The butterflies fluttering among the flowers added some color to this afternoon.
Hailanzhu gazed at the beautiful scenery before her, gradually becoming engrossed.
If it weren't for the sudden knock on the door, she might have been captivated by the scene before her for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Hailanzhu asked.
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhuang has arrived at the main hall." It was Qingluan's voice.
"Alright, I'll head over right away."
After saying that, Hailanzhu hurriedly straightened her skirt and quickly walked out of the room.
Inside the main hall, Da Yu'er stood in the center wearing a light blue cloak, holding the hand of a three-year-old girl who was pink, tender, and extremely cute.
"What wind blew you two, mother and daughter, here?" Hailanzhu asked with a smile.
"Atu, quickly pay your respects to your aunt," Dayuer instructed.
Atu obediently knelt down and said in a clear voice, "May Aunt be blessed with good health and happiness."
Hailanzhu bent down and picked her up, kissing her face repeatedly. Such an obedient child was simply irresistible.
"Is Atu still in pain?" Hailanzhu asked with concern.
"With my aunt's care, even if Atu is in pain, it doesn't hurt anymore," Atu replied in a soft, sweet voice.
Hailanzhu pinched her little nose, "Your sweet tongue must have been taught by your mother."
Atu shook his head, looking innocent and naive. "No, it's just that Atu likes Auntie and wants to be as beautiful as her in the future."
"Haha." Hailanzhu laughed loudly, "Since Atu likes his aunt, then his aunt will take you somewhere to play."
"Okay, Auntie, where are you planning to take Atu?" Atu asked, blinking his big eyes.
Hailanzhu looked at Dayuer mysteriously and smiled, "Of course, I'll take Atu to a very nice place. Yu'er, why don't you come with me!"
"Of course, otherwise what would I do if you kidnapped my child?" Da Yu'er replied playfully.
Hailanzhu smiled and said, "Let's go."
Hailanzhu took Atu's hand and walked towards the palace.
It was the same sea of flowers as before. Upon seeing it, Atu jumped up and down happily, "Wow, Auntie, there's this place too! It's so beautiful and smells so good. It's even prettier than the Imperial Garden!"
It would definitely be more beautiful than the Imperial Garden, containing many rare flowers that Huang Taiji had dug up from all over the country to please Hailanzhu.
"I'm glad Atu likes it." Hailanzhu replied with a smile.
Atu rolled his dark eyes and said, "Auntie, can Atu come to play here often in the future?"
"Of course, no problem. Atu can come anytime he has time."
"Yay!" Atu clapped his hands happily, and then saw a beautiful butterfly and excitedly chased after it.
Seeing Atu having so much fun, Dayu'er's lips curled up slightly.
“My sister really likes children,” she asked.
Hailanzhu nodded, "Who wouldn't like someone as cute as Atu?"
But Da Yu'er sighed, "If only she were a prince, then more people would like her."
Apart from Zhe Zhe, no one understands better than Dayuer the disdain she received when she gave birth to three daughters in a row.
"What's the rush? You're still young. You'll meet a prince sooner or later," Hailanzhu said confidently.
Da Yu'er gave a wry smile, "Sister, please don't try to comfort me."
Hailanzhu looked up at her and said, "Look at me. I've received the Emperor's favor, but I haven't even conceived a little princess. I'm even worse off than you."
"Sister..." Da Yu'er hesitated, thinking she was touching on Hailanzhu's painful past.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Hailanzhu waved her hand. "But don't worry, you will give birth to a prince."
Da Yu'er nodded and stopped talking about the previous topic.
"By the way, how did you know Su Mo'er would help me?" Da Yu'er changed the subject.
Of course, Hailanzhu couldn't reveal that she knew the history, so she could only lie and say, "Once when I passed by the gate of Yongfu Palace, I saw with my own eyes that she fought with a large group of people for your sake. Even though she knew she couldn't win, she still insisted on defending you."
Da Yu'er believed her without a doubt and asked repeatedly, "What is it for?"
"This..." Hailanzhu couldn't figure out the reason, so she made up a story: "It seems to be because you have fallen out of favor."
Upon hearing this, Da Yu'er sighed, "Silly girl."
Fearing that continuing the conversation would give her away, Hailanzhu quickly said, "Regardless of what happened before, as long as we know that Su Mo'er is loyal to you now, that's enough."
Da Yu'er nodded in agreement and said no more about the matter.
As time passed, the sun slowly set behind the western mountains, leaving a trail of crimson hues on the horizon, as magnificent and colorful as the evening glow.
"Atu, we're going back to the palace!" Dayuer waved and called softly.
"No, Atu hasn't caught the butterfly yet, and doesn't want to go back to the palace," Atu muttered, standing still.
"Yu'er, let her play a little longer." Hailanzhu couldn't wait for Atu to spend just one more second with her. She even fantasized that when she returned to modern times, she would have a little girl as cute and beautiful as Atu.
"No!" Da Yu'er refused sternly.
"Why?" Hailanzhu asked, puzzled.
Da Yu'er, holding Hai Lanzhu's hand, explained, "It's getting dark, and it's really not good to stay any longer."
Hailanzhu gave her a serious look. "You're afraid of seeing the Emperor, aren't you?"
Da Yu'er, having her thoughts exposed, could only nod.
"He's not a tiger, why be afraid of him? Besides, I'm here," Hailanzhu said with a smile.
Da Yu'er shook her head. "When I'm with him, I always feel very uncomfortable. I often want to escape from him. I feel an indescribable annoyance."
Upon hearing this, Hailanzhu felt a pang of heartache. If Dayuer had been born into an ordinary family, she would have been able to marry and have children with the person she loved. Why did she have to share a husband with her aunt and sister?
In fact, Hailanzhu was also annoyed, but what had already happened was irreversible, and she couldn't change it even if she wanted to.
Since that was the case, she couldn't persuade them to stay any longer, so she agreed to let Dayuer and her daughter leave.
"Atu, listen to me. Your father will be with your aunt later, so she can have a little brother in the future," Dayuer gently persuaded again.
“Alright!” Atu put down his play and obeyed Dayu’er.
Perhaps because she was running too fast, she tripped over a flowerpot and fell to the ground, injuring her knee and wincing in pain.
Hailanzhu and Dayuer rushed over and knelt down to check Atu's injuries. They saw that his knees were covered in blood, and both of them felt a pang of heartache.
Atu pretended to be strong, "It's nothing, Mother, Aunt, don't worry, it's just a scratch."
"How can I not worry?" Hailanzhu said reproachfully, then instructed Qingluan, "Quickly, summon the imperial physician."
Just as Qingluan was about to turn around, Dayuer stopped her, saying, "Wait."
"What is it?" Hailanzhu asked, frowning.
Da Yu'er explained, "It's just a minor injury; applying some medicine will suffice. There's no need to trouble the imperial physician."
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