Feeling a pang in his nose, Yuanbao suddenly felt like crying a bit too.

“Rongrong, what happened?” Outside the room, Xue Xiaoshan heard the crying and anxiously knocked on the door.

Feicui glanced at the sobbing pair, then walked over to open the door and closed it behind her.

“What’s going on with Rongrong?”

“It’s nothing serious. I was chatting with the young lady and mentioned some sad things, and she felt sorry for me, so she cried,” Feicui explained.

Though Xue Xiaoshan wasn’t fully convinced, he couldn’t enter to comfort her with Rongrong crying inside, so he gave up.

Yuanbao remembered that when he cried in the past, his father would hold him, comforting him while gently patting his back.

He imitated his father’s actions, stretching out his chubby little hand to pat Rongrong’s back.

As he patted, he said, “Aunt, don’t cry. If anyone bullies you, Yuanbao will help you get even.”

Rongrong tried to control her tears, but hearing Yuanbao’s comforting words only made her cry more.

Such a good child, and he is hers!

In fact, since her rebirth, Rongrong had felt some resentment.

She had never done evil in her life and had rarely done good deeds; she mostly just helped others.

It seemed unfair that in her previous life, heaven let her end so miserably.

But now, someone told her that Yuanbao was her child, so beautiful, so smart, and with such gentle and kind qualities.

Rongrong suddenly felt that heaven hadn’t been too harsh on her after all.

Yuanbao quietly nestled in Rongrong’s arms, and when he felt that Rongrong’s body wasn’t trembling as much, he cautiously asked, “Aunt, are you so sad because Father bullied you?”

Him?

Rongrong had been thoroughly immersed in the joy of discovering Yuanbao’s true background.

However, hearing Yuanbao mention the Crown Prince, her mood suddenly became complex.

The Crown Prince, whom everyone had always been obsessed with… the woman he couldn’t forget… was herself?

Rongrong found it hard to imagine.

In the past, her relationship with the Crown Prince was intense, but it was only limited to that.

Beyond that, the Crown Prince had always been indifferent to her.

Once, while serving him during his bath, feeling playful, she wrote his name on his back with her finger.

He turned around, staring deeply at her, causing her heart to race and making her lower her head without daring to say a word.

After that, she never tried to be playful in front of him again.

Could someone so cold-hearted keep thinking about her?

Rongrong didn’t believe it.

Could it be that Yuanbao’s intelligence and cuteness made him remember her fondly?

Hmph, now that she had the sensible and well-behaved Yuanbao, it didn’t matter if he remembered her or not.

Seeing Rongrong in a daze, Yuanbao thought she might really be convinced.

He hugged Rongrong and coquettishly said, “Auntie, Father isn’t a bad person. He just… sometimes has a bad temper. Since he’s injured, don’t be angry, okay?”

Rongrong came to her senses, looked at Yuanbao’s adorable face, and kissed him a couple of times. “I’m not angry. As long as I have Yuanbao with me, I won’t be angry with anyone else.”

“Really?” Yuanbao’s eyes brightened, then he pouted and said, “But Auntie, you didn’t care about Yuanbao when you were angry this morning.”

“I won’t be like that in the future. Even if he drives me away, I won’t leave.”

Yuanbao was her son.

She planned to stay by his side and take care of him until he grew up. If she were to leave, it would only be when Yuanbao got married.

This was her Yuanbao, her Liu Jing.

“Auntie, will you come back to the East Palace with me today?” Yuanbao asked eagerly.

Today…

She had just run out, and now she was going back?

Rongrong felt a bit embarrassed and said, “You saw that Grandmother is not feeling well. I need to stay at home for a few days to take care of her.”

“Alright, I’ll stay with Auntie to take care of Grandmother.”

“You’re not going back to the East Palace?”

“No,” Yuanbao proudly lifted his chin. “When I came out, I told Father that if Auntie doesn’t go back, I won’t go back either.”

Rongrong embraced Yuanbao.

She wanted to stay here with him to avoid the Crown Prince, fearing he might do something.

But since Xie Yuanchu had said that the assassin was targeting Yuanbao, Rongrong couldn’t help but worry.

Yuanbao was always perceptive.

As soon as Rongrong was silent, he immediately sensed that she had something on her mind.

“Aunt, what are you thinking about?”

Rongrong looked at Yuanbao, who was smiling on his face.

She reached out and tapped Yuanbao’s nose, saying, “I’m thinking that there are no guards here. If any bad people come, Aunt doesn’t know martial arts and won’t be able to protect Yuanbao.”

“Don’t worry. Aunt Feicui knows martial arts; she can protect us. Also,” Yuanbao lowered his voice, “ Aunt Liuli is here too; she will quietly protect us.”

No wonder the Crown Prince let Yuanbao come out alone; it turns out Liuli was following him.

Rongrong felt slightly reassured and said, “If someone from the Eastern Palace comes to take you back, just go with them obediently. Don’t worry, Aunt promises you that if you go back, I will return to the Eastern Palace in a couple of days.”

Rongrong wasn’t sure how the Crown Prince would react to Yuanbao running away.

If Yuanbao insisted on not returning and angered him, it might cause a big stir.

Now was a crucial time for Yuanbao to enter the Jade Register, and nothing could go wrong.

