"These must have been gifts from the Emperor and the ladies of the palace. You can keep them yourself; why go to all this trouble to bring them back to me?"
"If there are good things, of course we should give them to Mother."
Geng Youran gently patted her son's head.
"Mother knows you are filial."
Then Geng Youran asked Qianxue to bring out the chrysanthemum wine she had brewed.
"This wine was brewed in September with freshly picked chrysanthemums. I sent a jar to Princess Wanru a few days ago, and this jar is for you."
Hongzhou opened it and smelled it; sure enough, there was the fragrance of chrysanthemum inside.
"It's still my mother who cares about me the most."
The words had barely left his mouth when a mature male voice came from the doorway:
"You've just gotten back and you're already trying to curry favor with your mother?"
"Your son (this concubine) greets Father (Your Highness)!"
Yinzhen nodded, then took Geng Youran's hand and walked into the side room. Hongzhou smiled and got up to follow them in.
"He just got back and didn't even know to pay his respects to the Princess Consort."
“Father has wronged his son. As soon as his son and fourth brother returned, they went to pay their respects to the Fujin. The box on the table was a gift from the Fujin.”
Yinzhen was then satisfied.
Looking at his son, who was almost as tall as him, Yinzhen suddenly had the illusion that he was getting old.
"Father, since both the Fujin and Mother have given their son rewards, have you prepared anything for him?"
Geng Youran laughed and scolded:
"You're getting more and more unruly. Who asks your father for a reward?"
Yinzhen shook his head helplessly; this son was truly capricious.
"Alright, since you've asked, Father can't refuse. Gao Wuyong!"
Gao Wuyong handed a small box to Hongzhou with both hands, and Hongzhou's eyes were filled with surprise. He had only said it casually and hadn't expected his father to actually prepare it for him.
Hongzhou eagerly opened the box, inside which was a seal engraved with his name.
“Father knows you enjoy practicing calligraphy, so I’ll give you this seal to play with.”
"Thank you, Father!"
Seeing how much Hongzhou loved it, Geng Youran teased:
"Your Excellency is truly generous; even the wine I brewed myself cannot compare."
Hongzhou quickly said:
"My son naturally likes the wine that his mother makes."
Seeing her son's anxious explanation, Geng Youran couldn't help but burst out laughing. Soon after, Qianxue, Gao Wuyong, and the others also covered their mouths and laughed.
Hongzhou then realized he was being teased by his mother and laughed heartily, not caring at all. Although Yinzhen didn't laugh out loud, a noticeable upturn at the corners of his mouth was visible.
The house was filled with joy, but the person standing outside couldn't quite smile, and their hands were icy cold.
"Consort, perhaps I should inform them?"
Li Jingshu nodded.
Xiao Anzi entered the house with a sigh of relief:
"This servant greets all masters. Consort Li has arrived and is waiting at the door."
Geng Youran quickly stood up and said:
"Please come in quickly!"
Then Qianxue brought over a hand warmer.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness."
"How did you manage to come here in this freezing weather?"
Geng Youran personally placed the hand warmer in Li Jingshu's hands. Li Jingshu politely said "thank you," and then replied:
“Hongshi just sent someone back saying he wants to bring his daughter-in-law over tonight. I came to ask if Your Highness would like to come along and have dinner with the children at my place tonight.”
Perhaps worried that Geng Youran might misunderstand, Li Jingshu quickly waved her hand to explain after she finished speaking:
"If you are not free tonight, that's alright. I will find another time."
Geng Youran stepped forward and said to Yinzhen:
“Prince Hongshi rarely comes back, especially when he’s with his daughter-in-law. It’s only right that Your Highness dine with the children.”
Yinzhen glanced at Geng Youran, then said:
"In that case, you should go back and prepare. I'll come over after I finish what I'm doing."
"yes."
Li Jingshu left with a smile, and Yinzhen then took Gao Wuyong back to his study. Hongzhou lay to the side with his cheeks puffed out, looking unhappy.
"Why did Mother just speak up for Consort Li? Father clearly said he would come over tonight to have hot pot with us."
"Don't be rude, that's the concubine, and also your third brother's mother."
Seeing her son's still-puffed cheeks, Geng Youran stepped forward, patted his forehead, and comforted him:
"Alright. Your father won't be here tonight, so we can invite Princess Niohuru and your fourth brother over for hot pot with us. I'll allow you to have a few more drinks tonight."
Hearing his mother say this, Hongzhou was visibly happy:
"You said it yourself, you can't go back on your word."
"Once a move is made, there's no going back. Go on, it's too early now, go find your fourth brother to play, your mother and others will make preparations first."
"Alright! Then I'll go find Fourth Brother first."
Then Hongzhou ran out laughing.
Seeing that the young prince had already left the courtyard, Qianxue walked up to him:
"Isn't Your Highness angry? I heard from Xiao Anzi that Consort Li stood at the door for quite a while, clearly there to intercept someone."
Geng Youran waved her hand dismissively:
“Even if I don’t say anything, the prince will still go. Rather than appearing sullen, I might as well do him a favor. It doesn’t matter anyway, I wasn’t planning on doing anything else tonight. Go prepare the ingredients, I’m tired and want to go back to my room to sleep for a while.”
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
Before the New Year, the Fujin distributed the allowances to each of the courtyards and then organized a banquet, which even the pregnant Nian Fujin attended.
Nian Yunrong had always valued this pregnancy, and since the beginning of winter, she had rarely gone out due to concerns about potential complications.
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