Chapter 289 Human Cub
It just rained outside. Summer rain comes and goes quickly, but it is enough to make the sultry weather a little cooler.
The woman wanted to stay cool, so she opened the window next to the couch. The breeze outside, mixed with moisture, was blowing her hair in front of her forehead, making it look a little messy and making her look more coquettish than usual.
Seeing her looking over, Huo Jinchi couldn't help but laugh, "Look at what I'm doing. If you don't believe what I told you, just try it and you'll know."
Even though he said so, Yun Qin still didn't believe it. Her eyes narrowed slightly, revealing doubt.
Huo Jinchi shook his head slightly, then said to Xu An: "Let the eldest prince come in."
After a while, the eldest prince came in. With his short legs, it was difficult for him to step over the threshold of the gauze partition, but his little face was tense and he looked serious and focused.
Yun Qin looked at him like this and a smile appeared in the corner of her eyes.
If nothing else, human babies can be pretty cute sometimes.
Especially, he has a face that looks like a miniature version of Stephen Hawking, which is funny no matter how you look at it.
Although Yun Qin didn't think much about it, she had to admit that her fondness for the eldest prince was mostly due to his face which was 70% similar to Huo Jinchi's.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have coaxed him and called him sister the first time she met him.
Seeing Yun Qin was also in the palace, the eldest prince's face seemed to tense even more, which made Yun Qin look at Huo Jinchi again, with even deeper suspicion in her eyes.
"Greetings to the Emperor, and to Concubine Xi."
He cupped his hands and bowed to Yun Qin, and the shaky look on his face made Yun Qin want to laugh again.
In fact, she was very clear in her mind. She and the eldest prince would eventually become enemies because of Concubine De, and it was difficult for her not to consider her own children.
Just look at the little kid in front of you, he is still just a baby who knows nothing about the world. Everything is still far away. Just treat it as playing with the child now.
The eldest prince thought that it would be the same as last time, and Concubine Xi would take her leave as soon as she saw him, as if she didn't want to see him.
"Your Highness, it's been a long time since we last met."
Hearing the smiling voice, the eldest prince looked up in surprise. Seeing her gentle smile, he couldn't help but be a little excited. "It's been a long time since we last met. Is your Majesty in good health?"
Seeing his crooked eyes, Yun Qin now began to believe what Huo Jinchi said.
Although he has a similar face, his son has a completely different personality from him and is a little too innocent.
"My health has long been fine, thank you for your concern, Your Highness." She smiled again.
The eldest prince blushed, lowered his eyes and said, "Your Highness, you are too kind."
Looking at the two people, one big and one small, talking, Huo Jinchi's eyes were also filled with smiles.
Yun Qin noticed his gaze, looked at him, and asked, "Is the emperor going to test the eldest prince's homework again today?"
When he heard the word "homework", the smile on the eldest prince's face disappeared a little. He glanced at his father and his expression became slightly bitter.
This poor kid...
Yunqin expressed deep sympathy.
Huo Jinchi stood behind the desk without moving. He glanced at the map of the imperial court in front of Yun Qin and said to the eldest prince, "Hasn't the Grand Tutor been teaching you how to read the map of the imperial court recently? Let Concubine Xi test you today."
Are you kidding?
But Yunqin didn't see any sign of joking on Huo Jinchi's face.
Does she really want to test the Crown Prince herself?
If Concubine De heard this, wouldn't she be furious?
Thinking of that scene, Yun Qin raised her eyebrows slightly, and she really took the job!
The eldest prince's eyes were fixed on the map on the low table, with a look of surprise and confusion.
If he was not mistaken, this should be a special map made by his father. It not only shows the mountains, rivers, and the distribution of towns, but also the passes and military deployments. It would not be easily shown to others.
Why, why is Concubine Xi looking at this painting?
The little boy then felt distressed, as he had only seen this diagram many times. The Empress was testing him, so what if he couldn't answer it?
"Since the emperor is busy and can't spare the time, then I will bravely test your Highness."
How considerate she was, she had even found an excuse for him. If her expression hadn't been so eager to try, Huo Jinchi would have believed that she was so reluctant.
Huo Jinchi smiled, called Xu An in, asked him to carry the eldest prince to the couch, and then said, "You guys start."
After he finished speaking, he seemed to be completely unconcerned and continued to review memorials with his eyes lowered, looking very busy.
The eldest prince glanced at him, then at Yun Qin, and his little face tensed up again, revealing a bit of nervousness.
Seeing his expression, Yun Qin reached out and pushed the plate of snacks towards him, "Your Highness, would you like a snack?"
The eldest prince looked at the jujube flower crisps on the plate and obviously wanted to eat them, but he shook his head and said, "Lunch will be served soon. Father said that we should not have snacks before meals."
He whispered again, "Your Majesty, please eat less, otherwise you won't be able to eat." As if he was afraid that Huo Jinchi would hear it and scold Yunqin as if he was scolding himself, he turned his head and secretly glanced at him.
Seeing his well-behaved and sensible look, Yun Qin wanted to pinch him on the face.
"Well, let's not eat it and wait until after dinner, okay?"
The eldest prince nodded, "Okay!"
"Then let's get started." Yun Qin pushed the map in front of him, "Your Highness, please point out where our capital is."
"Here." The eldest prince pointed and moved his finger, adding: "This is the imperial city where we live."
"That's amazing..."
When Huo Jinchi heard Yun Qin's exaggerated tone, he couldn't help but look up at her, and the smile on the corners of his lips deepened.
She really knew how to coax children, but when he saw the smile on the eldest prince's face, he just let her do what she wanted.
Seeing that the old and the young got along well with each other, he stopped listening carefully and focused on reading the memorial.
But when he came to his senses, he heard that the topic of the two people had unknowingly changed.
"The sugarcane in Funan County is the most famous. It is said that the sugarcane is 13 feet long and very crisp. It can be broken by a gust of wind."
"What about Anding County?" the eldest prince asked, pointing at the map.
Who is testing whom here?
"Anding County, the pears in Anding County are delicious. I heard that they bloom three times a year and bear fruit three times. Each pear is as big as two liters!"
She used her hands to compare, which made the eldest prince stare in amazement. He then exclaimed: "How big must a two-liter pear be..."
"Yeah, I want to see it too." His tone was full of longing.
The eldest prince was very interested, and pointed at the map and asked, "Then, what about Jiang Yuxian?"
"Jiangyu County is famous for its fish sashimi. I heard that the fish cutters can cut the fish meat into pieces as thin as mosquito legs. They use the meat from the fish belly or the fish brain to wipe the knife, so that the fish shreds will not stick to the knife."
Yun Qin explained it clearly: "The Seven Inspirations says: Four dishes and eight delicacies, five meats and seven vegetables, all cut freshly and painted, the color is like purple orchid, and bright like red silk. Although I don't know if it is fish sashimi from Jiangyu County, I think the way to eat it should be similar. Putting all kinds of seasonal vegetables together, the five colors are mixed, it must be very delicious!"
The eldest prince studied the Four Books and Five Classics, and even if the tutor told him stories occasionally, they were all about celebrity anecdotes. He had never heard of these strange stories, and he praised them repeatedly, and his little face became brighter than before.