Chapter 31 Reminder

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the palace banquet.

Due to being divorced, Shu Yuwan did not attend.

Shu’s Assistant Minister and his wife, along with Shu Yuyang and his wife, all dressed up for the occasion.

Shu Yuwan brought Wenyue back to the Shu residence to celebrate the New Year with Shu Yucheng’s family.

Shu Yucheng had already started his holiday break from the academy before the New Year and returned home.

“Sister come here.” Zhou greeted Shu Yuwan warmly upon seeing her.

Wenyue was already seven or eight months old. When Qing and Yuan saw her, they surrounded Wenyue, saying, “Wenyue, call me sister, call me sister.”

“Wenyue, call me brother, call me brother…”

The two little ones were lively and cheerful as they talking to Wenyue

Wenyue reached out her little hand, trying to grab Yuan’s hair, repeatedly saying, “Wolf, wolf, wolf…”

Seeing this, Zhou couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s mom…”

“Mom, mom, mom.”

Zhou corrected Wenyue repeatedly.

Wenyue looked at Zhou innocently, as if waiting for her to say something else.

Shu Yuwan smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, don’t bother. Correcting her every day at home, she still calls it a wolf.”

“Children are like this. Wenyue is already speaking at such a young age, she’s very smart. Just correct her a bit more.”

Yuan also spoke fluently.

She kept talking to Wenyue non-stop.

“Look how much Yuan likes her little sister. Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law should give birth to another brother or sister for Yuan soon.” Shu Yuwan joked.

Shu Yucheng looked at Zhou and smiled.

Zhou patted Shu Yuwan’s arm, “You little sister, starting to tease your sister-in-law.” And they both laughed at each other.

With only a few juniors and three children at home, the New Year was indeed lively and bustling.

After more than an hour, Shu’s Assistant Minister and his wife, along with Shu Yuyang and his wife, returned.

They reheated the dishes and wine, had some more food, and finally filled their stomachs.

“Why did you come back early this year?” Shu Yucheng asked.

“It seems that the Emperor and the Crown Prince had some unpleasantness. The Crown Prince left early, followed by the Emperor, so the palace banquet ended early.”

Shu Yuyang replied.

“Isn’t the Emperor very fond of the Crown Prince?”

Shu Yuyang shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

Thinking about what his sister had said, he became even more worried.

It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to remind the Crown Prince.

“Which ordinary father and son don’t have some minor conflicts? The Emperor and the Crown Prince are no exception, it’s quite normal.”

“The Emperor has deep feelings for the Empress Dowager, and the Crown Prince was personally raised by the Emperor. Their bond is extraordinary, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

Madam Shu was very optimistic.

Shu Yuwan searched her mind for a while but couldn’t find any relevant memories.

In the past, she only cared about her own affairs, rarely paying attention to court matters. Now, she couldn’t find any useful information.

In the palace.

The Emperor sat on the Dragon Throne with a stern face,

The Crown Prince stood below with an indifferent expression, unmoved.

“What kind of person are you looking for?”

“Even if you’re not the Crown Prince, men from ordinary families marry and have children at your age, let alone you being the Crown Prince!!”

“You must produce the heir of the Yuan Dynasty!”

“Father, you don’t need to worry about the heir issue. I have so many brothers, and in the future, I can abdicate to a capable brother.”

“You!”

“Are you tired of me living for so long and want to anger me to death, is that it!”

“Father, please don’t be angry.”

“If you find a suitable candidate, you’ll marry the Crown Princess.”

“No, I must give you a deadline.”

The Crown Prince thought carefully and said, “Two years!”

“That’s too long!”

“Then there’s no deadline.”

The Crown Prince shrugged, intending to be stubborn to the end.

The Emperor took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

“Two years is indeed too long, make it shorter.”

“Then let it be a year and a half!”

The Crown Prince decided to compromise with his father.

“Good, remember what you said. In a year and a half, you must marry the Crown Princess!”

“I will remember, Father.”

The Crown Prince bid farewell to the Emperor and returned to the Palace.

“Look, look, the courtiers all praise the Crown Prince for his talent, but he behaves like this with me!” The Emperor complained to Hong Gonggong, pointing at the Crown Prince’s departing figure.

Hong Gonggong smiled and said, “The Crown Prince dares to speak to you like that because he truly regards you as his father. Other princes wouldn’t dare to talk to you like that.”

The Emperor also smiled, “Jin’er was raised by me personally, so it’s different.”

“Never mind, let’s wait another year. It won’t affect having children. My body can hold on for a few more years, so let it be.”

In the blink of an eye, the year passed, and it was time for the court session.

Shu Yuyang also came to the Palace today.

The Fifth Prince was also present.

The Fifth Prince still followed behind the Crown Prince, the elder brother, and the Crown Prince, the younger brother.

“Crown Prince, why were you angry with the Emperor a few days ago?” The Fifth Prince innocently asked.

Shu Yuyang heard this and also looked towards the Crown Prince.

“The Emperor wants me to marry the Crown Princess, but I currently don’t want to marry.”

The Fifth Prince looked puzzled, “Why doesn’t the Crown Prince want to marry the Crown Princess? When I see Second Brother and Third Brother chatting, they seem very willing to marry a princess? The Virtuous Consort also mentioned that the Crown Prince is of marriageable age?”

With Shu Yuwan’s words in mind, Shu Yuyang had been secretly observing the words and actions of the Fifth Prince. Although he hadn’t seen any suspicious behavior, the seed of doubt had been planted, leading him to pay much more attention to the Fifth Prince.

The Crown Prince patted the Fifth Prince’s head, “There’s no specific reason, I just don’t want to marry.”

“Oh.”

The obedient Fifth Prince stopped asking further questions.

“Crown Prince, my martial arts instructor criticized my archery skills yesterday. Your archery skills are so impressive, can you teach me?”

After a moment of hesitation, the Crown Prince nodded, “Alright.”

“But if you learn from me, you must be prepared to endure hardships! If you’re not serious, I will really scold you!”

The Fifth Prince shrank his neck.

He replied, “Okay, Crown Prince, I will learn seriously!”

After the Fifth Prince left, Shu Yuyang asked, “Your Highness, with so many matters on your plate, why did you agree to teach the Fifth Prince archery?”

The Crown Prince smiled faintly, “Firstly, the Emperor is still vigorous and doesn’t really need me to be busy. Secondly, if the Fifth Brother wants to learn, I’ll take care of it.”

Shu Yuyang was quite surprised by this response.

The Crown Prince was concerned about appearing too powerful and making the Emperor wary. However, he seemed overly trusting of the Fifth Prince, allowing him free access to the Palace and even personally teaching him archery.

“Your Highness, even… you’re considering…”

“Even with the Fifth Prince, you shouldn’t be too trusting. Although the Fifth Prince is currently the youngest prince, he’s already eleven years old and must have learned quite a bit by now.”

The Crown Prince looked slightly surprised at Shu Yuyang’s words, “Didn’t you used to feel sorry for Qier too?”

The Virtuous Consort’s favor had diminished since giving birth to the Fifth Prince, and she wasn’t as attentive as before. Therefore, the upbringing of the Fifth Prince in his early years was indeed lacking.

“Things were different in the past, but now that the Fifth Prince is older, being a prince, it’s hard to avoid having such thoughts.”

The Crown Prince smiled slightly, “Yuyang, this doesn’t sound like you. What happened to suddenly make you worry like this?”

“It was my younger sister’s reminder.”

“The sister who married the legitimate third son of the Anding Marquis’s residence and then divorced?”