Chapter 129 Drawing a Clear Line
As night deepened, candlelight flickered inside the Guanju Palace.
Yuwen Che glanced at Tingxue, who was dozing in Su Luoxue's arms, and said gently to Fuling, who was standing by, "Take the princess away and settle her in."
"Yes." Fuling carefully took the sleeping Tingxue from Su Luoxue's arms and quietly withdrew.
Only the two of them remained in the hall. Yuwen Che bent down and picked Su Luoxue up in his arms, carrying her towards the bedchamber: "Alright, you've had a long day, let's get some rest, okay?"
Su Luoxue leaned against his chest, her fingers unconsciously tightening around his collar, and softly called out, "A-Che..."
"Hmm?" Yuwen Che gently placed her on the bed, then lay down on his side and pulled her into his arms.
"Hao'er...he really isn't a bad child." Su Luoxue looked up, gazing into his deep eyes in the dim candlelight. "Can we...be even just a little bit nicer to him? It would be good for Cheng'an and Tingxue."
Yuwen Che's hand, which was stroking her long hair, paused slightly. His tone remained gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Xue'er, I have already bestowed upon him the title of Prince, ensuring his livelihood. This is already a great favor. Do you know that today in court, several senior officials, under the guise of inquiring about the Crown Prince's return to the palace, subtly suggested that I should expand my harem and increase my offspring?"
Su Luoxue's body stiffened slightly.
Yuwen Che noticed this and pulled her closer, his voice lowering, "I will never allow anyone to threaten you and the children. Hao'er's identity is special; being too close to him will only give those with ulterior motives an opportunity."
"But……"
"No buts." Yuwen Che gently kissed her forehead, interrupting her. "Go to sleep. You have to help Cheng'an practice calligraphy tomorrow; you promised him."
He blew out the candle by the bedside. In the darkness, Su Luoxue stared at the blurry patterns on the ceiling of the tent, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
The next morning, Yuwen Hao was having breakfast alone.
Suddenly, a series of cheerful footsteps sounded outside the hall, accompanied by palace servants' panicked cries of "Your Highness, please slow down!"
Yuwen Cheng'an burst in like a little cannonball, holding up an exquisite nine-linked ring puzzle. He called out in a childish voice, "Brother Hao'er! Look! This is so difficult! Father said there's a reward for solving it. Can you help me?"
Yuwen Hao was stunned. His hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air as he looked at his suddenly appearing younger brother with some helplessness.
The nanny in charge of looking after the crown prince came in, panting, and looked troubled: "Your Highness, we just ran out like this, the Empress will be worried if she can't find you..."
"No, I want to play with Brother Hao'er for a while first!" Cheng'an said, climbing onto the chair next to Yuwen Hao and shoving the nine-linked rings into his hands like a precious treasure. "Brother Hao'er, do you know how to play this?"
Yuwen Hao looked at the cold metal ring in his hand, then at Cheng An's expectant eyes, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "I...I'll try."
His slender fingers deftly manipulated the copper rings, his expression focused. In just a moment, with a few clicks, the nine-linked rings that had troubled Cheng'an for half a day were solved.
"Wow! Brother Hao'er, you're so amazing!" Cheng'an clapped his hands excitedly, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Yuwen Hao.
Yuwen Hao's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it, handing the untied nine-linked rings back to Cheng An and saying in a low voice, "Here... for you."
This scene was witnessed by Su Luoxue, who had secretly followed and was standing under the corridor outside the palace. Fuling, who was beside her, whispered, "Your Highness, you see, the First Prince is quite patient with the Crown Prince."
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Su Luoxue's eyes as she softly said, "Go and fetch the set of writing implements that was presented as tribute from Jiangnan a few days ago. Tell them... it was a gift from me to the First Prince to encourage him to study diligently."
"yes."
Han Ying quickly reported the matter to Yuwen Che.
"...His Highness the Crown Prince is currently at Chengqian Palace, getting along well with the First Prince. Her Majesty the Empress even gifted the First Prince a set of writing implements."
Yuwen Che's eyes turned slightly cold, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "It's just children's play, and a normal reward, so it's fine. Keep an eye on Chengqian Palace; report back immediately if anything unusual happens."
"Yes." Han Ying hesitated for a moment, then added, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. After Prince An returned to the palace, some of the old servants who used to serve Consort Zhao seem to be getting restless and have been contacting each other in private."
Yuwen Che's eyes sharpened, and he lightly tapped his fingertips on the imperial desk: "Clean it up. I don't want to hear any rumors, especially... that reach the Empress's ears."
"Understood."
Han Ying retreated silently. Yuwen Che stood up, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of Guanju Palace with a deep gaze.
His Xue'er was soft-hearted and pitied Yuwen Hao. But he had to eliminate all potential threats for her and their child. Even if... that threat was just a hidden danger that a seven-year-old child might pose.
After handling some official business, Yuwen Che returned to Guanju Palace, where Su Luoxue was playing with Cheng'an and Tingxue in the warm pavilion. Cheng'an excitedly gestured, "Mother! Brother Hao'er is so amazing! He solved that ring in no time! Even faster than Father!"
Su Luoxue smiled and patted her son's head. Looking up, she saw Yuwen Che and said gently, "Ache, you're here."
Yuwen Che walked over with a calm expression, picked up Tingxue who rushed towards him, and sat down next to Su Luoxue, asking casually, "Did An'er go to Chengqian Palace today?"
Su Luoxue's heart tightened slightly, but she remained outwardly calm. "Yes, the child is playful and ran off. I think Hao'er is calm and collected; he could play games that require patience with Cheng'an." She paused, observing Yuwen Che's expression, and added softly, "Ache, it's a good thing that the children can get along well, isn't it?"
Yuwen Che gave a soft "Mmm," and reached out to ruffle Cheng'an's hair: "If An'er is happy, that's good."
Su Luoxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Yuwen Che's next words made her heart jump again: "But Xue'er, Chengqian Palace is quite remote, so it's best to let Cheng'an go there less often in the future. If you feel that Hao'er is lonely, you can occasionally invite him to Guanju Palace for a meal. I'll feel more at ease with him under your watchful eye."
His tone was gentle, yet he drew a clear line for the two brothers' contact—only in Guanju Palace, and only under her supervision.
Su Luoxue gazed into Yuwen Che's deep eyes, where there was undisguised love and care for her, yet also the majesty of an emperor.
Over the past three years, he has become increasingly ruthless. She knew that this was the biggest concession he could make at the moment.
"Okay." She lowered her eyelashes and replied softly, but in her heart, she felt a deeper concern and a sense of helplessness for that lonely little figure.
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