Xue no longer ate with the old lady and the third wife. Ever since she was forcibly locked up by the old lady and had Yu Niang carried to the Prince Shu's palace, Xue never forgave the old lady of Dechang Marquis and the third wife. From then on, she never ate with the old lady and the third wife, and her food and clothing expenses were no longer recorded in the palace. Even though she didn't have much money, her food and drink were very simple at the beginning, but she had slowly gotten by in the past seven years. Later, because of the recipe that Yu Niang taught her brother, she had a red envelope every month. Later, Yu Niang sent more and more money every year, but her daily life was not much different from usual, and she kept the money, thinking that Yu Niang might need it one day in the future.

The reason why Xue had not separated from the Dechang Marquisate was because her husband was an official. If she forcibly separated, her husband's career would be ruined.

When Yu Niang just went to the border town, the old lady of Dechang Marquis also had the idea of ​​dividing the family. Later, for some unknown reason, the attitude of the third wife changed, and the old lady's attitude also changed. Xu Qinhui would come to the second wife from time to time, and even wanted to give money to Yu Niang and the second wife, but Xue confiscated it and has never been kind to Xu Qinhui over the years.

Xu Qinyu went to the small kitchen. The small kitchen had rice, flour, grain, oil, as well as a lot of vegetables and meat. It was very full and complete.

In fact, the ingredients prepared in the small kitchen of the second room on weekdays are relatively simple. It was because Xue knew that Yu Niang was going back to the capital and was worried that her daughter would not have enough to eat when she returned, so she bought a lot of ingredients from the small kitchen in the past few days.

Xu Qinyu looked at the ingredients and made a dish of squirrel fish, pork with minced garlic, and sour bamboo shoots and duck soup. The weather was still cold, so Xu Qinyu simmered a pot of mutton with mutton and radish, and also fried two vegetarian dishes, one with fresh mushrooms and cabbage hearts, and one with fried tofu.

Five dishes and a soup, just enough for a family.

Xu Qinyu was cooking in the kitchen, while Xue helped to light the fire.

Even Mr. Xu and Brother Li squeezed into the kitchen to help out to the best of their ability.

While waiting for Xu Qinyu to start cooking, there were dishes cooking on the stove, sour bamboo shoots and duck soup stewing on one stove, and mutton and radish stewing on another stove. The whole house was filled with fragrance, and even Cui and the others couldn't help swallowing their saliva.

Needless to say, the food cooked by Xu Qinyu was delicious. Even though it was not ready yet, the aroma of the food had spread far away. Even the house next door could smell the rich aroma and couldn't help but wonder, "Where is this aroma coming from? I've never smelled it before. Who got a new chef?"

"What are you talking about? Could it be next door?"

"What's next door?"

"It's the Marquis of Dechang's mansion next door. Don't you know? The Queen is back home today. You also know what the Queen did in the border town before. The Queen used to be a cook, so it should be the Queen next door who is cooking."

"They actually let the Empress cook for them? Are Lord Dechang and his wife really getting old and confused?"

"How could it be cooked for them? It must be cooked for the Second House. You are all aware of the things going on in the Marquis of Dechang's Mansion. The Second House has not eaten with the other houses for a long time. Except for still living in the Marquis' Mansion, it's almost like a separate family. The Empress must be filial to her parents. She hasn't been with them for seven years, so she wanted to cook a meal for them on the first day she came back."

"Ah, the Empress has indeed suffered a lot in the past few years. She was a good girl from the Marquis's Mansion, but because of the third wife's little tricks, she was married to Prince Shu and exiled to the border town. But thirty years in the east and thirty years in the west, who could have thought that Prince Shu would eventually inherit the throne and become the Empress. But now, she is the only one in the Emperor's harem. Tsk tsk, Xu Qinhui must be so angry that she will die."

"Of course. If Xu Qinhui had married Prince Shu honestly and not played such a trick, she would have inherited the throne and been favored by the emperor. She must be regretting it now. It's so funny. She deserves it."

“This is fate.”

At the main courtyard of the Marquis of Dechang's mansion, the first and third wives were having evening meals with the two elders. When the old lady smelled the fragrance, she couldn't help but mutter, "She really has no manners at all. She hasn't been home for seven years, and when she came back, she didn't even greet her grandmother. She even didn't want to eat with us, and she didn't even want to honor us with the meals she cooked. What does she mean by this? Isn't she thinking the opposite of heaven?"

Marquis Dechang frowned and said, "Please be quiet for a while."

The old lady said angrily, "Am I wrong? She is my granddaughter after all. If she had not been asked to marry in place of Hui Niang, would it be her turn to be the empress now? Shouldn't she be grateful to us? Instead, she starts to act pretentiously and is so unfilial. I don't know what the emperor likes about her. She even said that she would be the only one in the harem in this life." At this point, the old lady's chest was already heaving violently, and she was obviously very angry.

She just felt sorry for Hui Niang.

Hui Niang later told her that Hui Niang actually liked Prince Shu, but she was too scared at that time. She didn't want to leave her grandparents and wanted to be filial to them, so she had no choice but to leave King Shu and let Yu Niang marry for her. However, she never forgot Prince Shu in her heart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have deliberately broken her legs and face to avoid Emperor Sheng Yuan's harem selection, and even refused to get married in the past few years, just to wait for Prince Shu.

