The feeling of wanting to run but not daring to run is something most people can't understand.

For example, Su Jinze now.

Yun Shuyue, that silly girl, was still waiting there to see him make a fool of himself; what if she was also part of the joke?

Su Jinze's lips drooped as he obediently followed his mother, pondering whether the "killer move" his second brother had mentioned—playing dead—would be suitable for a two-hundred-month-old child.

The Empress's palace was filled with concubines. Hearing that the people from the Marquis of Wenyang's residence had already passed through the main gate, they all hid in the side hall. They also took away the pale-faced Princess Jingning.

Chiu Chiu blinked in the direction Princess Jingning had left, her little hands supporting her chin, her feet crossed, and her slightly forward-leaning posture exuding a hint of arrogance. Most remarkably, the Empress, second only to the Emperor, was actually her human cushion!

Su Jinze: Your Majesty the Empress?!

Wait a minute! The Empress is holding his sister, so who is the little dark-skinned girl sitting at her feet?!

Fu Ning sensed something and looked in Su Jinze's direction, her eyes becoming even more resolute.

She smelled the scent of her own kind!

Su Jinze was taken aback by the spirited little princess before him, struggling to suppress his laughter. Who could imagine how hilarious it would be for a baby so similar to his sister to put on such a patriotic expression!

Chiu Chiu's eyes were filled with resentment: [My brother looks at other babies with such earnest eyes, does he not love me anymore?]

Su Jinze didn't expect Qiuqiu to be jealous. Didn't she just say she didn't want to play with him?

What surprised him even more was that Princess Funing seemed to be able to hear Qiuqiu's thoughts as well, and slowly turned around, leaving him with only a heartless back view.

Is the world of baby culture really this fun now?

"Your Majesty, I, Yun, pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"Your humble servant, Su Jinze."

"Your subject is Yun Shuyue."

"Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

The Empress's brows relaxed, and the more she looked at Su Jinze, the more satisfied she became. Her son was the Crown Prince, and these young officials would be his support in the future. Consort Shu had no son, and Princess Jingning had grown up with the Crown Prince since childhood, sharing a very close relationship. Her marriage to Su Jinze would also provide the Crown Prince with assistance in the future.

Chiu Chiu looked up at the Empress. The Empress seemed to really like her older brother, who liked to give away other people's heads.

Do they want to marry the princess to her older brother?

Watching the show and enjoying the gossip!

If my elder brother became a prince consort, would he be spared from death?

die?

Yun Jinglan and Su Jinze both looked at Qiuqiu, who was looking very nervous. They were somewhat doubtful about her words, but the rest of them were shocked.

Yun Jinglan was shocked. How could someone die out of nowhere?

She just wants to drag Qiuqiu over and get to the bottom of this.

Su Jinze noticed that his mother's body was trembling slightly, and combined with the differences in Qiuqiu, he could vaguely guess that this prophecy might come true.

He gave his mother a reassuring look. From the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, he had already disregarded life and death, only wondering how he would die.

He could die by the enemy's blade, but he would never die in a power struggle. Nor would he trade his marriage for a life of ignominy.

Yun Jinglan frowned with worry; naturally, she wouldn't be so careless as to not care about the life and death of her own son.

The empress, seated high above, took in the expressions of the mother and son, and a hint of displeasure rose in her heart.

"I see that Lady Hou does not look well. Is she troubled by something? Why don't you tell her and let me help you relieve your worries?"

Princess Jingning is of noble birth; how could she be disliked by this mother and son!

Yun Jinglan realized something was wrong; the Empress had misunderstood.

"Your Majesty, I do have a worrying matter, but family scandals should not be aired in public, lest they offend Your Majesty's ears."

"Oh? Then I'm even more interested. Why don't you tell me?"

"It's all because of my good-for-nothing son! He actually gave my sister two enemy soldiers' heads, scaring her so much that she can crawl now."

The moment these words were spoken, silence fell instantly. The concubines who had been observing from behind instinctively took a step back, as if a bloody head were right in front of them. This retreat exposed Princess Jingning.

The sixteen-year-old girl was delicate and frail, like a white lotus in the rain. She had been dragged here by her mother, and she had never met Su Jinze before. She didn't want to hastily entrust her life to him, and upon hearing Yun Jinglan's words, her face turned deathly pale, even her lips lost their color. She stood there as if she might collapse at any moment.

She wrung out her handkerchief and stared at the Empress outside, not daring to even breathe loudly, for fear of overhearing something that would lead to her being betrothed by the Empress and her mother.

The Empress's arms, which were holding Qiuqiu, froze, and the smile on Consort Shu's face became somewhat forced.

His Majesty only said that the son of Marquis Wenyang was talented in both literature and military affairs and could be of great use, but he didn't mention that he had this kind of "hobby." Princess Jingning was panting heavily with every step; the two of them just didn't seem like a good match!

Su Jinze wanted to secretly give his mother a thumbs up, but one sentence immediately put an end to the two empresses' plans.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

Consort Shu spoke first: "I've heard that Young Master Su is incredibly brave on the battlefield, a young talent with a limitless future. Madam Su, your good fortune is yet to come!"

Yun Jinglan wanted to slap herself. She believed that tomorrow her son's hobby of sending people to their deaths would spread throughout the capital and become the biggest obstacle on his path to marriage!

Chiu Chiu: [Aren't we going on blind dates anymore? Then who will protect my older brother?]

She tried hard to piece together her own story. Fish wasn't quite right in the head; she'd almost forgotten why her older brother had died.

That pretty boy next to the older brother is suspicious! I suggest investigating him!

With Uncle Cat gone, Chiu Chiu has to fend for herself. However, the cause of her older brother's death in the original story is very vague, only mentioned briefly. She only knows that her brother was falsely accused of treason by the male protagonist and was torn apart by five horses.

Where the fabricated evidence came from, and who could have gotten so easy access to his older brother, remains a mystery. It's as if the evidence appeared out of nowhere.

Is it really that the male protagonist's halo is so strong that it defies the heavens?

Anyway, ChiuChiu doesn't believe it!

Consort Shu was no longer as enthusiastic towards Su Jinze, and the Empress couldn't make it too obvious. She made an excuse to change the subject, and after a while, Emperor Jingming sent someone to summon Su Jinze away.

Princess Jingning breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Su Jinze was about to leave; it seemed the marriage was off.

But as she glanced around, she spotted a gray blob creeping furtively toward the outside of the hall.

What is Fu Ning doing?

Look closer, and you'll see a white ball hanging behind her. Fu Ning would climb for a while and then turn around to check if Qiu Qiu was following.

What are they going to do?

What puzzled Princess Jingning even more was why so many people in the palace didn't react at all to the two crawling children.

This is too weird!

Just now, Qiuqiu received a hint from Princess Fu Ning, and the two little ones who had just learned to crawl made a pact to go out together. Under Qiuqiu's special protection, they actually managed to crawl out of the palace.

Chirp: "Eek?" Is it safe?

Fu Ning: "Whoa!" Safe!

Chirp: "Huh? Are you sure?"

Fu Ning: "Hmm! My nemesis sister is here!"

Jingning: I feel like I'm being watched by some terrifying being!