Chapter 987 Resolving the Crisis in Xia Prefecture
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
After court that day, Yuwen Yuan returned to the Liangyi Hall to handle government affairs. He met with several ministers and it wasn't until after noon that Eunuch Yu urged him several times before he finally put down his pen and documents and ordered the meal to be served.
Soon, the Imperial Kitchen staff delivered today's meal.
While the palace servants were setting out the dishes, Yuwen Yuan had a basin of cold water brought to wash his face, hoping to clear his head. Just as he wiped the water off his face, he heard a familiar, yet somewhat strange, babbling sound coming from outside. He turned around and saw Eunuch Yu hurrying into the Liangyi Hall, reporting, "Your Majesty, Princess Qin has arrived with the young prince."
"She's here?"
Upon hearing that Shang Ruyi had arrived, the small, fleeting joy that had been rising in Yuwen Yuan's heart instantly vanished. He frowned and asked, "Why are you here at this time?"
After all, it was his mealtime, and unless summoned by the emperor, no ordinary person, not even his own son, should have come to disturb him at this time.
But seeing that he didn't intend to send Princess Qin back directly, Eunuch Yu smiled and said, "Princess Qin said that the young prince has something on him and she came specifically to ask His Majesty to take a look."
"Yuan Gan, what's wrong with him?"
Upon hearing that Yuan Gan had something to say, Yuwen Yuan disregarded all other emotions and immediately said, "Let them in."
Eunuch Yu replied, "Yes."
After saying that, he went out to deliver the message.
Yuwen Yuan tossed the handkerchief back into the basin, walked to the table and sat down. The table was laden with a variety of dishes, but he only felt an instinctive hunger in his stomach and had no appetite at all. Before he could pick up his chopsticks, he saw Shang Ruyi lead Yuan Gan in from outside and bow to him, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"..."
Yuwen Yuan glanced at her and said calmly, "Are you feeling better?"
Upon hearing this question, which seemed to have a deeper meaning, Shang Ruyi immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I am much better now."
Yuwen Yuan said, "The weather has been changing rapidly lately. You should take good care of your health to avoid falling ill again. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain it to the Prince of Qin who is fighting on the front lines."
Shang Ruyi quickly replied, "Father, you flatter me."
Yuwen Yuan snorted softly before looking at Xiao Yuangan again. The child had been staring at his grandfather with wide eyes ever since he entered the main hall. He quickly recognized him and immediately stretched out his thick, short arms to wave at him, making happy whimpering sounds. The clear, childish voice softened Yuwen Yuan's heart, and his originally cold and stern expression immediately softened.
He said, "What happened to Yuan Gan just now?"
Shang Ruyi hurriedly got up, brought the child to Yuwen Yuan, and said with a smile, "Father, please look, Yuangan has grown teeth."
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan immediately took the child. Just then, Yuan Gan opened his mouth wide and giggled at him. He immediately saw that four small, white, tender shoot-like teeth had indeed grown on the child's upper and lower gums. Yuwen Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "He really has teeth!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yuan Gan suddenly pounced into his arms and bit his chin.
"Ouch, ouch!"
Yuwen Yuan couldn't dodge in time, nor did he intend to. The child's tiny, tender teeth didn't hurt at all when they bit, and besides, his skin was thick and tough; he only felt a slight tingling sensation. Shang Ruyi panicked and rushed forward to take Yuan Gan away, but Yuwen Yuan waved his hand to stop her. He chuckled and said, "Let him bite, let him grind his teeth. Children's teeth need to be ground up a lot so they grow faster."
Seeing this heartwarming scene, even the palace servants serving nearby smiled cautiously.
With a smile, Eunuch Yu stepped forward and gently picked up Xiao Yuangan, saying, "Your Majesty, you can't let the young prince grind his teeth with dragon whiskers."
Yuwen Yuan's chin was covered in saliva from being nibbled on, but he laughed heartily. When he looked at Shang Ruyi again, his eyes softened considerably, and he asked, "He's teething now. What does he eat? How many meals a day?"
Shang Ruyi said, "He eats four meals a day, including chicken porridge and fish soup. Sometimes he even craves the soup dumplings that adults eat and will take a couple of bites."
Yuwen Yuan nodded and said, "Children need to eat more. Feng Chen used to eat a variety of foods, that's why he's so healthy now. Don't be too picky about what children eat, otherwise they'll be hard to raise."
Shang Ruyi said, "Your subject understands."
Eunuch Yu had someone wring out another handkerchief to wipe the drool off Yuwen Ye's chin and beard. After it was clean, Yuwen Yuan pointed to the table next to him and said, "You haven't had lunch yet, have you? Have some with me."
Shang Ruyi said, "Thank you, Father Emperor."
She sat down and Yuwen Yuan had some of his food given to her. Although the atmosphere wasn't great, it was at least harmonious.
However, neither of them had much of an appetite, and after eating for a short while, they asked someone to remove the dishes. Shang Ruyi watched as Yuwen Yuan took Xiao Yuangan to his side again, and the grandfather and grandson played and laughed happily. Her smile was as gentle as a spring breeze. Eunuch Yu also smiled and said, "Only when His Highness comes can the Emperor be happy. This servant has not heard the Emperor laugh for many days."
Yuwen Yuan glared at him: "You're blaming me now?"
Eunuch Yu quickly replied with a forced smile, "This servant wouldn't dare."
"..."
"This servant only hopes that Princess Qin can bring the young prince over more often, so that His Majesty can also have some fun."
Shang Ruyi said softly, "I heard that Your Majesty has been troubled by matters of state recently, so I specially brought Yuangan here to keep Your Majesty company and help you relax. I also hope that Your Majesty can take care of your health and not overwork yourself."
Yuwen Yuan looked up at her, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I'm fine."
"..."
"Fengchen fought brilliantly in the east this time, and he has relieved me of my worries."
Shang Ruyi immediately replied, "It is all thanks to the Emperor's divine grace."
Yuwen Yuan smiled faintly, a smile that contained both relief and a hint of barely perceptible mockery, and said, "My divine might cannot protect Luoyang; this time, he has to rely entirely on himself. However, it would be better if he could have looked after his brothers a little more."
Shang Ruyi had naturally heard that Yuwen Ye was able to roam freely this time because Prince Qi had tied down a lot of Liang Shide's troops in Cijian, and now he was probably in a terrible predicament. She wondered what Yuwen Ye would do next.
But she didn't respond to that, and only said, "By the way, I also heard that Princess Qiancheng has sent another letter."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's brows immediately furrowed.
Compared to Luoyang, this seemed to be the biggest and most difficult problem at hand, but he was unwilling to show his worries in front of the younger generation, and simply waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this."
Shang Ruyi suddenly said, "Your son may be able to resolve the crisis in Xia Prefecture."
"...!?"
Yuwen Yuan looked at her in surprise: "What did you say?"
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