Hearing Xiao Che's praise, Lin Wanwan's eyebrows curved into a smile, and the smile on her lips was like honey spreading.
This feeling of being able to communicate without words, with just a subtle gesture, was more intoxicating to her than any cheat code.
“Your Majesty flatters me,” she said, feigning modesty. “It was mainly because Your Majesty’s ‘signal’ was given in a timely manner.”
Xiao Che snorted softly, his face still bearing that arrogant expression of "I am so pleased with myself," but he unconsciously tightened his grip on Lin Wanwan's hand.
He liked this feeling.
This feeling... it's as if his queen could drill into his mind, precisely extract all his hidden thoughts, and execute them perfectly.
very nice.
This is much more reliable than any of those ridiculous "emojis".
...
Time flies, and life is peaceful.
Before they knew it, it was the fifth birthday of Crown Prince Xiao Tuan.
As the only legitimate son of the Emperor and Empress, and the future heir apparent, His Highness the Crown Prince's birthday should have been a grand and celebrated occasion for the entire nation.
However, Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan rejected all the ministers' requests to hold a grand palace banquet, and instead held a small family banquet in Kunning Palace.
There were no outsiders, no officials, and even the palace servants who were supposed to be there were dismissed.
In the large, warm room, there were only the three of them.
On the table were several exquisite side dishes, all the result of Lin Wanwan's afternoon of research and preparation in the small kitchen. In the very center was an adorable birthday cake shaped like a tiger—a small surprise that Lin Wanwan, the "time-traveling" empress, had brought to this era.
"Wow! It's a tiger!" The little dumpling clapped her hands excitedly as she looked at the lifelike cake, her phoenix eyes, which resembled Xiao Che's, sparkling with a bright light.
“Our little dumpling has grown another year older!” Lin Wanwan smiled and patted her son’s head, her eyes full of affection. “Come on, make a wish, and then we’ll blow out the candles.”
Five small candles, their warm glow dancing in the candlelight, illuminated the little birthday boy's exquisitely beautiful face.
The little dumpling obediently closed its eyes, clasped its hands together, and moved its little mouth slightly, its face full of piety.
Lin Wanwan and Xiao Che exchanged a smile and quietly watched him.
Lin Wanwan secretly guessed that, given her son's "foodie" nature, his wish would most likely be related to food. Perhaps he wanted to eat a new dish he had never seen before, or maybe he hoped that Grandpa Li from the Imperial Kitchen could make the "rainbow pudding" he had dreamed of.
Xiao Che, standing to the side, clearly thought the same thing. He looked at his son with a knowing smile in his eyes, as if he had already used his powerful imperial logic to deduce what the "dish" floating above his son's head was.
A moment later, the little dumpling finished making its wish and opened its bright, sparkling eyes.
"What did Tuanzi wish for? Can you tell Mother?" Lin Wanwan asked softly.
"Okay!" The little boy nodded vigorously. Then, instead of rattling off a long list of dishes as Lin Wanwan had expected, he turned to Xiao Che with eyes full of admiration and said loudly in an expectant tone:
"I wish to hear my father tell me... a story about fighting bad guys on the border!"
Um?
Lin Wanwan was stunned.
Xiao Che was also stunned.
Neither the couple expected that their little foodie's fifth birthday wish would be... not to eat?
Looking into his son's bright eyes, filled with affection for his child, Xiao Che's heart was instantly filled with an indescribable sense of immense pride as a father.
He cleared his throat, and his usually cold and stern imperial face was now incredibly gentle.
He nodded solemnly to his son, his voice low and gentle: "Yes, Father, I promise you."
...
After the family banquet, Xiao Che refused the palace servants' offer to help and personally carried the sleepy little dumpling towards his bedroom.
Lin Wanwan followed behind them, watching the tall and petite father and son's backs, the smile on her lips never fading.
Upon arriving at the bedchamber, Xiao Che gently placed his son on the soft dragon bed and covered him with a brocade quilt.
