always been strong and healthy and rarely gets sick."
The emperor glanced at Gu Mingda with a smile. He could naturally hear that Gu Mingda was talking to him on the surface, but was actually comforting Niu Niu that she was no different from other people.
This is actually also a subtle blame on the emperor for saying that the child is strange.
"My dear Minister Gu, you have a kind heart like a father." The emperor sighed, not caring about Gu Mingda's little thoughts.
Gu Mingda wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The emperor was very majestic. He had been impulsive just now and said those words. Fortunately, the emperor did not take it to heart.
"There are also gingerbread in the palace. I will ask the imperial kitchen to prepare it for you." said the emperor.
Niuniu shook her head: "It's different. Only when it's made by family members, it tastes like home."
The emperor frowned slightly.
Gu Mingda knew that he should persuade Niu Niu to be more sensible at this time, but he couldn't say it.
His daughter entered the palace at such a young age. Even though the empress dowager loved her, the palace was not as comfortable as home. The little girl just wanted to have more meals at home. He really couldn't bear to make his daughter feel uncomfortable.
"Uncle Emperor, I really want to have dinner at home. After dinner, I will go back to the palace, okay?" Niu Niu begged.
Qian Rongsheng reminded quietly, "Niuniu, His Majesty has come specially to pick you up. There are many things going on in the palace, so we can't delay. If we wait until the palace gates are locked, it will be troublesome."
When the little girl heard this, she was so sad that she almost cried.
On the other hand, the trembling old lady Gu hesitated for a while and said, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, I will go to the kitchen to make gingerbread. Niuniu...you can take it with you on the way..."
The emperor nodded slightly.
Niu Niu ran from the emperor's side to Zhang Yuniang's arms. Since returning to the palace was a foregone conclusion, the little girl just wanted to stay with her mother for a while longer.
The emperor felt a little disappointed because there was no one around him. He looked at Gu Zhao and Gu Yan and said, "My dear Gu, your two sons are both very talented and have a lot of your style."
Gu Yan's expression remained unchanged, but when Gu Zhao heard this, he opened his clear and innocent eyes and thought of a possibility with his not-so-smart little head, and said, "Your Majesty, do you want me to enter the palace as well? I can exchange with Niuniu!"
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