Chapter 54 Chapter 54 I was hit by the little prince...
Li Shuyao, dressed like an exquisite little gift, walked slowly on the way to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Nanny Lin probably saw the resistance in her heart, so she smiled peacefully and said nothing. She just followed her silently, moving step by step.
However, not long after, the majestic and magnificent Palace of Heavenly Purity came into her sight.
Li Shuyao stood at the door of the East Warm Room, holding the door frame and thinking over and over again, but still didn't want to go in.
So he turned hesitantly and asked Nanny Lin, "Doesn't the Emperor need to meet with those adults today?"
Nanny Lin nodded and said, "Yes, that's why the emperor is still busy in the imperial study. He has ordered a few old servants to come and talk to you first." As she spoke, she pointed to a few young palace maids who were half-squatting and paying their respects to Li Shuyao in the warm room. They were all familiar faces. The last time Li Shuyao served him in the emperor's bedchamber, they were also the ones who followed her around and ran around.
Li Shuyao blinked at them, smiled, and gently gestured for them to stand up first and not to be polite.
The young palace maids readily followed suit.
Then, Nanny Lin behind him said, "If you want to take a walk around, we old servants can accompany you."
"Take a walk?" Li Shuyao tilted her head.
She was a little confused. Wasn't the Qianqing Palace affiliated with the previous dynasty? The people who came and went were princes of the royal family or some powerful ministers. What if she, a government official, walked around casually and bumped into them?
And this doesn't seem to be against palace rules.
Li Shuyao didn't want to be a "rash person" and shook her head to reject Nanny Lin's suggestion.
But she didn't want to lock herself up in the East Warm Pavilion so quickly, waiting for the Emperor to come and sleep with her. So, after thinking for a while, she remembered that she still owed His Royal Highness an audience, so she asked Nanny Lin, "Can I go and see, right? Can I ask to see His Royal Highness?"
Nanny Lin lowered her eyes and thought about it, and it was not impossible.
Turned around and went downstairs to make arrangements.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Shuyao was carefully welcomed into the Zhaoren Hall next to the Qianqing Palace.
The little prince was waiting for her inside.
The little three-headed baby, wearing a noble apricot-yellow robe, sat with a serious face on a tall rosewood round-back chair with animal patterns, and his two little feet dangling in the air were swinging around in boredom.
When he saw Li Shuyao being supported by someone and walked in, he immediately stopped his swinging little feet and raised his hands high on the handles on both sides. Although he tried hard to look majestic, his voice still sounded soft and sticky, like a small rice dumpling dipped in white sugar.
He asked Li Shuyao, "Why do you want to see me?"
Li Shuyao let go of Nanny Lin's hand and bowed to the little prince first.
——There was no way. Although she had been named an official girl, she was still half a palace maid after all. Because she did not have a proper position, when facing the crown prince of a country, she just changed the squat to a half squat.
The little prince quickly called her up, staring at her motionlessly with a pair of big black eyes like black grapes. His soft cheeks were a little puffy, and it was hard to tell whether he was angry or happy.
Li Shuyao silently clenched her fingers, wondering if the little brat was angry because she hadn't come to see him for so many days?
But last time he was...
Just as she was thinking about it, the little prince sitting in the chair asked the previous question again in a clear voice.
After asking, he tilted his round little head. His eyes were still dark, but the solemn expression on his face softened a little because of the tilting movement.
Li Shuyao: I understand. I’m imitating the emperor to act profound.
That means he's not unhappy and is still looking forward to her coming.
She curled the corners of her lips and boldly took a few steps forward, stopping only two steps away from the little prince. Then she slowly took out a small box from her sleeve, handed it to the little prince, and said to him, "I am here to play with His Royal Highness today."
"Play?" The kid seemed to be attracted by these two words.
The chubby little hands unconsciously grasped the handle of the chair tightly, and the dark, watery eyes looked at the small box in Li Shuyao's hand, "Then what's in it?"
