Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
When Mo Xiao Li arrived at Jinghe Palace, before he could even step inside, he heard the cries of the Little Prince echoing throughout the palace. His heart tightened, and he quickened his pace toward the inside. What met his eyes was the Empress Dowager anxiously holding the Little Prince, looking at him. "My son, come quickly and take a look. Recently, Han Zhe has been crying nonstop."
The Little Prince seemed to sense his presence, suddenly stopping his cries and looking toward him. He then reached out his chubby little arms as if wanting Mo Xiao Li to hold him. Looking at this small figure, Mo Xiao Li couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness and then reached out to take the Little Prince from the Empress Dowager's arms.
"Let Father take a look at what happened to our Han Zhe."
The Little Prince seemed to sense something again and suddenly smiled. That smile resembled the late Mu Junqi so much that it stirred up the hidden sorrow in Mo Xiao Li's heart once more. The Empress Dowager naturally understood his feelings at that moment and smiled as she said, "I didn't expect our Han Zhe to miss Father so much. From now on, let Father come to see you every day, okay?"
The Little Prince babbled something unintelligible, which made both of them laugh. Just then, a Palace Eunuch rushed in, bowed to the two of them, and said, "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, Consort Xi has come to pay her respects—"
Mo Xiao Li furrowed his brows slightly and carried the Little Prince over to a nearby soft couch. Shortly after, Consort Xi walked in and gently greeted the Empress Dowager, saying, "Empress Dowager, may you have peace and longevity—"
"Mm, quickly get up," the Empress Dowager said with a smile while extending her hand.
Consort Xi stood up with the Empress Dowager's hand and then bowed to Mo Xiao Li before softly saying, "I heard that the Little Prince is not feeling well, so I was a bit worried and came over to take a look."
The Empress Dowager looked at the Little Prince beside her and said to Consort Xi, "It's nothing serious; he might just be uncomfortable staying here with me for a while. Look, once His Majesty holds him, everything is fine."
Consort Xi followed the Empress Dowager's gaze and replied, "That's great! I originally planned to come by today; I’m sorry for troubling you."
"It's no trouble for me," the Empress Dowager said. "It's just that since the Empress has been gone, Han Zhe refuses to listen to anyone else. His Majesty has been quite busy lately; sigh—"
Sitting aside, Mo Xiao Li listened to their conversation with a tight heart and eyes filled with hurt. Memories of past moments kept replaying in his mind as he unconsciously held the Little Prince even tighter.
He silently thought, "From now on, no matter what happens, Father will take good care of you—"
The Little Prince seemed to sense it, smiling sweetly at him, just as the Empress Dowager caught sight of it. Sitting beside them, she gently stroked the Little Prince's cheek and said, "Han Zhe, are you especially comfortable in Father’s arms?"
The Little Prince was all smiles, biting his little hand and looking at the Empress Dowager while giggling. Consort Xi joyfully said, "Empress Dowager, look how adorable Little Prince is when he smiles."
The Empress Dowager also smiled, looking towards Mo Xiao Li and saying, "If there’s nothing else going on, come visit me more often to see Little Prince. I haven’t seen him smile these past few days; it’s truly pitiful—"
Just as Mo Xiao Li was about to speak, Consort Xi interjected first, "Why don’t we let the Consort raise Little Prince?" She then looked at the two people across from her.
Mo Xiao Li was clearly surprised; she hadn’t expected Consort Xi to make such a suggestion. Then she recalled that it was she who had raised the Little Prince before and couldn’t help but frown. After pondering for a moment, she said, "The Empress left no words before her passing, but I know she hoped that Han Zhe would be raised by me personally. So from now on, I will take care of him; you need not say more." After speaking, she stood up and continued to look at the Empress Dowager, saying, "Empress Dowager, since Little Prince always cries here, I will take him back to Tianming Palace." After a slight bow, she made to leave.
The Empress Dowager hurriedly called out, "You are always busy with state affairs; how can you have time to take care of him? It’s better to leave it to Consort Xi, after all, she has taken care of Han Zhe before."
"Empress Dowager, I know you all have Han Zhe's best interests at heart, but this time I want to take care of him—" Mo Xiao Li said softly before turning to leave.
Watching Mo Xiao Li depart, the Empress Dowager frowned. Sitting on the soft couch, she sadly said, "Ever since the Empress passed away, the Emperor has always had this expression. I truly worry that one day he won’t be able to bear this blow and might take a drastic step."
"Empress Dowager, please don’t think too much about it. The Emperor, as our ruler of Western Yan, will certainly consider everything for our people and would never do such a thing. Although we all know how deeply he loved the Empress, even the deepest feelings cannot withstand the test of time. Perhaps it won’t be long before he is no longer like this; after all, the current Emperor has already regained his spirits for the sake of Little Prince," replied Consort Xi.
The Empress Dowager fell silent for a moment as if contemplating Consort Xi's words. Then she said, "I hope so; it’s just that it’s hard on Little Prince. Losing his mother at such a young age—how will he get through the days ahead?"
Consort Xi did not respond but looked aside. The Empress Dowager continued, "From now on, you should help the Emperor more. I’ve heard that you’ve been getting along well with him lately; perhaps it won’t be long before he accepts you." As she spoke, she gently patted Consort Xi's hand.
"Consort Xi" heard this and immediately lowered her head, her face already flushed. She then softly said, "Empress Dowager, you are teasing me again—"
The "Empress Dowager" only smiled in response and did not say anything further.
At that moment, "Mo Xiao Li" emerged from "Jinghe Palace," holding the "Little Prince" as he made his way to "Tianming Palace." The palace maids and eunuchs they passed quickly knelt and saluted, speculating about why the Emperor was carrying the "Little Prince" out of "Jinghe Palace."
Upon arriving at "Tianming Palace," he instructed Li Fu behind him, "Go find Ziyue and Huixin."
"Servant will go summon them right away," Li Fusheng replied respectfully.
Before long, Li Fusheng returned with Huixin and Ziyue to "Tianming Palace." Since the Empress's passing, the two had been staying in "Qinxiang Garden," so they were somewhat puzzled by the summons to "Tianming Palace." However, upon seeing the "Little Prince" in his arms, they understood.
Mo Xiao Li said solemnly to the two of them, "From today onward, you will take good care of the Little Prince for me. Understood?"
"Servants understand—" both replied in unison, their eyes filled with joy. After all, since the Empress's passing, they had not had the chance to see the Little Prince again. They quickly stood up and carefully took the Little Prince from Mo Xiao Li's arms.
The Little Prince looked at them with a bright smile, but suddenly Huixin covered her mouth and began to cry sadly, causing Ziyue's mood to drop as well.
Comment 0 Comment Count