Lady Qian was both excited and grateful, her face flushed red, and she became almost incoherent.
Seeing her happy, Consort De also felt it was a reflection on herself and rewarded her with some things as well.
When Consort Xian heard about it, she even said,
“Talented horses are common, but good judges of talent are rare.”
Consort De responded amicably, “Yes, that’s true.”
Consort De and Consort Xian used to be close, but later gradually drifted apart.
However, ever since the birth of the Crown Prince, they became warm again.
The reason was simple.
Before Ruan Rensui was born, there was only the Crown Princess in the palace, who was only two years older than the Crown Prince, and their ages were quite close, making her a good reference.
Consort De would often send someone to the Jiuhua Hall to ask when the Crown Princess could lift her head, when she learned to roll over, when she could sit up, and when she could crawl.
In addition to that, she would also inquire what kind of food Consort Xian arranged for the wet nurses, when the child would start teething, when it would be appropriate to feed her some food, and if there were any taboos for children that needed to be avoided…
Consort Xian was very meticulous in raising her child, and the Crown Princess rarely got sick.
Among children of the same age, she was considered quite strong and healthy, and of course, in Consort De’s eyes, she was an excellent model to learn from.
One day, Lady Xiahou from outside the palace got a basket of kiwis, which looked extremely good.
She didn’t eat them herself and had them sent into the palace.
Upon hearing this, Consort De frowned and had someone convey a message:
“I don’t lack food and drink here. If the family outside gets anything, they should enjoy it first before thinking of me.”
She also had the clothes and palace flowers previously bestowed by the Emperor sent to her sister:
“It’s fine for a boy, but a girl should see more things.”
After examining the basket of kiwis for a while, she still had some portions sent to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and Empress Zhu.
Finally, remembering that she had troubled Consort Xian quite a bit recently, she also had some sent over there.
The palace attendant who went not only brought back Consort Xian’s gratitude but also the liveliness of the Jiuhua Palace.
“Consort Xian, who usually has such a good temper, rarely got angry.”
Consort De pricked up her ears and asked, “What happened?”
The palace attendant said, “The Crown Princess stole a box of rouge from the dressing table and dyed Consort Xian’s white dog red…”
Consort Xian wasn’t really angry with the Crown Princess.
After all, the girl was only two years old and lacked understanding of the world.
She was more upset with the nannies for indulging the princess and being overly compliant with her.
Ruan Rensui , listening attentively with his neck stretched out, felt satisfied after hearing the gossip and lay back contentedly.
Consort De laughed with schadenfreude: “Children are naturally mischievous. Ah, Consort Xi come on, don’t be so narrow-minded…”
Ruan Rensui couldn’t help but glance at his mother.
Don’t make fun of her.
Fortunes change over time.
When I grow up a bit more, Mother, you’ll definitely be the one who looks more amusing than Consort Xian…
When Ruan Rensui was almost six months old, he could sit steadily.
Consort De was very pleased—it was earlier than the Crown Princess!
It was also after this that he was first taken by Consort De to the Qianqiu Palace to attend a family banquet.
This was considered a small family gathering, with not many people, and a lily-of-the-valley table was set.
The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table.
To her left was a small table where Wu’an Grand Princess’s daughter, Little Liang Lady, sat.
The Empress Dowager was very fond of this niece and often had her stay in her palace for short periods.
After Little Liang Lady came Empress Zhu, and then Consorts De and Xian.
On the right side, the first seat was naturally for the Emperor.
Next to him were Prince Qi and his study companion, Lu Mengqing.
Ruan Rensui was held by his wet nurse, looking at Little Liang Lady and then at Lu Mengqing, feeling a sense of nostalgia and sighing at the passage of time.
Little Liang Lady seemed to be very close to Empress Zhu.
The two were quite intimate whenever they met.
Thinking about her demeanor and luxurious adornments when she grew up, it was probably influenced by Empress Zhu?
And Lu Mengqing…
This future renowned talent of the Three Capitals, who would later be famous throughout the land, was still a naive young boy at the time, chatting animatedly with Prince Qi, his brows furrowed and eyes sparkling, discussing something unknown.
The Emperor was talking with the Empress Dowager.
His time of personal governance was still relatively short, and he still needed the Empress Dowager’s guidance in state affairs.
Little Liang Lady was whispering to Empress Zhu.
Consort Xian smiled and remained silent.
Consort De looked around and was about to say something to her when she saw the Crown Princess let go of her nanny’s hand, took small but determined steps, and headed straight for the upper seat.
She was going to Empress Zhu.
After finding her, she sat right next to Empress Zhu’s leg and refused to move.
Consort Xian felt embarrassed and softly called out to her: “Ren You, come back.”
Empress Zhu didn’t mind and affectionately put her arm around the Crown Princess’s small shoulders: “It’s okay, let her stay here.”
The Emperor caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and smiled:
“This is a family banquet, there’s no need for so many formalities.”
Consort De thought to herself: ‘This little girl really knows how to get close to the top.’
She glanced at her own dear son and thought, once Sui Sui can walk, I’ll do the same and have him go sit with his father!
The family banquet went smoothly without any incidents.
Ruan Rensui —unable to participate and unable to speak—quickly lost interest.
