Chapter 140

When Sun Mao entered the palace, Qin Su and Ye Yan were practicing riding and archery.

Because Qin Su frequently leaves the palace, she is impatient with always traveling by carriage, so she asked Emperor Jingxi to let her learn riding and archery so that she could ride a horse herself.

Emperor Jingxi talked with Sun Mao for an hour. When Sun Mao expressed his curiosity about Princess Zhaoyang, Emperor Jingxi took him to the martial arts training ground.

Before they even got close, Emperor Jingxi saw Ye Yan riding a fine horse and taking Qin Su for a spin. Qin Su tilted her head back and spoke to Ye Yan. Her small face was fair and delicate in the sunlight, and her long hair swayed in the air like a flamboyant ribbon.

Ye Yan lowered his head, making it impossible to see his expression, but his actions were entirely protective; he even seemed to reach out and touch Qin Su's lips.

Emperor Jingxi narrowed his eyes, and suddenly a thought struck him.

If we calculate, Zhaoyang is five years old this year, and the boy from the Ye family is seven years old. The ancients said that "boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven." Shouldn't we remind the people of Zhaoning Palace to pay attention to the princess's behavior with the opposite sex?

The thought flashed through his mind, and before Emperor Jingxi could think about it, he heard Qin Su suddenly scream "Ah!" and then cover her mouth.

Emperor Jingxi was startled and, ignoring Sun Mao beside him, rushed over.

"Zhaoyang————"

He walked up to the two men and stopped in surprise.

Ye Yan forgot to pay his respects when he saw Emperor Jingxi arrive. He sat on his horse with a blank expression, pinching a tooth between his fingers.

Qin Su, sitting in front of him, covered her mouth, her eyes red. She stared blankly at the tooth in Ye Yan's hand, then looked at Ye Yan, turned to Emperor Jingxi, opened her arms, and sobbed, "My tooth, my tooth..."

Emperor Jingxi quickly stepped forward and picked her up. After a careful look, he realized that one of her front teeth had fallen out.

He roughly guessed what had happened and quickly comforted him, "It's okay, it's normal. Every child needs to lose their baby teeth as they grow up."

Qin Su buried her head in his chest, refusing to show it: "I have no teeth, it looks bad, it looks bad, waaaaaah."

Ye Yan then realized what was happening. He glanced helplessly at the heartbroken Qin Su, dismounted, and bowed to Emperor Jingxi.

"Just now, I was riding horses with the princess. She said that her teeth have been loose these past few days, so she asked me to touch them."

Ye Yan lowered his voice even further, afraid that Qin Su would feel even more upset if she recalled it now.

Qin Su has reached the age where she needs to lose her baby teeth. Recently, the imperial physician has been visiting her frequently, saying that they will fall out naturally in the next few days.

The tooth was very loose, which Qin Su found quite unusual, so she asked Ye Yan to pinch it.

But as soon as Ye Yan reached out and pinched it, his tooth fell out...

If the tooth had fallen out on its own, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but since Ye Yan had squeezed it out, things were in serious trouble. Qin Su immediately put on a look that suggested she was about to cry, leaving Ye Yan dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Emperor Jingxi arrived; otherwise, Ye Yan really wouldn't know how he would have ended things today.

Unfortunately, Emperor Jingxi was also helpless with his daughter. He tried to coax Qin Su for a long time, but Qin Su still kept her head down and refused to lift her face.

Ye Yan circled around Qin Su, trying every trick in the book to say nice things.

"I really didn't mean it, Your Highness. Can you massage my baby teeth when I lose them next time?"

Qin Su raised half her face: "I won't waste my teeth, waaaaah, I can't speak clearly anymore..."

After realizing that even her voice was distorted, she shut her mouth again, feeling wronged.

Ye Yan was both anxious and amused, his expression becoming somewhat distorted.

Qin Su, with her sharp eyes, noticed it and said angrily, "You're still laughing! Ye Yan, you're such a pain!"

She frantically tugged at Emperor Jingxi's clothes, crying, "Father! Father!"