But now that Prince Shu has inherited the throne, he said that there will only be Yu Niang in the harem. What will Hui Niang do? Hui Niang has waited for him for seven years without getting married. Now Hui Niang is already 22 years old and has become an old maid. She is also ridiculed by outsiders because of her past with Emperor Shengwu, and she cannot get married.

Outsiders have no idea of ​​the inside story and can only mock poor Hui Niang.

Marquis Dechang said coldly, "Everyone knows what you were thinking at the beginning. You just doted on Hui Niang and were worried that she would suffer with Prince Shu in the border town. You thought it didn't matter to Yu Niang. Even if Yu Niang went to the border town, it wouldn't matter. Now you have the nerve to say that it's your credit that Yu Niang became the empress. It's ridiculous. Emperor Shengwu is different from the previous emperor and Emperor Shengyuan. His mind is hard to guess, and so is his temperament. He has been on the throne for more than a month, but the eunuch beside him doesn't even know his preferences. You better be careful. If you continue to make trouble like this, be careful that our Marquis' Mansion will be buried with you."

The old lady was a little panicked when she heard this, but she couldn't help but mutter, "I'm just feeling sorry for Hui Niang. She didn't follow him to the border town just because she wanted to be filial to us. Seven years have passed. Hui Niang even hurt herself on purpose to not go to Emperor Sheng Yuan's selection just to wait for him. Hui Niang has waited until she's an old maid. Now the emperor says that there will be no other concubines in the harem in the future, only one empress. What should we do? Besides, Yu Niang is already the empress. Will he really do anything to our mansion?"

Marquis Dechang said coldly: "Then you can try it and see if the emperor dares to do it. Do you really believe what Hui Niang said?"

Marquis Dechang glanced at his granddaughter. The only reason Hui Niang was unwilling to go to Prince Shu's mansion was that she didn't want to suffer in the border town.

But I don't know what happened afterwards that made Hui Niang change her mind. She refused to enter the palace to be a concubine, and she also refused to get married. It seemed that Hui Niang suddenly realized that Prince Shu would definitely be able to ascend the throne in the future, and that this day would come sooner or later.

But since Hui Niang knew this clearly, why didn't she want to marry King Shu in the first place?

Or maybe Hui Niang didn't understand at that time.

Marquis Dechang didn't care about his granddaughter, he just looked at Xu Qinhui with an inquiring look.

Alas, who could have known that Prince Shu would have such great ability? In the final analysis, he was also wrong. When it was suggested that Yu Niang should marry Prince Shu instead of Hui Niang, he acquiesced.

But he knew in his heart that the times were different now, and it was impossible for Hui Niang to become Emperor Shengwu's concubine. Even if Emperor Shengwu would select beauties in the future, he would not allow Hui Niang, who was unwilling to share the joys and sorrows with him, to enter the palace to be his concubine.

The old lady then kept silent. She knew the whole story, but she felt sorry for Hui Niang, so naturally she believed whatever Hui Niang said.

Xu Qinhui, who was sitting next to him, bit her lip and said nothing. She was filled with despair.

She didn't know what was going on. It seemed that from the beginning, her second sister didn't die of illness on the way to the border town. Everything started to be different. Although King Shu also revolted in the end, just like in the previous life, it happened three years earlier. She didn't have time to do anything. No, she did it. She wrote countless letters to King Shu, but King Shu ignored her. Now King Shu has ascended the throne and her second sister has become the queen. What else should she do?

During the half month when her second sister had not returned to Beijing, she had tried countless ways to enter the palace, but to no avail.

Now her second sister has returned to Beijing and her home, but she has not been able to see her even once.

She even heard that her second sister opened a restaurant in a border town and made a lot of money. Why was her life completely different from her previous life?

What happened to my second sister?

Xu Qinhui now just can't wait to see her second sister.

She was unwilling to accept the fact that she had wasted seven years and gained nothing in the end. How could she accept the fact?

She would never allow herself to become a laughing stock in the capital, and she must enter the palace to become a concubine.

Xu Qinhui secretly made up her mind...

…

When Xu Qinyu's evening meal was ready, it was already getting dark. The family brought the food to the living room, but the doorman staggered into the yard.

The doorman's face turned pale. After he came in, he trembled and said, "Second Master, Second Madam, the Emperor is here."

Xu Qinyu was stunned. Why was Fourth Brother here?

Mrs. Xue and Mr. Xu were also startled and hurriedly stood up to greet them.

Xu Qinyu had no choice but to follow him out.

By the time everyone in the mansion knew that Emperor Shengwu had come to Marquis Dechang's residence, Pei Weixuan was already preparing dinner in the second house.

He sat beside Yu Niang and was talking to her softly, "I'm done with my official duties. I'm here to have dinner with you and visit my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

Elder Xu was very frightened and said hurriedly, "The house is simple and I am afraid that I will neglect His Majesty."

Xue was also a little at a loss, but seeing that Yu Niang looked calm, she just said, "Fourth brother is hungry too, eat quickly, I made dinner for you tonight, please eat more."

Fourth brother has worked very hard over the past year and has lost weight.

Pei Weixuan nodded, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, please sit down and eat. There is no need to be so restrained. Yu Niang and I are just like an ordinary couple. Father-in-law and mother-in-law should treat me as an ordinary aunt."

In front of them, he wouldn't even call himself "I".

Only then did Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xue realize how the emperor felt about his daughter.