Since returning home, I've been playing with the three little ones every day, especially the two little ones who can only call for their mother. They cry so loudly it's earth-shattering, but then they're laughing in the blink of an eye.

After Xie Yuancheng returned, he discussed matters with his father, and sometimes he even saw Uncle Cui. I'll just stay with my mother and the little ones and not bother them.

"Mother~" Su Ling had lost her little purse, which was filled with cotton and could be used as a punching bag.

I had them all stand still. Yu'er was still far away from Xizhi. Anyway, I figured if I played with them, their relationship would improve. I started by kicking a small purse over, and they tried to grab it, then tossed it around.

Yu'er was always very rough with Xizhi, pushing and pulling her, and even snatching the small purse from Xizhi's hand and giving it to Su Ling to play with.

"Yu'er~ come to Mommy~" I waved to Yu'er, and he ran over. "How could you bully your little brother? Look at you, your face is all sweaty. You should play nicely with your little brother and sister."

As I wiped his sweat, Yu'er started pouting, his round, chubby face so adorable. I couldn't resist kissing his little cheek, and Yu'er immediately smiled at me, leaning on my shoulder for a hug.

"Okay, I'll pick you up now. Let's go see your little brother and sister play~" I picked him up. Since he wasn't going to play with Xizhi properly, I'd let the two little ones play while he watched.

Su Ling and Xi Zhi were scrambling for a small purse on the ground, overjoyed. Xi Zhi fell onto it, and Su Ling, looking up at the right moment, reached out to catch it.

"Haha~" The two little ones happily snatched and played around the little pouch.

Yu'er clapped his little hands, and I knew he wanted to come along. I quickly said to him, "Your little brother and sister are so happy when they play. If Yu'er is here, your little brother will cry. You're such a fierce big brother, you know?"

Yu'er turned to look at me, kissed me a few times on the cheek, then turned away and smiled, "Hehe, Mommy's pretty~"

"You can't even praise me, Xizhi is my younger brother, he's so cute~"

I put Yu'er on the ground and sat next to him, blocking him from moving forward. I had to make sure the two brothers were well today. I was worried that Yu'er would regret it if I took Xizhi and Suling back to Linyang.

Yu'er nestled in my arms without saying a word, his big eyes blinking adorably. He treated the little purse like a precious treasure; if I didn't let go, he couldn't go anywhere.

"Mommy~" Su Ling and Xi Zhi both ran over. Xi Zhi was still hugging the little purse and jumping around like a little rabbit.

Su Ling lay against my legs, and Xi Zhi handed the small purse to Yu'er, giggling.

It was quite a challenge for him to pronounce it like that. He was such a little kid, yet he only knew how to imitate adults. Before his tongue and mouth were properly coordinated, he was able to speak just like Yu'er when he was a little over two years old.

"Yu'er~ Your little brother has something good for you, what do you want to say?" I played with Yu'er's little hand, knowing he was unhappy.

I'm so frustrated. They're all my children, so why does Yu'er like Xi Zhi so much? Is it because he's the youngest and she's worried about losing his affection?

Yu'er stared at the little purse with his big eyes. When Xizhi saw that he wouldn't take it, he put it in Yu'er's arms and ran to Su Ling's side to lie down. Now there were two little bean sprouts on my lap sunbathing.

I smiled and looked at Yu'er. He's still young, he'll understand. Yu'er, holding his little purse, stared at me. We stared at each other for a moment. Then Yu'er laughed, grabbed his purse, and ran out.

"Haha~" As soon as he ran, the two little ones got up and chased after him.

Xie Yuancheng was truly prescient back then, creating this grassy area precisely for the little ones to run around in. Although Yu'er still ignored Xizhi, she no longer rejected him, no longer pulling his ears or tugging at his hands.

Mother brought over a bowl of sweet rice cake soup, and the little ones, smelling the aroma, all ran over to eat. It was made with small pieces of flour, so it wouldn't upset their little throats.

"So good~" I saw that they can now sit on their knees to eat, and they are scooping their food with their little spoons in a very proper manner.

"This is what the master taught them. At first, they were all very naughty, but now they are all well-behaved."

"But their knees are still weak, won't they be able to take it?"

"No, the mats are very soft, feel them."

Mom let me touch them; they were softer than a mattress. No wonder they were so well-behaved. Watching them eat, their little mouths moving silently as they drank soup and chewed, I admired Mom more and more.

Xie Yuancheng and his father also came over, and we all sat around them. After finishing his meal, the little one sat down and waited for his father to speak. I wonder if I was like that when I was little, so cute and well-behaved.

"You ate very well today, so you'll have a little snack tonight~" Dad said only after they were all seated.

The little ones grinned from ear to ear, and only after seeing their father nod did they pick up their little pouches and go off to play. They were so amusing; they could play with a tiny pouch for ages.

This time they gathered together and clapped, with the little pouch in the middle. I was worried that they would run off after eating and it wouldn't be good for their tummy, but now I don't have to worry about that anymore.

"Ying'er, you and Yuancheng should go to the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow. Now we are just waiting for the right time so that we can meet the Emperor."

Since Father spoke first, I naturally agreed. I could go once I put on my veil. When Yu'er heard the voice, he ran back and landed in my arms. He wanted to go too.

"Yu'er, you're too young. Stay home and play with your younger siblings."

"Grandpa~ I want to go, I want to go, I want to go~" Yu'er grabbed her father's hand and swayed back and forth.

"Let our good son go. He's very well-behaved now and can talk."

Since Xie Yuancheng had spoken, my parents didn't force me. His guarantee was better than anything else. Yu'er actually looked down on me and ran to Xie Yuancheng's arms, then looked at me and smiled.

"Little Yu'er~ Come here to Mommy, or I won't let you have any snacks~" I have a winning formula, and Yu'er really came over obediently.

Xie Yuancheng pinched me, and I carried Yu'er to my mother's side, rubbing his little face. Yu'er laughed and went to play with Su Ling and the others.

"Be careful tomorrow. Don't panic if anything happens. We're all prepared. The Crown Prince and Empress suffered heavy losses this time, so they won't act recklessly."

Dad is the patriarch of the family. One sentence from him puts our minds at ease. I was still wondering what to bring for self-defense, but now that I'm taking Xie Yuancheng with me, everything will be fine.

"Mother~ Has Mother come to the manor again?" I was worried about Consort Ji's status and comfort.

Mother reassured me: "When you came, you saw what happened in the marketplace, right? She's fine. Even if the Empress is in trouble, she'll be alright. Those people think the Emperor is easy to fool; they're being used by him without even realizing it."

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince are currently locked in a fierce power struggle. There are many capable individuals in the court, and it's normal for the Emperor to occasionally create some turmoil as he tries to balance all the forces.

"Are they really like the rumors say? It feels so strange." I don't know anything about it, but neither do my parents.

The Empress did indeed employ many maids to do bad things, but some things were beyond her control. Now that the matter has been exposed, her relatives have suffered heavy losses.