Chapter 106
The next day after King Jing and Li Yu returned home, Ye Qinghuan received the news and personally came to tell them the good news.
Princess Jinjue gave birth to a daughter two months ago. Ye Qinghuan was so happy that he went crazy. Because King Jing and the others were on the road, they didn’t know about the news until now.
Ye Qinghuan, who had a daughter, was like a little bee, buzzing non-stop. “She’s really small. Her face is not even as big as my palm, but she’s so cute. I, I’ve never seen such a cute girl …”
King Jing disliked him for being noisy, but it was Ye Qinghuan’s first time being a father, and he even had a precious daughter. If he was dragged out, he would still show off!
In fact, King Jing himself wasn’t to be outdone. He hatched the fish eggs himself, and on the day the little fish hatched, he smiled for the whole day. He wasn’t as calm as Ye Qinghuan. Li Yu, who knew the truth, laughed loudly. It seemed like there was no winner between King Jing and Ye Qinghuan.
It was just a daughter …
Li Yu had only dealt with the fish’s sons. When he thought of the cute, cute, and well-behaved little girl, he actually yearned for it.
He couldn’t help but touch his flat stomach. It had been a year since he gave birth to the fish eggs. Because he was a fish, his body was almost unaffected. Later, he had done it with King Jing countless times. Although the “Imprint” effect was gone, the System said that he could conceive normally, which meant that he could continue to give birth. However, it had been a year since he gave birth. The probability was too low.
After seeing the cuteness of the fish babies, Li Yu was eager to have a second child, even though it was a little difficult.
King Jing worked very hard last night. Because he had been on the road for a long time, he didn’t have much to eat. He accumulated a lot in such a short time. Would he get pregnant?
But he was a System fish. If he got pregnant, the System should have notified him. Like last time, the System would choose between a human or a fish. He didn’t hear any notification last night.
… It seemed that the revolution wasn’t successful. Comrade King Jing still needed to work hard.
Li Yu glanced at Old Attack’s waist with a burning gaze.
Ye Qinghuan was still blabbering on and on. King Jing couldn’t take it anymore and ordered Wang Xi to take him out with two thick red packets.
Ye Qinghuan held the red packet in his hand and suddenly understood. Could it be …
“Tian Chi, are you jealous that I have such a cute daughter?”
King Jing: “…”
There was no jealousy. Get lost!
Ye Qinghuan and the Princess’s daughter had been conferred the title of Qinghe Junzhu by the Emperor on the day she was one month old. The Emperor had never been stingy towards the younger generation. Because the young Junzhu was still too young, it was not appropriate for her to visit. Li Yu ran over to Ye Qinghuan and whispered for a while. They agreed that they would bring the treasures to celebrate the young Junzhu’s hundredth day.
Ye Qinghuan specifically reminded him, “Don’t forget to bring Xiaoyu along, and that nest of little fishes. The princess has been talking about your fish.”
Li Yu: “…” Fine, I’m out of ideas again.
Li Yu hurriedly looked at King Jing for help. On the hundredth day, he had to take care of his son, a bunch of fish pillows, and turn into real fish. He would definitely be too busy. It would be best if King Jing could cover for him.
King Jing coughed softly and turned his face away, pretending not to see anything. Who asked this carp to be in such a hurry to see the Princess and Junzhu?
Li Yu: “???”
Li Yu’s face turned bitter. Everything was fine just now. Why was His Highness angry?
As soon as Ye Qinghuan left, Eunuch Luo arrived with a string of rewards.
It was inconvenient for the Emperor to reward King Jing, but he really liked the four treasures, so he gave all the rewards to the children.
Eunuch Luo read until his throat was almost smoking. Wang Xi considerately served him a cup of tea. Eunuch Luo took a sip and happily continued reading.
Li Yu stood beside King Jing and listened respectfully. He was secretly speechless.
Jewelry, cloth, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings were nothing. Among the rewards, there were even bows, arrows, horses, and the Four Books and Five Classics. The Emperor had clearly arranged for the treasures for the next ten years.
Most of the rewards were in quadruplicate. The only difference was that the Emperor gave Dabao was a set of Si Bao and a jade ruyi. The other treasures were two bags of gold embroidered with the words “Safe and Auspicious”.
It was obvious that the Emperor was treating Dabao differently.
King Jing smiled and looked at Wang Xi. Wang Xi hurriedly told Li Yu on his behalf, “Princess Consort, Eldest Young Master is the heir. The rewards should be more generous.”
Li Yu nodded. He understood that the status of the legitimate eldest son was unique in ancient times. But would the little fishes fight over this?
Li Yu remembered that when he used to carry Si Bao on his head, the other little fishes would also be jealous. Li Yu usually tried to pay more attention to them. For example, Dabao was much smarter than ordinary babies and easily attracted attention. King Jing liked to carry Si Bao more. After Li Yu found out, he would carry Er Bao and San Bao more to prevent them from being wronged.
But if the rewards were different, how could he let the little fishes understand that Dabao was different?
If King Jing was only a prince, Dabao would inherit the throne in the future.
