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Lady Tao was somewhat anxious, "The King wouldn’t abuse his power to oppress others, would he?"

Shen Chuwei comforted her, "Don’t worry, although the King has the potential to be a little overbearing, he has matured a lot since getting married, and won’t be so childish."

Lady Tao let out a sigh of relief, "That’s good. I’ll try to fight for it a bit more then."

After Lady Tao left, Shen Chuwei, together with Susu, took a trip to the Xiyun Pavilion to check on the watermelons, wondering if they would be back in time to enjoy them.

Little Bai closely followed behind, with the passing palace maids and eunuchs, none daring to come close.

Upon arriving at the Xiyun Pavilion, Shen Chuwei saw that the watermelon vines were growing well, but when she turned around, she noticed a person and a tiger lying atop the fence beside the chicken coop.

Every time they came to the Xiyun Pavilion, Susu and Little Bai would both eagerly watch the chicken coop; the former wanting to play with the chicks, the latter licking its lips, hungry for a taste.

Susu’s little hand reached into the fence, pointing at the chicks and calling out, "Peep peep, come out and play."

Little Bai, not to be outdone, stretched its paw inside as well, and as soon as it let out a howl, it frightened a group of big and small chickens into paralysis~

Shen Chuwei called out, "Susu, Little Bai."

Susu turned around and saw her mother, promptly retracting her hand and walking over.

Little Bai also withdrew its paw and walked over, head hung low, moving extremely slowly, like a child who has done something wrong.

Susu hugged her mother’s thigh tightly and asked with her baby voice looking up, "Mommy, I miss Daddy."

Shen Chuwei, looking at her daughter, inexplicably felt that this scene was very familiar.

In the afternoon, after waking up from a nap, Shen Chuwei saw a small figure sprawled on the couch, a little hand reaching into the cabinet, grabbing a handful of candies and stuffing them into a bag.

The bag’s candies were only replenished with three pieces each day, and once they were gone, that was it.

Stealing candies now indicated that the bag’s sweets had been eaten up.

"Susu, you can’t eat too many candies, careful or bugs will eat your teeth," Shen Chuwei said, while she put the candies from her bag back into the jar.

Susu, seeing the candies gone from her bag, buried her head into her mother’s embrace with a grievance, "Mommy, I miss Daddy."

Shen Chuwei: "..." She realized why her daughter’s actions felt so familiar; during the time around happier moments, she often said that very phrase...

Could it be hereditary?

Even so, Shen Chuwei still didn’t give Susu any candies.

When Qin Xiao arrived, he was coming from outside the palace, carrying a large and a small bundle filled with many things.

Passing by Chun Xi, he placed a bag of things in front of her, "For you."

Chun Xi saw an additional bag in front of her and raised her head to see Qin Xiao, "Why did you buy me more things?"

Qin Xiao said, "I saw it and bought it, I’m going to visit the Crown Princess first."

Chun Xi nodded her head.

After Qin Xiao left, Chun Xi opened the bag and saw that inside there was a piece of cloth with a color that was very pleasing to the eye.

Besides fabric, there were also edibles, wrapped in wax paper, most likely pastries.

Whenever Qin Xiao left the palace to make a purchase, he would buy something for Chun Xi, whether it be food or other items, whatever he saw he would buy.

Seeing Qin Xiao enter, Shen Chuwei couldn’t focus on eating anymore, "Has the letter from His Highness arrived?"

Qin Xiao shook his head, "No."

"Oh," Shen Chuwei responded, somewhat disappointed, then noticing the bags in Qin Xiao’s hands - without having to look, she knew they contained food.

She couldn’t care less about the food at the moment, withdrawing her gaze she continued asking Qin Xiao, "Did you find out why this month’s letter from home has been delayed for so long and hasn’t arrived yet?"

Qin Xiao said, "I’ve already asked; for now, the reason is still unknown."

"Then I’ll write a letter to find out," Shen Chuwei said as she retrieved paper and ink to compose a short letter of a few hundred words.

After writing the letter, she folded it neatly, placed it in an envelope, sealed it, and then handed it to Qin Xiao.

Once the letter was sent, Shen Chuwei began to eagerly anticipate a reply.

The Empress hurried to the East Palace to have lunch, it had been some time since she had dined with the Crown Princess, and it was a good opportunity to see her grandchildren.

Shen Chuwei, seeing the Empress opposite her, picked up a chicken leg for Taotao and Susu, and thought of Xiao Jinyan, she asked, "Mother, His Highness’s letter for this month has been more than ten days late, is the frontline situation very intense?"

About the frontline situation, Shen Chuwei only knew a bit from the letters; Xiao Jinyan had continuously won battles, but now with more than a month passing by, the current state of affairs was unknown.

The smile at the corner of the Empress’s mouth stiffened momentarily – this was the reason she had been hesitant to visit the East Palace, fearful that Shen Chuwei would inquire about the Crown Prince’s matters.

"We are not sure either; perhaps the letters haven’t arrived because they are too busy? This time, Daxia faces not only Xueyue Country but also Fengqi Country. Intense conflicts are to be expected."

Shen Chuwei, picturing the brutal and bloody scenes on the battlefield, couldn’t help but feel worried, "If he’s too busy to even write a letter, he might not be getting any sleep at all, right?"

The Empress looked at Shen Chuwei’s face full of concern, knowing if she was aware of the Crown Prince’s disappearance after falling off a cliff, she would certainly be heartbroken. The Empress guiltily lowered her head.

Susu took a bite of the chicken leg in her hand, cheeks bulging as she said, "Daddy isn’t back yet, but he’ll buy me good things when he is."

Shen Chuwei raised her head towards her daughter, seeing her face smeared with grease, her chubby cheeks all shiny, her mouth stuffed full and still thinking about Daddy buying her treats when he returned?

However, thinking about it, she must ask Chun Xi to prepare an extra chicken tomorrow, or she’ll have no chicken leg to gnaw on.

The Empress, afraid she might slip up, spent a little time playing with Susu before returning to the Fengyi Palace.

At night, when the damn Emperor visited, the Empress asked, "Has the Crown Prince been found yet?"

The Emperor shook his head, "There’s still no news of the Crown Prince from Mobei. No news doesn’t mean bad news. As long as he isn’t found, it means he’s still alive."

The Empress also felt that the Emperor’s words made sense, "Today I went to the East Palace to see the grandchildren. The Crown Princess was asking about this matter. The Crown Prince’s letter for this month hasn’t arrived, and Susu also misses her father."

Susu had not seen her father for three months; of course, she missed him. However, she was too small to understand any of it.

"I have already sent someone to call Lu Zhaoyan back as quickly as possible, and when he returns, we’ll have Lu Zhaoyan divine for the Crown Prince."