When they arrived at the emperor's tent, Xie Nanjia knelt down and kowtowed to Song Wanji to pay her respects. Song Wanji had such sharp eyes that he recognized her at a glance as the cook in Dingyuan Marquis's mansion.
He remembered that when he mentioned the little cook to Zhao Jingyu two days ago, Zhao Jingyu called him to come closer in a mysterious voice and said that he wanted to tell him something. However, he was interrupted by Song Jingxing who suddenly arrived, so Zhao Jingyu did not say anything. Presumably, he just wanted to tell him that the little cook had followed.
As for the "male favorite" around Zhao Jingyu who was rumored to be around her, it must be her.
In front of the eunuchs, Song Wanji did not expose Xie Nanjia. He raised his hand to call her up and said with a smile: "They all said that Zhao Jingyu brought a handsome and skilled cook. I should have thought it was yours. Bring the soup up quickly so I can taste it."
Xie Nanjia knew that the emperor had recognized her, so she thanked him and stood up to serve the soup.
Song Wanji ordered the eunuchs on both sides to leave, leaving only Si Fang serving in the tent, drinking soup and talking to Xie Nanjia.
"Your son's behavior is getting more and more absurd. I asked them to come out for training, but he even brought the cook with him. Your Lordship is the same. He lets him do whatever he wants all day long. This is not the way to pamper a child."
Xie Nanjia said, "The emperor has misunderstood the second young master. He brought me here because he wanted me to cook for him. But because he was afraid that I wouldn't be able to cook game, he asked me to try my hand at it for a few days and then cook for him when I was more skilled."
Song Wanji was stunned for a moment, and asked doubtfully: "Is he so filial?"
"I dare not deceive the emperor." Xie Nanjia said seriously.
Song Wanji became happy: "In that case, you will cook for me from tomorrow on, and ask your second son to come and eat with me."
"Yes, I will go back and tell the Second Young Master right away." Xie Nanjia agreed, and after thinking for a moment, she continued, "The Emperor loves the Second Young Master, and this is the Second Young Master's blessing. But if the Second Young Master eats with you alone, he will inevitably be envied. The Emperor might as well invite a few more people to dine with you, such as the Crown Prince, the princes, and the father and son of General Wu'an. This will not only demonstrate the Emperor's grace, but also prevent the Second Young Master from being too prominent. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Song Wanji was very surprised to hear this. He did not expect that a little girl could consider things so thoroughly. Her words were neither humble nor arrogant, and were clearly organized. Facing the emperor, she was not at all flustered. Her demeanor was even better than that of many official ladies and concubines in the harem.
After Xie Nanjia left, he asked Si Fangzheng: "Do you think this little girl is unusual?"
Si Fangzheng replied, "I think she is also very special, but the Second Young Master is always picky about the people he employs. The people around him are carefully selected by him, so it is not surprising that she is different from others."
Song Wanji nodded: "You are right, that kid has a unique vision, and people without skills are not worthy of his attention."
"That's right." Si Fangzheng agreed.
Song Wanji somehow remembered the last time he visited the Marquis' Mansion at night and asked Zhao Jingyu if he had a girl he liked, saying that he could arrange a marriage for him. Zhao Jingyu half-jokingly asked him if this little girl was okay.
In his opinion, being the principal wife was out of the question, but being a concubine was okay.
That boy loves to play, but he has never been seriously interested in any girl. But now he is so fond of this little girl. This is not a good sign. It seems that the most urgent thing after returning to Beijing is to find him a wife of equal status, so that he won't get the urge to make a little girl his principal wife.
Given his personality, he is definitely capable of doing such a ridiculous thing.
Thinking of this, he asked Si Fangzheng to help him remember this matter, and when he returned, he called Marquis Dingyuan into the palace to discuss it in detail.
Zhao Jingyu didn't know that the emperor was thinking about his marriage. After those greedy people left, he drunkenly lay on the bed and asked Xiu'er to undress him.
Wei Jun stepped forward to help him undress, and told him that Xiu'er had not returned from delivering soup to the emperor yet. He was pushed away, and with half-closed eyes he scolded, "Go away, you are a grown man, but you are so clumsy. I don't want you to serve me.
“…” Wei Jun and Huangfu looked at each other and spread their hands helplessly.
The second son has changed! When has he ever complained about his clumsy behavior? When has he not been there for him to serve him? Not to mention helping him undress, he has even helped him take a bath. Now that he has Xiu Er, he thinks he is a grown man.
well!
"What are you standing there for? Go and get Xiu'er back for me!" Zhao Jingyu slapped the bed and yelled, "You took so long to deliver soup, who knows who you might run into again."
Just as he finished speaking, Xie Nanjia came in from outside with an empty lunch box in her hand.
She listened to every word Zhao Jingyu said, but she didn't get angry. She put down the food box, bowed to Zhao Jingyu, and said calmly: "Second Master, I'm back."
Zhao Jingyu looked very unhappy and said, "You still remember to come back!"
Xie Nanjia explained: "The emperor had a few words with me, so I came back late.