If King Jing ascended the throne, Dabao would most likely be the crown prince.
One step was different, and every step was different.
This was probably what the ordinary princes found the most difficult to reconcile.
Because he was the one who gave birth to the little fishes, there was no distinction between the legitimate eldest son and the concubine. In fact, this distinction was very vague. Li Yu laid the fish eggs in his sleep, so he couldn’t tell which baby’s eggs came out. King Jing was determined according to the order in which the little fishes hatched. In this sense, Dabao might not be the real eldest son.
Would the other little fishes be dissatisfied because of this?
Li Yu carefully observed for two days. The little fishes ate and slept as usual without any dissatisfaction.
Except for the day of the reward, Dabao was almost drowned in the saliva of the other little fishes.
Li Yu concluded that the little fishes were still too young. Even if they were different from ordinary children, they had been little fishes for a period of time, so they wouldn’t understand such complicated things as power and status.
It was better to let them have a happy childhood and worry about the future later.
Their father, King Jing, hadn’t even ascended the throne, so there was no need to worry about them now.
Just as he calmly let go of this matter, another unexpected thing happened. For some reason, the little fishes began to collectively throw tantrums.
Li Yu remembered that the last time they threw tantrums, it was because they were weaned. He was puzzled. Obviously, the conditions were better after moving back to the imperial city, so shouldn’t the little fishes be happier?
In any case, Li Yu himself was happier. On this trip back, he heard from Eunuch Wang that King Jing had even poached a roast duck chef from Quanju in the western border. He was planning to open another roast duck restaurant in the imperial city. Wasn’t it all to please him?
Li Yu was very self-aware, so he was waiting for King Jing to take him to eat roast duck.
… … Ah, ah, ah, why did I accidentally think of food? Li Yu quickly wiped away the saliva that flowed out. He was concerned about the little fishes.
The little fishes had just moved back to the prince’s mansion and were safe and sound. The first time they threw tantrums was … … the next day, Li Yu and King Jing carried them around the mansion.
The prince’s mansion was the little fishes’ home. What was wrong with them visiting their own home?
Li Yu pondered for a while and found that Si Bao was facing the window and calling out, “Ah, ah,” as if he wanted to see something.
Li Yu carried Si Bao over. Outside the window was a corner of the huge fish pond that King Jing had built for him. The pond was filled with clear water.
“Ah, ah, ah!” I want to swim!
Si Bao raised his chubby little hand and pointed at the pond, looking back at his father with tears in his eyes.
Li Yu: “… …”
Si Bao expressed his wish first, and the other babies also pointed at the pond and called out to their father. Da Bao, who was the most sensible, called out the loudest.
So that’s why!
Li Yu finally understood why the little fishes were unhappy. There was such a huge fish pond in the prince’s mansion, but the little fishes could only look at it and not swim. Of course, they were unhappy.
It just so happened that King Jing had something to do and was not in the mansion for the time being. Li Yu thought of a solution and asked Wang Xi to bring a big bathtub over. There was a lot of water in the bathtub that was at a suitable temperature. He took off the clothes of the little fishes, wrapped a small towel around their lower bodies, and hung a small piece of wood on their bodies. He then asked them to hold the wood and swim in the water.
When the four little fishes entered the water, they couldn’t swim even if they wanted to. When they realized that there was no tail behind their little buttocks, they were very sad and all of them cried loudly.
Li Yu didn’t expect that they would cry after entering the water, so he quickly followed them and stayed with the little fishes.
The little fishes huddled closely around their father. It was only when they were still little fishes that they felt a little more comfortable.
Li Yu stayed in the bathtub for a while. He remembered that at a time like this, how could there be no bubbles? Li Yu took a dry towel and hastily wrapped it around the necessary area. He had already cleared out all the servants in this room, leaving only him and the little fishes. It shouldn’t be a problem if they didn’t run around naked, right?
Li Yu pattered out of the bathtub and took out a lot of bathtub beans. These bathtub beans were the ancient version of soap. Li Yu ground the bathtub beans and dissolved them in a bamboo tube. He then used an iron wire to make a bend of the right size.
After he was ready, Li Yu pattered back and dipped the iron wire into the bamboo tube. He then puffed up his cheeks and blew in the direction of the bathtub.
His efforts were not in vain. He actually blew out a huge rainbow-colored bubble.
Da Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, and Si Bao, “!!!”
The father of the fishes blew bubbles!
The little fishes in the bathtub instantly forgot about their troubles of not having a tail and scrambled to chase after the bubbles.
King Jing had originally gone out to handle some matters. When he returned halfway, he found that the door to Xiaoyu’s room was tightly shut. The servants had all gone elsewhere. King Jing curiously opened the door and took a look. He saw a carp wrapped in a towel running back and forth. Its slender legs were dazzling.
King Jing, “…”
It turned out that Xiaoyu was taking the little fishes in the bathtub. King Jing recalled that he used to play with Xiaoyu in the bathtub. How could he miss out on something like this? King Jing smiled and got into the bathtub as well.
