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"Oh, so this house belongs to your grandfather," Xiao Yao said, understanding.
"Yes." He Yu's voice was a bit low, and after a pause, he continued, "When my grandfather passed away, the emperor once wanted to reclaim this house. Later, because my father died in battle, it was returned to me."
"Why? Wasn't this granted by the Great Ancestor?" Xiao Yao asked in surprise.
He Yu's expression was somewhat sarcastic as he smiled and said, "The emperor was afraid that my father would gather private soldiers around this house."
"What?!" Xiao Yao could hardly imagine. "The emperor's suspicion is that heavy?!"
He Yu nodded and exhaled. "Actually, it can be understood. The emperor himself was not the legitimate heir when he ascended the throne; at that time, he had just taken the throne and his position was unstable. My father was away at war, and imperial orders were not always obeyed. Holding a large army naturally aroused the emperor's suspicion.
"At that time, outside Yanmen Pass, the enemy was almost at our doorstep, yet the emperor insisted on having my father return to the capital to personally hand over the imperial decree and land deed for this house. Because of this delay, we missed the best opportunity for battle, which ultimately led to my father's death..." As he spoke, He Yu's eyes were already filled with red veins, his gaze fixed intently on the window.
Xiao Yao was also somewhat stunned. She never expected that merely an emperor's suspicion could lead to such calamity. She reached out and wrapped her arms around He Yu's waist, murmuring, "So the emperor found out there were no private soldiers in this house and then out of guilt brought you back to the palace to raise you by his side?"
"Yes," He Yu nodded. "One reason is because of his guilt; if it weren't for him, that battle wouldn't have been lost and my father wouldn't have died. The other reason is simply that keeping me close makes it easier for him to supervise me."
As he spoke, there were several cold laughs in He Yu's tone.
Xiao Yao sat up and touched the corner of He Yu's mouth, saying, "Don't be like this; I’m scared of that expression on your face."
Her words startled He Yu. He turned his head and saw Xiao Yao staring at him intently. The slightly cold expression on his face instantly softened. He caressed Xiao Yao's cheek gently, his voice warm and tender as he said, "Don't worry; you are my treasure for life. I would never be angry with you."
"Really?"
"Really, more real than gold," He Yu affirmed earnestly.
Xiao Yao smiled, leaning against He Yu's embrace. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Actually, I don't know what to do. In a way, the Emperor is your father's murderer. I won't stop you from seeking revenge. Moreover, you are a prince, and I am your princess. No matter what you do, I believe you have your reasons. Don't worry, I will definitely stand firmly by your side."
He Yu looked surprised. "You really trust me that much?"
Then he recalled the dream from that night, and He Yu felt a sense of clarity wash over him. Guilt surged within his chest. Xiao Yao looked at He Yu, opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, He Yu pulled her into his embrace. His voice seemed a bit hoarse as he said, "I know, I know."
Startled by He Yu's sudden emotion, Xiao Yao didn't know what to say and simply allowed He Yu to hold her quietly.
Now that she was a married woman, there were certain responsibilities she had to fulfill as a wife.
For example, facing a good husband with complete trust and support.
The two of them shared their feelings until the afternoon.
At that moment, Yun Zhu walked in and smiled, "I wonder what the master would like for dinner?"
"What do we have?" Xiao Yao asked.
"The chef mentioned that there are wild boars just caught from the back mountain, as well as mountain chickens and rabbits. As for vegetables, you can take a look at the Vegetable Garden," Yun Zhu replied. She knew Xiao Yao loved these natural things; they even grew some peppers in the courtyard of the residence.
"Wow? There's a Vegetable Garden?" Xiao Yao exclaimed in surprise.
He Yu chuckled softly. "This is a manor; of course there is one. You just didn't ask, so I didn't mention it. If you want to go now, I'll accompany you."
"Great!" Xiao Yao eagerly got out of bed and changed her clothes to head towards the Vegetable Garden but was pulled back by He Yu. "Why are you in such a hurry? Fix your hair first; be careful not to get it caught in the Vegetable Garden. If it gets stuck and you can't pull it out, I won't be responsible!"
"Alright." Xiao Yao pouted reluctantly and returned to sit in front of the mirror for Yun Zhu to style her hair.
Mainly, she tied her hair up, not allowing it to hang down, otherwise long hair could easily get caught.
Finally, after a lot of effort, Xiao Yao dragged He Yu towards the Vegetable Garden. "Hey, hurry up!"
"The Vegetable Garden is right there; what's the difference between getting there early or late?" He Yu looked at Xiao Yao, who seemed like a child, and found it quite amusing. He shook his head. "Are you afraid it will grow legs and run away?"
