In the Heavenly Worship Hall, the scene of a Princess Consort chatting and laughing with General Jiang while eating pigsâ feet and having a shiny oil stain on the corner of her mouth was quite an eye-catching one.
But nobody dared to say anything about it.
In their eyes, the two of them were like a father and daughter. The father had returned from afar and brought back some delicious snacks for his beloved daughter, watching her eat affectionately.
Who could bear to criticize such a scene?
Li Hongyuan saw it through the crowd as well.
He merely held his teacup calmly, sipping it unhurriedly, without any change in his facial expression.
In front of him, Jiang Ning always seemed to be listless, cunning, casual, and calculating.
Only in front of her own family would she reveal her playful and innocent side as a young girl.
In her heart, she never truly considered the Imperial Palace her home.
Nor did she see her husband as a family member.
The fearsome general appeared to be a doting father at this moment, foolishly smiling at his niece while she gnawed on pigsâ feet and carefully reminding her not to eat too much at once.
That was until Prime Minister Jiang led Lin Zizi over by the hand.
When they saw the pigsâ feet in Jiang Ningâs hand and the oil stains on the corner of her mouth, their eyes widened in shock.
It was as if they had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.
âJiang Mubai!â Jiang Ruobai shouted angrily, rushing over, âYou even dared to secretly feed my daughter all these messy things! Iâll kill you!â
Seeing the situation was turning bad, Jiang Mubai quickly stuffed the remaining pigsâ foot into Jiang Ningâs hand and said, âNingâer, well, Iâm worried about your aunt, so I have to go watch over her taking the medicine. Iâll leave first, so take your time eating!â
He hurriedly bolted away, avoiding Jiang Ruobaiâs pursuit.
As he ran past Lin Zizi, she glared at him in anger, quickly pulling out a sharp hairpin, âJiang Mubai, stay away from my Seventh Sister! Havenât you harmed her enough?â
âZizi, poke him in the eye!â Jiang Ruobai shouted as he chased after him.
Jiang Mubai had already disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Jiang Ning laughed, âSo, it turns out General Jiangâs escape skills are also top-notch.â
As the nobles and ministers watched the scene, they wanted to laugh but dared not, forcing themselves to hold back.
It was widely known that the two brothers of the Jiang Family did not get along.
They would clash whenever they met, no matter where they were.
They had never been shy about making life difficult for each other privately either.
A true pair of enemies.
Returning to the Heavenly Worship Hall with Lin Zizi, both looking unhappy, Jiang Ruobai had not managed to catch up with Jiang Mubai.
âSeventh Sister, donât eat it anymore.â Jiang Ruobai snatched away the remaining pigsâ foot without any courtesy, âItâs all because of that old rascal that you got addicted to eating these things, and you got lost when Dad took you to the temple fair as a child.â
Lin Ziziâs eyes also reddened.
So, there was a story behind this. It seemed that their anger just now was not entirely feigned.
Jiang Ning obediently handed over the remaining pigsâ foot, smiling, âDad, Mom, Iâm all grown up now, so even the best pigsâ feet canât lead me astray again.â
âJust donât eat it any more.â
Lin Zizi had a shadow over her heart from pigsâ feet.
âAlright, I wonât eat it anymore.â
Jiang Ning pulled them both by the hands, making them sit down.
Only when they had taken their seats did the rest of the princes, dukes and ministers look for seats according to their official status and ranking.
Jiang Ning wanted to sit directly beside her parents, but someone didnât allow it.
âCome here.â Li Hongyuan waved for her.