When Rongrong returned to Yuanbao’s side, the three little ones had finished their snacks.

Yuanbao and Liu Yu were setting up a game of “Double Six.”

“Auntie, why did you take so long?” Yuanbao asked with concern as he saw Rongrong approaching, looking dejected.

“The Crown Prince wanted pine nuts, so I was peeling them for a while.”

Yuanbao looked puzzled for a moment before asking, “Did Father ask you to peel pine nuts for him?”

Rongrong nodded.

“Hmph!” Yuanbao’s face frowned, and he threw down the game pieces, running off angrily.

Seeing him heading towards the pavilion, Rongrong hurriedly stopped him. “Your Highness, where are you going?”

She was puzzled by Yuanbao’s anger, as peeling pine nuts seemed harmless.

She had done much more for them, like cooking, changing clothes, and serving.

But she had to stop Yuanbao no matter what.

The Empress valued Liang Muchen highly, and it was clear she had been chosen.

If Yuanbao went over and caused a scene, it could upset the Empress.

Although the Crown Prince favored Yuanbao, Yuanbao hadn’t been officially recognized yet, which might cause issues with the Emperor and Empress regarding his status.

Rongrong couldn’t let Yuanbao cause trouble in the palace.

“Yuanbao, the Crown Prince is busy. Please don’t disturb him,” Rongrong said softly, crouching next to him. “Let’s play here. I can make little figures out of clay. Would you like to see?”

“Auntie!” Yuanbao was clearly unhappy with Rongrong’s interference. “It’s just a game of chess. What’s the big deal?”

Seeing that Yuanbao wasn’t swayed, Rongrong held his little arms and said earnestly, “This game is very important to the Crown Prince, so it’s better if we stay away. Yuanbao, tell me what you want to eat tonight, and I’ll make it for you.”

Yuanbao wanted to eat Aunt Rongrong’s cooking and was about to agree when he noticed a bit of redness on her fingertip. “Auntie, what happened to your hand?”

“I… just… accidentally hurt it. I’ve already treated it, so it’s fine,” Rongrong stammered.

Yuanbao, who was more perceptive than Rongrong had expected, said, “Did you get hurt while peeling the pine nuts?”

Rongrong didn’t answer, and Yuanbao became even more certain. “It must be. Pine nut shells are very hard and sharp. I hurt my hand last time I peeled pine nuts myself.”

After speaking, seeing Rongrong’s indifferent demeanor, Yuanbao immediately lost his temper. “If you don’t want to see it, let’s go back to the Eastern Palace.”

He unceremoniously dragged Rongrong away from the Imperial Garden.

Rongrong saw that he was genuinely upset and thought returning to the East Palace was probably best to avoid further trouble.

The Crown Prince indeed spoiled Yuanbao a lot.

Since there were many people in the garden today, no one paid much attention to them.

Once back in the East Palace, Wang An was busy serving lunch.

Yuanbao had little appetite, barely ate a few bites before throwing down his bowl and chopsticks.

Rongrong tried to get him to take a nap, but he tossed and turned on the couch, unable to sleep.

She decided to set up a backgammon board.

Yuanbao played both sides with full effort, which was a bit too advanced for Rongrong to understand.

She could only watch him sulk in silence.

Unsure of what to do, she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for Yuanbao.

When the five dishes were ready, someone came to inform her that the Crown Prince had returned to the palace and wanted to see her.

Rongrong had to put down what she was doing and went to meet him.

The Crown Prince had just changed his clothes and was sitting while Fu Quan rearranged his hair.

When he saw Rongrong enter through the mirror, he asked, “Did Yuanbao sulk all afternoon?”

Rongrong nodded. “He didn’t take a nap and kept playing backgammon.”

“Didn’t you ask him about it?”

She had asked, but Yuanbao was upset because of him.

She had been stopping Yuanbao from causing trouble in the palace earlier, and now that they were in the East Palace, it was best if those who caused the trouble made amends.

“Take me to see him,” the Crown Prince said.

Since it involved Yuanbao, Rongrong cooperated.

After all, Yuanbao’s mood was partly her responsibility, and she hoped the Crown Prince could persuade Yuanbao, saying it was a minor issue not worth mentioning.

The Crown Prince led the way but suddenly stopped and turned to Rongrong. “Your hand…”

Seeing him looking at her hand made Rongrong’s face flush.

She lowered her head and replied, “I’ve already treated it. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

The Crown Prince grunted softly and continued walking.

Rongrong watched his back, trying to calm her feelings.

She felt somewhat bitter.

She had endured so much for him in the past, but he never inquired about her.

Now, just a minor cut had him checking and asking.

It seemed that Jing Rong was indeed insignificant to him.

They didn’t speak further and silently walked to Yuanbao’s room.

Upon opening the door, they saw Yuanbao sitting amidst a pile of Kong Ming locks, skillfully assembling them.

