"Xuan'er." Mu Jingfeng seemed to realize his previous attitude wasn't good, so he quickly offered a comforting smile, deliberately putting on the facade of a benevolent father.
"Since you say so, Father naturally believes you." He looked at Mu Rou Xuan with a loving expression, but after what had just happened, she felt inexplicably disgusted by his sudden shift in demeanor.
Mu Jingfeng, however, continued to smile warmly at his daughter, saying, "Oh, right, your grandfather's birthday is approaching. Prepare a good gift, don't let our first branch lose face."
Every year, the Mu family patriarch's birthday was a major event. Each branch would resort to all sorts of tricks and schemes to win the patriarch's favor.
Last year, the second branch's "Pine and Bamboo Longevity Mechanism Diagram" had overshadowed them, and Mu Jingfeng still felt a bit resentful about it.
"And you, find out what gifts the other branches are preparing as soon as possible. Don't mess things up again!"
Mu Qingya nodded repeatedly, saying softly, "Okay."
In fact, she had already sent people to inquire these past few days and planned to tell Mu Jingfeng in a couple of days.
"Father, Mother, if there's nothing else, your daughter will take her leave." Mu Rou Xuan bowed and left without looking back.
"Look at the good daughter you've raised!" Mu Jingfeng was annoyed by her dismissive attitude.
It was bad enough when he had Qiao Mu, that rebellious daughter, to worry about. Now even Xuan'er was disobedient, truly exasperating.
Mu Qingya quickly soothed him gently, "Master, Xuan'er just escaped from the secret realm by a hair's breadth and got nothing, so she's probably in a bad mood. Master, please don't take it to heart."
"She's just a young girl, shallow in her understanding, and she tends to think of herself first and is a bit calculative."
"Actually, how would she know that undergoing trials in a secret realm is an extremely rare opportunity in itself? It's good to get treasures, but if one has no destiny with them, one can only blame their own shallow fortune."
"Master has profound insight, no need to be bothered by her. After she encounters some setbacks, she will naturally understand the goodness of the Mu family. Only then will she understand that only when the family prospers can she thrive."
Mu Jingfeng found her words quite agreeable, and his expression gradually improved.
Mu Qingya invited him to sit down, personally washed her hands, and offered him tea and pastries, speaking softly, "Master."
"The Crown Prince and Crown Princess's wedding date is approaching, and they will certainly return to the capital this time."
Mu Qingya sat beside Mu Jingfeng, gently and thoughtfully saying, "Master, should we send someone to invite them to stay at our home for a short while?"
"With the Old Patriarch's birthday fast approaching, the Old Madam in the family must also want an opportunity to see her granddaughter, I presume."
Mu Jingfeng frowned, but then, remembering what Mu Rou Xuan had just said, a glint flashed in his eyes.
Qiao Mu could actually draw teleportation arrays?
He needed to test whether this was true or false.
He nodded, patting Mu Qingya's hand contentedly. "You've worked hard, go ahead and do it."
If the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were to stay at the first branch at this time, with these two supporting them at the Old Patriarch's birthday banquet, their first branch would definitely overshadow the others significantly.
Thinking of his troublesome brothers, Mu Jingfeng felt irritated.
"Crown Princess, Madam Bu from the Rainbow Garment Atelier has arrived." Inside the Crown Prince's small reception hall, Caiqi ran in cheerfully and bowed.
The little Crown Princess waved her small hand, annoyed. "No trying, no trying!"
She hadn't even been back for half a day, and she was already tired of trying on clothes.
See you midnight...