Chapter 24: Teasing

“Tell me quickly, who are you? Otherwise, I will call for help!”

The child’s timid and panic-stricken look hurt Emperor Jingwen’s eyes even more.

He still remembered how willful and lively his son was half a year ago, but now he was like a wounded little animal licking his wounds alone in a corner.

Emperors are all suspicious and thoughtful people. Even the smallest details will be magnified infinitely in their eyes.

For such a young child, it is normal to forget someone after not seeing him/her for just one or two months, let alone half a year.

Emperor Jingwen fell silent, suddenly not knowing how to start.

Wang Ziquan, who was standing by, didn’t think too much about it, and subconsciously reminded him: “Your Highness, this person is…”

“Step back.” However, before he could finish, Emperor Jingwen interrupted him.

Wang Ziquan was stunned.

Ignoring the reaction of his personal eunuch, Emperor Jingwen walked straight forward. Wang Ziquan quickly understood his master’s intention and hurriedly retreated with the eunuchs and palace maids.

The Emperor probably wants to repair his relationship with the young prince.

It seems that the emperor still cares about this son.

Wang Ziquan thought about it for a moment, and then he had an idea.

It seems that the little prince’s blessings are far from over, and they are just speculating recklessly.

Fortunately, he had not been disrespectful to Qiu Wugong before. After recalling the past, Wang Ziquan realized that he had been extremely polite to the imperial concubine no matter when she was in glory or in decline. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Be careful in the future, think carefully before doing anything, and don’t offend people you shouldn’t offend. Do you hear me?” Looking around, Wang Ziquan couldn’t help but remind him.

The other palace maids and eunuchs had now figured out what was going on and quickly agreed.

The other side.

Although Emperor Jingwen had many children, this was the first time he faced such a situation.

A child used to be lively and willful, but now he is timid and submissive. Such a big contrast has brought a strong shock to the person involved.

Didn’t you see that even the emperor couldn’t stand it?

The emperor couldn’t help but feel waves rising in his heart.

“If you don’t speak anymore, this prince will leave.” After saying this, the child quickly jumped off the swing.

Seeing the little creature getting angry as he approached, Emperor Jingwen grabbed his arm without saying anything.

“Let go! Let go!”

“If you don’t let go, I will call for help!”

As if he didn’t expect the other party to be so bold, the two-year-old child could no longer hold back, his eyes full of panic.

“Do you know who I am? I’m telling you my father is the emperor. Be careful or I’ll tell him and have him punish you for disrespect!”

It seems that the little thing really doesn’t remember himself.

Also, his situation didn’t seem to be very good. He could only speak empty words without any threat.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingwen finally responded: “Oh? You said you are a prince? Do you have any evidence?”

Emperor Jingwen looked him up and down, and when his eyes fell on the untied cuffs of his sleeves, his brows suddenly furrowed and anger rose in his heart.

Are these damned slaves really so flattering? A prince has torn clothes!

Emperor Jingwen took a closer look and found that the style of the clothes was also from last year.

And the imperial concubine, is it possible that the love between mother and son is not worth the so-called favor?

Emperor Jingwen was angry and disappointed at the moment, his eyes were full of fire, but he still said: “I have seen that all the other princes are dressed in brocade and gorgeous clothes, and when they travel, they are followed by groups of palace servants. How come you don’t have a single servant around you?”

“You still say you are a prince, are you lying to me?”

Tsk, my cheap dad really acted with me.

It turns out that all emperors like this.

Then, Ye Shuo seemed to be insulted, his face flushed: “…You are talking nonsense!”

Emperor Jingwen continued: “Also, why have I never seen you by His Majesty’s side? So, you are lying.”

“I didn’t!”

Hearing this, Ye Shuo seemed to finally be unable to bear it anymore, and finally told the truth: “I, your Highness, just made a mistake, so my father refused to come to see me. Wait, wait a while, my father will definitely come to see me again!”

After saying that, the child raised his little face and said viciously: “So if you dare to tell me your name, I will make you pay.”

Noticing the flash of loneliness, deep regret and confusion in his eyes when he talked about his mistakes, Emperor Jingwen felt as if his heart was pricked by a needle.

For the first time, he began to wonder if he was being too harsh on the kid.

After all, he was only a little over one-year-old at the time and still a child who knew nothing. How could he know what he should and should not do?

As a result, he imposed such a severe punishment on impulse, and caused the imperial concubine to lose face, so now she even ignores her own son.

Emperor Jingwen was silent for a moment, then asked: “Since you made a mistake, do you know where you went wrong?”

“I, I don’t know either…”

Speaking of this, Ye Shuo decisively counted on his fingers and said, “The ice is used regardless of whether I am there or not. The musician is also kept in the palace. I saw that no one was using him, so I invited them to use. The crown prince doesn’t eat grapes either. And there is…”

So where exactly did he go wrong? He was clearly making use of waste!

After his calculation, Emperor Jingwen miraculously felt that there was nothing wrong with the child.

