During lunchtime, when the restaurant is busiest, Chef Jia Huan rarely leaves.
Li Laosan lives dozens of miles away and won't come back unless there's something wrong...
Jiayin didn't want her sister-in-law to worry about it, so after saying a few words, she made an excuse to ask her to prepare two boxes of pastries for her to take with her when she returned to the palace.
Wan'er quickly went to get busy.
The group sat together, ate, and discussed the matter of borrowing grain.
Although each family had children and grandchildren in the Northern Expeditionary Army, the family's interests were ultimately the top priority, and it was impossible to sacrifice too much for the sake of a single child or grandchild.
Therefore, in order to successfully lend out the money and grain, Li Yong still needed to see the emperor and ask for a written edict, and Li Lao Er also needed to come forward.
With the military's intervention, the emperor's gratitude, and the Li family's endorsement, various families would be willing to lend grain.
After agreeing on the terms, Jiayin quickly returned to the palace with the box of pastries.
In order to foster a relationship between his future son-in-law and daughter, the Emperor had previously decreed that Lu Zong would be allowed to enter the palace on the first and fifteenth of each month to have a meal with the Third Princess and stroll through the garden.
Upon hearing that Jiayin had returned, the Third Princess was concerned and immediately had someone lead Jiayin to the garden.
When Jiayin saw that Lu Zong was also there, she remembered her date at the palace and said with a smile, "Oh dear, I've come back at an inopportune time, which has delayed important matters."
The third princess blushed, pretended to pinch her fair cheek, and said reproachfully, "When you find a husband in the future, I will make fun of you as much as I can."
Jiayin waved her hand dismissively and laughed, "Who knows how many years that will be? I'm not afraid!"
After saying that, she asked Shui Ling to open the box and share the snacks she had brought from home with the Third Princess and Lu Zong.
Lu Zong smiled faintly, raised his hand to pour tea for Jiayin, and asked, "Judging by the days, Brother Li should have taken office by now, right? Has he written home yet?"
Jiayin shook her head and replied, "I haven't received the letter yet. The journey is long, so there must have been some delay. But my brother is always meticulous, so there's no need to worry too much."
Lu Zong nodded and said, "When we saw Brother Li off that day, he entrusted us to take good care of you. If you need anything in the future, just send someone to find us, don't hesitate to do so."
"Don't worry, Brother Lu. I'll definitely ask for your help whenever I need it!" Jiayin leaned on the Third Princess's shoulder with a grin. "Before, you were like my own brother, and from now on you'll be my brother-in-law!"
The third princess blushed even more and reached out to tickle her.
Jiayin quickly begged for forgiveness, laughing so hard she was shaking with laughter.
Lu Zong, watching from the opposite side, chuckled and lowered his head to take a small sip of tea...
After exchanging a few jokes, Jiayin prepared to return to Zhilan Palace to make room for the two of them.
Lu Zong took his leave first, saying, "It's getting late, I should go back now. I'll come to see the princess... and my sister, the county princess, again next time."
The third princess was a little reluctant to part with him, and pinched the hem of her clothes to urge him to stay, saying, "Young Master, please sit a little longer. I've had some dessert prepared; would you like to have a bowl before you leave?"
Lu Zong smiled apologetically and replied, "I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't know you had specially prepared a dessert..."
“I made an appointment with a friend yesterday to attend his birthday banquet tonight. He helped me a lot when I first arrived in Xindu, so I couldn’t refuse…”
"Oh, then it's really not good for you to be absent. Go quickly. Next time you come, you can have dessert with me again." The Third Princess quickly changed the subject, kindly urging Lu Zong to go to the banquet.
Lu Zong smiled gently, bowed, nodded to Jia Yin, and then took his leave.
The Third Princess, arm in arm with Jiayin, returned to Zhilan Palace. Along the way, she kept praising Lu Zong, clearly showing that she had fallen completely in love.
Jiayin listened with a smile, but seemed a little distracted.
The third princess noticed and asked, "Are you worried about the Marquis and your father?"
