Jiang Jiuniang found the Empress behind a small tree. The Empress was hiding behind the tree like a thief, watching her little third son with wrinkles showing from worry.
"Your Majesty!"
Jiang Jiuniang quietly stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder.
"Oh my! You scared me to death!"
The Empress was terrified, but even so, she didn't raise her voice too loudly, for fear of being discovered by the youngest son who was playing with crickets nearby.
"Jiu Niang, what brings you here?"
The Empress was naturally delighted to see her, and carefully pulled her close to hide with her, while keeping her eyes fixed on her son not far away.
"I was bored after eating and wanted to chat with you, but the palace servants said you were here, so I came looking for you. Why didn't you go over? Wasn't it quite lively at the little prince's place?"
Jiang Jiuniang hadn't had much contact with this little prince and didn't know he was a little devil, so she naturally didn't understand why the Empress had such a headache over this little troublemaker.
The Empress rarely had the chance to chat with anyone. Before, when Jiang Jiuniang came to the palace, she talked all day but didn't mention her own little third son. Now that it was brought up, she naturally talked non-stop and told all her troubles.
"Tsk tsk, I never would have guessed that this little prince would be so mischievous."
The Empress was on the verge of tears: "Who says otherwise! Such a well-behaved child when he was little, but he's never been normal since he learned to walk!"
Jiang Jiuniang smiled meaningfully: "There are ways to teach naughty kids. I just happen to be bored, so how about I show you?"
The Empress was eager to have Jiang Jiuniang help her take care of her children, and since it was Jiang Jiuniang who brought it up herself, she naturally nodded vigorously.
"That would be great, go quickly!"
The Empress was so excited that she even pushed Jiang Jiuniang.
Jiang Jiuniang swaggered over.
The Empress originally thought that with Jiang Jiuniang's temper, she would definitely beat up such a naughty child as soon as she caught him. Unexpectedly, Jiang Jiuniang walked over, squeezed into the crowd, and squatted down.
Upon seeing Jiang Jiuniang, the young prince asked with some displeasure, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
This person was not dressed as a palace maid. In the harem, there was only his mother as the mistress. When such a beautiful woman suddenly appeared, he immediately became wary, feeling that this person wanted to take his father away from him.
Although he was young, he always knew that the court officials were pressuring his father to choose a concubine. Although his father had always refused, there were definitely many women with ulterior motives who wanted to enter the palace.
"I am a friend of your mother. She asked me to come and play with crickets with you."
When the little one was very young, Jiang Jiuniang went on a trip, so it's normal that she doesn't know her.
"My mother's friend, are you Aunt Jiu Niang?"
The little guy raised an eyebrow. Although he didn't know Jiang Jiuniang, he had heard his mother mention her since he was a child, so he naturally knew the name.
The little guy could recognize her just by the word "friend," which meant that the Empress had often mentioned her to him. Jiang Jiuniang was quite happy and nodded, saying, "Yes, I went out to travel for a long time. You were so young when I left, and I thought of coming to see you after I came back."
As she spoke, she reached into her pocket, took out a small box, and handed it to him: "This is a gift I brought for you. Open it and see if you like it."
The little guy was very interested in the box. Forgetting about the crickets that were fighting, he took the box with both hands, opened it, and after seeing what was inside, his voice was full of excitement: "It's a cricket! A really big cricket!"
Those are his two big men, and they look like they're very capable fighters.
Jiang Jiuniang smiled and ruffled his hair: "Yes, your mother said you really like cricket fighting, so I found you this Cricket King, who is invincible against all crickets. How about we give it a try?"
The little guy didn't rush to agree, but instead asked with a disbelieving look, "Doesn't Mother hate it when I play with crickets? Why would she tell you I like crickets?"
The Empress, of course, had no objection; she had simply pulled this thing out of her spatial storage.
But now she says the Empress said it, so the Empress said it!
"You are the little darling that your mother risked her life to give birth to. How could your mother bear not to let you play? She is just worried that you will become obsessed with playing and neglect your studies, so she acts very serious in front of you. In fact, when she wrote to me before, she was worried about where to find a powerful big cricket for you, which is why I brought you this gift!"
Jiang Jiuniang could come up with lies to deceive children without hesitation.
"Really? Does Mother really like me?"
The little guy still didn't believe it. His mother was such a gentle person who would never hit his older brothers and sisters, but she often hit him. He was naughty by nature and always felt that his mother didn't like him.
"How could I not like you? You don't know, when you were born, your mother had a difficult childbirth. I had to cut a huge gash in her stomach with a knife to pull you out. She almost died because of it. She loved you with her own life. How could I not like you?"
"If you don't believe me, you can quietly ask the little palace maid who serves your mother if your mother has a long scar on her stomach."
For Jiang Jiuniang, dealing with those little brats at the KTV was a piece of cake.
The little guy couldn't believe it. If you cut open someone's stomach, could that person still live?
I always felt that the beautiful woman in front of me was deceiving me.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't care what he thought and continued, "If I really didn't like you, I would have kicked you out of the palace and made you a little beggar long ago. How could I send so many people to take care of you and play with crickets with you? Oh well, you wouldn't believe me anyway. But I heard from your mother that you are very good at cricket fighting. How about we have a competition?"
"Did Mother say I'm capable?"
The little guy couldn't believe it even more. His mother always said that he only knew how to fight crickets, and that he would be chased and impeached by the ministers in the future.
"Hey, do you even dare to play with me? Why are you acting so silly? You don't seem very capable at all. Could it be that Her Majesty the Empress is lying to me?"
Jiang Jiuniang was somewhat impatient and even quite skeptical, feeling that the Empress was just bragging to her.
The Empress, who was hiding behind the tree, was speechless many times. Several times she wanted to go out and refute, but fortunately she was pulled back by the little palace maids beside her. Only then did she calm down and want to see what Jiang Jiuniang was up to.
The young prince was unaware that the Empress was watching him from a short distance away. Instead, he was provoked by Jiang Jiuniang's goading and shouted, "My mother didn't lie to you! I am very powerful! My Chasing Wind skill is super powerful!"
"Oh, your cricket is called 'Wind Chaser'? What a coincidence! Mine is called 'Mad Horse,' it'll definitely beat your Wind Chaser, believe it or not?"
She was holding the large cricket she had just given to the young prince, so he could see its power.
The young prince looked at the cricket in her hand, which was twice the size of his own, and felt a little unsure of himself. But remembering his mother's praise of his prowess, he instantly regained his confidence, puffed out his chest, and declared, "I don't believe it! My Chasing Wind is definitely more powerful than your Crazy Horse!"
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