Li Shuyao cleared her throat and said unnaturally, "It's a toy."
These were some small toys that she and Qingyao often played with after she traveled through time.
The little prince immediately leaned forward out of curiosity, then reached out to open the wooden box in Li Shuyao's hand. He saw a mess of things inside that he couldn't even understand. It was completely different from the toys that the Ministry of Internal Affairs usually sent him.
He let out a surprised "Huh?" and used his short, fat little finger to pick up a bunch of things that looked like tangled lint and asked Li Shuyao, "What is this?"
Li Shuyao glanced down and said, "It's a rope, used for croquet."
"What is cat's tangle?" the little prince asked tirelessly.
As he spoke, his body kept moving closer to Li Shuyao, and in the end only a small part of his butt remained on the chair, and he was about to roll off.
Li Shuyao quickly stepped forward to help, and a soft and sweet little baby fell into her arms.
Li Shuyao felt like she was hugging a small piece of milk cake.
"Little Milk Cake" was very well-behaved. He didn't struggle when he fell into her arms. Instead, he unconsciously snuggled into her arms again. His eyes and mind were all on the small box in her hand. He fiddled with it for a long time with his fingers, and after pulling out a piece of black bamboo charcoal, he raised his little head and asked Li Shuyao in a milky voice, "What is this?"
Li Shuyao took a look and answered absentmindedly, "It's just a normal charcoal stick, used for writing and drawing on the ground."
"Why do you want to write and draw on the ground?"
Li Shuyao: "You can draw beautiful flowers and plants, or you can draw houses."
"Drawing a house?"
"It's a small house with grids. You can use it to jump. You jump one grid at a time. You can only jump with one leg, not two legs. Using two legs is against the rules." Li Shuyao explained the rules of hopscotch in a low voice.
Listening to this, the little prince's eyes sparkled as if they were filled with stars.
He twisted in Li Shuyao's arms, his expression full of anticipation. He pulled Li Shuyao's collar and asked her, "Can you play with me for a bit?"
I didn't notice that I had unknowingly changed the word "孤" to "我".
He was curious about what a cat's-neck jump was, and how to jump in the little house. He was also curious about jumping on one leg. Wouldn't he fall if he jumped on one leg? He remembered that the last time he learned to do the Golden Rooster Stand with his older brother, he fell several times in a row and was laughed at by his older brother.
...But the eldest brother is very amazing. He can stand on one leg for a long time, and he can also use his hand to support himself to cross the other leg and play with the little eunuch below by bumping into each other.
The eldest brother is tall and big, with a lot of flesh on his body, and he can knock down several young eunuchs at once.
The eldest brother is very powerful, and he also wants to be as powerful as him.
The three-year-old prince did not understand what flattery and fawning meant. He just saw that others could not beat his brother, so he thought that his brother was the most powerful person in the entire Forbidden City except for Khan Ama.
Now this little palace maid is also like this.
Although she can't bump into people with one foot, she can play hopscotch.
The house is so high, and she can still jump over it on one leg...
The young prince thought about it and felt that he also wanted to learn.
Not only do I want to learn hopscotch, I also want to learn cat's tuck. These are much more interesting than reading books and practicing calligraphy.
Li Shuyao didn't know what the little prince was thinking. When she saw that his serious face finally softened and he became as lively as an ordinary three-year-old child, the awkward feeling in her heart finally disappeared completely.
She nodded hurriedly, raised her bright and pretty face, and smiled sweetly, "Okay, okay, I have nothing else to do, so I came here specifically to accompany His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to kill time."
She didn't notice that behind her, Nanny Lin and Nanny Ling looked at each other at the same time, and then sighed in their hearts at the same time.
