Chapter 18 The Crown Princess's Thoughts
De Fei continued, "Anyone in the capital with a bit of common sense knows that this is the most prudent way for the Prince of Yan to protect himself."
"Like the Crown Prince, he is also a legitimate son of the Empress Dowager, and he has the military merit of Fenglangjuxu. The object of his love at first sight is the eldest daughter of the Emperor's most valued and favored minister. She is even qualified to be the Crown Princess."
"If he also wins over other ministers, won't the Crown Prince be uneasy?"
"Whether intentional or not, Prince Yan's move is the smartest way to withdraw from the fight for the throne. A lifelong couple has effectively cut off all chances of succession."
"Your Majesty has no intention of deposing the Crown Prince. The title of Prince of Yan is a hereditary prince whose end is obvious at a glance."
"Furthermore, your father's filter for his favorite son is so thick that it's unbearable to watch. If you build a good relationship with your fourth sister-in-law, your mother won't have to worry about you being bullied in the future."
The concubines and princesses who were not favored in the palace were not treated as well as the legitimate daughters of wealthy families, and the servants in the palace were the best at changing their attitudes according to the situation.
As the Princess of Yan, she had to be courteous to the Crown Princess and was not afraid of even the Imperial Concubine.
Didn’t you see that at the palace banquet last night, Prince Yan mocked the imperial concubine in public, and Your Majesty pretended not to notice?
How could an unfavored princess be treated as well as the princess who is beloved by His Majesty's beloved son?
Hearing her mother's loving words, the fifth princess' eyes welled up with tears.
"Mother, I will be obedient."
Emperor Rong Yue was very fatherly towards Chen'er and his future daughter-in-law, and he chatted with them about family matters for half an hour.
Su Zhenzhen spoke in a playful and measured way, and was very intimate.
Rong Yue really treated her as his own daughter and was extremely kind to her.
As expected, as people get older, they begin to enjoy family happiness.
The imperial meal was very rich.
Before the meal, there are various seasonal fruit plates and dried fruit plates, golden incense and carved candied fruits, fragrant daylilies and willows, eggplant and turtle...
Lychee and white kidney, three crisp soup, pickled goose feet, fried mandarin duck tripe, fresh shrimp and trotter sashimi, stir-fried quail with three fresh bamboo shoots, stir-fried frog, roast duck...
Su Zhenzhen felt that the food cooked by the imperial kitchen was very good the first time she ate it, but she would get sick of it if she ate too much.
But this does not affect her eating.
She took a spring roll with paper-thin skin and didn't let the eunuch serve her. She sat at the bottom of the round rosewood table, picked up some chopped green onions and cucumber strips with her chopsticks, and dipped them in sweet bean sauce.
Open your mouth wide and take a bite, squint your eyes happily, and feel the oily and crispy roast duck skin and the fatty but not greasy duck meat, mixed with shredded green onions, cucumber strips and sweet noodle sauce blooming on your taste buds.
Sure enough, she never gets tired of eating roast duck no matter how much she eats.
The royal chef's cooking skills are even better than her family's chef's.
The father and son of the Rong family were tempted by her again, and the imperial steward Yu Fuhai wanted to continue to help the emperor taste the dishes.
He stopped it with a wave of his hand.
"The ones I make myself look more delicious. I'll make them myself."
Yu Fuhai watched His Majesty eat four or five pieces of roast duck wrapped in spring roll wrappers in a row, and his jaw dropped in surprise.
Rong Jinchen also had a big appetite, and he followed Su Zhenzhen's order of picking up his chopsticks.
Although I just had breakfast and lunch with Qingqing, it really tasted better than eating by myself.
Because Su Zhenzhen's food was delicious, the emperor rewarded her with many gifts.
Su Zhenzhen:(_)
"Thank you, father~" Her voice was surprised and well-behaved.
Rong Jinchen saluted the emperor familiarly.
"Thank you, Father."
Rong Yue simply sent them both away and told them to leave after lunch, as he still had memorials to review.
