The next day, a helicopter from Chang'an landed outside the mansion.
Li Shimin, beaming, walked out with Empress Changsun, followed closely by his children Li Tai, Li Ke, and Chang Le.
Fang Er, alerted to their arrival, hurried out to greet them. Looking at the family of four, it was clear that Old Li had skipped work again!
Ever since Li Chengqian first took charge of the state, Li Shimin had been acting like he'd been set free, visiting this place every few days.
"Greetings, esteemed mother-in-law!" Fang Er bowed respectfully beside Empress Changsun.
Empress Changsun chuckled, covering her mouth. "Good, good! It seems I'll be imposing on you for a while longer."
Fang Er grinned. "What imposition is there? If you like it here, you're welcome to stay permanently."
Li Shimin, however, was not pleased and grumbled from the side, "Do you have any regard for me, your father?"
"Father, have you already finished dealing with all the court matters after only a few days back?" Fang Er asked casually, not directly answering his father-in-law.
Old Li rolled his eyes. "What matters are there? Minor issues can be handled by Old Man Fang and Li Jing."
"Uh, are there no major issues? For instance, are the matters of Huolazimo and Khurasan's submission concluded?" Fang Er pressed.
Li Shimin flicked his sleeve and walked towards the mansion. "What big deal is the surrender of two small countries? Aren't all matters, big or small, decided by me?"
~~~~
You're amazing, you're the emperor, you're powerful, you're always right!
Fang Er, speechless, took Chang Le's small hand and followed behind Li Tai and Li Ke.
As they passed the second courtyard, Chai Yue and the others heard the news and came out to greet them.
"Yue'er greets uncle and aunt!"
"Your servant pays respects to His Majesty and the Empress!"
"Rise," Li Shimin waved his hand, then took Fang Xin from Chai Yue's arms, laughing heartily. "My grandson, did you miss me?"
Fang Xin blinked, staring at him, then suddenly stretched his head forward and bit Li Shimin's nose with a big "chomp."
"Ah! It hurts, it hurts, let go!"
Li Shimin's nose was in Fang Xin's mouth, and he dared not pull, the pain almost bringing tears to his eyes.
"Xin'er, hurry and let go! Let go, and Mother will get you a pig's nose to gnaw on!"
Hearing Chai Yue's words, Fang Er finally understood why his son was so interested in noses!
Good heavens, how many pig noses had this child gnawed on in the two months he'd been away?
Li Shimin, hearing this, looked as though his face had turned green. Did his nose really resemble a pig's nose so much?
"Hahaha!" Empress Changsun was laughing so hard she could barely stand.
Chai Yue, after much effort, finally got Fang Xin to release his bite. She quickly apologized for her son, "Uncle, please forgive him. Xin'er's teeth are not fully grown, and his gums itch. Please don't hold it against him."
Li Shimin wiped the saliva from his nose, where a row of clear teeth marks remained.
After rubbing his nose a few times, he wanted to say something to Fang Xin, but felt it wasn't appropriate for an elder to bicker with a child. So, he unceremoniously grabbed Li Ke from behind.
"By the way, how is that girl you brought back? Hurry up and give me a grandson to bite back!"
Fang Er: ???
Damn it, are you sure your grandson could bite better than my son?
Empress Changsun, Chai Yue, and the other women around them covered their mouths and laughed at Li Shimin's words.
"Awu~~"
Just then, a childish roar was heard. The four-month-old tiger cub trotted out from the backyard, its eyes fixed on Li Shimin.
"Father, Fang Xin has a helper. I'm afraid even if I give you a grandson, he wouldn't be able to bite as well as him!"
Li Ke pointed at the tiger cub, feigning grievance.
"Hahahaha!" Empress Changsun could no longer contain herself and burst into hearty laughter.
"Mother~ Down~" Fang Xin, seeing the tiger cub approach, began to struggle in Chai Yue's arms.
Once Chai Yue placed him on the ground, the little fellow walked straight towards the tiger cub, pushed it to the ground, and started rolling around with it, giggling.
Fang Er watched with immense tension. Although the tiger cub was only four months old, its mouth already had sharp teeth, and any accident would be troublesome.
Chai Yue lightly chuckled beside him, "My lord, you don't need to worry. Hu Niu knows her limits."
Hu Niu?
It's a female too?
The thought of his son rolling on the ground with a female tiger made Fang Er feel that something was not quite right.
Huāniáng stayed to look after Fang Xin, and everyone, chatting and laughing, entered the inner courtyard. Wu Mei was also in the courtyard, practicing calligraphy for an hour every day, which was a mandatory task.
Although pencils were convenient, calligraphy was the treasure of China, combining strength and grace, form and spirit – something that absolutely could not be abandoned.
Li Shimin looked at her curiously. This little girl had quite the nerve! She didn't even come to pay her respects when the Emperor arrived?
Fang Er followed, explaining by his side, "Father, this is the wife I found for Xin'er. I've set a rule for her: when studying and writing, she must be still as thunder and have no distractions."
Li Shimin was stunned. "Your Fang Xin is still so young, and you've already found him a wife?"
At this moment, Wu Mei finished her calligraphy. She placed her brush in the brush washer filled with clear water and walked to Fang Er, curtsying.
"Daddy, Mei'er has completed today's calligraphy practice. Please review it."
Fang Er nodded slightly and then introduced her, "This is His Majesty. Aren't you going to pay your respects?"
Wu Mei's heart skipped a beat. She had been immersed in her own world and only knew someone had arrived in the courtyard, but hadn't paid attention to their conversation.
Hearing Fang Er's introduction now, she quickly curtsied. "Your servant, Wu Mei, pays respects to His Majesty."
Upon hearing the name, Li Shimin froze. After a long moment, he asked in surprise, "What did you say your name was?"
"Your servant, Wu Mei," Wu Mei replied quickly.
Li Shimin confirmed he had heard correctly. He immediately grabbed Fang Er and walked into the house.
Once inside, he slammed the door shut and stared at Fang Er. "Boy, which Wu Mei is this little girl?"
Fang Er had anticipated this day and nodded calmly. "That's right, Wu Meiniang, the second daughter of Wu Shiyue."
According to historical records, Wu Meiniang would enter the palace in eight years and, due to her exceptional talent, would soon be conferred the title of *Cairén* (Talented Lady), becoming greatly favored by Li Shimin.
Li Shimin had encountered this name more than once in the Tang history books in recent days.
He was also curious about what kind of woman could inspire such deep affection in him.
However, he never imagined that he would meet the real person today, and at Fang Er's residence, and moreover, still a child!
And even more astonishingly, Fang Er had already snatched her up, making her Fang Xin's wife!
Having his future favorite consort snatched by his grandson felt incredibly awkward!
Therefore, Li Shimin looked at Fang Er, his expression shifting like a Sichuan opera mask.
He's doing this on purpose, this boy is definitely doing this on purpose!
I gave him my daughter, and yet he promised his future favorite consort to Fang Xin~~~
After a long pause, he finally managed to utter a sentence, "When was the engagement decided? How come I've never heard you mention it?"