"Ha, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, two-faced and indecisive!" The Empress Dowager was increasingly disappointed in Min Shi's appearance, and she coldly rebuked her, "Drag her away before I get my hands on her!"
This time, when the eunuch dragged Min away, she dared not shout anything anymore, but only shook her head repeatedly, crying and begging for mercy.
The Empress Dowager didn't even want to look at her again. She turned around, took the little baby back from Emperor Chongjin's arms, and sat down in the main seat. "Min Shi is confined to the side hall of Xihe Palace. She is to copy scriptures a hundred times and give me some peace and quiet!"
After giving her instructions, the Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze and, when it fell upon the little baby in her arms, a gentle expression finally returned to her angry face.
She gently pinched the little baby's nose and said in a kind voice, "Don't be afraid, Niannian. Grandma is angry with that ignorant aunt. I heard that this aunt bullied Niannian just now? Grandma scolded the aunt on Niannian's behalf, so we're not angry anymore."
The little boy looked up at his grandmother, nodded obediently, and said in his childish voice, "Okay!"
Then, the little girl nestled in the Empress Dowager's arms, looked up at her with her big, bright eyes, and asked in a soft, sweet voice, "Grandma Empress Dowager, what's wrong with Yingying, who looks just like Niannian? Why are all the people who think Niannian looks like Yingying so afraid of her, except for my godmother?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes flickered.
Emperor Chongjin sat to the side, a cold glint in his eyes. But when he met the little boy's bright, dark eyes, he concealed the icy look in his eyes, smiled faintly, and said gently, "Someone harmed your sister Yingying. They feel guilty, and that's why they're afraid when they see you."
The little baby nodded his head as if he understood, then nestled in his grandmother's arms, clearly still not understanding much.
The Empress Dowager pondered for a moment, then looked down at the little baby's innocent and clear eyes, and immediately smiled, leaning down to kiss her chubby little face.
"Is Niannian hungry? It's all because of that unreasonable aunt that the Empress Dowager hasn't had time to feed Niannian. Hewan, quickly serve the meal."
The female official in charge of the kitchen was waiting outside early in the morning. He Wan received the message, smiled, and went out to give the order. Soon, the palace maids from the kitchen filed in with the evening meal.
Instantly, the little baby in the Empress Dowager's arms perked up, thrashing about and sniffing around with its little nose, just like a greedy little kitten.
The Empress Dowager smiled, picked up the little girl who was starving, and took her seat first.
There weren't many people, so they used a round table. The Empress Dowager was naturally in the center, with Emperor Chongjin and the Crown Prince on her left and right respectively. Xuandi sat to the left of Emperor Chongjin.
As for the little baby, she was naturally nestled in the Empress Dowager's arms and fed.
Huo Chengche was quite pleased with this. It was better for the baby to be in the Empress Dowager's arms than to be carried away by Xuandi. Moreover, Huo Chengche had figured out that Xuandi, as an older brother, was only good at playing with the little baby and was otherwise useless.
Seeing this, Xuandi wisely decided not to take on the task of feeding Niu Niu. As long as she wasn't in the arms of some little prince with ulterior motives, he didn't care where the little baby was.
The little baby was very well-behaved at the dinner table, basically eating whatever the adults fed him. Only occasionally would he eat several bites of vegetables but not any meat, then he would pout and whine as he snuggled into the Empress Dowager's arms. But in the end, he would still purse his lips and eat it reluctantly.
With the Empress Dowager acting as the villain feeding the vegetables, Huo Chengche smiled like a big bad wolf, becoming the kind person who fed the meat with a beaming smile—"Niannian's favorite Crown Prince brother."
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