He then specifically instructed Su Zhenzhen, "Zhenzhen girl, you and Chen'er should remember to come and have a meal with your father every ten days. I always eat an extra bowl of rice just to see you eating."
Su Zhenzhen looked at Rong Jinchen awkwardly, smiled sweetly and said to the emperor: "Okay, thank you for your grace, father~"
After bidding farewell to the emperor, he left the gate of Weiyang Palace with a pile of generous rewards.
Su Zhenzhen's face wrinkled into a bitter face, "Chenchen, what should I do? Why does father think that I am good with food?"
Rong Jinchen couldn't help but pinch her fair and tender little face. It felt as soft and smooth as cream, and also had a chewy texture.
His dark eyes were smiling as he looked at her slowly and said, "Because you are so beautiful, I ate an extra bowl of rice."
Su Zhenzhen has excellent dining etiquette and eats with great relish. She doesn't eat in big mouthfuls, nor does she eat in small gulps.
Plus, she is pretty and has rich facial expressions, which makes her look really appetizing.
So it is not wrong to say that beauty is a feast for the eyes.
Su Zhenzhen snorted softly: "You bad guy! I'm ignoring you~"
She deliberately turned her face away so that he wouldn't look at her.
Rong Jinchen reached out and tentatively pulled her little hand. After she shook it off, he held her tightly again, and finally went further and clasped his fingers together with her fair and slender hand.
Gu Heng, Gu Cheng, Bai Zhi and Lu Wu, who were following behind with gifts, couldn't help laughing.
The tall man and the petite woman held hands and swayed from time to time. Although they didn't say anything, it really made people want to grin involuntarily.
It's sweeter than honey.
East Palace.
Main courtyard in the backyard.
The Crown Princess listened to the report from her trusted palace maid with a calm expression.
She looked at the account book calmly.
"Your Highness, you must be careful of the future Princess of Yan!"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan have such a close relationship. Rumor has it that His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan is very fond of this future princess."
"Today, the Minister of Rites presented the betrothal gift on behalf of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan. The betrothal gift is merely cash, not exceeding the amount given for the Crown Prince's wedding. Your Highness, Crown Princess, did not have such a generous betrothal gift in the first place!"
"It is said that His Majesty subsidized His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan with a full 100,000 taels, all from His Majesty's private treasury."
"Today, His Majesty even asked the future Princess of Yan to call him father in advance, and gifts were sent out like water."
"How can Your Majesty allow a mere princess to be treated better than the Crown Princess?"
"I feel sorry for you, Your Majesty the Crown Princess!"
The Crown Princess lazily lifted her eyelids, her eyes filled with unreadable emotions. She said in a calm voice, "Shut up. How can we decide what His Majesty does? His Majesty has been doting on His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan for a long time."
"If you do it again, I'll punish you."
The trusted palace maid lowered her head silently and dared not speak.
Su Zhenzhen asked someone to send the gift back to the Su Mansion.
Rong Jinchen took her hand and went on a date.
In just a short period of time, Su Zhenzhen actually got used to Rong Jinchen holding her hand while walking.
She smiled, her voice soft and clear, and looked up at Rong Jinchen beside her.
"Where are you taking me?"
Rong Jinchen stared at her closely, his eyes full of tenderness. "I asked the second prince, and he said that women like clothes and jewelry. How about taking Qingqing to the Treasure Pavilion?"
The Treasure Pavilion is the capital's leading jewelry shop. Its workmanship is not as dignified and grand as those in the palace, but it is better in terms of exquisite and unpretentious designs.
Su Zhenzhen also likes to visit the Treasure Pavilion.
A radiant smile appeared on her pretty face. "Did Chenchen bring enough banknotes? I'm quite good at spending money."
The thing Rong Jinchen had the most was money. His businesses were spread all over the country, and he had only not touched the state-run salt and iron mines.
He had reported to his father in advance about his business plans, and had earned about two to three million taels over the years.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
