Zhou Zeyu and his younger brother and sister looked at each other for a few seconds, and finally, they had no choice but to lower their heads and slowly move towards Zhou Beichen bit by bit. The snail's pace really gave Zhou Beichen a headache.
When Zhou Zeyu and others sat next to him one by one, one could still see that they were reserved and felt like they didn't know where to put their hands.
Zhou Beichen didn't understand. When did he scare them so much that they were so scared?
For the first time, he didn't look at Zhou Zhaonuan, but turned his head to the four people sitting in a row, and found that all four of them lowered their heads at the same time.
"Look up."
Zhou Beichen spoke in what he thought was a gentle voice. Then, four round little faces appeared in his sight. Zhou Beichen frowned and couldn't help but patted their shoulders and asked.
"Why are you guys afraid of me? I'm your father, what's there to be afraid of?"
Their hearts skipped a beat, and the little guys were immediately at a loss, because their father was too fierce. He scolded them at every turn, scolded them for not studying well, scolded them for not following the rules, and even scolded them for wanting to leave the palace just now. Moreover, he was the emperor, and even their own mother had to kneel down when she saw him, and apologized if they said something wrong. How could they not be afraid?
Thinking of this, the little guys lowered their heads even more and dared not speak anymore, for fear that telling the truth would anger Zhou Beichen.
After waiting for a long time, several people not only remained silent but also lowered their heads. Zhou Beichen spoke and wanted to scold them again.
He suddenly remembered what his daughter had said to him some time ago: that he should be more gentle and patient when speaking to her younger siblings, and maybe then they would not be afraid of him anymore.
Zhou Beichen closed his eyes. Jiang Yanfeng had not arrived yet, so he reached out and pulled Zhou Zeyu up and brought him to his side, followed by the younger ones.
Zhou Beichen smiled and spoke very gently.
"Don't be afraid. When you leave the palace today, you can call me daddy just like your sister does. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly. I won't blame you."
Zhou Zeyu felt that he was a little strange. His father was like this last time, making him confused and say everything. However, he was beaten again. Subconsciously, he felt that a fierce father was normal.
Although he hated him, he was more afraid of him now. Thinking of this, Zhou Zeyu was the first to kneel down on the carriage with a "thump".
"Father, I have been very well behaved recently. I have done nothing wrong. Please don't be angry."
The elder brother knelt down, and the others followed suit without saying a word.
"Father, I am the same. I have studied hard. My sister is leaving the palace today, and since we don't have to go to the Shangshufang, we are taking this opportunity to ask her to take us out to see it. Please don't be angry."
Zhou Beichen: “…”
What? Are all his children stupid?
He patiently pulled people up one by one, and couldn't help but ask questions.
"Why answer irrelevant questions?"
Hearing this, Zhou Zeyu lowered his head even more. Zhou Beichen's sight happened to fall on him. Considering that he had beaten him twice in less than a year, he thought that he was just a child, how bad could he be? Zhou Beichen felt a little regretful instantly. It must be because of this that he really scared the child.
As for the other little ones, he didn't understand.
Reaching out and gently patting Zhou Zeyu's little bottom, Zhou Beichen's words were rarely gentle. "Yu'er, were you scared by your father's beatings the last two times? I was just angry and didn't mean to punish you. Now you are still standing here well, aren't you? Think about it, if I really abandoned you, would you still be able to leave the palace now? Would you still be standing here intact? Yu'er, no matter what, whether you believe it or not, you are my son. In my heart, I hope you grow up to be a man who can stand tall and proud. And you guys, I don't know what you think, but I have plans for your future."
Even though he hated it in his heart, Zhou Zeyu still couldn't help choking up when he heard these words.
He didn't understand why his father was so cruel as to behead all the people in the Li family, and even spared his mother's life. But why did he sometimes have to coax him with sweet words, and guess his thoughts with just one sentence, making his hatred for him waver.
Zhou Beichen saw his shoulders shaking and knew that he was crying. Zhou Zhaonuan handed him a handkerchief, and the meaning in her eyes was self-evident.
This time, Zhou Beichen took the lead and pulled the man into his arms, wiping his tears like a loving father. It would have been fine if he hadn't wiped his tears, but once he did, Zhou Zeyu's tears burst out.
Zhou Beichen was helpless. He never knew that a boy could cry so much. Even his daughter had never cried like this.
He asked him why he was crying, but he just kept shaking his head and said nothing.
After finally waiting for the crying to stop, Zhou Beichen smiled gently at him, "Alright, you've cried and vented your anger. Now, can you tell me why you are so afraid of me?"
Zhou Zeyu opened his mouth and found that he didn't know where to start, or he didn't know how to say it.
Zhou Beichen sighed deeply and didn't intend to embarrass him. "Forget it, forget it. If you don't want to talk, then don't talk. I'll listen when you want to talk. The same goes for the rest of you."
Unconsciously, the iceberg in his heart melted a little bit, even Zhou Zeyu himself didn't notice it.
"Thank you, Father, for your grace."
Several little people said in unison, and Zhou Beichen pretended to be angry, "Didn't I tell you to call me daddy?"
The little guys were immediately worried, but before they could reply, a handsome head appeared at the carriage door.
"I pay my respects to the Emperor, to Princess Chang'an, and to the young masters."
At this moment, Zhou Beichen felt much more favorable towards Jiang Yanfeng. He thought that his daughter would be able to control the son-in-law he had cultivated since childhood.
"Since you're here, come up."
Jiang Yanfeng: “…”
I was secretly happy, thinking that the sun might be rising from the west today.
Jiang Yanfeng was so happy that he jumped into the carriage quickly. Zhou Beichen pointed to a seat not far from Zhou Zhaonuan and motioned him to sit over there. Jiang Yanfeng was even happier and his heart was almost boiling with excitement.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he sat down, he saw Zhou Zhaonuan staring at him with wide eyes, fiercely and angrily, as if she wanted to eat him.
Jiang Yanfeng opened his mouth and said in a very polite manner, "May I ask Your Highness, but I, the Grand Tutor, have offended Your Highness before, causing Her Highness to glare at me like this. If I have done anything wrong, please tell me clearly, Your Highness. I will humbly accept your advice and make amends."
Zhou Zhaonuan didn't want to pay any attention to him, and didn't know what was wrong with his father and why he wanted him to come.
Zhou Zhaonuan sneered at Jiang Yanfeng's words. She leaned closer to Zhou Beichen and gave Jiang Yanfeng a look of disdain.
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