“Yes. It’s made of glutinous rice.” Cen Bihua immediately fed it to her mother. Cen Xue happily took it and took a bite. “It’s really made of glutinous rice. What’s in it?” Madam Cen took a look. “It should be bean paste. The mochi made by Yunan have several kinds of fillings.”

“Grandpa, this is for you.”

“Eat as many as you like, grandpa often eats it.” Madam Cen, “Don’t give it to grandma, just eat yourself.”

“Father, you eat this.” Cen Zhiyuan smiled and took the white mochi. Their granddaughter (daughter) was so sensible and filial, making the adults very pleased. Cen Xue said, “Don’t eat them all by yourself, save some for your brother.”

Madam Cen, “We also prepared some for Shuchen.” Cen Zhiyuan immediately said, “I’ll send someone to tell my sister and brother-in-law that you arrived.”

Elder Cen, “Good.” With the child present, Elder Cen didn’t want to explain Yunan’s connection with the palace. When Cen Bihua left happily holding the snacks, Elder Cen waved away the servants before saying, “The solid yuan paste that the Emperor and Empress eat is made by Yunan. Do you know about the new tea and goat’s milk wine that were so hard to find in the capital a while ago?”

Cen Zhiyuan and Cen Xue both nodded their heads. Elder Cen looked at the two white jade porcelain jars on the table and said, “The first-class Longjing tea is in this jar.” Then he looked at the other two black jars. “This is goat’s milk wine.” Then he pointed at the bamboo jar. “These 40 golden silk royal chrysanthemums are all made by Yunan and Shijing hands.”

Hiss—” Cen Zhiyuan gasped and Cen Xue was completely stunned. “This was made by the two brothers?”

Cen Zhiyuan, “How are they related to the Emp…” Realizing that something was wrong, he immediately stopped his mouth. Elder Cen said, “Your two younger brothers are much more powerful than you think. It’s inconvenient for your father to explain their affairs more now, but you will know in the future. You don’t need to ask too much now. The tea and wine I brought can be shared with your father-in-law and when he asks, just say that you bought it for him. Don’t explain too much. Zhiyuan, also don’t say too much about it.”

“Father, don’t worry, my wife will not talk too much. Thank you, father.” Elder Cen nodded and continued. “The other one is for Wenyi’s father-in-law. You take out these and divide them into two. You will have one and Wenyi another.

Cen Zhiyuan & Cen Xue, “Yes.”

Elder Cen and Madam Cen were tired after traveling all the way, so after a brief explanation, Elder and Madam Cen went to rest. When Cen Zhiyuan came back, Cen Xue who had already tidied up said to him in a low voice, “These two brothers our parents recognized seem to be very capable. What are their identities and why are they involved with the palace?”

Cen Zhiyuan said, “I don’t know, Father also didn’t mention it to me. Since father didn’t say anything, it seems to be taboo, so it’s better to not ask. Father said you can’t eat this solid yuan paste, so take some to your mother too. Wasn’t she feeling unwell these days?” Cen Xue was happy, “Thank you, husband.”

“You and I are husband and wife, why thank me. Father prepared ten jars. Wenyi and I have five jars each and you can take three.”

“Three jars? Isn’t it too much?” Cen Xue really didn’t have the face to take so much to her maternal family, when it was something that only the Empress and Emperor could eat. Cen Zhiyuan said, “You and Bihua cannot eat it all and Father said eating two spoons of it a day is enough. I alone cannot eat so much and it will spoil with time. Father-in-law and mother-in-law can both eat it.”

Cen Xue smiled. “Thank you husband. Then I will personally go back to my maternal family tomorrow. This stuff is eye-catching, so I will need to tell my parents to not say anything in public.”

“I will go back with you tomorrow and take some of the things my parents brought. The parents said that this was also the intention of the two youngest brothers and why they prepared so much. You are pregnant now, so how could I let you go back to your maternal family alone. Tomorrow, wait for me to get back from the academy and I will accompany you back.” How could Cen Xue not like it? She just nodded and said yes.

Elder Cen and Madam Cen brought many gifts, making their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter very happy. It made them feel that these two brothers they had never met before were really generous and attentive, and also very good people. Even before they met, they already had a good impression of them. 

On the other hand Kang Rui arrived at his father-in-law’s house both happy and sad. The joy was due to being in the capital after seven years. Originally because he was disappointed with the court, but later after his wife passed away, he didn’t want to meddle with it anymore. This time Kang Rui returned to the capital only because of Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing.

Kang Rui’s arrival was warmly welcomed by his father-in-law, Lord Zuo Yu. Zuo Yu was the imperial censor of the capital’s garrison army and a general, but he only had two beautiful daughters. Zuo Yu felt that he was a rough man himself, so he paid special attention to scholarly talents in the selection of his son-in-law. 

When he was young, Kang Rui was an outstanding talent and he was a scholar and teacher at the Imperial College. His father was the head of the Imperial Inspection Department, of the third rank, responsible for monitoring the moral conduct of officials. If someone wanted to sue an official, he would go to the Imperial Inspection Department. However, this department was also particularly annoying to other people and Kang Rui’s own family was framed for this reason when they met the dim-witted Emperor. The whole family died or scattered, and only he survived.

