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Chapter 203.2
Honestly speaking, Yaoniang was quite fearful of the Emperor Emeritus.
As a commoner, she was completely unrelated to the emperor, who was a revered figure. It was only because of sheer luck amassed by the Su Family for generations that Yaoniang, by becoming the concubine and later wife of Jin Wang, had the qualification to catch a glimpse of the Emperor Emeritus from afar.
It wasn’t until she heard from Xiaobao and Jin Wang’s mouths all kinds of deeds about the Emperor Emeritus that her fear gradually faded away. Later, the Emperor Emeritus became seriously ill, Jin Wang and Xiaobao served at the Emperor Emeritus’s bedside, a rebellion broke out in the capital, and then the Emperor Emeritus gave the throne to Jin Wang. Yaoniang’s mentality was refreshed again, and the Emperor Emeritus at this time became a somewhat pitiful old man in her mind.
The father didn’t act like a father and the son didn’t behave like a son. Meanwhile, his wife also had ulterior motives, wishing to poison him to death, causing him to become seriously ill.
Now that Jin Wang had ascended the throne as Emperor Jin’an, she had also moved into the palace with her two children. Without a proper mother-in-law for her to perform filial piety, only this father-in-law remained. Yaoniang couldn’t help but have the desire to fulfill her filial duties for Emperor Jin’an. Unfortunately, she had always been at a loss about what to do. Besides letting the two children go to Qianqing Palace to keep him company and warning them to avoid angering the Emperor Emeritus, she didn’t know what else to do.
Now that she heard that the Emperor Emeritus liked the soup she made,Yaoniang was pleasantly surprised. At the same time, she couldn’t help but have other thoughts, even though it could only be counted as a desperate attempt at best.
“Since the Emperor Emeritus likes it, mother will go and make some more soup then have someone deliver it to Qianqing Palace for the evening meal.”
Before Xiaobao could even speak up to stop her, Yaoniang eagerly got off the kang and left. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Did something happen?
But Xiaobao didn’t show any reaction. Later, he pieced together hints from Hong Fei’s words and finally understood what had happened.
Yaoniang quickly returned from the small kitchen, her face beaming with joy.
“Mother made mutton soup. It’s best to drink mutton soup in this weather. Mother cooked a large pot of it, which is enough for our dinner, and there’s also enough to deliver to the Emperor Emeritus. Your grandfather’s health is not good, and there is no one by his side who knows what he likes. Let’s pay more attention. It’s a blessing for the younger generation if the elderly live long.”
Xiaobao looked at his silly mother. How could she think that the Emperor Emeritus wouldn’t have someone to take care of him? Wasn’t Li Dequan a person? And there were so many palace maids and eunuchs too.
However, he continued to patiently play with Erbao, while Yaoniang chatted with the palace maids nearby. As he watched their smiling faces, Xiaobao suddenly had a moment of enlightenment. He suddenly understood what it meant to truly care for someone, by fulfilling their unspoken desires.
It was for the simple reason that every time he went to Qianqing Palace, it was always silent. It was only lively when Erbao was there. It was for this reason that he took Erbao with him more often.
Loneliness had been deeply ingrained in his bones in his previous life. Xiaobao had tried to suppress this feeling ever since he had been reborn. To be honest, he wasn’t lonely anymore. He had his mother and the annoying Chun’er and Qiu’er when he was young. As he grew older, he had Erbao, that mischievous brat, and Yan Ge’er and Xuan Ge’er. He hadn’t known what loneliness meant for a long time.
Suddenly, he understood why the Emperor Emeritus had always been urging them to leave in recent days. He didn’t think much about it before, attributing it to the Emperor Emeritus’s declining health or Erbao being too noisy. But now he understood in an instant.
During dinner, Emperor Jin’an returned from outside.
Yaoniang assisted him in cleaning his face and hands and gave instructions for the meal to be brought in, mentioning that she had made soup that day.
Xiaobao, who had been lounging on the kang for half the afternoon, suddenly jumped off and said, “I’ll go and deliver the soup to the Emperor.”
“Let the eunuchs do it.”
“No, let this son do it personally.”
Emperor Jin’an curiously asked, “What soup are you delivering?”
Yaoniang covered up her true intentions and said, “It’s the mutton soup I made today. I accidentally made too much, but Xiaobao said father-in-law would like it, so I thought of sending some to the Qianqing Palace.”
Emperor Jin’an didn’t say anything but gave her a glance. Yaoniang had already turned around to have Hong Chou dress Xiaobao and instructed him to go quickly and return quickly.
However, by the time the dinner was set up here, Xiaobao still hasn’t returned. Instead, he dispatched a eunuch back with a message, saying that he would stay in the Qianqing Palace to have dinner with the Emperor Emeritus.
Qianqing Palace
“Why are you here at this hour? Don’t you always say you need to go back to have dinner with your mother?”
Actually, it wasn’t always, just that one time, but the Emperor Emeritus remembered it.
“My mother made soup and asked me to bring some to the Emperor.”
The Emperor Emeritus glanced at the food container in his hand. “You’ve already brought it once today. Why bring it again?”
“My mother said it’s cold in winter, and mutton soup is the most nourishing. She wanted to give some to the Emperor Emeritus to nourish his body.”
“Mutton soup? It has a strong gamey smell.”
“My mother made it without the gamey smell. Would you like to taste it, Your Majesty?”