"Uh..." Hearing He Yu's words, Xiao Yao felt it made some sense. She stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. "It's just that I've never seen it before; I'm curious!"
He Yu found it funny, but then thought about it and realized it was normal. She indeed had never seen these things, so her excitement was understandable.
She patted Xiao Yao on the head and took her to the Vegetable Garden.
The autumn Vegetable Garden was quite bountiful. It was indeed large, giving a feeling of being endless at a glance.
He Yu picked two chili peppers and said with a smile, "Usually, the vegetables from our residence are transported from here."
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao couldn't help but sigh. In this feudal society, having power and land was great; a custom-grown vegetable cultivation base was simply wonderful.
Xiao Yao looked around. She actually didn't need to do anything herself; there were already people following nearby. She pointed to some corn not far away and said, "That corn, and Taro, and peanuts—just wash them clean and steam them directly to eat."
"Ah?" The workers' eyes widened in surprise; they were a bit dumbfounded. How do you eat it like that?
"Don't understand?" Xiao Yao glanced at He Yu and saw he also had a confused expression. She suddenly realized that these people must be used to luxurious food and had never eaten such natural things before. So, Xiao Yao patiently explained it to them again.
The worker stammered, "Really don't need to add anything else?"
"What else would you need? You have to eat it in its original flavor!" Xiao Yao waved her hand impatiently.
He Yu said, "Since the princess has already done this, why aren't you moving?"
The servant could only pitifully follow along, still muttering to himself that this dish was tasteless, and what would he say if it didn't turn out well?
However, Xiao Yao didn't care about that. She added two more vegetables, thinking it was about enough, and then took He Yu's hand as they walked back.
As the sun set, the evening sky was filled with patches of fiery clouds, truly a beautiful sight.
Xiao Yao tugged at He Yu with both hands, leaning back to look at the sky and said, "Hehe, tomorrow is definitely going to be sunny."
"Yes," He Yu smiled back. "The sunset is so brilliant today; tomorrow will surely be nice. Do you want to go hunting?"
"Hunting?" Xiao Yao's eyes lit up again. "Can I go?"
"Of course you can. There's a hunting ground on the hillside ahead. If you don't want to go hunting, we can also ride horses and enjoy the scenery; that's nice too," He Yu replied with a smile.
"Great!" Xiao Yao felt like she was going crazy with happiness. This village was so much more fun than the capital, where she always had to maintain her composure and accompany this person or that one; it was truly exhausting.
Over here, Xiao Yao and He Yu were in their own world, their joy evident.
Meanwhile, the servant who was picking vegetables had a bitter expression as he carried the harvested vegetables to the kitchen.
The head chef in the kitchen was troubled upon hearing that the princess wanted them cleaned and steamed for immediate consumption. What should he do?
Just then, Li Pei, who had just finished tidying up at the estate, came out and saw both of them looking distressed. He asked, "What’s with the long faces?"
The servant repeated the princess's request verbatim.
However, after all, it was serving these two masters. Li Pei appeared much calmer; wasn't it just steaming these things? What was so difficult about it?
Li Pei rolled up his sleeves and began assigning tasks, "You, chop this corn into pieces; you, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks; you, peel the taro; as for you, wash the peanuts clean."
The kitchen, which had been at a loss, suddenly sprang into action. Li Pei took a tour around the kitchen and had someone handle the rabbit and mountain chicken. Li Da stood nearby and asked, "Master, are we going to cook the rabbit today?"
"Forget it for now, just prepare it and hang it up to cool," Li Pei shook his head. "I estimate that Ming Wang Ye is going hunting; if he brings back more rabbits, we can deal with them together later. For now, handle the wild boar and mountain chicken, clean the pig's stomach, debone the mountain chicken, and wash and cut the celery, chili peppers, and potatoes."
"Understood." Li Da knew that his master was preparing to make a set of three treasures today, so he quickly led a few people to get busy.
Once Li Da had given his instructions, the peanuts were almost done washing. Li Pei sent someone to fetch some water for the pot and then poured in the peanuts. While fetching water, Li Pei chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic and tossed them all into the pot. Then he added star anise, fennel, and chili peppers along with salt and said, "Start the fire."
After about fifteen minutes of boiling, Li Pei deemed it ready and stopped paying attention to the peanuts. "Let them soak in flavor for now; let's steam the corn, sweet potatoes, and taro first."
Li Pei methodically directed each task one by one. The people in the kitchen gradually settled down and felt in their hearts that serving the prince and princess was indeed no ordinary feat; their composure was remarkable!
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