Zuo Yu’s eldest daughter married Kang Rui, an educated man just like he wished, but his second daughter fell in love with his subordinate and he was not able to resist his daughter’s choice. The eldest daughter never had any children, but Kang Rui still loved and cared for his daughter. Even after his daughter’s death, Kang Rui never remarried. Zuo Yu liked this son-in-law very much, but also felt guilty.

This time Kang Rui not only came, but also brought a lot of gifts, including the first-class Longjing tea and goat’s milk wine that were hard to find even in the capital with a hundred taels of silver. He even brought golden silk chrysanthemum tea. Zuo Yu’s first reaction was that his good son-in-law became greedy for someone else’s money. How else could he afford these things with his work at the academy?

The father and son-in-law were in the study, and Zuo Yu asked worriedly, “Kang Rui, where did you get the money to buy these things? Did something happen to you? If you have any worries you can just tell your father. Now it’s not what it used to be. What’s the matter? As your father I can help you take care of everything.”

Kang Rui was very touched by his father-in-law’s love for him, even though he hadn’t come to the capital and seen his father-in-law in a long time. Kang Rui said, “Father is too worried. I only work at an academy, so how could I have enough money to buy these things? I didn’t buy them, but my junior brother gave them to me.”

“Your junior brother?” Whose family’s child was this? Seeing what his father-in-law was thinking, Kang Rui smiled and said, “Where did the tea and wine in the capital come from? That’s where your son-in-law’s tea and wine come from. It’s just that last year’s quantity was limited so this is all I could get. If Father likes it, I will ask for more this year, since these things of our family don’t cost me money.”

The family stuff… Zuo Yu reacted for a moment, gasped and pointed at Kang Rui as he shouted, “You mean, this… this…” Kang Rui nodded. “It’s exactly what you think, Father. Those two people are husband and wife, and I am their Senior Brother. They are also my benefactor’s righteous sons. As a Senior Brother, I still have the face to ask them for some tea and wine.”

Zuo Yu was stunned for a moment and then he was overjoyed. “These are all from the hands of your junior brother?!”

“Exactly.” Zuo Yu opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Kang Rui breathed a sigh of relief and said, “The family suffered a disaster. The old Kang Rui died and I no longer had any great ambition in my heart. If not for my benefactor asking me to help him run the academy, I am afraid that I don’t know how I would spend my days now. But a few days ago, I suddenly came to my senses. I may not be able to do great earth-shattering things, but I can’t be so depressed. Kang Rui now understands that no one can be at ease seeing me like this.”

Zuo Yu looked very serious. “Kang Rui, as a father, I have already regarded you as my own son in my heart. It has been three years since Ruo Ruo passed away and there should be someone by your side to take care of you. You can still marry another person. It doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman. Father can’t bear to see you so lonely.” 

Speaking of this, Zuo Yu also thought of his daughter and his eyes turned red. Kang Rui also felt uncomfortable. He really loved his late wife. How could he have good fortune once again to meet with a like-minded person he could spend the rest of their lives with.

“Father, I’ll talk about it later. I’m in a clear state of mind now. I just want to do something. I don’t have anyone in mind. If the dynasty allows me to meet someone. I will marry again.” Zuo Yu looked at Kang Rui for a while, and then nodded. “It’s best if you can think about it.”

After speaking he sighed again. Seeing this, Kang Rui asked, “Father, what happened at home?” Zuo Yu sighed again. “It’s Qing Tian. He has not been feeling well since the middle of last year and now he is too sick to get out of bed. He also suffers from abdominal pain every day. I’ve been to many doctors, but each of them have their own diagnosis, but none of them are effective. Your sister now spends her days in tears and Yijiao is not interested in studying. Alas!”

Kang Rui was stunned, “Qing Tian has been ill since last year? Why didn’t you tell me?” Zuo Yu said, “Telling you will only increase your troubles.” Immediately after saying it he cheered up and said, “It’s rare for you to come to the capital, so why don’t we stop talking about it? This time you came to the capital with your master, what happened?”

Kang Rui said, “There is something, but it is not an important matter. It is time for me to come to the capital to see you. After I left the capital, my old friends in the capital invited me back from time to time, so I can have a small gathering with them this time. My mentor has now given me the academy and he has nothing to do except looking for Elder Weng to catch up, so I went to the capital with him. Father, please keep the matter of the tea and wine a secret for the time being. This matter is very complicated. My Junior Brother and his husband are still just ordinary people and the palace has the intention to let them avoid suspicion as long as possible.”

Zuo Yu immediately nodded when he heard his words and said, “I will never mention it as a father. If someone asks, I will say it was a gift from a friend.”

“Thank you father for your understanding.” Since his brother-in-law was ill and he had been ill for a long time, Kang Rui proposed to take the solid yuan paste to his brother-in-law. He didn’t know if the solid yuan paste would be effective, but there was no harm in it. Plus, the solid yuan paste was a good thing that couldn’t be bought even with money. After returning, he would ask Shao Yunan to make some more for his father-in-law.

Edited by: Jaisland

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