The little boy instinctively lunged at the little boy in front of him.
However, before he could get close, the little boy dodged to the side.
He hid behind the eunuch who served him personally.
With a stern little face, she glared at the little bean sprout.
"Who are you? I don't know you. How dare you, a mere brat, call me by my name?"
At this moment, the middle-aged beauty who had been watching from the pavilion on the side also walked towards this place with the help of palace maids.
"Little one, whose child are you? Where are your parents? Didn't they teach you the rules of the palace?"
Do you understand that you must not address the Crown Prince by his given name? You will be punished.
The beautiful woman was around forty years old, with appropriate and elegant makeup, making her look even more graceful and noble.
He looks like someone of high status.
However, his tone was quite gentle, and when speaking to the little one, he offered more guidance than reprimand.
Of course, it could also be because the little boy has grown up to look like a porcelain doll and is so adorable that it would be difficult for most people to feel any dislike for him.
Seeing her gentle expression, the little boy also felt a sense of closeness to her.
Last time, he tugged at her sleeve and asked with a puzzled look.
"Pretty auntie, aren't names meant to be called? Why can't I call you that?"
He was genuinely puzzled, after all, Lin Jiujiu hadn't taught him any of this.
Moreover, in Lin Jiujiu's opinion, he didn't need to learn these things.
After all, she had long ago decided to take the little boy to the cultivation world, where the strong are respected and as long as you are strong enough, no matter how young you are, others will only be wary of you.
No one's name can be called out.
The beautiful woman beamed with joy when she heard the adorable little boy call her "pretty auntie."
He then took the little one's hand and said.
“Little one, you can’t call me Auntie anymore. I’m the Crown Prince’s grandmother. You should call me Grandma.”
The little bean sprouted a sweet cry.
"Hello, Mother-in-law."
Then she muttered to herself, "Where can you find a mother-in-law this young?"
This seemed like a soliloquy, but the sound was just loud enough for those around to hear, which made the Imperial Noble Consort even happier.
She was the mother of the third prince and a childhood sweetheart of the Chu Emperor. However, she came from a slightly lower social class and was not chosen when the Chu Emperor was selecting an empress. Instead, she entered the palace as a concubine.
The Chu Emperor treated her well out of consideration for their childhood friendship. They were together for thirty years, and although she was not the empress, her favor continued.
Even now that her grandson is all grown up, the Chu Emperor still often visits her palace.
Recently, however, she has become increasingly reluctant to see the Chu Emperor, and even when he visits, she always makes excuses to avoid him.
It was not for any other reason than that the Chu Emperor was getting younger and younger, while her own beauty had faded, and the two of them sitting together looked like people from two different lifetimes.
Now, being praised for looking young by such a little guy has relieved a lot of the frustration I've been holding in these past few days, and I feel a bit more pity for this little kid in front of me, whose family I don't even know.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince, who was provoked by the two's affectionate conversation, looked at the little boy with a less than friendly gaze.
You know, in the past, the Empress Dowager doted on him the most, but now she hasn't even glanced at him for a while.
Tantai Haoze couldn't bear the contrast, so he crawled out from behind the little eunuch and shoved the little boy.
The little guy stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
They even spread their wings like a young eagle and stood in front of the Imperial Noble Consort.
He pointed to the little boy who had been pushed away without warning.
"Where did this wild brat come from, daring to compete with me for the Empress Dowager's favor?"
Then he turned to the attendant beside him and said.
"Guards, drag him away and beat him to death with clubs!"
The Imperial Noble Consort was also surprised by the Crown Prince's sudden action.
She originally wanted to apologize on behalf of her grandson, after all, a child who could be allowed to play in the Imperial Garden by His Majesty would not have a simple background.
And since the child was a complete stranger, she already had a hunch in her mind.
However, before she could say anything, the Crown Prince's words took her by surprise.
This child has always been obedient and gentle, when did he become so violent?
Just as the Imperial Noble Consort was caught off guard, two eunuchs from the Crown Prince's side rolled up their sleeves and were about to step forward to arrest her.
He looked exactly like someone who was used to doing this kind of thing.
The Imperial Noble Consort could hardly believe that the child before her, with his狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) expression, was still her gentle and polite Crown Prince.
This was the first time Little Bean had encountered such a situation. He was so frightened by the two menacing-looking people that he stood frozen in place, completely forgetting that he was a cultivator.
Just as the two men reached out to grab someone, the Imperial Noble Consort realized what was happening and shouted to stop them.
"Stop them."
Then he looked at the two eunuchs, his handsome eyebrows furrowed together.
"Who gave you the audacity to harass the distinguished guests of the palace? The young master is ignorant, and instead of admonishing him, you dare to aid and abet the evildoer."
"Guards, drag him away and send him to the Education Department to relearn the rules. Once he's learned them, we'll assign him a job."
Actually, she wanted to scold her grandson a bit, but in front of everyone, the Crown Prince was also a candidate for the throne besides the Crown Prince.
Even if she were to be disciplined, it should be done here; she could only let it go for now by saying she was too young and didn't know any better.
However, I'll have to talk to His Majesty about this later.
For some reason, His Majesty has been summoning Haoze much less often lately.
Perhaps that's why the child felt uneasy and became so nervous when others approached him.
The Imperial Noble Consort seemed to have found a reasonable explanation for herself.
He patiently spoke to the Crown Prince.
"Hao'er, this younger brother is a guest, visiting the palace. As the host, you just frightened him."
Let's apologize to our brother and ask for his forgiveness, okay?
She was trying to give the Crown Prince a way out.
If the child's identity is truly as she suspects, offending him is clearly not a wise move.
The Imperial Noble Consort had good intentions, but the Crown Prince clearly did not understand them.
Instead of apologizing, he arrogantly raised his head and said...
“A lowly servant like him is not worthy of being a disciple of this palace. Even if he were to kneel down and lick my shoes, I would still find him disgusting.”
The Imperial Noble Consort meant well, but she was genuinely angry when she heard his words.
I have no idea who this child learned these foul words from. If she finds out, she will definitely not let her off easily.
Just as the Imperial Noble Consort was worrying about Tantai Haoze's education, the little boy, who had been left out and finally came to his senses, suddenly pointed at the Crown Prince and said.
"You are not my Haoze. Brother Haoze would never treat me like this."
The Imperial Noble Consort was even more confused after the little guy said that.
She had just found it strange that her own grandson was acting as if he didn't recognize the child.
However, he called him "Brother Haoze" quite familiarly, which was obviously wrong.
She just couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong.
We can't let such a young child learn to lie.
But she was even less willing to admit that her grandson had lied.
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