"You told him."
The father and son watched Rou Niang and her daughter depart into the distance. The emperor asked,
Mo Xiaojin nodded, then said with a double meaning, "I will never call her 'Mother' again. She is just my royal aunt, and always will be!"
The emperor understood the meaning behind Mo Xiaojin's words and awkwardly touched his nose: "She is a princess, so naturally you should call her aunt."
Mo Xiaojin glanced at the emperor, said nothing more, turned around and walked back. The emperor followed and said, "If you are not well, rest for two more days."
Mo Xiaojin shook her head and said, "No need, it's already fine."
The emperor said nothing more. The father and son resumed their usual way of getting along.
Liu Rou Niang returned to the princess's residence with Yu Jin. Mo Bei heard the news immediately and rushed over.
Seeing Mo Bei's anxious eyes, Liu Rou Niang felt a pang of guilt. She had acted inappropriately, focusing only on Mo Xiao Jin and neglecting everything else.
Mo Bei asked, "How is Xiao Shan? What happened?"
There was absolutely no mention of her affair with the emperor.
Liu Rou Niang decided not to say anything, since she and the emperor really had nothing going on, and explaining would only make things worse. So she said, "At first she was delirious with fever, but then the fever subsided, and she was a little weak, so Jin'er and I stayed with her for a few days. Now I think she's much better, so I came back."
Mo Bei breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to worrying about Mo Xiaojin's illness and the rumors between the Emperor and Liu Rou Niang, he was more concerned about the former. After all, Mo Xiaojin was the child he had protected with his life, and he didn't want anything to happen to her.
As for the rumors between the emperor and Liu Niang, it would be unlikely that he didn't care at all, but he would absolutely not believe them.
"This child must be under too much pressure," Mo Bei said.
Liu Rou Niang nodded, and the two chatted about other things. Liu Rou Niang then asked about Yu Rong and Yu Yan's situation at the Princess's residence these past two days. She learned that Mo Bei Bian had been coming over frequently after she left, probably because he was worried that the two children, especially Yu Yan, might cause some trouble, since Yu Yan was indeed not very easy to manage.
After that, Liu Rou Niang never went to the palace again. However, Yu Jin received a special pardon and would occasionally enter the palace. She heard from Yu Jin that Mo Xiao Jin was very hardworking, getting up early every day to study and learn to read, and in the afternoons practicing archery and horsemanship. Moreover, the emperor, in order to cultivate him, had him accompany him to court at a young age.
No wonder their little bodies couldn't handle it and they got sick!
Liu Rou Niang felt sorry for him, but she also knew his responsibilities. She could only occasionally use the spiritual spring water to make some food and then have Yu Jin take it to the palace. She herself never went there again after that.
She would occasionally spend time with Mo Bei and chat. Of course, she spent most of her time at the Liu family home with Old Madam Liu.
With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, she planned to spend the holiday with her daughters at the Liu residence. After all, she would be getting married after the New Year, and from then on, she would likely spend the holidays at Mo Bei's place. This would be the first and last New Year she spent with Old Madam Liu.
After all, Old Madam Liu was a very particular person who valued rules, and her married daughters could not possibly return home for the New Year.
Therefore, the Liu family is preparing to celebrate the New Year in a grander way this year.
As the year drew to a close, the Princess's residence welcomed a special person, someone she knew but wasn't quite familiar with: Lord Fu from Fucheng. Liu Rongniang had only met him once before, when he and Zhao Youtian and a group of other villagers had wandered into Fucheng. Soldiers led them into the Fucheng government office, and Lord Fu came out to speak with them, asking whether they wanted to return to their hometown or stay there.
This was the only time, because Lord Fu was standing there. He agreed to let them stay after they had been stranded for nearly 100 days. Their long-awaited dream had come true, and at that moment, Lord Fu shone brightly in their eyes. That's why it left such a deep impression on them.
"Lord Fu, please have a seat!" Rou Niang said.
When the prefect saw Liu Rou Niang, he was also filled with emotion. He never expected that after their parting in Fucheng that day, Rou Niang would transform into a princess. In any case, this was a source of pride for Fucheng.
Rou Niang asked, "Is everything alright in Fucheng?"
Lord Fu nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right. Lord Gu asked me to give this to you. It's a letter from Granny Gu, and also some local specialties from Zhao Family Village. He said everything is fine in Zhao Family Village and that the princess is welcome to return to Fucheng at any time."
Rou Niang also sighed, thinking that these people had accompanied her through the first half of her life. It would be a lie to not miss them, and often in the middle of the night, she would dream of these familiar faces.
She nodded: "Fucheng is my hometown, so of course I will go back."
Lord Fu was pleased to hear this, as it was certainly a good thing that Fucheng was allocated to Liu Rou Niang. The two chatted for a while longer before Lord Fu got up to take his leave, mainly because there was nothing else for them to do.
He had worried that Rou Niang, now in power, would be difficult to get along with, but instead she was as elegant and refined as a noblewoman from the capital. All his concerns vanished.
He said earnestly, "Your Highness, the people of Fucheng welcome you home anytime!"
Rou Niang was moved by the words "going home." She nodded, and then the steward sent some local specialties from the capital, asking Master Fu to take them back to Granny Gu, as well as to Zhao Family Village and others. Of course, the Liu family clan was also included.
After Lord Fu left, Rou Niang first opened Gu Mama's letter. Gu Mama's first thought was that everything was alright, and then she mentioned that Liu Niangzi's Bao Ni pastry shop was doing quite well. Finally, she asked them and Old Man Mo if they had settled in the capital, and so on.
Opening Zhao Youtian's letter again, she recounted the changes in Zhao Family Village. Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction; everyone was happy to know she had become a princess, and Dahe and Erhe were doing quite well. Dahe now had two children, and Erhe's wife was pregnant again after giving birth to a daughter.
A thriving family is a good thing. Rou Niang thought for a moment and then instructed the steward to prepare a separate gift for the Dahe brothers.
I had intended to write a letter back, but when I picked up the pen, I didn't know what to say, so I gave up in the end.
She went to the Liu residence and mentioned the matter to Old Madam Liu. Old Madam Liu smiled and said, "It's a good thing that the people of Fucheng remember you and that Lord Fu came to your residence. Then, if you have time, you should go back to Fucheng for a visit, after all, that is your fiefdom."
Rou Niang nodded. The old lady then said that the Liu family's ancestral homes were all in Gui County, and that she should take good care of them in the future.
Rou Niang nodded. Although he hadn't seen anyone else at Liu Jia's kitchen except for the time he was added to the family genealogy, everything went smoothly that day. For that reason alone, he should naturally help her out.
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