After the eldest princess's marriage was over, Song Xibai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She's already married, so she doesn't need to worry about anything else.

Song Xibai felt much more relaxed. In the following days, she went to Renshou Palace every day to discuss with the Empress Dowager about going to Wanshou Mountain to escape the summer heat.

"The manor at the foot of the mountain is almost finished. When would Grandmother like to depart?"

Because of the matter concerning the eldest princess, Song Xibai and the Empress Dowager became much closer, and she spoke to her more casually.

The Empress Dowager sat on a bamboo couch, being fanned by palace maids who watched her with a smile.

"Whatever you want, but you have to come with me!"

Song Xibai moved closer to her: "Alright, alright, I'll go with you. But you'll have to provide food and lodging, the two little ones might have been eating a lot lately!"

After Zhaojing and Zhaoyan had been in the womb for six months, Song Xibai had the wet nurses try feeding them complementary foods. Now they are almost ten months old and can eat more and more things.

Originally, it was just a trial to let the children taste it, but unexpectedly, the two children quickly fell in love with all kinds of complementary foods. They even stopped drinking milk properly and waited for egg custard, soft noodles, rice cereal and various vegetable porridges every day.

She would burst into tears if she missed a meal.

This gave Song Xibai a terrible headache.

The Empress Dowager naturally knew about this matter as well.

After hearing this, she laughed and pointed at Song Xibai a few times with her index finger.

"You little rascal! How much can two children eat? How could I, their great-grandmother, possibly go hungry?"

Song Xibai chuckled.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager cannot be biased and only favor the two children! I am also your junior!"

Now, the Empress Dowager laughed even more heartily.

"Oh my! You're even competing with the child for attention and getting jealous?"

She laughed until tears streamed down her face.

Song Xibai took a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. The movement was natural, as if she had been doing it for a long time.

After the Empress Dowager finished laughing, she patted the back of her hand.

"I think we should set off in five days! We should bring more people."

Song Xibai smiled and agreed.

Actually, she didn't need to worry about safety at all; Yuan Shen had already started selecting and preparing people.

Half of the secret guards were dispatched, led by Commander Yue, and the rest were mainly Yan Yun Guards.

To Song Xibai's surprise, the commander of the Yan Yun Guard was an unknown person.

It is said that he was an old general who retired from the border. He was sixty years old and could still eat three bowls of rice in one meal.

When Song Xibai first heard about it, he almost doubted Yuan Shen's method of selecting talent.

Was it chosen based on who ate the most?

But as it turns out, this veteran surnamed Tan is indeed very capable.

Having only been in office for three days, he had already won over the soldiers of the Yan Yun Guard. After two months of training under his guidance, the Yan Yun Guard's combat effectiveness skyrocketed, rivaling that of the Long Xiang Guard.

Therefore, Song Xibai felt at ease with the Yan Yun Guards accompanying and protecting him.

After sitting with the Empress Dowager for half a day and having lunch, Song Xibai got up and returned to Changqing Palace after the Empress Dowager had rested.

As soon as Song Xibai stepped into the main hall, he saw Wen Niang and the others holding small jade bowls, feeding the children supplementary food.

Today we had chicken soup. We took the tenderest part of the chicken, chopped it into minced meat, added chopped carrots and two other vegetables, steamed it, and drizzled a few drops of sesame oil on top before serving.

Although the flavor was mild, the two little ones ate it with great relish.

Especially Zhao Jing, who hadn't even swallowed what was in his mouth when he reached for the spoon in Wen Niang's hand.

Fortunately, Wenniang wasn't the type to spoil people. She moved the bowl and spoon further away and shook her head at Zhaojing.

"Your Highness, you must finish this bite before you can continue eating."

Zhao Jing pouted, looking aggrieved, and opened her mouth as if to cry.

As a result, she turned her head and saw Song Xibai at the door. She immediately closed her mouth and tried to swallow the food in her mouth.

Song Xibai walked over, feeling both annoyed and amused, and reached out to gently pinch her nose.

"This impatient nature of yours, I don't know who you took after. It's such a big bowl, and no one's going to take it from you, can't you eat it slowly?"

As she spoke, she picked up a bib and wiped the food crumbs from Zhaojing's mouth. Then she took the bowl and spoon from Wenniang and fed him spoonful by spoonful.

Zhaojing ate quickly and finished in no time.

Song Xibai turned around and went to feed Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan was much more obedient. He sat in a specially made little chair with his hands on his knees. Only when the spoon was brought closer did he open his mouth.

He ate slowly and carefully, making sure to swallow the first bite before taking another.

Song Xibai was puzzled: They are twins, so why are their personalities so different?

At first, Zhaojing was easier to take care of, and Zhaojing required more effort; but now, it's the other way around.

After feeding the two children, Wenniang asked someone to bring warm water for them to rinse their mouths.

Afterwards, Song Xibai played with them for a while longer. Only after the children fell asleep did she tell everyone about her trip to Wanshou Mountain five days later.

Wei Hong and the others had no objections, but Wen Niang hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Would the two young masters like to come along too?"

Song Xibai nodded: "The two of them will naturally follow me."

Wen Niang then asked, "Who will go with him to serve the young master?"

Song Xibai had already considered this issue.

“Now that they can eat, the wet nurses don’t need to go with them. But the cook in charge of meals needs to be brought along.”

Song Xibai beckoned Wei Hong over and asked her to write down the names of the people accompanying them so that she could inform them later.

The manor on Wanshou Mountain was renovated and expanded considerably. Although it is not as large as the imperial palace, it is much more exquisite than ordinary manors.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!