Ye Jingchen successfully got the two little dumplings playing together using only a rattle drum.
The two little ones leaned against him, and Ye Jingchen put his arm around one of them, teaching them how to play with the rattle drum.
"Chang'an, did you see that? His Highness the Crown Prince is very popular with children!" Xu Jingjing said to Xie Chang'an meaningfully.
Looking at the joyful scene not far away, Xie Chang'an wished he could transform into a one- or two-year-old toddler, squeeze into Ye Jingchen's arms, and push his younger siblings away.
That's his spot!
He didn't hear what his mother whispered in his ear.
Xie Chang'an watched for a while, and the more he looked, the more heartbroken he felt. He couldn't help but walk over to the group of one adult and two children playing together.
Although he couldn't openly push the two little ones away, he could still distract Ye Jingchen.
He didn't know that the way he walked over could be described as 'aggressive' in the eyes of Xu Jingjing and his two aunts.
"I didn't expect Chang'an to be so jealous," the second young mistress said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Xu Jingjing's heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her composure.
“It’s normal for him to be jealous. Who told them to start yelling at the top of their lungs whenever he gets close to Changzhao and Changze?” the Third Young Madam chimed in with a smile.
Xu Jingjing: ......
She took a deep breath and finally felt relieved.
She knew it; her second and third sister-in-laws weren't observant people, so how could they possibly have discovered Chang'an's rebellious thoughts?
“Come on—Changzhao, let’s turn like this—” Ye Jingchen gently held Xie Changzhao’s chubby little hand and taught her to turn the long handle.
"Ding-dong!" The rattle drum made a crisp sound, and Xie Changzhao shouted excitedly.
"Wo, wo, wo!" Xie Changze saw his sister making a sound with the rattle drum and grabbed Ye Jingchen's sleeve anxiously.
"Your Highness, you really are something else. You know we have two little brats, yet you only brought a rattle drum. Are you deliberately trying to make the siblings fight?" Xie Chang'an complained from the side, feigning concern.
He hadn't spoken until the two little ones noticed his approach, but as soon as he opened his mouth, they noticed him, immediately closing their eyes and opening their little mouths—
"Waaaaah—"
The two of them started howling at the same time.
The second and third young mistresses rushed forward, each taking their child and comforting them.
Xu Jingjing walked over and slapped Xie Chang'an on the forehead, "Knowing they don't like you, why did you deliberately go over there to provoke them?!"
Ye Jingchen was startled by the sudden wailing of the two children. Only after hearing Xu Jingjing's words did he understand what had just happened.
He said that his charm for the little brat had suddenly stopped working.
He stood up, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, looked at Xie Chang'an, and said with a half-smile, "So, little brother Chang'an has such poor luck with children!"
"It's really bad, so I don't plan to have any children in this lifetime. But His Highness the Crown Prince is so adored by the little brat. It would be such a pity if he couldn't have a house full of children and grandchildren in the future!"
The word 'regret' overlapped with the sound of slapping.
"What nonsense are you talking about? His Highness will surely have many children and grandchildren for generations to come!" Xu Jingjing said through gritted teeth, slapping Xie Chang'an on the forehead again.
Xie Chang'an covered his forehead, feeling a little dizzy.
His mother's slaps were harder and harder, and he felt like his brains were about to be splattered out.
If he had known his mother would be so ruthless, he would have dodged a little earlier!
"Auntie, Chang'an is your only son. Could you please be a little gentler with your slap? It wouldn't be good if you made him stupid," Ye Jingchen reminded her with a forced laugh.
Just hearing the sound of Xu Jingjing's two slaps made Ye Jingchen feel pain.
Xie Chang'an is truly pitiful.
"It would be better if he were stupid! That way I wouldn't have to live in constant fear of disaster!" Xu Jingjing said, giving Xie Chang'an a hateful look.
Ye Jingchen could only continue to force a laugh.
"Ding-dong—ding-dong—" The sound of the rattle drum rang rhythmically along with the crying.
"Xie Chang'an, your sister is so smart! She learned it after just a little teaching!" Ye Jingchen said happily.
“Of course my sister is smart,” Xie Chang’an added quietly.
"I want it! I want it!" Upon hearing the sound of the rattle drum, Xie Changze suddenly stopped crying and reached out towards Xie Changzhao.
Seemingly finding it pointless to cry alone, Xie Changzhao stopped crying and started shaking a rattle drum.
"Zhao'er, your little brother wants to play too. How about you play with him?" the Third Young Madam coaxed Xie Changzhao softly.
Xie Changzhao pondered for a moment, then shook his head in unison with the rattle in his hand.
At this moment, a clever maidservant quickly entered the room and came out carrying a rattle drum.
The maid handed the rattle drum to the second young mistress, who then shook it to amuse Xie Changze.
However, the rattle drum that Xie family brought was just an ordinary rattle drum, and its sound was not as crisp as the one that Ye Jingchen brought. After listening for a while, Xie Changze still reached out towards Xie Changzhao.
"Your Highness, look, this is what happens when you only bring a rattle drum!" Xie Chang'an said gloatingly.
Ye Jingchen rolled his eyes at him. Although he only brought a rattle drum, he brought other things as well.
Ye Jingchen simply took the box from the eunuch and handed it to Xie Chang'an to look at.
The box contained small windmills, bamboo dragonflies, tangrams, spinning tops, and other toys that children would like.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has really gone to great lengths to please my younger brother and sister!" Xie Chang'an said sourly.
"Yes, it's really to please 'your' younger brother and sister!" Ye Jingchen readily admitted, but he deliberately emphasized the word "your".
Xie Chang'an immediately felt no more soreness; in fact, he felt refreshed.
Ye Jingchen took out the bamboo dragonfly and turned it in front of Xie Changze. Xie Changze's attention was immediately drawn to the flying bamboo dragonfly, and he stopped clamoring for the rattle drum.
After the two children stopped crying, they were put back on the ground and left to crawl and struggle on their own.
Ye Jingchen spun a top in front of them, making it spin rapidly to attract their attention.
Then they took out tangram pieces and pieced together all sorts of patterns.
Other toys were also taken out.
Ye Jingchen played with them using toys, and the two little ones were incredibly happy. Although they couldn't speak clearly yet, they could already make "clucking" sounds.
Xie Chang'an watched from the sidelines, feeling both envious and jealous.
She both envied Ye Jingchen for being able to play with his younger siblings and envied his younger siblings for being able to play with Ye Jingchen.
Ye Jingchen spent the entire time at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion playing with the two little ones until lunchtime. After having lunch at the Duke's mansion, he returned to the palace.
Even after returning home, Xie Chang'an couldn't find any time alone with Ye Jingchen. This was mainly because Ye Jingchen was playing with the two little ones and completely ignored him, while his mother was constantly watching over him, not allowing him to overstep any boundaries.
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