Chapter 59
Having finally enjoyed Pei Du's roasted pheasant, Xie Qinghong was quite satisfied. As she drank water from her water pouch, she suddenly remembered her two elders and asked in surprise, "What are Mother and the others eating?"
Pei Du was cleaning up the mess from the roast chicken when he heard this, but he wasn't worried: "Mother is naturally taken care of by Father. Father also came from a military background. However, Mother doesn't like roasted food, so we didn't leave any."
Xie Qinghong was relieved, but pursed her lips, still wanting more: "Do you think I could go to my mother's place again for some food?"
Pei Du was stunned: "Aren't you full? I can catch a rabbit and roast it."
Xie Qinghong shook her head. While the original roasted chicken was delicious, it could get a bit greasy if you ate too much. However, she was still hungry and wanted to eat something else. She didn't need to make a big fuss about it; just getting a little bit would be best.
Pei Du considered for a moment. He couldn't let Xie Ayao go hungry, so he carried her down the mountain to find his father and mother. Before they even reached the foot of the mountain, Xie Qinghong smelled a delicious aroma. Her eyes lit up: "It smells like sweet and sour fish and mushroom soup. It smells so good."
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the Prince of Nan had ordered a table to be moved to a flat area, laden with delicacies prepared by the Prince of Nan's head chef. He was currently serving soup, and if the Princess of Nan hadn't frowned, he probably would have had to feed her by hand.
Princess Nan found him too cloying, so she picked up the soup bowl and blew on it. She looked up and saw her daughter-in-law being put down by her son. She looked like she was being well taken care of. She smiled and called out, "A-Yao, come quickly. There's sweet and sour fish for you."
The King of the South clicked his tongue lightly: "This dish was prepared for you. That kid Adu didn't even think of preparing it for his wife. You still spoil them."
Princess Nan glanced at him, then turned and waved with a smile: "What did you eat just now, A-Yao?"
Xie Qinghong sat down next to her as if she knew the place well, and told her about the interesting things that happened in the forest: "Adu just roasted a pheasant for me. He's so good at it, the chicken he roasted was delicious. But I'm not full yet, so I can only come here to mooch some from Mother. Father is so thoughtful, these are all Mother's favorite foods."
The Prince of the South calmly accepted the praise. Although his rebellious son was useless, his daughter-in-law spoke very nicely. He would let her take advantage of him for the time being. However, that brat Pei Du did not say a word, so he should not expect to get even a little bit of food from him!
Xie Qinghong was already drinking the warming mushroom soup under the care of the Princess Consort of the South, and then picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish. However, she felt that the taste was not quite the same as before. It must have been a little cold when it was served. She only touched it slightly and then stopped eating, instead accompanying the Princess Consort to dine.
On the other side, the Prince of Nan called Pei Du aside and asked him, "The briefing just came in: Emperor Xingde's old illness has flared up again, and Prime Minister Zhong has already submitted a memorial requesting the establishment of an heir apparent. Now that the royal family is in decline, according to bloodline, the Prince of Qinghe should be the heir apparent. What are your thoughts?"
Pei Du said, "What could I possibly think? Prime Minister Zhong's granddaughter is the fiancée of the Prince of Qinghe, who is of royal blood. His elder sister is a princess who sacrificed herself for the greater good and was sent to marry a foreign ruler. There is no one else but him for the position of crown prince."
The King of the South looked at him for a long time, then took him a little further away and told him, "When you were born, the sky was filled with rosy clouds, and a high monk predicted that you had the countenance of an emperor."
Pei Du asked incredulously, "Why didn't the high monk give you a reading of your fortune?"
The King of the South choked, and after a pause, he found his words: "When I was born, there was no sky full of rosy clouds or any extraordinary phenomenon. I'm not trying to fool you, but the situation has reversed now. Although the matter of the high monk's prediction was suppressed at the time, some people still know about it. I'm worried that at this critical juncture, someone will dig up this matter and stir up trouble."
