She was probably very sleepy; her eyes were still tightly closed, and she was crying very sadly with her mouth wide open.
Su Wanwan stared at the little boy with red eyes, stunned and frozen in place.
She quickly went over, picked up the little boy, helped him urinate, and then gently patted him in her arms.
His movements were fluid and graceful.
Having personally cared for Xu Bangrui, she is quite skilled at raising children.
The little boy didn't open his eyes.
The chubby little hands gripped her clothes, its little mouth pursed, and its fluffy little head burrowed into her arms before falling asleep again.
Her little face was a bit chapped, probably from crying too much lately. Even when she was asleep, the corners of her mouth drooped down, making her look like she was about to cry at any moment.
That feeling of being wronged was truly heartbreaking.
With a changed living environment and a completely different caregiver, how could such a young child not feel panicked and frightened?
Su Wanwan's heart was breaking.
Once the little boy was asleep again, she put him back on the bed and covered him with the blanket again.
Su Nan watched all of this quietly, without saying a word.
A kind smile flickered in his eyes.
After a long silence, Su Wanwan asked, "Xiao Bin..."
“He went to Jiangnan,” Su Nan said succinctly.
Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.
Jiangnan is the tax center; half of the taxes of the Great Liang Dynasty come from Jiangnan.
On the eve of this decisive battle over grain prices, the Jiangnan region was the epicenter of the conflict.
However, she has absolutely no say in these matters now.
Her gaze lingered on the sleeping child, unable to look away for a long time.
Her slender fingers reached forward, wanting to hold the child's chubby little hand.
However.
Just as she was about to touch the little hand, her fingertips froze, unable to move forward an inch.
It's easy to indulge your emotions.
But she was afraid that once she held that little hand, she would never be able to let go.
But now, she can't even protect herself, so how can she protect others?
The room fell silent again.
Su Nan said, "I have already submitted my resignation and will return to Luoyang with my family."
Su Wanwan didn't say anything, she just lowered her eyes.
After a long while, he wiped the moisture off his face and uttered a single word in a low voice:
"Um."
There is a short story in the "Strategies of the Warring States" about Chu Long persuading the Queen Dowager of Zhao.
One sentence suddenly came to mind:
Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.
When Su Nan initially planned to match her with Xiao Bin, it was actually to help her choose a much easier path in life.
After Su Wanwan became empress, Su Nan did not think about pleasing her or the emperor in order to gain more wealth and power.
Instead, they protected her vulnerability and kept her away from the treacherous power center of the capital.
How could her father not love her?
How could she not be a daughter of the Su family?
His silence was a wake-up call.
His care and affection were hidden beneath his indifferent words and actions.
Su Nan did not leave his study during lunch.
Su Wanwan sat at a table with her stepmother, Yang, her younger brother, Su Chengsi, and her cousin, Su Wanying.
Su Chengsi quietly asked Su Wanwan, "Sister, have you seen your brother? He has a bent little finger, just like me."
He was still very curious about his illegitimate younger brother, whom his father had suddenly brought home.
However, his father did not let him see him often, but instead kept him in the study and took care of him personally, without asking anyone else to help him.
To be honest, he was a little jealous.
The mother was consumed by jealousy and cried several times, saying that the father was too biased.
She ignored both her sister and him, but treated this illegitimate child like a treasure.
That's just too much.
Su Wanying added with a smile, "My second uncle and sister's little fingers are also bent. They really are a family."
Su Wanying's little finger is not bent.
Yang Shi somewhat reservedly ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Su Wanwan, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't mind their lack of manners."
Su Wanwan pulled Yang Shi to sit down: "Mother, don't be so polite. We're all family, and we're blood relatives."
Yang paused, then looked at Su Wanwan with a complicated expression.
Yang and Su Wanwan are not related by blood, but their son Chengsi and Wanwan are siblings.
Similarly, her husband's illegitimate son is also Wanwan's younger brother.
Su Wanwan's simple sentence was full of profound meaning.
It seems they're implying they want her to accept the illegitimate child.
Madam Yang knew that in wealthy families, being kind and magnanimous was an essential virtue for the principal wife.
Which family doesn't have a few concubines or maids?
However, after so many years of her husband's chastity, the sudden appearance of a mistress caught her completely off guard.
That's what makes it awkward.
Fortunately, the illegitimate daughter has passed away, and now there are only more children.
In scholarly families, a child's future depends on their own efforts in taking the imperial examinations.
Unlike noble families, they don't fight tooth and nail for a hereditary position.
Yang wouldn't be so intolerant of people.
She replied awkwardly, "Your Majesty is right."
This is a statement that they accept the illegitimate child.
Su Wanwan's expression softened slightly, and she personally ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Yang Shi:
"My mother still needs to take care of things at home, so she needs to take good care of herself."
After all, Madam Yang was the head of the household. If she really couldn't tolerate that child, then it would be impossible to prevent.
A kind and polite remark put Ms. Yang at ease, and her smile became more genuine.
She felt quite honored to receive the approval of this noble stepdaughter.
After dinner, Su Wanwan chatted for a while, asking Wanying what she had been busy with lately, how Chengsi's studies were going, and what books he was reading.
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