CH 101.1

The atmosphere in the hall was weird. Except for Qing Wang’s smiling face, almost no one else could smile.

Well, there was still one person, An Wang, but he wasn’t actually smiling. 

“Fifth brother, who would’ve thought that you could teach your son so well.”

“Second brother is flattering me. This child has only been recently found. All along, it has been his mother teaching him.” 

From beginning to end, Jin Wang had never thought of hiding the fact that Xiaobao was only recently recognized as his son. This was what the imperial family was like. The more he tried to hide it, the more someone would want to dig it out and fish in murky waters. It would be much better for him to spread the news himself.

“Then your concubine must be quite extraordinary to be able to teach your son to be so clever.”

“Second brother is flattering again. She…” Jin Wang paused. For some reason the scene of Xiaobao saying ‘Bao’er, mother’s Bao’er’ to Emperor Hongjing in that tender voice of his appeared in his mind. He then recalled how whenever Yaoniang held Xiaobao, she would always call him ‘mother’s Bao’er’ affectionately. Xiaobao must have learned this from her. His eyebrows softened immediately, “She was born from a small and humble family and is undeserving of second brother’s praise.”

With Jin Wang calling An Wang’s words flattery, it seemed to be out of humbleness, but the reality was that he was mocking An Wang for being a busybody. An Wang’s complexion became a bit ugly, but there was nothing in his words that he could pick at, so he could only sneer and remain silent.

The eyes of the others were all dark and gloomy, only the crown prince didn’t seem to have a feel of the undercurrents. He swaggered to the chair at the side and sat down then called for a eunuch to serve tea.

Several little eunuchs came in to serve tea and fruit, led by Li Dequan’s godson Xiao Mengzi. Bowing at the waist, he said with a smile, “Your Highnesses, enjoy some tea while you wait. His Majesty’s side will likely be delayed for a while.”

An Wang and the others expected that there would be a delay since that little bastard from Jin Wang’s family was there. But since Emperor Hongjing didn’t say for them to go, they couldn’t leave. They could only take a seat with ugly expressions, wondering what Emperor Hongjing was doing with Jin Wang’s little brat.

Only Jin Wang understood, but he merely looked down and sipped his tea without saying anything.

The crown prince had yet to eat breakfast and was famished. Once he sat down, he ate a few pieces of pastry then drank another cup of tea. He opened his tiny eyes that were squeezed into slits by the amount of fat on his face. Glanced at his younger brothers, he said with a smile, “Despite Father Emperor’s age, he actually has the mood to play with this grandson of his. Back then, only Zuo’er had this blessing.”

Zuo’er was the emperor’s imperial grandson, whose formal name was Zhao Zuo. As both the eldest son of the crown prince and the eldest grandson of the Zhao family, he was heavily favoured by Emperor Hongjing ever since he was a child.

Zhao Zuo was literate by the age of three and started practicing martial arts at the age of five. Emperor Hongjing had also personally taught him to read and write. But when the crown prince said this, his words were meant to show off and instigate others.

The crown prince wasn’t a smart man, and his brothers were also used to his behaviour. If it weren’t for the eldest imperial grandson and the husband and wife relationship between Empress Wei and Emperor Hongjing for many years, his position as the crown prince would have been long unstable.

For a while, the crown prince’s boasting voice rang throughout the entire hall, while everyone else drank tea in silence.

On the other side at Kunning Palace, after some gossip, the children who had been taken to the side hall were also brought over.

All the children present were still young. The oldest was the third son of An Wang Manor, who was turning seven this year. The others were all between the ages of two and five. Some of them were still unable to walk steadily on their own and had to have someone follow and watch over them to ensure they didn’t fall. 

But it was clear that these children were all well taught. As soon as they entered, they saluted and greeted the women present. At the side, Yaoniang smiled as she watched a little girl around two years old almost fall when trying to perform her greetings. This little girl was from Qing Wang’s family and was the eldest daughter of Qing Wang and Consort Qing. Her nickname was Zhuzhu.

She couldn’t help wondering if her son, who was taken away by Jin Wang, had also tripped over his clothes when trying to perform his greetings. As soon as that picture came into her mind, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“What is Lady Su laughing at?” A slightly hoarse female voice sounded in her ears and Yaoniang’s ears couldn’t help but tremble. When she looked up, she saw Consort Yong looking right at her.

Her beautiful and perfectly lined eyes were long while the outer corners of her eyes were slightly lifted. Her pupils were dark, carrying a mysterious glint to them. They were also so clear that they seemed to be almost able to reflect backlight.

Taken aback, Yaoniang said, “This concubine wasn’t. It’s just that looking at the little princes and little princesses, this concubine thinks they’re very cute.”

Consort Yong replied with an ‘oh’. Her tone was clearly straightforward but Yaoniang still had the urge to blush. Fortunately, Consort Yong turned her head away before she could.

After sitting for a while, Empress Wei waved them away, but she couldn’t leave, since there was a banquet at noon.

It was the third month, where spring had just begun and the flowers were in full bloom. Consort An proposed for everyone to stroll around the imperial garden.

In the imperial gardens, there were many exotic flowers and rare plants, as well as many pavilions and gazebos. The sight was simply a feast for the eyes. The women all chose a water pavilion to sit and talk while maids and eunuchs watched over their children as they played in the open space outside.

This water pavilion occupied a huge area. Facing the lake on one side and the garden on the other, there were also several rooms inside for people to rest in. Yaoniang chose a room and went inside. Although she had spent more time sitting and less time standing after entering the palace, it was still very tiring to carry a big belly.

Leaning back on a soft couch, Yu Chan rubbed her legs and waist. Soon, she fell asleep without even realizing it.

Seeing Yaoniang asleep, Yu Chan withdrew her hand and sat down on a chair beside her.

Consort Jin had nothing much to say with Consort An and the others. So she left the water pavilion and strolled in the garden with the excuse of going to the washroom.

Hearing the children’s laughter as they played not far away, then feeling warm sunlight shining on her, she suddenly felt her eyes were swollen and sour. She had the urge to cry but had no tears.

“You… Are you alright?” It was Consort Yong.