Yuanbao, understanding, nodded and wiped the tear marks from Rongrong’s face with his hand. “Aunt, since you’ve been crying for so long, are you tired? How about we take a nap?”

“Okay.” Rongrong had Yuanbao sit down, then she got up to wash her face, cleaned Yuanbao’s hands, and took out the clothes from the bundle Feicui had sent.

She changed Yuanbao into his sleeping clothes, and they both lay down together.

Yuanbao quickly closed his eyes, and Rongrong watched him fall asleep before she finally fell asleep herself.

However, not long after Rongrong had fallen asleep, the little bundle beside her began to move, quietly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and tiptoed out of the room.

Feicui was sitting in the courtyard, peeling peanuts.

As soon as Yuanbao saw her, he immediately made a “shh” gesture.

Feicui hurriedly put down the peanuts, wiped her hands, and went over to him, whispering, “Where is the young lady?”

“She’s asleep. Aunt Feicui, please help me open the door.”

“Your Highness wants to go out?”

Yuanbao nodded, “I need to find Wang An. Father is waiting for a response!”

Feicui noticed how lightly Yuanbao was dressed and quickly said, “If Your Highness has a message, just tell me, but don’t catch a cold.”

Yuanbao thought for a moment, then nodded, leaned close to Feicui’s ear, and whispered, “Tell Wang An to inform Father that Aunt Rongrong isn’t angry anymore. I’ll stay here with Aunt for a few days before returning to the Eastern Palace.”

……

In Kun Ning Palace.

When the Empress awoke from her nap, An Ru presented freshly brewed peppermint tea.

This tea was made with white tea as the base and a mint leaf added, which was both refreshing and invigorating.

After drinking a few sips, the drowsiness from the nap disappeared.

“Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting outside.”

“Let him come in.”

After giving the order, the Empress looked happily at the seven or eight plates of pastries in front of her.

These had been specially prepared by the imperial kitchen, including nine-layer cake, water chestnut cake, pea yellow, egg yolk puff, and crystal cake—all of which Yuanbao loved to eat.

At the moment, she had no other hobbies; she just enjoyed watching Yuanbao eat.

“Your Majesty.”

Anru led the Crown Prince into the inner hall of Kun Ning Palace.

The Empress, upon seeing only the Crown Prince, immediately frowned. “Where is Yuanbao?”

“He went to the manor to play.”

“The manor? Which manor?”

“My manor.”

The Empress looked regretfully at the pastries in front of her and snorted, “How lucky for you.”

The Crown Prince was not polite and picked up a piece of crystal cake.

The imperial kitchen was indeed impressive; the crystal cake was transparent and had a delightful, chewy texture.

“This pastry chef is quite good. If you’re concerned about Yuanbao, you might as well grant this chef to me.”

The Empress looked at him with a half-smile, “Is it that you’re concerned about Yuanbao? Or is it someone else?”

After a pause, the Empress continued, “Recently, you’ve taken quite a lot of things from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Don’t think I don’t know. Jiangning Weaving Factory sent five bolts of cloud brocade to the palace, and I kept one, while you took one as well. Have you made a garment for Yuanbao?”

“I made him a vest,” the Crown Prince replied calmly.

Seeing his feigned ignorance, the Empress sneered, “Fine. I said I wouldn’t concern myself with you, so I really won’t. But you should be aware. The past is the past, but you are about to get married. You’d better not… end up with another big belly.”

A big belly…

He wished he could, but unfortunately, there was no chance.

“Rest assured, Mother. I understand.”

“I called you here today to discuss Yuanbao’s entry into the Imperial Register. I initially thought of making it lively in the East Palace, but on second thought, there’s no one in charge there yet. It’s better to do it in the palace.”

“There’s no need to trouble Mother. Let’s hold it in the Eastern Palace.”

The Empress sighed and finally nodded, “That’s fine too. The Eastern Palace hasn’t been lively for a long time. I’ll have Anru go to the Eastern Palace to help you with the arrangements.”

“Thank you, Mother,” said the Crown Prince. Seeing the flicker in the Empress’s eyes, he asked, “Mother, if you have something to say, just say it.”

The Empress was silent for a moment before saying, “Your maternal grandfather heard about Yuanbao’s entry into the Imperial Register and also wants to join in the excitement.”

“I heard that Grandfather’s health has not been good recently and he hasn’t been out for a long time. How could he still send word to you? Is it really his intention or someone else’s?”

“He is still your maternal grandfather,” the Empress said, sensing the Crown Prince’s discontent.

Unable to come up with a rebuttal, she sighed, “At his age, and with Yuanbao being his only great-grandchild, he should be allowed to see him.”

The Crown Prince sneered, “Does Mother remember how he used to scold me?

Has Mother forgotten?

Let me say this clearly: Yuanbao’s entry into the Imperial Register is a major event. If Grandfather resorts to his old ways, don’t blame me for being unfilial.”

“Rest assured. If he truly treats Yuanbao badly, I will be the first to disagree.”

“Since Mother is so certain, I will wait and see.” With that, the Crown Prince stood up and left, his sleeves swaying as he walked away.

As he exited Kun Ning Palace, Fu Quan stepped forward and asked, “Master, shall we return to the Eastern Palace?”

Return to the Eastern Palace?

Yuanbao wasn’t there, and neither was she.

What was there to go back for?