Lu Jinshu stared at Yan Yuyang. "I heard that you were the adopted brother of Prince Pingyang a few days ago. I wonder what your biological parents do for a living?"
Yan Yuyang lowered his brows and said, "To answer your Majesty, your Majesty, your mother was the third place scholar selected by the late Emperor in the second year of the Zhaoping reign. She was originally to be assigned to the Ministry of Rites, but she caught a cold before taking up her post and unfortunately passed away.
As for my father, he also passed away within two years because he missed his deceased mother too much.
Fortunately, the Imperial Censor, Lord Liu, was kind-hearted and took me in. Otherwise, I would have been dead in some corner of the world, and it would have been even more impossible for me to meet His Royal Highness Prince Pingyang and be recommended to the palace as a servant."
After listening to what Yan Yuyang said, Lu Jinshu couldn't calm down for a long time. Of course, he didn't feel pity for the lonely man's life experience, but was shocked by Yan Yuyang's voice.
If he closed his eyes and didn't look at Yan Yuyang's face, judging only by his voice, he would have thought it was Pei Jiusheng reborn. It was unbelievable that there were two people in the world with voices that were so similar.
The expression in Lu Jinshu's eyes changed several times, and then he said politely, "Your life has been so difficult, and you have suffered a lot. However, now that you have entered the palace and can see the emperor, it can be said that the hardship has finally come to an end."
At that moment, the beaded curtain was rustled open, and a little girl in a light yellow cotton skirt trotted over to Lu Jinshu. "Father, the peach blossoms in Changxin Palace are blooming. There are not only single-petaled pink and white peach blossoms, but also those with layers of petals sprinkled with gold and two-colored peach blossoms. There are several varieties of peach blossoms in total, all in full bloom!"
Lu Jinshu was about to reprimand the visitor for being so unruly in Chenyou Palace. However, when he saw clearly that it was his eldest daughter, Ling Xihe, his anger disappeared and a smile even appeared on his face. "I remember there were only buds on the peach tree yesterday. I didn't expect the flowers to be in full bloom today. Your second father, Shangguan Xu, should be very happy, right?"
Ling Xihe placed the peach blossoms she had carried along the way in Lu Jinshu's hands. "Yes, I saw my second father smiling so happily. He said he wanted to collect the peach petals and make peach blossom soup, and have my father and me go to Changxin Palace to drink peach blossom soup in the evening." She paused for a moment, her tone becoming a little depressed. "My second father's attendants went to the imperial study and wanted to invite my mother to taste the peach blossom soup together, but the female officials around my mother said that my mother had state affairs to attend to and couldn't go over for the next few days."
Lu Jinshu's face did not show disappointment, and his eyes were full of understanding.
The people of the Qilan Empire, located just northeast of the Chisha Empire, lived a nomadic existence, following the flow of water and grass. Every winter, their livestock would suffer a high mortality rate due to a lack of food and fodder.
This year, the Qilan Empire was hit by a snowstorm even more severe than in previous years, leading to a shortage of resources like winter clothing and food. To survive, they frequently harassed the Chisha Empire's border, and numerous small-scale clashes had already broken out between the two countries, with the situation showing signs of intensifying.
Ling Shumo had been so busy lately with the affairs of the Qilan Empire that she couldn't even get a foot on the ground. How could she possibly have the leisure to go to Changxin Palace and drink some insignificant peach blossom soup? If Shangguan Xu invited Ling Shumo at this time, he would definitely return disappointed.
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