The Crown Prince started, and the Yu Ningxuan and Yu Ningxin sisters followed, sometimes looking at flowers, sometimes searching for grass, and sometimes composing poems.
In short, the main theme is 'slow and steady'!
Madam Yu and her sisters-in-law, including Zhang, were even more agile than when they went up the mountain, but insisted that the mountain path was difficult to walk on in the rain and that they should walk slowly.
[Master, what luck these people have! If they keep walking like this, and I summon clouds and rain, they'll be soaked from head to toe.]
"Otherwise, why would I bring the whole family up the mountain? It's just so we can all get some rain. You can get yours in the rain, and they can get theirs in the rain."
The group finally lingered until the clouds cleared and the rain stopped before returning to the village.
"Don't wash the clothes, just pack them properly in a box."
These words echoed in many people's rooms. The maids didn't understand, but they respected them!
Seeing how much their masters valued it, they all carefully packed up their clothes. As for what they were thinking, that remains unknown.
After a hearty lunch, everyone, who should have been exhausted, was more energetic than ever.
Yu Chongshan said he wanted to check on the growth of the crops in the fields, while Yu Ningxuan and the others said they wanted to go with Zhang Shi and the others to dig for wild vegetables.
Zhang said with a smile, "I noticed that Fuguang seems to like dishes made with shepherd's purse today, and Father and Mother also like them. Why don't we dig up more before we go back to the mansion?"
"Take some back for the master and the boys to try as well."
Madam Yu nodded in agreement, quite pleased with her eldest daughter-in-law's cleverness.
The prince, who had originally planned to catch wild geese, changed his mind upon hearing this. Although his mother and grandmother did not have the chance to get wet in the rain.
But the wild vegetables that have been blessed with the Spirit Rain should not be missed again.
Just as she was thinking about how to find an excuse to join the wild vegetable-gathering team without seeming abrupt, she heard Old Madam Yu ask, "Fuguang, are you going to play outside with your mother and aunts, or are you going to rest for a while?"
The child has a habit of taking a nap, without fail. Old Madam Yu had already instructed the maid to make up her bed, so asking was unnecessary.
"Grandma, I'm sleepy, I want to take a nap."
The Crown Prince kept it to himself. When Yue Fuguang went to take a nap, he didn't even need to make up an excuse; Yu Chongshan had already ordered his men to prepare the necessary tools for him.
When Emperor Mingxi saw his son again, it was in the Empress Dowager's palace.
Even from the entrance, one could hear laughter and chatter coming from inside the palace. "Your Highness, I heard you came back covered in mud. Did you fail to catch the wild goose and fall into the river?"
Faced with his father's teasing, Xie Zhiyan didn't even need to speak before the Empress Dowager said, "Who told the Emperor this?"
She glared at the people around the emperor with annoyance.
Qian Gui, standing behind the emperor: I'm so wronged! I'm wherever His Majesty is, I have nothing to say!
Emperor Mingxi raised an eyebrow and looked at the Crown Prince, saying, "Crown Prince, you tell me, isn't that right?"
Upon seeing his mother speak up for her son, Emperor Mingxi suddenly felt as if he had fallen out of favor. Was he no longer his mother's favorite son?
He doesn't believe it!
Xie Zhiyan chuckled inwardly, wondering if his father would still have that calm, detached expression when he revealed the truth.
He wanted to watch the show, to see how his father would change his expression.
The Crown Prince bowed and said, "It is indeed as Your Majesty said, that I was covered in mud when I returned to the palace."
"The Crown Prince should be a role model for all subjects. Your etiquette is not only related to personal cultivation, but also to national order and public perception."
"As the Crown Prince, your status is of utmost importance, and the rules of etiquette must be strictly observed. No negligence is permissible. This is not only to uphold your status but also to set an example for the world..."
Emperor Mingxi spoke eloquently; how long had it been since he had so readily reprimanded his son?
