When Lu Baichuan saw that his wife refused the Emperor Emeritus, he eagerly reached out his hand, but was slapped by Jiang Jiuniang.
"What are you doing? You look so travel-worn, don't get my daughter dirty!"
Lu Baichuan: ...
Emperor Emeritus: ? ? ? Why do I feel like I've been scolded again?
None of them said anything, and they returned to the Lu family in a somewhat awkward atmosphere. As soon as they entered, the Emperor Emeritus was attracted by the scene in front of him.
The courtyard is filled with flowers. Although they are not rare or expensive, they are colorful and beautiful, making one feel better if they live here.
"This little courtyard is quite nice!"
When the Emperor Emeritus spoke, Consort Liu also praised, "Yes, it is truly exquisite."
Ordinary farm families wouldn't decorate their yards this nicely. They'd rather raise chickens and ducks in the yard so they can occasionally have some meat and vegetables. Growing flowers would be a real luxury.
But this was not within Jiang Jiuniang's consideration. When she first came here to prepare for pregnancy, she and Gou'er went to the roadside to find flower seeds or transplant seedlings to plant in their own yard. Later, when Sun Shi and the others came, they would help take care of the plants in their spare time. In particular, Old Man Lu always took care of fertilizing himself, so the flowers were blooming just right now.
"Life is your own, so of course you should arrange it the way you like."
She was very happy that someone appreciated her courtyard, and she happily introduced the layout she had renovated to the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Liu.
The Lu family home today is not an ordinary farmhouse; rather, it resembles a tranquil teahouse or guesthouse from later generations, exuding refinement in every corner, allowing people to relax and feel that the world is still a beautiful place.
The Emperor Emeritus nodded approvingly: "Not bad, not bad. Find a craftsman to learn from him when you have time, and then remodel my palace to look like this."
Ever since he met Jiang Jiuniang, the Emperor Emeritus has habitually felt that everything she says and does is right. As a doctor, she must know what is good for his health. He doesn't want to leave this little courtyard, and his good mood will surely prolong his life.
Jiang Jiuniang, however, said that things were not that complicated and that she could draw up a design drawing herself later, since she knew the layout of the Emperor Emeritus's palace very well.
"That would be perfect! We can have it renovated in advance so we can move in as soon as we get back. How wonderful!"
After exchanging a few words, Jiang Jiuniang assigned rooms to the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Liu. The Lu family had quite a few rooms, since the whole family had lived together before and there were many children in the family. Now there were three rooms left to be allocated. One room was for the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Liu, another room was for a royal physician and a skilled bodyguard who accompanied them, who lived in the room to the left of the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Liu, and the last room was for a eunuch who would serve the two of them.
There wasn't enough room for the remaining people, so they stayed at the homes of Aunt Zhang next door and other neighbors. Anyway, everyone got along quite well, and Lu Baichuan offered to pay them, but everyone firmly refused.
After the rooms were assigned, everyone went back to wash up. Only after the Emperor Emeritus and Lu Baichuan had washed up could they take turns holding Xiao Xiangxiang.
The child has grown quite a bit in just a few months; he's round and adorable, melting everyone's hearts.
Moreover, this child is very well-behaved and doesn't recognize anyone. She smiles at anyone who holds her, and when it's her father Lu Baichuan's turn, her smile widens even more, and she even reaches out her chubby little hand to touch Lu Baichuan's face.
The little one couldn't speak, only grinned. Lu Baichuan was thrilled and said, "Xiangxiang still remembers that I'm her father!"
Jiang Jiuniang rolled her eyes: "Is it possible that she just likes handsome guys? She's touched the face of every handsome young man in the village."
Lu Baichuan: ...
The Emperor Emeritus: ? ? ? I didn't touch him just now because he's ugly?
That really hurts, bro!
"Oh, it's alright, our daughter is smart, she'll remember in a few days."
Jiang Jiuniang patted his shoulder, as if advising a younger brother, which made Consort Liu cover her mouth and laugh. The way this young couple got along was really too interesting.
Lu Baichuan held Xiangxiang and played with her. The Emperor Emeritus had nothing to do, so he asked Jiang Jiuniang about the next itinerary. Jiang Jiuniang said, "Let's go wherever we want, but we'll most likely go to places with treasure legends. We'll look around along the way. It would be better if we could complete the tasks assigned by the Emperor. If we really can't find them, then there's nothing we can do."
The Emperor Emeritus was speechless upon hearing this and scolded, "Third Prince still hasn't given up on the treasure? Didn't I tell him it's just a legend and not to dwell on it too much? This guy is so stubborn, he won't listen to anything I say. You guys are just out having fun, why are you asking me to look for some treasure!"
Jiang Jiuniang nodded vigorously: "Who says otherwise! I also think it's unnecessary, but the Emperor refuses to give up! Besides, there have always been rumors about the treasure among the people, and the court can't just pretend not to know. Even if we don't find the treasure in the end, it would be good to catch the people who are causing trouble behind the scenes."
Jiang Jiuniang didn't hold back in complaining to the retired emperor about the emperor. When he heard the first half of her sentence, the retired emperor wanted to write back to scold the emperor, but when he heard the second half, he felt that it made a lot of sense. The key point was to find the person behind the evil deeds and restore peace to the people.
"The people behind this are mostly from the Eastern Court; those people are never honest."
Jiang Jiuniang shook her head: "Not only that, we also have big problems internally. They are not only colluding with the Dongting people, but also having dealings with foreign races outside the four kingdoms. We have encountered this before, but fortunately it has been resolved for the time being. However, I think they will make a comeback, so we must be prepared."
"What!"
The retired emperor stared wide-eyed. He hadn't been involved in politics for a long time and never expected that there would be anyone else besides the people from the Eastern Court.
Of course he knew there were many countries overseas, but they didn't interact with each other and didn't interfere with each other. Why were those people now eyeing the treasure?
Jiang Jiuniang remained calm: "Yes, you heard me right, that's exactly it."
The retired emperor was shocked for a long time before he reacted, and after a long while he asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Let's just make it cold."
Jiang Jiuniang shrugged and continued to complain: "The Emperor doesn't trust me. He wants the formula I have. Who knows when he'll listen to slander and target our Lu family again? We've always served the royal family. Your Majesty knows me best. If it were before, if those people dared to act recklessly, I could have just moved a few cannons and blasted that little island nation to smithereens. But now, I'm already being kind by helping to investigate the situation."
"The more you do, the more mistakes you make. My heart is made of flesh and blood too. Hurt is hurt, and it can't be resolved with a few kind words."
In front of the retired emperor, Jiang Jiuniang could be more sincere. At least after she started treating the retired emperor, he always sided with her and would think of her whenever there was any benefit. He was much more sincere than the current emperor.
When the Emperor Emeritus heard her say this, he realized how foolish the third son had been for what he had done.
As an emperor, it is not wrong to use the emperor's balancing act, but he used it on the wrong person. He actually used it on Jiang Jiuniang. Isn't this just making trouble for himself?
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