Although the little dumpling's eyelids were already drooping, he still forced himself to stay awake, tugging at his father's sleeve, unwilling to let him leave.
"Father... the story..."
“Father hasn’t forgotten.” Xiao Che chuckled, then sat down by the bed and pulled his son’s small body closer to his chest.
He paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
Lin Wanwan didn't go in to disturb them. She simply leaned against the carved door of the bedroom and quietly watched the father and son inside.
The soft lamplight cast a warm glow on Xiao Che's handsome profile, highlighting his well-defined features.
All that could be heard was his usually cool and deep voice, which now spoke slowly in an extremely gentle tone, with a hint of... barely perceptible boastfulness.
“That year, your father… was still a very low-key person.” His first words almost made Lin Wanwan outside the door burst out laughing.
Low-key? I wonder who it was back then, with a cold face and a sign above their head that read, "Small scene, don't mention it."
"To understand the people's conditions, your father and mother disguised themselves..." Xiao Che's voice sang softly, "We pretended to be a wealthy merchant couple from Jiangnan, and along the way, we witnessed many local customs and traditions..."
He spoke patiently, embellishing his thrilling incognito visit into a fascinating adventure. He glossed over the dangers and schemes involved, focusing instead on the scenery of Jiangnan and the "minor troubles" he had "easily" resolved.
The little dumpling nestled in its father's arms, listening intently, its drowsiness largely dissipated.
Lin Wanwan leaned against the door, listening quietly.
The lights flickered, and life was peaceful.
Listening to Xiao Che's deep voice recounting their shared past, Lin Wanwan felt a wave of tenderness wash over her.
She felt as if she had returned to many years ago, to when she first entered the palace and had to rely on "reading pictures" to barely survive. Back then, she never imagined that one day she would have such a lovely child with this capricious emperor, and be able to sit together so peacefully, reminiscing about the past.
That's great...
Just then, Xiao Che's story reached its most exciting part.
"...At that time, those corrupt officers hid all the evidence of their embezzlement in the granary. My father, in a flash of inspiration, came up with a brilliant plan to 'feint to the east while attacking in the west'..."
He spoke with such vividness that he seemed to be the strategist and peerless hero from the storybook.
"...Under the cover of night, Father Emperor sneaked in and set fire to their granary with just a small tinderbox! As soon as the fire started, everyone panicked, and Father Emperor took the opportunity to obtain all the evidence and bring all the bad guys to justice!"
He omitted the part about colluding with the general from within, and "inadvertently" claimed all the credit for himself.
"Wow--!"
The little dumpling in his arms listened with shining eyes, clapping his hands and exclaiming in heartfelt praise, "Father is so amazing! He's exactly like the 'Hero Xiao' from the storybooks!"
Xiao Che was clearly delighted to be so openly admired by his son.
Although he maintained a calm expression, he couldn't help but let out a very slight but proud "humph" from his nose.
It's that one instant!
Without any warning!
Lin Wanwan, who was leaning against the door, felt a moment of dizziness.
She subconsciously looked at the top of Xiao Che's head—the place that had been blank for a very long time.
Then, her breath hitched!
On that blank, pixelated image of a familiar animated emoticon flashed by... in an instant!
It was a tiny figure, standing smugly with its hands on its hips, chin held high, and above its head, a line of small, flashing text:
[My son is so clever, just like me! .jpg]
With a loud "boom!"
In Lin Wanwan's mind, it was as if a thousand fireworks exploded at the same time!
It...it's back?!
This sudden turn of events left her frozen in place, forgetting even to breathe.
Those emojis appeared quickly and disappeared just as quickly.
Almost in the blink of an eye, she vanished without a trace.
So fast, it was as if... it was just a hallucination of hers.
Lin Wanwan blinked sharply, almost using all her strength, and stared intently at the top of Xiao Che's head once again.
The place was once again empty.
Quiet, silent, nothing at all.
She stood frozen in place, her heart still pounding uncontrollably.
Was that... real?
Or is it...?
Was she so happy and relaxed that... her eyes were playing tricks on her?
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