Chapter 424: Two In-Laws

Hearing Ji Yuan ask this question, Hu Yun appeared slightly smug.

“Sir, you told me and Lu Shan Jun that the culture of the human race is profound and extensive. The more I see, the more I understand. It’s easy to guess that both the man and the woman are unmarried.”

“You know she’s unmarried?”

Ji Yuan asked Hu Yun with great interest. Had this the fox also developed some kind of supernatural vision, or comprehended the art of observing auras?

However, Ji Yuan was clearly mistaken. Hu Yun pointed to his own nose with his claw.

“I can smell it. Unmarried females have a different scent; they’ll emit…”

“Alright, alright…”

Ji Yuan was both amused and exasperated. This was still an animal’s method, yet it was undeniably accurate.

Hu Yun chuckled as he watched Yin Qing and the unfamiliar woman walk away. He knew, of course, that Yin Qing was no longer young and should have been considering marriage ages ago.

“Hey Mr. Ji, what do you think of this woman? Is she a good match for Yin Qing?”

“Well, that depends on Yin Qing’s own thoughts. As for this woman, she is no ordinary person; she is likely a princess of the royal family.”

Hearing Ji Yuan’s words, Hu Yun mimicked what he had recently learned from Yin Qing, stroking the fur on his chin with his paw as if he were stroking a beard, and nodded seriously as he spoke.

“A princess, huh? In terms of status, she barely passes. I just don’t know what her character is like.”

Ji Yuan shook his head, flicked his sleeve, and all the white pieces on the chessboard went into the box. With another sweep, all the black pieces joined them.

Hu Yun was still watching the man and woman at the end of the corridor. When he saw that they had turned a corner and disappeared from sight, and he immediately became a little anxious.

“No, this is such a rare opportunity, I have to go and take a look! Mr. Ji, I’ll be off now?”

Hu Yun didn’t act rashly; he first asked Ji Yuan for his opinion. If Ji Yuan disagreed, he wouldn’t dare to wander around aimlessly.

Ji Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

“Go ahead, just don’t get caught. Master Yin should be receiving the current Emperor of Dazhen right now. He is protected by his celestial purple aura, and it’s quite powerful. Although he will not cause any harm to you so long as he doesn’t intend to, it would be best if you did not get too close to the emperor.”

“Hehe, okay, I’m off then!”

Hu Yun jumped out from under the stone table, repeated his words to Ji Yuan, and prepared to leave. However, before that, the paper crane perched on Ji Yuan flapped its wings and quickly flew to the top of Hu Yun’s head. Its meaning was self-evident.

Hu Yun patted the little paper crane with his paw, and then said the same thing to Ji Yuan again.

“Then we’ll be off?”

“Go ahead, and watch carefully. Tell me when you get back!”

“Yes!”

Hu Yun responded. In a few leaps, his body disappeared. However, Ji Yuan didn’t have time for peace and quiet, as before long, Yin Zhong’s excited voice approached, along with the sound his running feet.

“Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji, something big has happened today, something really big…”

Yin Zhong ran very fast, but when he reached Ji Yuan at the end of the corridor, he wasn’t even out of breath. His face was flushed, but whether from the cold or excitement it was hard to tell.

“What big thing? Is it related to that woman your brother was with?”

“Hahaha, that’s right, Mr. Ji. I’ll tell you a secret: that woman was here on a blind date with my brother. She’s no ordinary person; she’s Princess Changping, the Emperor’s favorite!”

Yin Zhong spoke to Ji Yuan with a hint of showing off, the implication being something like: ‘Look, isn’t my family amazing? The princess is here to arrange a blind date with my brother.’

“And also…”

Yin Zhong lowered his voice as he spoke.

“The current emperor is here too. It’s a pity that none of the princes came, otherwise I would have a lot of fun. Sir, you probably haven’t seen the emperor before, have you? He usually stays in the palace, surrounded by guards.”

Ji Yuan smiled.

“I’ve met not only the current Emperor Hongwu, but also Emperor Yuande. By the way, since you have distinguished guests at your home, what brings you here?”

Yin Zhong glanced at the corridor with a grin, then lowered his voice even further.

“I just made an excuse to come find you, left the main hall, and secretly followed my brother and Princess Changping from a distance for a while. Hehehe, they stayed in the study for quite a while before coming out. I wonder what they were doing! As the saying goes, a man and a woman alone together in a room…”

Yin Zhong was still speaking eloquently and giggling when Ji Yuan reached out and flicked him on the forehead.

“Ouch!”

Yin Zhong rubbed his forehead a couple of times.

“Mr. Ji, why did you flick me?!”

Ji Yuan shook his head, and while Yin Zhong was rubbing his forehead and not paying attention, he secretly put the chessboard and chess piece box on the stone table into his sleeve, feigning anger.

“What kind of crooked ideas are you having at such a young age?”

“I don’t…”

Yin Zhong muttered something guiltily, then suddenly saw his father, Yin Zhaoxian, coming from the other end of the corridor. He was so frightened that he shrank back and instinctively hid behind the stone table.

Yin Zhaoxian’s gait appeared unhurried, but in fact his strides were quite large, so he moved at a fast pace. When he arrived at the guesthouse courtyard, the first thing he looked at was the stone table.

“Tiger, what are you doing?”

“Uh, I… I’m looking for Hu Yun. Strange, where did that fox go?”

Yin Zhong scratched his head, half-jokingly, and stood up. Yin Zhaoxian shook his head and stopped looking at him, turning to Ji Yuan.

