Rong Yu curled her lip and scoffed, "Who orders by height? It's all by age, okay? You don't have a younger sister, only an older sister and a cousin, right, Yan Zhi?"
Zheng Yanzhi nodded seriously, "Yes! I'm your cousin, you have to call me 'sister'!"
"..." Feeling humiliated, Yongzhang turned around angrily, walked to his mother's side, and complained pitifully, "Mother, I don't want an older sister, I want a younger sister!"
Yongzhang always wanted a younger sister and hoped that his mother would give birth to a girl. Unfortunately, his mother gave birth to a boy, and he ended up with a younger brother.
He finally spotted a small girl and thought he had a younger sister. But as luck would have it, she was three months older than him!
Su Yushan pulled her son to her side and coaxed him with a smile, "We just had a little brother! So you're not the youngest anymore, you can be the older brother."
"But I want a well-behaved little sister! My older sister always bullies me, and I don't like her."
"Aren't younger brothers just for bullying?" Rong Yu raised his chin slightly, pretending not to hear. Zheng Yanzhi walked closer to his side, smiling gently, "I won't bully you, just call me 'older sister'!"
Yanzhi was the youngest girl in the family, with older sisters all around her. She longed for a younger brother or sister, but her younger brother was just born and couldn't speak yet. Since Yongzhang was younger than her, she hoped to hear him call her "sister."
Unfortunately, Yongzhang disliked calling anyone "sister," especially this little girl who was shorter than him. Although she was very pretty, he still refused to call her "sister."
"I won't call you that! I'll call you that when you're taller than me."
But she's a girl! Girls are naturally shorter than boys, and Yongzhang is already half a head taller than her. It's almost impossible for her to surpass him.
Su Yushan squeezed her son's wrist and solemnly reminded him, "Yongzhang! You mustn't be so rude to your cousin. Whether we're sisters or cousins, we're all family and should get along well."
"It's alright, they haven't met much yet. They'll get to know each other better." Yu Chan interrupted, covering her mouth with a smile, "Third Prince, don't be in such a hurry. Who knows, your mother might give you another little sister someday!"
Having four children was already the limit for Yu Shan, and she didn't want a fifth! Yu Shan looked terrified and waved her hands repeatedly, "No, this is the last one."
At that time, Hongli was handling government affairs in the rear hall, while they were drinking tea and talking in a side hall.
Even a provincial governor might not have the opportunity to enjoy tea and a meal at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. For Su Jiafeng, who was merely a prefect, to have such an opportunity was truly remarkable, all thanks to his sister.
Su Jiafeng talked at length to his family about what had happened to him in Suzhou over the past two years. "When I returned to Suzhou this time, I ran into a lot of old acquaintances! Do you still remember that young master Qiao?"
Su Yushan knew nothing about it, but Yu Chan remembered the man. "I remember, his family was in the tea business, right? He used to bully you a lot when you were little, wasn't that him?"
"That's him! Back then, whenever Yu Shan passed by their house, he would whistle and always block her way. So I beat him up, and from then on, we became enemies and would fight whenever we met."
When I returned to my hometown this time, I wasn't wearing my official robes, but my everyday clothes. He was still mocking me when he saw me. Later, when an official invited me to a banquet, where all the salt and tea merchants were present, he also attended. Upon learning that I was the newly appointed prefect, his face turned green!
Yu Shan couldn't help but sigh. Her younger brother had been an official for so many years, yet he was still so talkative. He really hadn't changed much! After many years, the family was finally reunited, chatting and laughing. Such a warm occasion was truly rare.
Just as she was feeling sentimental, she suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the doorway, "So Yu Shan was that popular when she was young?"
Su Jiafeng's smile froze. He turned around and saw a bright yellow dragon robe standing at the door, which startled him so much that he froze on the spot. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"
Wasn't the Emperor reviewing memorials? He usually takes a long time to finish, so why would he come over at this time? Besides, there was no one announcing his arrival outside the palace, so he couldn't stop in time and the Emperor heard everything.
Su Jiafeng was on edge, afraid that she would say the wrong thing and displease the Emperor.
The smiles faded, and everyone held their breath, not daring to utter a sound. The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Su Yushan, worried that Hongli would be angry over such a trivial matter and take it out on Jiafeng, interrupted:
"Who could be as popular as Your Majesty! I once heard the Empress Dowager say that when you were young, many noble ladies and Mongolian princesses tried to flirt with you."
Hongli, who was being ridiculed, coughed and immediately clarified, "Yes, there are, but I usually don't pay attention to them, and I don't take the initiative to chat up those girls."
Su Yushan feigned disbelief, "Really?"
Hongli nodded with certainty, "If you don't believe me, you can ask the Empress Dowager."
That was something the Empress Dowager had told her when she paid her respects to the Empress Dowager in the past. She had only overheard a few words of it and would not deliberately ask the Empress Dowager about it, lest the Empress Dowager think she was petty.
With this interruption, Hongli was so focused on coaxing her that he completely forgot to investigate what Su Jiafeng had said.
After the Emperor arrived, Su Jiafeng immediately became more reserved and dared not say anything casually. The people who had been chatting and laughing leisurely all became cautious.
Su Yushan chuckled and sighed, "Everyone's been so reserved with you here!"
Given Hongli's status, even if he wanted to integrate into her family, others would always have reservations. Feeling rejected, Hongli sighed helplessly, "Then I'll leave?"
Su Yushan smiled lightly, but to avoid arousing the Emperor's suspicion, Su Mingfeng quickly advised, "Your Majesty, there is no need to avoid us. What we are saying are just anecdotes from our childhood, everyday matters. There is nothing that cannot be heard."
In truth, Hongli really wanted to hear about Yushan's childhood, so he stayed. "Today we'll only talk about family matters, not politics. You don't need to treat me as the emperor; just think of me as your brother-in-law. What other interesting stories do you have about Yushan? Tell me more."
Yu Shan felt embarrassed, thinking to herself, "Is Hongli trying to trick me into revealing information again? Jia Feng, don't take this seriously and tell me everything!"
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