The two chatted and laughed, and Fan Zehao watched them, feeling happy.
He didn't mind adding another son, but he was a bit hesitant about gaining another son-in-law, especially one from across the river.
At noon, Helian Jinli prepared to leave. In his heart, he really wanted to stay for lunch, but to make a good impression on his future in-laws, he gritted his teeth and stood up to go.
Before he could take a step, Fan Zehao asked him to stay for lunch, which delighted Jinli.
To win over the beauty, he offered to cook a dish, his specialty. This greatly impressed Fan Zehao.
When the dish was served, Fan Zehao praised it repeatedly, and even Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but look at him more.
He was handsome, and what's more, his cooking skills were excellent. He could make something extraordinary out of an ordinary fish.
It looked good, smelled good, but how would it taste?
Helian Jinli gestured and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness Consort, little sister, please try it. I'm not quite sure of your tastes, so I made it a bit sweet."
Fan Zehao smiled and patted his shoulder, acting like a close friend, "As the Crown Prince, being able to manage affairs in the hall and cook in the kitchen is already excellent. Taste is secondary; being full is enough!"
This was a truly low requirement, just to be full, clearly indicating he wasn't picky.
Helian Jinli quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, yes."
Zhao Jiaqi, on the other side, tasted it immediately. It was sweet and sour fish. Although there was less vinegar, it didn't affect the taste.
Perhaps Helian Jinli was afraid they wouldn't be used to vinegar, so he used less. He had just said the dish was a bit sweet, showing he was considerate.
Fish was a dish that was quickly consumed at the table, and the meal was harmonious and joyous.
A cup of tea after the meal to cleanse the palate.
During their casual conversation, he learned that Helian Jinli wanted to return to the inner city with them, which puzzled the couple, making them wonder what his intentions were!
Fan Zehao asked, "To the inner city?"
"You took a boat down, and after reaching Deming Prefecture, you switched to your own boat and sailed down the river, which is the fastest. If you were to come back with us, it would waste at least half your time!"
This time, they didn't plan to return by boat. Since his wife and child were out, they wanted to travel and sightsee on the way back.
Therefore, Fan Zehao gave him this suggestion.
However, he had guessed wrong.
Helian Jinli replied, "I do intend to go to the inner city. Firstly, Deming Prefecture is close to the inner city, and secondly, I want to do some more surveying and see what I can bring back! After all, the medicinal herbs we grow there are as abundant as the grains you grow, and we have very little fruit, silk, and wine."
With that explanation, Fan Zehao couldn't say anything more.
However, when it came to discussing business matters, he directly recommended his wife, as the saying goes, "don't let the water flow to outsiders."
Business matters, like good wine, take time.
Four days after the grand assembly, the Emperor hosted a banquet for the ministers from the vassal states. He had been busy with matters for the past few days and hadn't had the time.
If there were ministers from vassal states, then Fan Zehao from the inner city was one of them, along with the Prince of Dingbei, Prince Xian, and Prince Xiaoyao.
These few princes were currently rare figures in the Yun Kingdom; there were no princes in the capital, making a prince a scarce commodity.
When Huangfu Xi's gaze swept over his own imperial cousin, his eyes held a smile, with a hint of schadenfreude.
During their lively conversation, Huangfu Xi suddenly wanted to grant them, the brothers, a secondary consort and several beautiful concubines.
Upon hearing this, Prince Xian and Prince Xiaoyao were stunned. They looked at each other and then at the Emperor, as if they could only lower their heads and eat, not saying another word.
How did the Emperor's attention turn to them!
Prince Xian was not afraid of this Emperor at all. He asked confusedly, "Your Majesty, what do you like about me that you've taken a fancy to? I can change it."
Prince Xiaoyao thought of his beautiful wife, Yaoyao, a beauty as enchanting as a demon, and found her difficult to handle. If he took a few more, he would either be physically weak or impotent.
He shook his head with a dejected expression, "Your Majesty, please keep these beauties and delicate consorts for yourself. My body can't handle it."
Prince Xian agreed, "Your Majesty should take more imperial consorts. The responsibility of propagating the Huangfu family should fall to you."
Saying that, he swayed his weak body and stood up, waving his hands at everyone, "I can't do it anymore. My body is overdrawn. I need to go to the Imperial Academy to find an imperial physician to prescribe a kidney-tonifying formula."
Prince Xian wanted to retreat, but Prince Xiaoyao wouldn't let him go and joined him, "I also need to ask the imperial physician for some goji berries. I still have some dried mulberries at home; I'll soak them in water together. They are said to be aphrodisiac."
He put a hand on the seemingly weak Prince Xian's shoulder, "Let's go together, brother. Let's support each other and don't fall."
Thus, under everyone's bewildered gaze, the two walked away arm in arm.
Fan Zehao stifled a laugh, realizing that to avoid a beautiful woman, they would say anything.
But thinking about it, at that time, Huangfu Xian, the Emperor, had used the excuse of being unable to have children to abdicate, so what else couldn't they say!
With the two princes gone, the plan to bestow concubines failed. The Emperor then turned his gaze to Fan Zehao, the Regent.
However, before he could speak, Fan Zehao said in a low voice, "My wife is a shrew. If Your Majesty thinks my wife is idle, you can send a few to me."
Thinking of the image of a shrew and his fear of his wife, and not wanting to cause himself trouble, he abandoned the idea.
But he still wanted to send people to the inner city to monitor their every move. Huangfu Xi stubbornly set his sights on Fan Xudong.
Seeing the Emperor's ill-intentioned gaze, he immediately said, "Pinting is your cousin. Can you bear to make your cousin sad? Moreover, my wife's temper is even fiercer than my sister-in-law's. If you dare to give them to me, my wife will truly dare to fight you!"
He addressed her as cousin at first, then directly threatened to tear him apart. Huangfu Xi couldn't help but sigh.
The households of officials and ministers at least had several beautiful concubines. As princes, they didn't even have a single concubine. Who would believe this if it were told?
Those without concubines in their households were considered good-for-nothings. Anyone with some ability had several.
The plan failed, but he wasn't discouraged. At least he and the people in the inner city were not true enemies; he just wanted to know what was happening inside the inner city.
Since he couldn't place anyone there, he gave up. Maintaining his dignity was more important. He didn't want Pinting to come to the palace to argue with him, which would truly cause him to lose face.
The envoys from various countries, seeing this, also chuckled and shook their heads. The Yun Kingdom was truly peculiar.
The superior had no concubines, but his subordinates had quite a few. What kind of situation was this?
One could only describe the princes of the Yun Kingdom as keeping themselves pure.