“Mr. Ji, you must already know who has come today. The Emperor knows you are a guest at my home and wishes to see you. A banquet will be held in the dining hall later, and he wanted me to bring you there. I declined, saying that you are a commoner from the countryside and do not know etiquette, so I planned to…”

Ji Yuan raised his hand to stop Yin Zhaoxian from continuing, and smiled.

“Since Emperor Hongwu wishes to see me, then I will go and see him. After all, he is the Emperor of the Dynasty of Dazhen, and you, as a minister, should give him face.”

“Is…is this appropriate?”

Yin Zhaoxian was surprised that Ji Yuan was actually willing to meet the emperor, but after hearing this, he felt that it might just be for the sake of the Yin family.

“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. It’s just a meal, and it doesn’t matter who you eat with. Master Yin, you don’t need to think too much about it. Just as you said, treat me as a commoner who has never seen the emperor before and wants to catch a glimpse of him.”

Seeing that Ji Yuan really didn’t mind, that was naturally the best outcome, and Yin Zhaoxian was relieved.

“Very well, then please come with me to the dining hall, sir. The kitchen has finished its preparations. Oh, and by the way, in front of the Emperor, uh, I hope you can address him as Your Majesty…”

Ji Yuan would never be lacking in courtesy even when dealing with ordinary people, let alone the emperor, so he smiled and comforted him.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. By the way, did the Emperor come here today specifically for Yin Qing?”

Yin Zhaoxian glanced at Yin Zhong and nodded to Ji Yuan.

“He even brought along Princess Changping… If this matter succeeds, it would be quite a remarkable story!”

The two walked and talked in hushed tones, accompanied by Yin Zhong, who seemed to be following obediently but was actually listening very attentively. The three of them headed towards the dining hall.

Before long, we arrived at the door to the dining hall, along the corridor. The most conspicuous feature was the several armed guards standing meticulously in front of the door and in the courtyard.

Upon seeing Yin Zhaoxian approach, the guards bowed to him. Then the group focused their attention on Ji Yuan, observing his gait and clothing.

So long as the guards didn’t search him, Ji Yuan would ignore all their scrutinizing gazes, and Yin Zhaoxian did the same, reaching out to invite him in near the doorway.

“Please come in, Mr. Ji. His Majesty and Consort De are already inside.”

The guards opened the door, and Yin Zhaoxian and Ji Yuan entered one after the other, followed by Yin Zhong.

This dining hall was very large and could accommodate several tables of food and drink. At this moment, only one table had been set up, making the room appear quite spacious. From the doorway, there were about four or five zhang

1

of room before the dining table. Emperor Hongwu sat at the head of the table, watching the entrance, with maids, eunuchs, and several guards in between.

The other party was now the emperor, which was a very special existence, and Ji Yuan could see this clearly; Yang Hao was much more dignified than before.

Yin Zhong ran straight to his mother’s side without any hesitation. Everyone, including the Emperor, just watched with smiles, while Yin Zhaoxian stood at the entrance and bowed to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, this is my friend…”

As he spoke, Yin Zhaoxian glanced at Ji Yuan and whispered a reminder to him.

“Mr. Ji…”

Ji Yuan didn’t need any further explanation. He smiled and gave Emperor Hongwu a slight bow.

“This humble subject, Ji Yuan, greets His Majesty.”

Emperor Hongwu was also carefully observing Ji Yuan. He saw that although the newcomer was dressed simply, he had a leisurely and elegant demeanor. His bearing was not inferior standing next to the distinguished Yin Zhaoxian. This first impression made him certain that he was indeed a remarkable person of great importance.

“Come, come, Minister Yin and Mr. Ji, there’s no need for formalities. Please take your seats. I’m starving and eager to try the dishes from Ning’an County!”

Yin Qing, who had already taken his seat a few minutes earlier, was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Mr. Ji to actually come. But looking at the way Mr. Ji had glanced at him and Princess Changping a few more times, he wondered to herself:

‘Mr. Ji, you’re not here to stir up trouble because of me and Princess Changping, are you?’

As soon as Ji Yuan and Yin Zhaoxian arrived, everyone was finally present, and the kitchen immediately began serving dishes. The small doors of the side rooms were opened, and servants from the Yin family brought up steaming, fragrant dishes.

At banquets, it was inevitable to toast the Emperor, but Ji Yuan wasn’t interested and simply drank his wine. Surprisingly, Emperor Hongwu wasn’t angry about this at all; instead, he just thought about how Yin Zhaoxian was right.

Dining with the emperor wasn’t as extravagant as ordinary people imagined. Everyone has two eyes and one mouth, and they chatted about interesting and strange things while eating just like ordinary people. Since the main characters today were Yin Qing and Princess Changping, most of the conversation at the table revolved around them.

The Emperor and Consort De would tell stories about Princess Changping’s childhood, praising her intelligence, grace, and proficiency in the four arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. The Yin family would also talk about how sensible and intelligent Yin Qing was as a child, with a photographic memory. Although he could be mischievous at times, no one disliked him, and even small animals were fond of him.

‘This is basically just two families who like each other and are ready to become in-laws, chatting happily at the dinner table. Judging from this situation, this marriage was arranged entirely by the parents and matchmakers; Yin Qing and Princess Changping had nothing to do with it!’

Ji Yuan shook his head, drank the wine in his cup, and thought about it with a mixture of amusement and helplessness.

T/n: This is just more evidence to support my theory that the Emperor has a big fat crush on YZX and is using every excuse to become family in the hopes he can live vicariously, LOL

~10-15m

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