Chapter 111

This conversation between the father and daughter can be described as defying public opinion.

Neither of them took anyone seriously; one dared to speak, and the other dared to respond, terrifying the palace servants around them.

No sooner had Emperor Jingxi left with Qin Su in his arms than Liang Danxin coldly warned the palace servants, "If even a single word of what His Majesty and the Princess just said gets out..."

The palace servants kowtowed in unison: "We didn't hear anything today."

Liang Danxin's expression softened slightly: "Be vigilant, everyone. Following Her Highness the Princess will bring you plenty of benefits."

The palace servants all responded in unison.

Liang Danxin then jogged to catch up with Emperor Jingxi.

Emperor Jingxi took Qin Su out for some snacks and candied fruits, then personally helped her wipe her face and wash her hands, and accompanied her to write two large characters before getting up to return to the Imperial Study.

He ascended the throne at a young age. Although he is only twenty years old this year, he has been on the throne for thirteen years. He is well-versed in the art of imperial power and is very authoritative. In particular, in recent years he has continuously strengthened imperial power, and the court and the harem are all very respectful of him.

Before Qin Su was born, he had several children who died young and did not live past their first birthday. Therefore, Qin Su was the first child he had to grow up.

In addition, Qin Su's birth mother, who was Emperor Jingxi's first wife, died after giving birth, dying in the prime of her life. She became the emperor's beloved, and Emperor Jingxi inevitably transferred his affections to her, showing even more favor to Qin Su.

He was indeed an extremely diligent and wise young monarch. Over the years, his conscientiousness had become a habit, and he would not neglect his duties even when facing his beloved daughter.

As Emperor Jingxi was about to leave, Qin Su tugged at his sleeve, tilted her head, and asked, "Father, are you going to the Imperial Study again?"

Emperor Jingxi bent down to speak to her and said with a smile, "Susu, do you know you can't bear to part with your father?"

Qin Su hummed in agreement, grabbed his arms with both hands, and climbed onto him: "Father, take me with you."

Fearing she might fall, Emperor Jingxi quickly picked her up and exclaimed in surprise, "Last time I carried you to the Imperial Study, you said you were bored. Why are you asking to go today?"

Qin Su said, "Because I'd be even more bored by myself, and Consort Shu is in poor health, so I couldn't bear to disturb her."

The late Empress passed away early, and Qin Su had no mother to take care of her. Emperor Jingxi could not carry her around all the time, so for more than a year, Qin Su was kept in the Shufei Palace.

Consort Shu is gentle and kind-hearted, and she is very devoted to Qin Su. Qin Su likes her very much.

However, Consort Shu gave birth to a prince at the end of last month and is still recuperating. Her room cannot be ventilated, and she cannot take a bath or wash her hair. Therefore, she cannot get close to Qin Su. Seeing that she was in poor spirits, Qin Su was very sensible and stopped running around in her palace.

As for the other concubines in the harem, none of them were qualified to appear before Qin Su.

Emperor Jingxi was afraid that others would corrupt Qin Su, so he strictly controlled the people she came into contact with every day.

Qin Su was extremely bored and inexplicably irritable these past few days, so she decided to spend her time with Emperor Jingxi.

After listening to her words, Emperor Jingxi pondered for a moment and made a decision.

He said, "Very well, come with me to the Imperial Study and I'll pick two children from the families of my ministers to keep you company."

"What are you going to do with me?" Qin Su thought for a moment, then remembered a term she had heard before, "Are you going to be my study companion?"

Emperor Jingxi carried her out of the palace gate. The guards beside him stepped forward to take Qin Su away, but Emperor Jingxi waved them off.

He smiled and tapped Qin Su's nose, saying, "A study companion is someone who reads with you. Do you want to study?"

Qin Su can now read and write, all thanks to Emperor Jingxi's personal instruction, but she has not yet received a systematic education.

In fact, although princesses of this dynasty could study alongside princes, the requirements for princesses were very low. Whether they studied or not, and how much they studied, was entirely up to the princesses' wishes.

"I don't want to study," Qin Su said seriously. "Can I stop having a study companion?"

Emperor Jingxi was amused by her and said, "You don't want to be emperor, and you don't want to study, so what do you want to do?"

Qin Su was stumped by the question. He pondered for a long time before finally speaking in a low voice in the Imperial Study: "Is there nothing in this world that can be done without studying or being an emperor?"

It was rare for his exceptional daughter to ask such an innocent and naive question. Emperor Jingxi laughed until tears almost came to his eyes, and he hugged his sweet-smelling daughter close to his cheek.

Qin Su rubbed her face against his insincerely, merely to appease the emperor's doting heart.

After cuddling with his daughter for a while, Emperor Jingxi sat down on the throne with her in his arms, and teased her with a big smile, "In this world, people born into good families want the best and the highest, while those born into bad families seize every opportunity to study in hopes of getting ahead. You don't want the former, and you don't want the latter. What should we do?"

His words were so long and profound that Qin Su listened carefully and thought about them before she understood.