He was preparing to yawn, and when Wet Nurse Qian saw it, she would surely inform Consort De, and then he could naturally go to the side hall to lie down and wait for his mother to take him back to the palace later.
He was held by his wet nurse and had a good vantage point.
Just as he was about to yawn, he suddenly saw the Crown Princess cautiously glance towards Consort Xian.
Ruan Rensui ‘s heart skipped a beat, thinking, What is my big sister up to?
On the other side, Consort Xian seemed to have noticed her daughter’s gaze and looked again at the small bear-shaped plate in front of her, smilingly admonishing her:
“Ren You, you still have a bit of a cough, and the imperial physician has prescribed a dietary regimen. You can’t pick out the radish and not eat it.”
The Crown Princess’s chubby little face, like a squirrel’s, immediately drooped.
She poked at the radish in the soup bowl with her fork and said dejectedly, “Okay!”
Ruan Rensui : Amused.
No wonder she didn’t want to sit next to Consort Xian and went to find Empress Zhu instead.
It turned out she wanted to secretly pick out the radish and not eat it!
Big sister was quite cute when she was little!
While Consort De was still talking to Consort Xian, the Crown Princess reluctantly ate the smaller pieces of radish in her soup bowl, until only the largest piece was left…
Princess Squirrel looked even more miserable.
At that moment, a pair of chopsticks stretched over from the side, swiftly reaching for that piece of radish…
It was Empress Zhu.
Princess Squirrel looked at Empress Zhu as if she had seen a giant tree full of nuts!
At that moment, Consort Xian was about to turn her head and would have seen the scene!
Princess Squirrel was at a loss, her face showing panic.
At the crucial moment, Ruan Rensui shouted loudly: “Ah!”
Everyone in the hall looked over.
Consort De quickly stood up and reached out to hold him: “What’s wrong, Sui Sui?”
Consort Xian also shifted her gaze over and didn’t see the final fate of that radish.
Ruan Rensui was initially relieved that he had diverted Consort Xian’s attention for his big sister, but the next second he was placed on an empty table and undressed in public…
Ruan Rensui :”…”
He blanked out, staring vacantly at the dragon and phoenix frescoes on the ceiling.
This was truly a case of one thought leading to heaven, and another to hell!
The incident at the family banquet turned out to be a false alarm.
Consort De breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t think much of it—this child was like this sometimes, suddenly shouting and screaming, and sometimes laughing foolishly by himself.
Thinking of this, she suddenly paused: ‘Why did it feel like he was acting foolish?’
Goosebumps rose on her arm, and she shook her head quickly to dispel the absurd thought.
How could that be possible!
Princess Squirrel leaned her round cheeks closer to Empress Zhu and whispered,
“Your Majesty Zhu, did my brother just help me?”
Empress Zhu was rarely hesitant for a moment.
By this time, the Crown Princess had already come up with her own answer: “It must be so!”
Her mother was about to discover that she had eaten one less piece of radish, and her brother shouted at that moment, drawing everyone’s attention away.
If not to help her, then whom?
Princess Squirrel reflected on herself a bit:
Her brother was so helpful to her, and she didn’t want to play with him before.
It was really wrong of her!
The next morning, she put on her beloved little bag, had her nannies accompany her, and prepared to visit her righteous brother at the Pianxiang Hall.
Consort Xian saw her ready to go out and was puzzled: “Where are you going?”
Princess Squirrel said with great vigor: “I’m going to see my brother!”
Consort Xian was even more confused.
Why did she suddenly think of this?
She couldn’t let her go alone, and seeing that the weather outside was nice, she decided to treat it as an outing and led her to the Pianxiang Hall.
Ruan Rensui sat blankly on the couch, watching as the Crown Princess took out many little trinkets from her small bag one by one.
An amber with an insect inside, a butterfly-shaped leaf, a cicada shell, and finally, a yellow bell cricket in a bamboo cage brought over by the nanny…
She reached out and patted it a few times, as if turning on a switch, and the cricket began to chirp melodiously and gently.
Ruan Rensui : Wow!
Consort De was a bit worried: “It won’t escape, right? Does it bite?”
Princess Squirrel glanced at her in the midst of her busy actions, thinking: ‘These old people are really a drag!’
Consort Xian gently said beside her: “The cage is very sturdy, don’t worry.”
But she did remind the nannies: “Keep an eye on those little things, make sure they don’t get swallowed.”
The Crown Princess chattered away to her brother, and finally took out a small bottle from her bosom, pouted and blew bubbles, and also flew a bamboo dragonfly around the courtyard a few times.
Seeing her brother’s eyes wide open in amazement, she magnanimously said to him:
“Sui Sui, when you grow up, I’ll take you to play together!”
Consort De found it amusing and couldn’t help but ask: “How old is ‘grown up’?”
The Crown Princess puffed out her chest and said proudly: “As old as me, that’s grown up!”
Everyone in the hall suppressed their laughter.
Consort Xian couldn’t help but ask: “What about me and your Consort De, aren’t we adults?”
The Crown Princess looked at her, then at Consort De, and said in surprise: “You’re both old people!”
Everyone couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
Princess Squirrel was made unhappy by their laughter and snorted through her nose.
Ignorant old people!
She returned to the only person who could resonate with her, grumbled to her brother, and looked down on everyone else: “When they get younger, they’ll see how right I am!”
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