"Whose child are you?" Madam Gu asked with a smile, handing him a large fried dough ring. "Here, have some. They're freshly made and smell so good!"
Jin Xiaolou glanced at the dough ring, then looked up at Madam Gu and shook his head. "I'm not hungry..."
Madam Gu, hearing his slightly unusual accent, sat down beside him. "You're not from Daliang, are you? Where are you from?"
Perhaps it was being away from home for so long that made Jin Xiaolou miss his mother dearly.
Seeing Madam Gu's kind and benevolent face, he let down his guard. "I... I live on an island, very, very far away..."
"Oh!" Madam Gu nodded. It seemed the child grew up on an island.
Daliang was an inland country with little knowledge of the sea. Madam Gu had only learned about it in books years ago...
"If you're out here alone, your parents must be worried sick. Shall I have someone send you back when you have time?" Madam Gu reached out and patted his head.
Jin Xiaolou took the dough ring and took a couple of bites, murmuring, "My home is too far. Even I don't know where it is, so... so..."
"Don't be afraid. If you search bit by bit, you'll find it someday!" Madam Gu smiled warmly and asked Du Tieshan to bring over a bowl of pulled noodles.
This child looked so pitiful, so thin he was almost unrecognizable. He must have suffered a lot without his parents' care.
"If you have nowhere to go, you can stay with us for now!" Madam Gu said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Jin Xiaolou's light blue pupils instantly sparkled. "Okay, thank you, Auntie..."
"You're welcome. From now on, you'll share a room with Jingde. You two can keep each other company!" Madam Gu said, calling Gao Jingde over to introduce them.
From their conversation, Madam Gu learned that Jin Xiaolou was nine years old, two years older than Gao Jingde.
However, his height was similar to Young Master Xiao's, short and thin...
Emperor Cheng and Old Man Yun were drinking heartily, and the two elders were practically ready to become sworn brothers.
"Alas, Brother Huang," Old Man Yun sighed, "I heard there's going to be war in the north again. With all this turmoil, your business must be difficult."
Emperor Cheng listened and said seriously, "What war? I guarantee that as long as the court takes a firm stance, those barbarians won't be able to invade. Brother Yun, you can rest assured..."
"Really?" Old Man Yun blinked. "What good will a firm stance from the court do? They have strong soldiers and horses, and the court's soldiers can't defeat them!"
"Who says they can't!" Emperor Cheng slapped the table, the alcohol taking effect. "If I can't defeat them, then... For years, the court may have been quiet, but in fact, we've been preparing to deal with them. Humph, that Khan, he actually dares to threaten the court, saying he'll flatten the imperial city if we don't marry a princess to him. Heh, I'd like to see how many heads he has!"
Old Man Yun: "..."
This man, after a few drinks, says everything.
You're a merchant, yet you speak as if the entire Daliang belongs to you.
And how do you know so much about court affairs?
One shouldn't believe the rumors from tea houses and opera houses...
Seeing Old Man Yun staring at him intently, Emperor Cheng drained his wine bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "In short, rest assured. The court knows what it's doing. If the emperor didn't care about the people, was incompetent and useless, the people would have rebelled long ago!"
Old Man Yun grunted and nodded. "That's true!"
This Brother Huang has insightful and thorough views on matters. He's clearly a well-traveled and experienced person...
Just then, Madam Gu came over with a plate of smashed cucumbers. Emperor Cheng looked up at her and asked, "Is Sister-in-law from Dashui Village?"
Madam Gu shook her head. "No!"
"Then where was Sister-in-law born? Do you have any siblings?" Emperor Cheng asked again.
Madam Gu was taken aback, appearing somewhat troubled...
Seeing this, Old Man Yun quickly smoothed things over. "Brother Huang, my wife doesn't like to talk about her maternal family. Let's not ask anymore, okay?"
Old Man Yun didn't know where his wife came from. Years ago, after returning from the army, he found Madam Gu by the roadside, brought her back to Feiyan Village, and married her.
Over the years, they had lived in love and harmony, and Madam Gu had never mentioned her family background...
Since his wife was unwilling to say, Old Man Yun didn't press further.
His wife didn't mind that he was remarried, so why should he pry?
Emperor Cheng said "Oh," withdrew his gaze, and said, "That's enough. We'll drink this much today, brothers. We need to save our stomachs for the wedding banquet tomorrow!"
He stood up unsteadily and, with the help of Eunuch Zhao, returned to the west wing...
As soon as he entered, he saw Xiao Xinling sitting in the main hall, legs crossed, flipping through a storybook.
She thought it was the little crybaby who had returned and didn't pay much attention, casually saying, "Hurry up and pour your Imperial Sister a cup of tea!"
Eunuch Zhao's face paled in alarm, and he looked at Emperor Cheng tremblingly.
In the imperial palace, Emperor Cheng had been very strict with this princess. Crossing her legs, how could that be possible?
As for pouring tea, she could only dream about it...
"Ahem!" Emperor Cheng coughed lightly.
Hearing the unusual sound, Xiao Xinling looked up and exclaimed, "Oh my!" She leaped up from the stool. "Father, Father, Father Emperor?"
She pinched herself hard, thinking she was dreaming.
Why was Father Emperor in Dashui Village?
Was he here to visit the little crybaby?
Emperor Cheng glared at her, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down. Eunuch Zhao served him a cup of tea...
"Ling'er, I promised you could travel, but I didn't tell you to come to Dashui Village. You know Heng'er's current situation. What if his whereabouts are exposed? Can you bear the responsibility?" Emperor Cheng asked angrily.
Xiao Xinling: "..."
She didn't come to Dashui Village on purpose. It was all an accident!
"Father, Father Emperor, Heng'er is safe now, there's nothing to worry about. You can rest assured!" Xiao Xinling chuckled.
Emperor Cheng glanced at her. "You're not young anymore, yet you're still running around outside like this. You don't have any princess-like demeanor at all. When we get back, I'll marry you off. Let's see if you can still be so smug!"
"Father Emperor, this daughter doesn't want to get married!" Xiao Xinling pouted. "At least, I don't want to marry someone I don't like..."
"Oh?" Emperor Cheng narrowed his eyes. "So, you have someone you like now?"
Eunuch Zhao also looked at Xiao Xinling with hope. If the princess could find a good match, the Emperor wouldn't have to worry.
Xiao Xinling fiddled with her fingers, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Yes, I do have someone I like!"
"Who is it?" Emperor Cheng clenched his fist.