"How could you leave the capital without telling everyone? Do you know how worried your parents and I were about you?" The Empress Dowager gave her a reproachful look and instructed Granny Qin to prepare some warm sugar water and fruit juice for her.

This was something Qin Su often used when she came to visit, but the Empress Dowager forbade her from drinking tea during her pregnancy, feeling it was bad for her. Later, she often substituted it with sweetened fruit juice.

Qin Su took the child from the Empress Dowager, her eyes slightly moist. It had been so long since she had seen her little girl.

The child's dark eyes looked at Qin Su, as if she were a complete stranger. Qin Su felt a pang of sadness; it was clearly her child, yet she had been forced to leave for so long.

"My dear, it's your mother~" she coaxed softly.

Whether the child understood her words or not, he smiled and giggled.

Seeing her like this, Qin Su finally felt relieved.

The little girl is fine; she's not in her own world, nor is she completely oblivious to the outside world.

Qin Su felt a lump in her throat and buried her face in the baby's swaddling clothes. She could feel tears streaming down her face and her throat felt dry and tight.

"Alright, you two have finally met. The baby is chubby and healthy, she hasn't lost weight." Although she was premature, this little girl is very well-behaved. She hardly cries or fusses. When she's awake, she plays with her family, and when she's tired, she drinks some milk and goes to sleep. She's so well-behaved that she hardly seems like a child her age.

Qin Su said with a slight sob in her voice, "Mother has taken very good care of me, thank you, Mother."

The Empress Dowager said reproachfully, "We're all family, why are you speaking like two different people?"

"You're not allowed to leave without a word again. Postpartum care is extremely important for a woman; if she doesn't recover properly, she'll suffer from health problems later. I was going to send someone to chase after you and bring you back, but your brother stopped me." Her tone became reproachful. As a woman herself, she cared deeply for Qin Su, especially since her child had just been born and her mother wasn't by her side; she was truly pitiful.

Qin Su obediently said, "It's my fault."

The Empress Dowager wasn't blaming her; she was clearly worried about her health.

"Alright, it's good that you're back safe and sound. You need to take good care of yourself from now on and not do anything reckless."

Qin Su naturally agreed.

Not long after, Yu Shuo came in from outside. His black cloak was covered with snowflakes, and he brought with him a chill as soon as he entered.

The Empress Dowager's palace was heated by an underfloor heating system, so it wasn't cold. However, Yu Shuo's arrival inevitably brought a chill.

Granny Qin took his cloak and handed it to a servant, saying with a smile, "Your Highness, please wait here for a while. The Empress Dowager said that you can go in after you have cooled down a bit."

Yu Shuo nodded and waited a while before striding in.

The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him enter safely. "Was your trip successful?"

She rarely inquired about matters of the court, which resulted in her knowing very little about Yu Shuo's affairs.

Yu Shuo naturally reported only good news and not bad news, saying, "Everything went smoothly, thank you for your concern, Mother." Then his gaze fell on Qin Su, who was holding a child in her arms, but he couldn't see the child's face from his angle.

That's her child, a girl, who should look a lot like her.

Yu Shuo knew this wasn't his daughter, but it didn't matter. His wife was his, and he looked forward to raising her. Perhaps he could see in her the way Qin Su was when she was a child, learning to speak and take her first steps.

"Go and see your daughter. You haven't even named her yet," the Empress Dowager urged him with a smile.

Yu Shuo strode over. Qin Su's eyes were red, but her gaze was incredibly gentle. It was an expression Yu Shuo had never seen before—loving, tender, and full of longing.

"Can you hold a baby?" Qin Su asked him.

Yu Shuo shook his head. He looked down at the child in Qin Su's arms. The child stared at him with round, grape-like eyes and smiled happily.

I don't know how the Empress Dowager could tell from such a young child's face that he looked like her.

Qin Su got up and taught him how to hold the baby. The grown man carefully held the infant, almost trembling with fear.

"As for the name... Your Highness can decide." The name from her past life is naturally unusable, and she would never allow Nannan to bear the Xue family name again. "As for a nickname..."

She had actually thought about it, but she didn't say it out loud at the moment.

When the Empress Dowager saw her looking at her, she chuckled and said, "I can't let you think about it, can I?"

It is true that elders can choose nicknames, but the Empress Dowager was well aware of her own naming abilities.

There are many rules to follow in this era. If a girl is not chosen carefully, she may be laughed at for the rest of her life.

"It is my daughter's blessing that her mother can name her."

The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and said with a wry smile, "I am really not good at naming things."

"We don't care about nicknames," Qin Su insisted.

She felt that the child's safe birth was thanks to the Empress Dowager, who was also a very good elder, and that the name she chose was actually quite good.

"How about Yuanyuan?" The Empress Dowager felt it would be inappropriate to refuse again. Besides, she was also a grandmother, so there was nothing wrong with giving her a nickname.

"It symbolizes happiness and reunion, which is good." Qin Su looked at Yu Shuo, seemingly waiting for his opinion.

How could Yu Shuo say it was bad? Besides, he was worried that if he said it was bad, Qin Su would think that he couldn't stand the child.

"That's good. Let's call her Yuanyuan."

That's how the nickname was decided.

"As for the name, you two should go back and discuss it first, and then report it to the Emperor later."

As a royal princess, her name cannot be chosen so casually.

Qin Su nodded slightly, which was considered an agreement.

"Stay for dinner tonight," the Empress Dowager said again.

Qin Su was about to nod when Yu Shuo said, "Your Majesty's idea is to hold a banquet. Firstly, to welcome him and wash away the dust of his journey, and secondly, since Prince Quegu is also here, it can be considered a way of welcoming him."

The Empress Dowager had no objection to this explanation.

At this point, Qin Su told the Empress Dowager about the taro and ground pepper, something she hadn't thought of earlier.

"Is this true?" The Empress Dowager was overjoyed. She had searched everywhere before, but couldn't find a plant that met the criteria in almost the entire Da'an.

She had considered searching in the surrounding countries, but the Yuehai Kingdom was already stirring up trouble during the reign of the late emperor, and Quegu was also experiencing serious internal strife, making it really inconvenient to search for these things.

After Emperor Mingyang ascended the throne, she lost interest in him.

"According to Prince Quegu, it is indeed exactly as Mother described. I have asked him to bring some over, but Mother will have to take a closer look."

The Empress Dowager repeatedly said, "If we can really find potatoes and such, it would be a great achievement, a good thing for the country and the people!"

Qin Su said, "Your subject naturally trusts Your Majesty."

"Shall we go back to the manor first?" Yu Shuo wanted to return to the manor; he hadn't been back in a long time. He wanted to know if there had been any changes in the manor since their marriage.

"good."

She actually wanted to return to the Marquis's residence, but it wouldn't make much of a difference; she would naturally be seen at the banquet.

Qin Su went back with him, and the child was well protected by her, not exposed to any wind or snow.