In the afternoon, the Qiao Mansion gradually became lively.

First it was the Duke of Yan, then Xiao Hongda and his wife. Near dinner time, Shen Yuanzhan came with Xiao Qianlan and Xiao Si.

Everyone came out to welcome them, and Shen Yuanzhan immediately saw Jiaojiao being held in the arms of Duke Yan.

"Brother Emperor!"

Everyone knelt down respectfully, only Jiaojiao waved with a smile.

Shen Yuanzhan curved his brows, quickly asked everyone to stand up, and then he personally held Jiaojiao in his arms.

He looked at Jiaojiao carefully, then his brows relaxed and he said with a smile: "Well, you have been on a long journey, but it seems that you have not suffered much and you have grown up a bit."

Jiaojiao put her hands on her hips, raised her chin and said, "Of course, Daddy and Big Brother take good care of Jiaojiao!"

"Emperor brother, is Xiao Zhener here?"

Everyone calls Shen Chengzhen "Prince", only Jiaojiao and Xiaosi happily call him "Xiao Zhener".

Xiao Qianlan, who was standing by, came up and hugged Jiaojiao, smiled and shook her head, "Jiaojiao, Zhen'er is still too young, would you like to go to the palace to see him tomorrow?"

As soon as Jiaojiao saw Xiao Qianlan, her eyes suddenly lit up.

It’s really that Xiao Qianlan is in such a good condition now. She looks radiant and really like a graceful peony.

This afternoon, Jiaojiao has learned some news about Xiao Qianlan from Xiao Qianyue.

Since Shen Yuanzhan ascended the throne, there is still only Xiao Qianlan in the harem.

I heard that these days, there have been a lot of memorials advising Shen Yuanzhan to select a concubine to expand his harem, but they were all suppressed by Shen Yuanzhan.

When Xiao Qianyue heard the news, she went to the palace to meet Xiao Qianlan. She was impatient and worried that her sister would be unhappy.

But after she entered the palace, she found that her sister was very calm and didn't even take the news to heart.

When Jiaojiao heard Xiao Qianlan's reaction, she had actually already expected it.

The two daughters of the Xiao family have very different personalities. The eldest daughter, Xiao Qianlan, is kind and gentle, and is a true lady from a noble family, while the second daughter, Xiao Qianyue, is "deviant" and is a real tomboy.

The reason why Xiao Qianyue can live so freely is because her elder sister has taken all the responsibilities for her.

Xiao Qianlan abides by the rules and knows when to advance and retreat. She and Shen Yuanzhan are truly close friends. The two of them are in perfect harmony and the emperor and empress are deeply in love. But even so, Xiao Qianlan has never thought that she would be the only one in the harem.

This was the education she received since childhood: even men have three wives and four concubines, let alone the king of a country?

Moreover, the harem is not just a place for the emperor to entertain himself. The former dynasty and the harem are closely related. In addition to love, Xiao Qianlan also has the responsibility as the mother of a country.

She had been prepared for this from the very beginning when she married the most noble man in the world, and now she and Shen Yuanzhan love and respect each other, which is extremely precious.

"Jiaojiao, how is the scenery in Nanli?"

Xiao Qianlan pinched Jiaojiao's little nose and asked affectionately.

Jiaojiao tilted her head, counted on her fingers and answered seriously.

Xiao Qianlan listened very carefully and occasionally asked a few more questions.

When Shen Yuanzhan saw Xiao Qianlan and Jiaojiao talking and laughing with their heads leaning against each other, he felt very warm in his heart.

He cherishes Xiao Qianlan very much. She is his wife and the mother of the country.

She has a strong character and appears gentle and quiet, but in fact she is confident and has her own opinions.

General Xiao taught her about family and country, and Madam Xiao taught her how to be a good mother and a good wife. He had never expected any love before, he just wanted to find a qualified princess. He didn't expect that he would find her in his heart.

