Xiao Yu was stunned: "Dad! I am your biological son!"
"You?" The emperor looked him up and down, his face full of disdain. "Besides competing with me for the national treasury, what else can you do? Look at your son, he can make imperial seals and paint, he's much better than you!"
Shen Weiwan chuckled beside him: "Your Majesty is wise! Why don't you write an edict now and pass the throne to Kengkeng?"
"That's a good idea!" The emperor slapped his thigh. "Come, get some writing brush and ink!"
Xiao Yu was so anxious that he jumped up and down: "Dad! Don't be fooled by appearances! He even threw sand in my tea yesterday!"
"That's called creativity!" the emperor wrote, "Unlike you, who always has a stern face. You're not cute at all!"
Henkeng held up the jade pendant and proudly shook it at Xiao Yu: "Dad! You have to listen to me from now on!"
Xiao Yu picked up his son helplessly and scratched his little nose: "Okay, little ancestor, I will listen to you from now on." Turning to complain to Shen Weiwan, "Look at the good son you taught, now even the emperor dares to cheat!"
Shen Weiwan raised her eyebrows: "This is called the disciple surpassing the master! My son will definitely be better at cheating people than us in the future!"
As the sun set, the emperor insisted that Kengkeng stay and make a complete set of "imperial seals" out of mud. He had a blast crafting seals like the Empress's Treasure, the Imperial Study Seal, and the Imperial Observatory's Seal. Before leaving, the old emperor even gave Kengkeng some of his treasured imperial ink to use as paint.
On the carriage back to the palace, Xiao Yu looked at the mud lump and imperial ink in his son's arms and couldn't help but sigh: "I finally understand. In my father's eyes, I'm not even as good as a piece of mud."
Shen Weiwan leaned on his shoulder and chuckled: "Are you jealous? Who made our son so beloved!" Then she took out an oil-paper bag from her sleeve, "But I left some compensation for you."
Xiao Yu opened it and saw it was a piece of chili candy. He was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "So in your eyes, I'm only worth a piece of chili candy?"
"Of course not!" Shen Weiwan blinked, "This is what Keng Keng specifically asked me to leave for you, saying he was afraid you would be too pitiful."
Kengkeng nodded vigorously beside him: "Dad, eat candy! It's sweet!"
Xiao Yu looked into his son's sparkling eyes, peeled off the candy wrapper, and put it in his mouth. The spiciness exploded on his tongue, but he smiled and hugged his wife and son: "Good, sweet, really sweet."
A horse-drawn carriage rumbled down Zhuque Street, stirring up a trail of golden fallen leaves. In the distant palace, the emperor carefully placed the clay jade seal into a sandalwood box and instructed the eunuchs, "Go, find the best craftsman, and have a genuine jade seal made exactly like the original! Not even a missing corner will do!"
The eunuch looked at the crooked mud pimple in the box, his face flushed with laughter. "Your Majesty, this..."
"This is called art!" the emperor glared. "Make it exactly as it is, even the dogtail grass and dragon horns must be exactly the same!"
As the moonlight gradually rose, lanterns in the Prince's mansion lit up one after another. Shen Weiwan looked out into the courtyard, where Keng Keng was solemnly teaching Xiao Yu how to form the Imperial Seal. The shadows of the father and son, one large and one small, were stretched long, swaying across the ground. She recalled the despair of her past life in the snow, then looked at the warmth before her, and her eyes couldn't help but warm slightly.
The night breeze blew, carrying the distant sound of drums. The joyful laughter that filled the courtyard dispelled all the gloom. Xiao Yu looked at his son's earnest face and suddenly felt that being "tricked" by this mother and son for a lifetime wasn't actually a kind of happiness. After all, days like these, filled with surprises and warmth, were the most precious treasures.
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