They rested in the residence without any worries for three days. When the day came that the emperor ordered them to enter the palace again, Chief Steward Luo sent someone to King Jing’s residence early in the morning to urge them.
Li Yu changed the little fishes into bright red robes and tied a scarf around their mouths. The color of the scarf was the original color of the little fishes, and there was a circle of exquisite fish patterns on the corners.
He and King Jing changed into the rank of the king and princess consort. The first time they met the emperor, they did not pay much attention to it because they had just returned. This time, it was much more formal. On the surface, King Jing’s robes had dragon patterns, while Li Yu’s robes had phoenix patterns. However, on the sleeves, collars, and other inconspicuous areas, there was a hidden fish pattern embroidered on them. The patterns were complementary.
Some time after the wedding, Li Yu felt that King Jing’s ability to show off his love had improved.
Although the main purpose of this trip was to visit Empress Xiaohui at the Changchun Palace, they still had to meet the emperor first.
However, before they could enter the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Chief Steward Luo came out to greet them and told them in a low voice that there was someone inside waiting to see the emperor.
Chief Steward Luo stretched out his thumb and index finger and made a gesture of six. He sighed and said, “His Majesty also did not expect this. He usually enters the palace at noon. This time, he came early in the morning and even brought the princess consort. I’m afraid that he was waiting for Your Highness.”
Chief Steward Luo meant to remind King Jing. Li Yu was grateful and cupped his hands in greeting.
This Chief Steward Luo often spoke up for King Jing. Since it was inconvenient for King Jing, he thanked him on behalf of King Jing.
What was the famous saying again? The husband and the wife are one!
Luo Ruisheng hurriedly said that he could not do so. Li Yu quickly finished his greeting, and King Jing smiled and rubbed his head.
No one cared about the sixth prince.
Li Yu and King Jing still carried the children into the hall. Mu Tianxiao just happened to be talking to the emperor, and his voice was full of joy.
“… As soon as this son learned of this great news, I came to tell Imperial Father.” Mu Tianxiao said with a smile.
Li Yu only had time to listen and did not know what the sixth prince was happy about. However, after the emperor finished listening, his reaction was not as enthusiastic as the sixth prince expected.
He only frowned and looked inquiringly at the sixth princess consort beside the sixth prince.
The sixth princess consort nodded embarrassedly. The emperor hurriedly ordered Chief Steward Luo to give the sixth princess consort a seat to rest. However, the sixth prince did not have a seat. Mu Tianxiao stood alone and was somewhat embarrassed.
“Imperial Father!” Li Yu called out from behind.
Dabao already recognized his grandfather. He opened his arms and giggled from afar, and a string of golden beans fell from his mouth.
“Yaya!” Dabao called out happily.
The emperor skillfully exclaimed and happily said, “I haven’t seen you for three days, but I feel that Dabao seems to be calling out more clearly.”
Li Yu: “…”
Dabao is not, Dabao is not, Your Majesty, don’t think too much!
The emperor still held Dabao on his lap. Mu Tianxiao opened his eyes wide in disbelief. When had the emperor ever been so affectionate with other imperial grandsons?
Dabao took out a writing brush from his small gown. This was something that Dabao insisted on taking with him when he left. It was a reward from the emperor a few days ago.
“Dabao is really smart. Do you want to learn how to write? Grandpa will teach you how to hold a brush? “The emperor said with a smile as he held Dabao’s little chubby hand.
Li Yu could not bear to look at it. Dabao had to put his two paws together to hold the brush, and the brush was almost as tall as him. What could he write?
However, the emperor felt that he could write, and he even gave Dabao pointers with interest.
However, Dabao had a serious face and listened very seriously.
When Dabao randomly scribbled the word ‘rice’, the emperor laughed from ear to ear. Li Yu felt that the emperor had been bewitched by Dabao!
As for the other babies, although it was inconvenient for the emperor to hold them together, he still held Er Bao and San Bao’s little paws. His face was covered in Si Bao’s saliva.
The emperor laughed heartily. The sixth prince’s malicious eyes stared at Dabao in the emperor’s arms. He couldn’t help but say, “Imperial Father, Suyun, she …”
The emperor teased Dabao while indifferently saying without raising his head, “If you are pregnant, then take care of yourself. You don’t need to personally come and tell me. I will send an imperial physician to check your pulse every day.”
At this time, the emperor was too lazy to hide his dissatisfaction with the sixth prince. The sixth prince’s wife’s pregnancy was a joyous occasion. He was very happy when he first learned about it. However, the sixth prince was too deliberate. He actually dragged the sixth prince’s wife to come and tell the good news. How could he make a pregnant woman who was less than a month pregnant kneel and kowtow and tell everyone the good news?
The sixth prince’s actions, to put it nicely, were because he was a new father and was not sensible. To put it bluntly, he was using the child to fight for the emperor’s favor. He didn’t care about the little life in the sixth prince’s wife’s belly at all.
Combined with the sixth prince’s timing, how could the emperor not understand the sixth prince’s intentions?
Dabao was the smartest. So what if it hurt a little more?