He suppressed all the memorials that advised him to select a concubine from the imperial concubines, and even summoned the one who was leading the charge to the imperial study to give him a scolding.

Now is the critical period of preparation for the Northern Expedition, how can we talk about the talent show?

Besides, the queen has already given birth to a crown prince for him, and in the future they will have a second prince and a little princess. Why should his subjects worry about having children for him?

However, he had never said these words in front of Xiao Qianlan, although there was a hint of "anger" in them.

Who made his queen act so calm after hearing about the selection, as if she didn't care at all...

"Ahem, everyone please take a seat."

In order to prevent his thoughts from being revealed, Shen Yuanzhan immediately diverted his attention.

Upon hearing this, everyone took their seats, and thus Jiaojiao began her "wandering" journey during this dinner.

I have to say, sometimes being too popular can be a pain.

It has been three months since we last saw Jiaojiao, and everyone wanted to see her. Jiaojiao took turns sitting on everyone's legs, and she almost felt dizzy.

After a circle, she finally returned to her mother's arms.

Since everyone had fed her just now, everyone was still eating, but Jiaojiao was full.

She glanced at the people at the table one by one, and her heart felt warm.

It is now confirmed that the Qiao family is the "cannon fodder base camp". Except for Tan Hanchi who was originally scheduled to be with the male protagonist, no one at this table seems to have a good ending...

Fortunately, everyone's fate has changed now, which gives her more confidence and reason to persevere!

After dinner, everyone prepared birthday gifts for Jiaojiao.

Jiaojiao couldn't help but feel flattered. After all, her birthday had been over a month ago, and she didn't expect that everyone still remembered it.

She stood in the pile of gifts, her nose feeling sore, but everyone looked at her tenderly with smiles in their eyes.

As the night grew deeper, everyone said goodbye one after another. Jiaojiao specially saw them off to the gate and waved to them one by one.

Xiao Si hesitated for a long time until Jiaojiao agreed to go to the palace to find him and the Empress Dowager the next day. Only then did Xiao Si leave happily.

The bustling Qiao Mansion suddenly became quiet, but Jiaojiao did not feel lonely. Her heart was filled to the brim, and she took small steps quickly on the way back to the main courtyard.

On the side, Mrs. Qiao talked about Qiao Diyi's marriage with a smile on her face.

"My dear, Erlang and Qianyue are getting old. Erlang didn't have any achievements before, so I was embarrassed to mention it."

"Now that Erlang is the Lieutenant General of the Jinwu Guard, it's not unfair to Qianyue. Can you go and talk to Brother Xiao?"

When Jiaojiao heard this, her ears perked up and her face suddenly became excited.

[Ahaha! My second sister-in-law is finally coming home! The house is going to be really lively now, "chicken flying and dog jumping" is the least of the worries haha! ]

When Qiao Zhongguo heard Jiaojiao's inner thoughts, he raised his lips slightly.

As for this marriage, it is still uncertain whether Qianyue will be the one marrying into the family, or the second brother will be the one marrying into the family.

Wait, he will go and have a talk with Lao Da tomorrow. After all, he can't let his old brother suffer any loss.

If it really doesn't work, let the second brother go to support the Xiao family. That kid seems to be very willing to do so!

"Don't worry, ma'am. I'll go talk to him tomorrow. Old Da will definitely be waiting for you!"

Seeing that they were about to reach the main courtyard, Jiaojiao looked mischievous and went to find Matron Liu.

[Ahem, as a caring little girl, my first priority is not to disturb my parents' long-awaited reunion! ]

"Mom and Dad, Jiaojiao is sleepy. I'm sure you and I still have a lot to say. Jiaojiao will sleep with Aunt Liu tonight."

When Mrs. Qiao heard Jiaojiao's thoughts, her face suddenly turned slightly red.

Qiao Zhongguo, however, grinned.

Look how thoughtful this girl is.

He was almost going crazy thinking about his wife along the way!