298. You don't even want the throne anymore??
Wei Xiuming was the first to react, and he flicked the little princess on the forehead: "Don't talk nonsense, go away and don't cause trouble here."
Although the remarks were extremely disrespectful, they did come from the mouth of his own ignorant daughter.
What can Wei Xiuming do?
Of course, I choose to forgive her.
He could only handle it gently and pretend it had never happened.
"Oh dear! Father!" The little princess covered her forehead, pouted in dissatisfaction, stomped her short legs, but still reluctantly walked to the little prince's side.
She leaned closer to his arm, muttering, "Father is biased, I'm not playing with him anymore!"
The young prince remained silent, lowering his head once more, lost in thought.
Wei Xiuming and the little princess kept glancing at him, clearly worried about his current state.
The little princess leaned against him for a while, then couldn't resist any longer. She reached out and nudged the little prince's arm, her voice crisp and clear: "Jiayou! Say something! Now is the perfect time to fight for Little Moon, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
The young prince slowly raised his head again, his eyes still somewhat confused.
He remained quiet for a while, as if deep in thought.
Then, he looked at Wei Xiuming, then at the little dumpling, and said seriously, "Father, just now Chaoyun said that Xiaoyueliang was to be adopted. Does that mean that Chaoyun and Xiaoyueliang are to be exchanged? If so, and Xiaoyueliang stays in the palace while Chaoyun goes to the Marquis of Beiding's mansion or the Xie mansion, then I can agree to it."
These words caused the hall to fall silent once again, and everyone was stunned.
So the little prince had been pondering the "exchange" for so long because he hadn't said a word?
Wei Xiuming's mind went blank for a moment; he never expected that the young prince could say such a thing.
No, he's the first in line to the throne!
He's the designated crown prince!
They don't even want the throne anymore?
"Wei Jiayou! Are you stupid?!" The little princess instantly exploded and punched the little prince in the arm.
Her little face flushed red with anger, and her fists clenched firmly: "Of course I'll switch you with someone else! I want to play with Little Moon in the palace, so you can leave!"
"I'm not going, it should be you..."
"Alright, alright!" Wei Xiuming had a terrible headache. "Both of you shut up and go wait in the side hall. Don't meddle here, or you'll be punished!"
The little princess wanted to argue, but a palace servant hurriedly pulled her arm, so she could only snort in dissatisfaction and follow the little prince out of the palace.
After the two children left, the atmosphere in the hall became heavy again.
Marquis Jiang Xiyue of Beiding, protecting the little dumpling, still refused to agree to the adoption.
Xie Wenling stood on the opposite side, showing no intention of backing down.
The two sides remained deadlocked, neither speaking.
Seeing the situation, Wei Xiuming tried to smooth things over again, gesturing for both sides to calm down: "Alright, alright, don't be so tense. The county princess is the person involved, and ultimately, we still need to ask her opinion. Whoever she wants to be with, we'll listen to her, is that alright?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention turned to the little dumpling.
Marquis Beiding and Jiang Xiyue watched her nervously, while Jin Qizhi and her second brother held their breath.
Even Xie Wenling crouched down, his eyes filled with barely perceptible expectation, and asked softly, "Princess, who do you want to be with?"
The little dumpling blinked her round eyes, looked at her parents who were holding her tightly, and then at Xie Wenling who was squatting in front of her. Her little brows furrowed, as if she was thinking seriously.
After a while, she stretched out her chubby little hands and hugged Jiang Xiyue's neck, her voice soft: "Mother. Yue'er wants to be with Father and Mother, and also with Big Brother and Second Brother. I want to go home and eat the cakes that Mother makes."
She is, after all, her mother's child.
Children are always closest to their mothers.
Oh, and there's also Daddy, my eldest brother, and my second brother.
The little dumpling also likes them very much.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Beiding and Jiang Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief, while Jin Qizhi and his second brother also smiled and surrounded the little dumpling.
The expectation on Xie Wenling's face gradually faded. He slowly stood up, looking disappointed and somewhat lonely.
