After Transmigration, Her Whole Family Are Villains

Royal friendship differs from the common kind, lacking the permanence that arises from mutual concern—"1587: A Year of No Significance."

...

Fortunately.

In terms of being an emperor, Jiang Er was still a novice.

A latecomer to the role.

For the first time, a new emperor ascended the throne.

When he saw the birthmark on Third Son's knee, the fleeting years of his life flashed before his eyes, as if in a dream, and time seemed to stand still.

He wanted to cry, to laugh, to curse, to kill, but eventually, he thought of Sister Xia, Feng, Elder Sister Yu, and Mianmian, and he finally spoke, "It's fine."

Third Son was accustomed to serving the emperor, and when the person before him was the emperor, he had subconsciously become an object of conquest, regardless of who was beneath the imperial robe.

That's why he wanted to leave the palace, to go to sea.

Although this idea was fraught with difficulties, even potentially fatal, perhaps not even making it past seven attempts, or maybe dying on the first, it didn't matter. He had no regrets in life; he just wanted to do something extraordinary, something free.

He felt the new emperor's emotions had undergone a significant shift just moments ago, though he quickly regained his composure.

But something must have happened, even causing a moment of palpitation.

Then everything returned to normal.

He looked up and saw that the new emperor was still Jiang Er.

Putting on the dragon robe might change things.

It was then that Mianmian arrived, having eaten snacks after flying a kite in the afternoon and having had a light dinner, she was now hungry again.

She wanted a midnight snack.

The palace was too big.

She was even stopped along the way.

Suddenly, she felt very unaccustomed; before, she would run straight to her father, but now she had to announce herself. This feeling was too strange.

It was as if she had erected a barrier for herself. No wonder the emperor later became a lonely figure. Others had to overcome obstacles to see you, making it too difficult. What you wanted to say became trivial due to the difficulty of meeting, and eventually, only important matters were discussed.

But life doesn't have that many important things. Life is made up of countless ordinary small things. Some small things become big, but ultimately, they are still small. Long and trivial is life.

If only big things mattered, then it wouldn't be life, it would be being a clerk.

Mianmian ran to her father, saw him and his adoptive father, bowed, and then tugged at her father's robe, saying, "Father, let's go roast meat."

"Adoptive Father, I can roast meat, it's very fragrant. Try my cooking."

Mianmian felt the atmosphere was a bit strange, but it didn't matter. After all, she was the youngest in the family now, responsible for being cute and causing trouble, except for her mother, she wasn't afraid of anyone.

So that slightly strange atmosphere was quickly dispelled.

Mianmian knew her adoptive father had been injured and took the initiative to hold his hand.

Jiang Changtian walked ahead.

The palace path was long, wide, and high.

"Adoptive Father, Mother said you used to roast meat too, and it was very delicious," Mianmian said.

Yan Jiexi recalled those days when they were poor, roasting wild chickens secretly. What was there to judge about deliciousness? It was cooked, it was meat, it was all delicious.

Thinking back, it was a rare delicacy of the world. Later, even large pieces of meat didn't taste as good as those chicken bones, just because they were hungry, hungry to the extreme.

But seeing Mianmian's innocent and carefree expression, Yan Jiexi felt happy again.

If he couldn't remain pure and innocent himself, at least he could let the child remain so.

In this way, everything was worth it.

That night, the Jiang family really started roasting meat.

The new emperor and the empress did it themselves, Yan Jiexi helped with the fire, and the princess handed over the meat.

Even the Eldest Princess was roused and came over to join in the roasting.

There was smoke and the aroma of the meat.

When Cong Brother sat in the hall and received the roasted meat, he felt a mix of amusement and absurdity.

So, here, one could roast meat.

In a sense, the new emperor was probably another kind of absurdity.

Cong Brother didn't like pointed things, so he could only eat the roasted meat from the side.

Even bamboo skewers couldn't be pointed at himself.

In the past, when Yan Jiexi followed the previous emperor, he was always the one serving and doing the work.

Now Jiang Er liked to do it himself, and so did Qin Luoxia.

Mianmian was the one who enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

The roasted meat in the palace seemed to have a different flavor, perhaps something was added to the fire, giving the meat a unique fragrance.

Qin Luoxia said, "I don't know, some wood left after the palace fire was collected and not thrown away. We got some of it, and when burned, it seems to be particularly fragrant."

Eldest Princess: ... Daughter-in-law is really thrifty.

Aunt Yin: ... Woke up in the middle of the night, thinking there was another fire, only to find the masters were roasting meat, what a good appetite.

Mianmian thought they used some precious agarwood or sandalwood to roast the meat, it was incredibly fragrant.

Yan Jiexi also talked to Qin Luoxia about wanting to go to sea.

Although Qin Luoxia was strong and worked harder than men, she was very respectful of others' decisions.

When she heard Third Son's plan, she thought it was good.

"If you want to go, go. It's not like the old days. We'll bring enough food, money, and go see the world. It's like scholars going on a study tour, it sounds good."

Qin Luoxia was very supportive.

Mianmian didn't expect her adoptive father to be so decisive. She had just told the story in the afternoon, and he had decided to do it that night.

A major life decision.

But it could be understood.

Ancient people had very few channels to receive information and even fewer ways to acquire knowledge.

Modern people see a video and just swipe past it, because there will be many similar ones to come.

But for ancient people, every piece of information they received was almost unique and worth cherishing and valuing.

Worth pondering over.

Worth making a decision to act upon.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If you want to sail far, the boat must be well-made. Third Son, you'll be busy for a while. Go to the Ministry of Works, familiarize yourself with the boats, and choose capable people you know from the palace to follow you. You'll pave the way first, and when I have the chance, I'll go with you," Jiang Changtian said.

"Okay."

"Mother, this piece is burnt, it can't be eaten." Mianmian picked up a skewer of roasted meat.

"There's no need to be so particular, it can be eaten."

"Then can I give it to Father?"

"Forget it, don't eat it then."

...

That night, it was as if they had returned to many years ago.

The stars remained unchanged, and so did the hearts of people.

Common friendship differs from royal friendship. Common friendship is permanent due to mutual concern, even if the identities of the two change, the friendship remains.

...