The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Chapter 1767 Duan Da Yan's Lunch

Shang Xi looked pitiful with his big eyes. He was still a child, and he didn't even know his own age. Maybe he was a year older than Cheng Youning, or maybe he was more than a year older. But he was thin and small, and much shorter than Cheng Youning. No wonder Cheng Feng didn't like to take him out. He was just a child, and standing next to Cheng Feng, he looked like a pitiful little chick.

Shang Xi comforted him, "Go wait for me at the gate of the mansion, and come with me to the Prince's Mansion in a little while!"

Big Eyes nodded while sobbing. As it was time to leave, he glanced at Cheng Feng one last time, hoping that Cheng Feng would ask him to stay.

Cheng Feng didn't even look at him. After walking a few meters away, Cheng Feng asked Shang Xi, "Wife, what did you want to see me about?"

Shang Xi said, "I don't want to associate with those officials' wives!"

"Someone has provoked you?"

"No, I just don't want to sit and eat with them. By the way, everyone already knows that the Emperor hit your head!"

Who's so gossipy?

Shang Xi said, "When you came out of the palace yesterday, several ministers saw you, and the news spread like wildfire. Stop pretending!"

Cheng Feng ground his back teeth: "These gossipy people, no wonder they were looking at me and laughing! In that case, I shouldn't be here anymore, I should go home with you." Cheng Feng glanced back into the main hall, then gave up. "Our son is still putting on an act there, I'll bear with it a little longer! When you go back, punish Da Yan by not letting him eat, this kid needs to be disciplined more strictly."

Shang Xi was both amused and exasperated. "He's just a child. He was crying like that just now, and you still won't feed him. What will you do to your reputation if word gets out?"

“He’s always hanging around me. He’s so short, he trips when he walks. He’s enrolled in a literacy class but doesn’t study properly. It’s only been a short while and he’s already back. Honey, you always say he’s pitiful. Why don’t you let him serve you? You can take him with you when you go out. He’s quite clever, and his advantage is that he can run errands. Besides, it was you who forced me to bring him back. Honey, just accept him!”

Without even thinking, Shang Xi said, "I think we should forget about it. I don't want to go out with the child either. When I get home, I'll punish him by not letting him eat and have someone teach him manners."

Cheng Feng grinned, "I knew we were of one mind."

Shang Xi secretly twitched the corner of her mouth, turned around and walked towards the gate, got into the carriage and took Da Yan back to the Prince's Mansion.

Yu Hua asked Shang Xi, "Why did you come back so quickly!"

Shang Xi then explained the situation.

After hearing this, Yu Hua sighed, "Don't be angry, it's not worth it. Over the years, we've seen too many people who fawn over the powerful and trample on the weak. Just because they don't care about past relationships doesn't mean they don't care about anything. I'll go with you tomorrow. Speaking of which, it's pitiful Fourth Sister, carrying out the funeral while pregnant. It's heartbreaking to see. Losing a loved one and working so hard these past few days, I don't know if Fourth Sister's body can handle it. Please don't fall ill!"

Shang Xi looked worried. "You're right, I'm also worried that she's been pushing herself too hard these past few days. What if she collapses while heavily pregnant? Luckily, she's not the type to give up or become despondent. I'll have someone prepare some tonics to help with the pregnancy, and we'll take them with us tomorrow. I'll also send a message to my sister at the Qian family; she'll definitely be there!"

Yu Hua nodded, "That's right, Grandma is righteous, and Zhao Shuyun is righteous too. They are both heroines, loyal and righteous, much better than those who only know how to put on a show!"

Shang Xi suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, I heard from my uncle last time that Zhao Shuyun has started making cotton-padded clothes for the border soldiers. I asked you to buy fabric and find people, have you made the arrangements?"

Yu Hua slapped her forehead hard. "I've been so busy these past few days that I completely forgot about it. I'll send someone to the cloth shop in a bit to select some cloth and have it delivered. But this year we won't go to all the trouble of hiring people. We can just use the people in the manor. With a little effort, we can make quite a lot."

Nodding, just as the two were chatting casually, a heart-wrenching cry came from outside. Shang Xi's brow twitched in shock. "Yu Hua, go see who it is!"

Yu Hua panicked upon hearing the crying, as if it were an emergency, "There are no children in this household?"

As Yu Hua stood up, she rushed into the room, shouting, "Your Highness—"

Shang Xi stiffened. "Big Eyes, didn't you already cry? Why are you crying again?"

Yu Hua pulled Da Yan aside and asked, "What happened? Did you get beaten up again?"

Big Eyes shook his head frantically.

"What happened? Explain yourself, and stop crying!"

"Butler Yuhua, they won't let me have lunch!"

Yu Hua was furious. "Who dares to not let you eat? Come on, I'll take you to find them and make them angry. Don't they even follow the rules of this manor anymore?"

Big Eyes pointed at Shang Xi: "Butler Yu Hua, they said the Princess Consort wouldn't let me eat lunch. I don't believe it. The Princess Consort is the best to me!"

Yu Hua wanted to slam her hand on the table, but it was too far away. She forcefully flicked her sleeve and said, "Whoever dares to slander the Princess like this, I will expel them from the palace."

At this moment, Shang Xi awkwardly raised one hand and said shamefully, "It was me who wouldn't let Da Yan eat!"

Shang Xi's voice was much softer than usual because she was afraid that Yu Hua would lash out at her at any moment.

"Shang Xi, what did Da Yan do wrong that you're not letting him eat!"

Shang Xi thought about her image in Da Yan's eyes, and she couldn't say that this matter had anything to do with her. "Yu Hua, it wasn't my idea to not let Da Yan eat, it was Cheng Feng!"

"Cheng Feng? What's wrong with him? He goes out to a banquet and then interferes with Da Yan's meal. That's outrageous! No, there must be some reason for it, right?"

Shang Xi explained, "Of course, it's not like we're stopping Da Yan from eating for no reason!"

"Stop panting, just tell me!"

"It's because Big Eyes didn't study properly in the literacy class and took it upon himself to go to the Song residence to find Cheng Feng! Cheng Feng thought he was unruly and wanted to punish him by making him miss a meal!"

Yu Hua was quick-tempered and usually took good care of Da Yan, but she valued right and wrong above all else; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to manage so many servants in the Prince's mansion. "Da Yan, this is where you went wrong. The Prince's mansion paid for you to attend a literacy class—what a great opportunity! Why didn't you study properly and instead ran back halfway? Besides, even if you ran back, you couldn't have gone to the Song mansion! If Cheng Feng wasn't there, you would have made a wasted trip. The servants in this mansion have to be recorded every day for their departure times and what they do. Don't you know that? Someone taught you that on your first day here!"

His big eyes were blurred with tears. He wiped them haphazardly with his hands, muttering, "I know!"

"You know it, yet you still dare to act on your own! That opportunity to learn to read is hard to come by; you should seize it. Haven't you always heard the Crown Prince mocking me, saying I've suffered because I haven't studied enough? That's true. Look at the Crown Prince; he easily becomes a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). If you could also top the examination, would you still need to work as a servant here?"