Ling Weifeng, being a man of the martial world, viewed matters of war with a certain detachment, yet the sight of a battlefield littered with corpses, remembering the tragic deaths of those in previous years, deeply moved him!
"The reason our Yun Kingdom has remained peaceful these years, allowing the common folk to live and work in contentment, and not be ruined by war, but instead thrive and improve their lives, is thanks to your hard work, the soldiers guarding the borders, and individuals like General Shi. Otherwise, how could we be sitting here, laughing and talking? This toast is for you!"
When it came to flattering the Supreme Emperor, Shi Haoming did not hold back. He not only agreed but also raised his wine cup, respectfully addressing Fan Zehao: "Your humble servant also toasts the Supreme Emperor, wishing our great country eternal strength and peace!"
Among them, the one who most wished for peace and the absence of war was Ying Xiong. Being a merchant, a prosperous and peaceful era was naturally his greatest desire. He too stood up, raised his cup, and toasted the Supreme Emperor: "Let's drink together! To a strong and prosperous Yun Nation!"
Fan Zehao, praised in such a manner, blushed deeply, feeling quite embarrassed. He also raised his cup, responding humbly, "It is everyone's contribution. Without everyone's support, I alone could not achieve great things!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled gently. Humility was commendable, but excessive humility could be pretentious. Before the banquet concluded, Qiu Fen entered the banquet hall with a grin and bowed to Zhao Jiaqi: "Madam, the Princess and Second Prince Fan have returned, bringing with them four young ladies and young masters. They are heading this way!"
The Princess?
Second Prince Fan?
Zhao Jiaqi's eyes widened in surprise: "Pingting and Fan the Second are back?"
Not only was she shocked, but Fan Zehao was also taken aback. He then stood up, "Weren't they scheduled to arrive tomorrow evening? How did they get here a day early!"
His younger brother had returned from his fiefdom. Fan Zehao's heart ached with the desire to see him, but the banquet was not yet over, and leaving now would be highly inappropriate!
Yu Meng stepped in to speak for her parents. She said, "Father, Mother, you go and greet Second Uncle and Second Aunt. I will stay and entertain the masters. I believe the masters will not fault you!"
"Yes, yes, you go ahead and attend to them. We have the Eldest Princess here!"
"That's right. Coincidentally, I also wish to learn the Eldest Princess's whip techniques!" Ling Weifeng smiled at Yu Meng, then addressed Fan Zehao.
Seeing this, he no longer hesitated. He truly hadn't seen Fan the Second in a long time. He cupped his hands towards the guests: "Then my wife and I shall take our leave. Everyone, please drink to your heart's content. There is plenty of fine wine in the manor, so let's not go home until we're drunk!"
Seeing that the children's masters were not displeased, he then helped his wife to leave. Although he knew this was not entirely proper, for someone who valued family ties, such impropriety could be compensated for later.
Even if he continued drinking with them, his heart had already flown elsewhere.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, Eldest Brother, I'm back, haha!"
Huangfu Pingting saw Zhao Jiaqi and, with the flair of a returning character from a tale, happily threw open her arms to embrace her, her excited face flushed red.
The two women hugged and spun around. Fan Xudong walked up to Fan Zehao, tears in his eyes. They exchanged a punch, then embraced.
"It's good to have you back. I thought you wouldn't arrive until tomorrow evening!" Zhao Jiaqi wiped away tears of excitement and, after parting, looked at Pingting, who was even more charming than before, and said with a tearful laugh!
Pingting also wiped away her tears. She was still as forthright as ever, "I missed you. To be able to see you sooner, we didn't rest for the last two days and rushed all the way back. Fortunately, Xiao Ce was on duty at the city gates today, otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to enter!"
Fan Zehao watched the two women start reminiscing outside and quickly interrupted them: "Don't stand outside feeding the mosquitoes. Hurry inside and have a table of food prepared. We can chat while we eat!"
At his reminder, Zhao Jiaqi pulled Pingting along. After a few steps, she realized something was amiss. She turned back to look behind them: "Didn't you say four children returned with you? Where are the children?"
Fan the Second chuckled and stepped forward, respectfully calling out, "Eldest Sister-in-law, the children have gone to the banquet hall to find Yu Meng. Don't worry about them. They won't get lost in this manor!"
"Eldest Sister-in-law, these children are used to being free-range. Let them run wild. On the way here, they kept talking about Sister Yu Meng and brothers Yao Yao and Sen Sen!"
Pingting whispered into her ear, "Now that the children aren't here, we can talk more freely!"
With children around, she had to speak cautiously, fearing that her rough language might influence them. Fortunately, her mother was there daily to guide them, otherwise, these children would have inherited her personality, and their mouths would be full of vulgarities!
Zhao Jiaqi playfully tapped her nose. Such a grown woman, still acting so spoiled. She led her back to her courtyard, asking as they walked, "How is the Empress Dowager's health? I haven't seen her for many years. Once this busy period passes, Fan Zehao and I will go and visit her."
"My mother is doing very well. She's happy all day, like a child. You wouldn't believe it, she can even snatch candy from the children now. Do you think she's not well?"
When it came to her mother, Pingting had a lot to say. "When my mother learned it was for Aunt's birthday, she insisted on coming along. Because she missed you so much, we left her behind and came first. My mother's carriage will arrive tomorrow afternoon!"
Zhao Jiaqi truly hadn't expected Yao Jingyun to come and was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! This time, it's a complete reunion. We can all gather together!"
The two women chatted about trivial family matters, the mundane things of life. In contrast, Fan Zehao, apart from inquiring about Fan the Second, was more concerned with matters of the fiefdom.
Men, after all, were always discussing state affairs!
Fan Xudong recounted everything he had accomplished in his fiefdom over the years. He dared not say his fiefdom could surpass the inner city, but surpassing the prosperity of the capital was no longer an exaggeration.
On his way here, he had heard some whispers and sought confirmation from his brother: "Big Brother, I heard that the Emperor abdicated because Prince Xiaoyao conspired against him, rendering him unable to have offspring. Many high-ranking officials in the court have expressed their wish for you to resume control of the government. Is this true?"
Fan Zehao nodded, "It's true. About half a month ago, I received memorials from the court. Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu, those two scoundrels, played a trick and threw the throne back to me!"
Truly, a single misstep could lead to eternal regret. If he had known, he wouldn't have ascended the throne; being a regent would have been much better. He regretted it deeply now!
Fan Xudong found himself wanting to laugh when he saw his elder brother's dejected expression!
Others schemed and struggled to attain that position, but by chance, in Yun Kingdom, no one dared to take it, and no one was interested. Everyone felt that position was a killer!
With the return of relatives, the prince's manor was lively all night long!
Fan Xudong intended to see his father and stepmother, but Fan Zehao stopped him: "The elders have already slept. You can pay your respects first thing tomorrow morning. Don't make your uncle happy and then lose sleep all night. Old people sleep less."
He thought about it and realized it was true. He decided to help his parents wake up in the morning. After coming to this realization, he sat down again, grabbed his elder brother, and opened the floodgates of conversation. As they talked, he unexpectedly broke down in tears, leaving Fan Zehao and his wife somewhat bewildered!