Emperor Jingxi held back for a long time, but then burst out laughing.

Qin Su opened her eyes wide, her face filled with disbelief at being "betrayed".

She refused to be held by Emperor Jingxi this time, struggled to jump to the ground, and pouted angrily, refusing to speak.

"Ahem." Emperor Jingxi quickly tried to salvage the situation, "Zhaoyang, losing your baby teeth is nothing to worry about. It just means you're growing up."

Qin Su turned her face away, ignoring their excuses.

Turning her head, she noticed a stranger in the training ground, looking at her with a kind expression.

This man had a handsome appearance, a tall stature, and a body that was neither too fat nor too thin. He was quite dignified, but strangely, his stomach was somewhat swollen, like that of a pregnant woman.

When Sun Mao saw Qin Su looking at him, he smiled and bowed to her, saying, "Your subject Sun Mao greets Princess Zhaoyang."

Qin Su suddenly realized that this person was Sun Mao, the minister who asked the court for money to control floods under the pretext of road construction.

She always appeared mature and composed in front of unfamiliar strangers, and immediately forgot what had just happened, saying seriously, "Lord Sun, there's no need for such formality. I have long admired your reputation."

Sun Mao thought Qin Su was just being polite, and laughed, "I don't have any great reputation. On the way to the palace, I heard Your Majesty and the princess talk about their great reputation all the way."

Qin Su slowly said, "Controlling water and sand is a great undertaking for generations to come. Lord Sun has done a lot for the people, and Father Fang and the history books will remember him."

She speaks slowly because she has a lisp now; if she doesn't speak slowly, she will be seriously off-key. But to Sun Mao, it sounds incredibly serious.

Moreover, he knew very well that no matter how intelligent the princess was, her involvement in court affairs was definitely under the tutelage of Emperor Jingxi.

The princess's attitude reflects Emperor Jingxi's attitude.

Sun Mao's eyes welled up with tears, and he subconsciously looked at Emperor Jingxi, saying, "I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's and His Highness's high regard. What merit do I have?"

Emperor Jingxi: "..."

Good heavens, his important minister almost cried when he first met his daughter. If word gets out, this will cause a huge uproar.

He quickly interrupted, saying to Qin Su, "Zhaoyang, if you don't believe me, you can ask Sun Mao if everyone loses their baby teeth. There's nothing to be sad about."

Qin Su turned her questioning gaze to Sun Mao.

Sun Mao laughed and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Everyone in the world has to go through losing their baby teeth when they are young."

Qin Su had calmed down a bit by then. She thought for a moment and asked, "Did Father Fang Si also have a lisp when he was little? Was it unsightly?"

Sun Mao: "..."

This is not a question I can answer, is it?

His pause made Qin Su understand, and she nodded thoughtfully: "Oh, then it seems to be number four."

Sun Mao's forehead was sweating. He secretly glanced at Emperor Jingxi, afraid that the emperor would lose face and get angry. Unexpectedly, Emperor Jingxi didn't care at all and even said with a smile, "That's right. I also had to lose my baby teeth when I was a child. Look at me, my teeth are all straight now. Have I become ugly?"

Qin Su tilted her little head up to look at her father, the Emperor.

Emperor Jingxi was in his early twenties. Apart from having dark circles under his eyes from working too hard, he was in the best physical and physical condition of his life. He had sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a majestic and imposing figure, and a dignified and elegant demeanor. No one could find him ugly.

She scrutinized him for a long time before truthfully saying, "Father Fang is very handsome."

Emperor Jingxi was delighted by his daughter's praise and laughed, "Isn't that it?"

He picked up Qin Su and said, "Sun Mao will stay in the palace for dinner today. Let him tell you some interesting stories about Huainan."

Qin Su's attention was indeed diverted, and she looked happier, replying, "Okay."

Emperor Jingxi saw Ye Yan still holding the tooth and looking at Qin Su with longing eyes, and gave him a wink.

Ye Yan quickly put his teeth into the sachet so that Qin Su wouldn't see them again.

This whole tooth-changing ordeal is finally over.