Hua Ming

Perhaps it was because of the tension she had at noon. After having some tea and snacks with Xiao Yuanxi in the afternoon, Xu Lingwan felt a little drowsy.

But the little prince seemed to be leaving the palace for the first time. He was particularly excited without the restrictions of rules and regulations, and insisted on dragging Xu Lingwan to accompany him for a walk in the garden.

"Little ancestor, this yard has been uninhabited for a long time, and weeds are growing everywhere. What if a snake comes out?" Chen Yuanyuan, now familiar with the little guy, didn't hesitate. She stepped forward and grabbed the energetic little brat, sternly admonishing him, "Safety first, have you forgotten?"

"But..." Safety issues are obviously a compulsory course for every prince. Although he wants to play, he can also distinguish right from wrong.

Seeing the prince reluctantly return to his room, the four or five eunuchs and servants behind him all breathed a sigh of relief. One of the eunuchs, a round-faced and slightly plump one, even gave Xu Lingwan a grateful smile.

"Don't be upset, it's not a big deal." Chen Yuanyuan pulled him over and sat him in front of the chessboard. The child was hot-tempered, and after a while of this, sweat began to seep from his forehead.

"If your father is not going to punish me for that unfounded crime of deceiving the emperor, if you leave the palace in the future, come find me at the Chen Mansion. I have several young men of your age at home. Let them take you out to play."

"I heard from my father that you treat your teacher's step-sons and step-daughters as your own children?" The little prince was rather gossipy. He tilted his head and seemed more interested in his teacher's inner quarters than in playing.

"Yes. I am their stepmother. It is the duty of a mistress to manage the inner house for her husband and educate the children." It is also very interesting. At the age of eight or nine, it feels like the little prince is a little adult compared to Huai'an and Huaiyin.

"That's true. It's a blessing for the teacher to marry you." The little adult continued to comment curiously.

Xu Lingwan was amused. "Then tell this to your teacher. You are the king and he is the minister. You must let him know how lucky he is to marry me."

Xiao Yuanxi's eyes flickered, but he didn't respond. After a while, he placed a black piece and asked, "But even if I came to the Shen Mansion, I only know you. Those kids must be concerned about their status before playing with me."

What do you mean by those kids? Ling Wan gave him a funny look and said, "Just don't tell them who you are. Don't worry, boys will get to know each other after playing Cuju."

"How can you not tell them your identities?" Xiao Yuanxi's eyes lit up.

"What else? Do you want them to lose to you on purpose when playing Cuju?" Ling Wan was thinking about where to place the next white piece.

Xiao Yuanxi fell silent, but after a moment he confirmed again: "You really won't tell them my identity?"

"What else? You're here to have fun, not to show off your status. Why tell them?" Ling Wan felt she hadn't made any progress in Go. She was abused by Huai'an at home, and now she was abused by the little prince again.

"If you don't tell, the teacher won't tell either?" Xiao Yuanxi stared into Ling Wan's eyes.

"Your teacher goes out early and comes back late, and you won't come to me late at night, so he doesn't know how to tell him." Ling Wan gestured for him to make a move.

"But don't you still have Madam Shen and Madam Lu in your house—"

"Why do you have to think so much, kid? When you come to the Chen Mansion, you can just make up a suitable identity." In ancient times, identity was not important. As long as she was sure that he was someone, it would be fine.

"Hmm, that's right." The young prince suddenly smiled and placed the white piece on a certain spot on the chessboard. His eyes shifted to the chessboard, then he frowned again and said, "Lord Xu is a master of chess and has few rivals. Didn't you grow up under his wing? How come your chess skills are so poor?"

Ling Wan held her forehead and said, "Your teacher said the same thing to me."

She was a bad player, but she had a strong addiction to playing. After playing several rounds with Xiao Yuanxi, she glanced at the sky outside and realized that several hours had passed since the old emperor asked the young prince to bring her to the side hall.

It was almost time for dinner. Ling Wan asked sincerely, "Your Highness, are you and His Majesty not returning to the palace yet?"

"My father has gone back, so I won't go back." The little prince smiled, revealing a mouthful of small, sticky teeth.

Ah. What? Chen Yuanyuan suspected she had misheard.

"Didn't you ask me to go to the Shen Mansion to play two hours ago? After hearing about it, my father allowed me to go back to the mansion with you and stay for a while." Xiao Yuanxi began to collect the chess pieces.

"No. Wasn't I captured to be used as a tool for your majesty to fight against Prince Zhao and the Shen and Xu families?" Chen Yuanyuan said cautiously.

"No. You just played with me all afternoon today." Xiao Yuanxi wiped his hands and smiled innocently, "So, Teacher Madam, when will we return to the Shen Mansion today?"

Ah. Okay, back to the Shen Mansion.

When Chen Yuanyuan returned to Yanxiju and heard Mother Yu coming up to her cheerfully and saying, "We'll have crispy pork ribs in lotus leaves tonight," she felt as if she were dreaming.

No, if there wasn't the little prince who followed her back for no apparent reason, she would have thought she was dreaming.

"Chen Huaian is too respectful to my sister, but not close enough. My sister, please don't worry too much about him in the future."

"Chen Huaiyin looks like a smart kid, but no matter how smart he is, he is still from the fifth house."

Xiao Yuanxi, disguised as her maternal cousin, had just met Huai'an and Huaiyin, and he began to criticize his teacher's inner chambers. The dim light shone on his face, and his eyes were filled with extraordinary calmness and indifference.

Ling Wan smiled and didn't respond.

After returning to the Shen Mansion, she received a message from Chen Cong, telling her to stay home and take care of Young Master Lu. Chen Yuanyuan guessed that this meant: first, Chen Cong knew about what happened that afternoon; second, Chen Cong had joined forces with the old emperor.

Although she didn't know what conspiracy the emperor and his ministers were trying to pull, she knew that since the prince had been secretly sent out of the palace, there would soon be a fierce battle in the deep palace.

"Did you hear what I just said, sister?" The little man in front of him frowned slightly, and there was already the intimidation of a young dragon between his brows.

"I heard it, I heard it." Ling Wan felt that Xiao Yuanxi was really cautious, and even in private he called her "Sister" affectionately.

"In short, the most important thing is for my sister to give birth to the teacher's legitimate son as soon as possible." The little man with picturesque features was obviously dissatisfied with her deception, but seemed to have no choice. Finally, he turned his face away angrily and made a conclusion.

Ling Wan laughed, feeling that Xiao Yuanxi's concern for her was really beyond the norm, but it was always warm to have someone care about her, so she laughed: "What if next year I give birth to a baby that's not a boy, wouldn't that be a serious matter?"

Frankly speaking, she would have preferred a daughter. The reasons were simple: firstly, she liked girls; secondly, the Shen family was dominated by yin and yang, so there were simply too many boys, which was a bit annoying.

"Why isn't it a serious matter? She's also the teacher's eldest daughter—huh?" Xiao Yuanxi reacted, his eyes slowly moving from Xu Lingwan's face to her abdomen, "Sister, what do you mean—"

"Next year, I'm going to be an uncle?"

Xu Lingwan shuddered with fear. How could this child be so immersed in the play? The child's surname was Shen and hers was Xu. How could he, the future emperor, be her uncle?