Chapter 826: Unmatched Status

Watching the Prime Minister leave, the Minister of Rites furrowed his brow as he returned.

Upon his return, his wife approached him, “My Lord, Prince Yu is far too arrogant. What’s wrong with our son? He chose a merchant’s child over ours.”

Listening to his wife’s complaints, the Minister of Rites glared at her sternly, “Keep quiet.”

“But, my Lord…”

“The Emperor already knows that we had our child attempt to be companion with the prince just to get close to the Crown Princess. Today, the Emperor assigned me some tasks. They are not difficult, but quite bothersome. This is a warning,” the Minister of Rites regretted listening to his wife.

Princess Chang Le is so favored; how could the Emperor easily arrange her marriage, especially to someone with ulterior motives?

Surprisingly, he found himself swayed by his wife’s words.

“So what if she’s a princess? Sooner or later, she’ll marry. What’s wrong with our son?” The Minister of Rites’s wife snapped at him, clearly irritated.

Glaring at his wife, he sternly remarked, “Shut your mouth. If the Emperor catches wind of this, I could lose my position.”

“From now on, don’t entertain such thoughts. If you cause trouble for me again, you’ll be sent back to your family,” the Minister of Rites warned her sharply.

Fortunately, the Emperor had only reprimanded him this time, teaching him a lesson without resorting to harsher measures. Otherwise, he would have faced real trouble.

“I’m thinking of you and our child. If our family marries the Crown Princess, our status will rise significantly. You know the benefits this could bring,” she argued.

The Minister of Rites remained silent.

He understood the advantages and benefits involved, but if something wasn’t theirs, it simply wasn’t.

He acknowledged that his son was not worthy of the Crown Princess.

Setting aside social status, his son couldn’t compare to her talents. Princess Chang Le excelled in various fields like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Moreover, the Prince had tutored her exceptionally well. Despite her young age, she commanded attention effortlessly.

He was well aware of his son’s character.

“This matter ends here.”

The Minister of Rites’ wife felt somewhat resentful; the duck has flown away, and so has her mood.^[1] conveying the feeling of disappointment or frustration when something anticipated or desired doesn’t happen as expected.

“If you dare to scheme and Prince Yu finds out, our family will suffer. I will divorce you on the spot,” the Minister of Rites warned his reluctant wife.

Although she was displeased, she could only nod in agreement, saying, “I understand.”

Su Yu was unaware of this small incident. After spending a few days adjusting with Ming Feiyang and the others, he began preparing for their return.

The four children informed their families about their impending departure.

Even though the parents had anticipated their children’s departure, when the time drew near, a mother couldn’t help but feel a tinge of reluctance. Yet, understanding the opportunity at hand, she could only prepare as much as possible for their journey.

On the day of departure, the Prime Minister and others were present.

The Prime Minister addressed Su Yu, “My Lord, I’m entrusting you with these wayward children from our household.”

“Alright.” Su Yu nodded in response, not saying much more.

The Prime Minister was accustomed to Su Yu’s demeanor.

After giving the children many reminders, he watched them board the carriage and depart alongside Su Yu.

Half a month later, the group returned to Xie Family Village.

Upon seeing them return, Gu Jiuning’s face lit up with a smile.

Wang Jinhe hugged Gu Jiuning and said, “Mother, I missed you.”

It had been over half a year since they left, and they hadn’t seen her mother in a long time.

Gu Jiuning reached out to pat her daughter’s head, with a fond smile in her eyes, “Look at you,  you’re  this big already but still act like this”

Her daughter replied, “No matter how old I am, I’ll always be your daughter and can always be affectionate with you.”

Gu Jiuning chuckled and shook her head, “You’re right. I can’t argue with you.”

“By the way, Mother, Father still has some matters to attend to and will return after finishing them. As for Gu Yanqi, he is currently accomplishing the task for the assessments you gave him as per your instructions, and Gu Xiruo’s relationship with Gu Sheng isn’t as close as before.”

Upon hearing Wang Jinhe’s words, Gu Jiuning couldn’t help but feel surprised. “Gu Sheng is willing to sever ties with Gu Xiruo?”

Gu Sheng had done so much for Gu Xiruo, something Gu Jiuning was well aware of.

“That’s right. Before I came back, he approached me several times, aiming to gain my recognition and hoping to receive fruits and wine from me,” Wang Jinhe explained.

Listening to Wang Jinhe’s analysis, Gu Jiuning smiled, “It seems you already understand his intentions.”

“I do know his intentions. After all, everyone desires the resources and connections I possess, especially someone like Gu Sheng,” Wang Jinhe replied.

“It’s good that you know. While you can share these resources with others, you must also understand who can be trusted and who cannot. Someone like Gu Sheng won’t be satisfied with just receiving a few things from you,” Gu Jiuning advised.

Wang Jinhe nodded enthusiastically, sharing a similar mindset with Gu Jiuning.

Someone like Gu Sheng was simply unfit to be a father.

“Alright, stop overthinking it.”

“Mother, don’t worry, I understand,” Wang Jinhe reassured.

“Go rest first. You’ve traveled a long way. Once you’re well-rested, we can talk in detail.”

“Okay.”

The half-month journey and the days spent in the palace had fostered great camaraderie among the eight children. Xuan Mengjie had also joined them this time.

Upon arriving home, the children were immediately drawn to the household animals. When Big Flower and Little Flower heard the children’s voices, they rushed out to greet them. Even Tangyuan joined in the excitement.

Xuan Mengjie, surprised by the sight of so many animals, asked, “Sister, does Uncle’s family have this many animals?”

“Yes, there are even turtles in the pond over there.”

“I’d like to go see them.”

“Come, I’ll take you.”

Chang Le led Xuan Mengjie to the pond to see the turtles. There was a particularly large turtle and a few smaller ones.

“It’s so big,” Xuan Mengjie remarked, marveling at the size of the turtle, a first-time sight for her.

“Yes, they are. Uncle’s animals are all very lovely,” Chang Le replied.

“Sister, I want to have a puppy.”

Chang Le tilted her head, looking at Xuan Mengjie. “Once Tangyuan has puppies, I’ll ask Uncle to give you one. But remember to ask Tangyuan first; otherwise, they might get upset.”

“Alright.”

Wang Jinhe originally intended for the children to rest, but to her surprise, none of them seemed tired; instead, they were all playing with the household pets.

Observing this, Wang Jinhe remarked to Su Yu, “It seems they don’t need to rest.”

Even Yanxi and Yanchen, the siblings, were taken by Xiao Bao to see the adult and baby sheep. Each riding a sheep, they exuded a sense of grandeur.

“Ignore them; let’s go rest for a while.”

“Okay.”

After resting at home for a few days, Wang Jinhe began checking on the fields at the homestead.

Upon seeing her, the steward Liang greeted her warmly, “Madam, you’re here.”

“Are all the necessary preparations in place? Has the grain been distributed from the granary?” Wang Jinhe inquired.

“The magistrate and governor came by some time ago to help distribute the grain,” the steward informed her.