CHAPTER 491: CHAPTER 491: STYLE

The maids almost held back an inner injury.

Especially the maid holding Miss Shen, whose arm nearly went limp and almost dropped her.

Old Madam Shen raised her hand to support her forehead.

She thought the Ninth Prince genuinely wanted to return to pay respects to the Emperor, but it turned out he was merely returning because of the lizhi.

If the Emperor knew about this, he would be furious.

This absurd idea was definitely not from the Ninth Prince.

Her grandson’s boldness even frightens her.

Meanwhile, Young Master Su and the others ran to the gate of the Marquis Mansion. They waited for a while before the coachman arrived with the carriage.

They got on the carriage and headed straight to the palace.

The Ninth Prince returned to the palace, accompanied by the son and nephew of Marquis Dongxiang.

The guards did not dare to stop them.

Once inside the palace, the three little fellows went straight to the Imperial Study.

The Imperial Study.

Eunuch Fu came out and happened to see Young Master Su and the others approaching.

They were small in stature, exquisitely cute, and people couldn’t help but like them.

Especially because each of them was sweet-talking, calling out to Eunuch Fu before they even got close.

"Why has the Ninth Prince returned to the palace in such hot weather?" Eunuch Fu asked with a smile.

"I was afraid Father might miss me, so I came back to let him see me," the Ninth Prince said, his face flushed.

Eunuch Fu, "...."

How long had the Ninth Prince stayed at Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

Even his speech carried the vibe of the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

But even as the Ninth Prince, he couldn’t enter the Imperial Study without the Emperor’s permission.

Previously, when the Ninth Prince stayed in the palace, the Emperor didn’t really think of him.

Now that he had moved to live at the Jibei Marquis Mansion with Young Master Su, the Emperor thought of him from time to time.

If the Ninth Prince could learn some of the skills of Marquis Dongxiang, no less than the son of Marquis Dongxiang, the Emperor would be pleased.

A little eunuch came out to invite the Ninth Prince in.

It had been a while since the Emperor last saw the Ninth Prince, and he sized him up from head to toe.

The most direct impression was that he had tanned a bit and seemed a bit taller.

Following Young Master Su around every day, not only had the Ninth Prince tanned, but Young Master Shen had also darkened a shade.

The Ninth Prince stepped forward, and the Emperor squeezed his arms, finding him much stronger.

"Do you train every day?" the Emperor asked.

The Emperor’s concern made the Ninth Prince feel a tinge of emotion.

He silently altered his true purpose for coming back to the palace.

He was different from Young Master Su.

He had returned to the palace to pay respects to his father, not for the sake of lizhi.

The Ninth Prince nodded, "I train every day, starting with a quarter-hour of horse stance in the morning, then a run around the garden, a half-hour of reading, and an hour of class each day."

The Emperor asked the Ninth Prince what books he had read.

The Ninth Prince answered one by one.

The little eunuch brought out the books the Ninth Prince had been reading for the Emperor.

The Emperor randomly tested, and the Ninth Prince recited them fluently.

This progress left the Emperor amazed.

He thought the Ninth Prince went to the Jibei Marquis Mansion just to play, but it turned out he didn’t neglect his studies, even exceeding the level he studied at in the palace.

It’s not just the academics and daily training; the Ninth Prince also learned archery. At the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, he even had a horse.

The little foal was still small, and Marquis Dongxiang hadn’t taught them to ride yet, but every evening, they had to bathe the horse.

These little foals were all top-notch.

Once the horses grew big enough to carry them, they would start learning how to ride.

This approach of familiarizing with the horse before learning to ride was something the Emperor hadn’t considered.

The Emperor worried that they were too young and that learning to ride could be dangerous.

Horses they raised themselves naturally recognized them as their masters.

Eunuch Fu knew the Emperor was pleased, and he said, "With the Ninth Prince learning alongside Young Master Su and the others, they will surely become pillars of the nation in the future."

They might even become the Crown Prince someday.

From this moment, the Emperor had a bit more expectation for the Ninth Prince.

With the Emperor’s encouragement, the Ninth Prince secretly vowed to study even harder.

Even if he couldn’t outdo Young Master Su, he must not fall behind Young Master Shen.

