Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

Sure enough, the originally joyful scene suddenly became silent.

Mu Lingxuan said directly: "If you are afraid, you don't have to eat!"

"Xuan'er, don't be unreasonable!" Mu Jingfeng scolded. Mu Lingxuan sneered and lowered his eyebrows without saying anything. But neither he nor Mu Jingfeng apologized for what they said before.

Lu Wentao's face turned red.

They stopped talking, but Liu Donglai was not happy. "What do you mean, Lord Lu? I sent my daughter here to honor my elders. Do you want to say that my daughter wants to murder her own father and uncle? Or is this how Lord Lu's children are filial to you?"

When Lu Wentao heard this, he immediately got angry. He could not afford to offend the Mu family now, but Liu Donglai was born into a peasant family. Even if there was the Xu family, his Lu family was not afraid of him.

So Lu Wentao immediately retorted: "General Zhongwu, your words are a bit far-fetched, I just..."

Before he could finish, Mu Lingxuan spoke again, "Just what? Are you just jealous of the Xu family for making contributions again and again, or are you jealous that this melon is not yours?"

“Prince Mu, please be careful with your words! Even if this General Zhongwu is a member of your Mu family army, you should not slander Fu just to protect him!” Lu Wentao’s thoughts were guessed, and he spoke without thinking in anger and shame!

It was this remark of his that annoyed Mu Jingfeng: "In my opinion, it is Lord Lu who should be careful with his words!"

Then Mu Jingfeng stood up, saluted to Xiao Yan and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, General Zhongwu is from the Mu Family Army, but he is not a member of the Mu Family Army. All land under heaven belongs to the king, and all soldiers under the command of the king are his subjects. Whether it is the Mu Family Army or everyone present, they are all your Majesty's men and your Majesty's soldiers! What Lord Lu said just now is obviously intended to sow discord between the Duke of Zhenguo and Your Majesty!"

Lu Wentao's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. He looked up in panic and saw Xiao Yan, who was sitting at the top of the table, with a gloomy face. He was so scared that he immediately knelt down and said in a hurry, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I did not mean to say that. I just said something wrong in a hurry. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." He begged for mercy while kowtowing.

Xiao Yan was still young, and when he heard Lu Wentao's words just now, his face looked a little bad, and now his face was as black as charcoal. "Enough! Lu Wentao, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was disrespectful in front of the palace, and made false statements and speculations, which is indeed a serious offense. I remember that you were diligent in the past, so this time I will punish you with a small punishment and a big warning. You will be fined for three months' salary, and reflect on yourself after you go back." Although Xiao Yan's voice was still childish, the majesty of the emperor was already evident.

Lu Wentao felt extremely remorseful and kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude: "I thank your Majesty for your grace. I will reflect deeply and never make the same mistake again."

At this time, the atmosphere in the hall was solemn and all the ministers were silent.

Seeing this, Old Master Ge hurriedly tried to smooth things over:

"Since this watermelon is a gift from Miss Liu to her elders, it must be good. And the Ministry of Internal Affairs will accept it, so there will be no problem. Your Majesty brought this watermelon for us to share, so why don't we shamelessly take advantage of it and taste it?"

All the ministers nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty and the ministers, rest assured. When the watermelon first arrived, Xu opened a sample and found that it was not only edible but also tasted great. That's why I sent it to the palace for Your Majesty to taste it." Xu Mingli said respectfully.

"The servants who came back said that because of its excellent taste but small quantity, the melons were snatched away by the wealthy merchants in Yongshun at the price of fifty taels of silver each. My niece was concerned about us and her father, so she withheld a dozen and sent them to us. I have the audacity to leave two or three for my family, and I hope Your Majesty will not blame me." After Xu Mingli finished speaking, he bowed.

Xiao Yan's expression eased slightly, and he said to Xu Mingli gently, "My dear, you are so sincere that you can give up your love. How can I blame you? Please get up quickly."

Then, as if he had just seen Fu Wentao, "Mr. Fu, please get up too!" Then, Xiao Yan said to the old steward, "Mr. Fu, have someone cut it into pieces and bring it over!"

"Yes!"

After a while, archers came with stacks of cut watermelons and distributed them to the important officials.

Looking at the green-skinned and red-fleshed pieces in front of them, many people dare not eat them.

Xiao Yan had eaten it last night, so he immediately picked it up and put it in his mouth. The officials below followed suit.

After they took a bite of the melon flesh, everyone's eyes lit up. It was already summer, and with the recent ceremony, everyone was wearing heavy court clothes, so you can imagine how hot it was.

Even though there are already a lot of ice cubes in the Purple Palace, he is still sweating profusely. At this time, a plate of watermelon is so refreshing.

Old Master Ge stroked his beard and said with emotion: "This melon is just as Lord Xu said, it tastes great. Your Majesty is so kind that you can let us taste this delicacy. It is really a blessing for us."

Old Prime Minister Song also nodded and agreed: "This watermelon is cool and refreshing. It is like a spring of fresh water in this hot summer, making people feel comfortable. Your Majesty, I am grateful for your grace."

"This melon not only tastes great, but what's even more rare is the filial piety of Miss Liu. Your Majesty's willingness to share it with us is truly an act of benevolence." Another minister said.

At this time, a minister who was good at flattery stood up and respectfully saluted Xiao Yan and said, "Your Majesty, this melon is so delicious, and it is something that your Majesty and I share. I dare to suggest that your Majesty give this melon a name to show your majesty's saintly virtue and grace."

Everyone nodded in agreement, expecting Xiao Yan to name the melon. The atmosphere in the Purple Palace gradually relaxed, and the previous tension and embarrassment were swept away.

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, looked at the expectant eyes of the crowd, and slowly said: "This melon brings coolness in the summer, and with the filial piety of Miss Liu, I will name it 'Xiaoqing Melon'. I hope that you will be like this melon, with filial piety in your heart, and be honest and upright."

Upon hearing this, all the ministers shouted in unison: "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty has given this melon a name, and it will surely be famous throughout the world. We, the ministers, will follow your Majesty's teachings, be filial in our hearts, and be honest and upright."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the Purple Palace was lively. Everyone tasted the "Xiaoqing Melon" and praised His Majesty's wise actions.

This controversy caused by the watermelon eventually became a good story after Xiao Yan gave it a name. The name "Xiaoqing Melon" also spread through the capital and even the whole country as ministers passed it on by word of mouth.

So much so that in the following years, due to the emperor's praise and the name he personally bestowed on the watermelon, the price of watermelon remained high, allowing Liu Xu and others to make a lot of money.

Because it was still a period of national mourning, Xiao Yan did not hold a grand palace banquet when he ascended the throne. He just had a simple vegetarian banquet with his ministers in the Purple Palace.

Naturally, the officials' wives were not invited, but the rewards were still there. In addition, after the banquet, Xiao Yan asked Fu Zongguan to cut two more pieces and send them to the various mansions together with the dishes bestowed by the emperor.

Liu Xu didn't know that because of this watermelon, she became a big hit in the capital on the day the new emperor ascended the throne.

Both the government and the aristocratic families were curious about her.