"What did you say?" Zhao Jingyu asked.
Xie Nanjia then repeated the conversation between himself and the emperor.
Zhao Jingyu sobered up a little, waved Wei Jun and Huangfu away, sat up straight and asked, "You took the initiative to ask to deliver soup to the emperor, just to help me get a chance to have dinner with the emperor?"
"Yes!" Xie Nanjia said sincerely, "I said I would help you, and I would use all available conditions to pave the way for you."
Zhao Jingyu looked at her and was silent for a long time. He didn't comment on her behavior. He stretched out his arms and ordered, "Undress me. I want to sleep."
"Yes!" Xie Nanjia said obediently.
After helping Zhao Jingyu to sleep, she simply washed up, blew out the lights, lay down again with her clothes on, closed her eyes and thought about her problems in the dark.
The trip to Xishan disrupted her original plans, and the search for the other murderer had to be put on hold. The reason why she did not tell Lvliu and Hualou about the existence of another murderer was because she was afraid that the two would act on their own when she was away and get into trouble.
She didn't know what response the murderer would make after Aunt Hong's death, and whether he would secretly attack Lvliu and Hualou to prevent future troubles. She asked Hualou to make supper for Marquis Dingyuan. She was afraid that someone else would take the job, but the most important point was that she wanted the murderer to be afraid and not dare to attack Hualou easily.
Not only that, she also arranged for Feng Lun to secretly escort Hualou every day. On the one hand, this could protect the safety of Hualou, and on the other hand, if someone really did something bad to Hualou, Feng Lun could take the opportunity to catch that person.
As for Lvliu, Xie Nanjia was not too worried. After all, she was Zhao Jingping's aunt, and she was careful and smart. Even if someone wanted to harm her, it would not be so easy to do so.
Apart from Lvliu and Hualou, she missed her children more. She had been away for several days and didn't know how her children were doing, whether they were eating well or sleeping well. Did they notice that there was someone around them whom they hadn't seen for several days
After thinking about it, I couldn't help but laugh at myself for being stupid. The child is so young. She eats and sleeps every day. How could she miss me? It would be good enough if she doesn't feel shy with me when I go back.
The golden slingshot that Cheng Zhiye won last time was quite beautiful. She decided to give it to her son as a gift when she got home. She believed that her son would like it.
These days she also collected several beautiful pheasant feathers, which she could take back to the Fourth Young Miss. During the days she was away, she didn't know how the Fourth Young Miss was doing, or whether she was bullied in school.
Before leaving, she did mention this to the Fourth Aunt, asking her to take better care of the Fourth Young Miss. In her opinion, the Fourth Aunt and the Fourth Young Miss were both alone in the mansion, so it would be better for them to stick together for warmth.
She had also thought about letting the Fourth Aunt be the Fourth Young Miss's stepmother, so that the two of them would have each other to rely on, and when the Fourth Young Miss got married in the future and returned to her parents' home, there would be a place that would sincerely welcome her.
But it was hard for her to say. It depended on the liking of the two people. If one of them was not interested, it would be in vain no matter how willing the other was.
After thinking about the things in the Marquis' Mansion, she thought of her father and brother. She hadn't been able to see them these past few days. So many young masters from aristocratic families came to Zhao Jingyu's place to play, but her brother had never come once. She knew that her brother never liked dealing with people in the Marquis' Mansion, so she suggested to the emperor to find more people to dine together. As long as the emperor invited her father and brother, she could take the opportunity to see them.
Zhao Jingyu was so self-indulgent that he thought she was trying to gain opportunities for him. How could that be possible? The Emperor had been good enough to him, so there was no need for her to do anything unnecessary.
But then again, the emperor was too good to Zhao Jingyu. The love and doting he showed in his words was even more than that shown to his biological father, Marquis Dingyuan.
Is the reason for this excessive pampering really just because he feels guilty for ruining Zhao Jingyu's career
She didn't think so.
If not, why exactly
Could it be that the emperor has taken a fancy to Zhao Jingyu and wants to marry one of the princesses to him and make him his son-in-law
Anyway, the prince consort doesn't have to be very successful, he just needs to love the princess. Someone like Zhao Jingyu is just the right person.
Thinking of this possibility, Xie Nanjia felt inexplicably sad in his heart. He turned over and sat up, looking towards Zhao Jingyu.
There was a moon tonight, and the faint moonlight shone through the tent. She could vaguely see the outline of Zhao Jingyu lying there. She looked at him quietly for a while, listening to his shallow breathing, and her heart was in turmoil.
"Why are you staring at me in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" Zhao Jingyu suddenly asked.
Xie Nanjia was startled and quickly lay back down, covering himself with the quilt. His heart was pounding as if he had done something bad.
"Don't pretend, I saw you." Zhao Jingyu chuckled in the dark, "Since you can't sleep, why don't you come and keep me company?"
Xie Nanjia was so shocked and nervous that her breathing stopped. She even covered her head and vowed not to speak a word.
After a while, Zhao Jingyu laughed again and said, "If you are embarrassed to come over, I will go over there."
(End of this chapter)