Zhao Guihua was so angry she almost had a stroke, while Yun Daman was laughing heartily. It was utterly scummy behavior…
The couple started a fight in the west wing room, a chaotic scene. Little Zhuzi, swaddled in his blanket, looked at his parents blankly.
Old Man Yun, puffing on his pipe, walked in. He had intended to have Daman tighten the wheels of the carriage and check for any potential issues, so they wouldn’t have trouble on their trip…
But upon entering, he saw Zhao Guihua grabbing Yun Daman by the collar, muttering some nonsense.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Old Man Yun roared. “You’re leaving tomorrow, and you still have the energy to fight!~”
“Father, Yun Daman wants to take a concubine. Please talk to him…” Zhao Guihua shouted.
Hearing this, Old Man Yun kicked Yun Daman’s backside. “Have you gone mad? Can you even afford a concubine? If you bring back anything you please, see how I deal with you!~”
“Oh, Father, I was just teasing Guihua. This woman took it seriously, haha…” Yun Daman said, torn between tears and laughter.
Zhao Guihua pinched him. “Father, look at him, he’s smiling so disgustingly, as if he’s never seen a woman before!~”
Old Man Yun kicked him again. “Get out and tidy up the carriage. If you dare to spout nonsense again, I’ll chop off your legs!”
That darned fellow, blabbing about everything. Even if it was a joke, you shouldn’t tease your wife like that.
You might not care, but she’ll hold onto it in her heart…
Seeing that it was still early, Yun Sanman took Shangguan Fang’er to the county town to buy cotton clothes and pants, and some other necessities for the journey.
Meanwhile, Emperor Cheng and his entourage had already left the county town and were slowly making their way along the official road.
Xiao Jinheng lifted the curtain and kept looking outside. The thought of returning to the capital made him feel both excited and lost…
Excited because he would finally see his Empress Mother, and his siblings. So many years had passed in a blink of an eye; they must have changed a lot.
But lost because without the little village boy by his side, he felt something was missing in his heart.
“You brat, pull down the window curtain. The cold wind is blowing into the carriage. You’re not cold, but I am…” Emperor Cheng admonished him.
Xiao Jinheng lowered the curtain and turned to Emperor Cheng. “Father, after returning to the capital this time, can I stay for just two days!~”
“Two days?” Emperor Cheng twitched his lips. “You spend a month on the road, and then only two days in the palace? Who are you trying to fool here?”
The round trip would take two months, and then it would be the New Year. Emperor Cheng planned to keep him in the palace for the Spring Festival before sending him back to Dashui Village…
“Father!~” Xiao Jinheng said helplessly. “I want to go back to Dashui Village for New Year!”
Because the journey was too long, he didn’t want to waste too much time on the road.
If his Empress Mother really couldn’t bear to part with him, he would just bring his Empress Mother to Dashui Village. There were plenty of rooms in the Yun family courtyard anyway.
Emperor Cheng: “……”
This brat, how could he have changed so much after just a few years?
“Hmph, I see it now. You’re just tied down by that little girl from the Yun family. You’ve got spring in your heart, that’s why you don’t want to return to the palace, right?” Emperor Cheng eyed his son askance.
Xiao Jinheng’s face turned red upon hearing this. “Your son… your son just has a lot of things he hasn’t said to the little village boy. I always feel a sense of regret…”
“What things haven’t you said?” Emperor Cheng leaned closer to Xiao Jinheng, smiling mischievously. “Tell me, I’ll listen!~”
Xiao Jinheng: “……”
This is not something I can tell you.
“You crybaby, let me tell you, you’re not young anymore. It’s time you started considering the empire and national affairs. Your brothers, every single one of them, wants to get rid of you?”
Emperor Cheng sat up straight, his face regaining the majesty of the supreme ruler. “If you only care about dating and clinging to young girls, neglecting the empire and national affairs, I can depose you as Crown Prince at any time and let someone else inherit the throne. Do you understand?”
Xiao Jinheng heard this, his previously resentful expression vanished, and he quickly cupped his hands in a salute to Emperor Cheng. “Your son humbly obeys your father’s teachings…”
Emperor Cheng grunted and pointed behind Xiao Jinheng. “Crack those salt particles on that pickled mustard stem. I want to eat them!~”
Xiao Jinheng: “……”
Father, your mood changes too quickly.
In the second carriage, Xiao Xinling was dejectedly rubbing the dice, her mouth pouting almost to the sky.
Nanny Gao looked at her with concern. “Oh dear, Princess, Yun Si doesn’t have you in his heart. Can’t you stop fixating on just one person, please?”
Outside, Nanny Gao no longer called her “Miss” but respectfully addressed her as “Princess”…
Xiao Xinling glanced at her and said irritably, “If I don’t fixate on one person, will I let others lead me around by the neck?”
Her words implied that she had no choice at all.
Upon returning, her father would send her to marry into a neighboring country. Wouldn’t that be like being led around by the neck?
Nanny Gao sighed helplessly. “Princess, you can’t say that. His Majesty is also in a difficult position…”
If the Great Liang Kingdom was powerful enough to attack any country, would Princess Xinling need to marry into a neighboring country?
Wouldn’t other countries willingly send their own princesses over!
“Hmph, I’ve seen through it. Father is old and doesn’t manage anything anymore, and he places all the responsibility on the crybaby. If Father passes away one day, and the crybaby is still so young, the country will surely fall into chaos. Haven’t you noticed, Nanny Gao, there’s still fighting in the northern regions? Our country is never at peace…”
These were Xiao Xinling’s angry words, but also her true feelings.
However, Nanny Gao was terrified. She quickly covered Xiao Xinling’s mouth. “Oh, Princess, how can you say such things? If His Majesty hears them, do you know what the crime would be?”
Talk of passing away, chaos, and years of war – not a single good word among them…
“It’s the truth!~” Xiao Xinling pushed Nanny Gao’s hand away and rolled her eyes. “In my opinion, life in the countryside is the most carefree. Although the palace has fine clothes and delicious food, where is the freedom? All those concubines fight with each other every day, and in the end, they all end up in the grave. What’s the point?”
As she spoke, Xiao Xinling casually took out a piece of cured pork and said while eating, “Nanny Gao, if you’re a farm wife, don’t you have to worry about anything? You can travel around, kill chickens and slaughter sheep, drink wine from large bowls and eat meat heartily. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Nanny Gao: “……”
Do you have a misunderstanding of farm life?
Suddenly, the horse pulling the carriage neighed, and the convoy slowly came to a halt.
Emperor Cheng frowned and asked Eunuch Zhao, “Why have we stopped?”
Eunuch Zhao craned his neck to look ahead. “Your, Your Majesty, there’s someone ahead!~”