12dz Chapter 145 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (23)
Chapter 145 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (23)
In the past, Jingli would also bring some food. When he didn't come in person, Jingjing would bring things over on his behalf.
The main dishes are snacks and fruits, with occasional meat dishes such as chicken soup.
After spending a lot of time with Yu An, Jingjing would tease him, saying, "Our prince cares a lot about Xiao An."
Yu An simply replied, "I have nothing to repay you with, but I will certainly serve Your Highness well."
Jingjing would say these things to Jingli in different ways, but Jingli would just let them go in one ear and out the other.
It wasn't that he didn't like to hear it, but the favorability rating of the counterfeit system was blatantly obvious, and after more than half a year, it hadn't increased at all.
Perhaps just as he had grown accustomed to Yu An's aloofness, Yu An had also grown accustomed to Jing Li's attempts to be friendly. A little food was nothing to him; it wouldn't cause any emotional fluctuations.
Jingli comforted herself, saying that this was a good thing.
At least Yu An won't be lured away by someone else's small favors in the future.
That's why Jingli didn't think his visit would increase Yu An's favorability towards him.
Or rather, even if it goes up, it won't go up by much.
But this increase clearly exceeded Jingli's expectations.
Five points. This is the biggest increase since Jingli took over the system.
Jingli was so surprised he almost stood up. He turned to look at Yu An, only to see the other man open the lid of the food box, staring blankly at the contents.
Inside the food box, a bowl of egg noodles lay quietly.
A rich aroma wafted out as the food container lid was lifted. The noodles were distinct, each strand evenly thick, topped with a glistening fried egg that looked incredibly appetizing. The egg was also garnished with vibrant green vegetables and scallions.
In this winter, eating such vibrant green vegetables is already a luxury, let alone fried eggs.
The room wasn't very warm, and the bowl of noodles was steaming hot. Yu An didn't know when Jing Li had prepared it, or how she had managed to carry the box all by herself, running from her warm palace to her dilapidated house in the pitch-black snowy night, without spilling a single drop of soup.
How could I possibly be worthy of His Highness's careful attention?
This was the first time Yu An had such an idea.
Seeing that Yu An had not moved for a long time, Jing Li coughed.
"What's wrong? Don't you like this noodle?"
"I... dare not."
Yu An's voice was muffled. He didn't dare to turn his head to look at Jing Li. He took the noodles out with both hands and gently placed them on the table.
"On such a cold day, why does Your Highness go to such lengths?"
Jingli tilted her head and said matter-of-factly, "For a birthday, of course we have longevity noodles!"
Yu An's pupils widened slightly, his heart filled with a sour, aching emotion.
“When you were added to the register, I asked Jingjing to ask that blind old woman. She said your birthday is on the day the heavy snow falls. I figured it must be today.”
The first part of what he said was true, but the second part, Jingli, was a lie.
This date wasn't something he guessed.
In the previous two worlds, he and Mr. Yuan were born on birthdays that were only one day apart, and it seems that this world is the same.
There's no need to worry about Jingli's birthday; the palace always holds grand celebrations for princes' birthdays.
But Jingli didn't want Yu An in this world to spend his birthday alone.
He made the noodles under the pretext of craving them, and had the palace servants in the small kitchen make them. Apart from the prince, no one else could eat fried eggs at this time.
The egg, still steaming hot, was personally delivered by the young prince to the servants' quarters in the palace.
It is said to be a birthday.
It is said to be longevity noodles.
Yu An could barely hold back her tears.
When he was very young, he also ate longevity noodles made by a blind old woman.
A ladle of water, a handful of noodles, and a little bit of pickled vegetables—that's all it takes to celebrate a birthday.
After her mother-in-law went completely blind, Yu An never celebrated her birthday again.
He actually received such warmth from the young prince.
"Thank you... Your Highness."
Jingli waved her sleeve impatiently: "Enough with the nonsense, eat quickly, it'll get cold soon. I've been so careful on this journey, afraid it'll get cold or spill, I just wanted you to have a hot meal."
Yu An wanted to say something, but felt that nothing he said would be right. Under Jing Li's eager gaze, he stopped paying attention to formalities and started eating heartily.
He is currently growing, and energy is consumed quickly in winter. He eats a lot every day, but he still feels hungry at night.
Once the oily noodles entered his mouth, Yu An couldn't stop eating them, slurping down most of them before realizing it was a bit unseemly.
He looked apologetically at Jingli, only to see the young prince smiling broadly.
The candlelight flickered, and Yu An could no longer find a trace of mischief on the little prince's face. His watery eyes were filled with emotions that Yu An could not understand.
This filled Yu An's heart with a heavy feeling.
