At the end of October, the capital began to get cold.
One night of autumn rain knocked down the hibiscus flowers that were in full bloom in the flower bed in the center of the capital.
The Xiao Mansion was extremely lively.
Many guests came to congratulate with carefully prepared gifts.
Xiao Yu's fifth birthday wasn't originally planned to be a big one, but Xiao Heyun happened to be promoted. So, everyone, whether they should come or not, had to give him some face.
"The Emperor has arrived, the Imperial Concubine has arrived, the Third Prince has arrived, Princess Chaoyang has arrived—"
The eunuch shouted loudly, and the bustling courtyard suddenly became quiet.
Everyone knelt down and saluted, shouting "Long live the emperor!"
The emperor came out holding Su Qiqi and said with a smile, "Everyone, please get up. I just came to ask for some wine. Please do what you need to do. No need to be polite."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Everyone answered in unison, then stood up, looking somewhat unnatural, and dared not continue joking or joking.
Xiao Heyun hurried forward and said, "I didn't know that Your Majesty was coming. I failed to greet you. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
The emperor said, "My dear, I have already said that I am only here to drink. Today, please treat me as a good friend, not as the emperor."
"Hongxuan was so happy to hear that someone would study calligraphy, ride horses, and practice archery with him that he couldn't sleep for two nights. Just now, when he heard about Xiao Yu's birthday, he personally prepared a gift."
Shen Mingyue said this and gently pushed Lu Hongxuan.
Lu Hongxuan came forward, holding a wooden carved horse in his hand. "Where's the younger brother who studied with me?"
Xiao Heyun bowed slightly and saluted Lu Hongxuan. "I would like to thank the Third Prince on behalf of Yu'er. Yu'er and his brother are playing with the Third Prince in the backyard. I will ask him to come see you."
Lu Hongxuan shook his head and asked, "Can my master and I go to the backyard to play with my brother?"
"Of course." Xiao Heyun winked at the woman beside him.
The lady stepped forward with a smile and said, "I will take you there. Third Prince, please come this way."
"Father, Mother." Lu Hongxuan looked at the emperor and Shen Mingyue with a pleading look.
Shen Mingyue nodded and said, "Go ahead, be careful not to fall."
"I know! I'll come find you later!"
Lu Hongxuan pulled Mo Yunchi and followed the woman to the backyard.
Looking at his receding back, Shen Mingyue smiled with great relief.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there is a wind in the courtyard. How about I take you inside?" Xiao Heyun asked tentatively.
The emperor said, "Master Xiao, there's no need to bother. The imperial concubine and I will sit in the courtyard for a while, basking in the sun and drinking tea."
"Mingyue!"
Not far away, a man's shout was heard.
Shen Mingyue turned around subconsciously and saw Shen Jiayan slapping Shen Jiarui on the head.
Shen Jiarui grimaced in pain and turned around to glare at Shen Jiayan in dissatisfaction.
I don't know what Shen Jiayan said, but Shen Jiarui immediately shut up and ran over here.
"Big brother, second brother. You are here too?"
Shen Mingyue was a little surprised. She half-jokingly asked, "Brother, how is the renovation of the mansion going? Have you planted Qingyuan's favorite beauty grapes?"
"Greetings to the Imperial Concubine." Shen Jiayan was very well-behaved and bowed to Shen Mingyue.
Shen Mingyue curled her lips in dissatisfaction: "We are not in the palace, don't be so formal."
"That's right! And he hit me!"
Shen Jiarui is like a child who is complaining.
He glared at Shen Jiayan in dissatisfaction, then suddenly ran over to Su Qiqi and made a face: "Xiao Qiqi, do you miss your uncle?"
"Hang~Chiuchi...Uncle!"
Su Qiqi tried hard to control her tongue.
Although his pronunciation was a little unstandard, Shen Jiarui still smiled with his teeth showing.
"Did you hear that?! She was just saying 'I miss my uncle'! Hahaha, she's so cute!"
Shen Jiarui's voice was quite loud, and he couldn't wait to show off to everyone.
He rolled up his sleeves and wiped his hands on his clothes. Then he looked at the emperor with a silly smile.
Seeing this, the emperor handed Su Qiqi over and said, "Hold her tight. The little one is a bit heavy. Don't drop her."
"Are you heavier? It's good if you are! It means you are growing!"
Shen Jiarui was very excited and couldn't help but weigh Su Qiqi after he picked her up.
He frowned slightly and whispered, "It's so light, not even as heavy as the stone blocks I use for morning exercises. Xiao Qiqi, are you not full?"
Shen Mingyue smiled helplessly and said, "Second brother, Qiqi is not even one year old yet, how can she compare to your stone pillar!"
"Really?"
Shen Jiarui didn't hesitate and continued to coax Su Qiqi: "Eat well and grow up well. When you turn one year old, your uncle will give you a nice toy!"
"Yeah!" Su Qiqi nodded obediently.
What a fun thing!
It won’t be long before she turns one, and she can put things away again!
Wow, what a nice day!
“Second Brother Shen, this is your niece, so cute.”
A woman in white walked in from not far away.
She smiled warmly, and looked straight at Shen Jiarui with a pair of charming eyes.
Shen Jiarui's earlobes immediately turned red, and he looked shy: "Yinfeng, you are here too, what a coincidence."
[Singing the wind?]
Su Qiqi raised her hand and pinched her head, carefully recalling the plot and characters in the book.
[I remember! She is Xia Yinfeng!]
Short-sighted, selfish, and hypocritical, she used to treat Shen Jiayan as a backup. After being dumped by that young marquis, she's now pestering Shen Jiarui!
[In the original drama, after she married Shen Jiarui, she became obsessed with Shen Jiayan's body and even climbed into his bed. She even spread rumors, saying that Shen Jiayan had molested her!]
She threw the Shen family into chaos, seized the opportunity to seize power and squandered it recklessly. While the Shen brothers were away fighting, she led her men to empty the Shen family's possessions!
[This bad woman! Ahhh Shen Jiarui, you idiot, don't believe her lies!]
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Su Qiqi hugged Shen Jiarui's neck and shook her head, yelling loudly, hoping to stop Shen Jiarui and Xia Yinfeng from communicating.
Shen Jiarui looked confused, as if he didn't understand why Su Qiqi suddenly became unhappy.
"Is the child wearing too many clothes and feeling uncomfortable? Let's take her to the inner room and take off some of her clothes."
As Xia Yinfeng spoke, he was about to reach out to hug Su Qiqi.
"No, no!" Su Qiqi held Shen Jiarui tightly.
Seeing this, the smile on Xia Yinfeng's face became a little awkward.
At the same time, he felt more disgust and hatred towards Su Qiqi.
"The child is shy and doesn't like being held by others."
Shen Jiarui explained and gently patted Su Qiqi to comfort her.
Xia Yinfeng whispered, “If I had a closer relationship with Second Brother Shen, I’d probably let me hold this little guy.”
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Shen Jiarui seemed to not understand what Xia Yinfeng was trying to express.
Or perhaps, he wanted to hear Xia Yinfeng's requests and thoughts exactly.
Xia Yinfeng sighed softly: "Actually, it doesn't matter whether I want to hold the child or not. The main thing is that I want to be with you..."
“Second brother!”
Shen Mingyue interrupted their conversation.
She walked over quickly, glanced at Xia Yinfeng, and then pulled Shen Jiarui's arm: "I have something to talk to you about, come with me."
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