In just a quarter of an hour, Zhou Zeyun and Zhou Zhaonuan brought out several side dishes.
"Dad, this is for you. Anshan is in ruins, so just eat a little."
Zhou Zhaonuan personally took the chopsticks for Zhou Beichen and placed in front of him a dish of plain cabbage, a bowl of porridge, and a plate of silkworm pupae. Zhou Beichen's hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air, his heart trembling violently. After a long time, he drank the porridge and took a bite of the plain cabbage. It had no taste at all. As for the silkworm pupae, they were fried dry.
Zhou Beichen ate all the food in one breath. When he was outside, he didn't pay too much attention to the rules. Since they were his own children, Zhou Beichen believed from the bottom of his heart that his children would not harm him.
Then he fixed his gaze on the two little people and patted Nuannuan's little face.
"No wonder I see you two have lost so much weight these days. Eating these things all day long is really hard for you. My two children have suffered so much these days. They must be exhausted these days."
Zhou Beichen sighed deeply, and this time he did not show favoritism, holding the two little ones in his arms.
Hearing this affirmative question, Nuannuan raised her bright eyes, blinked, and shook her head pretending to be ignorant and innocent.
"Daddy, my brother and I are not tired. From childhood to adulthood, Nuannuan has been loved and cared for by our parents and protected by our brother. It's just a short period of hardship, so how can we be tired? We can just treat it as a training."
"Dad, your son is not tired either."
Zhou Zeyun's eyes turned red and he said to his sister.
Although he is a boy, who in this world doesn't want to be closer to his parents if given the chance?
Zhou Beichen took a deep look at the two little guys and knew that they must be tired. At this age, it was the time for them to grow and they needed a good rest. He nodded, stood up, and pulled the two little guys inside.
"Let's sleep here tonight. Once we understand, we'll set off back to the palace. You two should have a good rest for a few days. Once you've recovered, go to court directly. As for Nuannuan, I will directly appoint you as the Regent Princess. You can attend court if you want, or take a leave if you don't want to. I will do whatever you want."
Such partiality really made Zhou Zhaonuan's eyes red, and she cried out with tears in her eyes, "Daddy, if that happens, won't the ministers fight you to death? What if they hit you against the pillars and force you to do it?"
Zhou Beichen smiled indifferently, "After Prime Minister Li's death, many ministers lost their backbone. Recently, they dare not easily cross my brow. If they really want to, I will do everything I can to stop them. Nuannuan, you don't know that when your father first ascended the throne, Prime Minister Li united with more than 20 officials, openly and secretly forcing me to make his daughter the queen. At that time, it almost forced me into a dead end. If I hadn't been careful before, I guess the queen position would have been the daughter of the Li family. But I didn't expect that because of my negligence, I almost made myself extinct."
Recalling the past, Zhou Beichen's tone was filled with deep sadness. Everyone said that he was cruel, but if he was not cruel, those traitors would have turned the world upside down.
Nuannuan opened her mouth. She couldn't say anything, "Daddy..."
Nuannuan stretched out the ending tone, which was full of heartache.
In fact, my father has had a hard time these years.
With Zhou Beichen around, the two little ones slept very comfortably that night.
Early in the morning, Biyu came in to help everyone get up. Nuannuan stretched out her body, her face full of joy.
"You can set off back to the palace today to meet Concubine Hui. Princess, are you happy?"
It must be said that life in Anshan was indeed hard. Biyu couldn't stand it anymore and now she admired her own princess very much.
"Delighted, of course I'm happy. From childhood to now, I've never been away from my mother for such a long time."
Nuannuan got dressed and jumped out of bed. Outside, the few of them had breakfast together.
Zhou Beichen kept urging the two little people, "Alright, Nuannuan, take what you can use, and leave the unusable ones here."
Nuannuan pouted and held the box in her arms, unable to let it go.
"Dad, you don't understand. Nuannuan has a lot of experience in treating the flood this time. These are all my memories."
Zhou Beichen chuckled helplessly and cursed.
"You, no matter what you do, you always have so many reasons. Okay, you clean it up."
When Mu Ju came in, he saw this scene. Zhou Beichen was obviously scolding the princess, but he was smiling, which showed that he loved his daughter very much.
He fell to his knees in front of Zhou Beichen with a thud.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor!"
Zhou Beichen's eyes were dark, and he stared at Mei Ju for a moment, as if he remembered who the man in front of him was. He wanted to kill him, but then he changed his mind and thought that the court was short of people. This man, apart from being a little timid and easily giving up, was actually a real honest official.
He raised his hand, "Get up."
Mei Ju remained kneeling, "Your Majesty, the severe flood in Anshan this time, and the plague that followed, were all caused by my negligence. So many people have died, and I cannot escape the blame. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Mu Ju has always been a straightforward person. During this period, he has been even more worried and cautious, and has not slept well. Now he feels that if he does not apologize, he will really be sorry for those who lost their lives because of the plague.
Even if the emperor killed him today, he would have no complaints.
"But, I beg Your Majesty not to implicate me. No matter how Your Majesty punishes me, please spare my family."
Zhou Beichen's eyes were deep, and after a long moment, he waved his hand.
"Forget it, forget it. This time, your mistake was unintentional. Plus, someone intercepted the memorial at the time. It's not just your fault. If you really want to atone for your sins, then be an upright official who truly serves the people. I will be pleased."
Mei Ju was delighted and kowtowed several times. After expressing his gratitude, he left with tears of gratitude.
After dealing with all matters in Anshan, several people set out on the journey back to the palace.
Imperial Palace.
Zhou Beichen had been gone for several days and had not returned yet. Shen Nian'an couldn't help but feel anxious. These days, she often paced at the door.
Nanny Xu couldn't bear to watch it any longer. Shen Nian'an was now four months pregnant, and her belly looked bigger than usual. The wind was a little chilly at night, so she went back to the palace to get a cloak and put it on Shen Nian'an.
I couldn't help but scold him.
"The princess and His Royal Highness Prince Yan won't be back for a while. Instead of just standing here and watching, Your Majesty should go back to your bedroom and lie down for a while. Your Majesty is pregnant now, so you can't be careless."
Shen Nian'an replied lightly. "No, I can't stay in the bedroom either. I might as well wait here."
As they were talking, a small person in a blue robe with hair tied up high and clothes made of expensive fabrics came running out of the door.
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