Then she argued logically, "My father said that I am the second most noble person in the world, so I don't need to hope to stand out from the crowd, and therefore I don't need to study."

"The emperor is the most honorable person in the world, so my father is the best and the highest. I am my father's daughter, so there is no need for me to compete."

"Therefore, I don't need to think about this issue."

To be honest, the logic in those two sentences was quite sound, and they made a lot of sense at first glance. Even Liang Danxin, who was standing next to her, was secretly amazed by the princess's intelligence.

Emperor Jingxi laughed and said, "The world is ever-changing, and people's hearts are fickle, let alone an emperor. I am the Son of Heaven, but you are not. What I give you is yours. If I don't want to give it to you, I can take it back at any time. If I take it back, then you will no longer be the second most honorable person in the world."

Qin Su understood, and she said unhappily, "Does Father mean that Father will one day dislike Su Su?"

Emperor Jingxi said, "Not only will he not like you, he might even hate you and suppress you. What will you do if such a day comes?"

Qin Su bit her lip.

Despite her usual indifference towards Emperor Jingxi, she has actually spent the most time with him since birth and is the closest to him. She absolutely cannot accept this situation.

Even though she knew Emperor Jingxi was just teasing her, she was still unhappy.

"Then I will cater to my father's preferences and win his heart so that he will like me again."

"So you've come up with the idea of ​​winning hearts and minds?" Emperor Jingxi said calmly. "And what if that still doesn't work?"

Qin Su glared at him and said angrily, "If that still doesn't work, then I'll become the emperor myself. That way, I'll be the most honorable person in the world, and the emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed. I'll make my father like me."

Emperor Jingxi did not tell Qin Su that human emotions are complex and cannot be commanded; instead, he asked, "Even this won't work?"

Qin Su was quite annoyed.

She wouldn't yell or scream like a typical child when she was angry; she would just say coldly, "I'd rather not have it than not have it."

This statement is not only profound, but also highly disrespectful.

Liang Danxin was sweating profusely and didn't dare to say a word. He knelt down silently.

Emperor Jingxi didn't even look at him, and asked Qin Su with a smile, "Is Su Su so heartless?"

Qin Su said slowly and deliberately, "Those who suppress me are the ones who treat me badly. I will not have feelings for such people. My father taught me that pity for the enemy is cruelty to oneself."

Emperor Jingxi laughed heartily, lifted Qin Su high, and said, "Not bad, worthy of being my princess."

Qin Su was still angry and turned her head away, ignoring him.

Emperor Jingxi had angered his daughter, so he had to coax her himself: "Are you really angry? I was just joking. How could I dislike Su Su? There is no one in the world who would dislike Su Su."

Qin Su glanced at him sideways.

When Emperor Jingxi saw that her cheeks were puffed up with anger, like two freshly steamed buns, he really wanted to laugh, but he also knew that if he laughed now, it would be even harder to appease her.

He suppressed a laugh and said in a humble voice, "Alright, I misspoke. Su Su, please don't be angry, okay? I'll be heartbroken if you get sick from anger."

Qin Su snorted, her expression softening slightly.

She took a sip of goat milk from the cup that Emperor Jingxi had brought her before saying, "Father, you did say something wrong. You shouldn't have asked me that."

Qin Su was still sitting in his lap, a tiny little thing, her head barely taller than the table, yet she spoke more clearly than an adult.

“I’m young, but I have my own feelings. A joke my father makes casually might take to heart; it might hurt me, it might make me sad.” She looked at Emperor Jingxi with her clear, bright eyes, her round face serious. “Over time, I won’t be completely open with my father anymore, and I might even…”

She wanted to say "estrangement," but couldn't remember how to say it. After a pause, she changed her words to: "If there are bad emotions, then we are no longer the closest relatives, and we will become strangers."

She softened her voice and said slowly, "If Su Su says that she doesn't like Father Emperor, hates Father Emperor, and won't be filial to Father Emperor when she grows up, Father Emperor will be sad, right?"

This passage is quite long, and even for Qin Su, it's not easy to express it clearly. She has to pause for a second occasionally to think of the right words.

But this statement was very effective.

Emperor Jingxi felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, and his smile faded. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Su Su is right. It was my fault. I shouldn't have said that."

He pulled his sweet-smelling daughter into his arms: "This is my first time raising a child, I have no experience. If your mother were here..."

Thinking of his deceased wife, Emperor Jingxi felt somewhat saddened.

The late empress and he were childhood sweethearts, and were about the same age. When he was thirteen, he married her and brought her into the palace for a grand wedding.

But during the years of their marriage, he began to scheme in the court, and with many trivial matters, he had very little time to spend with her. She never complained and always supported him from behind, helping him to gain family power and manage the harem.

He thought they were both young and would have plenty of time together. Unexpectedly, she died young; just when he finally had a chance to catch his breath, she passed away.

When the late Empress was mentioned, Qin Su's eyes reddened slightly, but she said nothing so as not to make Emperor Jingxi feel even more upset.

She sniffed, hugged Emperor Jingxi's neck, and whispered, "I forgive Father this time."

