Chapter 1212 Sweet

Because of the long journey and the intense but invisible power struggle in the court, and the half-day of being tormented by Xiao Yuangan after returning home, Shang Ruyi fell into a deep and sweet dream before she could even yawn.

She slept for almost an hour.

When she opened her eyes, it was already bright daylight. Sunlight streamed through the window into the bedroom, illuminating the room. Shang Ruyi was bathed in this soft sunlight, as if she were soaking in a warm bath, and she was too lazy to move.

Until I heard a childish "humph" in my ear.

She immediately turned her head and saw a round, chubby little boy burrow under the covers, his bottom sticking out towards her. It was none other than Xiao Yuangan. The child had woken up sometime earlier and had been watching her for a long time. When she ignored him, he stubbornly burrowed under the covers.

Shang Ruyi immediately came to her senses and smiled as she reached out to pull him up: "Yuan Gan..."

No one answered her.

"Little Yuanzi..."

Xiao Yuangan continued to burrow deeper into the blankets, and Shang Ruyi's eyes crinkled with laughter. She reached out and tugged at his leg, asking with a smile, "When did you wake up? Why didn't you tell your mother? Are you hungry?"

Only after hearing this did Xiao Yuangan stop trying to crawl inside. He struggled a couple more times before Shang Ruyi finally pulled him out. His little face was flushed, and his dark, bright eyes, like longan seeds, stared at Shang Ruyi with wide eyes. His little mouth was slightly open, and a little bit of glistening drool dripped from the corner of his mouth.

I'm craving it.

Shang Ruyi thought her child was the cutest thing in the world, so she hugged him tightly and rubbed him a couple of times before saying, "Are you hungry? How about Mom asks them to prepare something for you?"

"want."

What would you like to eat?

"Sweet..."

"Sweetie? Would you like some candy?"

"Sweet..."

"Not maltose? Then what is this sweet stuff? Sugar is sweet, isn't it?"

The mother and son were wrapped in a warm quilt, chatting idly. Tu She'er, hearing the commotion outside, came in with two maids, bringing hot water, towels, and salt. She walked to the bedside, bowed to Shang Ruyi and Yuan Gan, and then said with a smile, "Your Highness has finally woken up. We've been waiting outside for a long time."

Shang Ruyi blushed slightly. As a princess, it was never appropriate to sleep in late. She could only glance awkwardly at the side. Yuwen Ye was no longer on the bed. Tu She'er knew what she wanted to ask and took the initiative to say, "His Highness Prince Qin got up very early this morning and left without even having breakfast."

"oh."

Shang Ruyi wasn't surprised. This person seemed to have inexhaustible energy. Even if he had just fought a bloody battle the day before, he wouldn't delay getting up early to train his troops the next day. Moreover, Yuwen Yuan had just promised him yesterday that he would lead the Twelve Guards as the Grand General to reorganize the Twelve Guards, so he was definitely going to make the most of the time to handle this matter.

This is a crucial step.

As Shang Ruyi thought this to herself, her eyes turned cold. Fortunately, Tu She'er didn't seem to care. She skillfully picked up Xiao Yuangan, who was reaching out to Shang Ruyi, and smiled, "Did Your Highness sleep well? Your wet nurse is waiting outside. Are you hungry?"

Little Yuangan nodded obediently: "Hungry!"

Tushe'er smiled and said, "This servant will help Your Highness rinse your mouth. After rinsing your mouth, we can have our meal, shall we?"

"good!"

Seeing how well-behaved the child was with Tushe'er, Shang Ruyi sighed and said softly, "He's never this close to me."

Hearing this, Tushe'er deliberately pouted: "The princess has been away from the young prince for so long, of course he's shy around strangers."

Hearing her use of "we" in her speech, Shang Ruyi shook her head helplessly and said, "Alright, I know you've all been wronged. Don't worry, this year—at least this year, His Highness and I won't be going out anymore."

Tushe'er then smiled happily.

She helped Shang Ruyi get dressed, and then the mother and son washed up. Only then did the wet nurse Feng come in and take Xiao Yuangan away. Shang Ruyi said, "By the way, he just said he wanted to eat sweets—what kind of candy is sweet?"

Tushe'er and Nurse Feng exchanged a glance and laughed. Nurse Feng said with a smile, "It's a pastry. The young prince likes sweets, but Physician Su said that the child shouldn't eat too many sweets, lest his teeth rot. So Madam Chu often makes some pastries and sends them over. Her pastries are a little sweet, enough to fill you up without rotting your teeth, so the young prince likes them the most."

"I see,"

Shang Ruyi sighed: "These past few days while I was away, Madam Chu has gone to great lengths."

Tushe'er said, "Panqing has already come over twice to ask when the Princess will arrive. I suppose it's Madam Chu who's coming to pay her respects to the Princess."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately ordered a meal to be prepared. Just after breakfast was finished, Chang Wan came to report that Chu Ruoyan had arrived.

In the half-year that they had been apart, Shang Ruyi had become much darker and thinner than before, and her hands and body were covered with many small, minor injuries. But Chu Ruoyan seemed to have been preserved in a sealed, crystal-like box, without any change whatsoever. In fact, in a daze, Shang Ruyi felt that even the neatly trimmed strands of hair at her temples, the bright moon pearls hanging from her hair bun, and the snow-white teeth that she revealed when she smiled were exactly the same as before she left.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Seeing her gracefully approach and bow to her, Shang Ruyi immediately waved for her to rise. The two walked hand in hand to the table and sat down. Tu She'er only set out two cups of tea, then said with a smile, "Since Madam Chu is here, this servant will not bring any snacks from here."

