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Xiao Jinyan saw the Empress arrive and stepped forward to greet her, "Mother Empress."

The Empress, not having spotted the dog Emperor, was still somewhat uneasy, "Your father the Emperor didn’t follow you here, did he?"

Xiao Jinyan replied, "Mother Empress, Father Emperor doesn’t know you’re here."

The Empress then breathed a sigh of relief; as long as the dog Emperor wasn’t here, all was well.

Xiao Jinyan, noticing the man beside the Empress, asked with curiosity, "Mother Empress, who is this?"

The Empress lifted her head to glance at Ye Chu, "This is a friend of this palace, you can call him Uncle Ye."

Xiao Jinyan, out of politeness, called out, "Uncle Ye."

"Hmm," Ye Chu stared at Xiao Jinyan, his eyes flashing with a hint of doubt.

When they were alone, the Empress couldn’t help asking the Crown Prince, "Was your father the Emperor very angry?"

"Mother Empress, Father Emperor, although angry, is still very worried about you. He fears you are suffering outside and has already missed court for two days running," Xiao Jinyan stated truthfully.

The Empress was skeptical upon hearing this; could the dog Emperor actually miss court for two days?

In fact, what she really wanted to ask was whether the dog Emperor had been resting at He Jiayu’s place these past few days; after all, He Jiayu was the most favored woman following Concubine Ning.

The Empress opened her mouth but didn’t ask in the end.

She knew all too well what the dog Emperor was like while she was in the palace, didn’t she?

Without asking further, the Empress resumed sword practice with Ye Chu.

She found that practicing swords during the day improved her sleep at night; she’d fall asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.

At dinner, Ye Chu served vegetables to Chang Wenling, "Aling, this is the partridge crystal intestine you like to eat."

The Empress hadn’t eaten partridge crystal intestine for a long time and couldn’t wait to pick it up and place it in her mouth; it tasted just the same as before.

Xiao Jinyan watched the interaction between his mother the Empress and Uncle Ye across the table, his eyes flashing with confusion; this Uncle Ye seemed somewhat familiar.

What puzzled him even more was the relationship between Uncle Ye and his mother the Empress.

Later, back in his room,

Xiao Jinyan asked, "Xiao Jiu, do you know what the relationship is between that Uncle Ye and Mother Empress, besides friends?"

"This residence was a gift to the Empress from Uncle Ye, and, I heard, he arranged for everything inside as well. It seems they’re friends who have known each other since childhood and have a very close relationship."

When the Empress and Uncle Ye chatted, they did not avoid her, so she naturally overheard.

Xiao Jinyan’s eyes were filled with doubts; since when did Mother Empress have such a good friend?

Just as Xiao Jinyan was feeling puzzled, his finger was caught by a soft little hand. Looking down, he saw Susu grabbing his finger and trying to put it in her mouth, confirming once again that his daughter, having grown up, was a foodie who wanted to put everything in her mouth.

Shen Chuwei looked at her little one, half her body outside again, and said helplessly, "Susu is too active. She was just inside the bedding, and now she’s out again, wriggling her body."

Xiao Jinyan bent down to pick up his daughter, and Susu smiled happily with a mouth wide open, grabbing onto his shoulder hair and not letting go.

"Is she not full?"

Shen Chuwei replied, "Susu eats twice as much as her brother in a day, how could she possibly not be full?"

"Then she must be full, and can’t keep her mouth idle," Xiao Jinyan said, looking down at her with tender eyes, "Just like you."

Shen Chuwei retorted, "Your concubine is not idle all day long."

Xiao Jinyan chuckled, "Because at other times, you are sleeping, and so is Susu."

Chuwei had no counterargument for a moment, but upon reflection, it seemed to be true—

"Your Highness is unaware, but being able to eat is a blessing. Susu is a blessed child."

Xiao Jinyan nodded in agreement, "Mhm."

Shen Chuwei tugged at Xiao Jinyan’s sleeve and when he looked over, she turned around in front of him, her eyes full of expectation as she asked, "Your Highness, do you see that your concubine has slimmed down?"

Xiao Jinyan’s phoenix eyes surveyed Shen Chuwei. She was wearing an aquamarine cotton garment that was quite loose, yet it looked good on her.

"You’re wearing a cotton garment, how could I tell?"

Chuwei looked down and noticed the oversized clothes wrapped around her body; indeed, it was hard to tell.

"Your concubine feels like she has lost weight," she insinuated madly, signaling it was time for him to buy her delicious food.

"Is that so?" Xiao Jinyan sized her up anew, his eyes revealing an ambiguous shallow smile, "Tonight, I’ll take a closer look."

"Your concubine wouldn’t deceive Your Highness. I truly have slimmed down. Haven’t you noticed that my clothes have gotten looser?" Shen Chuwei tugged at the clothing at her waist, and it was obviously much looser.

Xiao Jinyan watched Chuwei’s actions, holding back a laugh, said, "I’ll have to take a good look later to know."