2:40

  Murong Jin's stern face saw Li Shi waiting gently on the side, and he couldn't help but reveal a gentle expression, "Madam, you've worked hard."

  "Master, you must be exhausted from your journey. I've already instructed the servants to prepare some light porridge and dishes for you. Why don't you take a break first? Tonight, we'll have a family reunion dinner together."

  "Very well said, what about Second Brother and Third Brother?" Murong Jin followed Li into the courtyard.

  "They all went to court this morning, and Big Brother came back early. They didn't get the news." Wang Shi explained with a smile on her face.

  "Hmm, Lao Er and Lao San came to my study early this morning, I have something to say." Murong Jin instructed.

  "I understand." Mr. Wang nodded in response.

  Murong Jin came without washing up first to pay respects to his elderly mother. The old lady saw her son, who had been rushing about outside for many years, return and was naturally overjoyed. "Is there something important this time you've come back? Is everything all right?"

  Murong Jin smiled and said, "Nothing big, just a shift change, you don't have to worry."

  "That's good." The old lady saw that her son was calm and composed, with no unusual expression, and she finally let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

  It's no wonder that the old lady thinks a lot, Murong Jin is a military general, and once there is any movement, it's worth everyone's consideration for a long time, even if something has happened in the capital, so her son was called back, these things have not been experienced before.

  Murong Jin said a few words to the old lady, then returned to the Li family's house, simply tidied up and only then saw his son and daughter.

  He glanced at Ligeqige and Wanyu standing in the lower position, three children with a natural and generous demeanor, clear and bright eyes, sunny and refreshing temperament. He nodded in satisfaction and smiled to Li Shi: "You have worked hard at home, haven't the kids been naughty?"

  I'm quite satisfied with Mrs. Li's parenting skills, just look at how well she has raised her three kids.

  Mrs. Li smiled warmly, looking at Yuwen and Qige with affectionate eyes, "The children are all obedient and filial, these days Yuwen has been learning to cook in the kitchen, and the other day she told me that she learned a new soup recipe and wants to make it for you when you come back. And Qige was praised by his master the other day."

  Murong Jin's nod of approval, asked with interest: "Daddy will try it another day, if it doesn't taste good, I'll spank your butt."

  Wan Yu pouted and said in a spoiled tone, "Dad, I'm all grown up now, you can't spank me anymore."

  Murong Jin burst out laughing, "Alright, alright, I won't hit you. My daughter is the most obedient!"

  Qige acted like a monkey and couldn't sit still for a moment, he went over with a smile on his face and asked: "Dad, did you bring us gifts?"

  Lige winked at his younger brother, "Qige, don't be naughty."

  Murong Jin smiled and waved his hand, "It's okay, Father brought you your favorite bow and arrow this time, I'll have the steward clean them up."

  "Really, I'll go take a look." Qi Ge disappeared in an instant with a whoosh.

  "Let's have dinner together tonight, don't run too far." Li reminded from behind.

  "Got it." Qi Ge ran away without looking back.

  Murong Jin sent away the little boy and then looked at Li Ge and asked, "How have you been in the palace? How has the Fourth Prince been lately? Have your studies been going well?"

  Li Ge replied respectfully: "The son is not bullied in the palace, and the fourth prince is still favored by the emperor. From time to time, he will test his homework, and the father and son have also praised the fourth prince for being steady and studious. However, recently, the relationship with the eldest prince is not very good, possibly because the emperor has been favoring the fourth prince, and the eldest prince is obviously unhappy."

  The eldest son of the empress is her legitimate child, but he has not been enfeoffed as a king. However, due to his status as the legitimate child, both the empress and the emperor have had high expectations for him since childhood. There was once an official who submitted a memorial proposing that the eldest son be made crown prince, but because the emperor is still vigorous and does not plan to designate a crown prince, and also because there is precedent in this dynasty of secretly designating an heir, nothing came of it.

  But after this proposal was rejected, the eldest prince became even more diligent and strong-willed, wanting to be first in everything, disliking it when other brothers were better than him, and especially disliking it when they received the emperor's attention.

  Often secretly bullying the less favored younger brothers behind their backs, sometimes even resorting to physical violence. This has been a rumor in the palace for some time, but the Empress Dowager holds power and controls it tightly. The ones being beaten are also the unfavored concubines of the Emperor's mother, so they can only grit their teeth and swallow their blood.

