Chapter 310: Sharing the Favors
The melons in the palace were exceptionally sweet.
Very fresh.
Not wilted at all.
Preserved very well.
Once sliced open, it was sweet and succulent.
Jiang Mianmian ate a piece and felt it was quite good.
She shared a piece with Father and a piece with Elder Brother.
Seeing Princess Grandma looking on eagerly, she handed a piece to her as well.
Finally, seeing that everyone had been given some.
Only The Emperor was left.
Mianmian gave The Emperor a piece as well.
Fortunately, the melon was cut into small pieces, enough to go around.
Perhaps because it was truly a cold winter day.
Even Princess Huiyun felt that the melon handed over by her dear granddaughter was exceptionally sweet.
The Emperor felt that the melon given by his dear grand-niece was particularly fresh and crisp.
In truth, The Emperor had not experienced the feeling of being with family for many years.
He no longer summoned the imperial concubines in the harem much.
As for his children, he had many; many were alive, and many had died young.
If he had invested emotions in all of them, he would likely be depressed by now.
The few princes who were still alive now did nothing but cause him headaches.
Every prince seemed like his greatest rival, as if they were all waiting for him to die.
The head of the family was old, afraid of being replaced, afraid of his own life changing.
He could not experience human warmth, only naked relationships of interest.
This included those officials as well.
He used the officials to work for him, and the officials wanted to gain power from him.
They were playing a grand game; it was somewhat complex, yet actually very simple—all comings and goings were for the sake of profit.
Thinking about it this way made things much simpler, but also much more boring.
It had been a long time since he felt the sensation of a family sitting together like this.
The Emperor had always liked Heir Han very much.
Every time Little Han came to see him, he acted like a normal junior, asking for this and that without fear of him, completely righteous and bold.
However, after a trip to Jingzhou, it seemed like Little Han spent less time in the palace keeping him company.
And he felt somewhat restrained.
Now that he thought about it, perhaps Little Han had discovered something.
It had been a long time since The Emperor sat down and had someone sitting on equal footing beside him.
Princess Huiyun never understood the distinction between superior and inferior, and in front of The Emperor, there was no such distinction either.
As for The Emperor, having worked in this profession for so long, he had lost his sense of self.
Just like a CEO, aside from working, he also had to eat and relieve himself, and he also had emotional needs—these emotional needs included love, family, and friendship.
As for love, The Emperor no longer sought it much; his hormone secretion was too low.
As for friendship, who would dare to be good friends with The Emperor? Those who attempted to be good friends with The Emperor had all been killed by him without even realizing it.
Now, the only one left to be good friends with The Emperor was Eunuch Yan, and perhaps the distant Old General Meng could also count as one.
Therefore, The Emperor was very eager for family affection.
But he was also very afraid of family affection.
He always felt that those brats all wanted to take his position.
But his Imperial Sister had never changed.
She had always been righteous and bold.
“Imperial Brother, issue an edict for me. I want to kill Zhou Rongrong, and also the consort, Han Wuyong.”
The Emperor had already changed out of his court attire; at this moment he was wearing casual clothes and was not wearing his large crown, though he still wore a hat, presumably to cover his bald head and white hair.
His casual clothes were also covered in dragons, but they looked softer.
Come to think of it, The Emperor was quite pitiful; if he wanted his clothing patterns to be a bit more trendy, he never had the chance to choose, as it was always dragons and phoenixes, limiting his aesthetic expression.
Casual clothes were relatively comfortable and soft.
He could choose a comfortable posture to lean on the warm couch.
“Who is Zhou Rongrong? The consort’s name is Han Yong; do not give people titles so carelessly. Even if I am The Emperor, I cannot kill someone without evidence.”
“You’ve even forgotten Zhou Rongrong? Wasn’t she the study companion you chose for me? She almost became a member of your harem. Back then you even praised her to her face for being knowledgeable and talented, and then turned around and bestowed her upon Grand Tutor Jiang Bai. It must be her who swapped my child and mistreated my son. I don’t care; you must have someone arrest her first, and the consort too. If there’s no evidence, interrogate them slowly; you’ll be able to extract the evidence eventually.”
The Emperor felt awkward (￣□￣｜｜), he really couldn’t remember.
Wasn’t Princess Huiyun’s memory bad before? How could she remember all these old matters now?
“The consort is your consort after all; it wouldn’t be appropriate to arrest him like that. Let’s arrest Zhou Rongrong and interrogate her first,” The Emperor said with a guilty conscience.
Princess Huiyun nodded reluctantly.
Then she spoke to Jiang Changtian: “Although your uncle is sometimes a bit muddled, he is extremely good to me. In the future, if you want anything, you can ask him for it; don’t be polite.”
Jiang Changtian hurriedly said: “The Emperor treats me extremely well. Although I didn’t know The Emperor was my uncle before, he still allowed me to serve as an Attendant of the Yellow Gate, enabling me to see The Emperor. The first time I saw him, I felt The Emperor was very kind. Every day when I go to the government office, I am very excited to be able to enter the palace and see The Emperor, and to realize he is my uncle.”
Jiang Feng also said: “Grand-uncle Emperor knew I was getting married and bestowed upon me the rank of a sixth-rank imperial guard; that is already extremely good. Minister Dong’s family has also agreed to the marriage between me and their daughter.”
Jiang Mianmian raised her hand: “Um, Grand-uncle, can I make a request?”
Her other hand was still holding the melon, and her cheeks were wet; when eating the melon, the melon flesh had touched her face.
Second Young Master Jiang and Jiang Feng’s tact made The Emperor feel okay; at least he saved face.
Affection must be built through spending time together. Although he liked Princess Huiyun, it was impossible for him to suddenly be very good to the suddenly appearing Second Young Master Jiang and Jiang Feng. At least at this moment, Heir Han’s weight was perhaps even greater.
However, when facing Mianmian, it was uniquely different.
Because she was so much like Princess Huiyun when she was young.
He nodded slightly and looked at her encouragingly.
“Grand-uncle, can you bestow a title of nobility upon my Mother?”
The Emperor was slightly moved in his heart.
This was a filial child; not only did she look like Princess Huiyun, but her heart was also as kind as Princess Huiyun’s.
“Why?” The Emperor asked with a pleasant expression.
Jiang Mianmian answered earnestly: “Because Father and Elder Brother both have official positions, and Mother thinks official uniforms look good. Also, commoners cannot beat officials. If Elder Brother does something wrong, Mother finds it hard to beat him, but if Mother has a title of nobility, she can feel free to take action.”
The Emperor went from having a pleasant expression to being dumbfounded.
Princess Huiyun looked up at the palace’s crossbeams; the crossbeams in the palace were really straight.
The Emperor then burst into loud laughter.
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