The Crown Prince had no intention of investigating the matter, but he was extremely interested in Yi Duli's little cousin. He smiled and beckoned to her, trying to appear gentle: "Little cousin, come to my side. Don't worry, I am the Crown Prince and also your cousin. I will not hurt you."
He Yue rolled her eyes inwardly. Did they really think she was a child? She didn't have a cousin who was the Crown Prince; they were distant relatives.
She glanced at the Fourth Prince, but out of respect for him, she stood up and reluctantly walked over.
The Crown Prince smiled like a wolf in sheep's clothing, picked up Heyue who was slowly walking to his side, placed her on his lap, and took a piece of osmanthus pastry from a tall blue-and-white porcelain plate next to him and handed it to her: "Here, I'll give you something delicious to eat."
Heyue frowned uncomfortably, wanting to jump down, but the Crown Prince held her tightly, so she had to suppress her displeasure and accept the osmanthus pastry.
Ultimately, she was just a child at that moment, and she couldn't act too much, lest she arouse suspicion.
So she carefully took a bite of the osmanthus pastry. It was sweet, delicious, and perfectly soft – truly worthy of being a palace product.
"Do you like it?" The prince stared at her intently with expectant eyes.
He Yue glanced at him. At this moment, the Crown Prince seemed like a child expecting praise, which did not match the cruel and tyrannical image in various Qing Dynasty novels.
What should we do? Did she travel to a fake Qing Dynasty and encounter a fake crown prince and fourth prince?
After a moment's thought, Heyue didn't dwell on it too much. She reached out and grabbed two more pastries from the plate. Taking advantage of the Crown Prince's inattention, she quickly jumped off him and ran to the Fourth Prince. She sat down in her original seat, lowered her head, and ate the pastries in small bites.
The prince was taken aback. He gripped the armrest of the golden nanmu armchair with one hand and pointed at her with the other, laughing until tears streamed down his face: "This girl, she really only knows how to eat."
The Fourth Prince turned his face away, a hint of a smile appearing in his dark eyes.
"Someone, bring some tea to Seventh Princess." The Crown Prince ordered loudly. Soon a palace maid poured a cup of tea for Heyue. Heyue took the teacup, tilted her head back and gulped it down. The palace maid poured her another cup, which Heyue drank, and only then did she feel a little relieved of her thirst.
He Yue was extremely frustrated. In order to deal with the Crown Prince's enthusiasm, she had gone to great lengths, using food to shut herself up and avoid many of the Crown Prince's questions.
Anyway, she's just a child, it's normal for her to like snacks, no one can say anything about it, and there's no need to pay attention to the Crown Prince.
"Little cousin, from now on, when you come to your Crown Prince brother's place, you can eat whatever you want. Your Crown Prince brother will give it to you, okay?" The Crown Prince found the girl in front of him more and more pleasing to the eye, and the more he looked at her, the happier he became.
While eating, He Yue nodded casually. In any case, this Crown Prince was quite generous, and there was nothing wrong with being with him, as long as he didn't lay a hand on her.
Before leaving, the Crown Prince gave her several boxes of pastries. He Yue didn't really like sweets and only ate them occasionally, but she had to pretend to be happy and accept them.
After leaving Yuqing Palace, Heyue couldn't help but rub her bulging little belly and sigh. She really had brought this upon herself.
The Fourth Prince noticed her actions, and after a moment's thought, he understood and chuckled slightly: "If that's the case, why be so stubborn?"
He Yue choked, gave an awkward laugh, and cautiously glanced at the Fourth Prince. Seeing that he didn't seem angry, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Strange, why does she really not want to see him angry?
"Speak, why is this so?" Fourth Prince asked, his face tense and his expression serious.
He Yue pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, lowered her head, and said in a voice barely audible, "I don't like the Crown Prince. Although the Crown Prince is good, I just don't like him."
The Fourth Prince seemed quite surprised by her directness. He stared at her intently for a few moments, his expression softening slightly as he ruffled her hair: "You are not allowed to say this to anyone again."
He Yue nodded hurriedly, a slight smile playing on her lips. The Fourth Prince in front of her was quite nice, wasn't he?
"Although I don't really like these pastries, I'm sure Sixth Sister will. I'll give her a surprise then." He Yue smiled broadly, relieved that she had finally solved a problem.
However, her joy was short-lived; she exclaimed "Oh dear!" and stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Fourth Prince frowned when he saw her pale face.
Heyue bit her lip, unsure how to speak. After all, the Fourteenth Prince was her own brother, and they didn't have any conflicts right now. He would probably side with his younger brother. If he knew that Consort De wanted to marry his sixth sister to the Fourteenth Prince, he would certainly not go against Consort De's wishes.
However, her mother clearly did not want her sixth sister to marry the fourteenth prince, and she could not be sure whether this matter was good or bad.
She remembered how kind the Fourth Prince had been to her, not only taking her out to relax but also giving her advice. For some reason, she wanted to tell him her thoughts, but then she felt that since they were not related, it would be a bit much to ask him so abruptly.
Seeing her frowning and conflicted expression, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but find it amusing. It was quite interesting that such a young child had such a rich range of expressions.
For some reason, he wanted to know what was bothering her. A question arose in his mind. It was strange. In the past, he would not have cared about such trivial matters. She was just an insignificant child. What did it have to do with him?
Could it be... just because of her closeness to me?
From childhood to adulthood, apart from Xiao Shisan, no one has ever been so close to me for no reason. Not even my own younger brother and sister have ever been so close to me. In their eyes, I have always been like an outsider.
Therefore, over the years, he has become accustomed to hiding his emotions, and he cannot even reveal his thoughts to his own mother.
However, the first time he met this little girl, she hid behind him, complained to him with a sense of righteousness, and relied on him unconditionally.
A warm current seemed to flow into his heart, which had been cold for a long time. He subconsciously wanted to protect her. Seeing her sitting listlessly in Yonghe Palace with no one to accompany her, he took the initiative to take her out to relax and see the Crown Prince.
He had never felt this way before.
"What's troubling you so much? Perhaps I can help you solve it." The Fourth Prince stopped thinking about it. Since he couldn't bear to see her in trouble, what harm was there in meddling in her affairs?
After struggling for a while, Heyue decided to tell him, thinking that she might actually get some advice.
Besides, I'm just a kid. Even if I asked, it was just out of curiosity. Who would think too much about it?
Thinking of this, she boldly looked up at the Fourth Prince: "I heard that Consort De likes Sixth Sister very much and wants Sixth Sister to play with Fourteenth Prince, but Mother is not willing. Sixth Sister doesn't like Fourteenth Prince either. I think Fourteenth Prince is quite fierce and he doesn't like Sixth Sister either. So why does Consort De want them to play together? Can't we stop Sixth Sister from playing with Fourteenth Prince?"
He Yue organized her thoughts before speaking, trying to avoid making her question too sensitive or arousing suspicion.
Fourth Prince: ...
The words were somewhat convoluted and childish, leaving the Fourth Prince speechless. He thought he must be out of his mind to listen to a child's complaints.
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