...I don’t know whether it is right or wrong to ask Li Shuyao to come and accompany His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
This is probably because although the little prince is only three years old, he is already very sensible, as if he has put many layers of shackles on himself. He gets up on time every day, eats in moderation, and after breakfast he walks back and forth in the courtyard for a few laps to digest the food. Then he goes into the small study without looking back, and either reads or practices calligraphy.
At noon, without Nanny Ling's urging, he would jump down from the chair in the small study, put his hands behind his back, and return to the bedroom with a small bun on his back. After resting for half an hour, he would get up again to continue reading.
This continued until dinner time. After dinner, he would take the palace servants to the Cining Palace to pay his respects to the two old ancestors. After paying his respects, he would stroll to the door of the imperial study and ask Liang Jiugong, "Is Khan Ama busy today?"
Are you free to see him?
If he had time, he would walk in with his short legs to greet his Khan and Ama and chat for a quarter of an hour.
If he was busy, he would go straight back to Zhaoren Hall and continue to immerse himself in the small study, reading and writing.
Nanny Ling felt sorry for him because of how hard he worked, so she asked him about it in private.
What the little prince said at that time was that someone told him that his Empress Dowager was watching him in heaven and was hoping that he would become the best crown prince in the world so that he could share his Khan Father's worries and troubles when he grew up.
After the little prince finished speaking, he clenched his fists and said to Matron Ling in a baby voice that he didn't want to disappoint the Empress Dowager, so he had to study even harder.
Hearing this, Nanny Ling felt very distressed.
He immediately sent the news to the Qianqing Palace. Within a day, the two young eunuchs disappeared silently from the Zhaoren Hall.
——It is said that they had already been bribed by the Hesheli family outside the palace.
Nanny Ling didn't know what else the two little eunuchs said to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince besides these words. She only knew that after that day, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince lost his former liveliness and playfulness. He became serious and reserved in public, and only when he was privately with people he trusted would he reveal some of the childishness and vitality that only belonged to a three-year-old child.
Just like now.
Nanny Ling stared at the three-headed little baby in Li Shuyao's arms, who was becoming unusually excited.
She moved her lips again and again, but finally, not knowing what to say, she could only sigh and close her mouth. She took Nanny Lin's hand and walked out of the house together, and asked her cautiously, "Who is this Miss Li?"
Nanny Lin was obviously in a heavy mood as well.
She was worried that if Li Shuyao led the Crown Prince astray...how would she explain to the Emperor?
For a moment, he did not notice Ling Ma's question, until she asked it for the second time, then he lowered his voice and told her everything Li Shuyao had done after entering the Qianqing Palace.
Nanny Ling's expression gradually became clear. "Listen, he is a person with a pure mind."
Nanny Lin sighed helplessly, "But it's just too pure."
"Purity isn't good, is it?" Madam Ling was a little surprised. "It's better than someone with deep thoughts and dirty tricks, right?"
Nanny Lin thought about what she said and it was true, but she still had some concerns in her heart. Considering Li Shuyao's face, she did not point it out in front of Nanny Ling. She just pretended to be calm and said to her, "Take another look, take another look, and you will understand."
This aroused Ling Ma's curiosity.
The two of them stood guard at the door and looked into the hall together quietly.
…
Li Shuyao still didn't know what the two maids said behind her back.
When she saw that the palace maids in Zhaoren Hall were taken out by two maids, she knew that they agreed with her playing with the little prince.
At least, there is no objection now.
As a result, I felt less fearful and reserved, and gradually became bolder.
The little prince took her directly to a small room filled with toys.
A thick cashmere carpet was laid on the middle floor of the room, and the corners of the surrounding furniture were carefully wrapped with cotton cloth.
Toys were scattered everywhere, including nine-linked rings, Luban locks, spinning tops, diabolos, tangrams, and mohele... [1]
There was everything, even toys from the West that filled up two large boxes.
Li Shuyao quickly hid her small box behind her back.
Her cheeks, as delicate as flowers, were still a little hot, and she wondered how she could have the nerve to show off this little box everywhere...
