The legitimate daughter was reborn, and the emperor’s little Jiaojiao went crazy.

The meal was arranged to be served in the east room of Chaoyang Hall.

Originally, they were supposed to eat at separate tables, but since it was a family dinner, Emperor Mingde did not allow for too many rules.

Emperor Mingde sat at the first seat, with Cen Yuan and Shi Anxia sitting on one side of the table, and the second prince Xiao Yong and Princess Yunlan sitting on the other side.

The order to serve the meals was passed down one by one, and the eunuchs serving the meals came to the east room.

There are twelve dishes today, which is already a lot.

In fact, according to etiquette, the emperor's meal should generally have ninety-nine dishes, which would fill at least three or four large tables, and one meal would cost two or three hundred taels of silver.

How could an emperor like Emperor Mingde, who wanted to divide every ounce of silver into two ounces for the people's livelihood, allow such extravagance and waste?

After Emperor Mingde came to power, he simply changed the ninety-nine dishes to nine dishes. Later, nine dishes were considered too many, so he changed it to four dishes.

In his words, how much can I eat by myself? Don't waste it. Sometimes he would share these four dishes with Eunuch Qi.

It is also because of this that it became much easier for someone to poison Emperor Mingde.

You should know that the emperor's setting of ninety-nine dishes was not for show. It was mainly because it would be difficult to poison when there were too many dishes.

Moreover, the emperor's appetite and preferences could not be revealed at will. For example, it is said that after Emperor Mingde liked to eat Suzhou pumpkin, he never ate pumpkin again.

When dining in the palace one must eat without speaking, but Emperor Mingde has said that family banquets do not need to be so formal.

After the eunuchs finished testing the poison and left, Emperor Mingde ate a piece of donkey meat and asked, "Yong'er is twenty this year, right?"

When Xiao Yong was called, he hurriedly stood up and prepared to answer.

Emperor Mingde stopped him and said, "Sit down and answer."

Xiao Yong sat back down obediently, "My son just turned 20 last month. I am ashamed of myself for not having accomplished anything so far."

Compared to Prince Consort Haiyan, who was appointed Minister of Northern Propaganda Department at the age of 18, he, as a prince, seemed somewhat incompetent.

In fact, most of the time, he kept several tricks in mind and deliberately appeared to be not so good. Otherwise, it would bring no benefit except for bringing misfortune to his mother and sister.

Emperor Mingde thought for a moment and said, "After the other nations leave, I will grant you the title of 'King Rui'. You can take your sister and mother to your fiefdom."

Xiao Yong was startled, overjoyed but nervous, and quickly stood up and knelt to thank the emperor, "Thank you, father, for your grace."

Emperor Mingde's eyes were dark. "A few years ago, I wanted to grant you the title of 'King Rui', but you and your mother were unwilling. Was it your grandmother who put pressure on you?"

Xiao Yong lowered his head and paused before saying, "No, it was because I didn't want to leave my mother and father that I rejected his kindness. Now that I've grown up a little, I understand his good intentions."

"Oh? Then tell me, what are my good intentions?" Emperor Mingde motioned for him to stand up and answer.

Xiao Yong then stood up and returned to his seat, still answering carefully, "Father hopes that his son will return to his fiefdom to make a difference and help the people. But his son is nostalgic for the prosperity of the capital, which is really unfilial."

Emperor Mingde nodded. "The fact that you can think this way shows that you have indeed grown up."

Although this son is not as good as the prince consort, he is quite good compared with the Prince of Jin.

Although the government affairs handled by this boy did not have any highlights, at least there were no mistakes. Being able to be mediocre and not make mistakes is also a kind of skill.

Emperor Mingde added, "As for your mother, I'm afraid her mind has not been in the palace for many years. Of course, it depends on her own wishes. If she wants to stay in the palace, then she can stay in the palace. If she wants to go back to her fiefdom with you, then she can go back to her fiefdom. I... have been busy with government affairs these years and have not been able to take care of her. You can also give your grandfather some advice."

Xiao Yong's eyelids twitched. What did "I'm afraid my mind has not been in the palace for all these years" mean?

What does Father know?

Hearing these words from my father, they seemed like casual chat, but each word was profound.

His maternal grandfather's family was won over by the Empress Dowager in her early years and played an extremely important role in her camp. His mother was also arranged by the Empress Dowager to enter the palace, but she was not liked by his father.

In other words, apart from showing favoritism towards Concubine Li, Emperor Mingde was very cold towards other people in the harem.

In the past, the Empress Dowager had a say, and Emperor Mingde would listen to her and spend his days in the palaces. But as Emperor Mingde became increasingly assertive, he rarely went to the harem, and now he has no interest in even paying her a visit.

His mother was not favored, and his grandfather had been marginalized and neglected over the years. The Empress Dowager's camp had basically abandoned their family, so he and his sister Princess Yunlan had a particularly hard time in the palace.

They were in a dilemma. The Empress Dowager abandoned them, while my father thought they were on the same side as her.

I never expected that my father would actually let my sister and mother go to the fiefdom with him. This was an unexpected surprise.

If that day really comes, he might be able to carve out a new world for himself. Then, he won't have to be controlled by anyone.

It’s just that my sister...

Xiao Yong looked at Princess Yunlan and found that she was also very happy, so he felt relieved.

Because of their joy, the brother and sister also became more enthusiastic towards Shi Anxia and her husband.

During the meal, the two men thought that Princess Haiyan and her husband might not know the dining etiquette, so they were prepared to remind them.

Later I saw that the two of them might have practiced at home or something, but their sitting posture and dining details were impeccable.

She looked more proper than the princes and princesses who had lived in the palace since childhood, so she stopped reminding him.

Xiao Yong lowered his eyebrows and ate in silence. He pondered the meaning of his father's words in his heart... If he brought his sister back to his fiefdom, he would not have to marry the second prince of Wan State, Bushi.

He was lost in thought when he heard his father asking about his sister's recent situation.

Finally, Emperor Mingde said, "I have neglected to discipline my children. It was my fault. Now you have all grown up and are of marriageable age. Let me ask you, do you have a man you like?"

Princess Yunlan blushed and hesitated for a moment, "My daughter will leave it to the emperor to decide."

Emperor Mingde was silent for a moment, then said sincerely, "According to the custom of past dynasties, most princesses must marry off with foreign kings. Today, I promise you that princesses of this dynasty will not marry off with foreign kings. I mean, you and your brother should go to his fiefdom and find a suitable match there. I will not interfere in your marriage. I only wish that my children and people can live happier lives in their lifetime."

Princess Yunlan knelt down to express her gratitude, tears filling her eyes. "I am so lucky to be your daughter."

I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't have to marry that guy Booth.

She heard that Booth was unable to win the love of Yata, the most beautiful woman in Wan Kingdom, and ended up raping the little princess of the Vina tribe.

The Empress Dowager actually wanted to marry such a person.

When Princess Yunlan stood up, she subconsciously glanced at Shi Anxia.

Shi Anxia didn't raise her head, but she felt Princess Yunlan's gaze. She remained calm and continued to eat.

She was thinking, could it be that Princess Yunlan had a crush on Cen Yuan? Otherwise, why would she be looking at her?