When the young Crown Prince Xiao Tuan rubbed his sleepy eyes and was carried into the study of Kunning Palace by a palace maid, this was the scene he saw.
His father and mother stood side by side by the window, bathed in the soft morning light, like a divine couple. A gentle smile, almost tender, that he had never seen before lingered on his father's lips.
"Father, Mother..." the little dumpling called out in a childish voice, broke free from the palace maid's arms, and ran over with her short legs.
Lin Wanwan and Xiao Che snapped back to reality. The profound discussion about the "royal division of labor" from the previous night still lingered in their minds, filled with both shock and warmth. Looking at their son running towards them, their eyes held an indescribable complexity and... solemnity.
This is no ordinary crown prince.
This is their Great Xiao Dynasty's future... Chief "Public Sentiment Officer" and "Royal Gourmet"!
"Tuanzi's awake?" Lin Wanwan smiled as she crouched down, hugged the little guy who had jumped into her arms, and kissed his soft cheek. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mmm!" The little dumpling nodded emphatically, then looked up at her with her big eyes full of curiosity, "Mother, why did you look at me like that yesterday?"
Children's thoughts are always simple and direct. He clearly remembered the complex look in his father's and mother's eyes yesterday after returning from General Shen's mansion, a mixture of shock, relief, headache, and a hint of... ecstasy.
It's here!
Lin Wanwan and Xiao Che exchanged a glance, both seeing the same message in each other's eyes—it's time! It's time to hold a unique, secret royal "superpower" handover ceremony for this exceptionally talented Crown Prince!
This matter concerns the foundation of the nation and the future of the Xiao family... The direction of the narrative must not be taken lightly!
Lin Wanwan cleared her throat, picked up the little dumpling and sat it on her lap, and began to speak slowly in a gentle tone as if telling a bedtime story.
"Tuanzi, your mother is asking you, do you... see some very special things that others can't see?"
Xiao Tuan tilted his head, seemingly trying to understand what "special things" meant. He thought for a moment, then nodded seriously: "Yes! Tuanzi can see it!"
"Then," Lin Wanwan coaxed, "what you see, isn't it... all delicious?"
"Yes!" The little dumpling's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had found a kindred spirit, and she couldn't help but start gesturing with her little hands, "Yesterday, there was a bowl of noodles floating on the old man's head! No scallions! The day before yesterday in the imperial kitchen, there was a piece of osmanthus cake floating on Eunuch Wang's head! And there was a candied hawthorn made by his granddaughter floating on Grandpa Li's head!"
He spoke with great enthusiasm, completely unaware that the expressions on his father's and mother's faces had changed from solemn to a... twisted mixture of pride and suppressed laughter.
Just as I expected! This talent is terrifyingly precise!
"Tuanzi is so great!" Lin Wanwan first praised him generously, then leaned closer to her son and lowered her voice as if sharing a huge secret, "I'll tell you, those aren't ordinary things. They have a special name."
"What's your name?" The little dumpling asked, its eyes wide with curiosity.
Lin Wanwan smiled mysteriously and slowly uttered three words: "Gourmet... Elf."
"A food elf?" The little guy's mouth opened into a tiny "o" shape.
“That’s right!” Lin Wanwan began her “science lesson” in a serious tone, “Everyone has a picky food fairy living in their heart. When a person really, really wants to eat something, that food fairy in their heart will quietly pop out from above their head and take the shape of that thing. And our Tuanzi is the only special child in the whole world who can see these cute little fairies!”
This "fairy tale theory" was specially crafted by Lin Wanwan for her four-year-old son after careful consideration last night. It can explain phenomena, is full of fun, and most importantly, lays a solid foundation for the subsequent "confidentiality agreement."
Sure enough, the little dumpling was completely captivated by this story. He felt like a little hero chosen by a fairy in a storybook, his little chest puffed out, and his face was full of pride: "Wow! Only dumpling can see this? Then dumpling is so amazing!"
Seeing her son's smug little face, Lin Wanwan suppressed a laugh and continued, "So, since only Tuanzi can see these shy little elves, shouldn't we keep this secret for them? Right?"
The little dumpling nodded sharply, its face serious: "Yes!"
Seeing that the atmosphere had been set up enough, Xiao Che, who had been silent all along, finally spoke slowly.
The moment he opened his mouth, the atmosphere in the entire study instantly shifted from a heartwarming fairy tale to a solemn court meeting.
He coughed lightly, and then, in the same unyielding, calm, and serious tone he used when discussing national policy with the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, he slowly spoke to his four-year-old son:
"Xiao Tuan (nickname)"
He even called him by his full name.
The little boy trembled at his father's sudden seriousness and instinctively sat up straight, placing his little hands on his knees, just like a primary school student being questioned by a teacher.
