163. It would be such a pity not to grab it.
Xie Wenling was taken aback: "What's wrong?"
The second brother also came over and asked curiously, "Little sister, what happened to you yesterday?"
The little dumpling said guiltily, "At yesterday's banquet, Prince Bai was bullied and looked so sad. The Grand Tutor wanted to go and comfort him, but Yue'er stopped him. Yue'er said... that Prince Bai would bully the Grand Tutor, and wouldn't let the Grand Tutor go."
She looked up at Xie Wenling, her eyes reddening, "But now Yue'er is thinking, Brother Bai Shizi looks so pitiful, maybe he won't bully the Grand Tutor. Isn't Yue'er being too harsh? Yue'er shouldn't have spoken ill of him so easily..."
"I see... So that's what you were thinking back then..." Xie Wenling's face showed a hint of surprise, and even a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.
He had previously thought that the little dumpling was like him, having seen too much hypocrisy and being wary of everyone, even to the point of being heartless.
Unexpectedly, the child stopped the Grand Tutor to protect someone.
However, Xie Wenling was also a little puzzled when this was mentioned: "Princess, why did you think that Prince Bai would bully Grand Tutor Qu?"
It just doesn't seem reasonable to think that a skinny little child would bully a high-ranking, strong adult man.
“Because…because,” the little dumpling frowned. Since she couldn’t talk about the system, she could only try to explain her thoughts at the time. “Yue’er was afraid that the Grand Tutor would help Prince Bai, but Prince Bai would not help the Grand Tutor in the future and would help others bully the Grand Tutor…so Yue’er didn’t let the Grand Tutor go.”
As she spoke, she began to reflect on herself: "But Yue'er thinks, nothing has happened yet, and Brother Bai Shizi has never bullied the Grand Tutor. Shouldn't Yue'er not think of him like this?"
"Actually... based on my understanding of your tutor, he wanted to help Prince Bai simply because he wanted to help him, not because he wanted anything in return. And, Princess, why did you conclude that Prince Bai would become an ungrateful wretch in the future?" Xie Wenling asked, somewhat puzzled.
He subconsciously offered his thoughts: "Besides, it's absurd to judge or even attack someone based on things that haven't happened yet."
"The fact that Prince Bai is currently weak-willed and ostracized does not mean he will turn bad in the future. Even if he does have other intentions in the future, that is a matter for the future. We cannot use the possibility that has not yet happened to negate his present self."
After he finished speaking, he realized that he was facing a little dumpling and his tone should be gentler and more tactful, so he immediately added, "But Princess, you stopped the Grand Tutor at that time because you were afraid that he would be hurt. Your intention was good."
The little dumpling nodded vigorously, her eyes reddening even more: "Thank you, brother. Yue'er knows she was wrong."
She thought for a moment and then asked the question that had been bothering her: "Then... will Yue'er turn into a vicious villain in the future? Will Yue'er become worse and worse?"
Although she didn't have a hard time understanding the meaning of "vicious female supporting character," she knew that it was a word used to describe a bad guy.
If she could, she would still want to be a good child.
Upon hearing this, Xie Wenling replied decisively, "Impossible. The fact that you feel guilty for wrongly accusing someone and worry about turning bad shows that you have 'good' in your heart, so how could you turn bad?"
He assumed that he had spoken too harshly earlier, causing the little boy to mistakenly believe that he was going to become a bad person.
He then comforted her, saying, "Besides, Princess, what you want to do and what kind of person you want to become in this life is your own choice. If you want to be a good child, you will strive to be a good child. Even if you make mistakes occasionally, you can correct them."
"And..." Xie Wenling paused, then stopped speaking.
He actually felt that humans are inherently a mixture of good and bad.
It is unreasonable to distinguish between people based solely on whether they are good or bad.
Just like he never considered himself a good person.
Just like even if the little dumpling really turns into a bad person, it's not a big deal.
However, there's no need to say these things to a three-year-old in this situation.
The two children each had their own thoughts and neither of them pressed the matter further.
The second brother, who was listening nearby, comforted the little girl: "Little sister, if you're worried, why don't we go apologize to Prince Bai tomorrow? You're such a good person, he'll definitely forgive you!"