The little prince has many more toys than she does. There are many toys in this room that she has never even seen before, let alone know how to play with them.
So rather than saying that she came to play with the little prince, it would be more accurate to say that she came to get the toys.
But... she didn't mean that originally.
Li Shuyao was feeling embarrassed when she saw the little prince walking with his short legs to a low shelf in the corner. He washed his hands with clean water first, then turned around and fiddled with the buttons of his clothes with his little fingers. No one knew what he was doing.
Li Shuyao asked curiously, "Your Highness the Crown Prince?"
The little prince stopped what he was doing and looked at her with his dark eyes.
After thinking for a moment, he ran over again, hugged her thighs, looked up at her with his round head, and said in a baby voice: "I can't unbutton my clothes, so you should help me take off my clothes."
Li Shuyao was so frightened that she almost threw the box in her hand away. Her face was pale, her eyes were dull, and she stammered, "Take off, take off your clothes?"
The little prince said "hmm" and nodded, loosening his grip on Li Shuyao's legs slightly. He turned his head and pointed to a rack not far away, and took the initiative to explain to Li Shuyao: "I need to change clothes."
Change clothes?
Li Shuyao opened her eyes and looked at the small dress on the rack for a few seconds. Then she lowered her head and asked the little boy with sparkling eyes lying on her legs in a low voice, "Then, does this servant also need to change clothes?"
She was a little nervous. After all, the marks on her body hadn't completely faded yet. If the little kid saw her while she was playing...
That's so embarrassing.
She won't have to live in the Palace of Heavenly Purity anymore.
Just go live on another planet.
When the little prince heard her words, he turned his head to look at the small dress, stepped back two steps, and then raised his two chubby little hands, gestured to Li Shuyao, shook his head and said, "No, you can't change it, you are too big."
He stretched out two fingers and pinched them together. "That dress is too small. You'll wear it out if you wear it. It's better for me to wear it."
After a pause, he continued, "Besides, you are an adult. Adults know when to play with toys and won't get their clothes dirty. That's what Khan Ama did. But I'm a child. Children can't control their strength, so I always get dirty when playing."
"Just like big brother."
Big brother?
Li Shuyao was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that the "big brother" he was referring to was the eldest prince, the Prince of Zhi in history, and the child of Concubine Nala in the current Yanx Palace.
She was lost in thought when she felt someone touch her fingers carefully.
Li Shuyao lowered her head and saw that the little boy had come over again at some point and stretched out a short, fat little hand, as if he wanted to hold her hand, but he was a little shy, so the hand hovered in the air, and only a small part of his fingertips touched Li Shuyao's fingers.
...It looks like a tsundere little kitten trying to get close to humans.
It can easily make people's hearts soften into a puddle of water.
Li Shuyao squatted down and bravely took the finger that the little prince extended to her in her palm. She felt that the finger was soft and boneless, as if she was pinching a ball of milky jelly.
...Are all children's fingers like this?
Isn’t it too cute?
Li Shuyao couldn't let go and pinched it several times, feeling a little regretful in her heart. If she had known that human cubs were so soft and cute, she should not have refused her cousin's request to be "Dehua".
I wonder if the one-year-old kid from her cousin's family is half as cute as the little prince?
The little prince was caught off guard when someone held his fingers. First, his two thick eyelashes trembled quickly, and then his soft face, like a steamed bun, gradually turned red.
He lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.
Li Shuyao was completely unaware of this. She took the little prince's hand and led him to the rack in the corner of the room. She first stood up and took down the small robe hanging on it, then squatted down again. With a few nimble moves of her fingers, she unbuttoned several buttons on the little prince's collar.
The little prince endured the burning sensation on his cheeks and cooperated very well with Li Shuyao as she stripped off his outer robe and changed him into the one on the rack.
"Okay, let's play!"
