Marrying a royal playboy and becoming a glamorous matriarch

Even though Wei Qingrou noticed that something was wrong with him, he refrained from making any moves, which made Wei Qingrou feel much more at ease, and she was finally able to get a good night's sleep.

However, Qin Ping'an was unruly; he couldn't eat meat himself, and he wouldn't let Wei Qingrou have any peace either.

When the night was deep and quiet, Wei Qingrou was asleep when he shook her awake.

Wei Qingrou, thinking there was something important to discuss secretly at night, immediately came to her senses: "Husband, what is it that is so important?"

Qin Ping'an pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "How did you achieve that 'the will of all people'?"

Huh? Wei Qingrou was full of questions. Was this important? Why did she have to wake her up in the middle of the night?

He bumped into her hard. "Speak!"

Wei Qingrou shrank back in fright, then sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation: "That's made with taro paste and fresh milk. Actually, I used to call it Taro Boba Milk Tea. Is there anything else? I'm going to sleep."

Qin Ping'an whispered in her ear, his tone slightly resentful: "I never knew you were such a good cook before. You were actually keeping it a secret from me."

Wei Qingrou wanted to roll her eyes, but she held back. All he wanted was a drink; did he have to be so sarcastic and say such sour things?

She patted his handsome face hard to calm herself down.

"Go away, stop taking advantage of me, I'm talking about serious matters!" Qin Ping'an squeezed her hand in annoyance.

"My husband, we've only been married for a few days. There's a long road ahead. I'll make it for you when the opportunity arises."

Wei Qingrou casually coaxed her, saying, "We'll talk about it later. Anyway, it's just empty promises, feel free to make them."

"Hmph." Qin Ping'an snorted coldly, bit her ear hard, and turned away, ignoring her.

Tch, what a temper.

Wei Qingrou tugged at him, but he rolled over and pinned her to the bed, rubbing against her fiercely.

"This is the palace, can't you just behave yourself? Why do you have to seduce me?"

No, Wei Qingrou felt wronged and wanted to raise her hands to prove her innocence; she really hadn't thought about that.

Is your brain full of lewd nonsense, you spoiled brat!

Taking care of the emperor during his illness was a difficult task, but Qin Ping'an was just an idle playboy who knew nothing and only knew how to have fun with the emperor every day. One day he would go fishing, the next he would fly kites, and he never stopped for a moment.

Wei Qingrou did all the hard work. Ever since her cooking caught the eye of Emperor Longxing, she was put in charge of every meal.

Wei Qingrou worked diligently, not only to satisfy the emperor's appetite but also to meet the imperial physicians' requirements for conditioning his body. She racked her brains trying to come up with recipes until her brain was almost atrophied.

But Qin Ping'an wouldn't let her off the hook, constantly finding ways to make things difficult for Wei Qingrou.

I don't know what kind of trouble she complained to the emperor about today, but she said she wanted to eat crystal mung bean cake and watch Wei Qingrou grind it by hand.

Helpless, the people from the imperial kitchen moved the millstone to the imperial garden and said to Wei Qingrou, "Madam Qin, please."

Tsk.

Wei Qingrou really wanted to ask, "Isn't there a donkey in the palace? Why do I have to pull the millstone?"

But she dared not cause trouble, much less abandon the emperor.

Let alone making her pull the millstone, even if Emperor Longxing wanted to watch a monkey show, she would have to learn how to do somersaults.

Fortunately, Wei Qingrou was used to grinding tofu, and she also used her hands to pinch and grind mung beans, so she didn't embarrass herself.

But while she was painstakingly grinding beans, Emperor Longxing and Qin Ping'an were laughing and joking beside her, which sounded particularly jarring.

After working hard for half a day, she finally finished making a cool, crystal-clear mung bean cake and respectfully presented it to the emperor.

The emperor praised, "Excellent, Lady Wei has worked hard."

"Your Majesty's delight is a blessing for this crystal cake, and also a blessing for me."

Wei Qingrou smiled and was very respectful.

Emperor Longxing was very satisfied. "I never expected that poor bricklayer Wei Liqun could raise such a clever and beautiful daughter. She's not entirely useless."

Wei Qingrou dared not respond to these words and lowered her eyes in silence.

But Qin Ping'an dared to accept, "That's right, I thought Wei Liqun was just good at masonry and bricklaying. I really didn't expect his family to have such a good daughter. When I was looking for someone to marry, he pretended to be deaf and dumb and kept it a secret."

Actually, there's a deeper meaning behind those words.

He was saying that Vice Minister Wei was honest and upright, and dared not have any ulterior motives of currying favor with the royal family, but unfortunately, he had a rebellious son named Wei Lanxin.

Emperor Longxing understood perfectly well. He gave a cold snort, clearly thinking of his beloved crown prince who had been abducted.

Qin Ping'an continued with a smile, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince had previously requested a southern tour from you, but you did not grant it. He has been keeping this in mind and even asked me to intercede on his behalf."

Emperor Longxing remained silent. It was indeed true; he had tried to stop the child from going out because he felt sorry for him, but that had only angered him.

"It's good to let him go out and have some fun now. He can come back when he's tired."

Qin Ping'an was trying to win over Emperor Longxing's heart, but the emperor only had this one son, how could he let him go?

"Ping An, your uncle is my only son, so I can't be too lenient with him. You've always had a good relationship with your cousin, so can you think of a way to bring him back? Is that feasible?"

Emperor Longxing lowered his brows and eyes, and his tone softened, showing weakness to his juniors for the first time.

He was really scared.

Qin Ping'an was in a difficult position, but he dared not refuse in the slightest. He knelt down and patted his chest loudly, assuring his uncle, "Uncle, rest assured, I will do my best."

Emperor Longxing then let out a long sigh and looked at Wei Qingrou kneeling to the side.

"You and your niece-in-law have worked hard these past few days, go back now."

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief, kowtowed to express their gratitude, and left the capital that same day.

Along with them, they also received an imperial edict.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have heard that Prince Dun's son, Qin Ping'an, is of both talent and virtue, and is self-disciplined and devoted to his parents. I am greatly pleased and hereby bestow upon him the title of Seventh-Rank Clerk. His wife is gentle and virtuous, possessing both beauty and virtue. I commend her conduct and hereby bestow upon her the title of Seventh-Rank Lady. Therefore, he should take my bestowal as an encouragement to continue to uphold filial piety and conduct himself with virtue. So be it!"

Prince Dun and his wife accepted the imperial decree to express their gratitude, and then received a pile of rewards. Both of them were beaming with joy.

The princess stuffed a thick embroidered purse into the eunuch's hand, and after seeing him off with great joy, she held the imperial edict and kept reading it, her whole being radiant.

Her eyes were shining as she looked at Wei Qingrou. Originally, her son's reputation was so bad that everyone in the capital knew about him, and he couldn't find a wife even with a lot of money. But unexpectedly, after marrying Qingrou, the two of them went to the palace and received a reward.

In the past, Qin Ping'an would go to the palace every few days, but he never managed to get an official position. Now that Qingrou accompanied him, things are different. This is all thanks to Qingrou.

Although a seventh-rank official isn't a high-ranking position, it's a legitimate imperial decree, quite different from those clansmen who got their positions through connections. It's a matter of face and prestige.

This wife is the right one for her son; the princess likes Wei Qingrou more and more the more she looks at her.

That spoiled brat of hers has married a good wife; he's truly saved.

"Qingrou, you've worked hard taking care of me. What would you like to eat? I'll have someone make it for you."

She said with a smile, "The food here at Mother's is all delicious. I'll eat whatever you like, and my daughter-in-law loves it."