"Your Highness, please be clear-headed. No matter what you and your grandmother think, Lady Cheng is just a subject's daughter, not yet a prince's consort. What is she in front of Niannian? A subject's daughter who dares to harm the current princess, shouldn't she be sent to the Inner Court?"
"But she..."
"Even if we go to the Empress Dowager, do you think she would wrong the princess of the court for the sake of a mere subject's daughter?"
Consort Xue wanted to say something more, but Huo Chengche's cold words silenced her.
This time, Consort Xue opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again.
She knew very well that the Empress Dowager would not wrong Niannian. Today's matter was indeed Cheng Yilan's own fault. Who told her to be so unlucky as to run into someone trying to harm Niannian? It was only natural that she was on edge at this moment.
The royal family has never lacked candidates for daughters-in-law, and Cheng Yilan has never been the only option.
Seeing that Consort Xue had shut up, Huo Chengche did not make things difficult for her anymore. Instead, he said calmly, "The Cheng family may not be a good match. Since Consort Xue is in charge of the affairs of Xinhe Palace, why not take a look at other young ladies?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Xue glanced at Huo Chengche. Her first reaction was not disbelief, but surprise and deep doubt. Huo Chengche had always been indifferent and meddlesome, let alone such trivial matters. Today, he would actually say such a thing to her for the first time.
Huo Chengche's gaze fell on the little baby, finding the chubby little figure among the flowers. A faint smile of affection curved his thin lips as he said, "The favor that the Imperial Concubine did to coax Niannian has been repaid."
After saying that, he walked over to the pink and tender little figure, picked up the little baby, and received a happy giggle from her.
Then, a certain prince was turned into a servant by a certain little baby. The little baby tugged at his clothes, and he smiled gently and helplessly, following behind her with great patience.
"Brother Crown Prince, please take this."
"Brother Crown Prince, Niannian wants that flower!"
"Brother Crown Prince, come quickly!"
...
"Brother Crown Prince, I want a hug!"
Finally, the little girl, having picked all the flowers, happily dimpled and threw herself into her older brother's arms, clutching a handful of flowers. The faint scent of bamboo filled her nostrils, and the next moment, she was pulled into his arms, sitting on his strong arms, burying her head in his neck.
"You little rascal, you've picked so many flowers again. Didn't your godmother tell you not to pick so many last time?" The boy smiled and tapped the little girl's nose in his arms, his gentle touch as warm as ink.
"Hehehe," the little dumpling laughed sweetly, her rosy cheeks adorned with a mischievous charm. She stuck out her little tongue and said in a childish, cheeky voice, "It's because Niannian is small that there seem to be many flowers! Niannian didn't pick many! Tomorrow, Niannian will come with her godmother to plant them back home!"
"Oh, babies who lie will be carried off by the big bad wolf."
"No, no! Okay, okay, Niannian won't pick so many next time! Hmph!" The little dumpling pouted her little mouth in a coquettish manner.
Consort Xue watched this scene from afar. Seeing the boy with a smile on his face, holding the cute little baby, she suddenly trembled and staggered back two steps.
Ignoring Li'er's panicked questions, she shook her head, her eyes filled with disbelief.
An absurd and impossible thought grew wildly in her mind. She kept repeating, "How could this be? No! This, this is impossible!" but the look in her eyes became more and more certain of her idea.
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