His father’s youthful face appeared before him, staring intently at him, eyes narrowing slightly as if he were seriously scrutinizing which parent he resembled.
In those deep, dark pupils, Ruan Rensui could see his own tiny reflection.
Finding it intriguing, he gazed back at his father with curiosity.
After a long moment, he saw his father smile slightly, reach out to touch his ear, and gently say to his mother, “He’s too young to tell who he resembles yet.”
His mother pouted and complained playfully, “Then why were you staring for so long?”
Then, watching his father’s expression, she leaned into his embrace and pouted pitifully, whispering, “Your Majesty, does Sister Jia Zhen have some kind of misunderstanding about me? I don’t know why, but she always seems to favor the Empress and Sister Xian Fei when she speaks. Did I do something wrong?”
The Emperor:
Ruan Rensui: “…”
‘Mother, I don’t know if Father understands, but I completely get what you’re doing—because I’ve been a green tea manipulator before too!’
The Emperor held her shoulders with a touch of helplessness.
“What’s this? Have you run into some disagreement with her?”
“Not really,” De Fei shook her head timidly.
“I just feel like Sister Jia Zhen doesn’t seem to like me very much…”
Ruan Rensui watched as his father, unseen by his mother, subtly curled his lips in a smirk.
His emotions felt strangely complicated.
At this moment, the Emperor seemed to notice his gaze and looked over.
Father and son locked eyes.
Then, the Emperor secretly winked at him.
Ruan Rensui was startled—not too much, but just enough!
In the end, the Emperor only said, “Let’s wait a bit longer. Once you finish your postpartum recovery, she can return to the Shangyi Bureau.”
Although De Fei felt a little disappointed, she was ultimately pleased to have a definite date for sending away her unwanted burden.
She then continued chatting about other matters.
She spoke while the Emperor listened attentively, his expression gentle, his tone warm.
He occasionally responded, never interrupting or showing impatience.
They held hands, with their newborn child lying beside them—an intimate and harmonious scene.
Lying in his swaddling, Ruan Rensui slowly realized something.
Although by the time he grew up, his father’s feelings for his mother were merely old affections from years of companionship, at this very moment, his mother was probably the most favored consort in the palace.
Or rather—his father had once truly loved his mother.
Otherwise, how could someone in power be willing to tolerate a consort who wasn’t particularly intelligent?
In truth, both he and his mother had made foolish mistakes before, and his father surely knew.
Yet, more often than not, he simply turned a blind eye.
It wasn’t because of her lack of a powerful family background—so it could only be because of past feelings.
Ruan Rensui felt as if he had stumbled upon a whole new world.
While the Emperor and De Fei continued their conversation, an imperial female official from the Empress Dowager’s Qianqiu Palace arrived with a gift.
De Fei mentally calculated the value of the gifts.
They were certainly generous, but not only did they fail to surpass those given when the Grand Princess was born—they weren’t even equal.
She felt a little aggrieved—not for herself, but for her child.
The Empress Dowager hadn’t even bothered to treat them equally!
This is the Emperor’s firstborn son!
The Emperor frowned slightly as he reviewed the gift list.
“It seems to be slightly less than what was given when Renyu was born.”
Renyu was the Grand Princess’s name.
The official from Qianqiu Palace respectfully replied, “The Empress Dowager said that since the Grand Princess was the first child of her generation, her status was different, so she received an extra share.”
The Emperor’s expression softened, and he simply acknowledged it before waving the official away.
Then, in private, he comforted De Fei, “I’ll make up for it, alright?”
De Fei thought bitterly, ‘How could that possibly be the same?’
With the Empress Dowager’s actions, everyone could see that the Grand Princess held more weight than the Emperor’s firstborn son.
But unlike the Empress or Xian Fei, the Empress Dowager was the Emperor’s birth mother—the former Empress Regnant, who had ruled with an iron fist.
De Fei didn’t dare show the slightest dissatisfaction, much less complain to the Emperor.
In the end, she could only ask, feeling wronged and puzzled, “Does the Empress Dowager place great importance on seniority?
Before I entered the palace, I thought she would favor Sister Xian Fei, but after coming here, I realized she doesn’t treat her any differently than she treats me. However… she does seem to value the Grand Princess much more…”
Xian Fei was the Empress Dowager’s niece from her maternal family.
When she entered the palace, she was immediately ranked as one of the four main consorts, and before De Fei arrived, De Fei had been extremely wary of her—because everyone knew how influential the Empress Dowager was in court.
If the Empress Dowager wished, she could elevate Xian Fei to the Empress position at any time.
But she never did.
When Xian Fei first entered the palace, she had an imposing presence.
But after giving birth to the Grand Princess, the Emperor only rewarded her generously—without promoting her rank, let alone granting her the Empress title.
And the Empress Dowager was cold toward her—just as she was cold toward all the consorts.
De Fei simply couldn’t understand why.
Hearing her confusion, the Emperor only chuckled and said, “The Empress Dowager values order, so naturally, she also values the firstborn.”
He didn’t explain any further.
Seeing his reaction, De Fei had no choice but to drop the matter, albeit reluctantly.
Having just given birth, she was starting to feel tired after all the talking.
Noticing this, the Emperor helped her lie down and ordered attendants to look after her.
Then he had the wet nurses bring their son and carried him out to the outer hall.
Lady Jia Zhen had been waiting outside for a long time.
As soon as the Emperor stepped out, she immediately stepped forward and said righteously, “I was entrusted with caring for Consort De during childbirth. Now that the task is complete, I have fulfilled my duty and should take my leave…”
Put #IWantToRunAway up on the public screen!
Please, Your Majesty, let me go! A working person’s life matters too!!!
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