The Prince of the South wasn't particularly concerned with the issue of emperors or anything like that. The Pei family's motto was to serve the country and its people. As long as they protected the people of the South and ensured peace in the region, they would have done right by their ancestors. However, the timing was too coincidental. Emperor Xingde had no heir and suffered from a chronic illness. The only popular candidate for crown prince in the royal family was the Prince of Qinghe. And now, the prophecy of the high monk from years ago had resurfaced, suggesting that some in the court might not want to promote the Prince of Qinghe to the throne.
Given Emperor Xingde's suspicious nature, he would never tolerate anyone coveting the throne.
Pei Du didn't take it seriously: "In a few hours, the sky will be full of rosy clouds. Father, go and check if anyone has given birth. Besides, Emperor Xingde is still alive. If Prime Minister Zhong submits a memorial now, isn't he afraid of implicating the Zhong family?"
The Prince of Nan didn't know what Prime Minister Zhong was thinking. After all, Emperor Xingde had only been on the throne for two years. Although he had no children, he was only over thirty years old. Who said he couldn't have children? Asking for the establishment of a crown prince at this time, was he really not afraid of being punished by Emperor Xingde?
He just doesn't understand these people who manipulate power; they're both corrupt and audacious.
However, the spectacular sight of the sky filled with rosy clouds was not just hearsay. The King of the South was there and vouched for it with his own integrity. The celestial phenomena that day were indeed extraordinary. The rosy clouds were redder than ordinary rosy clouds, a deep, bright red. The high monk said that this was an omen of an emperor, and he told him this by holding up biographies of emperors from past dynasties. What's written in books must be true.
When the Southern King was young, he didn't like studying either. Being a complete academic failure, he couldn't understand anything. He only remembered that when the founding emperor was born, magpies circled the beams to announce the good news; when the King Wen of the previous dynasty was born, the room was filled with divine light; and before that, the Holy Emperor's mother dreamed that the sun fell into her womb before his birth. After reading the whole thing, wow! Everyone is showing off their unique talents.
He said earnestly, "I won't go into the details of your birth, but if Emperor Xingde finds out, he will surely suspect that our family has rebellious intentions. You should be prepared for that."
The father and son exchanged a few words in hushed tones, and when they turned around, they saw Xie Qinghong holding a plate of pickled plums, eating them one after another. Beside him, the Princess of the South held a teacup and gently instructed, "Eat slowly, don't choke. If you're not full, there are also dried peaches and apricots."
The Prince of the South couldn't help but voice the question that had been lingering in his heart for a long time: "Don't you think your wife looks a lot like your mother's biological daughter?"
Pei Du remained silent. He had heard of conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in his subordinates' families, but he never thought it would happen to him. What should he do if his wife was too likable? But when faced with his father's questioning, he said frankly, "A-Yao gets along well with my mother and is filial, so naturally my mother likes her very much."
The Prince of Nan couldn't understand: "Then why didn't your mother treat me like this?!"
Pei Du said sympathetically, "There are degrees of importance to liking someone."
The Prince of the South smiled coldly, not wanting to stoop to the level of his rebellious son. He and his princess were known throughout the world to be a loving and devoted couple. On the other hand, Pei Du and his wife were still rumored to be neglecting their wife, which was utterly despicable.
On the way back to the city, Xie Qinghong was dozing off with his head resting on Pei Du's shoulder. When they passed through the long street, he suddenly smelled the aroma of sesame seed cakes and immediately woke up: "I want to eat sesame seed cakes."
Pei Du slowly turned his head: "?" He had watched Xie Ayao eat half a roast chicken, drink two bowls of mushroom soup, eat sweet and sour fish, and eat a number of pickled plums, apricots, peaches, and beef jerky. Just now, she was coaxed by her mother to eat three pieces of dessert.
This person's appetite is completely different from usual. If it were due to a lot of exercise, it would be fine, but today this person complained of being tired after walking for only a short while. He carried his own food up and down the mountain. How could he get hungry so quickly?
Out of caution, he reminded him, "Can you still eat? A while ago you complained about being fat and said you needed to walk around the garden a few times after meals."
Xie Qinghong's eyes widened: "You think I'm fat?"
Pei Du: "...That's not what I meant. You want sesame cakes, right? I'll have someone go buy some right away."
