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The Empress remained silent, and the Emperor, thinking she was pleased, instructed Qing Ying to prepare breakfast.

In the Imperial Family, etiquette was highly valued. Chuwei ate the meal before her with extreme caution, embodying the principle of "eat in silence."

She wasn’t interested in the conversation between the Emperor and the Crown Prince. She was only interested in the crystal buns and red bean rolls on the table.

Unfortunately, they were a bit far away, and she would need to stand up to reach them.

The Crown Prince was discussing important matters with the Emperor, so it was inappropriate for her to interrupt.

Seeing Chuwei continuously eating her meal and looking at the crystal bun in front of her, the Empress picked one up and placed it in Chuwei’s bowl.

"Crown Princess, this is the crystal bun you like, try it."

"Thank you, Mother." Chuwei, who had been craving it, eagerly picked up the crystal bun from her bowl, took a bite, and savored the rich broth. It was delicious.

Seeing this, the Emperor coughed lightly to hint that the Empress should pick up a crystal bun for him too.

The Empress didn’t even lift her head, elegantly sipping the porridge from her bowl.

After waiting a while and seeing no response from the Empress, the Emperor felt slightly displeased but refrained from making a scene in front of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

After breakfast, the group of four headed to the Crown Prince’s Hehuan Hall.

By then, Susu had already woken up, and after being well-fed, he lay in bed playing with his brother’s feet.

His chubby little hands grabbed at the toes while his serious little eyes, like a little scholar, studied something profound.

Xuetuan nimbly jumped onto the railing of the small bed from the couch and then gracefully into the bed itself.

Yuan Gungun watched Xuetuan jump into the bed, wishing he could climb like Xuetuan and join Taotao and Susu on the bed.

Susu, who was playing with the feet, laughed joyously upon seeing Xuetuan, stretching out his little hand towards the cat.

"Yiyiya." His five little fingers reached out as if to grab something, likely trying to catch Xuetuan.

Xuetuan looked at the little master, walking elegantly over. As soon as he came close, the little master grabbed and hugged his neck.

Susu’s enthusiastic gesture took Xuetuan by surprise; usually, Susu just grabbed feet or tails and dragged him around.

"Meow," Xuetuan expressed his happiness, rubbing his head against Susu’s hand.

When the Empress and Emperor entered, they were startled by the scene they saw.

The Emperor bent down to pick up Susu, and the Empress also picked up Taotao.

The Emperor, comforting Susu, asked sternly, "Who let the cat in? Get the cat out quickly. What if it hurts Susu?"

Hearing this, the wet nurses came in and knelt down.

Chuwei, seeing Xuetuan’s bewildered expression as he looked at the Emperor and Susu, picked him up and explained, "Father, Xuetuan is very well-behaved and won’t hurt Susu."

The Emperor was not convinced and glared at the cat in Chuwei’s arms, "Cats may look obedient, but what if it goes crazy and scratches Susu? Then it will be too late for regrets."

Susu, looking at Xuetuan, reached out to grab him, "Yiyi..."

The Emperor cooed, "Susu, that’s a cat. It can scratch you. Let’s not play with it."

Susu pouted and continued reaching for Xuetuan.

Xiao Jinyan said, "Father, Xuetuan is spiritually sentient and is different from ordinary cats. Those who can get close to Xuetuan won’t be attacked by him."

The Emperor glanced skeptically at Xuetuan in Chuwei’s arms, "Really?"

Xiao Jinyan nodded, "Father, it’s absolutely true. Xuetuan is very protective of his owners."

Even with the Crown Prince’s assurance, the Emperor was still uneasy, "Still, be careful. Susu is so small, it would be terrible if he got hurt."

Xiao Jinyan bowed his head in agreement, "What you said is correct, Father."

Chuwei, holding Xuetuan, walked over to the couch and set him down to let him play on his own.

Susu, with his lovely big eyes, kept watching Xuetuan, his little hands intermittently reaching out to him.

Watching Susu’s actions, the Emperor couldn’t help but laugh, "Susu, would you like to go out for a walk with Grandpa Emperor?"

Susu didn’t understand the Emperor’s words but seeing the Emperor speaking to him, he smiled happily.

Seeing this, the Emperor laughed out loud, "Grandpa Emperor will take you out."

With that, he carried Susu out of the room.

The Empress, holding Taotao, observed the Emperor’s actions and realized he truly adored his granddaughter—no wonder he wanted her to have a princess.

But then again, with so many sons and not a single daughter, it’s no wonder he favored his granddaughter more.

She looked down at Taotao in her arms, who had just woken up, saw the Empress, and smiled.