Who wouldn't love such a smart, sensible, and adorable child?

Emperor Jingxi deeply felt the joy of being a father and was filled with love.

He also realized that he shouldn't have mentioned the late empress, so he deliberately tried to divert Qin Su's attention by gesturing to Liang Danxin beside him: "Bring me the portraits of those children."

Liang Danxin scrambled to his feet and quickly retrieved the items that Emperor Jingxi had ordered prepared a few days prior.

There were more than a dozen scrolls, all depicting children aged four to seven, both boys and girls. Next to them were their names, family situations, and their usual personalities, all written in tiny characters.

Emperor Jingxi said to Qin Su, "These are all children of the right age from the families of my close ministers and important officials. Pick two of them that you like as playmates, and I will have them sent to the palace."

Qin Su's gaze swept across the paintings one by one, finally settling on one in particular.

She paused, then pointed at the painting and asked Emperor Jingxi, "Who is this person? Have I seen him before?"

Emperor Jingxi glanced at him, and Liang Danxin immediately stepped forward to explain, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, this is the second son of the Assistant General's Mansion, and he is five years old this year."

“He went to the palace with the General last year. Perhaps Your Highness has a good memory, which is why you have some recollection of him.”

Qin Su hesitated and asked, "Last year?"

She seemed to have no memory of it, but when she saw this face, she felt inexplicably familiar with it, as if the two of them were meant to know each other.

Emperor Jingxi thought for a moment and had a vague impression. Seeing Qin Su's interest, he asked Liang Danxin, "What is this child's temperament like?"

Liang Danxin cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, this young master enjoys horseback riding and martial arts. He has a cheerful disposition and is often accompanied by the guards of the manor."

This means that the child is too wild and not suitable to accompany the princess in the palace.

Emperor Jingxi frowned slightly and tentatively asked Qin Su, "Why don't you take a look at the others?"

Qin Su shook her head and pointed to the painting, saying, "It's him. I like the look of him."

Well, finding the princess pleasing to the eye is more important than anything else.

Liang Danxin glanced at Emperor Jingxi furtively, then fell silent.

As expected, Emperor Jingxi was also helpless with Qin Su and said, "Then let's do as the princess wishes."

Liang Danxin agreed and went to find someone to inform the general's mansion.

Qin Su spent the afternoon in the Imperial Study with Emperor Jingxi, reviewing memorials and meeting with two groups of ministers.

One of the imperial censors saw the princess sitting in the emperor's lap, her hand on a memorial, seemingly reading it but not quite. He felt this was improper and wanted to offer his advice, but was pulled back by a familiar colleague.

He frowned and looked at his colleague, who gestured to Emperor Jingxi, who was clearly in a better mood and more talkative that afternoon.

The Imperial Censor remained silent.

The next morning, after visiting Consort Shu, Qin Su returned to her Zhaoning Palace. The palace servants waiting outside immediately came up to her and reported, "Your Highness, the second young master of the General of the State's Mansion has arrived."

Qin Su, who had been feeling down since the beginning, suddenly became interested: "Where?"

The palace attendant said, "We have already arranged for you to have tea in the side hall."

Qin Su's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over.

Sitting in the side hall, Ye Yan was anxious. He was already restless because he couldn't find Qin Su, and yesterday he was inexplicably told to be a princess's playmate.

Wouldn't going to the palace every day be a waste of time?

Ye Yan thought to himself that ancient feudal society was really troublesome, and it seemed that he would have to put in some effort to get rid of this problem.

However, since the royal family's surname is Qin, perhaps Qin Su is related to the royal family. Why not inquire about it here?

Ye Yan was deep in thought when he suddenly heard a light and pleasant baby voice, accompanied by soft footsteps.

"You're Ye Yan?"

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P.S.: Special note: Due to the popularity of Qing Dynasty dramas, many palace names and titles of address between emperors and their subjects that are familiar to the public belong to the Qing Dynasty. However, the Qing Dynasty also had some unique terms, such as "baoyi," "han ama," and "haha zhuzi," which may be relatively uncommon and not suitable for use.

Many cultural practices during the Tang and Song dynasties were not widely adopted. For example, in the Tang dynasty, the emperor was called "Sage," and children called their fathers "Aye" (or sometimes "Brother"). Teahouse waiters were called "Doctor." In the Song dynasty, the emperor was called "Official," and common people called eunuchs "Old Man," the sons of officials were called "Yanei," and courtesans were called "Head of the Court." These practices were not commonly used.

For ease of reading, this section is set in a fictional world. All content, including official titles, architecture, and more, is a hodgepodge and does not adhere to any specific dynasty or culture. To avoid misleading readers, this is explained in this chapter. Please don't take it too seriously, little angels! (^3^)

P.S.: Emperor Jingxi was a very good emperor and a very good father. He played a crucial role in helping the female lead develop her emotions, so he's a very important character. Therefore, a significant amount of time will be devoted to him. If you feel the pace is too slow, you can wait until the story is finished before writing it.