Chapter 383

Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi exchanged glances after watching the children’s reactions as they looked at the candied haws curiously, their eyes full of tenderness and love. Since the children wanted to walk on their own, they didn’t carry them. They held their hands and strolled around.

Although the two children were excited, they were still too young. After walking for a short distance, they were exhausted. Baili Junyi saw Qinyang Pavilion next to them and suggested, “Ninghua, let’s take a rest inside.”

“Alright.”

As soon as they entered the building, the shopkeeper politely greeted them. “Hi, our esteemed guests. There is a guest surnamed Bu upstairs who says that he is an old acquaintance of yours. He asked me to invite you to upstairs.”

Baili Junyi’s eyes moved, and the aura around his body unconsciously spread out. “Surnamed Bu?” The surname Bu was not common in the Da’an Kingdom. The only person with that surname who could interact with them and dared to invite them up without personally coming down to welcome them in person was probably the Great Yue Kingdom’s Sixth Prince, Bu Jinglan. Shouldn’t he arrive in ten days?

Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua exchanged skeptical glances and tacitly picked up Baby Girl and Big Boy. Qing Que and Ye Yi also stood guard beside them one after the other, secretly guarding against the surrounding situation.

Seeing the bearing of Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua, the shopkeeper regretted his decision out of greed for the gold ingot. The guest upstairs only told him to watch out for an outstanding couple with two adorable children and invite them upstairs once he saw them. The reward was a gold ingot. He was so tempted that he agreed immediately. He did not expect that the couple was so outstanding, so much so that they didn’t look like commoners at all. They were people that he, a small-time shopkeeper, could not offend.

Baili Junyi coldly said, “Lead the way.”

Seeing that the two of them had no intention of reprimanding him, the shopkeeper felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He hurriedly went forward to lead the way, bringing the two to the door of a private room.

As soon as they arrived, the door was opened, and what appeared in front of them was the elegantly decorated room and Bu Jinglan in a blue long robe with a cloud pattern embroidered on it. He was sitting sideways, his slender fingers holding a small gold cup. He looked relaxed and at ease. When he heard the noise at the door, he turned his head with a smile on his face. His bright and sparkly eyes revealed a trace of evil and unruly taste.

Baili Junyi waved his hand to dismiss the shopkeeper. Then, he walked into the private room and sat down in the empty seat across from Bu Jinglan.

Bu Jinglan looked at Baili Junyi’s bold and decisive actions with a smile on his face. His emotion didn’t change in the slightest. “Royal Prince Yi, Princess Zhaohua, long time no see.”

Baili Junyi slightly raised the corners of his lips and swept his gaze over him. “Yes, it’s been a while, but you don’t seem to have changed at all. Your unpredictability and oddity are still the same as before.”

With a faint smile, Bu Jinglan quipped, “Royal Prince Yi, are you implying that I didn’t come at the stipulated time? This is because I’m excited about getting married to a princess from your country. I can’t help it, so I came a few days earlier. It’s understandable, right? Are you so narrow-minded as to report to His Majesty about me? We will be a family once I marry Miss Lin.”

A month ago, in order to show the importance of the marriage alliance between the two countries, the Emperor decreed that Lin Feiran be given the title of Princess Anyue. He hoped that she could become the diplomatic bridge between the Da’an Kingdom and the Great Yue Kingdom and that the two countries could enjoy peace for a long time. Therefore, it was reasonable to say that they would become a family when Bu Jinglan and Lin Feiran got married.

Baili Junyi ignored Bu Jinglan’s goading. “The Da’an Kingdom is different from your country. Father Emperor is in charge of all the major and minor affairs. Since I know about your arrival, I will report it to Father Emperor truthfully. As for whether Father Emperor can understand your urgency, it depends on his mood.”

Bu Jinglan smiled slightly and acted as if he did not care at all. His gaze slowly fell on Big Boy and Baby Girl. “I will have to trouble you then, Royal Prince Yi. These two children must be the famous Auspicious Twins in the capital. They really are no ordinary people. They look as adorable as angels at such a young age. I think there is no one more outstanding than them in the entire Da’an Kingdom.”

Shen Ninghua wiped Baby Girl’s fingers that were covered with sugar frost. “You don’t have to covet something that doesn’t belong to you. If you like children, you can have your own children with your princess once you get married.”

Feeling the change in the attitude of their parents, Big Boy and Baby Girl stared at Bu Jinglan opposite them. They were young, and their faces were chubby adorably. Even if they frowned and widened their eyes, their looks were not intimidating at all.

Bu Jinglan reached out to touch Big Boy’s head, but Big Boy frowned and avoided him. “Who are you? How dare you disrespect me?”

Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes slightly to hide her smile. Big Boy began to imitate his father to scare people. There was a faint smile on the corners of Baili Junyi’s lips. In his heart, he silently cheered for his son, “Well done, son!”

Bu Jinglan withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened. “I am the Great Yue Kingdom’s Sixth Prince. Can’t I touch your head?”

“Lies!” Big Boy stepped on Baili Junyi’s leg and stood up. With his little hands behind his back, he was especially imposing. “Sixth Imperial Uncle has already passed away!” Big Boy did not know about the existence of the Great Yue Kingdom besides the Da’an Kingdom. He didn’t understand most of what Bu Jinglan said, but he knew about the Sixth Prince. Shen Ninghua had told him that the Sixth Prince was his Sixth Imperial Uncle, who had already passed away.

