The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Ji Lingfeng stopped in his tracks and almost tripped and fell flat on his face.

The energy I had just mustered almost completely dissipated, my legs went weak, and I nearly couldn't jump up.

good, very good!

Shen Cao smiled and closed the window.

She was in a great mood, especially seeing Ji Lingfeng's vulnerable expression; she was even happier than if she had earned a hundred taels of silver.

More is not enough; I would be even happier if I could earn a thousand taels.

Hahaha.

Two major events have recently occurred in the capital.

One of them is that Prime Minister Du of the Great Xia Kingdom is said to have conspired with a prince of the Great Qing Kingdom to rebel, but the emperor and General Ji went through great hardships to uncover the truth.

In the end, the entire Du family was raided and their property confiscated; it is said that even the Empress in the palace was not spared.

The second major event is that the eldest daughter that Consort Shen found a while ago was a fake. I heard that the real one has been found, but in order to protect her, the news has not been announced to the world.

Moreover, it is said that this princess is not favored, and even her fiefdom is Xin'an County, which is 108,000 miles away from the capital.

"Sister, don't listen to their nonsense. You're not unfavored at all."

Wanyue looked at Shencao with a worried expression, afraid that she would be upset because of what these people said.

Shen Cao smiled and said, "Don't worry, you said it yourself, they're all talking nonsense. Besides, I asked my father for the fiefdom myself, and that place has a different meaning for me."

"It also has a different meaning for me, because I met the best sister in the world there."

"I also met the best sister in the world."

"What about me? Sister, have you forgotten me?" Shen Wan looked at Shen Cao with pitiful eyes.

Shen Cao quickly changed her words, "One of my best sisters, you are all my good sisters."

……

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation

Zhao Zhaoxun looked at Ji Lingfeng below; the important matters had already been discussed a quarter of an hour earlier.

Shu Hua was still waiting for her to have dinner, but Ji Lingfeng showed no intention of leaving.

"Well, Ling Feng, it's getting late, how about..." The Emperor glanced at the door and then tentatively began to speak.

"Then I will trouble Your Majesty to ask for a meal."

No, why are you staying for dinner? I never intended for you to stay.

Zhao Zhaoxun had no choice but to let Li Defu set out the meal first.

At the dinner table, remembering that he would be dining at Yuehua Palace later, he ate only a few bites.

"Does Your Majesty have no appetite?" Ji Lingfeng asked with concern when he saw that the emperor had barely eaten.

"Yes, I have no appetite."

“Yesterday when I went to Yuehua Palace, Shuhua mentioned to me that your mother came to the palace to chat with her a few days ago.”

"She's so worried about you, at your age, and still have no plans to settle down. She can't even eat."

"Upon hearing this, I certainly lost my appetite!"

"Cough cough!" Ji Lingfeng choked on his own words after being interrupted by the Emperor's words.

"Your Majesty, please do not take my mother's words to heart."

Ji Lingfeng lowered his head and ate somewhat awkwardly.

The Emperor saw his expression and laughed. Was Ji Lingfeng shy?

This was the first time he had seen him like this, and he couldn't help but feel like teasing him.

"By the way, I mentioned before that I would bestow a marriage upon you, and you said you already had a woman you liked."

"I wonder which family's daughter she is, that she could possibly capture your heart." The Emperor looked at him with a gossipy smile.

I really don't know what kind of girl someone likes.

"You're not young anymore, it's time for you to settle down. If you're interested, I'll grant you a marriage."

The Emperor stared at Ji Lingfeng with great curiosity, especially when he mentioned bestowing a marriage upon him; Ji Lingfeng's ears instantly turned bright red.

This made him even more curious about the woman he liked.

Ji Lingfeng didn't say anything, but just glanced at the Emperor before pretending to calmly continue eating.

This kid is getting embarrassed.

“Princess Wanming is now of marriageable age. Shouldn’t Your Majesty find her a husband?” Ji Lingfeng suddenly asked.

"There's no rush for tomorrow. Shuhua means that since she's only found tomorrow, we can wait a few more years. Anyway, she's only sixteen years old, so there's no hurry," the Emperor replied casually.

He didn't notice that Ji Lingfeng was stunned at first when he heard those words, and then his face turned dark.

"Why are you bringing up Wanming when we're not talking about you?"

"Her marriage is none of your business as her uncle to worry about, is it?"

The emperor was taken aback at first, then his expression changed as if he had thought of something, and he gave Ji Lingfeng a cold look.

"You! You!! The person you like wouldn't be..."

The other person glanced at him guiltily, then nodded.

The emperor was startled and immediately stood up, taking a step back.

"You! You're so old!" He didn't say aloud that he actually wanted to be the emperor's son-in-law.

"Cao'er and I are only six years apart. Besides, if I remember correctly, the age difference between you and Consort Shen is more than six years."

"You're talking about your own business, why are you bringing me up!" The Emperor glared at him.

Ji Lingfeng immediately backed down.

"In terms of seniority, you are my younger brother, and therefore her uncle."

"My mother only gave birth to one sister."

The implication is that I don't have a half-brother like you.

"Alas!" The Emperor sighed heavily.

The entire room was unusually quiet.

The emperor was frustrated. He treated him like a brother, but the man actually wanted to recognize him as his father.

Ji Lingfeng felt guilty; he was unsure of himself.

After a while, the emperor glared at him, wondering why he had never disliked him so much before.

"Please allow me to think about this carefully."

"it is good."

"Your Majesty, don't forget that you promised to bestow a marriage upon me," Ji Lingfeng reminded him.

How could I have known that you would be fond of my daughter?

Zhao Zhaoxun could no longer laugh.

"roll!"

He just couldn't stand the sight of that kid.

Seeing that General Ji had left, Li Defu came in and reminded him, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is waiting for you to have your meal."

The Emperor glanced at him, thinking, "This annoying thing, can't you see he's annoyed right now?"

Li Defu touched his nose dejectedly, wondering what he had done wrong.

Didn't I just remind him to have dinner at Yuehua Palace?

Moon Palace

Shen Shuhua helped the Emperor wash his hands and asked with concern, "Didn't you say you had nothing to do today? Why are you so late?"

"Some things took a while," the Emperor replied in a lowered tone.

"Your Majesty must be hungry. Today, I have specially asked the Imperial Kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes."

The emperor picked up his chopsticks. Most of the dishes on the table were his favorites, but he had no appetite.

He put down his chopsticks and sighed heavily.

Seeing that the Emperor had no appetite, Shen Shuhua put down her chopsticks and took his hand. "Your Majesty, is something troubling you?"

The emperor looked at his beloved's concerned gaze and didn't know how to speak for a moment.

Shen Shuhua thought it was inconvenient for the Emperor to tell her, so she wanted to change the subject and divert the Emperor's attention.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember Grand Tutor Zhou's granddaughter? Didn't Lady Ji ask me to help find a wife for Ling Feng a couple of days ago?"

"Your Majesty, I think that Grand Tutor Zhou's granddaughter is very suitable in terms of both family background and appearance. What do you think?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Shuhua noticed that the Emperor's face had darkened.