After Ling Ku and Qin Ke'er's wedding, the entire Dayu region returned to quiet.
Time flies, and three springs, summers, autumns, and winters have passed in the blink of an eye.
With the world unified, the people lived in peace and prosperity. There were almost no refugees or bandits, and people did not lock their courtyards at night. A true period of peace and tranquility began.
Zhaoning Palace.
"Your Highness, please walk slowly and be careful not to fall."
As Ling Mama's voice rang out, Jiang Yu secretly smiled inside the room. Three years had not brought any changes to Jiang Yu; she still looked radiant and even younger than before.
"I don't know who Achen took after, he's always full of energy. Ever since he learned to crawl, he's never been still for a moment except when he's sleeping or drinking milk."
Gu Lin grumbled from the side. Gu Lin still had a full head of white hair, but the three years of peace seemed to have lessened the chill around him, like a beast that had sheathed its sharp teeth.
“Anyway, he didn’t take after me,” Jiang Yu said preemptively. “I was a very well-behaved child when I was little.”
“Then it must be like…” Gu Lin’s words were interrupted by Jiang Yu’s voice again, “It’s not like my brother either. My brother was very well-behaved when he was young, and he even helped our parents take care of me.”
Gu Lin couldn't help but darken his eyes. It was strange, but this kid was practically a carbon copy of Jiang He. Every time A Yu saw him, she would soften and say that Jiang He had suffered too much when he was young, and they couldn't let A Chen suffer.
Even Jiang He and Bai Qian looked at this kid like he was their own eyes.
Jiang He is the son of a marquis; what hardship could he possibly endure?!
As Gu Lin's resentment intensified, Gu Qingchen was taking his short legs towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Your Highness, may this old servant carry you?"
Gu Qingchen shook his head, looking so adorable that one couldn't help but want to pick him up and kiss him. Despite being a prince of noble status, his temper was exceptionally good except when he was in front of the Emperor Emeritus.
"Brother, brother!"
Gu Qingchen pointed in the direction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and quickened his pace.
"Your Highness is on your way to see the Emperor. Well, Your Highness, please take care."
Before the man arrived, his voice preceded him. Yingzhi smiled as soon as he heard the voice; he truly adored this endearing young prince.
"This servant greets Your Highness. The Emperor is inside."
Gu Qingchen looked at the high threshold of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, tilted his head to look at Yingzhi, and after thinking for a moment, stretched out his hands towards Yingzhi.
Yingzhi immediately picked up Gu Qingchen and happily walked into the house.
Outside, Granny Ling stamped her foot in frustration. She should have been quicker; she would have been the one holding the little prince then.
Ask anyone in the entire palace, except for the Emperor Emeritus, who wouldn't love holding the little prince?
......
Inside the hall.
Gu Qingyan was discussing matters with important officials. Normally, one would need to announce their presence before entering the palace in such a situation. However, Gu Qingyan had previously decreed that Gu Qingchen would not need to announce his presence before entering the Taihe Hall.
"Your Majesty, the Prince has arrived."
As soon as Yingzhi finished speaking, a childish voice rang out, "Brother, I miss you, brother!"
These words instantly captivated Gu Qingyan, who quickly stood up and took Gu Qingchen from him. "I just saw you this morning, brother. You've already missed me again. You don't mean you want me to take you out to play, do you?"
Seemingly having her little scheme exposed, Gu Qingchen nestled her face against Gu Qingyan's chest, a sight that amused the high-ranking officials, especially Jiang He.
"Does Your Highness not miss your uncle?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Gu Qingchen's little ears twitched, and he raised his head, "Uncle!"
"think!"
Jiang He immediately smiled and his eyes narrowed. The people around him saw this and thought, "Well, this matter can't be discussed anymore." They made an excuse and left the Taihe Hall. Gu Qingyan then carried Gu Qingchen outside the hall.
“Those people were forcing the Emperor to collect taxes!” Jiang He said softly. “It was only thanks to the Prince’s timely arrival that they stopped.”
"I would rather have less money in the national treasury than collect an extra tael of silver from the people." Gu Qingyan's smile faded slightly. "They want to build fortifications, so naturally they want more money in the national treasury."
The construction of fortifications was also for the benefit of Dayu; it was just that it differed from Gu Qingyan's ideas, and it was not a mistake.
Therefore, Gu Qingyan was unwilling to argue with these people.
"Brother, fly high."
Gu Qingchen tugged at Gu Qingyan's sleeve, and Gu Qingyan immediately forgot all his worries, picked up Gu Qingchen and lifted him high in the air, making Gu Qingchen shout excitedly.
"This little guy is quite brave." Jiang He laughed out loud. "It's a good thing for a man to be brave. Once you're old enough to learn martial arts, your father will teach you every day. Then you can go to the battlefield and make a name for yourself!"
"Father would never be willing to teach."
Gu Qingyan's lips twitched. His father always only cared about spending time alone with his mother. Sure enough, Achen didn't like his father either.
"It's strange," Jiang He said with a mischievous grin, "The young prince never smiles whenever the Emperor Emeritus holds him, not since he was a child."
"This shows that A-Chen is smart."
......
In the evening, Gu Qingyan brought Gu Qingchen to Zhaoning Palace for dinner. The family enjoyed their meal together happily, and then Gu Qingyan left Zhaoning Palace.
"Achen, you play with your father for a while. Your mother and your sister Azhi have something to say."
Just then, Pei Zhi came looking for Jiang Yu, and Gu Qingchen and Gu Lin looked at each other in confusion. Gu Qingchen then lowered his head and played with his doll.
"Hey kid, let's go out and play."
Gu Lin picked up Gu Qingchen, who started squirming uncomfortably. Gu Lin slapped his bottom without hesitation and said, "If you don't behave, I won't take you out."
Gu Lin took Gu Qingchen directly out of the palace. There were so many novel things outside the palace that Gu Qingchen's small eyes couldn't take it all in.
"want to?"
Seeing Gu Qingchen staring intently at the candied hawthorns, Gu Lin slowly spoke up. Seeing Gu Qingchen nod her head modestly, Gu Lin offered his face, "Give me a kiss and I'll buy it for you."
For some reason, Ling Hai, who was hiding in the shadows, saw a look of shock on the face of a three-year-old toddler.
Tempted by the candied hawthorn, Gu Qingchen kissed Gu Lin's cheek and then happily got his desired candied hawthorn.
Gu Lin was in a great mood and took Gu Qingchen to buy a lot of things. Gu Qingchen was so happy that her short legs were dangling in the air and swinging back and forth.
"You brat, you always look at me like a mouse looks at a cat."
Gu Lin reached out and gently pinched Gu Qingchen's nose. After walking around for an hour, Gu Qingchen was already so sleepy that she fell asleep on Gu Lin's shoulder.
Feeling the warmth in his arms, Gu Lin's heart softened. This kid was very clever and would be a great help to A Yan.
"Let's go, let's take Ah Chen back to sleep."
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