Jiayin snapped out of her daze and replied, "You also know about the destruction of the military rations?"
The Third Princess nodded. "After you left this morning, there were rumors in the palace. Later, Prince Lu came and said a few words to me."
"I don't know who did this, it's so hateful! I hope Father will find this person and cut him into a thousand pieces."
Jiayin was even more eager to find the person behind the scenes than she was, so she said, "These next few days, you need to help me out by going to the Imperial Study more often. Even if you don't see the Emperor, you can still hear some news."
"Don't worry, it's a small matter. You don't need to ask, I'll help." The Third Princess nodded vigorously, then hugged her to comfort her. "Don't worry, the Northern Expedition is related to the unification of Tianwu in the north and south. Countless people are anxious and working hard. The military rations will definitely be resolved soon."
Jiayin sighed, hoping so...
The entire Tianwu is now like a giant vortex; once it starts spinning, it can only get faster and faster, exposing an ever-growing black hole.
No one can predict when things will calm down...
After dark, after dinner, Jiayin used a headache as an excuse to return to the side hall early. She then released the little fox and waited there.
Sure enough, the window was pushed open at midnight.
Mu Xu jumped in looking disheveled and immediately grabbed the teapot and started gulping down the tea.
Jiayin didn't say a word and quickly started preparing food for him.
In the corner of the room, in the warm tea warmer, there was warm millet porridge and a dozen or so meat buns. They were all brought to the table, and Mu Xu ate three or four in one go before speaking.
"Don't worry, it's not serious."
Jiayin gave him fresh tea and nodded in agreement, "You should eat first. No matter how urgent it is, a little longer won't make a difference."
This morning, when she was about to leave the palace to go home, she didn't see Mu Xu anywhere.
She thought he was delayed by something, but when she got home and heard that there was a problem with the Northern Expeditionary Army's rations, she immediately guessed that he had probably heard the news last night and went to find out.
Sure enough, after Mu Xu had eaten and drunk his fill, he explained everything to her in detail.
"Around dawn, an urgent secret report came from the riverbank. The Emperor was in the Consort's palace, so there was bound to be some commotion. I felt something was wrong, so I secretly went over to listen."
Then I went to the riverside dock and inquired around Kyoto.
He took a breath, and his usually bright eyes were somewhat dim, showing how exhausted he was.
"This is very strange. It certainly wasn't that person from Shou Kang Palace who did it. Her lackeys, those capable of tampering with things in the army, are all very obedient. They must be wondering right now who beat them to it."
"But this matter has extremely negative consequences. The great victory in the northern expedition, the recapture of Jiangbei, and the unification of the country—such a tremendous achievement is like a fat pig surrounded by wolves, all of whom want a piece of the meat."
"Now that some wolves have started to bite, it's like sending a signal that more wolves will join in. You might escape unscathed once, but no one can guarantee that you'll be safe every time..."
Jiayin looked unwell, gestured towards the Imperial Study, and said in a low voice, "Was I wrong? I don't think that person was trying too hard."
Mu Xu also frowned, the roguish smile that usually graced his lips was long gone, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.
“I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Fortunately, you feel the same way. It's not that the person was careless; he ordered a thorough investigation and requisitioned military rations, which he did. But he just did everything perfectly, without any faults. And precisely because there are no faults, that's the problem!”
Jiayin nodded, finally feeling a little relieved.
She doesn't want to think of people as having wicked intentions, but sometimes she has no choice but to.
This was a heavy burden on her mind.
Fortunately, there were others who shared her thoughts.
“Brother Mu, we will be living in the palace from now on. My godfather and my father are away on campaign and we can’t help them, but we should at least do our best to ensure they are not attacked from both sides.”
"I will not allow anyone, no matter who, to harm them."
"So, no matter what happens to us in the future, at least this time, I hope you can fight alongside me and never betray me!"
Jiayin reached out her hand, and Mu Xu lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over her slender fingers, before taking her hand without hesitation...
Two updates today!
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