无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

Li Hongyuan fell silent for a moment, then said: “Emperor Father, this is something I don’t wish to mention. But… I really didn’t lay my hands on her. That wedding handkerchief…”

“Fool, when I say the child Jiang Ning is carrying is yours, I naturally am not talking about the incidents post your wedding.”

“Emperor Father, I don’t understand. Jiang Ning and I had no contact prior to this.”

“I am saying you did. It’s just you that didn’t know.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Do you still remember, three to four months ago, when you accompanied me out?”

“I remember.” Li Hongyuan had an excellent memory, “We encountered assassins on that outing.”

“Yes, and you protected me by leading the assassins away, even sustaining some injuries.” The Emperor looked at his son, a hint of tenderness in his eyes, “You are a filial child.”

Li Hongyuan asked: “Could it be, did something else happen thereafter?”

“Then I met that child, Jiang Ning.”

“So that’s how Emperor Father met her.”

“At that time, I didn’t know she was Prime Minister Jiang’s daughter. She mistook me for a beggar and gave me half a bowl of porridge. Only later did I find out that it was the last bit of food she was left with.”

The Emperor looked at his son, “If it were you, would you risk starvation, to give your last bit of food to a stranger?”

Li Hongyuan fell silent for a while, then shook his head: “I wouldn’t.”

The Emperor smiled: “Neither would I. That’s why the child’s heart is precious.”

“What happened next?” Li Hongyuan asked.

“I discovered that she looked just like Lin Zizi when she was young, and also knew that Prime Minister Jiang lost a daughter. So, when I returned, I had it investigated. Sure enough, she was the daughter of Prime Minister Jiang and Lin Zizi.”

Upon hearing this, Li Hongyuan couldn’t resist asking a question that had been troubling him for a long time: “Emperor Father, what was the matter between you and Madam Jiang the second, when you were young?”

The Emperor’s old face stiffened a little: “Why are you being so nosy?”

Seeing that he was just a little embarrassed and not angry, Li Hongyuan quickly followed up with another question: “As a monarch, wouldn’t Emperor Father be able to win over a vassal?”

“That was me showing magnanimity, what would you understand!” The Emperor waved his hand impatiently, “We are discussing your affairs now, don’t bring up irrelevant matters!”

Li Hongyuan had pretty much figured it out.

The Emperor did indeed have feelings for Lin Zizi, but she was plainly not interested in him. Her heart was set on Jiang Ruobai.

Despite this, the Emperor did not use his imperial status to force anything. He ensured their happiness, which showed his genuine affection for Lin Zizi.

The Emperor glanced at him and said: “I have only these sons. Your eldest brother is gone, the second, third, and fourth have all been married, only you are left unmarried, and your age isn’t far off from that child’s. What I was thinking was, since I couldn’t marry Lin Zizi, if my son could marry her daughter, it would be like fulfilling my wish.”

Li Hongyuan was somewhat speechless.

Why should he fulfill his Father’s youthful dreams?

“You mentioned earlier that I have been with her, what do you mean by that?”

“Ah, right.” The Emperor seemed to suddenly remember this matter, “Didn’t I later find that child, Jiang Ning, appealing? She’s beautiful, kind-hearted, and exceptionally good at cooking. So I thought of making her my daughter- in – law.”

Li Hongyuan inwardly sneered.

Since when did being good at cooking become a criterion for being a daughter- in – law?

If that’s the case, he might as well marry a chef.

Moreover, what kind of food could that woman possibly make?

Li Hongyuan felt like this was just some absurd reason the Emperor had concocted to make him willingly marry Jiang Ning.

The Emperor glanced at him as if he had seen through his thoughts: “Jiang Ning’s cooking, it’s really tasty..”