Looking at this scene, Yu An's tense emotions suddenly relaxed.
He was thinking that among people with the surname Jing, Jing Li might be an exception.
[Congratulations, host! Mission target's favorability +2.]
[Affection Level: 62/100, First Stage Goal: 100 (Note: Affection level cap will increase as the mission progresses)]
[Congratulations, host! Mission objective's corruption value -1.]
[Darkness Level: 96/100, First Stage Target: 80]
[Congratulations, host, you have successfully completed the first stage of favorability assessment and have received 100 coins, which can be used to purchase items in the system shop.]
[A decrease in corruption value triggers a random reward: 1 "Affection Card," which can be used to increase others' affection for the host. Use it? Using it will grant the host more points.]
Jingli chose "No".
He doesn't care about the favorability boost from the props.
[Note: This reward can be exchanged for 1000 coins. Would you like to exchange it?]
[6058: Wait, little fish.]
Jingli stopped thinking about confirming the information.
[6058: This is a great thing. It increases how well others like you, and it's not limited to specific task recipients.]
It's easy to understand once you step into the scene.
[Keiri: Tomorrow's birthday party!]
The birthday party that Jingli mentioned was actually the prince's birthday banquet.
Extravagance prevailed in the palace. Each palace would host a grand birthday banquet for the princes, and the scale and novelty of the banquet became a point of competition among the palaces.
Jingli is turning nine this year, which is a big day in this world, not to mention how grand it is.
There are many things to prepare for in the scenery.
That night, he didn't stay in Yu An's room for long, watching Yu An finish the noodle soup.
Jingli left him a bottle of digestive pills and hurriedly left before he discovered the hand warmer hidden by his pillow.
By the time Yu An noticed the warmth on her pillow, it had already started snowing again outside.
Yu An pushed open the door to chase after them, but only two footprints, one deep and one shallow, remained outside.
When I arrived, the path was covered with fresh snow; when I left, the path was clearly visible.
Yu An could even imagine the little prince running in the snow wrapped in a fox fur coat.
He held the exquisite hand warmer; the warmth within reach in this cold, snowy weather made his heart burn.
·
Lang Yue was in charge of hosting Jingli's birthday banquet.
Two months ago, the old palace servants around Langyue began preparations.
Yu An had been in the palace for less than a year. Like the other palace servants in the living quarters, he was not qualified to handle the specifics of the birthday banquet. He only knew that the young master's birthday was approaching and there would be many things to do in the coming days.
Yu An knew nothing about the specific date or format of the banquet.
It wasn't until Jingjing came over that day to sprinkle copper coins on the palace servants in the living quarters that Yu An learned that the little prince had actually come to deliver a bowl of longevity noodles to him the day before his birthday, braving the wind and snow.
Unconsciously, Yu An placed his hand on his chest.
Thinking back to the first time Jingli brought him food, it was still among the slaves.
Several delicate pastries and a sachet embroidered with the words "Jingli" were presented to Yu An. At that time, Yu An scoffed at it, thinking that Jingli feeding him was no different from teasing a cat or dog.
But after yesterday's events, Yu An no longer thinks so.
Even for a puppy, it's a blessing that its owner cares about it so much.
Langyue always treated the palace servants well, especially since it was Jingli's birthday. Langyue wanted to bring good fortune, so she not only had Jingjing scatter copper coins in Jingli's name, but also sent half a pig to the living quarters.
The amount of pork distributed to each person was small, but in the dead of winter, it was enough to improve the lives of the palace servants.
In addition to the meat, Yu An also received a piece of chicken cake from Jing Li.
Since Jingli couldn't come in person, the task fell to Jingjing.
“This sponge cake is a rare item. His Highness only got two pieces, so I brought you the other one.”
This stuff is incredibly difficult to make; sugar, oil, eggs—none of which the palace servants living here would dare to even think about, let alone making a sponge cake out of these ingredients.
Yu An felt unworthy of the offer again, and he asked cautiously, "Has Lady Jingjing not tried it either?"
Jingjing chuckled: "Jingjing tasted it when she tried it. This is His Highness's gift to Xiao An. Xiao An, just eat it without worry."
Yu An sighed softly, broke off a piece of the sponge cake, and tasted it little by little.
It's sweet and smells delicious.
·
Meanwhile, in Langyue's palace, the empresses and princes, along with Langyue's maternal family members, were all seated. As the eunuch's shrill voice rang out:
"The Emperor has arrived."
Everyone stood up and bowed to the golden figure at the door.
The emperor waved his hand, seemingly in good spirits.
After everyone was seated, the palace maids filed in and placed the prepared dishes in front of them.
As with all banquets, there were special palace performers during the meal.