Chu Ruoyan smiled and glanced at her, then waved to Pan Qing beside her. Sure enough, Pan Qing held a box in her hands, placed it on the table, and opened it. Inside were several exquisite pastries, which were not only lifelike but also fragrant, making one's mouth water at first sight.

Shang Ruyi sighed, "Your hands are becoming more and more skillful."

Chu Ruoyan laughed and said, "There's nothing important to do, so I can only put some effort into these trivial matters."

Shang Ruyi said, "Doing one thing well is the real deal."

Hearing her say that, Chu Ruoyan blushed and said softly, "Sister is too good at comforting people."

After saying that, she looked up and carefully examined Shang Ruyi for a moment, then said, "I also heard some news in the palace. I heard that you also went to the battlefield, sister—were you injured?"

Shang Ruyi didn't want her to worry or be afraid, but she couldn't resist showing off, so she picked a few battles that weren't too dangerous to tell her about. Chu Ruoyan had never been on a battlefield, but Shang Ruyi had experienced them firsthand and described them vividly. Not only did Chu Ruoyan listen with wide eyes, both frightened and curious, but even the palace maids Tu She'er, Chang Wan, and Pan Qing were captivated.

After a long while, Chu Ruoyan clutched her chest and sighed, "This is too terrifying."

After saying that, she turned to Shang Ruyi and said, "Sister, you should not go to the battlefield anymore. What if you get hurt?"

Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "There aren't any major battles to be fought outside."

Chu Ruoyan, being of royal lineage and having experienced the fall of her country and the destruction of her family, was very sensitive to certain matters. She personally took a piece of chestnut cake from the food box and handed it to Shang Ruyi, then said, "What you mean, sister, is that the external threat has been resolved."

Shang Ruyi smiled without saying a word, took the chestnut cake, and took a bite. Just as Tu She'er had said, it had a light sweetness that wasn't cloying, and the chestnut flour was ground very finely, almost melting in her mouth. She exclaimed, "Mmm, delicious!"

Chu Ruoyan smiled, her eyes crinkling: "If you like it, I'll make more when I get back and have Panqing send it over."

Shang Ruyi took a sip of tea, glanced at her again, and smiled, "No need, we'll wait for Feng Chen to come back later—he can bring it back tomorrow."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ruoyan immediately understood what she was implying, and her face flushed red.

Tushe'er, who was originally happy, didn't get angry as much as before when she heard this, but she still couldn't help but pout. Just then, Yuan Gan finished his breakfast and changed his clothes. Feng, the wet nurse, brought him over. As soon as he saw Chu Ruoyan, he immediately became happy and ran towards her, calling out, "Zhuzhu."

Shang Ruyi was taken aback: "What beads?"

Everyone laughed. Pan Qing explained, "When Madam came over several times, the young prince couldn't pronounce 'Chu' and only called her 'Zhuzhu,' so everyone just went along with it."

Seeing Yuangan, Chu Ruoyan was even happier. She picked up a small and delicate lotus-shaped pastry from the food box, bent down and handed it to him, and said with a smile, "Yuangan, have this."

Yuan Gan immediately took it and stuffed it into his mouth.

Looking at her son's greedy appearance, Shang Ruyi shook her head in shame and poked his forehead: "You eat other people's food, but you can't even greet them. How did I give birth to such a stupid glutton?"

With something delicious in his mouth, Yuan Gan no longer felt wronged or angry with her. He just chuckled and ate the lotus flower pastry while climbing up Chu Ruoyan's knees. He looked longingly at the other pastries in the food box. Chu Ruoyan said softly, "Your Highness, one is enough for today. Eating any more will make your stomach hurt."

"Hmm..."

The little guy pouted, his mouth covered in powdered sugar, looking aggrieved.

Shang Ruyi couldn't help but pat his little bottom again: "You little glutton."

With the arrival of the child in the main hall, the atmosphere became more vibrant and sweet than before, which was more harmonious and gentle. Everyone played with the child while talking about what had happened since they parted ways. Chu Ruoyan said, "In the autumn, it was good to take Yuangan for a walk on the Thousand Steps Corridor, but recently—he hasn't been going much. He's been so bored."

Shang Ruyi said, "The weather has been cold lately."

Chu Ruoyan glanced at her and gently shook her head: "Not entirely."

Shang Ruyi looked at her: "Hmm?"

Chu Ruoyan said softly, "Sister, you just got back. Have you heard about Consort Tao?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's expression tightened slightly, and she said, "She'er told me, but I don't know the specifics yet. Do you know?"

Chu Ruoyan said in a low voice, "Since my sister isn't here, I can't ask too many questions. But I heard from the people around Consort Tao that it was Consort Zhang—no, she should be called Consort Zhang now—who did it."

"..."

"Consort Tao was distraught and hadn't come out to see anyone for a long time. After the Emperor visited her a few times, he stopped going there often."

Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown and mutter, "This won't do. I have to go see her."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Ruoyan waved to Pan Qing behind her again. When she looked up, she saw Pan Qing take out another exquisite pastry box from behind her and hand it to her. Chu Ruoyan smiled and said, "Sister Ruo is going to visit someone in the hospital. Take this with you. It's not good to go empty-handed."

Upon seeing this, Shang Ruyi immediately smiled and said, "You're so thoughtful."