Fifteen minutes later, Emperor Chongjin had already carried Xiaochanian into the inner palace, but the little girl kept pointing forward.
Emperor Chongjin originally thought that the little baby could smell it and would only need to walk a few steps, but unexpectedly, it took him almost half an hour to walk.
"Niannian, are we there yet?"
Emperor Chongjin was somewhat suspicious that some mischievous prince or princess might have deliberately teased the little girl by tying her to a piece of osmanthus cake and running ahead, making her smell it but unable to see it.
However, Dejiang and the eunuchs were a whole circle apart, and they didn't see a single person holding pastries.
Cha Nian kept pointing in that direction, her little nose twitched slightly, and then she excitedly slapped her little legs, "It's warm, lotus root starch cake, and jujube dumplings! Nian Nian loves jujube dumplings the most!"
Jujube dumplings?
These words startled Dejiang, who then looked up in disbelief. "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager hosted a flower banquet at Shouci Palace today, and the dessert menu happened to include lotus root starch cake and jujube dumplings. Could it be that the little princess smelled the aroma of pastries from Shouci Palace?"
Emperor Chongjin frowned upon hearing this. "Nonsense! Shouci Palace is located at the westernmost part of the palace, separated from my Gantai Palace by most of the inner palace. How could Niannian possibly smell the scent from there?"
"Yes, yes! This old servant was talking nonsense." After saying that, Dejiang realized that he had been overthinking things.
He looked up at the time, bowed, and suggested, "Your Majesty, the imperial physician should be arriving at Xiaochen Palace by now. Since Your Majesty is concerned about His Highness the Crown Prince, why don't I take the little princess to find Gao Gao?"
Cha Nian listened to Dejiang's words, turned her little head back to look at Emperor Chongjin, and sure enough, she saw the hesitation in Emperor Chongjin's eyes.
"Godfather, go ahead and do your work. Grandpa De can take Niannian to eat cakes too." The little dumpling, with his chubby pink face, said seriously, like a little adult, "Niannian is a good baby and won't bother the adults while they're doing their work!"
His earnest little expression, coupled with the baby's delicate and exquisitely beautiful face, made him exceptionally clever and adorable, instantly sweeping away the fatigue that Emperor Chongjin had shown on his journey.
"Alright, our Niannian is the most well-behaved little princess in the world. How about Daddy rewards Niannian by lifting her up high?" Emperor Chongjin laughed twice and lifted the chubby little bundle of flesh high.
"Giggle..."
A string of cheerful, soft laughter immediately spread out, bringing smiles to the faces of the surrounding palace servants.
The little girl, who had been lifted high, was very easy to talk to. She nestled obediently in Dejiang's arms, her dimples showing as she smiled sweetly and brightly. She even waved her little hand at Emperor Chongjin, who had boarded the imperial carriage.
After watching Emperor Chongjin leave, Dejiang coaxed the little boy with a smile in his high-pitched voice, "Just give the little princess your orders, where should we go next?"
Dejiang guessed that it might just be that the little boy, Cha Nian, wanted to play, as the princes and princesses in the palace often liked to drag people into adventure games.
The little one cooperated by pointing with his little hand, and the group continued on their way.
*
Half an hour later, Dejiang stood in front of the Shouci Palace, holding the little baby, his face full of astonishment.
The little girl smelled the delicious aroma wafting from Shouci Palace, and her little belly was already bulging with anticipation. She kept sniffing the air and even swallowed hard, quite shamelessly.
"Put me down! Put me down!"
The little gluttonous girl kicked her short legs impatiently, finally bringing the stunned Dejiang back to his senses. Overwhelmed by her pounce, he hurriedly put her down on the ground.
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