It's a pity that Chu Haoxuan probably didn't notice that he has become much thinner in the past two months and his complexion is not good. To put it bluntly, he might die in the bellies of these two women one day.
That's going to be really entertaining!
Wei Shuqing didn't catch the sarcasm in Mu Yuan's words, but Tie Qiongrui understood it clearly. Saying that she was old and that they were young and tender seemed to be praising them by belittling herself, but the following sentence was a mockery of them as concubines who existed to serve the emperor.
Mu Yuan: No, calling you a concubine is too nice. You're all just junk.
A noblewoman from a high-ranking family, she gave up being the mistress of her household to insist on entering the palace to serve this old man. How shameless!
Chu Haoxuan was initially quite happy, after all, so many young women were flocking around him, even resorting to all sorts of tricks to snatch him away, which made him very proud.
However, the empress's attitude made him very uncomfortable.
He snorted coldly, shook off Qiongfei who was holding his sleeve, and strode away.
Mu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, still smiling, and she quickened her pace to catch up.
In the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the officials finally welcomed the Emperor and Empress, and everyone bowed in unison.
The Duke of Dingguo and his wife were seated below the Emperor and Empress, and their seats faced downwards. This meant that they did not need to bow to the Emperor and Empress, and could still receive the homage of the officials.
They didn't want to be the retired emperor; they only wanted to be the Duke of Dingguo, a symbol of loyalty. They couldn't force him not to be that.
Fortunately, these two masters only attend banquets in the palace on New Year's Eve; otherwise, they stay at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, so there isn't much trouble.
After the ceremony, the emperor said a few words and the banquet began.
Tie Qiongrui was adept at finding her place in this situation and was the first to step forward and toast the Emperor. Afterwards, Consort Qing was not to be outdone.
Then, the other concubines also had to offer a toast.
Ning Yan watched with great interest. Even if the alcohol content of ancient wine was low, could the emperor's body withstand being toasted like this?
She glanced at the man beside her.
The man who received the coded message turned his head to look at her.
Ning Yan leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Did you see that?"
Chu Yu: "What?" After asking, he noticed that his Crown Princess's gaze was fixed on his father and the other concubines. He seemed to understand something. He turned his head and whispered in Ning Yan's ear: "Don't worry, I want to live a long life. Besides, I have a small stomach and really can't drink that much wine."
From the very beginning, he had no intention of taking a concubine; otherwise, he wouldn't have let Tianyan say that.
While others plan three steps ahead for every one step they take, he prefers to quietly plan ahead and resolve all foreseeable difficulties in advance.
Didn't you see this year's talent show? Didn't anyone try to send women to his house?
Since the Emperor believed Tianyan's explanation, he had no worries whatsoever.
"Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you, otherwise you'd be in for a world of hurt."
Chu Yu lowered his hand to the table and quietly took the hand of the person next to him. "Hmm, you're the best at making me feel better."
Ning Yan: ...This kid is getting more and more shameless.
The banquet started at 2 p.m. and ended a little after 3 p.m. The main reason was that the emperor had drunk too much and could not hold his liquor. Consort Qiong personally saw the emperor off. The empress ate a couple of bites and then left. Then came the old Duke and his wife. The rest of the people had almost finished eating and left the palace to go home.
Ning Yan called Chu Lin back to the Crown Prince's residence. This kid hasn't said a word to Chu Yu yet, so they need to ease the tension between them.
Back at the Crown Prince's residence, Ning Yan immediately started making dumplings for dinner, instructing the kitchen to prepare the dough and filling.
"Lin-ge'er, come here. Whoever makes the dumplings today gets to eat. If you don't help, you won't get any food."
Chu Lin washed his hands with the help of the maid, then stood in front of the worktable. "Mother, how do we wrap them?"
Chu Yu was at ease learning to roll out dough with his wife, and once he finished, he placed it in front of the mother and son.
Chu Lin glanced at it and said with disdain, "Your Highness, look at how you rolled it out. It's so ugly. It's not as round as my mother's."
Ning Yan raised an eyebrow. Calling him "Your Highness" instead of anything else was quite unexpected. This kid…
"You brat, you're already doing well enough that I'm even serving you. I, the Crown Prince, personally roll out the dough to serve you, and you're still not satisfied."
Chu Lin chuckled twice, "Then shouldn't Your Highness give me a big red envelope?"
Chu Yu smiled. It was alright that Lin Ge'er hadn't fallen out with him. No wonder he had gone out of his way to get closer to him before.
"Wrap it! The more dumplings you wrap today, the bigger the red envelope I'll give you. Hurry up and wrap them!"
Chu Lin grew anxious. "Mother, please teach me quickly. You don't know how strict Grandmother is with me these days. I only get five taels of silver a month for expenses, which isn't even enough to buy my sister a pretty dress. I need to ask His Highness for more silver!"
Ning Yan picked up the dough and chopsticks and began to teach her son step by step. Chu Yu watched from the side. In his dreams, he would make dumplings. After all, he had lived in the north for three years and would make a lot of dumplings or buns to freeze every New Year.
Even if he's never made one before, he'll still know how.
Ning Yan: "Do you know how much money an ordinary person spends in a year?"
"have no idea."
Ning Yan: "Five taels of silver is enough for an ordinary person to live on for a year."
"Oh, but what does that have to do with me? I'm not an ordinary citizen."
"Next year, that person will be able to submit a memorial to the emperor appointing me as the heir apparent. The heir apparent receives a salary of tens of thousands of taels a year, which I can spend as I please." His tone was full of self-righteousness.
Ning Yan nodded: "That's right, my son is born with a life of wealth and nobility. Five taels of silver is indeed not enough for him. In the future, if he needs money, he can just tell his mother. As long as it's something he needs, I won't mind spending as much as he wants."
She didn't know why this kid suddenly looked down on his father so much, refusing to even call him "father" anymore, and only referring to him as "that person"!
Chu Lin was overjoyed. "Thank you, Mother."
Chu Yu watched the mother and daughter talking from the side, his face full of smiles.
"Your Highness, you can smile? All I saw in the palace today was your cold face."
Chu Yu coughed awkwardly, "...You don't understand."
Chu Lin laughed heartily, "I know, you're just embarrassed and afraid of what others will say. What are you afraid of? My mother divorced long ago. You and my mother got together to save the world. It was an imperial decree that granted you a marriage. It's only natural for you to be together and have children."
The previous emperor, Mo, even married one of his father's concubines. So what?
However, Your Highness, you must protect me when you ascend the throne in the future.
Chu Yu: ……
"How do you want him to protect you?"
"Let me be the general! I want to lead troops into battle just like Your Highness!"
Ning Yan: ...That's quite an ambitious goal, but anyone with even a little bit of suspicion wouldn't let you lead troops!
"Don't even think about it. You're going to inherit the Prince Jin's mansion in the future. The battlefield is too dangerous. You're not allowed to go."
Chu Yu asked, "Do you really want to become a military general?"
"Yes! Your Highness is so powerful that you even conquered the Qing Kingdom. I also want to expand the territory of the Da Gan Kingdom."
Even Zheng Ge can't beat me now.
Ning Yan was smug; she was the one who provided the technique, and Chu Lin had practiced it diligently, so naturally it couldn't be bad. (End of Chapter)
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