Qi Junlin thought he had angered his mother, so he hurriedly ran to his mother and knelt down.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I'll never run away secretly again."

[Mommy, don't cry, you still have us. Don't be sad anymore, we will always love you!]

[Alas! If Mother continues to weep and whine like this, her fate will be sealed; she will die of melancholy, and that other woman will eventually move into her home. It's such a waste of her time.]

Xu Ruyun heard her fate clearly; it was terrifying that she could die of depression.

What will happen to these children if I die? No, I can't let them benefit someone else. I have to be strong.

Xu Ruyun wiped away her tears and helped her eldest son up.

"Junlin, you are a good child. It's just that many people are jealous. You had no intention of harming anyone, but you were probably used by someone with ulterior motives and ended up hurting yourself. You must be extremely careful in the future!"

Qi Junlin: "Yes, Mother! Your son remembers!"

Brother, please be more careful in the future. Don't act impulsively or be blinded by love.

Qi Junlin nodded, agreeing that from now on he would not only listen to his mother, but also listen to his younger sister.

Inside the palace, lanterns and decorations were hung, as the Empress Dowager's birthday was approaching and preparations were underway for a banquet three days later.

In the imperial study, the Emperor asked Eunuch Liu, "Has the banquet guest list been finalized this year?"

Eunuch Liu: "Your Majesty, it has been decided."

Eunuch Liu wondered to himself, "The Emperor never usually worries about such trivial matters, what's wrong this time?"

The Emperor asked, "Is there a First-Rank Lady on the list?"

Eunuch Liu: "Of course. In principle, a lady of the first rank is qualified to participate."

The Emperor said, "Hmm, that's good. Go again and have the First Rank Lady bring the children to participate. Also, send them some clothes, jewelry, and some rare treasures from the national treasury."

Oh, and remember to buy plenty of clothes for Qiuqiu, make sure they're made of the best materials.

Eunuch Liu: "Yes!"

Eunuch Liu thought to himself: What's wrong with His Majesty today? But the Emperor's mind is hard to fathom, so it's best to just do as he's told.

After Eunuch Liu left, the Emperor strolled around happily.

"That little darling saved my life. When I see her this time, I must give her a big hug!"

After selecting the gifts, Eunuch Liu personally visited the Qi family.

Qi Jiating thought that Eunuch Liu had come for him, and happily went out to greet him.

Qi Jia Ting smiled and said to Eunuch Liu, "Eunuch Liu, does His Majesty have something important to discuss with me?"

Eunuch Liu looked around: "They're not looking for you! Where's the First-Rank Lady? And the children?"

Qi Jiating: "They're in the backyard. I'll call them to come see you right away!"

Eunuch Liu: "No need. We'll go ourselves."

Now that the First Rank Lady and her daughter are the people the Emperor cares about, Eunuch Liu naturally dares not neglect them.

In the backyard, Xu Ruyun was holding Qiuqiu and basking in the sun.

The other three young masters were playing football on the lawn.

Upon seeing Eunuch Liu arrive, Xu Ruyun and the children quickly bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Eunuch Liu!"

Eunuch Liu: "You flatter me. You are a first-rank lady, so you must not be so polite to me in the future."

Xu Ruyun: "I wonder what brings Eunuch Liu here today?"

Eunuch Liu instructed the two men carrying the boxes to move forward.

Eunuch Liu opened the box.

The box contained all sorts of rare treasures and beautiful clothes.

Especially Qiuqiu's clothes, they come in all sorts of colors, they're so pretty.

Xu Ruyun: "Eunuch Liu, I don't know what this is..."

Eunuch Liu: "These are gifts specially bestowed upon you by His Majesty, as well as gifts for the young lady and her sons. The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is in three days, and His Majesty hopes that you will bring your children to attend."

Xu Ruyun: "Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Eunuch Liu: "Then this old servant will take his leave."

Xu Ruyun: "Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law."

Eunuch Liu nodded to Xu Ruyun and took his leave.

Qi Jiating: "I'll see you off, Eunuch Liu."

Qi Jia fawned over Eunuch Liu and gestured for him to enter.

As soon as Eunuch Liu and the others left, Qiuqiu turned her head to look at the box.

[Mother, let me see, let me see what gifts the Emperor has given me.]

Xu Ruyun smiled and thought to herself: What a little money-grubber.

Chiu Chiu's three older brothers also gathered around.

"What wonderful things are these? Is any of them for me?"

"Mom, these are your clothes, they're so beautiful!"

"These are my sister's clothes, they're so pretty!"

The three older brothers held up Qiuqiu's clothes and compared them to her body.

"Wow, my little sister will look so pretty in a dress. Look, isn't she beautiful?"

【Beautiful! So beautiful! I love it! Are there any more? Let me see a few more.】

The three older brothers heard Qiuqiu's voice and patiently showed her one piece of clothing after another.

I love this one! I love this one too! It's wonderful! I have so many beautiful clothes to wear.

Qi Junlin: "I heard that His Majesty has only given birth to princes, and no princesses. In order to look forward to the arrival of a princess, His Majesty had many princess outfits made in advance. Now, I guess they've all been sent to Qiuqiu, right?"

Everyone laughed happily when they heard that.

After laughing, Qi Junxian and Qi Junzhou went to rummage through drawers and cabinets looking for clothes.

"Huh, why did the Emperor only give each of us one piece of clothing, while Mother and Qiuqiu got so many?"

Qi Junlin: "Alright, you should be content. The Emperor didn't give Father a single piece of clothing, and there were others too."

Qi Junlin is right. In previous years, the Emperor never inquired about such details at the birthday banquet, let alone sent Eunuch Liu to deliver gifts and clothes.

Is there anything else? Are there any more clothes you sent me? I want to look at them again, I want to try them on again.

Xu Ruyun shook her head as she looked at the trunk that the three brothers had rummaged through to the bottom, and stroked Qiuqiu affectionately, saying, "Qiuqiu, you're still small, you grow fast, and your clothes will outgrow quickly, so you can't have so many. When you grow up, Mommy will make you new clothes, okay?"

Growing up? When will I grow up? When I grow up, Mommy must make me beautiful clothes!