When we arrived at the Huai River, we were carrying heavy loads, and although the carriage traveled very fast, it still took us about ten days.
It took seven days to get back to Beijing.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is just a few days away.
The Empress Dowager's remains have been placed in the imperial mausoleum. Small towns around the capital have already begun to decorate with lanterns and colorful decorations, awaiting the festival.
The emperor led a entourage to greet them ten miles outside the capital...
From afar, the emperor's entourage was magnificent and grand.
A hundred meters away from the emperor's entourage, the Ninth Prince raised his hand and said, "Dismount."
Everyone dismounted.
The Ninth Prince carried Yuan Yao and strode toward the Emperor.
The morning sunlight wasn't too harsh.
The Ninth Prince was dressed in a bright red robe, the loose garment intertwined with his black hair, which danced in the wind.
Everyone was mesmerized.
Those who came with the emperor to welcome the Ninth Prince included the Crown Prince and Jiang Chengyan.
The fact that both the emperor and the crown prince came to greet him was the highest level of courtesy.
This time, the Ninth Prince truly saved countless people and made a great contribution...
Five meters away from the emperor, the Ninth Prince put Yuan Yao down, took her small hand, and said calmly, "I'm back."
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..." The emperor's joy was beyond words.
In front of hundreds of people, Yuan Yao obediently bowed: "Yao'er greets His Majesty the Emperor, His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the Second Prince, and His Highness the Princess..."
She was helped up before her knees could bend.
The emperor looked down at her and said, "Yuan Yao, you've lost weight."
You've lost weight?
Yuan Yao looked up at the emperor with a smile: "Your Majesty has lost weight! Not only have you lost weight, but you've also become fairer, and you look particularly energetic!"
The emperor feigned anger: "Am I not usually in good spirits?"
"Yao'er didn't say that!" Yuan Yao said in her childish voice, "The Emperor looks so handsome now!"
It had been more than a month since I last saw the emperor, and he had completely changed!
My body is no longer bloated, I've slimmed down and become more upright!
My eye bags have gone down a lot, and they look like normal under-eye bags now. Even my dark circles have faded a lot, and my eyes look much bigger and brighter.
The emperor was no longer as gloomy as before.
Her skin was firm and smooth, her eyebrows were sharp and her eyes were bright, her nose was straight and her thin lips had a healthy rosy color.
When he smiled, his eyes softened with tenderness as he looked at the Ninth Prince: "A-Yuan, you've worked hard..."
Looking at the Ninth Prince, all the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.
The old man's gaze fell on the emperor, and a subtle change appeared in his eyes.
Even from a distance, he noticed that the emperor's appearance had undergone a tremendous change in the past month or so.
He felt a slight sense of relief.
However, he didn't show it.
Xie Zhi, leading his horse, walked over with a bright smile and bowed, saying, "Xie Zhi greets Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Your Highness the Second Prince."
The emperor looked Xie Zhi up and down, a smile playing on his lips: "The young master has grown taller again."
"Your teeth have grown too," Xie Zhi said with a smile.
The emperor nodded: "Not bad, it looks better than before."
Xie Zhi laughed so hard his eyes disappeared.
Looking in the direction of the capital, the Ninth Prince said coldly, "I am tired, I will return to the palace first."
The emperor nodded, then said, "A-Yuan, you and Yuan Yao, ride back to the capital in my imperial carriage."
“No need…” The Ninth Prince frowned slightly, about to refuse.
The emperor interrupted him: "A-Yuan, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. I think Yuan Yao is quite tired, so let him ride back to the palace in the imperial carriage."
In the evening, I prepared a banquet for you.
"Perfect timing, you can rest for a while on the imperial carriage and replenish your energy..."
Is there a dinner party?
The Ninth Prince nodded indifferently: "Mm."
The emperor's carriage was extremely luxurious, with gold wheels and jade pillows, and the interior was as soft as clouds.
Yuan Yao sat on the cushion, sighing deeply.
Your Majesty the Emperor certainly knows how to enjoy life!
The emperor and the Grand Prince sat side by side. The emperor personally poured a cup of water: "This is the new oolong tea from this summer. When it was delivered, you had already gone to the Huai River."
I had intended to send some to you, but I was afraid you wouldn't like it, so I'll keep it for when you return.
The Ninth Prince lowered his eyes, looked at the tea for a moment, took the cup, and brought it to his lips.
After seeing him taste it, the emperor's eyes held a hint of eagerness: "A-Yuan, how is it?"
"Not bad," the Ninth Prince replied coldly.
Although I only received two words, it's still a compliment!
Praising his tea brewing is, in effect, praising him.
The emperor was secretly delighted.
He then had Li Deshan bring a food box and handed it to Yuan Yao: "Look what I brought you."
"Springtime all year round!"
Yuan Yao was overjoyed.
The food box is printed with the logo of Four Seasons Spring.
She was holding a large food box, and drool almost involuntarily dripped from the corner of her eye.
Having been away from home for so long, she was really craving Si Shi Chun's desserts!
During her time in Huai River area, there was a shortage of food, vegetables, and meat. She drank porridge and rice paste all day long, and she was almost sick of it.
Fortunately, the supplies provided by the imperial court arrived later!
The Ninth Prince then sent people to nearby towns to buy a lot of vegetables and meat.
Now, she can eat a lot of things!
But what she craves most is the spring fruit!
A pair of large hands took the food box from Yuan Yao's hands.
The Ninth Prince placed the food box on the table inside the imperial carriage and opened the lid.
A cool sensation rose from inside the food box.
"An ice chest?" Yuan Yao's face was full of joy.
Inside the large food box was a small ice chest, which contained several plates of ice cream of different colors.
The yellow one is mango flavored, the red one is cherry flavored, and the light purple one is grape flavored...
Yuan Yao was so happy she wanted to cry.
She reached out to grab the grape-flavored ice cream.
Suddenly, the Ninth Prince raised his hand to stop her: "Eating this on an empty stomach will make your stomach feel cold."
Yuan Yao puffed out her cheeks: "Just let Yao'er have a taste!"
The Ninth Prince ruthlessly took away the ice chest: "If you want to try it, that's not impossible. But eat something else first to fill your stomach."
Watching the way the father and daughter interacted, the emperor felt extremely envious.
He's such a big guy, dressed so brightly, and he even burned cedar incense and wore a glittering gold hair ornament just to see A Yuan. Why doesn't A Yuan see him?
The emperor pursed his lips, his voice low and husky: "These things, I personally went to the Four Seasons Spring to retrieve them..."
Praise him!
Praise him!
Sure enough, the Ninth Prince glanced at him sideways, his deep eyes casting a long, sweeping look.
Encouraged, the emperor pressed on, saying, "We must not wrong anyone... Yuan Yao."
We can't let A-Yuan suffer!
Inside the palace, fine wine and food had already been prepared, and the cushions on the imperial carriage were made of the finest silkworm silk.
A-Yuan dislikes strange smells, so he hasn't touched a woman for over ten days and takes a bath every day...
The emperor gazed expectantly at the Ninth Prince.
Unexpectedly, the Ninth Prince frowned and said coldly, "You've raised many children, don't you know how delicate children are?"
Whose child is eating ice cream so early in the morning?
And it's filled with so many bowls.
The emperor looked completely bewildered.
"puff……"
Yuan Yao's sweet, childlike voice broke the silence of the moment.
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