Lin Wanwan almost burst out laughing. Using imperial authority to establish rules with a four-year-old—Xiao Che is truly a genius!
"Father...Father Emperor..."
Xiao Che looked at his son with an extremely serious expression, as if what he was about to promulgate was a law that could affect the fate of the nation.
"The 'food spirit' your mother spoke of is a top-secret matter of our Xiao royal family." He spoke each word with utmost clarity. "This matter is known only to Heaven, Earth, you, me, and your mother. No one else can know about it. Do you understand?"
The little dumpling was stunned by the scene and could only subconsciously nod vigorously, "I...I understand!"
Xiao Che's expression didn't relax at all; on the contrary, it became even more serious. He deliberately emphasized, "Especially... the Imperial Kitchen!"
Upon hearing the words "Imperial Kitchen," Lin Wanwan's shoulders began to twitch slightly.
She recalled the pitiful scene a few days earlier when the head chef of the imperial kitchen had stumbled and crawled to Kunning Palace, crying and begging her to take her "little darling" away. That day, His Highness the Crown Prince had only made a brief "inspection," but he had publicly "called out" all the "little gluttons" hidden deep in the hearts of dozens of chefs and maids in the entire imperial kitchen, from the snacks they wanted to steal to the plum juice they wanted to drink.
That day was later sorrowfully referred to by the internal historians of the Imperial Kitchen as "The Disaster Day of the Imperial Kitchen".
“You,” Xiao Che stared at his son, his eyes sharp, “absolutely cannot, in the imperial kitchen, casually mention the ‘food spirits’ you saw. Because those little spirits are extremely timid and will be frightened away. Once they are frightened away, the food in the imperial kitchen will never taste good again. At that time, not only will we have nothing to eat, but everyone in the palace will go hungry because of you! Can you bear the responsibility?!”
These words were half intimidation and half...the truth.
The little dumpling was clearly terrified by the terrible consequence of "going hungry." Her face turned deathly pale, and she shook her head vigorously like a rattle: "No! I don't want to go hungry! I won't say it again! I'll never say it in the imperial kitchen again!"
"Very good." Xiao Che nodded in satisfaction, having completed the promulgation of his "family rules".
As soon as the "red face" was finished, Lin Wanwan immediately took over and began singing the "white face".
She gently patted her son's head and comforted him, "Father isn't scolding you, he's just worried about those little elves. But, although you can't tell just anyone, there is one person you can tell secretly."
"Who is it?" The little dumpling's curiosity was piqued again.
Lin Wanwan pointed to herself and smiled, "You can tell Mother."
She looked into her son's eyes and said in a tone that conveyed a sacred mission, "Tuanzi, would you like to take on the next, our royal family's greatest 'secret mission'?"
"Yes!" the little guy answered without hesitation.
"From now on, whenever you see someone with a 'food spirit' they really want to eat above their head, just quietly tell your mother." Lin Wanwan's voice was full of gentle seduction. "Then, your mother will magically make that 'food spirit' real and deliver it to that person. Just like how we helped Grandpa Shen, letting him eat the bowl of noodles he wanted most. Okay?"
This suggestion not only gave the little guy a chance to show off his skills, but also kept the final decision-making and execution power firmly in his own hands—it was simply perfect!
The little boy seemed to understand, but he caught the last sentence. He nodded vigorously, a bright smile returning to his face: "Okay! Just like helping Grandpa Chen! This is Tuanzi and Mother's secret mission!"
"What about Father?" Xiao Che interjected from the side, slightly dissatisfied.
Lin Wanwan glanced at him with a smile: "Father's secret mission is to keep it a secret!"
So, in the morning light, the Emperor extended his noble hand and solemnly made a pinky promise with the Crown Prince's chubby little hand.
"Pinky promise, hang yourself, for a hundred years, no take-backs!"
The innocent voice of a child intertwined with the deep promise.
Looking at the serious, even somewhat comical, scene of the "royal secret handover," Lin Wanwan's heart was completely filled with an unprecedented and immense sense of satisfaction and happiness.
There was a time when she relied heavily on her ability to see Xiao Che's facial expressions, regarding it as her only support and advantage in this deep palace. She needed to "see" to guess, to speculate, and to cater to him.
But now, everything is different.
She no longer needed any external aids to probe her husband's thoughts. Because he had learned to be completely honest with her, revealing everything about himself in the most direct way.
At this moment, she has become the "sole designated translator" and "chief executive officer" for this wonderful "talent" between her husband and son.
This feeling of being completely trusted and relied upon made her feel incredibly safe and secure.
This gave her more peace of mind than any magic weapon.
Lin Wanwan looked at Xiao Che, at his profile as he made a pinky promise with his son, his face feigning seriousness yet his eyes filled with a smile, and a feeling of absolute certainty rose in her heart.
Yes, she no longer needs any "assistance".
She was absolutely certain of this.
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