Chapter 117: Peaceful
Doukou still stared at him with her eyes wide open, showing no intention of calling out to him.
Lu Haozhi was unwilling to give in, and coaxed, "Doukou, I am your father."
Rong An watched from the side, looking surprised.
What is the emperor doing? He is rushing to be the little princess's father.
The emperor is so desperate for a child that he has gone crazy. There has been no good news from the imperial concubine for a long time, so he just forces himself to acknowledge a daughter first?
Seeing that Doukou still refused to call for help, Lu Haozhi couldn't help but feel angry. He turned around and asked, "Rong'an, does this child dislike me?"
Rong An was caught off guard by the emperor's sudden question and shuddered. He quickly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? You are the emperor of the Great Zhou, the most honorable master in the world. Who would dare to look down on you? Besides, the little princess is the daughter of Prince Yi, your niece. Blood is thicker than water."
Lu Haozhi was not happy at all after hearing this, and continued, "If that's the case, then why doesn't Princess He'an call for help? Why doesn't she smile every time she sees me?"
He didn't really care whether Doukou was willing to acknowledge him as her father or not. But since this girl called Meng Yan her mother, he must be her father!
Rong An felt a headache. The emperors on the stage were always the center of attention, their concubines and children devouring their hearts to please them, and the eunuchs who followed them around were also very glorious. But now, the master he served was so bad, giving him problems every day.
He said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I've been thinking that the little princess has just started talking, and her vocabulary must be very limited. She still needs to be taught slowly. Besides, Your Majesty is very busy and doesn't have the time to visit the little princess often. The princess is young and childish, so it's understandable that she's not close to you."
This remark actually woke up Lu Haozhi. He smiled and rubbed the child's head. "You are right. I have not been close to the princess in the past. From now on, I will definitely come to Changchun Palace more often to accompany Doukou."
Rong An listened and thought to himself, accompanying the princess is fake, accompanying the princess's mother is real.
In the small kitchen, Meng Yan personally watched the palace servants cook dishes, and gave instructions on seasoning according to Lu Haozhi's taste in her memory.
Changchun Palace was so favored that this small kitchen was filled with all kinds of delicacies from land and sea.
Ruizhu fanned her and advised, "Your Majesty, the heat is unbearable, and the kitchen is especially stuffy. If you have any instructions, just tell them. Why bother staying here in person? The Emperor has come so easily, and it would be nice for Your Majesty to keep him company and talk."
Beads of sweat rolled down Meng Yan's forehead. She picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. "Actually, there's nothing much to say."
She understood the Queen Mother's intentions, but at the moment she really didn't know how to respond to Lu Haozhi.
Ruizhu saw that she couldn't persuade her, so she had to give up and kept wiping the sweat from her forehead.
The red sun was setting in the west and dinner was ready. Meng Yan's clothes were soaked with sweat, so she went to the bathing room to take a quick shower. Then she put on a silk robe, tied her hair with a plum blossom jade hairpin, and went outside to accompany the emperor.
Everyone in Changchun Palace was already accustomed to her casual attire, but Rong An was stunned by her appearance.
When Concubine Meng accompanied the emperor, she was always dressed in gorgeous clothes and had charming and seductive makeup. When had I ever seen her in such casual clothes?
It seems like she just took a shower and came here in just some clothes.
Lu Haozhi narrowed his eyes and looked at her. Under the light, her slender figure in the plain white robe was faintly visible. Her black hair was wet and her fair cheeks seemed like water could be pierced out of them with a finger.
This casual outfit, which was hardly considered dressed up, stirred his heart and reminded him of the love affair that ended abruptly during the day.
As soon as Doukou saw her coming, her tense little face suddenly blossomed into a smile. She jumped off the ground, ran over and held her hand.
Meng Yan gently stroked Doukou's little head and said to Lu Haozhi tenderly, "Your Majesty, dinner is ready and placed in the outer hall. I ask Your Majesty to move over."
Lu Haozhi nodded, stood up and walked forward, actually holding Doukou's small hand and smiling at her, "Let's go together."
Doukou looked up at him, her expression still a little scared, but she did not pull her hand back.
Meng Yan paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes and smiled, "I obey your command."
She may not care about the emperor's favor, but Doukou cannot. She was born in the royal family and is a girl. Although she is a princess, her future will be bleak if she cannot get the emperor's favor.
What's more, Doukou is not a real princess. Although she comes from a prominent family, her biological father is no longer around, and it is hard to say what will happen in the future.
Meng Yan hoped from the bottom of her heart that Lu Haozhi would like this child.
The two men held Doukou's hands, one on the left and one on the right, and went to the outer hall together.
Today's dinner in Changchun Palace was not as sumptuous as the usual imperial meals. Meng Yan was concerned that most people had no appetite in the midsummer, so she only ordered the kitchen to prepare four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes, two soups, one salty and one sweet, and some snacks, porridge and rice.
West Lake vinegar fish, Longjing shrimp, chicken powder tofu, pearl balls, shredded chicken soup, and lotus seed soup are all refreshing foods in summer. The snacks prepared are also green glutinous rice porridge and silver thread soup noodles.
Meng Yan said, "Considering that Your Majesty is busy with government affairs during the day, and it's the height of summer, I'm afraid that eating greasy and meaty food in the evening will damage your stomach, so I only asked the kitchen to prepare these few dishes. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me for being a little simple."
Lu Haozhi looked at the food on the table and felt something in his heart.
West Lake Vinegar Fish and Longjing Shrimp were his favorite dishes. He ordered the palace maid to pick up a piece of fish belly meat, tasted it, and found that its saltiness was exactly what he liked best.
She... is still willing to put her heart into him.
Thinking of this, Lu Haozhi felt a faint sweetness in his heart, and then he felt a little funny. They had been married for seven years, and she had given him endless tenderness and love. Now this little thing could make him happy.
But, at least she has him in her heart, and that's good.
Lu Haozhi curved his thin lips slightly, and personally scooped a spoonful of shrimp and placed it on the blue and white porcelain plate in front of Meng Yan. "These shrimps are crispy, tender and refreshing. You should eat more."
Meng Yan thanked him with a smile and ate all the shrimps.
To those who didn't know the inside story, this scene seemed harmonious and beautiful.
The three of them ate together. Meng Yan didn't eat raw herself and was busy taking care of Doukou.
A four-year-old child no longer needs to be fed by adults, but Doukou has become a picky eater recently. He doesn't eat fish or shrimp, and even meat. He only eats sweet soup and snacks every day, and only eats a few bites of food when he is in Meng Yan's hands.
Meng Yan was worried that she was still growing up and this problem might delay her growth. She was also a new mother, so she had to feed her three meals a day herself.
It was the time for lighting, and the lights were just coming on. Warm yellow light shone through the lanterns and sprinkled on the hall, gentle and warm.
Lu Haozhi looked at Meng Yan with a very kind smile on her face, feeding Doukou with her own hands. There was an indescribable tenderness between her eyebrows. They were like the most ordinary family of three in the world, eating around the table.
The tenderness like water instantly lingered in the emperor's heart.
That's probably what he wanted.
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