Chapter 118:

Yan Yu saw Xu Xiaoyi was also there, and he frowned slightly, but still climbed directly onto the heated brick bed. In such cold weather, naturally he wanted to sit in this warm place. The little fellow completely forgot that he had just been rolling around in the snow earlier.

Yan Jia imitated him, and Xu Xiaoyi, watching the two children’s familiar behavior, felt somewhat surprised.

“Chun Zhao Yi, I want to eat crystal jelly,” Yan Yu glanced at the empty plates still on the table and the lotus shrimp balls beside Xu Xiaoyi.

He added, “Also give me some of those.”

Yan Jia nodded along beside him.

“You two little ones come in and snatch my food right away,” Lamei pouted as she complained, though Xing’er still smiled and went out the door.

“It’s true what the Master said: ‘Only women and petty men are hard to feed.’ We only want a little food, yet you’re unwilling,” Yan Yu didn’t seem angry at all, instead teasing Lamei with a lifted face.

“Given your small stature, you must be a petty man. So it seems the Master was indeed correct,” Lamei shot back.

Yan Jia smiled cheerfully, “A petty man refers to someone of low character, not kids like us.”

He had indeed been listening attentively in class.

“Ooh!”

Now these two children had become a united front.

“Well, since I haven’t been to school, I think it’s a description of you two!” Lamei retorted stubbornly.

Seeing her like this, the two children exchanged glances, shook their heads, and said, “Such a person cannot be taught.”

Xu Xiaoyi couldn’t help herself and burst into laughter nearby.

She had originally thought these two children might be difficult to approach, but seeing how they interacted with Chun Zhao Yi, it was completely different. No wonder they liked coming to Qing’an Palace. If she were them, she would be cautious and attentive in serving others, not as relaxed and carefree as Chun Zhao Yi.

Probably these two children also enjoyed living freely and easily.

Before long, Xing’er and Qiaoning entered the room carrying several dishes—not only crystal jelly and lotus shrimp balls, but also green stir-fried garlic sprouts, delicate osmanthus cakes, and golden crispy pastries that looked very appetizing.

The two children uttered an “Oh wow!” and began devouring the food voraciously, completely lacking the noble grace of princes. The palace maids accompanying the two princes smiled faintly.

“They were playing outside earlier and said they were a bit hungry,” this served as an explanation.

Lamei held the palace maids attending the two young princes in high regard; how could she not? They had been carefully selected by the Empress Dowager.

Xu Xiaoyi noticed that the crystal jelly in Chun Zhao Yi’s palace was indeed different from that in the palace—it was actually made from pig feet.

Seeing the three of them getting along so harmoniously, Xu Xiaoyi made a slight bow and excused herself, saying she needed to return to prepare something.

With the two young princes present, Lamei had no time to entertain Xu Xiaoyi and simply nodded in agreement.

After Xu Xiaoyi left, Yan Yu put down his food and looked at Shen Lamei.

“What did she come for?” He asked quite seriously.

Lamei used a handkerchief to wipe the grease from his little mouth, “She had nothing to do and just came to sit for a while.”

The little boy raised his eyebrows skeptically at her, “You shouldn’t always make people worry. You need to learn to distinguish between good and bad people. We don’t even know if she’s good or not. Now that you have a younger sister, you must be extremely careful.”

This serious speech was quite mature. Hearing his older brother speak like this, Yan Jia nodded along.

Without putting down his food, he mumbled with his mouth full, “What Brother said is correct.”

Lamei naturally didn’t want to go against the child’s good intentions. Suppressing the urge to laugh, she nodded solemnly, “I understand. I will be careful in the future.”

Seeing her answer seriously enough, Yan Yu nodded with a smile.

Then he continued eating.

The palace maids all lowered their heads, but their shaking shoulders clearly showed they found the previous exchange extremely amusing.

“Will you two also attend the banquet tonight?” In previous years, they hadn’t.

Yan Yu raised his head again, his eyes sparkling. Looking at Yan Jia, he found the same expression. Indeed.

Yan Yu spoke up, “Father said we’ve both been obedient, so we can go.”

The softness and joy in his voice were evident.

Lamei was also happy for these two children. At the very least, the Emperor now treated them more affectionately than before.

“Then eat more. Let me tell you, the food at the banquet might not suit your tastes. I usually eat enough beforehand so I can just have a little snack there.”

The two little kids looked somewhat puzzled but still nodded, since Chun Zhao Yi wouldn’t deceive them.

***

Fu residence, study.

Prime Minister Fu was sitting by the table, transcribing something, while Fu Jinyu beside him seemed delighted.

“Father, I heard that Yu’er will also attend the banquet tonight.”

Prime Minister Fu also showed a slight smile. Though no longer young, traces of his youthful handsomeness were still visible.

It was also clear that he didn’t often smile.

“I haven’t seen him for two years,” Prime Minister Fu put down his brush, looking at his son with a sigh.

Fu Jinyu nodded; he himself hadn’t seen his nephew for a long time either.

“I wonder if that kid has grown taller, and whether he still remembers me.”

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Fu’s gaze shifted to a painting on the wall of the room. It was a portrait of a lady, but curiously, it depicted only her back—a woman in pink clothes walking forward under a misty rain, holding an umbrella.

