Chapter 1242 Merit Surpasses Heaven
"Ouch!"
Little Yuangan happily stepped onto Yuwen Yuan's knees, grabbed his beard, and kept jumping up. Yuwen Ye frowned, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, "Yuangan, don't be rude, get down!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuangan shrank back and stared at him with wide eyes.
Yuwen Yuan frowned in displeasure: "I'd like to spend some time with my little grandson, what are you yelling about?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye immediately lowered his head and took two steps back.
Shang Ruyi stepped forward with a smile and said, "Father, Yuangan is very happy to see you, but we must not neglect our proper etiquette. Besides, this is our first time back since we moved out of the palace, so let him pay his respects to you first."
Yuwen Yuan glanced at her, his gaze softening. He patted Xiao Yuangan's bottom and chuckled, "Your mother is right. Go down first, and come to Grandpa's side in a little while. Grandpa specially asked the Imperial Kitchen to make your favorite food today."
Yuan Gan didn't care about anything else, but as soon as he heard the words "love to eat," he immediately obediently stepped out of his arms and ran back to Shang Ruyi's side. Shang Ruyi then led him to kowtow to the emperor, but Yuwen Yuan immediately waved his hand and said, "Get up, get up, sit down."
Everyone then took their seats.
Yuwen Yuan's gaze followed the chubby little Yuan Gan until he saw him obediently holding Shang Ruyi's hand and being led by her to sit down behind a table on the left side of the hall. Because the table was too high, the child only showed half of his head, but his round, big eyes, like longan seeds, were rolling around as if he was expecting something.
Yuwen Yuan smiled and asked, "Yuanzi, are you hungry?"
Xiao Yuangan immediately nodded emphatically: "Yes!"
That sweet, childlike voice could melt even the hardest heart, let alone Yuwen Yuan. His tiger-like eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. He raised his hand and said, "Alright, let's begin the banquet and serve the dishes."
As soon as the words were spoken, a group of palace maids lined up neatly and walked into the main hall. Each of them carried a golden plate with dishes full of rare delicacies from the mountains and the sea. The dishes were delicious and appetizing. As soon as they were placed on the table, they made everyone's mouths water. Xiao Yuangan was especially hungry, his eyes shining. He was so restless that he kept fidgeting behind the table, like a little mouse in a hole peeking out from time to time.
When another golden plate was placed down, its fragrant aroma made everyone's mouths water. He finally couldn't resist, grabbing the table with one hand, pointing at the golden plate with the other, and looking up at Shang Ruyi: "I want it!"
Shang Ruyi laughed and said, "This is roasted camel hump, you can't eat it."
Yuan Gan pouted: "I want it!"
His gluttonous appearance made everyone in the hall laugh. Even Yuwen Qian's indifferent eyes showed a hint of a smile. Although Yu Mingyue also smiled, her eyes were very cold. After laughing, she turned her face away, as if she had been thinking about something.
Seeing that Yuan Gan was still pestering Shang Ruyi for food, Yuwen Yuan said, "Wait a little longer, Yuanzi, yours will be here soon."
She turned her head to look at Eunuch Yu and asked, "Why aren't you coming up yet?"
Eunuch Yu dared not delay and hurriedly went out to urge him on. Just as he reached the door, he saw a little palace maid come in, carrying a tray with a jade bowl on it. Eunuch Yu immediately said, "Quickly, quickly send it to the young master."
The palace maid quickly placed the jade bowl in front of Xiao Yuangan.
The jade bowl contained cherry cheese, with bright red cherries piled up like a small mountain, topped with a layer of sugarcane juice and a layer of cheese. The bright and lovely colors of white and red were very appetizing, and the sweet and sour taste made Yuan Gan's mouth water even before he took a bite.
He pointed to the jade bowl again: "I want it!"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Okay, here you go, this is yours."
After saying that, she moved the small bowl in front of him, and a palace maid brought a higher mattress for him to sit on. The child was finally able to reach the bowl, and immediately grabbed the spoon next to him, scooped up a spoonful, and ate it with a loud gulp.
Yuwen Yuan laughed and said, "Before, Yuanzi would use her hands to eat, but now she can actually use a spoon."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "These days, I have spent a lot of time arguing with him about this. Several times he cried and refused to eat, and only after going hungry for two meals did he agree to use chopsticks and a spoon."
Yu Mingyue smiled and said, "Doesn't your sister-in-law feel sorry for you?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her and said calmly, "Even if you feel sorry for your child, you still have to take care of him. There's no reason to give up eating because of a minor setback."
Yuwen Yuan felt a pang of heartache upon hearing that the child had missed two meals, but when he saw the child eating spoonful by spoonful with an unfamiliar posture, he found him extremely adorable and nodded, saying, "Yes, that's how it should be."
Eunuch Yu stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty..."
Yuwen Yuan then snapped out of his reverie and chuckled, "I was so focused on Yuan Gan that I forgot about the important matter. Today is Yan Jie's birthday—"
He paused for a moment, his smile still lingering, but his eyes were somewhat dim. He said, "These past years have been busy with affairs, and the world is still unsettled. I and you have all been busy with important matters outside, and we haven't had a chance to celebrate your birthday. In the blink of an eye, you're already twenty years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning)."
All eyes turned to Yuwen Cheng.
Only then did Shang Ruyi take a proper look at him. Perhaps because Yuwen Cheng had always opposed them over the years, she had grown increasingly disgusted with this younger brother-in-law. Every time they met, she would find him disagreeable, say what she had to say, and then leave without really looking at him closely. But now, looking at him again, she realized that he had indeed grown up. He was different from the fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy she had seen at the wedding banquet. Back then, he was indeed strong, but that was the strength of a teenager. Now, after the experience of the Battle of Luoyang—even if he didn't achieve any great feats, he had still been on the battlefield. His arms were much stronger and his shoulders and chest were much more robust. He was no longer the boy he once was.
But the cunning and tyranny in his eyes remained unchanged.
It has even increased rather than decreased.
Yuwen Ye raised his wine cup and said, "This cup of wine should be offered to Third Brother."
Upon hearing this, everyone picked up their wine glasses.
Yuwen Cheng also picked up his wine cup and said with a smile, "Fortunately, today is my birthday, otherwise, let alone Father Emperor, just the wine my second brother is offering would be too much for me."
Yuwen Ye calmly said, "We are brothers, why is it so inappropriate to offer a toast?"
Yuwen Cheng said, "Second Brother, you're just pretending to be ignorant. Everyone in the court knows this, and even the common people say your achievements are greater than the heavens. I'm honored to drink this cup of wine."
Upon hearing the phrase "his merits surpassed those of Heaven," Yuwen Ye's face immediately darkened.
Normally, if someone says that great merit is hard to be rewarded, it is already an offense to the emperor. But he actually said "over the heavens," which is clearly a provocation to the emperor's dissatisfaction with him.
As expected, Yuwen Yuan's expression darkened slightly.
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