Chapter 152 Stepmother
Everyone else was assigned to their own tasks, and when Xiao Yuxuan turned her head, she saw the Princess looking at her with kind eyes.
Her face flushed red, and she sat down on the edge of the princess's bed, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"Please don't laugh at me."
She remained at the Princess's residence, issuing orders to these people, but her authority was not legitimate. Now, in front of the Princess, she felt somewhat ashamed, like someone trying to teach a fish to swim.
"No, you did a great job, even better than I did when I was younger. If it weren't for you these past few days, I'm afraid I would have already..."
"You mustn't say that word! You will be well, live a long and healthy life, and never grow old!"
"Okay, then let's all take good care of ourselves."
The eldest princess reached out and lovingly touched Xiao Yuxuan's little face.
"You've really worked hard these past few days. You didn't have much fat on your face to begin with, and all the little bit you managed to gain has been worn away. You're even thinner than when I first met you."
"Seeing the Princess safe and sound, and seeing the people of the capital safe and sound, what I have done is far less than what the doctors and guards who are busy working on the sick. They are the ones who work day and night, never daring to stop for a moment."
These were Xiao Yuxuan's true feelings. Compared to those ordinary people who were always busy working outside, she was already very content to be born into a wealthy and powerful family, at least she didn't have to work hard for a living every day.
All we can do now is to help others when we are successful.
Hearing her say this, the eldest princess felt even more distressed: "They are tired, and you are tired too. You are both physically and mentally exhausted. There is no difference in your status. You can't take advantage of your youth and neglect your health."
"Speaking of which, once I recover from my illness and the capital is pacified, it will be time to put the matter of recognizing relatives on the agenda."
"You have done so much these days, His Majesty and the Empress must have heard about it. Even just for these things, it would be no problem to bestow upon you the title of Princess."
The princess's words came too suddenly. Xiao Yuxuan had never thought about the position of a county princess before, and was stunned for a moment.
"What? Has Huanxi gone mad? Or are you still going back to the Xiao family and don't want to stay by my side?"
The princess's tone carried a hint of unease that she herself was unaware of.
No matter what Xiao Yuxuan wants to do, she can support her and be her strongest backing. But since the girl is not under her watchful eye, she is powerless to protect her even if she wants to.
Just as Xiao Su said that night—
She is the daughter of the Xiao family, and it is not her place for the eldest princess to stand up for her in front of her biological parents.
The eldest princess had lived a carefree life, and there was no one she couldn't protect if she wanted to. She wanted the little girl to be completely under her wing, so that she would never again live a life where she seemed to have family ties but was actually living under someone else's roof.
She wanted to see the little girl just like she had been back then, carefree and proud, lively and bright, living a joyful life.
"No……"
Xiao Yuxuan blinked her dry eyes, suddenly stood up, took a half step back, and knelt down neatly. She solemnly placed her hands together in front of her forehead and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for your kindness and love, my godmother. I will definitely do my best to repay your kindness in the future."
It was just a simple sentence, but the princess's eyes welled up with tears.
She quickly raised her hand, asking Aunt Meng to help Xiao Yuxuan up, her usually calm and composed voice trembling slightly:
"Good child, good child, get up quickly. Your leg is still injured, don't kneel and hurt it."
It was ten days later that the epidemic was brought under control and the people of the capital returned to their previous lives.
The eldest princess has recovered well and is currently sunbathing in the courtyard with Xiao Yuxuan.
Xiao Yuxuan had just taken a bath, her long hair cascading down her back. Qin Yuan had wrung it out to about eight or nine tenths of its full length, and it was now radiating the last bit of moisture in the sunlight.
"You're wrong, you're wrong! You can't go anywhere!"
The eldest princess was anxious to grab the piece that Xiao Yuxuan had just placed, but Xiao Yuxuan was just smiling and tilting her head to look at the chessboard, which made her heart skip a beat.
She had witnessed Xiao Yuxuan's chess skills in the past few days, and she was afraid that even Jun'er was no less skilled. How could she possibly leave such an obvious flaw for her?
"Could this be a trap?"
Is this the place?
The eldest princess pointed to a corner where the black pieces were already surrounded without her knowledge, and suddenly realized what was happening.
She couldn't wait to place her piece.
Suddenly, a large, well-defined hand appeared from the side, its long fingers flicking the black piece from the princess's hand, and placing it elsewhere—
The white stones' encirclement was not only broken immediately, but also trapped the white stones, who originally had a great advantage, from another side, so that the game did not end so quickly.
Xiao Yuxuan's eyes widened, and she quickly looked up, wanting to see who was so unethical as to help the princess. Unexpectedly, she met a pair of narrow, starry eyes that were smiling.
"Jun'er?! Why didn't anyone announce your arrival?"
When the princess saw the familiar young man, she paused for a moment, then looked questioningly at Aunt Meng, who was smiling beside her.
Qi Jun continued to manipulate the black pieces held by the eldest princess, his long eyes slightly lowered as he intently observed the unfinished game, seemingly quite interested:
"Aunt, you're wronging Aunt Meng. You and my cousin were so engrossed in their game of chess that they didn't respond even after I reminded them several times. That's why I came in uninvited and disturbed your enjoyment."
cousin……
Startled by this title, Xiao Yuxuan realized that she should indeed call the Crown Prince her cousin at this moment.
Since she had already recognized the eldest princess as her godmother, she naturally had to address the crown prince and his sister according to the eldest princess's order of seniority.
But—this seems a bit too strange.
The Crown Prince, who was originally high above her and whom she was supposed to protect with all her might, suddenly became her cousin.
"However, you wouldn't come here without a reason. I always see you so busy, what brings you here today?"
"Aunt, cousin, I have come to deliver the imperial decree on the orders of Father Emperor."
Upon hearing the imperial decree, Xiao Yuxuan and the Princess exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
On the very day Xiao Yuxuan changed her address, the Eldest Princess, disregarding her illness, wrote a memorial and sent it to the palace overnight.
This refers to the matter of recognizing her as an adopted daughter, registering her under his name, and having her recorded in the imperial genealogy.
In addition, she also listed all the things she had done for the epidemic in the capital during this period, all in order to seek the honor of a princess.
Not all children of the eldest princess and princes are entitled to the titles of prince or princess. Those who have not contributed to the country or society, or who are not born of the legitimate wife, cannot be granted such titles by exception.
However, the eldest princess has been widowed for many years and has no children. If she were to adopt Xiao Yuxuan as her goddaughter, she would be the eldest princess's only daughter, which would be extremely prestigious. It is impossible for the emperor and empress not to grant her the title of a mere county princess.
To their astonishment, the person delivering the imperial edict was actually the Crown Prince.
In the State of Qi, the higher the rank of the official in charge of announcing imperial edicts, the higher the status of the person receiving the edict after being conferred a title.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince take the imperial edict with its black background and gold patterns from Sun Miao's hands, the Eldest Princess, Xiao Yuxuan, and all the servants of the Eldest Princess's residence knelt down and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
The imperial edict slowly unfolded from the back of Qi Jun's pale, well-defined hand, accompanied by his restrained and steady voice—
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com