Fu Jinyu followed his father’s gaze, saw his father gazing at the painting again, and sighed.

“No matter whether he remembers me or not, he will be living very well. Neither the Empress Dowager nor the Emperor will treat the child poorly.”

Fu Jinyu nodded in agreement, naturally knowing this.

Seeing his father still staring at the painting, Fu Jinyu finally couldn’t help but speak up, “Father, many things have already passed. Why do you still insist on tormenting yourself like this?”

“You’re still young. You don’t understand. Some mistakes haunt one for life. If it hadn’t been for that incident back then, how could there be today’s consequences?”

Fu Jinyu didn’t know what had happened back then. He only knew that since his childhood, his parents had been respectful to each other, and his father would often sit in the study looking at that painting, clearly showing pain in his expression.

A knocking sound came from outside.

“Master, Young Master, the Madam is requesting an audience.”

The visitor was indeed Madam Fu.

Fu Jinyu hurried to open the door and saw his mother standing at the entrance.

“Why has Mother come?”

He quickly stepped aside. Madam Fu, dressed in luxurious brocade, looked dignified and graceful.

The maids accompanying her didn’t enter the room but instead closed the door from outside.

“Greetings, Master.”

“Do you have something to say?”

Fu Jinyu stood aside, already accustomed to how his parents interacted.

Madam Fu nodded, “The Emperor is hosting a banquet tonight. I don’t know whether Yu’er will attend. Master, I’ve prepared a good-luck charm for Yu’er. I thought if you have an opportunity, you could give it to the child. It’s just a small token from me as his grandmother.”

Prime Minister Fu looked at the charm his wife took out, frowned slightly, and shook his head, “Forget it.”

Seeing his reaction, Madam Fu looked somewhat disheartened.

She continued, “This past year, you’ve been actively grooming Jinyan. But after the New Year, are you planning to let her enter the palace during the selection?”

Prime Minister Fu glanced at his wife and nodded.

Madam Fu became emotional, “Master, are you no longer thinking about Yao’er? With this plan of yours, how can Yao’er carry on? Have you even considered her as your daughter? Jinyan is merely a concubine-born daughter. Are you going to have her enter the palace just to trouble Yao’er?”

“Enough!” Prime Minister Fu’s expression turned displeased.

“If I hadn’t considered her my daughter, do you think she could still be alive? When she poisoned Xiu’er, didn’t she think they were sisters? Just mentioning my eldest daughter causes me pain,” Prime Minister Fu closed his eyes, pained by the memory.

Madam Fu took a few steps back.

After a long pause, she said, “But, but Xiu’er is already gone. Yao’er, although she made a mistake, she is still our daughter!”

“If both of our daughters enter the palace at the same time, do you think Yao’er will have an easy time?

Look at the Bai sisters, the Shen cousins—none of them ended up well.

She turned to Fu Jinyu again, “Yujun, Yao’er is your full sister, while Jinyan is only your half-sister.”

Madam Fu hoped to gain her son’s support.

But Fu Jinyu only lowered his head silently for a long time before replying, “Mother, although Yao’er is my full sister, her character is narrow-minded, and she lacks the potential for greatness. On the other hand, although Jinyan is born of a concubine, she knows right from wrong. Mother, our Fu family can’t afford any more turmoil.

There are things Mother doesn’t understand, but I do. Although they are both my sisters—one a full sister and the other a half-sister—when it comes to conduct and major moral issues, Jinyan is more suitable for the royal family.

Even though Jin Yao has become more sensible lately, her deep affection for the Emperor means she won’t last long in the palace.

“How can you be so heartless? What will become of my Yao’er? What’s so good about that little brat that you all protect her like this?” Madam Fu was furious.

“What’s good? Fine, since you asked, I’ll tell you. Yao’er poisoned her pregnant sister Xiu’er, causing her to have a difficult childbirth. I was already disappointed in her as a daughter. If Jinyan weren’t still too young to enter the palace, do you think I would let her go? Moreover, she deliberately caused her own miscarriage just to compete with Consort De. Such a woman, our Fu family dares not rely on. If she could harm her own sister and niece for such a matter, how could we trust her not to harm us for other reasons in the future? Jinyan is educated and considerate, although born of a concubine, yet she always considers the family’s interests. The Fu family cannot be ruined by me, nor by you, nor by Yu’er. We are desperately trying to find support for the Fu family, while Yao’er only cares about her romantic feelings. The daughter I raised with care is not even as good as a Shen Lamei. Tell me, can I not abandon her?”

After crying for a while, Madam Fu raised her head and glared at Prime Minister Fu angrily, “Is the Fu family really that important to you? Do you value the Fu family more than you value me?”

Seeing his parents arguing, Fu Jinyu tried to mediate, “Mother, even the Lian family was considered a noble house, yet so many things happened to them in such a short time. Now, who in the capital still remembers the Lian family? Was it really just because Lian Xiuyun harmed Consort Qi’s child? Actually, even you must know deep down that the Emperor dislikes noble families—it’s a prelude to taking action.”

Madam Fu covered her face and wept.