Chapter 160 Roasted Meat in the Imperial Garden
Su Luoxue gently pulled Yuwen Hao's hand, making him face her, her voice so gentle it could melt water: "Hao'er, from now on... treat your mother as your mother, okay?"
Looking into the child's somewhat dazed eyes, she continued softly, "Cheng'an and Ning'er are your own younger brother and sister. We are family."
She raised her hand and gently stroked Yuwen Hao's forehead: "Your father sometimes favors that little girl Ning'er a bit more, but he also loves you. If anything happens in the future, or if you feel sad, you can come and tell your mother. Your mother will stand up for you, okay?"
These words were like a warm current, instantly breaking down the dam of cowardice and loneliness that Yuwen Hao had built up in his heart for so long.
His eyes quickly reddened, and large tears rolled down his cheeks. He choked out, "Mother..."
Unable to hold back any longer, he opened his arms and hugged Su Luoxue's neck tightly, burying his face in her soft shoulder and sobbing softly.
Su Luoxue felt a pang of sadness at his completely dependent behavior. She hugged the small, thin child back and gently patted his back.
Her voice grew even softer: "Good child... Your mother knows, knows you feel wronged... It won't happen again. From now on... you, Cheng'an, and Ning'er are all your mother's children."
Seeing his mother holding his brother, Cheng'an squeezed over and tried to wrap his arms around them, shouting, "Mother! Cheng'an wants a hug too! Mother, please hug Cheng'an and my brother!"
Surrounded by her two sons, Su Luoxue looked at her eldest son crying in her arms and her innocent yet kind-hearted mother and son beside her.
Filled with love and a sense of responsibility, she replied repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I'll hold you all, Mother will hold you."
Not far away, Yuwen Che seemed to be focused on picking flowers for his daughter, handing the most beautiful peony to Ning'er: "Ning'er, take this."
But out of the corner of his eye, he kept an eye on what was happening over there.
Watching Su Luoxue embrace Yuwen Hao and gently comfort him, watching her eldest son finally release his long-suppressed grievances in that warm embrace...
Yuwen Che's eyes flickered slightly, and he thought to himself: Perhaps... Xue'er is right. I only feel disgusted by Hao'er because seeing him reminds me of the humiliation I suffered at the hands of the Empress Dowager and Shen Shi, and I've taken that disgust out on this child. But he... is, after all, my own flesh and blood, and he is innocent.
In my heart, I still hope that he can live a peaceful and smooth life.
As long as he behaves himself in the future, does not threaten the Great Zhou Dynasty, and does not harm Cheng'an... why can't I give him the fatherly love he deserves?
He looked away, lowered his head and kissed his daughter's milky cheek, temporarily suppressing his complicated thoughts.
Bai Xiao moved closer to Yuwen Che again, still nagging, "No... money or a marriage decree, you can at least give me one..."
Yuwen Che ignored him completely, focusing only on coaxing his precious daughter in his arms: "Ning'er, shall we go find Mother?"
Ning'er nodded obediently, replying in her childish voice, "Okay, okay!"
Bai Xiao stared speechlessly at Yuwen Che's retreating figure. "Yuwen Che..."
At this moment, Li Dehai, along with a group of palace servants, set out the utensils, ingredients, and various fruits and snacks needed for roasting meat in a grand manner.
When Su Luoxue saw that people had arrived, she quickly wiped away Yuwen Hao's tears, who was still sobbing, and said softly, "It's alright, don't cry. Hao'er is the bravest."
Yuwen Hao quickly wiped his face with his sleeve, trying to calm himself, and whispered, "Mmm...Mother..."
Su Luoxue affectionately patted his head.
Yuwen Che carried Ning'er over, and Ning'er handed the peony in her hand to Su Luoxue: "Mother, here's a flower for you!"
Su Luoxue took the flowers and kissed her daughter on the cheek: "Thank you, Ning'er, Mother. You're such a good girl."
Ning'er immediately opened her little arms and rushed towards Su Luoxue: "Mother, hug me!"
Su Luoxue smiled and took her daughter, teasingly asking, "Why don't you want your father to hold you again?"
Ning'er hugged her neck and said sweetly, "Ning'er missed Mother!"
Seeing this, Cheng'an immediately hugged Yuwen Che's leg and started acting spoiled: "Father! Cheng'an wants a hug! Cheng'an wants a kite!"
