The cruel little princess

Chapter 160 Paying respects to father for the first time!

After Shen Youyou and His Royal Highness Prince Jin walked into the palace together, His Royal Highness Prince Jin led her straight to the imperial study.

From a distance, Eunuch Xiao Xizi spotted the two of them and hurried over to pay his respects. "Hey, my dear! Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Jin and Princess Jin! This morning, I heard the magpies chirping non-stop on the branches. It turns out Princess Jin is coming..."

Shen Youyou couldn't help but blush and feel shy when she heard the compliments from Xiao Xizi. Meanwhile, His Royal Highness Prince Jin quickly stopped Xiao Xizi from continuing.

"Eunuch, is the emperor finished with his work now? The prince and the princess have come to pay their respects to the emperor and offer him tea. Please inform him." His Royal Highness Prince Jin once again regained his serious and indifferent expression.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will go in and report to the emperor immediately." Eunuch Xiao Xizi nodded and bowed repeatedly, motioning the two of them to wait at the door for a while, and then he quickly ran into the imperial study.

After a while, Eunuch Xiao Xizi came out of the palace. He respectfully said to His Royal Highness Prince Jin and Princess Jin, "Your Highness Prince Jin, Princess Jin! Please come in! The Emperor wishes to see you!" He extended his hand and made an inviting gesture, signaling them to enter the palace.

Then, he lowered his voice and told them: "Your Majesty seemed to be in a bad mood just now, maybe he heard some bad news. It is said that a flood occurred somewhere not long ago in the summer, but local officials concealed it. Later, the disaster relief work was not done well, leading to the outbreak of the epidemic..." Eunuch Xiao Xizi approached His Royal Highness Prince Jin and whispered a reminder: "Your Highness and the Princess must be extra careful after entering..." His tone was full of concern.

"Thank you, eunuch!" His Royal Highness Prince Jin looked at Eunuch Xiao Xizi with gratitude and patted him on the shoulder. Then, he quickly handed a silver ingot to Eunuch Xiao Xizi and said with a smile, "Eunuch, take this and have a cup of tea!"

"Oh! Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you so much!" Eunuch Xiao Xizi accepted the silver ingot with a delighted smile, not refusing. This gesture was both a friendly gesture and a reward. If His Highness Prince Jin didn't give anything, it would mean he didn't want any more information or help, and no one would be willing to share important information with him in the future.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin walked into the palace with Shen Youyou.

This was Shen Youyou's first time in the legendary Imperial Study! She tried hard to suppress the urge to look up and take a closer look, remembering the palace etiquette that Aunt Zhilan had taught her.

Last time, when Xu Qingxue, the young lady of the Xu family, was accidentally dragged into the water, she jumped in to save her. She didn't get to enjoy the palace banquet, nor did she get to meet the Emperor. She wondered if this Emperor... uh, now he should call her "Father." She wondered if this "Father" would be kind and amiable, or a cold, fierce god. Shen Youyou muttered to herself, but her expression remained unwavering. She simply followed His Royal Highness Prince Jin in paying respectful obeisance.

After the emperor asked them to excuse themselves, His Royal Highness Prince Jin took Shen Youyou to receive the tea brought by Eunuch Xiao Xizi.

Shen Youyou held the teacup steadily and came before the emperor, bowing respectfully, "Father, please have some tea!" Her voice was crisp and she was not at all nervous.

This alone made the Emperor have a good impression of her. You know, many people would be so nervous in front of him that they would be speechless. Moreover, the Emperor himself had several daughters, but they were all favored by heaven, so they were spoiled and brought up since childhood, and they were all a little arrogant and unreasonable.

But I didn't expect that Shen Youyou, who had been raised in the countryside, was extremely well-educated and had no faults in etiquette. She was no worse than those noble ladies in Beijing!

The Emperor took the teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Very good! Since you and Jin'er are husband and wife, I hope you can love each other in the future..." He was about to say that they should quickly have children for the royal family, but suddenly changed his words to "support each other!" There was no need to say polite words, but at least he couldn't rub salt into other people's wounds, right?!

"Thank you for your teachings, father!" Shen Youyou answered obediently.

"Well, you are such a sensible child." The emperor nodded with satisfaction, a relieved smile on his face. "If you need anything in the future, just tell me."

"Thank you, Father!" Shen Youyou laughed happily, her eyes gleaming with joy. She knew that gaining the Emperor's approval was of great significance to her, as it meant her position in the royal family would be even more secure.

The Emperor then chatted with His Royal Highness Prince Jin about some family matters, inquiring about their married life and urging them to take care of and support each other. He then reminded His Royal Highness Prince Jin that after meeting the Empress, he must remember to take his daughter-in-law to burn incense for her mother-in-law and let her see the new bride.

Shen Youyou couldn't help but feel touched when she heard this. She understood that the emperor did this out of respect and care for her, and also hoped that she could integrate into the royal family. She looked at the emperor gratefully, her eyes full of gratitude.

"Your Highness will obey the Emperor's order." His Highness Prince Jin replied respectfully, indicating that he would do as the Emperor requested. In fact, even if his father hadn't said it, he had planned to take Shen Youyou to meet his mother. After all, she was his biological mother!

Shen Youyou nodded graciously, displaying a calm and confident demeanor. She knew that as Princess Jin, she not only had to gain the Emperor's approval, but also the favor of the Empress and other members of the royal family. Therefore, she decided to face this audience in her best possible state.

The Emperor saw how decent and generous Shen Youyou was, and his first impression of her was quite good. Although he still felt it was a pity for his son to marry the Rui'an County Lady as his principal wife, he also understood that his son's wishes could not be forced. After all, she was injured and it would be difficult for her to have children, and if the Ninth Prince did not have a legitimate son in the future, many things would be inconvenient.

But since his son insisted on marrying her, and the Rui'an County Lady's character was flawless, a woman with great ambitions and a heart for the country must be sensible and well-behaved, otherwise Lao Jiu would not have looked down on her. Since the matter was already settled, there was no need for him to show his displeasure.

"Xiao Xizi, please take out the things I prepared!" The emperor ordered eunuch Xiao Xizi.

"Yes! Your Majesty!" Eunuch Xiao Xizi responded, and from behind the bright yellow screen in the imperial study came out a plate with several rare treasures on it.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, this is what our Emperor has prepared for you and Princess Jin a long time ago. He has been looking forward to you coming to the palace every day these days!" Eunuch Xiao Xizi whispered.

"Little Xizi! You deserve a beating!" the emperor said in feigned anger.

"Ouch!" Xiao Xizi fell to his knees with a thud. "I'm such a talker! I'm such a talker! Please have mercy on me, Your Majesty!" He pretended to slap his mouth while crying to the emperor.

"Alright, you old bastard! Don't I know you?! This time, I'll let your head stay on your neck for a while longer." The emperor waved his hand, "I'm tired, you guys go pay your respects to the queen!"

"Your son and daughter-in-law take their leave! I hope Your Majesty takes care of your health!" They both took their leave to the emperor in unison.