It seems to have started when the Junior Tutor appeared...?
Xie Zhiyan bowed and listened attentively, silently watching his performance. The happier his father was now, the more he would be proven wrong in a moment.
I wonder if my father will still have the face to eat the food I brought back later?
After Emperor Mingxi finished his passionate outburst and picked up his teacup to drink some water to soothe his throat, Xie Zhiyan said, "Father is right to reprimand me. I won't do it again next time."
He smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "It was also my recklessness today. I thought of my grandmother, father, and mother, who didn't have a chance to get out of the rain."
It would be good to taste this wild vegetable that has been nourished by rainwater.
"What rain, what wild vegetables?"
Emperor Mingxi was taken aback by his nonsensical words.
Why do I keep having this feeling that I'm about to get scammed?
The Empress Dowager smiled mischievously and said, "Crown Prince, repeat what you just said to your grandmother and your mother to your father."
"Yes." The Crown Prince turned to Mingxi and said, "Your subject obeys the Emperor's command..."
Emperor Mingxi gritted his teeth and said, "So, Little Immortal Lord and Divine Artifact Lord sent a spiritual rain down on the estate!"
He clenched his fist. "This magical rain not only helps crops grow, but people also become stronger after being rained on?"
"That's true. Not to mention my son, Song Xiang and the guards who came with me, some of the old injuries and hidden wounds they had from years of martial arts training or official duties are showing signs of improvement."
It's not just a sign of improvement; it's already mostly recovered.
However, the Crown Prince dared not say it, fearing that his father, the Emperor, would not be able to bear the shock!
"My son's clothes got wet. After changing his clothes, he thought of his father, his grandmother, and his mother, who were unable to enjoy the divine rain. However, they could eat some wild vegetables, which would have some effect."
Emperor Mingxi's expression changed repeatedly as the Crown Prince recounted the story, making for quite a fascinating scene.
His face flushed slightly with embarrassment. "Your clothes got dirty from digging for wild vegetables?"
Xie Zhiyan nodded, and Emperor Mingxi, trying to save face, said with a look of great satisfaction, "My son is kind and filial, and he does not forget his grandmother and parents at home even when he is away from home."
"As your father, I am greatly pleased. I will soon be able to properly appreciate my son's filial piety."
Xie Zhiyan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He realized he had learned something from his father's forced excuse for taking more food and property.
Today, his father taught him another lesson through his words and deeds, and the tuition fee was a series of plates of wild vegetables served by the imperial kitchen.
Just as Emperor Mingxi picked up a piece of fresh wild vegetable with his chopsticks, he suddenly remembered something and asked the Crown Prince, "Your wet clothes..."
"Eunuch Zhao has already placed it in the Emperor's washroom." Zhao Tuo, the Grand Eunuch, was in charge of Emperor Mingxi's daily washing and grooming.
The Crown Prince still vividly remembers the expression on the prince's face when he heard the prince's request—an expression that was hard to describe, a look of wanting to speak but not daring to.
Emperor Mingxi didn't care that his son was suspected of having a problem by the eunuchs around him; as soon as the Crown Prince said it, he understood immediately.
Overjoyed, she couldn't help but praise, "These wild vegetables are tender and delicious, with a unique flavor. Mother, Empress, please have more."
The Empress Dowager stared at her eldest son speechlessly. "Have you forgotten whose palace this is, and who brought this back?"
The Empress Dowager placed a shepherd's purse dumpling on the Crown Prince's plate and said with a loving expression, "Zhiyan, eat more too!"
The emperor and his family had just finished their dinner, and Emperor Mingxi hadn't even had a sip of his digestive tea when a eunuch reported that Lord Yu Chongshan was requesting an audience with His Majesty.
Feeling satiated and in better physical condition, Emperor Mingxi instantly performed a smile-disappearing act.
He didn't even raise his lowered eyes, and said in a calm voice, "Let him in."
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