Seeing Xie Wenling's dejected look, the little dumpling felt down, realizing she had upset her brother Xie.
She broke free from Jiang Xiyue's embrace, ran to Xie Wenling's side with her short legs, reached out and hugged his leg, tilting her little face up.
Xie Wenling knelt down again, and the little dumpling tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, the soft lips tickling Xie Wenling's skin.
"Brother Xie, don't be sad!" The little dumpling hugged him, her voice sweet. "Even though Yue'er is living with Daddy and Mommy at home, Brother Xie is still family! Yue'er will come to play with you often, bring you cakes made by Mommy, and tell you stories, okay?"
Xie Wenling looked down at the little dumpling, feeling the lingering warmth on her cheek, and gently rubbed the top of her head: "Okay, now you have to keep your word, come and play with me often, and don't lie to me."
"I won't lie!" The little dumpling nodded vigorously, stretched out her chubby little hand, and made a pinky promise with Xie Wenling, "Pinky promise, never to change for a hundred years!"
Xie Wenling, just like a child, extended his little finger and made a pinky promise with her.
That's all.
He thought that although he was still somewhat disappointed, at least he had secured some benefits for the county magistrate.
Seeing this, Wei Xiuming couldn't help but laugh. He said to Marquis Beiding, Jiang Xiyue, "Look, isn't that better? Minister Xie dotes on the County Princess, and you all protect her too. Everyone is doing this for the child's sake, so there's no need to be so tense. From now on, she can stay with whomever she wants. We're all family, looking out for each other. Isn't that good enough?"
Marquis Jiang Xiyue of Beiding nodded quickly and cupped her hands to Xie Wenling: "Lord Xie, Yue'er's return is all thanks to you. Please don't take our previous words to heart if they were not good. Yue'er will definitely bother you often in the future, please bear with us."
"No, I'd love to welcome you." Xie Wenling held the little dumpling, his tone softening.
Seeing this, Wei Xiuming was finally completely relieved and clapped his hands: "Alright, this matter is settled. Minister Xie, present the evidence against the Prince of Zhennan. Let's deal with him quickly so that everyone can be at ease."
Seeing this, Marquis Beiding had no intention of getting too involved in these secrets and took his leave at the opportune moment.
Their whole family left the Imperial Study.
The little dumpling was held in Jiang Xiyue's arms, with the Marquis of Beiding following beside her, occasionally reaching out to pat her little head, as if afraid that she would suffer any more grievances: "Yue'er, do you want Daddy to hold you for a while?"
The little dumpling shook its head, wrapped its little arms around Jiang Xiyue's neck, and said in a soft voice, "I want Mommy to hold me."
Jin Qizhi walked on the other side, holding a piece of pastry in her hand, and carefully offered it to her lips: "Little sister, have something sweet."
"Thank you, big brother!" The little dumpling took a small bite of the pastry, her eyes curving into crescents.
The family chatted and laughed as they walked out of the palace.
After they got back, they went to where the old man and woman lived.
Since both elderly people are in poor health and not suited for further travel, and since His Majesty hasn't specifically mentioned it, it's not appropriate to bring them into the palace.
So, the people from the Marquis of Beiding's residence first settled them in the residence.
The housekeeper, who has recovered and returned to work, is taking care of them.
Upon arrival, Jiang Xiyue first had someone put down the things she had brought.
There were medicinal herbs, tonics, and all kinds of gold and silver jewelry, all laid out in several large boxes.
Jiang Xiyue smiled and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, we are so grateful to you for saving Yue'er before. We have nothing to repay you with, but please accept these things. They are all useful."
Marquis Beiding nodded in agreement: "I have some money left, and I've already had it deposited in a nearby bank. I'll give you the deposit slip. If you want to buy anything, just have someone go and get it. Don't deprive yourself."
The old man quickly waved his hand: "No, no, we're just two old people. We eat and dress simply, we don't need so many things, and we don't need to spend so much money. The child is safe and sound, that's more than anything we're happy about. How could we possibly accept your reward?"
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