Chapter 530: Chapter 530

After everyone had taken their seats, the dumplings were ready. Considering everyone would start with vegetables, only one plate of each kind of filling was brought out, with each plate holding about fifty dumplings.

Tangyuan casually introduced the two fillings, and Rong Heng looked at the green, white, and orange-colored dumplings and felt exceedingly happy.

"Only you could make such beautiful colored dumplings. I haven’t eaten these in many years, you heartless woman!"

With the corners of her lips upturned, Tangyuan stood up and took a small plate from a palace maid’s hands, then laid a plate of large and small dumplings, some with torn skins, in front of him. Rong Heng looked at her, surprised, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

"You must eat this plate of dumplings because Ayue rolled out the dough and I wrapped them, filled with love!"

Rong Heng looked down, visibly stunned, then tilted his head to look at the expectant Rong Yue, his voice trembling slightly.

"Ayue, you’re so amazing, you know how to make dumplings already?"

"That’s right, Mom and I have made them several times, though I tend to spoil quite a few. Mom always eats them up without minding. Daddy, would you mind that Ayue’s dumplings look ugly?"

"How could I? My Ayue can make dumplings at only three years old; that’s incredible, even more skilled than Daddy. Daddy can’t make them, and neither can these two Uncles. If you don’t believe me, you can ask them."

Qingfeng Mingyue was also full of admiration, endlessly showering Rong Yue with praise, which brought her immense joy. And along with it, she managed to eat quite a few of her own less perfect dumplings. The atmosphere was splendid, and Tangyuan watched from the side, occasionally bursting into laughter at Rong Heng, who was also admiring his son with starry eyes. She suddenly felt that it would be wonderful if their family of three could live outside, away from all this.

After that meal, Rong Heng seemed attached to Changchun Palace, visiting her whenever he had free time, whether during the day or at night.

Their family was reunited, but the women of the harem felt left out in the cold. Sometimes, when she took Ayue for a stroll in the harem, she would meet concubines. The shrewd ones would greet her warmly, the less tactful might even roll their eyes or make snide remarks, but none dared to cross her with harsh words.

She didn’t take any of it to heart and just laughed it off, as such reactions were to be expected.

The only one that surprised her was Lady Shu, who came from a military family. With her straightforward personality, she didn’t quite fit the genteel image her title suggested.

Not knowing where she heard about her culinary skills, Lady Shu had the audacity to bring her own little prince over nearly every other day for a visit, always choosing times when the Emperor wasn’t there. It must be said, this lady was both rough and subtle; she never had the intention of running into the Emperor by chance, she genuinely wanted to hang out and freeload a meal.

The more she got to know her, the more she liked her. Eventually, she would also take Ayue to visit Lady Shu’s palace. But sitting around could get a bit boring, so she took out the mahjong tiles and taught them how to play. And as a result, the game ended up bringing them incredibly close, not only did she become like sisters with the women of the harem, but they also became gambling buddies, taking every chance to play a few hands together.

There were several times they got so absorbed in their games that they forgot the Emperor was coming over to eat, missing the chance to cook. This led to the Emperor himself coming to find them, and once he did, they got him hooked on the game as well.

Tangyuan, leveraging her position as the so-called inventor, had made a nice sum of pocket money during this time. Of course, she didn’t keep it all to herself, using the money to invite her sisters over to Changchun Palace. Before long, she actually grew to enjoy this way of life.

Because it wasn’t boring anymore, she had pocket money to earn, gossip to share, and most importantly, through such interactions, everyone came to a basic understanding and the hostility waned. Although their relationship remained superficial, once the women got busy, who had the time to think about men?

Although Rong Heng was optimistic about their newfound camaraderie, as long as his Yuanyuan was happy, he was content with how the women spent their time.

But this approach had a downside. She was no longer wholeheartedly serving him, nor would she eagerly wait for him to come over after preparing his meal.

If he was lucky, he could dine in her palace at mealtime, but there were always other concubines around, making it impossible for him to be intimate with her.

If he were unlucky, he would make a wasted trip, for he would have to send someone to inquire which palace she had gone to.

Because of this new entertainment, the other concubines no longer showed him the zealous ardor of the past. It seemed that ever since her arrival, the women no longer competed against each other, and harmony prevailed. What kind of magic was this?

So he tentatively asked her, "Are you willing to stay now?"

Tangyuan knew what he was thinking.

"I don’t know yet, let’s wait and see. The little fellow seems quite curious about the classes arranged in the palace."

It was time for enlightenment, so some playful classes were arranged, not only for the Royal Family but also for the children of aristocratic families. With many children around, it became lively, much like kindergarten. At the moment, Rong Yue seemed to adapt quite well.

Rong Heng picked up on the nuance, "Then, may I add our child to the family register?"

Being listed in the family register would give a ranking, and the title of Prince, which was very important to Rong Yue.

Tangyuan naturally had no objections. But when Rong Heng proposed, "I wish to crown you as Empress, the coronation ceremony has long been prepared. Just nod, and it can happen anytime," she frowned, "Become Empress? With my status, do you think your courtiers would agree?"

"Why wouldn’t they agree? On what grounds could they object? With what you’ve done, they would be speechless. Besides, it’s my decision to make you Empress, what does it have to do with them? Or do you want your son’s birth record to bear the name of Ms. Tang without any imperial title?"

Unexpectedly, Tangyuan appeared indifferent, "It doesn’t matter. My son will prevail on his own merits; he doesn’t care about such empty titles."

"Silly girl, as a Prince, the maternal family is a very important part. Without the support of Consort De’s family back then, what use would my Father Emperor’s staunch support have been?"

At the mention of the Empress Dowager, Tangyuan remembered Consort De, "Is the Empress Dowager also in the palace? Why haven’t I heard mention of her?"

"My mother is not in the palace; she is praying at Daxiangguo Temple and will not return until the end of the year. I’m serious, can you give me this favor? The queen’s position has been vacant for so many years, it’s truly indefensible. If they hadn’t pressed me so urgently this time, why would I have thought of such a terrible way to force your return?"

For a moment, she felt swayed to agree, "No, once I’m crowned Empress, I’ll never be able to leave again."

"Is the outside world really that wonderful, to make you so reluctant to stay?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⚑fire.net

"What I miss is not the outside world, but the air of freedom. Spending a long time in the deep palace, I’d turn into a resentful woman. You wouldn’t understand."

Tangyuan shook her head, feeling that she still couldn’t and didn’t dare agree easily, because she was afraid. She was afraid to walk down the same path as Yuan Yuan again.