“Good!” The emperor emeritus took the teacup and lowered his head to drink a sip. He took the wooden box that the elderly head steward handed him and placed it into Xiaocao’s hands. He said with a smile, “This is a meeting present from Grandfather. We will be a family in the future. Grandfather knows that you’re filial, so when you make delicious food in the future, remember to send a portion to me…”

Imperial Prince Jing: …

He seriously didn’t want to admit that this gluttonous, old urchin was his biological father! Was there anyone who would immediately ask for tasty food upon seeing his new granddaughter-in-law?

The heir’s wife, who originally felt somewhat uncomfortable inwardly because of the fact that the emperor emeritus gave face to Xiaocao, wasn’t envious anymore now. It turned out that the emperor emeritus had come for the delicious food ah!

Yu Xiaocao was used to the foodie nature of the members of the imperial family. She took the wooden box that looked ordinary but was made of Phoebe zhennan wood[1]. When she opened it, she saw two jade-colored balls that were the size of baby fists.

Seeing this, Zhu Junyang asked with slight surprise, ”Imperial Grandfather, where did you get this pair of luminous pearls?”

“Uh…this lord doesn’t remember when I got it. Maybe it was from the time when I was fighting for the empire. I probably found it at the house of one of those corrupted officials of the previous dynasty. I found them in the corner when I searched through the storage this morning. This lord doesn’t need these things, so I brought them here as a gift for you two!”

When Zhu Huaiyong was fighting battles throughout the country, he had collected many goods and kept them in his private storehouse. Some of these rare treasures were covered with a thick layer of dust, and this Phoebe zhennan wood box was one of those items buried in dust.

It was the legendary luminous pearls ah! They were priceless treasures!! It was said that the luminous pearl buried with Empress Dowager Cixi was worth 800 million RMB!! Oh my, she hadn’t expected to be able to see the luminous pearl with her own eyes. Xiaocao still needed to serve tea to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, so she couldn’t take a closer look. She handed the wooden box to Wutong. Anyways, he had given it to her now, so she could look at it as much as she wanted when she got home!

Next, she offered tea to Imperial Prince Jing. Xiaocao received a box of thumb-sized East pearls. When she served tea to her mother-in-law, Princess Consort Jing, she was given a pair of top-quality mutton fat jade bangles. It appeared to be an old item, so it should be one of the items in Princess Consort Jing’s dowry. In ancient times, many jewelries were handed down from mothers-in-law to daughters-in-law, as family heirlooms to be passed down from generation to generation. Although Xiaocao didn’t lack bangles, she accepted it respectfully.

After that, as the eldest brother and sister-in-law, the heir and his wife also gifted jewelry to their younger sister-in-law as a meeting present. Zhu Junya, who was the elder sister, knew that Xiaocao could concoct medicine and didn’t lack accessories, so she gave her a hundred-year-old ginseng. The second brother, Zhu Junxi, hadn’t gotten married yet, so he wasn’t required to give a present. However, he had also prepared a complete set of Miao silver accessories, which had characteristics of the southwest. Although they weren’t as valuable as the previous gifts, Xiaocao liked them for their uniqueness.

Xiaocao had also prepared gifts for the heir’s and Zhu Junya’s children, all of which were precious items such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Lu Jiapei, who was the youngest, felt somewhat unhappy as he held the valuable inkstone. For the young fellow who had yet begun studying, an inkstone that cost several thousand taels wasn’t as good as a pastry or candy made by his third aunt!

Of course, Xiaocao had also taken time before the wedding to make some candies that were easy to keep. She brought them with her today and gave a box to each child. Seeing the fragrant and sweet candies, Lu Jiapei’s wrinkled-up face finally eased. With a fawning expression, he kept calling her ‘Third Aunt’.

Lu Nianhua, who claimed to come from a family of literati, couldn’t bear to look at his youngest son——to be such a foodie, who exactly did Lu Jiapei resemble? He shifted his gaze and saw the emperor emeritus sitting at the main seat. He was currently taking advantage of the heir’s youngest son’s filial piety to con candy from his great-grandson ah! Could it be that his youngest son had inherited his love for food from his great-grandfather?

They had lunch at Prince Jing’s Estate. The whole family sat together and ate merrily. The emperor emeritus had also stayed for the meal. As he ate, he complained about the culinary skills of the Prince Jing’s Estate’s cooks, saying that they were inferior to the cooking of his granddaughter-in-law, Xiaocao.

Zhu Junyang also didn’t give any face and said as he helped his wife pick out the fish bones, “The cooking skills of the cooks in the kitchen are quite ordinary. It seems like our estate’s kitchen maids, who we hired with a high salary, are quite good in comparison! They can’t compare with you, but they are at least not inferior to that of the chefs of Zhenxiu Restaurant!”

Yu Xiaocao didn’t eat a lot in the morning. She ate the delicious fish with relish. Seeing the glare that Imperial Prince Jing shot at her man, she held back her laughter and said, “How’s the taste ordinary? No matter if it’s the taste or control of the heat, they have managed them quite well.”

“What’s good about it? There’s barely any taste——so plain! Just eat a little bit, and when we get home, I’ll have the kitchen maids make crab roe steamed buns for you. We saved the crab roes from last autumn, so they’re very plump. I know that you like to eat them, so this prince stored a lot in the icehouse at home, which will be enough for you to eat until this autumn!” Zhu Junyang tasted all the dishes on the table. He picked a few that were just passable and considerately put them into the bowl in front of his wife.