Then the image of him lying on the recliner flashed through his mind, and Emperor Jingwen calmed down instantly.

…I was almost led into a ditch by him.

It is still wrong. If the prince does this and the news spreads to the people and everyone rushes to imitate him, what should we do?

Emperor Jingwen then said: “As a prince, you should put the overall situation first and not be so arrogant and carefree.”

“But… I’m not the one in charge. What does setting an example have to do with me?” Please, my cheap father and cheap brother are the real masters of the family. He is just a scoundrel. As long as he doesn’t do anything harmful or break the law, how can he have such a big impact?

Who would care about a prince who has nothing but a fart listening to music and eating grapes?

Ye Shuo looked aggrieved.

“Isn’t it enough to have my father and brother as role models for the people of the world?” Why drag him into this?

When Emperor Jingwen heard this, he choked up. He and the crown prince worked so hard, and when it was finally time to enjoy themselves, he had to do it, right?

In fact, Emperor Jingwen should be happy that the child of the imperial concubine and the grandson of the Duke of Zhen could have such thoughts.

His words proved that he had no ambitions and that he acknowledged the Crown Prince’s status as heir to the throne. If he could maintain this status, it would be perfectly in line with Emperor Jingwen’s wishes.

But for some reason, when Emperor Jingwen really heard these words, he was not happy at all. Instead, he felt inexplicably suffocated.

However, you can’t take the words of a two-year-old seriously. When he grows up, he will naturally understand how ridiculous his current thoughts are.

When he thought of this, Emperor Jingwen felt a little gloomy, and he became more determined not to let the two sides meet, to prevent the Duke of Zhen from teaching his son some bad things.

Soon, after getting rid of these unfounded years, Emperor Jingwen pretended not to care and asked, “Hearing you say that, don’t you hate the emperor very much?”

To be honest, if it were him, he would probably be dissatisfied with being punished so severely when he felt he had done nothing wrong.

“How could it be!” The next second, the child in front of him jumped up instantly as if his hair stood on end.

“Listen, I won’t let you say bad things about my father!”

Seeing that the child in front of him was full of grievances but still subconsciously defended himself, Emperor Jingwen felt mixed emotions and couldn’t help but soften his tone: “Yes, yes, it’s my fault.”

Although the emperor was apologizing to him, his gentle attitude still made Wang Ziquan’s eyes pop out, and his gaze towards the little prince changed several times.

The child was satisfied after hearing this.

The two of them were in a stalemate for a long time, and in the end, the younger one was the first to give in: “…Forget it, I forgive you, but you are not allowed to say such things again in the future.”

“By the way, you haven’t told me who you are yet?”

In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through Emperor Jingwen’s mind, but in the end, he still asked calmly: “Your Highness, who do you think I should be?”

Tsk, it looks like my cheap dad doesn’t intend to end it like this, so I’ll just continue to act with him.

Ye Shuo thought about it, and then his eyes lit up: “Recently, I heard that the new top scholar will enter the palace to meet the emperor. You are this year’s top scholar, right?”

“Yes, that must be the case. Mother said that the number one scholar is very impressive, so there are so many people following you, right?”

This silly child is so out of date with the news after being under house arrest.

The spring exam was held in March, and it is already May, two full months have passed. Moreover, the new number one scholar went to the palace to meet the emperor through the main gate of the palace – Chengtian Gate, and would not pass by the harem at all.

However, seeing how much he was looking forward to it, Emperor Jingwen, for the first time in his life, did not spoil the boy’s fun, so he nodded and said, “Yes, I am the top scholar this year. Your Highness is really smart.”

Now it was Ye Shuo’s turn to choke.

“…”

Wow, my cheap dad is so shameless that he actually nodded and acknowledged this identity.

The top scholar is not even thirty yet, and is in the prime of his life. How old is he now? He will be forty soon, right?

Seeing that the child seemed to be silent, Emperor Jingwen couldn’t help but ask: “What’s wrong? Is there something wrong?”

Ye Shuo shook his head and said, “No, I just feel that you are very familiar to me.”

“It feels like… like my father.”

Perhaps because he was a little embarrassed, he seemed a little hesitant in the end.

Could it be that… the little guy is going to recognize me?

Emperor Jingwen raised his eyebrows.

Afterward, perhaps he had finally mustered up the courage, Emperor Jingwen heard him say: “Um… I don’t know if you mind, my Lord, letting me hug you.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Emperor Jingwen was stunned, as if he didn’t hear clearly: “…What?”

“Because, because I haven’t seen my father for a long time, so, so…”

Facing the child’s eager and anxious eyes, Emperor Jingwen’s heart softened immediately: “…Of course, Your Highness can hold me as long as you want.”

Since he said so, Ye Shuo certainly didn’t hesitate and climbed up in his arms.

The next moment, Emperor Jingwen was embraced by him.

Having never been so close to any of his sons, Emperor Jingwen felt a little uncomfortable. After a long time, he casually put his hand on the child’s head.

Only then did he realize that his son had grown a lot taller after not seeing him for half a year.

