After arriving in the capital, Chu Xingyan went home to prepare silver notes, thinking that if all else failed, he could expand the national treasury for the emperor so that he would let Xi Yue go.
Song Yifan also went back to the Minister's residence to find his father, as he needed to get his father to go to the palace as soon as possible to see if he could help.
Fang Xiyue followed Gong Yunxiao back to the Prince's Mansion to bathe and change. The Princess's clothes had already been prepared and altered according to Fang Xiyue's measurements.
The three children were snatched away and teased by the younger sisters in the manor. After returning, they missed the days in Black Cloud Village, where they were very free. Being locked up at home all the time was too boring.
These younger sisters are actually princesses, but they don't like staying in the palace, so they come to play with their second brother.
They could actually go to their third brother's place, but since he's unreliable, they wouldn't go.
On the other side, Song Yifan was caught by Song Chongwen, the Minister of Revenue, who had just returned from court, as soon as he got home.
"You unfilial son, you still know how to come back! Bring me the family law! I'm going to teach this rebellious son a lesson today!"
Song Chongwen is a very civilized and polite person, but he only gets agitated when he is with his own son.
He started chasing after her with a whip in his hand, and Song Yifan took off running. The two of them chased each other in circles in the yard.
"Father, can we postpone the fight? You need to hurry to the palace to save your daughter-in-law and your three very, very adorable grandchildren, otherwise they might be... by the Emperor..."
Song Yifan ran and shouted, but when he turned around, he found that his father was not chasing after him.
I turned my gaze and saw that my father had already left the house and boarded the carriage that hadn't yet stopped to return to the mansion.
Song Yifan thought his father was incredibly quick. He ran out to go with his father, but before he could even get on the carriage, it sped off at an incredible speed.
"Uh, Dad, there's no need to rush. Take your son with you!"
Song Yifan chased after it for a couple of steps and then stopped. The carriage was going way too fast; wasn't he worried that someone would complain about him later?
As soon as Chu Xingyan got home, he went to see his grandmother. His grandmother loved him the most and would definitely be willing to pay.
"Grandmother, please help your grandson save Yueyue and the children. They have been summoned to the palace by the Emperor. I am thinking of donating some money to the national treasury to make the Emperor happy."
Chu Xingyan started acting as soon as he saw his grandfather, and after spending a lot of time with Song Yifan, he learned a thing or two.
"What? Children? You have children? Oh my god, the Chu family finally has an heir! What are you waiting for? Go find your parents!"
Grandmother Chu was so anxious that she kept tapping her cane. She always said that her legs hurt and she couldn't walk. She dragged Chu Xingyan towards the courtyard of Chu's parents.
Then, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chu's father and mother boarded a carriage and headed to the palace. Their family were imperial merchants, and they could usually see the emperor in case of emergencies.
So when Fang Xiyue and Gong Yunxiao took the children to see the Emperor, both families were already standing in the Emperor's study.
"Your Majesty, please spare my daughter-in-law the trouble, considering that this old minister has finally had grandchildren at such an advanced age." The Minister of Revenue wept bitterly.
The Emperor's expression darkened. "Old age?" they seemed to be around the same age. If he was old, wouldn't that mean he himself was old too?
"Your Majesty, if you are willing to spare the Chu family's daughter-in-law, the Chu family is willing to donate 1 million taels of silver to the national treasury," Chu's father quickly added.
1 million taels? The Chu family is really rich. The Emperor felt envious. Even his own private treasury didn't have that much silver.
"When did I begin to make things difficult for the daughters-in-law of my two beloved ministers?"
He doesn't seem to know their daughter-in-law either, and when did they get a daughter-in-law? How come he doesn't know?
Song's father and Chu's father exchanged a glance. Did the Emperor not know that their daughter-in-law had five husbands?
"Prince Xiao has arrived!" came the announcement from the eunuch.
A short while later, Gong Yunxiao and Fang Xiyue walked in. Gong Yunxiao was holding two children in his arms, and Fang Xiyue was holding one child.
Chu's father and Song's father's eyes lit up when they saw the child; if it weren't for the Emperor being there, they would have rushed over.
When the Emperor saw Fang Xiyue and the children, he was quite amazed. This sister-in-law was really amazing. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also so fertile.
The emperor himself didn't even know when he got down, and he stared intently at the three children.
"Second brother, you are a prince, how can you marry into the royal family? It's beneath the dignity of the royal family..."
The emperor was about to launch into a long speech when Gong Yunxiao suddenly presented him with a baby, saying, "Brother, look how adorable my son and daughter are."
The Emperor held Da Bao in his arms, and all the words he wanted to say were cut off. Da Bao changed his arms and stopped crying. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the Emperor's dragon robe and started to grin.
This smile completely dispelled the Emperor's desire to reprimand Gong Yunxiao, and he couldn't help but start teasing Da Bao.
Seeing that the Emperor wasn't paying attention to them, Chu's father and Song's father quietly walked up to Fang Xiyue and Gong Yunxiao.
"Daughter-in-law, I am Song Yifan's father. Let me hold the child."
"Daughter-in-law, I am Chu Xingyan's father. May I hold the child?"
The two fathers spoke very softly while watching their babies.
Fang Xiyue and Gong Yunxiao handed the child to them directly. The two of them carefully took the child, their eyes full of affection.
Then, in the main hall, Gong Yunxiao and Fang Xiyue sat on chairs to rest, while the other three men played with the three children, occasionally switching roles, and the babies cooperated by laughing.
Not long after, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor Emeritus arrived and snatched the child away. Since they were the most powerful, no one dared to take the child from them.
When Fang Xiyue and Gong Yunxiao came out again, they were followed by a long procession of gifts, all from the Emperor, Empress Dowager and the Emperor Emeritus to the three babies.
They originally wanted to leave the child in the palace, but Gong Yunxiao refused. Although the emperor was reluctant, he had no choice but to let them go.
Father Chu and Father Song each carried one baby, following behind Gong Yunxiao and the others. The three babies were held in Gong Yunxiao's arms.
The group boarded the carriage and headed straight for the Prince's Mansion. Song Yifan and Chu Xingyan were waiting at the main gate of the mansion, relieved to see that they had returned safely.
Upon entering the Prince's Mansion, they discovered that the Chu family, the Song family, and Gong Yunxiao's sisters were all together, chatting and waiting for the babies to return.
Hearing the noise outside, they all rushed out, some looking after the baby, others chatting with Fang Xiyue, completely ignoring the three men.
Seeing Fang Xiyue surrounded, the three smiled happily, never expecting everything to go so smoothly.
Gong Yunxiao didn't forget to immediately write a letter to Ye Zimo so that he wouldn't worry.
The Emperor and the Chu and Song families announced publicly the next day that they had a sister-in-law or daughter-in-law, telling those who wanted to arrange marriages not to come anymore.
Of course, they didn't say it was the same woman, but it still caused a huge uproar, because these three were the kind of women that many high-ranking families in the capital wanted to marry, and they just drifted away right before their eyes.
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