The Emperor was very satisfied and then sent them off.

Young Master Su, "...."

They came to get some lizhi.

They hadn’t seen any lizhi yet. How could they go back?

Young Master Su looked at the Emperor and asked, "Emperor, can I bum some food off of you?"

The Emperor, "...."

So straightforward, no beating around the bush.

The Emperor was momentarily at a loss.

"What do you want to eat?" the Emperor asked.

"Lizhi."

"...."

Such straightforward purpose instantly made the Emperor doubt their return to the palace.

If not for lizhi, they surely wouldn’t have thought to return to the palace.

A strong sense of frustration welled up within the Emperor.

Eunuch Fu almost suppressed an inner injury.

"Emperor?" Eunuch Fu called.

"Reward them with lizhi," the Emperor said weakly.

Eunuch Fu looked at the Emperor and said, "Emperor, you only kept one plate of lizhi, and the rest have already been distributed."

Lizhi doesn’t keep well, and the weather is extremely hot.

Out of ten boxes of lizhi sent to the Capital, only three boxes remained intact.

Fortunately, the officials delivering the lizhi knew to prioritize and used all the ice to preserve those three boxes; otherwise, they wouldn’t be fresh.

One box was taken to the Empress Dowager, and two boxes were brought to the Emperor.

The Emperor, having ascended the throne for over a decade, had tasted many delicacies and was not particularly fond of lizhi.

Each time he ate lizhi, the Emperor would think of Consort Yun.

Consort Yun loved lizhi but was allergic to them.

She would peel the lizhi for the Emperor to eat while watching.

Therefore, the Emperor never granted lizhi to the concubines, distributing more to the ministers of the previous court.

In the past, Duke Chong received many rewards, but not anymore.

Marquis Dongxiang was Consort Yun’s cousin, so the Emperor wanted to reward him but deemed it inappropriate.

Thus, the Emperor took a detour and rewarded Su Jin.

She used to live at Qingyun Mountain, and the transportation of lizhi wouldn’t pass by the foot of the mountain, leaving her no chance to intercept it, so the Emperor sent her extra to let her try.

Then the Emperor gave the entire box to Su Jin.

"Give that plate to them," the Emperor instructed.

Eunuch Fu instructed the little eunuch to bring the iced lizhi.

The little kids thanked the Emperor and began eating there.

They were eating happily, but then there were none left.

Three pairs of eyes stared at Eunuch Fu, their intentions unsaid yet clear.

Eunuch Fu shook his head, "There are none left."

"The Emperor rewarded the Heir’s wife of Prince Zhenbei with a box, she has some," Eunuch Fu said.

Young Master Su looked at Eunuch Fu, "Why did the Emperor reward my sister so much?"

He leaned in close to Eunuch Fu and asked, "Eunuch Fu, be honest, is my sister the Emperor’s daughter?"

Eunuch Fu, "...."

"Why do you ask that, Young Master?" Eunuch Fu was a bit bewildered.

Young Master Su couldn’t quite explain.

The Emperor was too nice to his sister.

He only kept one plate for himself, yet gave his sister an entire box.

The Ninth Prince is the Emperor’s son, and he didn’t get any.

Young Master Su said nothing further, and seeing Eunuch Fu’s bewildered expression, the Ninth Prince tugged at Eunuch Fu’s sleeve and said, "Ever since Su Yang’s big brother turned out not to be a biological son, Su Yang has frequently doubted if he himself is."

Eunuch Fu couldn’t help but smile.

Young Master Su stood up and said, "Then we’ll head to the Prince Zhenbei Mansion."

They took their leave from the Emperor.

Watching them dart away, Eunuch Fu found it amusing.

The Emperor looked at him and asked, "What did they say?"

Eunuch Fu chuckled, "The Emperor rewarded the Heir’s wife of Prince Zhenbei with a box of lizhi. Young Master Su asked if the Heir’s wife was your daughter."

The Emperor was drinking tea, and upon hearing this, he choked.

"Next time lizhi is offered as tribute, give him a box, or else he’ll think I’m his real father," the Emperor said, holding his forehead.

"Nine times out of ten, he’ll doubt it," Eunuch Fu laughed.

"Then reward him with a box."

"...."