The golden tiles of the Forbidden City shone blindingly in the autumn sun, and the bronze cranes in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony scorched from the sun. Keng Keng, wearing a small court robe embroidered with golden pythons and clutching a toy axe, gazed up at the shimmering glazed tiles on the hall's ceiling, his chubby face brimming with excitement.
"Mother!" He pulled Shen Weiwan's skirt and pointed his little hand at the top of the hall, "Wawa, Jinjin! Demolish!"
Shen Weiwan looked in the direction he pointed and was almost blinded. That was the golden roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, paved with nine-colored glazed tiles, glowing with a colorful halo in the sun. "My little ancestor," she quickly picked up Kengkeng, "that's the imperial palace, it can't be demolished!"
But Kengkeng was not happy. He kicked his chubby legs and pointed at the golden tiles and shouted, "I want it! Kengkeng wants the golden tiles!"
As he spoke, the Queen Mother's voice came from behind him: "Who said it can't be demolished?" She walked over, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, supported by a palace maid, the pearl phoenix crown on her head swaying gently with her steps. "If you want to demolish it, then demolish it. I'll have someone bring you a ladder!"
Shen Weiwan covered her face: "Mother! Those are the golden tiles of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the emperor holds court!"
The Queen Mother waved her hands, her hair adorned with jewels and jadeite, "It's just a few tiles, isn't it? I'll build him a toy palace with real gold tiles. They'll be worth much more than these broken glazed tiles!" She turned to the eunuch in charge and said, "Little Li, go get a ladder from the storeroom. Be careful when dismantling this, and don't hurt the emperor's grandson!"
Little Li was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he said tremblingly: "Empress Dowager, this... this is the inheritance left by our ancestors!"
"What happened to our ancestors' legacy?" The Queen Mother glared at him. "Is it important for my grandson to be happy? Go!"
Shen Weiwan looked at the Queen Mother's serious expression, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She knew that the Queen Mother doted on her grandson, but she didn't expect that she doted on him to the point of demolishing the palace. "Mom, you can't do this! If the Emperor knew about this, he would definitely peel off my skin!"
"What are you afraid of?" The Queen Mother patted Shen Weiwan's hand, "With Aijia here, he wouldn't dare to do anything to you. Besides, Kengkeng is so cute, who would be willing to blame him?"
As he was speaking, Xiao Yu hurried over. Seeing that the Queen Mother had actually ordered someone to bring a ladder, he was so frightened that he almost fainted: "Mother! What are you doing? You dare to remove the golden tiles of the Hall of Supreme Harmony?"
The Queen Mother snorted, "I am happy with it! If the pit wants to play, I will tear it apart for him!"
Xiao Yu looked at Shen Weiwan, his eyes full of helplessness. Shen Weiwan shrugged, with an expression of "I can't help it".
Seeing that there was support, Kengkeng became even more proud and waved his axe and shouted, "Tear it down! Tear it down!"
Little Li, with a sad face, brought a few eunuchs to bring a ladder, and carefully leaned it against the wall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Kengkeng was about to climb up excitedly, but was grabbed by Shen Weiwan: "Little ancestor, do you want to fall to your death?"
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Let him go! I'll have someone protect him!" She gestured to the guards beside her, "You guys, follow him and protect the young prince!"
The guards looked at each other in bewilderment, but they dared not disobey the Queen Mother's order, so they had to carefully help Kenkeng climb the ladder. Kenkeng stood on the ladder, hammering at the golden tiles with a small axe, shouting: "Tear it down! Tear it down!"
Shen Weiwan and Xiao Yu stood below, feeling apprehensive. Xiao Yu couldn't help but say, "Mom, the national treasury is almost being emptied by your grandson, and you're still pampering him like this!"
The Queen Mother rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're the only one who's stingy with money! I have plenty of private money, enough to buy gold for the pit!"
As he was speaking, the small axe in Kenkeng's hand accidentally slipped and hit the golden tiles with a "clang". Although it did not break them, it left a white mark.
"Oh!" the Queen Mother said distressedly, "Hit slowly, don't damage my golden tiles!"
Shen Weiwan was completely speechless. Who was tearing whom apart?
At this moment, the emperor rushed over after hearing the news. Seeing the scene in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he was so angry that he blew his beard and glared: "What are you doing?!"
The Queen Mother stepped forward and stood in front of Kengkeng: "Your Majesty, Kengkeng wanted to play. I asked him to just remove a few tiles. It's no big deal!"
The emperor looked at the holes in the ladder, then at the empress dowager, and said helplessly, "Mother, this is the Hall of Supreme Harmony! It's the symbol of the country!"
"What's the use of symbols?" the Queen Mother snorted. "In my eyes, the pit is the greatest symbol!"
Shen Weiwan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Father, don't be angry, Pitfall is just joking, we will take him back now."
She then ordered the guards to carry Kenkeng down. Kenkeng was not happy and cried, "I want the golden tiles! I want them to be taken down!"
The Queen Mother said distressedly, "Don't cry, don't cry. I'll have someone make you a bigger golden tile that will shine even brighter than this one!"
The emperor watched this scene with a terrible headache. He knew the queen mother doted on her grandson, but he had never imagined she would dote on him to this extent. "Mother, if you continue like this, the national treasury will be completely drained!"
The Queen Mother waved her hand: "I know, I know, you're the only one nagging!"
Xiao Yu smiled bitterly. He knew that in the eyes of the Queen Mother, her grandson was more important than anything else.
Back at the Prince's Mansion, Shen Weiwan looked at Kengkeng still clamoring for the golden tiles, and said helplessly: "How come you, kid, are interested in the golden tiles of the palace?"
Kengkeng pouted and said, "Because grandma said the golden tiles are beautiful, she made them into toys for me."
Shen Weiwan sighed. It seemed that the Queen Mother's doting was really limitless. She turned to Xiao Yu and said, "Look at your mother. What has she done to the child?"
Xiao Yu shrugged: "After all, he is the Queen Mother's favorite. Besides, don't you spoil him?"
Shen Weiwan glared at him: "I am educating you, which is different from your mother's doting!"
As she was speaking, Chuntao came in and reported: "Miss, the Queen Mother sent someone to deliver something, saying it's a toy for the young master."
Shen Weiwan and Xiao Yu looked at each other, walked out and saw a huge wooden box in the yard. When they opened it, they saw that it was full of golden tiles. Although it was smaller than the ones in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, it looked like it was made of real gold.
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