Yuwen Che asked in confusion, "A kite? Wasn't it being flown just now?"
Cheng'an pointed to a large tree not far away: "It's stuck in the tree! Cheng'an wants to get it down himself!"
"But Cheng'an can't reach it, and Aunt Fuling won't let me climb trees."
Yuwen Che smiled helplessly as he looked at his son's eager expression, bent down and picked him up: "Alright, Father will take you to get it. Be sure to hold on tight."
Cheng'an nodded vigorously, his little face full of excitement: "Yes! Cheng'an held on tight!"
Yuwen Che carried him to the tree, weighed him in his arms, and asked, "Ready?" Then, with a strong pull, he tossed Cheng An high into the air!
Cheng'an exclaimed in surprise, her little hand precisely catching the kite stuck between the branches, and the next second Yuwen Che steadily brought it back into his arms.
"Wow! I got it myself!" Cheng'an hugged his recovered kite and spun around excitedly in his father's arms, his face full of pride.
Yuwen Che chuckled, picked him up, and carried him back to the barbecue grill. Bai Xiao watched this scene, a sour look on his face, and resignedly helped start the fire, muttering, "Really... he's forgotten his brothers now that he has a child..."
Su Luoxue, carrying Ning'er, walked over with Yuwen Hao by her hand.
She gently settled Ning'er, whom she was holding, on the soft cushions that had been laid out, and then gently tugged at Yuwen Hao's hand, inviting him to sit beside Ning'er and look after his younger sister. "Hao'er, sit next to your sister."
Yuwen Hao nodded obediently, "Understood, Mother."
Yuwen Che then casually shoved Cheng An, whom he was holding, into Bai Xiao's arms: "You, watch over them."
Bai Xiao hurriedly caught Xiao Cheng'an, looking incredulous and frustrated. Pointing to himself, he exclaimed, "No... Yuwen Che! You... you've gone too far! You have your own children and are enjoying family life, and I have to take care of your child?!"
Yuwen Che completely ignored his words, walked straight to Su Luoxue and sat down, his posture relaxed. He only glanced at him indifferently and asked, "Unwilling?"
Bai Xiao rolled his eyes, speechless at his self-righteous attitude, and reluctantly hugged Cheng An, who was curiously looking around in his arms.
Turning to Li Dehai, who was directing the palace servants to arrange the ingredients, he sighed, "Dehai... look at this... if this continues, I'll have to come to the palace and compete with you for a job sooner or later!"
Li Dehai was taken aback by these nonsensical words and subconsciously looked at the emperor.
Yuwen Che naturally held Su Luoxue's hand with one hand, and with the other hand he picked up his teacup and took a slow sip without even lifting his eyelids.
"Bai Xiao, if you keep talking nonsense... I'll make you castrate yourself before you enter the palace."
Bai Xiao shuddered at Yuwen Che's words, instinctively hugging Cheng An tighter in his arms, and complained to the little guy with a wronged expression, "Look at your father! He bullied my brother..."
Cheng'an completely ignored his words, reached out her little hand and grabbed a strand of his hair, tilted her head and commented very seriously: "But Uncle Bai, you are not as handsome as Father Emperor."
"Ouch—! Little ancestor, be gentle!" Bai Xiao winced as the child's hand was pulled, but dared not pry the child's hand away too forcefully.
Seeing this, Su Luoxue quickly got up to stop him: "Cheng'an, let go quickly, don't be rude."
Yuwen Che grabbed her hand and pulled her back to sit down beside him, his tone tinged with schadenfreude: "It's alright, let Cheng An pull it, he deserves it."
While trying to untangle his hair, Bai Xiao cried out, "Yuwen Che! Ah...you...are you even human?! You just stood by and watched me die!"
Su Luoxue was both amused and exasperated. She quickly instructed Fuling, "Fuling, go and bring His Highness the Crown Prince back."
As soon as Fuling stepped forward, before she even touched Cheng'an, the little guy grabbed Bai Xiao's hair and excitedly announced, "I want to ride a big horse!"
Bai Xiao looked annoyed and tried to reason with him: "Young Prince, where are the horses in this Imperial Garden?"
Cheng'an confidently tugged at his hair and pointed forward with her little hand: "Then I'll ride you!"
White Owl: "..."
He felt he shouldn't have come today!
Seeing his friend's embarrassed expression, Yuwen Che finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
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