After the meal, the emperor beckoned to Jingli, who obediently walked into the hall and knelt properly.
"Father."
"Li'er will be nine years old today. Has she ever thought about leaving the palace?"
Lang Yue raised her eyebrows slightly.
Once you leave the palace, regardless of what the future holds, in the present moment, it means you have no chance of becoming the crown prince.
The emperor didn't ask this question during the birthday banquets of the eldest and second princes, and Langyue couldn't figure out what the emperor meant.
Jingli remained expressionless, neither humble nor arrogant: "Father, although I am nine years old, I am still the younger brother of my eldest and second elder brothers. My two elder brothers have not yet left the palace, so naturally I am not qualified."
He said this with childlike innocence, as if he truly did not understand.
The emperor chuckled, took a sip of wine, and just then, activated the counterfeit system and used a favorability card on the emperor.
[Affection cards can be used to increase other people's affinity towards the host. Do you want to use them?]
Before the counterfeit system could finish speaking, Jingli had already made her selection and confirmed it.
The emperor felt a warm current flowing through his body after taking a sip of wine. He put down his wine cup and felt a surge of affection for the little fellow kneeling before him, whom he had previously looked down upon.
“Alright, then I’ll stay in the palace with Father and not go out.”
Jingli revealed a hint of smugness at the opportune moment, stole a glance at the emperor, and then suppressed the joy.
But the joy in his eyes and brows couldn't lie.
The emperor was amused by his little gesture and beckoned him over: "Come here, Li'er."
Jingli got up and walked towards the emperor's seat.
The emperor lifted him onto his lap and sat him down, showing great affection.
The emperor would only occasionally do this with children who were three or four years old. This was the first time a child as old as Jingli had ever sat on the emperor's lap.
Not only that, the emperor pinched Jingli's chubby little face and asked him:
"If Father Emperor wants me to move to the largest hall in this palace, would you be willing?"
Upon hearing this, several of the ladies immediately changed their expressions and quickly lowered their heads.
Lang Yue was also greatly shocked.
The largest palace the emperor mentioned was naturally not his own palace. Besides that, the only other palaces that could be the empress's palace and the crown prince's Eastern Palace were the empress's palace and the Eastern Palace.
It's unclear whether the emperor's words were a test or a genuine expression of his intention.
If it's the former, we'll see what Jingli's next answer is; but if it's the latter, Jingli's leisurely days are probably coming to an end.
But regardless, Jingli still needs to prepare a response for the present.
His brows furrowed slightly, revealing a troubled expression.
"Is that palace close to Father Emperor?"
The emperor seemed surprised by his question and teased, "What does it matter if it's near or far?"
Jingli shook her head: "If it's nearby, Father Emperor, it would be good if you could come and visit often when you have time. If it's far away..."
Jingli scratched his head sheepishly: "It's not bad if we can check Li'er's homework less often."
Children speak without restraint, and their lack of knowledge and skills neither damage their public image nor deter the emperor's attempts to test them.
Upon hearing this, the emperor burst into loud laughter.
“My dear, you are the purest in this palace.”
After this praise, the emperor actually tested Jingli's studies in front of everyone.
Jingli frowned, scratching her head, but still managed to answer the questions in a proper and respectful manner.
The emperor praised him several times and bestowed further rewards upon him.
He didn't mention the palace relocation again, but it was clear to everyone that Jingli's ninth birthday gift was more generous than that of the first and second princes before.
After the Third Prince's birthday banquet, the battle horn for the princes' rivalry will likely be sounded soon.
After everyone left, Langyue called Jingli to her palace alone.
There were only the mother and child inside the hall. Langyue looked at the little boy in front of her. He was clearly only a little taller than her waist and his appearance had not yet fully developed. How could he have grown up overnight?
Langyue sighed softly.
"Li'er, you did a great job today."
Jingli heard too many praises tonight, but only the phrase "bright moon" stood out.
Although she was praising him, Jingli could hear the deep sorrow in her voice.
Jingli knelt down at Langyue's feet, placing her hands on her knees: "Mother."
Langyue stroked his head.
“Mother, Li’er will be very good. You can trust Li’er.”
Lang Yue paused slightly, then forced a bitter smile.
"I know, I've always known, that my inner self has never been ordinary."
She picked Jingli up.
“Li’er also believes in her mother, and her mother will protect her.”
Jingli hugged her back.
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
·
【small theater】
Yu Yuanyuan (Dark Version): Bah, are you feeding the dogs?!
Yu Yuanyuan (being reformed): Hmm... Woof woof!
·
(There are always a few days each month when I have to rush to finish things, though it may be late! I've been working hard to keep up with the schedule lately! Trying my best to keep updating!)