As Huo Chengche left, everyone felt a sudden lightness on their bodies, only to realize with surprise that just moments before, the air had felt incredibly heavy, almost suffocating them.
From afar, the soft, sweet voice of the little baby drifted through the air, sounding aggrieved and childish as he complained.
"Hmph, Crown Prince and Fifth Brother are naughty. Niannian hadn't had enough fun yet, and Crown Prince and Fifth Brother brought Niannian back! Niannian wanted to come and play with you guys after she came back, but Crown Prince said you were at the school and Niannian couldn't disturb you."
Immediately following, two more little bundles of joyful voices chirped and comforted the little dumpling who had "suffered a great injustice."
As the baby's voice faded into the distance and became indistinct, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. As they walked out, they chattered amongst themselves.
"What... what does His Highness the Crown Prince mean? Even if the palace is worried that this young lady will be wronged, shouldn't it be the Empress Dowager or the Imperial Concubine who should be reprimanding us..."
"Yes, yes, I always thought His Highness the Crown Prince was still young, but today his aura is already that of a crown prince. It's quite frightening. Just now, I thought it was the Emperor himself. I've never heard of His Highness being so attentive to any of his younger sisters before. Isn't it rumored that His Highness doesn't like children?"
"Tsk, can't you see that, sister? This isn't how you treat your younger sister! I think His Highness the Crown Prince is clearly telling everyone not to have any designs on this little princess. Isn't it obvious what His Highness the Crown Prince means?"
"You...you mean..."
Finally, someone voiced the thought that had been rising in the minds of many but dared not speak. A series of gasps filled the air as everyone swallowed the unspoken words that followed, their hearts pounding with fear.
“But, but this little princess is only three years old! And hasn’t the Empress Dowager already decided that the eldest daughter of the Duke of Changguo’s family will be the Crown Princess? The little princess will only enter the family after she comes of age. With the eldest princess still alive, she can only be a concubine. I’ve heard that the Prince of Hengchang dotes on his only daughter. Would he agree to let his daughter become a concubine?”
Those standing nearby, upon hearing this, seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and exaggeratedly whispered, "A concubine? The Prince of Hengchang dotes on his youngest legitimate daughter like his own life. Didn't you see how much the Empress Dowager and the Emperor favor her? Didn't you hear what happened in the palace the other day? She can become a concubine?"
"That……"
"Oh dear, what eldest daughter of the Duke of Chang's family?" The wet nurse scoffed and whispered, "You probably haven't heard what happened in the bustling South Street yesterday, have you? That Miss Chen bullied this little darling and was reprimanded by His Highness the Crown Prince in the street. He ordered that she be forbidden from entering the palace again, and the Duke of Chang's family was also reprimanded."
"This...this...the Empress Dowager also agrees?"
"What can she do if she disagrees? Given her doting nature on the Crown Prince, if he's truly determined, can she possibly go against his wishes?" A joke followed by a sigh.
For a moment, everyone fell into an eerie silence.
On the other side, Huo Chengche, having achieved his goal, followed behind the three little bundles of joy with a faint smile, listening to the little girls' chattering discussions, leisurely strolling with the children, giving off a rather shepherd-like vibe.
She was still holding the flowers that a little baby had stuffed into her hand—"Brother Crown Prince, please hold these for me!"
So they carried it all the way.
Huo Chengche walked along with a bunch of wildflowers, and wherever he went, people stared at him as if he were seeing a ghost... When had he, the dignified Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, ever done something so undignified?
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