The little dumpling's eyes lit up: "That's right, Yue'er can go apologize to Brother Bai Shizi. Yue'er wants to tell him that she's sorry, Yue'er shouldn't have said that he would bully the Grand Tutor."
Although Xie Wenling felt it was unnecessary, he still nodded: "Of course."
"Then...then Yue'er still wants to be friends with him. Brother Bai Shizi looks so pitiful. If someone is his friend, will he be less sad? Yue'er is a good child, and Yue'er also wants to make him a good child so that he won't go astray in the future."
Xie Wenling's heart softened as he looked at the little dumpling's serious expression.
This child is definitely not like him.
Having been immersed in the turmoil of the imperial court for so long, he had become accustomed to viewing everyone with suspicion and calculation.
Her world is simple: good is good, bad is bad. She wants to help those who are pitiful, she wants to correct her mistakes, and she tries to help others become good children.
It was the childlike heart that Xie Wenling had once scorned.
But for some reason, he was particularly moved by the sight of such a pure and innocent heart in her.
Despite having no wife or children and disliking kids, he strangely felt a surge of emotion, thinking, "My child is so well-behaved."
He patted the little dumpling's head: "Okay, then go ahead and give it a try. Even if you can't be friends with him in the end, you'll have no regrets as long as you've tried your best."
"Yes!" The little dumpling nodded vigorously, a smile returning to her face. "When Yue'er sees Brother Bai Shizi tomorrow, she should apologize to him!"
The carriage stopped at the residence of the Marquis of Beiding.
The two children, hand in hand, were disembarked from the carriage and brought before their parents.
Xie Wenling felt a little regretful as he watched the little dumpling nestled obediently in Jiang Xiyue's arms.
He rarely encounters a child he likes, but he can't just snatch them away and raise them.
That's such a pity.
-
The next day.
The banquet was held in the warm pavilion of the palace.
The little dumpling first entered the palace with her second brother, where they met up with the little princess and the little prince.
Afterwards, the four little ones marched proudly and confidently to the banquet venue.
The door to the warm pavilion opened, and a cacophony of noise, mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, wafted out.
A group of young men dressed in brocade robes rushed up and instantly surrounded them.
"Your Highness! Your Highness! These two must be Princess Fukang and the prince's study companions, right?"
The leader was Wei Liangchun, the heir apparent of the King of Chu, whom he had met once at the banquet.
He was the oldest in the group, eleven years old, and one of the initiators of the banquet.
He squeezed to the front, holding a shadow puppet of Sun Wukong in his hand, and said happily, "My name is Wei Liangchun. We've prepared a shadow puppet show this time. How about a few of us perform 'Havoc in Heaven' today?"
Before the young prince could respond, Wei Changxing, the heir apparent of the Prince of Shu, who had also spoken with the emperor at the banquet, spoke first.
He was seven years old. He held up a slingshot in front of the little prince, his tone slightly provocative: "What's so interesting about shadow puppetry? Little prince, my slingshot can hit a lantern three zhang away. It's much more exciting than playing with puppets. Shall I teach you?"
“Slingshots are too dangerous, what if they hurt someone?” Wei Liangchun immediately frowned and retorted, “Let’s all play shadow puppetry instead.”
"Hmph, is it that the little prince is too afraid?" Wei Changxing refused to let it go.
The little prince frowned, and the little dumpling also seemed a bit nervous.
They hadn't expected to encounter such blatant provocation upon arrival.
"Who's afraid? What's so great about a mere slingshot? Our Prince wouldn't stoop to comparing himself to you!" The second brother, remembering his promise to protect them, stepped forward.
"How dare you speak so arrogantly!" Wei Changxing immediately became furious.
"I'm stating the facts. If you're so capable of beating me, then go and challenge His Highness the Prince!"
"Alright! Let's have a competition!"
"Let's compete! But if you lose, don't cry!" The second brother followed Wei Changxing with great confidence, giving the little dumpling a wink before leaving.
A small slingshot, easy to handle!
The little dumpling also has confidence in her second brother, who is very capable!
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