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Shen Chuwei obediently uttered a soft "Okay."

"Still hoping to find an ideal husband to marry? Or have you been harboring this idea from the beginning?" Xiao Jinyan remembered how she had refused to sleep with him at first, definitely having this in mind.

Shen Chuwei replied, "Concubine wouldn’t dare. After all, it’s something to think about only after leaving the palace, isn’t concubine still here?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinyan’s face turned shades of angry green, sure enough she had been plotting this all along.

Thinking of Concubine Xu, who had been distraught about the man in black leaving Daxia, there must be something between them.

Looking at Shen Chuwei, he felt fortunate that he had been alert from the beginning and took his chance. If he had delayed, who knows who might have whisked her away.

Shen Chuwei said helplessly, "I was originally meant to leave the palace, who would have thought I’d be stopped halfway by Your Highness? But it’s fine, it doesn’t stop me from continuing to freeload."

Xiao Jinyan: "..."

Shen Chuwei continued, "It’s understandable for the Empress to be unhappy with Father having so many women. If Father and Your Highness were as chaste as me, I’m sure their marriage would be in perfect harmony."

Xiao Jinyan said, "The Emperor has his own concerns and considerations. If he opened up to the Empress, perhaps their relationship would improve."

Shen Chuwei snorted, "No matter the Emperor’s difficulties, he has still caused the Empress sorrow."

Xiao Jinyan remained noncommittal.

Then Shen Chuwei added, "Your Highness must not follow the Emperor’s example."

Xiao Jinyan couldn’t help but emphasize, "I am different from the Emperor."

Only then did Shen Chuwei reveal a satisfied smile.

Today was a good day; the Empress Dowager, with the help of a wet nurse, left the Cining Palace and leisurely made her way to the Imperial Garden.

The Empress Dowager had taken a liking to Susu after playing with the child for a while.

She had instructed someone to bring both Taotao and Susu over to play and relieve her boredom.

Concubine Yun had learned early on that the Empress Dowager would play with the Crown Prince’s children in the Imperial Garden, so she took Yinyin there as well, intending the Empress Dowager to see her great-grandson.

Ever since the Crown Princess had twins, a boy and a girl, the Emperor hadn’t spared Yinyin a glance.

Now six, if Yinyin didn’t catch attention soon, his future would likely be bleak.

Upon arrival at the pavilion, two wet nurses were already there with Taotao and Susu.

Concubine Yun, with Yinyin in tow, casually walked in as if by chance, wearing a smile.

"The imperial grandsons and granddaughter have grown so much."

Seeing Concubine Yun, the wet nurses stepped forward to pay their respects, "Concubine Yun."

Concubine Yun led Yinyin to Taotao and Susu, "Yinyin, these are your little brother and sister..."

Before Concubine Yun could finish, Yinyin impatiently shook off her hand, "Granny, I want to go play."

Concubine Yun, doting on her grandson didn’t insist, figuring it would be the same for Yinyin to play with Taotao and Susu once the Empress Dowager arrived.

Yinyin, with his Peach Wood Sword in hand, lunged and slashed at Chu Lingfeng, the sharp edges of the sword jabbing into him, causing him to wince in pain.

Yinyin, seeing that he was uncooperative, pushed him.

"You’ve already been killed by me, now fall down."

Chu Lingfeng’s dark eyes coldly stared at Yinyin, his posture upright, as if he hadn’t heard a word Yinyin said.

Yinyin threw the wooden sword and ran back crying to complain, "Granny, he won’t listen to me."

Concubine Yun hugged her grandson sympathetically and looked at Chu Lingfeng; at eight years old, he hardly ever spoke. She wondered how Chu Nan King had raised him, teaching him no manners.

"You, as Yinyin’s study companion, should listen to him. You don’t understand the first thing about manners."

Yinyin, still crying, said, "Granny, I don’t want him as my study companion, I hate him."

Concubine Yun watched her grandson cry like this and felt heartbroken. She took a handkerchief and wiped the tears from her precious grandson’s eyes, "Yinyin, be good. He is the study companion arranged by your Imperial Grandfather; you can’t just dismiss him."

At the mention of Imperial Grandfather, Yinyin became much more obedient.

"But he doesn’t listen to me; I want someone who is obedient."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yun looked up at Chu Lingfeng, "Prince Chu, kneel down and admit your error."

Chu Lingfeng, with a stubborn straight spine and excessively pale cheeks tinged with an unhealthy pallor, countered, "I’m not wrong."

Concubine Yun gave a knowing look to a small Eunuch.

The small Eunuch understood the hint and stepped forward to press down on Chu Lingfeng. An eight-year-old child was no match for an adult; soon enough, he was forced to kneel.

Susu tilted her head as she watched the scene unfold, her beautiful large eyes filled with curiosity.

With her small hand supporting herself on the Pavilion bench, she shuffled over.

Seeing this, the Wet Nurse bent down and followed behind, worried that she might get too excited while playing and forget that she couldn’t walk properly, risking a fall.

Susu shuffled her little short legs over to Chu Lingfeng and reached out to grab his arm.

Chu Lingfeng looked down at the chubby little hand on his arm, then lifted his gaze to the hand’s owner, a nanny doll.

Susu tightly grasped Chu Lingfeng’s clothing, letting go of the chair to grab his hand instead, and curiously sized him up with a tilt of her head.

Being stared at by a little child, Chu Lingfeng looked back a few more times.

Susu broke into a grin and stretched out her hands for a hug: "Hug... hug..."

Chu Lingfeng was encountering this situation for the first time and didn’t know how to react.

Taotao watched this, seriously suspecting her sister had mistaken someone for their brother... whose brother was right there...

The Empress Dowager saw this scene upon her arrival.

"Whose child is this?"

Concubine Yun stepped forward and bowed, "Empress Dowager, this is the Prince of Chu Nan, currently Yinyin’s study companion. He made a mistake, and this servant had him kneel as a punishment."

"Oh, it’s Prince Chu." The Empress Dowager sat down with the help of the wet nurse, Mama Yu.

Concubine Yun pulled Yinyin forward, "Come and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager."

Yinyin came forward and knelt on the ground, "Yinyin pays respects to Great Grandmother."

The Empress Dowager hadn’t seen Yinyin for a long time and noticed he had grown a lot, almost failing to recognize him.

"Yinyin has grown so big, get up," she said.

"Thank you, Great Grandmother." Yinyin stood up, went over to Chu Lingfeng, and said to Susu, "He’s not your brother; I’m your real brother, I’ll hug you."

As he spoke, he reached out to hug Susu.

Susu’s hand tightly clung to Chu Lingfeng’s clothing, struggling not to let Yinyin hold her.

Yinyin, following Concubine Yun’s instructions and wanting to be a good brother in front of Great Grandmother by bonding with Taotao and Susu, saw that Susu wanted Chu Lingfeng to hold her, which led to the scene of him trying to snatch her for a hug.

In the tugging, not only did Yinyin fail to pick up Susu, but he also fell to the ground along with her.

Since Susu was holding onto Chu Lingfeng’s clothing, when she fell, she landed directly on her bottom on the ground and immediately broke into wails of pain.

Chu Lingfeng, upon seeing Susu—who had just been smiling so sweetly, now crying so heartbreakingly—was stunned.

The Wet Nurse promptly stepped forward to help Susu up.

The heartache was too much for the Empress Dowager when she saw this. She turned to Yinyin and scolded, "If you can’t hold her properly, don’t try to pull Susu like that! She’s so small; how could she withstand your dragging?"

ps: Second release