“Come, let’s have dinner first.” The Crown Prince walked over and patted Yuanbao’s shoulder.

Yuanbao kept his head down and remained silent.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince looked at Rongrong.

She understood and closed the door behind her as she left.

“Including being angry with Father?” In the room, with just the two of them, they could speak freely.

“I’m angry with both the Empress Grandmother and Father,” Yuanbao said softly.

In fact, he rarely got angry with the Crown Prince, or had tantrums in general.

The Crown Prince smiled. “Oh? Tell me, how did the Empress Grandmother make you angry? And what did Father do to upset you?”

Yuanbao furrowed his brows for a while, then spoke up, “The Empress Grandmother lied to me.”

“Lied about what?” the Crown Prince asked patiently.

“I told the Empress Grandmother who Father likes, and she promised to help me. But she didn’t keep her word and brought that pretty auntie to play chess with Father.”

The Crown Prince nodded slightly. “And what did Father do wrong?”

“Father promised not to make Rongrong Aunt a servant. Why did he make her peel pine nuts in the Imperial Garden? And why did he have her peel them for that pretty aunt?” Yuanbao voiced all his dissatisfaction and doubts.

“I did ask her to peel pine nuts, but…” The Crown Prince stopped mid-sentence.

Yuanbao quickly asked, “But what, Father?”

The Crown Prince just smiled.

He hadn’t actually wanted the pine nuts; he’d used it as an excuse to keep Rongrong in the pavilion.

He hadn’t expected her to cut herself on the nut shells.

“Don’t worry, I don’t know about your Empress Grandmother, but I won’t mistreat her.”

“Really?” Yuanbao was doubtful.

“Really,” the Crown Prince assured him.

Yuanbao knew his father wouldn’t lie.

With his reassurance, the heavy weight on his mind finally lifted.

But a moment later, Yuanbao was troubled again. “Father, will you marry that aunt who plays chess with you?”

“Don’t like her?”

Yuanbao nodded, then shook his head. “I don’t dislike her, but I like Aunt Rongrong.”

“That’s a problem. In the past, the Empress Grandmother chose, but this time, the aunt was chosen by your Grandfather.”

Yuanbao was very puzzled. “Father, didn’t you say that Grandpa doesn’t bother with these trivial matters?”

The Crown Prince’s smile deepened.

Choosing a Crown Princess was no trivial matter.

Yuanbao didn’t get a chance to hear the Crown Prince’s answer as worry appeared on his face. “What should we do? Grandpa is hard to deal with.”

“What are you thinking about every day?” The Crown Prince couldn’t help but lift Yuanbao into his arms and give his white face a kiss. “If Grandpa is hard to deal with, you need to help your father handle him.”

“Okay,” Yuanbao nodded vigorously, relieved, and immediately wanted to play. “Father, play backgammon with me.”

“Sure.” The Crown Prince set up the backgammon board with Yuanbao, and the two of them focused on the game.

Rongrong, who was outside, didn’t hear any commotion, so she knew the Crown Prince must have calmed Yuanbao down.

After a while, she opened the door and saw that they were still playing backgammon and hadn’t called for dinner yet.

Rongrong became worried.

Yuanbao hadn’t eaten much at lunch due to his anger, and now it was nearly 7 p.m.

If it were just the Crown Prince, she wouldn’t worry about him missing a meal, but Yuanbao was so young and couldn’t be left hungry.

She approached and reminded, “Your Highness, it’s time for Yuanbao to have dinner.”

The Crown Prince, having just rolled the dice, glanced at Rongrong, “Just set it up here.”

Set it up here?

The room was spacious enough to accommodate two dining tables, but eating while playing seemed inappropriate.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Rongrong had no choice but to step back and instructed Wang An to set up the dinner in the room.

Dinner in the East Palace was usually simple since Yuanbao ate lavish meals at the Empress’s place.

However, since Yuanbao had barely eaten at lunch, Rongrong asked Wang An to prepare a more substantial meal tonight.

The main dishes included fragrant abalone, five-spice pigeon, steamed duck, sauced fish fillets, dried tangerine peel rabbit, and salted goose, along with six vegetable dishes like braised mushrooms and stir-fried cucumbers.

There were also various pastries and congee.

The eunuchs brought in a single table to place beside the Crown Prince and Yuanbao, while Rongrong sat at a separate table.

Seeing that Yuanbao was too focused on the game to eat, Rongrong scooped a small bowl of yam and dried scallop porridge and fed him.

Yuanbao, now in a good mood, ate the porridge obediently when Rongrong offered it to him.

After feeding him a few spoonfuls of porridge, Rongrong also helped him with the vegetables.

Hungry as he was, Yuanbao soon showed more interest in eating than in playing backgammon.

“Auntie, I want to eat goose.”

“Auntie, I want to eat mushrooms.”

As Yuanbao was enjoying his meal, he suddenly noticed his father’s frowning face across from him. “Auntie, you should feed Father a little too.”