The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

"What is this?" Qiao Rong opened the box and his face turned green. He slammed the lid shut and ran after the sedan chair that had already gone far away.

After getting into the carriage, Qiao Rong opened the food box again. "Your Highness, these jujube cakes are still warm. Have a piece!"

"This old steward only has date cakes in his head, and he even said they were delicious. I knew the trap was this! I really don't understand why the imperial kitchen would make this so early in the morning!" Despite saying this, Cheng Youning still took a piece and ate it; he was hungry even if he didn't eat it.

Qiao Rong also ate it. Although he wasn't a picky eater, he got tired of eating it every few days. "The Emperor likes it, so the Imperial Kitchen prepares jujube cakes every day!"

"Even my great-uncle would get tired of eating like this!"

Qiao Rong said, "Judging from this, His Majesty probably hasn't had enough to eat yet!"

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Wan Lianxing was enjoying a plate of piping hot jujube cakes while reading memorials.

"Your Majesty, how are the jujube cakes today?"

"Did you make these?" The jujube cakes made by the old butler have a familiar taste that others can't tell the difference from, but Wan Lianxing can!

The old steward couldn't stop smiling. Seeing that the Emperor enjoyed the food, he was happier than if he had eaten it himself. "Only the jujube filling was made by this old servant!"

"I certainly like the jujube cakes you made yourself, but you are getting old. In the future, you should leave these things to others. Don't do everything yourself. Less worry will help you live a long and healthy life!"

The old steward grinned and said, "This old servant is destined to worry. If His Majesty doesn't want this old servant to worry, then he's kicking this old servant out of the palace. If His Majesty finds this old servant annoying, then he can bestow upon this old servant a few acres of barren land to farm!"

Wan Lianxing glanced sideways at the old steward, "I'm tired of hearing that. I just feel sorry for you and don't want you to work so hard! It's fine if someone else makes these jujube cakes!"

Upon hearing this, the old steward said with feigned seriousness, "How can they be the same? His Majesty always says that the jujube cakes have a special flavor after being handled by this old servant! Not only does His Majesty love these jujube cakes, but the Crown Prince also enjoys them. His Highness should be eating some jujube cakes right now."

Wan Lianxing's lips twitched. He thought to himself, "That brat Crown Prince is only doing this to give you face, so you have no choice but to eat."

"The Crown Prince didn't have breakfast?"

The old steward came here to report, "The Crown Prince is in a hurry to go to the hunting grounds in the south of the city. He said he had arranged to meet his classmates at the Imperial Academy and go hunting together."

"He's just showing off that hunting dog!"

The old steward chuckled, "His Majesty understands the Crown Prince best. If the Crown Prince is happy, let him go! The Crown Prince likes that hunting dog that was presented as tribute from the Southern Yan Kingdom!"

Wan Lianxing shook his head. "He doesn't like hunting dogs; he likes animals. He likes any small, living animal."

"By the way, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince wants you to wait for some wild game tonight!"

"Very well! I'll be waiting!"

At the hunting grounds outside the south city, a large group of people had been waiting for a long time. Cheng Youning was sitting in the carriage and saw his classmates from the Imperial Academy standing there in a row.

Upon seeing the Crown Prince's entourage, everyone quickly made way.

The prince jumped off the carriage with his dog, and everyone, who seemed to be waiting impatiently, stepped forward to pay their respects.

Although the wait was long, no one dared to complain. Even when the sun set, no one dared to utter a word of complaint. However, there was one person who couldn't: Cheng Youning's brother-in-law, Hong Yuncong. He was tall and burly, with a fair complexion. He squeezed in front of Cheng Youning and loudly asked, "Brother-in-law, why did you take so long? We've been waiting for you here for over an hour!"

Cheng Youning really disliked Hong Yuncong calling him "brother-in-law," but given the man's idiocy, he tolerated it.

"I didn't want to arrive so late either. I can't leave until the court session is adjourned!"

That's how the morning court sessions are. If ministers have nothing to report, the session ends quickly. If they have something to report, it can take a long time. If ministers start arguing in the court, the session ends even faster. Cheng Youning has seen this many times and is used to it.

"Brother-in-law, you left court so late today, is there anything interesting?"

Cheng Youning glanced at Wei Wenchen, "Go ask Wei Wenchen!"

Wei Wenchen's lips twitched, his face stiffened, and he pointed to himself, saying uncertainly, "Your Highness, your lateness after court has nothing to do with me?"

"It has nothing to do with you, but it does to your father. With one memorial from your father, no one can leave the court!"

At this moment, everyone looked at Wei Wenchen, not out of reproach but out of envy. This man was the son of the Minister of Rites, whose father was the head of the Ministry of Rites. The four departments under his jurisdiction had been extremely busy for the past two months.

A month ago, the Ministry of Rites' Sacrificial Affairs Department held a grand sacrificial ceremony for Feng Qi, with almost the entire city participating, and even people from nearby prefectures and counties coming to observe. Before the excitement had even died down, the foreign envoys arrived, and the Ministry of Rites' Reception Department immediately became very busy. It's said that the foreign envoys won't be leaving for at least ten days, so how can the Minister of Rites possibly have any time to report to the emperor these days?

On the surface, Wei Wenchen seemed to feel guilty because his father delayed the Crown Prince's dismissal from court and made everyone wait for so long. In reality, his eyes were full of pride. Having such a father was his pride. With such a father, no one in the Imperial Academy would disrespect him.

Cheng Youning looked at the crowd. Everyone who was supposed to come had come, even those students from other prefectures and counties whose homes were not in Fengying City.

Then look at the people walking dogs; they're all sons of officials.

Those dogs barked at me, and I barked back; the entire hunting ground was filled with their barking. It wasn't just the people who were getting impatient; the dogs were already impatient.

Cheng Youning looked at the dogs. They were of various breeds, but the most common breed was greyhounds. They all had big eyes and pointed snouts, and there were several yellow ones.

They pawed the ground and lunged forward with all their might; as soon as their owner let go, these dogs would disappear in the blink of an eye.

Once the rules of the competition were explained, a whistle blew, and all the hunting dogs in the arena shot off like arrows.

Su Changjing gripped his knees with both hands, sticking his butt out, and shouted at his hunting dog, "Big Yellow, run, run! If you catch the rabbit, I'll reward you with a chicken leg tonight."

There were quite a few people shouting at their dogs, creating a chaotic scene. Cheng Youning was the only one who clearly heard Su Changjing's words. He looked at Su Changjing and asked, "Is your dog named Dahuang?"

Su Changjing turned around and ran towards Cheng Youning like a lackey, "Your Highness, have you seen my hunting dog? It has yellow fur all over its body, shiny and clean, without a single stray hair. I named it, although it's a bit tacky, it's easy to pronounce."

Tacky? Cheng Youning looked away from her dog and searched for her big yellow dog. She thought to herself, "I was careless when I named it. It has the same name as Su Changjing's dog! It's not just having the same name, but also being called tacky."

Su Changjing, confused, scratched his head and looked at the cold-faced Qiao Rong, forcing a smile: "Qiao Rong, is there something wrong with my dog, Da Huang?"