Chapter 713: Deciding to Stay (1/2)

Yu Xiaocao smiled happily when she saw the familiar face, “Manager Liu, I trust you’ve been well since we’ve last met ah! When were you transferred over to the branch at the harbor ah?”

Manager Liu was very touched by the fact that Yu Xiaocao, who was now an important imperial envoy and a princess consort to boot, had still remembered him. He replied emotionally, “In reply to Your Highness, something came up at the harbor and the master let this one come over to smooth things over. I would have never have expected to have the honor to see both Highnesses here…”

“No wonder ah! It was a bit odd to me that you’d leave the capital and come back to Tanggu instead. Apparently, the owner needed the great expert, Manager Liu, to get things into shape here ah!” Xiaocao’s attitude to this familiar person was just as sweet and accommodating as before.

Manager Liu, on the other hand, was incredibly honored by her familiarity with him and gratefully thought, ‘Miss Yu truly has a kind heart and treats people well. Even after she’s become a high and mighty princess consort, she’s still as sweet as ever.’ Thus Manager Liu waxed on excitedly, “Your Highness is much too kind. This one is incredibly honored, incredibly honored...Your Highnesses, please come to the third floor. We’ve already reserved two private rooms for you. Is that enough space?”

Since they had the Jinwei Navy escorting them back home, Imperial Prince Xu had already sent the hidden guards and bodyguards back on their own. Thus, with only a few people present and not that many servants, the two private rooms had more than enough space for them.

After Yu Xiaocao finished an incredibly sumptuous and satisfactory meal, her father and older brother had rushed over from Tanggu Town. When they got the news that she had arrived, the father and son pair set down everything they were doing and didn’t even bother to eat the noon meal before galloping over on horseback. They wanted to see their daughter and son-in-law as soon as possible.

“Cao’er——” Yu Hai carefully inspected his daughter from head to toe. When he saw that her complexion was bright and that she had gotten plumper, he finally relaxed a bit.

However, when he saw Zhu Junyang, it was hard for him to not frown at his son-in-law, “What did you tell me on the day that you two got married? That no matter what, you would make sure to protect Cao’er completely and wouldn’t even let a single hair on her head be harmed. But what happened now? You let her get so injured even when she was pregnant! Fortunately, Cao’er’s body was relatively healthy in her youth, otherwise...that’d be two lives lost at once ah!”

As he spoke, Yu Hai’s eyes turned red. His poor daughter ah! When she was young, she had endured so many illnesses and accidents and it was a miracle that she had survived early childhood. As she got older, she became healthier and their lives became better. She even ended up marrying an imperial prince. He had originally thought that her life would only get better from then. Who would have thought that she’d become so injured while out on an official duty in Jinling even with her husband by her side? She almost had a miscarriage too.

In order to make the emperor sympathize with them, Zhu Junyang had deliberately written about Xiaocao’s injuries in a frightening manner. However, he didn’t expect that this would come back to hit his own toes right now.

Despite the fact that he was an imperial prince, Zhu Junyang could only keep his head lowered meekly in front of his father-in-law, who deeply loved Xiaocao. He repeatedly murmured that it was his fault and that something like that would never occur again.

“Don’t blame me for being too coarse in my talk ah! She’s my daughter and I had transferred her care to you. However, then I got news that she ‘had a severe internal injury’, fractured a few ribs, and ‘almost had a miscarriage’. As her father, how could I possibly be okay with this ah?!” Yu Hai still remembered to leave some face for his son-in-law. Although he had a belly full of complaints, he restrained himself as much as he could.

Yu Hang spoke up, “Your Highness, you’re almost a father yourself so you should be able to understand a father’s love for his children. When we first got the bad news, my mother fainted from shock. If it weren’t for the fact I begged my father not to, he would have packed his bags and gone to Jinling to find my younger sister. You two are really too much ah! Why didn’t you bring more bodyguards along after leaving your safe residence? Not only did you encounter pirates on the road, but my younger sister also got kidnapped...argh…”

Zhu Junyang was being scolded roundly but what could he do? One was his father-in-law and the other was his older brother-in-law. That being said, it truly was his fault. He had been too confident and allowed the lass to get hurt. It was only right and proper that he was getting scolded for this.

When Xiaocao found out that her mother had fainted, she felt guilty and anxious. She hurriedly asked, “Older Brother, how’s mother? Is she a bit better?”

“Princess Consort Jing sent an imperial physician over to treat her. He said that she had become sick with worry and prescribed a few calming pills, so she’s alright now.” Fortunately, Madam Liu’s body had been well nourished these past few years. If this had happened right around the time Xiaocao had first transmigrated over, she might have become severely ill.

“It’s all my fault to let everyone in the family worry about me.” Yu Xiaocao relaxed as she stated remorsefully.

Yu Hai looked at his daughter's belly, which was already protruding, and sighed, “Cao’er, ah, I know you have high ambitions and don’t like to lose. However, you’re someone’s wife and about to become a mother. If you’re able to, don’t take on more official duties ah.”

Yu Hai loved and worried about this daughter of his. He didn’t know who she took after. Ever since she was young, she acted more like a boy. She was hardworking and incredibly trustworthy. In the short span of ten years, she had managed to build a bustling family empire for the family. As a girl, she was also the first female official in the Great Ming Dynasty, and was a fourth-ranked official to boot. However, in his eyes, no matter how capable she was, she needed to settle down after marriage. The most important thing for her now was to take care of her husband and children.

“Father, don’t worry ah! I know what’s important.” Yu Xiaocao had already come to a decision. Once the yields of the high-yielding wheat and the Jiangnan hybrid-rice experiments were a success, she was going to retire...and focus solely on her own businesses.

Xiaocao couldn’t help but smile when she remembered the talk she had with the little divine stone the other day.