Li Shuyao changed the clothes for the little prince and felt that being "Dehua" was not a difficult thing.
A hint of pride flashed across her sparkling apricot-colored eyes, and then she followed suit, slipping her hands under the little prince's arms and carrying him to the cashmere carpet. She then bent down to remove his shoes, then gathered a bunch of toys and spread them around the little prince, excitedly asking him, "Which one would you like to play with first, Your Highness?"
The little prince thought for a moment, pointed at the small box that Li Shuyao had thrown in the corner, and said in a baby voice, "I want to play cat's tuck!"
Li Shuyao was silent: "..."
I want to ask you what fun toys you have, why do you have to play cat's tuck?
She and Qingyao were tired of playing... What should they do if they didn't want to play anymore?
But looking at the little prince's big black eyes that were shining with stars, Li Shuyao found that she couldn't say a word of objection.
I could only sigh silently in my heart, turn around and walk over to pick up the small box, open it, and pour the few simple-looking toys inside onto the carpet.
The slender white fingers like scallions picked up the tangled mess, and without knowing how, they straightened it out in a few seconds, then wrapped it around both palms, and picked it up again with the middle finger, forming the classic opening style of a flower rope.
The little prince came closer, his round head looking back and forth at the two forks in her hand, then looked at her eagerly: "How do you turn it?"
Li Shuyao thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, please extend your hands..."
The little prince stretched out his ten short, chubby little fingers before she could finish.
Li Shuyao directly put the flower rope on his fingers, then pinched the two forks on the left and right with both hands, and picked them down again. The pattern changed into another shape in her hands.
The little prince's eyes suddenly lit up again, and he vaguely felt as if he understood something.
Without waiting for Li Shuyao to explain, he said hurriedly, "According to the patterns and directions between the lines, you can create different patterns like playing with a thread. Keep turning until the second person can't find a solution. Then I win, right?"
Li Shuyao thought about it seriously. Is there a winner and a loser in cat's tangle?
It seemed like she and Qingyao were just playing casually, and sometimes they would repeat the same tricks while playing, so they could play tirelessly and not get tired even after playing for a whole afternoon.
Thanks to Qingyao, she now knows more than ten or twenty ways to solve the problem.
Li Shuyao pursed her lips, looking hesitant and silent.
Because she really didn't know.
She has never "lost", so how could she know?
Seeing that she didn't answer, the little prince leaned closer with his chubby little body, almost touching her. Then he reached out and tugged at her sleeve, shaking it a few times, and asked her with an expectant expression, "Is that so?"
Li Shuyao simply closed her eyes and nodded, "Yes, that's how His Royal Highness the Crown Prince understands it."
She was confident that she could not lose to a three-year-old kid in the cat's tuck.
On the contrary, she was even worried. The little prince was only three years old. Even if he was precocious, it was impossible for him to know how to play cat's tangle.
She was also afraid that he wouldn't understand the pattern of the flower rope. What if his little fingers got all tangled up and tied her rope into a knot?
Li Shuyao thought about it, lowered her eyes, and looked at the rope on her fingers.
...Forget it, this rope is just a small piece cut out from Lingluo's embroidery frame. Such ropes can be found everywhere in the palace. It is not very precious. If it is tied into a knot, the worst that can happen is that it will be thrown away.
Just go back to Lingluo and ask for a new one.
Thinking about it, she pushed the flower rope in her hand directly towards the little prince and said, "Come on, the next trick is actually very simple. Your Highness, you only need to..."
She was still chattering, trying to instruct the little prince on how to play, but the little prince just looked at her with a serious face for a while, then stretched out his hand very confidently, hooked his left hand, picked up his right hand, circled here, turned there, using all ten fingers.
Finally, pulling it to both sides, a pattern appeared that looked very complicated but had clear lines.
He waved towards Li Shuyao and said, "Here, it's your turn."
Li Shuyao: "..."
Her eyes were glazed over.
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