Xie Qinghong snorted coldly and turned her back, saying indifferently, "I don't want it anymore. All you do is complain about me being fat. You won't even buy me pancakes. All those vows you made were lies. 'Springtime fades quickly, and my husband still hasn't returned. At dawn, I hear the wild geese arrive; at dusk, I gaze at the north wind blowing.'"
Pei Du: ...
The poem "Lament of a Woman in Her Boudoir" is not to be recited casually; once recited, a bellyful of resentment will float out.
"What kind of filling do you want? I'll go buy it now, okay?" Pei Du coaxed gently. "Is there anything else you want to eat? How about red bean dumplings?"
Xie Qinghong thought for a moment and then began to order: "The sesame seed cakes are plain, and I also want the yam and jujube paste cake and peach skin pastry from Dim Sum Zhai, the candied cherries from Mi Shi Ji, and the spring rolls from San Xian Lou. I'll skip the glutinous rice balls. My mother loves these too, so I'll take them back and eat them with her."
Pei Du thought to himself, "My mother only knows how to coax you into eating."
He got off the carriage and went to a street stall to buy two vegetarian sesame cakes. The vendor recognized the prince and almost burned the cakes because his hand trembled. Pei Du said calmly, "The prince's wife likes yours, that's good."
The vendor's face immediately lit up with joy. He quickly wrapped up two freshly baked sesame cakes and handed them over. As soon as the young master left, he immediately said to the person next to him, "Who still says that the young master neglects his wife? The young master and his wife have a very good relationship!"
Xie Qinghong first ate a couple of bites of the vegetarian sesame cakes, then eagerly asked Pei Du to go buy other things. After strolling around the long street for a while, it was already getting dark. Xie Qinghong said with lingering reluctance, "It's time to go back to the manor for dinner."
Pei Du frowned all the way back to the manor. Seeing Xie Qinghong happily go to the front hall to have a meal with his mother, he turned around and went to find the manor doctor. He described in detail the young lady's good appetite. The doctor hesitated and said, "It's good that she can eat. If you are worried about indigestion, then let the young lady take some pills to avoid feeling uncomfortable."
Pei Du remained noncommittal, only asking, "Is she really okay eating so much?"
The doctor hesitated. Just a while ago, the Crown Prince had come to ask what to do about his wife's lack of food intake, and the doctor had insisted that he prescribe a dietary supplement. Now, she had only eaten a little more, and the doctor was already asking him to control her diet. Sigh, the Crown Prince's mind is as unfathomable as the ocean.
The doctor took out the pills and sighed. The young master's controlling nature was too strong; this wasn't good. But as a doctor, he couldn't very well offer advice on how couples should get along, since he himself was still unmarried.
Pei Du took the pills and immediately smelled the hawthorn scent. He couldn't help but wonder, "Is this for digestion? Hawthorn seems to be more appetizing. What if she takes the digestive pills and then wants to eat other things?"
doctor:……
Why don't you just not feed her? Why do you need to ask the doctor about this?
Xie Qinghong was chatting with the Princess of the South in the front hall: "Adu said I ate a bit too much today, and I think so too, I just couldn't control myself." She lowered her eyes, looking lost and pitiful.
Princess Nan was startled. How dare her rebellious son complain? What's wrong with eating a few more bites? She quickly comforted him, then used herself as an example, saying, "There was a time when I really craved certain foods, especially snacks that weren't available in the palace. But at that time, I had a falling out with your father and didn't want to be inferior to him, so I took a carriage and went to a restaurant to eat. My appetite comes and goes, and it got better after that phase. Later, I couldn't eat anything at all. If you like something, you should eat more. It's only bad if you can't eat."
The experience of someone who's been there is both sincere and practical. Xie Qinghong asked curiously, "Why couldn't you eat anymore later?"
Just as the Princess Consort of the South was about to begin her story, she suddenly seemed to remember something, opened her eyes wide, and looked at Xie Qinghong with a hint of disbelief in them.
Xie Qinghong asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Princess Nan: ...There is a kind of grief and indignation like a cabbage being rooted up by a pig, and a kind of relief like a pig being able to root up a cabbage.
In summary, I have mixed feelings.
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