"What's the problem? As long as he's a good person, that's all that matters."
Song Xibai was still puzzled.
Yuan Shen sighed and repeated, "He's over twenty."
Song Xibai blinked, not understanding: "It's normal to be a few years older! You're six years older than me!"
Yuan Shen was taken aback and speechlessly rubbed his forehead.
"Qingqing, use your brain and think about it. He's over twenty years old, a palace guard. He may not be rich and powerful, but he has a promising future. How could he not be married yet?"
Song Xibai opened her mouth.
She really hadn't thought of that!
The main reason is that she's only in her early twenties, and she subconsciously still thinks of her as a young man!
"He's already married?" Song Xibai finally managed to utter a sentence after a long pause.
“Not only are they married, but their child is already three years old,” Yuan Shen added.
Song Xibai covered her head.
"This is really worrying... Do you think Princess Fanghua knows about this?"
A glint flashed in Yuan Shen's eyes.
"Hmph! Do you think she knows or not? If she doesn't know, why is she hesitating and refusing to tell the truth? And why is she keeping it from her mother?"
Song Xibai sighed.
"That's right. I was wondering why she looked so conflicted and worried earlier. It seemed a bit strange, but I didn't think much of it and just assumed she was a shy young girl."
Yuan Shen's face darkened, and he picked up his chopsticks again.
"Don't worry about this. It's an arranged marriage by her parents and matchmaker. Consort Shen has already arranged a marriage for her. If you change your mind without knowing the details, she won't dare to object, but she'll inevitably resent you. What if she harms you in the future? You're so young, yet you're so cunning, selfish, and disregard others!"
These were harsh words, and Yuan Shen was clearly angry.
Song Xibai comforted him, "Forget it, she's your sister after all, don't take it to heart. I'll go talk to Consort Shen and let her handle it! Try this turtle soup, I've been simmering it for a long time!"
As they spoke, Song Xibai ladled a bowl of soup for Yuan Shen and smiled as she brought it to his lips.
Yuan Shen drank a little less than half a bowl, and his anger was no longer aroused.
"You drink too."
He insisted on feeding her.
Song Xibai couldn't refuse, so the two of them took turns drinking the whole bowl of soup.
Seeing how much the master liked the soup, the people in the small kitchen stewed it every day for the next few days.
Even the smallest things in the palace can be blown out of proportion.
This news reached outside the palace, and soon it sparked a craze for drinking turtle soup in the capital. Later, it was even widely believed that this food could enhance male virility, leading to many jokes.
Of course, this all happened several months later, and Song Xibai and Yuan Shen were still completely unaware of it.
After finishing their dinner, the two went to the west side room to play with the two children for a while.
Yuan Shen persevered in teaching the two children to call each other "father" and "mother," only to be ridiculed by Song Xibai.
A four-month-old baby is too early to start talking!
Yuan Shen wasn't annoyed and continued teaching with great enthusiasm.
“Zhao Yan, say to me: Father, Father, Father.”
Zhao Yan sucked on his thumb, ignoring him completely.
Yuan Shen taught for a long time without getting a response, so he changed his target.
"Zhaojing, my dear daughter, look at me, look at me..."
Zhao Jing, being restless, turned her head to look at him.
Yuan Shen smiled and pointed to himself: "Zhao Jing said, Father."
Zhao Jing blinked her big eyes, seemingly somewhat puzzled.
"Zhaojing, Father, Father."
Yuan Shen repeated it twice more.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Zhao Jing grinned and uttered the first perfectly clear sound.
"Why!"
"puff!"
Song Xibai couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yuan Shen and Zhao Jing stared at each other for a moment, then he couldn't help but laugh.
Song Xibai laughed so hard she covered her stomach.
"The only ones who would dare to take advantage of you are your own children. Oh my... I'm dying of laughter..."
Yuan Shen chuckled and picked Zhao Jing up.
"No matter what, Zhao Jing has spoken up. This child is truly intelligent; he is indeed my offspring."
As he spoke, he kissed Zhaojing's baby hair, looking quite pleased with himself.
Song Xibai suppressed a laugh, thinking to herself: Men! They can take all the good things for themselves.
When Zhao Yan saw her sister being picked up, she became unhappy. She tried to turn herself over, then used her hands and feet to wiggle around on the bed, spinning herself around and grabbing the hem of Yuan Shen's robe.
Zhaojing turned her head to look at her younger brother, making "ee-ee-ya-ya" sounds.
Unfortunately, Zhao Yan is still too young to crawl. He grabbed the hem of her clothes and tugged at it for a long time before finally having to let go.
The atmosphere inside was relaxed and cozy.
Qiao, the wet nurse, stood at a distance like the other palace maids, watching Wen Niang and Jin, who were serving her closely, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.
The next day, Song Xibai had someone invite Consort Shen over, dismissed the servants, and told her that the eldest princess had come to see her.
Consort Shen was stunned and remained in shock for a long time.
She couldn't believe that her daughter, whom she had always thought was well-behaved and sensible, would be like this!
Consort Shen, her face ashen, forced herself to bid farewell and left Changqing Palace with her personal maid.
She did not return to Cining Palace immediately, but went to Qifeng Pavilion in the north.
Qifeng Pavilion is located on the east side of the Imperial Garden. Separated by two pavilions, there are five rooms and three courtyards in a row. The westernmost one is called Qifeng Pavilion.
These five rooms on the east side, and the five rooms on the west side of the Imperial Garden, were the residences of the princes, where they lived until they got married and left the palace to establish their own residences.
However, after Yuan Shen ascended the throne, he only had one unmarried younger brother, the King of Han, who was not yet married. It was not appropriate for him to live in the inner palace, so he moved to the back of the Queen Dowager's Renshou Palace.
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