Fortunately, Li Laosi reacted quickly and knocked the stone down with the stick in his hand.
This stick was originally intended to be used to bang on the grass to scare away insects and snakes, but it ended up saving itself instead of hitting any insects or snakes!
Shui Ling almost implicated her master, and her eyes turned red with anger. She threw the basket to Shui Yun and ran ahead.
The group quickly caught up and saw that Shui Ling was already fighting with a young man.
Shui Ling was small, her head only reaching the man's shoulder, yet she fought him to a standstill.
The two exchanged blows, neither intending to kill the other, but neither showing any mercy either.
Jiayin sat on her father's shoulders, her little mouth agape in surprise.
Although she knew that the two maids her adoptive father had found for her were skilled in martial arts, she stayed at home all day, doing nothing but eating and sleeping, and occasionally even taking a break, so she almost never encountered any danger.
The two maids had no chance to show off their skills, and she almost forgot that they had this ability.
Most importantly, she had never seen Shui Ling Shui Yun practice martial arts before!
They, on the other hand, followed Granny He, cooking, sewing clothes and shoes, running errands and delivering messages, and were always happy...
Just then, someone called out from inside the thatched pavilion, "Guan Fei, come back!"
The young man withdrew his hand, gave Shui Ling a cold look, and then disappeared without a trace.
Li Laosi guessed that the stone Shui Ling had thrown earlier was definitely aimed at the grass pavilion, so he interpreted it as a threat and that's why he was retaliated against.
He quickly called out to Shui Ling, then stepped into the thatched pavilion.
Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen followed them inside, but when they looked up and saw the person sitting in the middle of the pavilion, their faces changed color in shock, "Your Majesty..."
The Marquis waved his hand to stop them and said in a low voice, "My cousin has come to visit and admire the flowers today!"
Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen understood each other and quickly changed their address, saying in unison, "Greetings, Young Master Huang!"
The young emperor, who used to sit on the throne in the Golden Palace exuding nobility, now wears a royal blue robe, a jade belt around his waist, and his black hair is neatly combed and adorned with a jade hairpin.
He has lost some of his imposing presence, but gained a more refined and handsome air.
He smiled and raised his hand, saying, "Please sit down. Today I am the guest, and you are the hosts."
"No! No!" Li Lao Er bowed again, then stepped aside with Mr. Wen.
The Emperor glanced at the reserved Shui Ling and asked the Marquis with a smile, "Is this someone from Zheng Family Village?"
The Marquis nodded, "Yes, she's quite clever, so we sent her to take care of Fu Niu'er."
"Your skills are quite good," the Emperor praised, causing Shui Ling and Shui Yun to kneel down and kowtow. He then quickly set out tea, snacks, and fruit.
Jiayin had originally run to her godfather's side and hugged his arm, but after thinking for a moment, she skipped over to Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen, pushing out two small wooden stools, "Second Uncle, sit down! Uncle, sit down!"
Without the Emperor's permission, how could Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen dare to sit down?
Li Lao Er could only pat his little niece's hair and say with a smile, "Good girl, Uncle isn't tired."
Jiayin shook her little head, pointed to the sea of flowers behind them, and said, "Second Uncle and Martial Uncle are too tall, they're blocking Uncle Huang's view of the flowers!"
Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen were stunned, but the Emperor laughed heartily, "No wonder my cousin likes this little girl, she's such a clever and good child!"
He gestured for Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen to sit down, then called Jia Yin forward, reached out and pinched her chubby cheek, and said with a smile, "Little girl, do you still recognize me?"
"Of course I know you! You're my royal uncle!" Jiayin, ever the friendly type, climbed up to sit next to the emperor and asked with a grin, "Royal uncle, I even sent you New Year's gifts! So many fruits and vegetables, did you like them?"
"I like it!" The Emperor nodded with a smile. "You're not asking for a return gift, are you? Your godfather robbed you of so many good things from me. Come to think of it, I'm the one who lost out!"