Looking at Big Boy’s skeptical expression, Baili Junyi chuckled in amusement and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Sixth Prince, please forgive my son. Children always say the darndest things. Yongchen doesn’t understand a lot of things, so he often babbles nonsense.”

The smile on Bu Jinglan’s lips remained the same. The way he looked at Big Boy was still as gentle as before, which made Shen Ninghua’s heart tighten nervously. It seemed that after the recurrence of the old disease last time, Bu Jinglan became more and more unfathomable.

“No, I won’t blame him. Yongchen is so cute and smart. I like him. How can I blame him?” Bu Jinglan narrowed his eyes and looked at Big Boy. Then, he looked at Baby Girl, who was in Shen Ninghua’s embrace, and casually took off the jade pendant at his waist. “I heard that Prefectural Princess Luoyao particularly likes collecting jade. This jade pendant is a high-quality white jade. Princess, here. This is a greeting gift from me to you.”

When Baby Girl heard the word “Luoyao” from his mouth, she had a slight reaction. Finally, she moved her gaze away from the candied haws and looked at Bu Jinglan calmly.

Bu Jinglan handed the jade pendant forward. “Here, Princess. Do you like it? Why won’t you take it?”

Baby Girl handed the candied haws to Shen Ninghua behind her and frowned as she extended her sticky little hands. “Mother, dirty.”

Shen Ninghua took a handkerchief and wiped her hands clean. Then she saw Baby Girl reach into her pocket and take out a white jade rabbit. “Have!”

Shen Ninghua said indifferently, “Sixth Prince, thank you for your generosity, but we have to decline your gift. Yes, Luoyao likes jade, but she only likes one of the same types of things. She already has a small rabbit made of white jade, so she doesn’t want anything else which is made of white jade, regardless of its design. Your jade pendant is too precious, please take it back.” Coincidentally, Baby Girl particularly adored this white jade rabbit, and her preference had never changed. Despite having two boxes of things in her collection, she liked to have this white jade rabbit by her side at all times.

Bu Jinglan looked at the children with surprise in his eyes, and his eyes slightly lit up. “They are indeed unique and extraordinary. If my aunt is still alive, I think she will like them very much.”

Baili Junyi’s expression became solemn. “Your Highness, please be careful with your words. Your aunt is not related to my two children in any way. Why will she like them for no reason?”

Bu Jinglan suddenly narrowed his eyes. “Royal Prince Yi, aren’t you worried that my aunt will be sad when she hears this? A part of you belongs to the Great Yue Kingdom. They are your children, so naturally, they are a part of the Great Yue Kingdom too.”

“Sixth Prince, please don’t talk nonsense without evidence. My Mother is Noble Consort Xian, and she has nothing to do with your country.” Since the Great Yue Kingdom gave up his mother, he had no relationship with the Great Yue Kingdom. In his heart, Bu Yunqing was his mother. That was all. She was in no way related to Bu Jinglan in terms of status or nationality.

Shen Ninghua picked up Baby Girl. “It’s getting late. The children are exhausted after a whole day of strolling. We will take our leave now.”

“Goodbye.” Baili Junyi picked up Big Boy and escorted Shen Ninghua down.

Bu Jinglan sat by the window and watched them leave. The smile on his lips gradually disappeared, and a haze flashed in his eyes. “Yongchen, Luoyao… you are really two special children… It’s a pity that you won’t live a long life… Hehe…”

Baby Girl got into the carriage in Shen Ninghua’s arms. She leaned against her mother’s embrace, looking sleepy and exhausted. However, she looked at the window of the carriage with eager eyes. Obviously, she had not had enough fun yet. “Mother, play…”

Shen Ninghua touched her little head and comforted her softly, “The sun is too bright now. You’ll have sunburn. We should go back and have lunch.”

“Burn!” Big Boy crawled over from the side and gently patted Baby Girl’s back with his little hand. “Little sister, burn!”

Although they said that they still wanted to play, they had been taking a stroll for a long time, and they were tired now. As they sucked on the candied haws, they gradually fell asleep. After returning to the mansion, Shen Ninghua changed their clothes and wiped their faces and hands before coming to the outer room with Baili Junyi.

“Junyi, do you have any idea why Bu Jinglan came to the capital earlier than scheduled?”

Baili Junyi frowned slightly. “It doesn’t seem to be peaceful within the Great Yue Kingdom’s borders either. Bu Jinglan is ranked sixth. His five elder brothers and three younger brothers are not easy to deal with. The spies I have planted in the Great Yue Kingdom informed me that the Emperor has gathered his princes, whom he has sent out, to the capital. It seems that he has the intention of choosing an heir.”

“If that’s the case, it doesn’t make sense. Since the Emperor of the Great Yue Kingdom wants to choose an heir, it should be more advantageous for Bu Jinglan to stay in the country. Why would he come to Da’an earlier than scheduled?”

“What if he is disqualified?” Baili Junyi arched his eyebrows. “When he married the disabled woman as his side concubine, he became the laughing stock in his country. Now, even his official wife is also from the Da’an Kingdom. At least from the surface, he has no chance to ascend to the throne.”

Shen Ninghua’s eyes moved. “If that was the case, he should hate us to the bone.”