Chapter 546 First Visit to the Eastern Palace
Little Mianmian listened to her mother's words and boarded a magnificent carriage surrounded by a group of people.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a scene. The carriage was surrounded by rows of palace maids and eunuchs, all of whom had their heads down, as if they dared not look directly at them.
At this time, Xiao Mianmian did not understand what going home meant.
As the carriage slowly began to move, the eunuch in front shouted, "Welcome back to the palace, Your Highness the Crown Princess!"
Little Mianmian tilted her head and asked Du Wanchun, "Mother, what is a Crown Princess?"
Du Wanchun hugged her and explained softly, "Your father is the Crown Prince, so your mother is naturally the Crown Princess."
Little Mianmian nodded, half understanding, and then looked out the window.
She saw the palace maids outside the carriage kneel down, then get up and follow their carriage.
The onlookers only dared to look up after the carriage had gone far away.
They began to whisper among themselves.
"It turns out that Lord Zhou and the Zhou family manager are actually the Crown Prince and the Second Prince who went missing back then."
"Yes, it's unpredictable that a prince would become a merchant, but fortunately, they've all been found now."
"What do you mean by becoming merchants? Are the Zhou family ordinary merchants? I've heard that the Zhou family are top-notch merchants in Qingzhou Prefecture, and they're even among the most prominent in the capital."
“Even if they don’t enter the palace to become princes, they will still live a life of wealth and honor.”
Passersby sighed with emotion upon hearing this.
Then someone else said, "Lord Zhou is a good official. When he was in Cheng'an County, my uncle's family was dirt poor, but under Lord Zhou's care, they built roads, reduced taxes, and provided rice seeds for them to grow. Now, not only have they helped their three sons get married, but they have also built new houses and have four or five oxen."
"Is that so?"
"That's right, this brother is right. My uncle is also from Cheng'an County. He used to be a poor man who would come to our house to beg for rice every year. But now things have changed drastically. His family has several acres of land, and their granaries are full every year. They also grow some medicinal herbs. The Zhou family will come to his house to collect the herbs from time to time. Now, not only do we not have to worry about going hungry, but we can also eat chicken, duck, fish and meat as much as we want."
When these two mentioned Cheng'an County, the others chimed in with agreement.
Everyone says that the people in Cheng'an County are all rich and that they live a good life.
They also said that Lord Zhou was truly a good official who served the people and the country.
Some even said, "Lord Zhou is the crown prince now. If he can inherit the throne and become our ruler in the future, maybe we can all get rich together."
Inside the carriage that had driven away, Du Wanchun could still vaguely hear some conversations.
However, most of the praise was directed at Zhou Ruiyuan.
When Zhou Ruiyuan served as the magistrate of Cheng'an County, he did a lot of good things for the people. Although they didn't seem to be of much use on ordinary days, they were still mentioned in important moments.
She looked down at Xiao Feifei in her arms and Xiao Mianmian sitting beside her, a relieved smile on her face.
The carriage continued on its way and then entered the palace gates.
Du Wanchun and the children arrived at the Emperor's palace, led by palace maids and eunuchs.
The emperor stared in astonishment at Yi'er and Yu'er, who looked remarkably like Zhou Ruiyuan, and gazed at them with deep eyes.
He slowly took two steps forward. "These are the eldest and second eldest brothers?"
Du Wanchun pulled them together to bow and said, "Quickly pay your respects to the Emperor."
She emphasized the word "Emperor" very heavily.
The emperor's face paled slightly, then he helped the three children in front of him up. "Get up. From now on, I will be your imperial grandfather."
Little Mianmian's round eyes darted around a few times before she joined her two older brothers in calling out "Grandpa Emperor."
The emperor was pleased to hear this, and looked down at the child in Du Wanchun's arms, asking, "Is this the youngest child?"
Du Wanchun replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor looked at Xiao Feifei and couldn't help but smile.
It's as if I can finally enjoy the family bliss that ordinary people envy.
Little Feifei was too young to speak much, so she nestled in Du Wanchun's arms and turned her face away from the Emperor.
The emperor was not angry, and led the palace maids and eunuchs to escort them to the East Palace.
The Eastern Palace's sleeping quarters were where Zhou Ruiyuan had lived as a child. Although the emperor was ruthless, this place hadn't been touched for over a decade.
After the emperor learned of Zhou Ruiyuan's identity, he immediately ordered people to clean up the place.
Even after cleaning, it still looks somewhat desolate.
As Du Wanchun walked along the corridor, looking at the blooming flowers, plants, and trees all around, the image of Zhou Ruiyuan as a child involuntarily came to mind.
It's quite good that this trip to the palace allowed us to visit the place where Zhou Ruiyuan was a child.
Little Mianmian looked around curiously. When she saw a bird flying through the woods, she almost broke free to catch it, but was stopped by Yi'er and Yu'er.
The two older brothers are much more composed.
As the emperor walked forward, he said, "Ruiyuan has lived here since he was born. In the past, whenever I came here, he would run over and call out to his father as soon as I reached the entrance of this corridor."
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