Except for Zhu Junxi, who had not returned home in nearly ten years, all of the other masters of Prince Jing’s Estate were already used to Zhu Junyang’s perfect husband image. With a look of disbelief, he asked, “Lady Mother, did Younger Brother get switched when I wasn’t around? This gentle and considerate man isn’t the same person as the cold and ruthless third young master of the Prince Jing’s Estate, who was feared by the entire capital, right? Right?!”

Princess Consort Jing glared at her second son, gave him a piece of sparerib, and snorted, “Just like your lord father, the men in our family are all good men who are considerate to their wives! Your younger brother was really worrisome in the past, but as soon as he fell in love with someone, he would treat her wholeheartedly. You, on the other hand, are almost thirty, yet there’s no signs of a romantic relationship at all. Do you think that’s proper? While you’re back this time, we must settle the matter of your marriage. Otherwise, you’re not allowed to leave the capital!! Tomorrow, attend a blind date with me!”

In a leisurely manner, Zhu Junxi slowly finished the sparerib that his lady mother gave him. Then he picked up a glutinous rice pearl and ate it with relish. It wasn’t until Princess Consort Jing’s patience had run out that he finally opened his mouth to say in an unhurried manner, “Lady Mother, you don’t have to worry about my marriage! I already have someone in mind. There are two reasons for my return this time. On one hand, I want to attend my younger brother’s wedding; on the other hand, I want to ask you to help me send a marriage proposal and settle my marriage.”

When Princess Consort Jing heard this, the concern in her heart had completely vanished. Among her sons, her lord husband had long decided on her eldest son’s marriage. The two families had reached a consensus early on that the children will get married as soon as they reached marriageable age. Everything was a matter of course.

Her daughter’s marriage was also settled under the silent operation of that big-tailed wolf, Lu Nianhua. Their feelings grew naturally day by day, and thus resulted in marriage.

Her youngest son had been eagerly waiting for the young maiden even before she had reached the age of ten. As if he was a beast guarding his territory, he had long marked his ownership on the lass. He was just waiting for the young maiden to agree so that he could marry her.

She didn’t have to worry much about these children. The only exception was her second son. He was already at the age to talk about marriage, but he had run off to the borders to join the army. Princess Consort Jing felt so worried ah. The troops at the borders were full of rough men without a single female in sight. When would he be able to bring a wife home? She had originally wanted to find a wife for her second son in the capital, so she wrote him a letter to ask him to come back. He, on the other hand, regarded the barracks as his home and didn’t return for nearly ten years!

Oh right! Second Son had been staying in the barracks the entire time, so where did this wife come from? He wouldn’t…wouldn’t bring a man back as his wife, right? Princess Consort Jing’s imagination went wild, and she immediately looked at her second son with a horrified expression!

Zhu Junxi felt uncomfortable with the look that his lady mother was giving him. He thought that she was unhappy that he had chosen a wife himself, so he hastily explained, “Lady Mother, as you know, the southwest borders had been unstable in the past two years and there were frequent wars. General Mu and I had been busy fighting the bandits, so we couldn’t come back to see you. This son is at fault, so please don’t blame Mumu!”

General Mu? When Princess Consort Jing heard this name, she couldn’t help but clutch onto the clothes in front of her chest, feeling as if she was unable to breathe. Seeing this, Imperial Prince Jing was startled and immediately went to stroke her back. He repeatedly asked, “What’s wrong? Where are you not feeling well? Quickly call for Imperial Physician Zheng…”

After several years of care, the princess consort’s health was no different from ordinary people. But, her current wan complexion caused Imperial Prince Jing to recall the scene of him being helpless when his princess consort fell ill several years ago. He couldn’t help but hold tightly onto her hands and anxiously ask about her well-being.

Princess Consort Jing waved her hand at him and shook her head to express that she was fine. However, she looked at Zhu Junxi with a gaze filled with disappointment and sorrow.

Zhu Junxi had a confused expression on his face——his lady mother had always been open-minded ah! Younger Brother’s wife had come from a farmer’s family, and his mother could readily accept her. Mumu’s paternal grandfather was one of the founding veterans who fought along the emperor emeritus to conquer the empire, and her father was the great general stationed at the southwest borders. They didn’t have much contact with his family, but there also wasn’t any grudges between the two families. Why was his lady mother’s reaction so big?

Imperial Prince Jing finally realized that his wife was mad at their second son. He immediately pulled a long face and glared angrily at his second son, “You unfilial son, you’re making your lady mother angry as soon as you come back! Hurry up and apologize to your lady mother and promise that you won’t anger her anymore!”

Since Zhu Junxi was a child, his parents had never needed to worry about him. Although he was jealous of his younger brother before he joined the army, as well as slightly sad and disappointed with his mother’s bias, he was still filial in nature. He didn’t know what he did to cause his mother to be unhappy, but he still admitted his mistake and apologized to his lady mother with a good attitude, asking her not to be angry.

Princess Consort Jing gradually collected herself. She took a deep breath and asked, “What exactly is your relationship with that General Mu?”

Zhu Junxi felt even more astonished. Based on his lady mother’s tone, she really did seem to oppose his relationship with Mumu. What exactly could be the reason? Could it be that there was a deep grudge between the Han Family and the Prince’s Jing’s Estate, or his lady mother’s maiden family, that he didn’t know about?

[1] Phoebe zhennan wood was considered so valuable that only royals could afford to use them. It was used to create the pillars in the Forbidden City.