Would Emperor Shengping allow his son to be friends with his own son? Xie Shaoling was skeptical.
The late emperor also instructed Ye Shengping to befriend him, but what was the result?
The past is too painful to recall!
"Little Chang'an, aren't you the Crown Prince's study companion? What do you think of him?" Xie Shaoling bounced his son and asked with a smile.
Xie Chang'an pressed down hard on his father's arm. The arm that was holding him was so restless, it wasn't afraid of dropping him to the ground!
"You're very cunning," Xie Chang'an said with a stern face and no expression.
He still remembered how Ye Jingchen had subtly mocked him for being cunning after school yesterday.
After witnessing this spectacle today, he realized that Ye Jingchen was far more cunning than he was.
"He won't be like his father, will he?" Xie Shaoling muttered to himself, recalling the past. Ye Shengping seemed to have a lot of cunning, but he didn't use it for anything good.
“Since you think he’s too cunning, then don’t play with him anymore. You don’t have to be his study companion if you don’t want to,” Xie Shaoling said casually.
They are enlightened parents who believe that the child's wishes are the most important thing.
Xie Chang'an remained silent.
So far, his cooperation with Ye Jingchen has gone smoothly, and he recognizes the capabilities of his ally.
Although the emperor's attention has now been drawn back to the aristocratic families by him and Ye Jingchen, their crisis is not over as long as the emperor has not dispelled his suspicions about the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Having a partner who is somewhat familiar with them and with whom they have a decent understanding is a good thing for both of them.
But who is Ye Jingchen really in the heart?
Unlike royalty, and unlike anyone he knew in his previous life!
He was adept at playing the game of imperial strategy, yet he lacked the domineering and self-centeredness that an emperor should possess. His hobby was—taking care of children.
Xie Chang'an pondered a question every day, but still found nothing.
West Street is quite a distance from the East City where the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is located, but Xie Shaoling and Xu Qingqing are both skilled in martial arts, and they walk with incredible speed, even faster than riding in a carriage. A quarter of an hour later, the two of them appeared at the back gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Although Xie Shaoling spoke casually to the old steward when taking Xie Chang'an and Xu Qingqing to see the excitement, he actually knew his mother's temperament very well.
She comes from a prestigious family and values rules the most, and she can't stand younger generations breaking the rules.
So, to avoid being nagged, Xie Shaoling and Xu Qingqing, with remarkable tacit understanding, turned to the back gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, intending to climb over the wall and enter.
Their courtyard was close to the back gate, so they went to wash up first before paying their respects to the old matriarch.
As long as I can see the old lady first and stay with her, my mother won't be able to keep nagging in front of her.
Xie Shaoling and Xu Qingqing had planned things very well, but as the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes, and the devil is one foot tall, but the Tao is ten feet tall. When the two of them secretly led Xie Chang'an to climb over the wall into the mansion and then secretly returned to their own courtyard, they pushed open the courtyard gate and met a pair of eyes that were spitting fire.
No one knows a child better than their mother. The Duchess had anticipated Xie Shaoling and Xu Qingqing's predictions and was waiting for them directly in their courtyard!
"You unfilial son! Five years of training in the northern frontier, I thought you would have improved a lot, but what happened? You've become even more reckless than before! How old is Chang'an? You two actually took him to the execution ground to watch the spectacle? If my precious grandson gets scared and something bad happens to him, I'll beat you to death!"
Five years later, when the Duchess saw her eldest son again, instead of holding hands and gazing at him with tears in her eyes, she gave him a severe scolding.
"Mother, it's been five years since we last met, and you're still as energetic and robust as ever. It's truly a cause for celebration!" Xie Shaoling's skin was thicker than the city wall of the northern frontier. He remained unfazed by this level of scolding and said with a grin.
Seeing her mother's face grow increasingly gloomy and unpleasant because of Xie Shaoling's words, Xu Qingqing subconsciously took a step back and hid behind Xie Shaoling.
Sure enough, a daughter-in-law and a son are ultimately different. Her mother was still relatively polite when she nagged at her.
Can a woman be described as robust?
Xie Shaoling's bloody lesson tells us that we cannot do this.
"After you've seen the Old Madam, you must kneel in the ancestral hall for a full hour!" The Duchess, praised by her son for her robust physique, felt a tightness in her chest, a suffocating feeling that only made her unfilial son unhappy as well.
"As for you—" she pointed to Xu Qingqing behind Xie Shaoling, "Although your husband has returned, I don't care how much you fool around in your own courtyard, but you can't leave this courtyard, and you certainly can't go outside and embarrass the reputation of my Zhenguo Duke's Mansion!"
Xie Shaoling took a slight step to the side, shielding his wife from his mother's glare, and said with a grin, "Mother, don't worry, I won't cause any trouble with Qingqing!"
"Reassured? I'm most worried about you! The capital is not like the northern frontier. After you come back, you better behave yourself, stop showing off outside, and stop seeing your cronies!" The Duchess was furious when she saw her smirking, unfilial son and shouted angrily.
She glared at her son and daughter-in-law, but when she faced Xie Chang'an, she instantly put on a kind and gentle face.
"Chang'an, come to your grandmother's side, okay? Grandmother will take you to take a bath. Don't follow your unreliable parents!" she said lovingly to Xie Chang'an.
“Mother, we’ve just returned from outside, we’re all dusty and tired. Let’s freshen up first, then you can play with him.” Xie Shaoling said, holding his son in one arm and pulling his wife with the other. With a nimble dodge, he slipped past the Duchess like an eel and darted into the house.
"Eh—you unfilial son!" The Duchess was so angry at not being able to see her beloved grandson that she flung her sleeves and almost called for someone to administer family punishment.
"Give Chang'an a good wash to get rid of the bad luck on him. You all need to wash yourselves too, so you don't get dirty and offend the old lady!" she shouted into the room.
"I know, I know," Xie Shaoling replied loudly.
He and Xu Qingqing stood by the window, watching their mother leave their courtyard before they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Little Chang'an, shall Father take you to take a bath together?" Xie Shaoling reached out and pinched Xie Chang'an's cheek, asking.
A child's face is so tender and elastic, it's addictive to pinch it, it's so much fun.
Xie Shaoling, who was always mischievous, felt like he had discovered a new continent and kept pinching Xie Chang'an's face.
Xie Chang'an sincerely felt that his grandmother's punishment of making his father kneel in the ancestral hall for an hour was too lenient, so he did not resist and let his father's rough hands pinch his face haphazardly.
The baby's face is delicate and easily marked. The father's touch was too rough, and if he soaks it in hot water later, the marks on his face will be quite shocking.
He was already looking forward to his grandmother's furious reaction when she saw his face.
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