Jiang Ning nodded, "Okay. Anyway, do you have any money on you?"
Jiang Ruobai touched his pouch and pulled out a couple of coins from it, "What do you need it for?"
"Even though Old Li is fat and greedy, little Qian is cute and well-behaved. If I don't see him in the future, I'll leave some money for him." Jiang Ning took a piece of silver from his hand and placed it on the table.
Jiang Ruobai was speechless.
This child really didn't know the grandfather and grandson's true identities.
If the emperor was traveling in disguised, deliberately hiding himself, Jiang Ruobai does not dare to say what that would mean.
"Shall we go home now?" Jiang Ruobai asked the young girl, "Do you have anything you want to bring? I'll get someone to carry it for you."
"Carry my stuff? I don't have much to bring. Can I take Maomao with me?" Jiang Ning pointed at the cat that was still eating the fish.
"Of course," Jiang Ruobai replied with a smile.
Jiang Ning patiently waited for Maomao to finish eating. After the cat finished, she washed the bowl. "Maomao seems to like this bowl a lot. Let's bring it along." She mused to herself.
Once she was done, she held the cat in one hand and the bowl in the other. Then she looked at Jiang Ruobai with clear eyes, "Dashu, should we go?"
Jiang Ruobai's eyes were fixed on the bowl. He only came back to his senses when he felt the younger girl's stare on him. "Ah?"
"Aren't we supposed to go to your house?"
'Is he regretting his choices? Did he change his mind about bringing her back to his home?' Jiang Ning worried when the man didn't immediately reply.
"Xiao Qi," Jiang Ruobai started and pointed to the room. "Xiao Qi, aren't you... Forgetting something?"
"Forget what?" Jiang Ning asked, confused, and turned around.
All she saw was the tattering house. What else was worth bringing besides her cat?
"I saw the things in the wicker basket you kept. They are not bad." Jiang Ruobai hurriedly said. "It's also a gift from Old–" He coughed, not daring to call the emperor's name in a familiar manner out loud. "Friend, an old friend of yours, right? It doesn't seem polite to throw them away."
Jiang Ning agreed.
She had been here for two months now, and considered her and Old Li as good acquaintances.
Even though he gave her many useless junks, it was still a token of his sincerity.
It's not good to lose it.
Then she better bring them with her.
Jiang Ruobai quickly called two servants to bring a pear-shaped wooden box to store the items. The two servants promptly did as they were told, and it didn't take long for them to load it onto the carriage.
Two maidservants entered the courtyard to guide and help Jiang Ning into the carriage. With Maomao and the bowl still in her arms, they went on their way toward the Jiang Manor.
Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes watched them as they left the thatched house.
...
Once the carriage left, the figure hurriedly left his hiding spot to return to the palace. When he arrived, he knelt before the emperor, "Your Majesty, Lord Jiang has already brought Miss Jiang back."
The emperor stood up on his short and stubby legs and started to stomp his feet in anger, "That damn Jiang Ruobai! If he takes the little girl away, what will I eat in the future?"
"Your Majesty, if you like her, why don't you bring Miss Jiang into the palace to be your concubine? She would be able to cook for Your Majesty every day."
"Rubbish! I'm an old man! Why would I want a concubine?" The emperor glared at the man. "Besides, I want to prepare this little girl for my fifth son!"
"Your Highness," The subordinate gasped in surprise. Then he looked around before he continued in a hushed voice, "His Highness Prince Yu doesn't like getting close to women and he's disobedient. Will he accept this? What's more, Miss Jiang's legs… Prince Yu won't agree to this. "
"Can we continue to let him do as he pleases? And don't you dare mention her leg. Even if the little girl is paralyzed, he would still have to marry her!"
"..."
His Majesty was really cruel to his own son.
However, His Highness Prince Yu was not an ordinary prince. He would not easily accept any random woman.
...
Grandmother Jiang had two sons, one a civil official and one a part of the military.
The old lady lived with her eldest son while her second son, Jiang Ruobai, lived next to them.
The Jiang family was famous in Chang'an City, but the reputation of the first and second branches was like two extremes.
Jiang Mubai, the head of the first family branch, was a great general who shook the region. He held military power, which was reflected in how he governed his family: strict. Most of his wives, concubines, and children were well-behaved and well-educated.
On the other hand, Jiang Ruobai was a civil official. Ever since he lost her little daughter twelve years ago, his main wife's health deteriorated, and she was now stuck in her sadness. Since then, the concubines had become arrogant and taken control of the house, isolating the main wife even further.