“Sir, do you have anything to do today? If not, could you stay a little longer?” The child’s voice became hoarse and muffled, as if with tears in it.

Emperor Jingwen was shocked and remained silent for a while before nodding.

Seeing that his son was alone here, Emperor Jingwen finally rolled up his sleeves to help him push the swing, just because he said: “It’s been a long time since anyone played with me.”

The Sixth Prince studies all day long, and can’t go to the Crown Prince’s east palace. Ye Shuo doesn’t want to bother the Imperial Concubine, because, after all, she is his biological mother, and he really can’t bear to pester her. He has been feeling really empty and lonely lately.

Emperor Jingwen misunderstood.

So he put aside the political affairs at hand and stayed with his youngest son for a whole afternoon.

Finally, Ye Shuo got tired of playing and climbed onto the back of Emperor Jingwen.

Bold!

Presumptuous!

Emperor Jingwen was furious and frowned subconsciously. He wanted to refuse, but before he could do anything, Ye Shuo’s two small hands had already wrapped around his neck.

“Even the smell on your body is similar.”

“But, Father will never carry me like this…”

The childish words touched people’s hearts the most. Facing this son whom he owed a lot, Emperor Jingwen held on for two breaths, but was overwhelmed by guilt when he turned his head. The hand that had been holding his wrist slowly let go.

Just once, no big deal.

As the sun sets, the afterglow of the setting sun on the blue stone road stretches the shadows of the father and son very long.

The palace maids, eunuchs, and even concubines who passed by couldn’t help but widen their eyes when they saw this scene: “Emperor, Emperor…”

But before they could salute, Emperor Jingwen glanced over.

Now he is so immersed in role-playing that he cannot extricate himself. How could he be willing to be exposed by others?

Emperor Jingwen was still waiting to tell the child in person when he arrived at Qiuwu Palace. By then, he would surely be very surprised.

Emperor Jingwen couldn’t help but curl his lips, not knowing what he was thinking of.

Eunuch Wang Ziquan standing by was moved by this heartwarming scene. He, an outsider, was moved by this, let alone the emperor?

Along the way, Ye Shuo chattered incessantly, spouting nice words as if they were free, acting out the image of a son who adores his father to the fullest.

Emperor Jingwen was overjoyed when he heard this. He hadn’t been so happy for a long time.

After all, there is a difference between the admiration of one’s own son and the hypocritical praise from outsiders.

But the good times didn’t last long, Ye Shuo never expected that even though he had already explained everything in advance, Su Yue still went to complain to his mother.

Of course, Su Yue also had good intentions. After all, a two-year-old child had to be left alone, and she, as a servant, couldn’t stop him, so she had to let someone who could take care of him do it.

So when he saw his mother standing at the end of the road, Ye Shuo instinctively felt that something was wrong.

“Greetings to His Majesty, may His Majesty be blessed with good health and good health.”

It’s bad. The imperial concubine acted too quickly and Emperor Jingwen didn’t have time to discuss it with her.

All the hiding along the way was destroyed in an instant.

Emperor Jingwen felt a sinking feeling in his heart when he saw that his identity was exposed so quickly. If the child on his back found out that he had been deceived, he would surely be very disappointed.

In a flash, Emperor Jingwen had already thought of words of comfort.

But the subsequent development of events seemed a little different from what he had imagined.

Ye Shuo was even more nervous than his father and tried his best to wink at his mother. But how could Concubine Rong know that her son was so bold that he even dared to deceive his father, the emperor, relying on the fact that he was the emperor’s son.

So after she stood up, without thinking, Concubine Rong immediately scolded him: “What’s wrong with you recently? Why do you always like to run around in this ragged clothes? Why don’t you ask Su Yue and the others to follow you?”

“Where did you get this dress? Didn’t I ask Aunt Jing to throw it away? You, you, you want to piss off mother to death, don’t you?”

This time the imperial concubine was really furious. He was only two years old. If something happened to him, wouldn’t it be the end of her life?

No wonder Concubine Rong was so angry.

The emperor was worthy of being an emperor, and he quickly grasped the key points of the two sentences.

Wait a minute, it’s not that the imperial concubine doesn’t want to change the old clothes, but that the child himself refuses to change them.

Moreover, it wasn’t that the palace servants didn’t follow him, but he deliberately sent them away.

The most important thing is that Concubine Rong’s eyes were red, and she didn’t look like she was going to give up her son at all.

So, he did it on purpose.

He deliberately pretended to be pitiful and was waiting for me there.

And everything that happened today, in fact… is fake.

With a loud “boom”, Emperor Jingwen’s brain exploded instantly. He grabbed the child who was about to sneak out with his backhand and brought him in front of him without saying a word.

Things have come to this point, and it is useless for Ye Shuo to struggle unilaterally. He who knows how to adapt to the times is a wise man. If he behaves well, he might be able to have an easier time later.

Facing his awkward yet polite smile, at this moment, Emperor Jingwen was so angry that he was shaking all over!