Jiayin blushed and quickly said, "Then I'll send more good things to Uncle Emperor in the future, so that Uncle Emperor won't suffer any losses!"
The Emperor couldn't help but laugh again, and casually asked, "I'm younger than your godfather, so why do you call me Imperial Uncle? Shouldn't you call me Imperial Uncle?"
Jiayin shook her head vigorously, her little face full of seriousness. "My godfather said that my royal uncle is the most powerful person in the world and cannot be anyone's younger brother. So, even if my royal uncle is my younger brother, I still have to call him royal uncle!"
The words were difficult to pronounce, but the emperor understood them perfectly and became even more satisfied.
Now, the military command of the dock defense line has been handed over to my cousin.
He would occasionally hear a few words of advice, fearing that his cousin might become too powerful by amassing an army.
But they didn't know that their cousin was determined to recover lost territories and had vowed never to marry. He had even handed over the Marquis's mansion and Zheng Family Village to his adopted daughter.
If even this isn't believable, then who is?!
The Marquis looked at the smiling, chubby girl and felt extremely gratified.
Everyone else thought the little girl was lazy and greedy.
Only he knew that this child was so intelligent and insightful, and that she was always using her methods to carefully protect everyone.
Those few words from a child are worth more than countless declarations of loyalty, more than countless victories won by the border guards!
In the thatched pavilion, a cool breeze blows and the fragrance of flowers fills the air. Looking out, the mountains and fields are ablaze with color and in full bloom.
No matter how many worries you have, they all disappear completely here.
The emperor didn't talk about state affairs, but only picked out some interesting things from the new capital to tell jokes.
Even though Mr. Wen was newly married, he was still teased a few times.
Mr. Wen didn't stand on ceremony and took the opportunity to request another ten days of leave, planning to pay his respects at the grave of his father-in-law and mentor, Scholar Cui, to comfort the old man's spirit in heaven.
The emperor readily agreed.
With so many censors in the court, the absence of one censor keeping an eye on the officials wouldn't necessarily lead to any problems.
Soon, Tao Hongying brought He Mama to deliver the food. Upon seeing the Emperor, she was startled and stepped forward to greet him. "If I had known it was a distinguished guest, I would have added an extra bowl of chicken noodle soup. My mother remembers how much the last time the distinguished guest ate it and always murmurs about it whenever she eats chicken noodle soup."
The Emperor nodded and smiled, "I heard that your restaurant has opened a private kitchen, which has been very well received? It's a pity I can't go and try it."
"Rest assured, sir. Although we did not know you were coming today, the dishes we have prepared are all popular items from the restaurant. Please try them and see how they taste."
As Tao Hongying spoke, she put the food box on the table and went to take the food from Granny He's hands, only to find that Granny He had already knelt down on the ground.
The Emperor glanced at Granny He and recognized her as someone from the palace. He said, "Get up. Now that you're out of the palace, take good care of the princess. You're a lucky person to be in the Li family."
Granny He was so excited that she quickly kowtowed, and then she quickly helped Tao Hongying set out the food.
Springtime is a time when the air is dry and the body is prone to heat, so Tao Hongying didn't cook too much meat and fish today.
There are only two main dishes: roast duck and boiled sliced pork. The rest are light-flavored side dishes.
For example, there's Longjing shrimp, stir-fried cabbage, garlic-flavored romaine lettuce, stir-fried pig's ear beans, and a plate of small steamed buns.
The table was laden with vibrant green and red dishes, which whetted the Emperor's appetite. He then invited Li Lao Er, Li Lao Si, Mr. Wen, and others to sit down and eat together.
The guard named Guan Fei was about to step forward to test the poison when Jia Yin, holding a small bowl, approached the Emperor and exclaimed, "Uncle Emperor, please pick out some meat for me. I don't want to eat vegetables."
The Emperor smiled, picked up his chopsticks and put only green vegetables on her plate, instructing, "Children shouldn't be picky eaters, or they won't grow tall!"
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