  Today, because of the exposure of the four emperors several times, he was able to learn from Fuzi's praise, but was secretly squeezed and suppressed by the eldest prince, and the suppression did occur, also bringing Li Ge to suffer a lot of bullying.

  Murong Jin's face sank, "The eldest prince is becoming more and more unscrupulous, doesn't the emperor know?"

  Lige let out a helpless bitter laugh, "Dad, you know that if the people below really want to deceive and cheat, how can he possibly know? Moreover, the eldest prince has always been good at being a person, in front of the emperor, he is filial and sensible, eloquent and well-behaved. If he is not his own son, then it must be the slaves' infighting that has nothing to do with his son."

  Murong Jin's face sank, and he nodded slightly. "It's necessary to endure, or not act at all; otherwise, one must seize the opportunity firmly. Those who achieve great things must be able to endure, with a knife on their head." This also indirectly referred to the Fourth Prince.

  Lige's expression turned stern, and he nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, we know."

  "Hmm, but it's not too much to ask for, the Emperor has a clear understanding in his heart." Murong Jin didn't think the Emperor was completely unaware, it's just that they were all his own sons, so he wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

  Wan Yu waited until the father and son had finished speaking, then anxiously asked: "Big brother, have they bullied you? Are you hurt? Is the bruise cream I gave you still there? If not, I have some here, I'll get Peony to send it over." She guessed that her big brother must be injured.

  "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

  Mrs. Li was also a bit anxious, but her son had grown up and didn't tell her some things, afraid that she would worry. She pulled up her son's sleeve to take a closer look and indeed saw several bruises, but they weren't too serious, it seemed like they were already fading away after several days.

  He took a deep breath, his eyes slightly moist, turned around and grabbed a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his eyes, but ultimately said nothing.

  "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Boys will be boys, and they often get into scrapes and fights. When I was young, I even got into fistfights with my cousins, and my nose would be blue and my face swollen. Your son is quite capable of defending himself."

  Mrs. Li nodded with tears in her eyes, and Yuanyu saw her mother so sad that she ran over to comfort her, "Mother, don't worry, there's still Auntie, nothing big will happen. And I have the bruise cream for brother, he'll be fine in a few days."

  "I'm fine, wealth and honor are sought in danger, I understand." Li said with a gloomy face.

  "Mother, don't worry, I won't get into any big trouble in the palace. After all, I'm the eldest son of the Murong family. If something really happens, they can't afford to take responsibility for it, that would be a lifelong feud. No matter how arrogant they are, they have to think about the consequences."

  After being comforted by many people, Li's heart slowly opened up. What else could she do? She couldn't interfere with men's affairs anyway. Instead, she thought of her daughter, "Why don't you go to the old lady's place? Wenyu, didn't you say that you wanted to give the jewelry awarded by Princess Jingyu to your sisters? It just so happens that Yunchu is also back, and everyone is here. You can take it over together and let them choose."

  Wan Yu smiled and responded with a "yes", then went to the main courtyard with her older brother.

  After the children left, Li said: "Yesterday, the empress rewarded Yuwen with some jewelry, including a complete set of agate headdress given by the fourth prince to Yuwen."

  Murong Jin listened and pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly, "Just go with the flow, anyway we still have to choose a daughter-in-law, let's just treat each other like relatives, don't say anything else."

  Mr. Li nodded after hearing this and said: "I understand now, just in case..."

  What if the emperor points to someone else by mistake?

  "It won't work, the Emperor has his own calculations, and I can still grasp this point. A girl can't affect the overall situation, but it's not like giving her to someone else would be a good idea either." Mu Rong had accompanied the Emperor for many years, so he could still understand this much. If all else failed, he could just let the Fourth Prince take the initiative to ask for himself, and selling his son a favor was always an option.

  Li was a bit more at ease now, fearing that after so many years of getting along with the child, she would suddenly be disappointed, which wouldn't be good. She couldn't bear to disappoint the child either.

  "Right, Yún Shū has returned and will be staying this time, not going to the northwest. She's also grown up and should learn some discipline. Just arrange a courtyard for her." Mù Róng Jǐn handed Yún Shū over to Lǐ Shì to take care of.

  "Alright, I had already prepared it earlier. Cuī Yuàn has arranged for Yún Shū to stay there." Li Shi had thought of this long ago.

  Murong Jin nodded casually and didn't care about these things. The backyard was all handed over to Li Shi to manage, and he still trusted Li Shi very much.

  Collect a click, which one is my draft box?