Jiayin stuck out her tongue and obediently ate all the food.
The Emperor ate with her and even made a duck roll for Jiayin himself. Jiayin ate it with relish and didn't forget to praise her mother.
"My mom is the best! My mom's cooking is the most delicious! My mom is the smartest; she can cook anything if she has a recipe! I'm so smart because I'm like my mom!"
The Emperor was amused and laughed non-stop, while Tao Hongying blushed and, unable to stop her daughter from talking, quickly retreated outside the pavilion.
If she had known it would be the Emperor himself, she wouldn't have come.
She had initially guessed that the Marquis was being so secretive because he had brought a woman to admire the flowers, and she planned to sneak a few peeks and then tell her mother when she got back…
Indeed, one should not be too curious!
The Marquis and the Emperor are cousins, and they often stay in the palace for meals, which has become a habit.
Jiayin is a child, he doesn't know the rules, and no one will criticize him.
Li Laosi was brave and rough, but he didn't seem to care much, and he ate his meals in a very generous manner.
Only Mr. Li and Mr. Wen were exhausted after the meal.
They had been eagerly waiting for the emperor to finish eating, and they quickly put down their chopsticks as well.
The Marquis held his chubby daughter and rubbed her round little belly.
Li Laosi, on the other hand, folded the leftovers together and ate them all in a few bites.
They even wiped the soup clean with steamed buns, leaving not a single drop.
The Emperor couldn't help but say, "Commander Li is indeed frugal and doesn't waste food."
Li Laosi chuckled and replied, "Although life is better now, we suffered a lot when we were fleeing famine, especially in the mountains. We had to rack our brains to find a little food, and we also had to take care of the elderly and children."
"I've always had a big appetite, and I always feel empty inside, day and night. So now I've developed this habit: I want to put anything edible into my mouth, and I don't dare to waste a single bit!"
The Emperor nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "It is my fault as Emperor that I have failed in my duty, causing the people of the world to suffer."
"No, Your Majesty," Li Laosi quickly waved his hand. "My mother always said, 'It's not easy to run a poor household! Only those who are in charge know how hard it is. It's normal that Tianwu had no food or money before and couldn't defeat the barbarians.'"
"Now that we have grain and silver in the national treasury, we will surely be able to drive the barbarians back to their homeland and recover Jiangbei."
"I'll say it again: the Emperor is in charge of accumulating grain and silver. As for killing barbarians, there are us swordsmen to handle that too. In two or three years, our Tianwu will definitely be the strongest in the world!"
Having grown accustomed to the praises and eulogies of scholars, the emperor found Li Laosi's words, which even carried a hint of banditry, surprisingly pleasing to the ear and put him at ease.
He couldn't help but say, "Good, Commander Li is right! With our unity as ruler and subject, we will surely reclaim our land and restore the glorious Tianwu era."
Mr. Wen, Li Lao Er, and the Marquis, even the guards outside the pavilion, Tao Hongying, and others, all knelt down and shouted in unison, "Reclaim our land and restore our prosperous era!"
"Good, good!" The Emperor personally helped the Marquis up and was about to help Mr. Wen and the others as well, but Jiayin made him laugh.
The chubby girl must have eaten too much, because kneeling on the ground was a bit uncomfortable for her stomach, so she simply lay down on the ground and performed a very devout prostration!
The Emperor picked up the chubby girl and laughed heartily, "This child is truly blessed. No matter how many worries she has, she can't help but smile when she sees her."
After saying that, he asked Jiayin, "Your royal uncle is very happy to see you today and wants to grant you a wish. Is there anything you want?"
Upon hearing this, instead of being pleasantly surprised, everyone's eyes showed a hint of tension.
Although the Li family no longer makes frequent appearances in the elite circles of Xindu, they are now undoubtedly newly wealthy.
Recently, Mr. Wen's case has garnered even more attention throughout Kyoto.
At this point, if Jiayin were to bring any more blessings to the family, it would be like adding fuel to the fire, with the disadvantages far outweighing the advantages.
Fortunately, Jiayin has never let them down!
The chubby girl counted on her fingers carefully, one by one, "Grandma is healthy, my brothers are good at studying, my eldest uncle is good at business, my second uncle is good at being an official, my third uncle is good at running a shop, and my father is good at fighting."
"It's good that my godfather secretly slipped me a gold ingot, and it's even better that Uncle Wen and Aunt Cui are getting married and will give me a little brother to play with! Hmm..."
She hesitated for a long time, then looked at the Emperor with pleading eyes, "Uncle Emperor, why don't you talk to Grandma and ask her to let Fu Niu'er eat the snacks as she pleases? Grandma has locked the snack box, so Fu Niu'er can't steal them!"
"Hahaha!" The Emperor couldn't help but laugh again.
The chubby girl counted for a long time, mentioning everyone in her family, before finally remembering herself, who was only asking for a casual snack.
You should know that everyone around him, even if they claim to be loyal to the country, is actually just after fame and fortune.
How precious is a child's innocent heart these days!
"Alright, your royal uncle promises you, I'll definitely fight for your right to eat snacks. Also, your royal uncle has a shop that specializes in selling snacks, which your godfather will take over in a few days. Consider it a gift from your royal uncle. From now on, you can eat whatever you want, okay?"
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Emperor!" Jiayin was overjoyed.
Originally, I just wanted to sing some praises for my family and appease this top boss.
Unexpectedly, she had such a pleasant surprise!
A pastry shop, and with royal connections at that!
When she's not being lazy, she can try to make some unique snacks and earn some extra pocket money!
She got excited at the thought of money, hugged the emperor and gave him a big kiss, then suddenly remembered the rules and quickly covered her mouth, "Oh no, Grandma said Fu Niu'er is a big girl!"
The Emperor understood and couldn't stop laughing. He quickly reassured her, "Your uncle will keep it a secret for you. Your grandmother definitely won't know!"
After saying that, he instructed everyone, "Remember, keep Fu Niu'er a secret!"
How could anyone dare to disobey the imperial decree?
After exchanging a few more casual words, the group left the thatched pavilion and strolled in the orchard.
Tao Hongying and Granny He quickly cleared away the dishes and went down the mountain.
If she stayed any longer, her heart would probably explode with fear.
Thinking of how her daughter had just flattered the Emperor, praising their home and bestowing gifts upon them, she couldn't help but feel her heart race.
Is this really her daughter?
That's incredibly bold!
That's the Emperor! Yet she managed to coax him like she was a grandmother...
There are more than a dozen beehives in a corner of the orchard, and this is the busiest time for bees.
Of course, the fruit blossom honey produced from it is also the sweetest.
Jiayin probably felt too guilty for accepting the Emperor's shop, so she asked Shuiling to go home and fetch two small porcelain jars, stir two jars of honey, and send them to the Emperor.
The Emperor was truly pleased to accept it.
As the sun began to set, the group descended the mountain. The Emperor, seated in his carriage, waved to Jiayin, who was perched on Li Laosi's shoulders, saying, "Next time, come to the palace with your godfather. Your imperial uncle has many wonderful things there!"
Jiayin's eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded.
The Marquis ruffled Jiayin's hair and said with a smile, "Your godfather has prepared a gift for you. I'll bring it to you when I return tomorrow."
Jiayin thought it was jewelry and didn't have high expectations. Instead, she wanted to tell her godfather that they should bring the emperor here more often in the future.
If she robs a few more shops, she'll be rolling in money...?
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